Agencies to avoid....

[Lance]

Add Tek Systems to that list.

Can't communicate with you
can't communicate with the client
can't tie them both together
rediculously long, error prone, inflexible, unlawful due diligence process (no, you can't force a contractor to opt into regulations - thats THEIR choice, no you can't force them to dissolve their limited company because their spouse is a director, etc)
Unable to follow up on agency references and lie about it
Cause delays to contract start

In the end its all about them and their risk - they don't care about yours at all.

Best to avoid.

everyone in Tek? Or just one agent?
Experience tells me that all agencies have some idiots and some good 'uns.

[Big Blue Plymouth]

everyone in Tek? Or just one agent?
Experience tells me that all agencies have some idiots and some good 'uns.

Maybe. Unfortunately past experience has taught me that any dialogue with Rocsearch, Opus and Computer Futures is likely to be a complete waste of time and energy to the point that I actually just tell anyone ringing me from one of those 3 that I do not deal with them.

Bloody minded? Maybe, but I don't have time to waste. I get all my work from known individuals at agencies through whom I have contracted before. That and LinkedIn / networking.

[kaiser78]

everyone in Tek? Or just one agent?
Experience tells me that all agencies have some idiots and some good 'uns.

Maybe. Unfortunately past experience has taught me that any dialogue with Rocsearch, Opus and Computer Futures is likely to be a complete waste of time and energy to the point that I actually just tell anyone ringing me from one of those 3 that I do not deal with them.

Bloody minded? Maybe, but I don't have time to waste. I get all my work from known individuals at agencies through whom I have contracted before. That and LinkedIn / networking.

It can sometimes be a cultural thing within an agency.

[SeanT]

It can sometimes be a cultural thing within an agency.

Yeah, some agencies don't have any

[javadude]

everyone in Tek? Or just one agent?
Experience tells me that all agencies have some idiots and some good 'uns.

It's partly the individual agent but a lot of it is down to the company eg the change of contract terms, high turnover of admin staff, the agency having lots of meetings on a Monday so it's near impossible to get hold of anyone to sort out problems, the relationship with Allegis which adds an extra communication link into the mix etc

[Lance]

It's partly the individual agent but a lot of it is down to the company eg the change of contract terms, high turnover of admin staff, the agency having lots of meetings on a Monday so it's near impossible to get hold of anyone to sort out problems, the relationship with Allegis which adds an extra communication link into the mix etc

Oh. So there are 2 agencies taking a slice of the cake.
That's always difficult. Are you contracted to Tek and they then whore you out to Allegis, and then to the client?

[javadude]

Oh. So there are 2 agencies taking a slice of the cake.
That's always difficult. Are you contracted to Tek and they then whore you out to Allegis, and then to the client?

Tek Systems is some sort of subsiduary of Allegis. Tek Systems seems to handle the sales relationship with the client and Allegis handles the contractual/payment side. This all adds to the confusion. I remember the agent saying he didn't have visibility of either the work order or purchase order, I forget which.

[kaiser78]

Been speaking to an agent about a couple of opportunities through Empiric.

Has anyone contracted through them before and what are your thoughts if so ?

[AussieDigger]

Have you had a bad experience of them or something ?

Yep

More ways than one can count. Not just one office either. Bunch of bullies.

[AussieDigger]

Tek Systems is some sort of subsiduary of Allegis. Tek Systems seems to handle the sales relationship with the client and Allegis handles the contractual/payment side. This all adds to the confusion. I remember the agent saying he didn't have visibility of either the work order or purchase order, I forget which.

yes this is quite true.

TEK do the sales bit and sell the opportunity, Allegis do the commercials. The two sides don't communicate or coordinate and you end up in a confusing awful mess as the contractor. As a result, they are completely inflexible on pretty much anything to the point it completely distracts from your contract delivery and you just want to leave to get out of that agency relationship (not that the client cares).

Added to that, TEK do the stupid dumb unlawful thing of letting you start your contract with the client - do no checks at all - and then harass and chase you throughout your contract for compliance information from CRB and DS checks to agency ref checks and all that - all of which should be done BEFORE you start the contract (even though they told you at the start of the contract they didn't need to any of that) . Its a complete mess up to the point that they often threaten to either terminate your contract if you don't give them what they constantly demand OR they withhold payment until you do so, both of which are illegal.

Anyone who goes into a contract with TEK without all boxes ticked is just taking an awful risk and trusting that when things don't work right, the agency will back you. They won't. They write their contracts in such a way that regardless of whether the situation is their fault or not, it will always work out badly for you. They don't go into contracts in 'good faith' to make it work, only to ensure if it fails, its not going to fail for them and its all your fault (even if it was their mis-management that caused the contract to fail).

And don't me started on their ridiculous 'we must meet you first before we put you to the client' policy - sitting in front of some junior hack who is barely out of Uni trying to make you think he's been around the houses more than you have trying to be all impressive and the like because he knows the client yada yada - please - give me a break.