Dani Karuniawan wrote:
Prevention is better. Here is my rule.
1. Never accept a project without at least 50% prepaid down payment, except the client(s) is/ are your family member or a very very close person for you.
2. Never dependent on agencies. They are sometime useful, however, you need to reach end-users with your own hand.
3. You should check your potential client whether his/ her name, address, photograph, etc are true and legitimate.
4. You need to have a website or a blog in a popular blog provider. Maintain it and ensure your blog is listed by Google, Yahoo, Bing, and Yandex. If you got bad client and you can't get your full right from him, put REAL EVIDENCE, his name, photograph, story, company, his PROZ profile url, work address, home address, source document, and anything you know in your website or blog. If your client is agent, broke any agreement and disclose its information, including souce documents, its client name, etc. If you know his secrets, reveal them all in your website.
You loss your money and he loss his reputation. (loss-loss solution??????
)
My past client did the same as yours. Then, I put all evidence and information about him in my website, and he, then, paid fully. I, as a consequence, erased the content of him from my website.
BTW, all translators ever got bad client at least once along their professional life. Don't give up.
Legal action is too complex and expensive. Unless involving a great lump of money, I don't think it is a good and cheap solution.
[Edited at 2015-10-20 07:33 GMT]
[Edited at 2015-10-20 07:35 GMT]
[Edited at 2015-10-20 07:36 GMT]