| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Have you ever been rude to a client or agency? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever been rude to a client or agency?".
This poll was originally submitted by dasein_wm. View the poll results »
| | | | Muriel Vasconcellos (X) 
United States
Local time: 22:45
Spanish to English
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| Yes - intentionally | Feb 28, 2018 |
Two days ago a potential client sent me a word list to review that included some really vulgar pornographic words. I returned it along with a piece of my mind. The next day they asked why I was so rude. I wrote back and explained why again.
| | | | Jan Truper
Germany
Local time: 07:45
English to German
| Yes, intentionally | Feb 28, 2018 |
I sometimes react rather sharp-tongued to obscene rate offers or other impudent demands.
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And all those pious do-gooders who reckon rudeness is never justified can **** off.
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I don’t recall ever being rude to a regular customer, quite the contrary! I’m often tempted to lecture some potential clients when they ask for the moon without opening their purse-strings…
| | | | Noura Tawil
Syria
Local time: 09:45
Member (2013)
English to Arabic
| Yes, and it was definitely intentional | Feb 28, 2018 |
I do recall sending a rude reply once or twice, I still see that response quite justified now that the issues have faded away.
Never been *unintentionally* rude to a client, though.
| | | | EvaVer (X)
Local time: 07:45
Czech to French
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| Yes, more and more | Feb 28, 2018 |
when faced with stupid demands. As I no longer need each and every job, I am getting assertive and tell people my mind when they are being silly. The most flagrant recent example: on Monday, a PM contacted me about 6000 words French to Czech by Wednesday. I said I would be able to take about half of it. Then on Tuesday, her colleague contacted me, OK, half of it, but the text would be only ready on Tuesday evening and the deadline on Wednesday 10 a.m. I told him I didn't work night shifts and as... See more when faced with stupid demands. As I no longer need each and every job, I am getting assertive and tell people my mind when they are being silly. The most flagrant recent example: on Monday, a PM contacted me about 6000 words French to Czech by Wednesday. I said I would be able to take about half of it. Then on Tuesday, her colleague contacted me, OK, half of it, but the text would be only ready on Tuesday evening and the deadline on Wednesday 10 a.m. I told him I didn't work night shifts and asked why the delay. He said that THEY WERE TRANSLATING IT INTO ENGLISH AND WANTED ME TO TRANSLATE FROM THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION. I was very rude to him, I must admit. Without swearwords, but indicating clearly what I thought of them, and that I wouldn't participate in such nonsense. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I don't know | Feb 28, 2018 |
Some agencies apparently consider it "rude" when I want them to take our agreed payment term as seriously as I take their deadlines.
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| I don't know | Feb 28, 2018 |
I can be very straightforward, or assertive, in particular when it comes to financial matters or to terminological choices. But I'm not sure if it is perceived as rude by clients. I probably depends on the person you're talking to, each of us has their different definition/scale of rudeness. And it can change over time. When I started out in the profession, I used to be more or less ok with mass mails, but now I find them rude and don't respond.
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that is not necessary.
I am very direct and not afraid of the clients. Not rude, let's call it assertive.
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Yetta J Bogarde wrote:
that is not necessary.
I am very direct and not afraid of the clients. Not rude, let's call it assertive.
I would usually say the same as Yetta, influenced by the Danish norm, which is to come straight to the point, so I hope clients do not perceive it as rude. I consider it rude to waste people's time with lots of empty phrases, whether intended as polite or right at the other end of the scale.
I do write 'Sehr geehrte Frau/Herr ...' to Germans who have addressed me the same way instead of just writing Hi, and I follow other people's politeness if I am aware of it.
If I am angry with a client, I find icy politeness with a tinge of sarcasm sometimes works. They can't complain that I am rude, and it shows (I hope) that I am in control. I was brought up never to swear, but I let off steam by finding suitable epithets... 
What I shout aloud or mutter under my breath is another matter, but I try to come across as a nice person online. Pure hypocrisy, but it works!
| | | | | I don't know | Feb 28, 2018 |
Sometimes they deserve it, but I try not to. But maybe I was at some point, we get a lot of crazy demands and projects, or companies who take too long to pay and it bothers me to have to ask for what is mine. We must be the only professionals who do a job and are not payed immediately, have to wait 30, 60 days or even more.
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| No need to get rude ... | Feb 28, 2018 |
I don't mean to butt in ... but, why would you scold a client for asking you to translate pornographic language? If you're not comfortable with it, just tell them you're not ... no need to tell them off. ???
Muriel Vasconcellos wrote:
Two days ago a potential client sent me a word list to review that included some really vulgar pornographic words. I returned it along with a piece of my mind. The next day they asked why I was so rude. I wrote back and explained why again.
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both intentionally and unintentionally.
Intentionally when I politely asked a client when my payment (1 week late) was supposed to be done. The cliente replied I was not supposed to send reminders, then I just said, that it was not a reminder and that I was just asking for information, and anyway I wouldn't have asked if they payment had been done on time.
Unintentionally when I was in a hurry and I did not observe the communication rules when writing an email.
| | | | Richard Jenkins
Brazil
Local time: 03:45
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
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| I never go out to be rude, but it has happened | Feb 28, 2018 |
I was rude to a customer a while back who refused to change my Brazilian bank details to my UK bank account, or PayPal, due to the "amount of work involved", when I clearly explained that my small fee (about 50 EUR) would be negated by fixed bank charges in Brazil. Their lack of flexibility made me angry, and I have refused to work with them since.
It was my fault, I guess, for being so exacting about it, but they wouldn't even pay through PayPal, and I lost my entire fee!
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