Poll: Have you ever had a client yell at you over the phone? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever had a client yell at you over the phone?".
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I can’t remember ever having a client yelling at me and I don’t yell at people. When I’m upset or angry I tend to do exactly what my father did: I take a deep breath and speak very slowly in a calm voice.
| | | | | The client yelled at the PM | Sep 12, 2018 |
I have sometimes felt sorry for PMs... They get yelled at occasionally!
On one occasion the PM - who took the odd irate client in his stride - asked me to call her and explain very quietly, in English, why I had translated her text the way I had. (Then I had the advantage over her. It was my language, and she preferred Swedish, which I do not speak...)
I called her, and she apologised at once. When she sat down to find the mistakes, one by one, she could see that I had ... See more I have sometimes felt sorry for PMs... They get yelled at occasionally!
On one occasion the PM - who took the odd irate client in his stride - asked me to call her and explain very quietly, in English, why I had translated her text the way I had. (Then I had the advantage over her. It was my language, and she preferred Swedish, which I do not speak...)
I called her, and she apologised at once. When she sat down to find the mistakes, one by one, she could see that I had translated what she had written, but not what she had THOUGHT, after revising the text a dozen times!
We agreed that she would send a new version, and I assume she apologised to the PM too. ▲ Collapse
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The client was behind with paying my invoices. I'd done the usual recorded delivery letter, formal notice etc. and all to no avail. Staff within the firm, a communication agency, continued to ask me to do translations but I refused, saying that I would only accept further orders once outstanding invoices had been paid. I set the formal small claims procedure ball rolling to recover what was due.
The client called me up to yell at me, outraged that I had dared to go that far. I remin... See more The client was behind with paying my invoices. I'd done the usual recorded delivery letter, formal notice etc. and all to no avail. Staff within the firm, a communication agency, continued to ask me to do translations but I refused, saying that I would only accept further orders once outstanding invoices had been paid. I set the formal small claims procedure ball rolling to recover what was due.
The client called me up to yell at me, outraged that I had dared to go that far. I reminded him that he had had every opportunity to settle what was due and that he had continued to ignore my demands and that what was more, his staff continued unawares to order work which I was now refusing to do. In short, I remained cool, calm and collected reminding him that he was the one in the wrong. The guy was a bully and was not someone I wished to continue working with. By then, all I wanted was my money, which came through fairly quickly. I also warned colleagues of their payment procedures so that they would be aware not to let a situation drag on for too long.
So yes, a client has yelled at me, and it was almost funny as I was being yelled at simply because this type of person is one who is not used to people standing up to him. I ran into him on several occasions as I continue to work for other clients in the same milieu and on the same events. He actually ignored me for a total of 8 years, which I found even funnier still and I was detached and could dare to smile and be amused by the fact that he would pretend not to notice. I don't like bullies. ▲ Collapse
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| Yes, once too! | Sep 12, 2018 |
This client was always extremely rude, unappreciative and the few times we actually spoke on the phone, he was not a pleasant person. It's interesting that meanwhile this client has been banned from the Blue Board. Hmm, wonder why.
[Edited at 2018-09-12 12:02 GMT]
| | | | Ricki Farn
Germany
Local time: 19:32
English to German
I refuse to speak to business contacts acoustically. It's like handwriting - I know how it's done, but I'm not good at it, so I don't do it. That is what email was invented for.
| | | | EvaVer (X) 
Local time: 19:32
Czech to French
+ ...
| I don't think so | Sep 12, 2018 |
Ricki Farn wrote:
I refuse to speak to business contacts acoustically. It's like handwriting - I know how it's done, but I'm not good at it, so I don't do it. That is what email was invented for.
I have had a few unpleasant discussions, but I don't think there has ever been actual yelling.
I cannot always avoid talking to clients (they phone me), but when things go wrong, I prefer communicating in writing - precisely because I know my temper. I do my best to stay polite - when I am really angry, I delay the answer, or, if possible, don't answer at all (like a prospect that asked for my photo and my measurements - what polite answer could I find?).
| | | | R. Alex Jenkins
Brazil
Local time: 14:32
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
+ ...
But I have been 'yelled at' in emails, telling me that the work was rubbish, that I should go back to learning the language from the beginning, etc., in the most abusive manner possible, followed by an offer of more work a few weeks later! Followed by the same rinse-and-repeat abuse, followed by further offers of work, until one day I realised that this was nothing more than a stressed-out bullying tactic that would never end, so I ended our relationship and have never worked with them again, an... See more But I have been 'yelled at' in emails, telling me that the work was rubbish, that I should go back to learning the language from the beginning, etc., in the most abusive manner possible, followed by an offer of more work a few weeks later! Followed by the same rinse-and-repeat abuse, followed by further offers of work, until one day I realised that this was nothing more than a stressed-out bullying tactic that would never end, so I ended our relationship and have never worked with them again, and never will. ▲ Collapse
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Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 14:32
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| No, and I won't | Sep 12, 2018 |
I had a director yell at me over the phone once, because of an initiative I had and he wished he had had it. It will never happen again, I can assure you.
The relationship between a translator and a client or agency is not that of a subordinate with their superior whatsoever. There is no space for yelling over the phone. If it ever happens, I'll simply shut the phone and that person is never going to hear about me again.
| | | | | No: I insist that they put everything in writing | Sep 13, 2018 |
Ricki Farn wrote:
I refuse to speak to business contacts acoustically. It's like handwriting - I know how it's done, but I'm not good at it, so I don't do it. That is what email was invented for.
I couldn't agree more. This has always been a business rule for me (since email was invented) -- to be sure all terms are clear, fully understood, and in writing. It has become all the more important now that I am hearing-impaired. A client with a strong Spanish accent insisted on phoning me earlier this year and refused to speak Spanish. I was wearing my hearing aids, but had to ask her to summarize what we had "agreed" because I really couldn't tell from the conversation. In fact, until she wrote me, I had totally misunderstood what we were talking about.
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