Agencies which have been banned Thread poster: Michael Newton
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Michael Newton 
United States
Local time: 13:57
Japanese to English
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I am interested in contacting an agency which was posted on the daily roster of agencies sent to me by email. When I went to look up the agency, I found it had been banned by proz.com, despite the fact that the last 15 entries (LWA) were all "5". So please tell me, why would an agency with a seemingly stellar reputation be banned? Any thoughts?
| | | | | Violation of Proz.com policies? | Oct 4, 2022 |
I observe that recent administration of agencies by Proz depends on business policies of this Proz even it is against Proz member benefits. Isn't my understanding right?
Soonthon L.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 19:57
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| What banned means | Oct 4, 2022 |
Michael Newton wrote:
I found [that the agency] had been banned by ProZ.com, despite the fact that the last 15 entries (LWA) were all "5".
Read the wording carefully. The agency has been banned from posting jobs. The use of the word "banned" is an unfortunate choice of words here. The agency hasn't been banned. The agency simply isn't allowed to post jobs anymore. This happens after there have been (I believe) two credible reports of non-payment in a certain period of time.
The LWA, on the other hand, isn't about payment, but about "likelihood of working again" for the agency. If 100 translators say that they are likely to work for the agency again, but two translators reported non-payment (in a way that qualifies), the agency gets "banned from posting". The word "posting" here refers to using the "Post a job" feature.
Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.) wrote:
I observe that recent [dealings w.r.t.] agencies by ProZ.com depends on business policies of this ProZ.com even it is against ProZ.com member [interests]. Isn't my understanding right?
While there have been multiple reports here in the forums about ProZ.com treating certain agencies more equal than others (especially w.r.t. what types of comments are allowed on their Blue Board records), Michael's issue has nothing to do with that.
[Edited at 2022-10-04 06:32 GMT]
| | | | Michael Newton
United States
Local time: 13:57
Japanese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | agencies banned | Oct 4, 2022 |
So "banned by proz.com" is not the same as "banned from posting by proz.com"? As I remember, the agency with the multiple "5s" covered a period of some 18 months. The reasons for banning were not transparent and considering the time-frame, non-transparent. I have seen two wordings: "banned from posting" and "banned from posting per termination policy". I have also noticed a certain large and influential agency (which has ripped me off) has been "banned" twice over a period of ten years (yes, I ... See more So "banned by proz.com" is not the same as "banned from posting by proz.com"? As I remember, the agency with the multiple "5s" covered a period of some 18 months. The reasons for banning were not transparent and considering the time-frame, non-transparent. I have seen two wordings: "banned from posting" and "banned from posting per termination policy". I have also noticed a certain large and influential agency (which has ripped me off) has been "banned" twice over a period of ten years (yes, I am a compulsive agency-watcher). But at some point, the agency was able to work its way back into the good graces of proz.com and again be allowed to post. As I remember, the non-payment issues were egregious. It would be nice if a proz.com moderator could jump in and enlighten us. Si seulement....
Another question I have which may already have been answered: do the agencies pay to be listed on proz.com? In other words, are these agencies a source of revenue for proz.com? It would seem so as proz.com seems quite careful about stepping on toes.
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| | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 19:57
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| My experience with a banned agency | Oct 4, 2022 |
One time I was contacted by a banned agency on ProZ. They offered a big project and I said OK if you pay in advance. They happily send $2k in advance, I complete and send the project, the project closes.
After a while, they contact me with a new (big) batch and a deadline. I complete this one, send it, and when they were about to pay, the pattern was: long period of silence and non-responsiveness > claiming quality issues by the client > threatening with lawyers if I ever write anyt... See more One time I was contacted by a banned agency on ProZ. They offered a big project and I said OK if you pay in advance. They happily send $2k in advance, I complete and send the project, the project closes.
After a while, they contact me with a new (big) batch and a deadline. I complete this one, send it, and when they were about to pay, the pattern was: long period of silence and non-responsiveness > claiming quality issues by the client > threatening with lawyers if I ever write anything negative about them anywhere.
This resulted in a partial payment only for this second batch which I eventually negotiated with their CEO (50%) and a possible lawsuit with me having 1 lawyer on my end and them having a bunch of corporate lawyers on the their end (which I gave up). This was a long time ago and the agency does not exist any more, to my knowledge.
So, scam comes in many different colors indeed.
“Banned” means they owe a lot of money to many different people (it has built up). And it also probably means they will be very creative when designing their scam structure. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Criteria for getting banned | Oct 4, 2022 |
Hi Samuel,
Just a silly question:
Why are they banned from posting when they only have 5s?
I thought banning was actually dependent on clearly visible complaints/ratings on the Blueboard.
Samuel Murray wrote: Michael Newton wrote:
I found [that the agency] had been banned by ProZ.com, despite the fact that the last 15 entries (LWA) were all "5". Read the wording carefully. The agency has been banned from posting jobs. The use of the word "banned" is an unfortunate choice of words here. The agency hasn't been banned. The agency simply isn't allowed to post jobs anymore. This happens after there have been (I believe) two credible reports of non-payment in a certain period of time. The LWA, on the other hand, isn't about payment, but about "likelihood of working again" for the agency. If 100 translators say that they are likely to work for the agency again, but two translators reported non-payment (in a way that qualifies), the agency gets "banned from posting". The word "posting" here refers to using the "Post a job" feature. Soonthon LUPKITARO(Ph.D.) wrote:
I observe that recent [dealings w.r.t.] agencies by ProZ.com depends on business policies of this ProZ.com even it is against ProZ.com member [interests]. Isn't my understanding right? While there have been multiple reports here in the forums about ProZ.com treating certain agencies more equal than others (especially w.r.t. what types of comments are allowed on their Blue Board records), Michael's issue has nothing to do with that. [Edited at 2022-10-04 06:32 GMT]
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 19:57
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Bernhard Sulzer wrote:
Why are they banned from posting when they only have 5s?
I thought banning was actually dependent on clearly visible complaints/ratings on the Blueboard.
I have no idea (-:
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Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 19:57
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
Several possible scenarios:
- the negative reviews are very old and may have been removed
- the translators were blackmailed with payment-review deletion exchange
- the agency uses several different accounts
As I said, they are very creative, keep coming up with new scam structures.
| | | | Michael Newton
United States
Local time: 13:57
Japanese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | banned agencies | Oct 5, 2022 |
Am still waiting for a moderator to chime in. Any moderators listening?
| | | | | You'd better... | Oct 5, 2022 |
Michael Newton wrote:
Am still waiting for a moderator to chime in. Any moderators listening?
... send a ticket, otherwise it will fall on deaf ears. Good luck!
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