| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Is ProZ deliberately skewing Blue Board feedback in favour of agencies? Thread poster: Anton Konashenok
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Over the last year or so, I've had several LWA entries with a low score rejected by ProZ staff for an alleged violation of rules in my feedback (being too "personal"). Until recently, I would have grudgingly agreed, but the response I got today looks totally unreasonable to me. My feedback with a score of 2 was: "Most jobs are very small and at low rates. User-unfriendly job portal. No job notifications. Paying via Paypal and Payoneer only, wire transfer only as an exception and for an extra fee... See more Over the last year or so, I've had several LWA entries with a low score rejected by ProZ staff for an alleged violation of rules in my feedback (being too "personal"). Until recently, I would have grudgingly agreed, but the response I got today looks totally unreasonable to me. My feedback with a score of 2 was: "Most jobs are very small and at low rates. User-unfriendly job portal. No job notifications. Paying via Paypal and Payoneer only, wire transfer only as an exception and for an extra fee".
To me, this looks like bare facts. Nevertheless, this entry got rejected: "Please re-post, limiting your comment with your likelihood of working again, without including personal remarks such as 'jobs are very small and at low rates'". ProZ, are you serious?
[Edited at 2022-03-13 13:40 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:34
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Let's just say | Mar 13, 2022 |
Q. Is ProZ deliberately skewing Blue Board feedback in favour of agencies?
A. Let's just say there have been problems. Most Prozians are very wary of the BlueBoard.
| | | | | I had one such experience a couple of years ago, trying to indicate the agency was a non-payer | Mar 13, 2022 |
I tried to post the lowest rating for a small, basically one-man Belgian agency that never paid me the €1600 they owed me. The owner replied to Proz that he 'didn't remember'. Proz asked me for proof, so I sent the invoice. My comment was not allowed. The owner/agency is a paying participant of Proz. I don't remember if I was still a paying member at that point, but Proz definitely took his side.
| | | | | Feedback provided by ProZ disqualifies their own credibility | Mar 13, 2022 |
'Most jobs are very small and at low rates' is a personal comment? You are just providing clear information that supports the rating you give. The Blueboard may be an initial reason to become a member of Proz.com, but it definitely isn't to renew a paying membership.
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Lingua 5B 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 09:34
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| Never happened to me. | Mar 13, 2022 |
My negative reviews were always accepted by ProZ. Moreover, their role in non-payment reports was always critical for me to eventually get paid. In my case, can’t remember a review ever being rejected.
I really don’t know how ProZ decides on this. But “no job notifications”, and “limited payment options” are not grounds for a 2, you should have stronger points for a 2, eg. closer to late, non-existent payments or some lies involved from the agency’s side.
| | | | Michael Newton
United States
Local time: 03:34
Japanese to English
+ ...
| Blue Board feedback | Mar 13, 2022 |
I posted something like this several years ago and proz.com deleted it. I fought them showing several "personal" posts which had been accepted. They relented and reposted my comments. If you believe that proz.com is on the side of translators, you are seriously mistaken.
| | | | Michael Newton
United States
Local time: 03:34
Japanese to English
+ ...
| Blue board feedback | Mar 13, 2022 |
Another example of proz.com favoritism is several "important" agencies that are still allowed to post despite a plethora of LWA 1.
| | | | Vanda Nissen
Australia
Local time: 17:34
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
| Just to give you an idea how it works | Mar 13, 2022 |
I made an entry about a bad payer 11 or 12 years ago. Last year, Proz.com staff contacted me asking to remove the entry because the company allegedly paid me in full. Bad luck for them that I kept both the original invoice and the correspondence so Proz.com reluctantly had to ask the agency at least to pay me the said invoice, but they did not change their mind and still asked me to change the BB entry. So, the answer is yes, they are clearly favouring agencies and we do not have much choice. Th... See more I made an entry about a bad payer 11 or 12 years ago. Last year, Proz.com staff contacted me asking to remove the entry because the company allegedly paid me in full. Bad luck for them that I kept both the original invoice and the correspondence so Proz.com reluctantly had to ask the agency at least to pay me the said invoice, but they did not change their mind and still asked me to change the BB entry. So, the answer is yes, they are clearly favouring agencies and we do not have much choice. The agency was not even that ''important'' - some mediocre Eastern European agency. Apparently, my profile has more ''weight'' than their entire agency because they claimed they were losing business because of my entry but still, Proz.com immediately believed their allegations. ▲ Collapse
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 09:34
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| Wow, that is just not right | Mar 13, 2022 |
Anton Konashenok wrote:
...personal remarks such as 'jobs are very small and at low rates'
It's not just you. "Jobs are very small and at low rates" is not a personal remark by any definition. Clearly something fishy is going on. Or, a moderator doesn't understand his job.
| | | | Daniel Frisano
Italy
Local time: 09:34
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
| Alternative solution | Mar 13, 2022 |
Let's make the explanation optional.
If the 1st try is deemed "too personal", who cares, just slap the 1- or 2-star review or whatever, goodbye.
[Edited at 2022-03-14 00:06 GMT]
| | | | William Yang
China
Local time: 15:34
Member (2021)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| Never participate BB | Mar 14, 2022 |
Sure "small" and "low" are personal, so you may publish the rates for the particular project.
Geert Rombaut wrote:
'Most jobs are very small and at low rates' is a personal comment? You are just providing clear information that supports the rating you give. The Blueboard may be an initial reason to become a member of Proz.com, but it definitely isn't to renew a paying membership.
| | | | William Yang
China
Local time: 15:34
Member (2021)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| I understand | Mar 14, 2022 |
I understand proz may hesitate when balancing its stance between translators and agencies, but this is the place we work together to make it better.
So we need more communications from both sides in addition to the third party Proz on the purpose of better transparency and less misinformation but sometimes moderators do a bad job who may biase and have prejudice. The forums are not the place dominated by only those so-called celebrities.
[Edited at 2022-03-14 01:28 GMT]
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Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 10:34
Member
English to Turkish
| Losing business? | Mar 14, 2022 |
Vanda Nissen wrote:
they claimed they were losing business because of my entry but still, Proz.com immediately believed their allegations.
Why would an agency lose business because of low ratings on Proz? Do their end clients check them out on (or even visit) Proz? I thought Blueboard was only for translators. I mean, if you give them a low rating on Google reviews or Glassdoor, that's understandable, but Proz?
| | | | Oriol Vives (X)
Spain
Local time: 09:34
English to Catalan
+ ...
| They let you publish this post? Lucky. | Mar 14, 2022 |
I had a similar issue not too long ago and they wouldn't even let me publish a post like the one you are posting now.
In fact, at that time, any time I tried to post anything at all they would forbid it ipso facto just because it was mine. Much like censorship, if you ask me. They even removed my Certified Proz Network as retaliation.
They seem to fail to understand that sometimes the Blue Board is, for the lonely outsourcers, the only way to put some sort of tin... See more I had a similar issue not too long ago and they wouldn't even let me publish a post like the one you are posting now.
In fact, at that time, any time I tried to post anything at all they would forbid it ipso facto just because it was mine. Much like censorship, if you ask me. They even removed my Certified Proz Network as retaliation.
They seem to fail to understand that sometimes the Blue Board is, for the lonely outsourcers, the only way to put some sort of tiny pressure in the non-paying agency. That, and a place to vent too from the harshness of the world. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Vanda Nissen
Australia
Local time: 17:34
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
| I have no idea | Mar 15, 2022 |
Baran Keki wrote:
Why would an agency lose business because of low ratings on Proz? Do their end clients check them out on (or even visit) Proz? I thought Blueboard was only for translators. I mean, if you give them a low rating on Google reviews or Glassdoor, that's understandable, but Proz?
That is what they told Proz.com. I do not know and to be perfectly honest, I could not care less why they wanted to remove it, the important thing here was that it was ME who had to present all the evidence decades later, not the other way around.
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