Contracted start date missed by 2 weeks and counting - where do I stand?

[malvolio]

You're not out of pocket because you havent done any work. You're not a permie who gets paid for doing nothing although clearly your mindset is. So you turned down another role, what's that got to do with it? That other role could have got canned the day you started.

If you want to sit around waiting for the start date to materialise, go ahead. You'll more likely than not find yourself waiting.

As almost everyone has said, move on and start looking for another role. tulip happens in this contracting game.

aka WIS...

[d000hg]

Start looking for another gig. Maybe you could pursue the other bank in case they're still interested in more contractors?

Bad luck but that's how the cookie crumbles sometimes

[psychocandy]

Bolshie, an interesting take.

"Unless you're desperate for work, I don't see a problem with a date being pushed back provided a new start date is known and agreed" !!!??

The most obvious problem is that I am several thousand pounds out of pocket, as I should have been working, and declined another job on the basis of the assurances that the pimp gave that we were just awaiting one final signature.!!

This was blatantly not the case - just an outright lie in order to dissuade me from going elsewhere. Or misrepresentation, to give it its legal name. It is a case of a pimp giving false information to achieve a certain end that satisfied his own purposes, namely increase his chances of him doing his numbers for the month. It is strongly linked with mis-selling, and is kind of frowned on in the financial services industry at the moment.

I have called the pimp last week, but was told by his senior manager that he was away on holiday for a few days, and that the senior manager himself was now in charge of the case and would liaise with the client and gave me his personal assurance that he would get an answer on the start date, and phone me with an update the following day (Thursday) Guess what. I heard nothing at all.

This week I have phoned their HR department and was promised on Tuesday that it would be escalated by HR and the VP would call to apologise. Guess what...

Oh dear. I think the gig has gone unfortunately.
Sounds like the agent did indeed oversell it as you said.

I would be well pissed off too mind. Like you said, it is borderline fraudulent.
Alas, though, even escalating it through the company probably wont do anything.

[Batcher]

Bolshie, an interesting take.

"Unless you're desperate for work, I don't see a problem with a date being pushed back provided a new start date is known and agreed" !!!??

The most obvious problem is that I am several thousand pounds out of pocket, as I should have been working, and declined another job on the basis of the assurances that the pimp gave that we were just awaiting one final signature.!!

This was blatantly not the case - just an outright lie in order to dissuade me from going elsewhere. Or misrepresentation, to give it its legal name. It is a case of a pimp giving false information to achieve a certain end that satisfied his own purposes, namely increase his chances of him doing his numbers for the month. It is strongly linked with mis-selling, and is kind of frowned on in the financial services industry at the moment.

I have called the pimp last week, but was told by his senior manager that he was away on holiday for a few days, and that the senior manager himself was now in charge of the case and would liaise with the client and gave me his personal assurance that he would get an answer on the start date, and phone me with an update the following day (Thursday) Guess what. I heard nothing at all.

This week I have phoned their HR department and was promised on Tuesday that it would be escalated by HR and the VP would call to apologise. Guess what...

You refer to your agent as a pimp and yet you believed what he told you?

[sartois]

So since a contract is effectively worthless until you have turned up on site and are actually working, would it not be better to cover your bases and accept both contracts (assuming of course they do not both start on the same day). Then at least if the first one gets canned at the last minute you have a fallback option.

[TheFaQQer]

So since a contract is effectively worthless until you have turned up on site and are actually working, would it not be better to cover your bases and accept both contracts (assuming of course they do not both start on the same day). Then at least if the first one gets canned at the last minute you have a fallback option.

Providing you can fulfil both contracts, then that's a good strategy to follow. The danger of this is that you are relying on one to get canned, or being in breach of contract if you cannot fulfil it.