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Moosevoice · Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 1:36 pm Post subject: Intervoiceover payments

Anybody have trouble getting payment from inter voiceover.com? I've done a couple jobs through them and one is past due (45 days). Wasn't getting much in the way of replies from them until recently where it was blamed on a system error or something.
Anyway, a client I did stuff for is looking for more stuff from me but I'm hesitant to do anything until I get paid for the initial job.
Basically, I'm asking if they're a pain in the butt as far as collecting payment.
Thanks
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Shiromi · Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2014 2:49 pm Post subject:

Funny you should mention that. I have an invoice with them that just went past the 45 day window. Tried to make contact a few days ago and got no reply. However, I contacted Simone yesterday and she said she would look into it. This is my first job with them, so no idea if this is common. Will let you know what happens though.

Bruce · Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2014 8:06 am Post subject:

You're upset or even just curious about a client that's gone 45 days on an invoice? That's nothing in our line of work. I've got a small handful of invoices at 60+ days right now and one at 90+ days. Sure, most clients pay in 35 or less, and God love the ones that pay you in a week or less, but I'm not sure 45 days should raise a red flag.

Contact them and ask about it sure, but worry? There's too much else to worry about these days.

B
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todd ellis · Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2014 8:46 am Post subject:

i've got a ton of clients that pay 60 days --- just life in the fast lane.
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Bish · Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2014 8:53 am Post subject:

I was chasing a 60+ day invoice from a production house this week. I used my standard "Hi, I'm just checking that this hasn't fallen through the cracks" approach and was told that usual company policy was 60-90 days.

It is was it is, so I wouldn't worry just yet. I'd just love to try that with my mortgage or utility companies Smile

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Lee Gordon · Posted: Fri Jun 20, 2014 9:13 am Post subject:

I had a client who let several invoices "slip through the cracks" and I had to pester him quite severely before he finally paid up. However, I didn't even start to bug him until 90 days had elapsed. But I always made it a point to cast the "blame" on myself for being less than vigilant about my collection efforts (even when suggesting I would probably turn things over to my less patient, more persistent, agent), rather than accusing him of dragging his feet or trying to skip out on paying. And he did ultimately pay up.
Yesterday, he called, needing a new spot and offering to PayPal me the money in advance.
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Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

I had to submit invoices four times this year to a well know payroll company for a job I did late 2013. The gig is for a top financial company. Endless emails.

Irony - I withdrew the amount I was supposed to be paid from the Mutual Fund I had with said financial company expecting to never get paid. It was that bad.

I got paid yesterday.

I think the amount of work I did following up took my rate down into the fiverr zone.
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paulstrikwerda · Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 1:23 pm Post subject: Stay away from this company

In the past few months, many colleagues have asked me what I think of this company, because it's half-Dutch. Apparently, they're recruiting all over the place.

Here's what my Dutch colleagues are telling me:

1. As soon as you send them the requested demos, you won't hear from InterVoiceOver for a long, long time. If you're not proactive, you can wait forever before you get listed.

2. No one is getting paid within a reasonable period of time. No one. Only after you send them reminder after reminder, you might eventually get your money. The only reason they can get away with this, is because people let them.

The European rules for late-payment have recently changed, and it's very hard to get away with these ridiculous practices. Unfortunately, these rules benefit European talent only.

I've added InterVoiceOver to my personal blacklist, and I suggest you do the same.
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Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

Yeah, they recruited me, I sent them all the info they wanted, followed up many many times, and they still have the same bunch of mostly mediocre American Male vo demos they've had for the past three years. I asked them about that and they said that is their long term voice actors. Okay...

Don't they want to display their best voices? And by that I don't imply me, what I mean is I'm sure they have better demos than what they're showing if they claim to represent so many talents.

Secondly, how the heck is anybody going to cast me if they can't search for or hear my demos?

Totally rubbish outfit.

Their tweet from May 6th:

Moving our office.. again! It's the 4th time in a year!
We're literally growing out of our offices every 4 months!!

Dare I reply:

"Congrats! It's amazing what you can do when you don't pay people on time!"
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Lee Gordon · Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 4:21 pm Post subject:

I wonder if they keep having to move because they don't pay their rent, either.
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Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

That's exactly what I'm thinking Lee. That tweet was total guano.
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Mike Harrison · Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2014 6:31 pm Post subject:

Lance Blair · M&M Joined: 03 Jun 2007 Posts: 2281 Location: Atlanta

I'm just going to block them. They're fools (at best). I mean, they only have 198 followers on Twitter?
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Moosevoice · Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2014 5:52 am Post subject:

To the broader issue of clients paying in a timely manner. Here's the thing. 45 days is more than enough to turn around payment for a business. So it's not unreasonable to expect to be paid before the seasons change and I've found that most clients respond favorably to someone following up on their end of a transaction. It's all in how you do it of course but clients have always been professional and gracious when inquiring about payment or invoice issues. I'm coming to find that collecting payment in the voiceover business is a lot like doing so in radio sales. Because there isn't a tangible product they can put their hands on there's less of an urgency to send payment. Whereas in a field like car sales, if payment isn't sent within those 30-45 days, the full court 'give us our money' press is initiated. Granted, the money amounts are usually different but the fundamentals (product/service for money) are the same.
To the specific issue of intervoiceover.com....I'm gonna keep on em about payments they owe me but unless it's a $ amount I'm willing to spend time trying to collect my payment on, they will be at the very bottom of my priority list. Of course, if I'm still trying to collect on these still in another 100days, I'm sure my tune will have changed to something more like 'F*** them!!'
Side question: does anyone have a policy of charging interest on payment after a set amount of time?
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Dayo · Cinquecento Joined: 10 Jan 2008 Posts: 544 Location: UK