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FAQ Who is ClientChecker meant for? What benefits does ClientChecker give me? What are the differences between Pro, Standard and Lite memberships? How does ClientChecker protect my privacy? How do I report a late payment? What is the Aggregated Business Credit Report? What happens if I sign up to receive “Request A Comment” emails? Can I change my mind later? What is the "Going Rate Index™"? Does ClientChecker edit or delete my posts? What if I have technical problems with the site? ClientChecker is the credit rating agency for freelance professionals, small business people, and other business to business vendors. It provides business credit reports and other credit information that self-employed people can use to make a quick decision about working with potential clients, before signing with them. Freelancers and other independent contractors contribute to the ClientChecker database by posting information on their experiences of working with particular companies to an online form. Payment data is also collected from users of BillingTracker, who have agreed to anonymously share their trade payment experiences (late pay, slow pay, etc). Users can search for specific client companies by company name, geographic location, or other attributes. The ClientChecker database of companies is created solely by registered users, thus guaranteeing a high degree of credibility.
Who is ClientChecker meant for? ClientChecker is designed for freelance professionals and small businesses that provide services to companies. If you do contract work, are self employed, or own a "micro business" that provides services or goods to other businesses, you need to know, in advance of starting work, if they are likely to pay you on time or even at all, if they are easy to work with, and anything else that might affect your business. You need this business credit information immediately, and you need it straight from the source. ClientChecker is the only credit rating agency that tells you, and lets you tell, exactly what it is like to work with that client.
What benefits does ClientChecker give me? ClientChecker is a unique provider of business credit reports for freelancers and small business people who need a fast and easy way to check out a potential client. You need unfiltered information about that company – Do they pay their bills? Do they slow pay? Do they impose impossible deadlines? Etc. With ClientChecker, you can:
(See the list in the next question about different benefits for different membership levels.)
What are the differences between Pro, Standard and Lite memberships? ClientChecker is the only credit rating agency specifically targeted toward independent professionals and small business people. We currently offer three membership levels to meet your budget and needs, as follows:
1 - You can use either BillingTracker Pro or BillingTracker Standard trial versions. They are the full versions of the invoicing software, but are limited to a 30 day trial. 2 - Going Rate Index “Detailed” shows high-median-low rates by profession and region of the USA, or by country outside of the USA. “Lite” shows a worldwide average of median rates only, by profession. 3 - You can view your own comments unlimited times.
Privacy on the Web is a big issue. In a nutshell here’s what we do:
See our Privacy Policy for the complete details.
You can use ClientChecker to post a comment about a client, or to search for a client to see what other freelancers and small business people have posted. Trade payment information is aggregated into a brief business credit report, which will state if that client tends to pay late, and by how many days. Once you have registered to ClientChecker, click on the Post a comment link and fill in the form with as many details as possible. You can search for a business credit report on a company without registering. But to read the results of the search, e.g. the postings of your fellow vendors and the company's payment history, you need to join ClientChecker. Once you’ve done that, click on the Advanced Search link and fill in a few of the search form’s fields, then click on the Search button. You can also Request A Comment, which enables you to request information from your fellow contract work vendors on a particular company. And, you can sign up to receive Alerts on your existing clients. Both of these services are FREE.
First, log in to the site. Then, click on the "Post Comment" link which is in the navigation bar on the top of the page. On the Post Comment page, you can choose to make a complete comment on your client by filling in the form, or you can simply click on the "Post Client Payment Habits Only" link near the top of the page if you wish to report a late payment only.
The Aggregated Business Credit Report shows how promptly a given client company pays its bills. The report lists the number of reports of non-payment of bills, and also the average number of days bills are paid late. In addition, the report includes a PayQuo score, which sums up, in one easy to understand number, that client's record of paying on time. When you search for a company, the page that is displayed shows the Aggregated Business Credit Report on top, and any additional comments users have written below that.
The ClientChecker PayQuo Score is a numerical indicator of how a company has paid its bills over the past 4 months, based on the trade experiences reported to ClientChecker from its users, as well as from users of BillingTracker time billing software. The PayQuo Score is only displayed if there has been a minimum of 3 trade experiences in the past 120 days. If these criteria are not met, the score will be unavailable. The PayQuo Score is computed according to the following table:
Example of PayQuo Score computation: Company X is reported to have paid 10 days, 20 days, and 90 days beyond terms by three suppliers. PayQuo Score is (80+70+40)/3=63.
When you can’t find any information on a particular company - perhaps a potential client has asked you to extend it commercial credit (e.g. terms) and you want to know what the credit risk is - you can click on Request A Comment to ask your fellow freelance professionals about their experiences working with that company. After you fill in the short form to provide basic identifying details (company name, state, etc.), an email will be sent to other ClientChecker members in your area or profession, to see if they have anything to say. Their responses will be automatically entered into the database, and you will be alerted. Important note: we only send emails to members who have requested to be part of this service. Requesting a comment means you will also receive requests from other people in your area (see the next question).
What happens if I sign up to receive “Request A Comment” emails? Can I change my mind later? If you agree to receive Request A Comment emails you will receive requests only from your geographical area or profession. Each member can send no more than one a day, in order to respect your time. Replying is easy – you just click on the link in the email and post any information you can, be it related to commercial credit, work conditions, the client's professionalism, or whatever. Your fellow independent contractors will thank you! If you later decide you don’t want to receive these emails, go to My Account and select “no” on the question about receiving Request A Comment emails.
The Client Alerts option allows you to get automatic notifications via email whenever someone posts a new message about a company you are interested in. You simply go to the Client Alerts page and enter any companies about which you want to receive alerts. This is a great way to keep tabs on what others are saying about your clients, and to be warned early about potential new problems to the clients' corporate credit or other self employed vendors' efforts at debt collection. You can remove a client from your Alerts list at any time by selecting the Remove option on the bottom of the Client Alerts page.
BillingTracker is Windows-based time billing and invoicing software that helps you manage your books. It was created to help you manage your projects, hours worked, and what your clients owe you. BillingTracker lets you easily record and track your work throughout the day, every day. It automatically creates a variety of reports, so you know how much you have worked, how much to bill, and who owes you what. BillingTracker comes in two versions: Pro and Standard. BillingTracker Pro, needless to say, has a lot more features to help you manage your business. BillingTracker is unique in that it has the ability to automatically and anonymously upload to the ClientChecker site your Accounts Receivable Aging data (e.g. the data on when your clients pay - on time, slow-pay or don't pay). By allowing BillingTracker to anonymously report on your clients' payment experiences, you are helping to build a database of valuable client business credit reports. BillingTracker benefits you in two ways: By helping you keep your books, and by building the ClientChecker database of business credit information. BillingTracker Pro invoicing software (an $89 value) is part of the ClientChecker Pro level of membership. BillingTracker Standard (a $39 value) is part of the ClientChecker Standard level of membership. Both versions come with a free trial version, which you can download from the BillingTracker site. The trial versions are limited to 30 days, but include all the features. They can be upgraded instantly to the full version via a code which is emailed to you upon purchase. BillingTracker Standard can be easily upgraded to BillingTracker Pro at any time. Lastly, BillingTracker contributes information, anonymously, to the Going Rate Index. See the next question for details.
The Going Rate Index is a measure of hourly rates your fellow freelancers are getting paid, categorized by profession and geographical area. Data is gathered from members, and also from users of BillingTracker. The Going Rate Index is updated daily, so it is the freshest information anywhere on hourly rates for your profession. ClientChecker paid members can see high-median-low hourly rates for any profession by region of the US or by country. ClientChecker Lite members can see just the worldwide average of rates, by profession.
No. You are completely responsible for your posts. ClientChecker provides a platform for posting, viewing, and searching, but has nothing to do with the content itself. The business credit reports are an automated aggregation of members' reported trade payment experiences - ClientChecker does not check their accuracy. That said, if we get a lot of complaints we reserve the right to edit or delete a particular post, as well as to ban a given user if necessary. See our Terms of Service for complete details.
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