Agency won't pay full invoice value

[Ardesco]

I await the post describing your day in court with trepidation

[DS23]

[QUOTE=meridian] Most contractors would put in a bit extra here and there anyway, especially on a daily rate. "Making up time" is a bit permie-ish imo, you've either worked a half or a full day or you haven't. Are you claiming that you worked a half day one day, but a day and a half in another? QUOTE]

interesting discussion. i tend to just fit in with the time scales used by each client.

client n-3 specified a weekly total and most contractors crammed two massive days to get a "free" friday - i did likewise. good deal - i try to repeat when i can.

client n-2 was run by a "systems integrator" and the robots all did monster 14 hour working days - i did likewise. job was in the sticks - there was nowhere to go and anyway it's all about building a buisiness. right?

current client has an 8 hour that the permies follow tightly but i don't do likewise - i try to get earlier and leave later. keeps the locals happy.

i remember well fighting your one day figure but with two noughts added on the end. now that was stressful. chase up half a day? jeeze. gimme a break...

[Robwg]

Well, yes I can be arsed. If £150 fell out of your wallet a mile back down the road, would you not turn round and see if you could recover it? - this may not be the same, but for me, its the principle of the thing. I know I did the hours, and I know in this case what the agency commission was on my earnings.

Well - you clearly couldn't be 'arsed' enough to get your timesheet properly signed etc. in your presence so you have brought this on yourself a little bit.

Still - good luck with the court case.

[Sockpuppet]

Most contractors would put in a bit extra here and there anyway, especially on a daily rate. "Making up time" is a bit permie-ish imo, you've either worked a half or a full day or you haven't. Are you claiming that you worked a half day one day, but a day and a half in another?

Could be but there are times when I have worked a day that lasted 30 seconds, check e-mail no movement from developer so wait for them.

Not to say that I didnt take those hours in lieu from my company so when my Ltd was busier the week after becasue it had more work on the handsome and dashing Managing Director asked me to do more hours

[NewCon4]

Just to update anyone who may have read the thread and was interested in knowing the outcome...

The agency have now paid the oustanding amount - some 3 months late - but a bit of persistence has pursuaded them. A director got involvoled and said that he would rather go to court than pay money not owed, and I explained that I was of the same mind set (although opposite in this occasion, as I believe the money was owed).
Something changed his mind however, which saved us both a few hours in court.

Lessons have been learnt by both sides I think.

[oraclesmith]

Maybe. But before acting, a good businessman would add up the cost of their time dealing with the matter, add on any potential legal fees, add on overheads (travel to court, paperwork, postage etc), calculate the likelihood of winning their case, review how much they've allowed in the accounts for bad debts and then compare that with what they're likely to get back if successful. Then make a decision.

Bad debt is a fact of life for most small businesses and in my opinion you should have got what you could (13.5 days) rather than take the risk of not getting paid at all.

Well done though. Do you know what changed their minds?

[Not So Wise]

If you went to court they would say well here is a timesheet with your sig on saying you agree to 13.5, not 14. Case dismissed

Actually I would doubt the judge see it that clear cut, the change would be obvious, there would be no sig/initial from the contractor next to the change, thus judge would easyly accept change was made AFTER the contractor had signed and without his knowledge. Judge would do one of two things then.

Invalidate the change and force client to accept 14 hours (unlikely)
Disregard the timesheet in regards to that half day (more likely) and base his judgement on other factors