Dan Lucas wrote:
Ines Radionovas-Lagoutte, PhD wrote:
What would you do? I am tempted to withhold my next translation until they pay me, but would not want to risk losing even more by this.
You are heading in
exactly the right direction to lose much more.
Not sure why this is so hard to understand.
Let's say there are 12 instalments and you get paid 1,000 euro for each. You have delivered one of these but had to chase, and you want to be paid on time for the next one.
Currently your exposure is one unpaid instalment, or 1,000 euro. If you keep on working without being paid it will soon be two, or three or five instalments, so 2,000, 3,000 or 5,000 euro. With every extra bit of unpaid work you do for them your position gets weaker, not stronger, because your potential loss - should they refuse to pay, or should you walk away - gets bigger. So it becomes psychologically more difficult for you to stand up to them. By continuing you are giving them a stick to beat you with, if they want to.
Once you have submitted all the instalments, your position will be at its weakest.
At that point they have everything they want, right?
Email them and say, politely and clearly, "I am stopping all work until I am paid for any outstanding invoices, and until you confirm that I will be paid 30 days after submission of each instalment."
They may huff and puff, but if they are located in Europe, remind them they are subject to the European small claims procedure. Unless they are going broke, there's a good chance they will pay you and instead delay payments to some other freelancer, one who doesn't stand up for themselves.
If this agency is located outside Europe and out of your legal reach, I would seriously considering withdrawing from the project once you get paid for the next instalment, because already the omens are not good. That probably means more trouble down the road. Have you seen
this thread? Read it and have a ponder.
Regards,
Dan