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: : A company contacted me in September this year and : : hired me instantly as a telephone interpreter, promising : : a lot of great things, including a retainer for my : : availibility. They didn't even test my interpretation : : skills, which I found a bit weird, then again, they seemed : : to have a great demand for my languages and it seemed they : : had already checked my references and were satisfied with : : the feedback they had gotten. : : But guess what... : : I am getting calls on/off, however no paychecks. More than : : 2 months passed, and I have not been payed at all yet. : <font size=4>I would stop working for them until they pay you something. Tell them "your credit limit expired, please pay me then I'll be able to work for you again!"</font> : Yes, : : I called them, and at first glance it seemed to be only a : : technical error. Now they are telling me they are "behind" : : with payments from their clients and need to wait until their : : clients pay in order for me to be paid. : your contract is with them, not with their client. This is the oldest excuse in the book and should not be allowed to go by unchecked. : Some of their clients : : are VERY big and should have really no cashflow problems. I : : am still interpreting for them, wondering what their problem : : is. : Their problem is crap payment habits and treating their translators badly. Although a month or two is not something to especially worry about, it is time to start asking questions. : : What do you think is going on ? How can I make them pay me ? : <ol><li>Call them and ask to speak to the accounts department</li> : <li>fax a copy of the invoice for the record</li> : <li>if no response after a week or two tell them you won't be able to work with them until they pay you</li> : <li>final resort start threatening legal action or debt collectors - you will lose the customer, so be aware what you are doing!</li> : </ol> : : : Am I in trouble ? The company and their clients are very reputable. : : Should I just refuse interpretations until they pay? : <b>probably yes - it depends how uncomfortable you get</b> : hope this helps : Alex : <img src=../../images/AlexSig.GIF alt=alex>

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