Dispute Regarding Invoice Format with Client** Thread poster: Moazzam Ali
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Moazzam Ali 
Pakistan
Local time: 21:59
English to Urdu
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SITE LOCALIZER
Dear fellow translators and professionals,
I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to seek advice and guidance on a matter that has arisen in my freelance translation business, and I believe many of you may have encountered similar situations.
As an established freelance translator, I utilize the comprehensive business management software "Protemos" to handle various aspects of my projects, including invoicing. Recently, I encountered a challenge with a cl... See more Dear fellow translators and professionals,
I hope this message finds you well. I am reaching out to seek advice and guidance on a matter that has arisen in my freelance translation business, and I believe many of you may have encountered similar situations.
As an established freelance translator, I utilize the comprehensive business management software "Protemos" to handle various aspects of my projects, including invoicing. Recently, I encountered a challenge with a client company's accounting department regarding the format of my invoices.
Despite having a well-organized and professional invoicing system in place through Protemos, the client insists that I use their own template for submitting invoices. However, their template is cumbersome and time-consuming to work with, leading to additional administrative burden on my end.
The client's requirement to use their template has left me in a dilemma, especially considering that we did not agree to such terms in our contract. When I proposed using my invoice template  , which includes all necessary information the client required  or following market standards, the client rejected my request  outright, threatening non-payment  if I did not comply with their format.
I am now at a crossroads and seek your advice on how to proceed. Should I insist on using my preferred invoicing format, especially when it meets all necessary requirements, or should I comply with the client's demands to avoid jeopardizing the business relationship?
Additionally, has anyone else encountered similar challenges with clients regarding invoice formats? How did you handle the situation, and what advice can you offer?
I appreciate any insights and guidance you can provide on this matter. Thank you for your time and assistance.
Best regards,
Moazzam Ali
[Edited at 2024-03-06 18:24 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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If the agency doesn't accept the format of your invoices and you're not interested in losing this client, it seems to me that you have no other choice. I've had a few similar problems and even a client who said he didn't need an invoice at the end of the month, but of course I had to make one for my tax authorities...
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I've had a similar issue a couple of times and you're up against a brick wall of bureaucracy and "computer says no", and the easiest answer is to do what they want.
| | | | John Fossey
Canada
Local time: 11:59
Member (2008)
French to English
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I have one client that doesn't accept any invoice, only a click on a "Submit invoice" button in its online system. There's no one to send an invoice to.
I protested in vain at first, but finally concluded that they pay on time at decent rates, and give me a reasonable volume of work, so there was no point in arguing the matter. That was 15 years ago and they are still one of my best clients.
So in the end what matters is how much you want the client. If you don't want t... See more I have one client that doesn't accept any invoice, only a click on a "Submit invoice" button in its online system. There's no one to send an invoice to.
I protested in vain at first, but finally concluded that they pay on time at decent rates, and give me a reasonable volume of work, so there was no point in arguing the matter. That was 15 years ago and they are still one of my best clients.
So in the end what matters is how much you want the client. If you don't want to lose the client you probably have no choice but to accept their demand. ▲ Collapse
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| I sympathize with you | Mar 9 |
Years ago, I used to do all my invoices in Word once a month, and it would take maybe an hour.
Today it's a massively more complicated process, done using systems designed entirely for the client's convenience, not for mine.
If I did my shopping in a supermarket and insisted on the till receipt being in a certain format, they'd just laugh at me. They'd say either pay for what you've bought or get out of our store.
| | | | | Additional work on your side = more money at the end of the month? | Mar 10 |
I have a direct client who wanted me to do that. Like you, I use fin services, and my invoices are created and sent by the system. Including a link to payment options, such as credit cards, etc.
It was a big long discussion because I still had to create the invoice in my system, plus use my client's portal to essentially recreate the invoice, submit it, etc.
Initially, my contact would submit my invoice through their system. Then she asked me to do it. And I said I'd ... See more I have a direct client who wanted me to do that. Like you, I use fin services, and my invoices are created and sent by the system. Including a link to payment options, such as credit cards, etc.
It was a big long discussion because I still had to create the invoice in my system, plus use my client's portal to essentially recreate the invoice, submit it, etc.
Initially, my contact would submit my invoice through their system. Then she asked me to do it. And I said I'd charge a 15 Euro admin fee per month. Eventually, because I work with them several times a week, we agreed that I'd just round up each project to the next 5 Euro increment. With an average of 12 projects per month, that works out just fine.
At the end of the day, they are paying me for my efforts. After having done this now for over a year, using their system takes me about an additional 5 minutes. So it's okay.
But yes, I guess it's good to talk about these things beforehand. ▲ Collapse
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