Determining reliability of umbrellas / agents

[BrowneIssue]

Taken from another thread where a newbie asked a question, there was this response...

Always worth worrying about - umbrella companies and agencies have gone bust this year, so make sure you are working through somewhere that is going to be reliable.

Serious question: how do you do that? How can you determine the reliability of an umbrella company, or - more difficult still - an agent?

I would check the PCG web site for affiliated companies, prevaricate about doing a credit check and then never bother, ensure it was a proper Ltd Co or plc. What else can you - or do you - do?

[Gonzo]

Taken from another thread where a newbie asked a question, there was this response...



Serious question: how do you do that? How can you determine the reliability of an umbrella company, or - more difficult still - an agent?

I would check the PCG web site for affiliated companies, prevaricate about doing a credit check and then never bother, ensure it was a proper Ltd Co or plc. What else can you - or do you - do?

• Always do the credit check
• Do some searching to see if you can find mention of them on the web
• Post on here and ask xxx Umbrella, any good? (That always gets good results )
• Check to see whether WindyAnna is using them

There's a starter for you.

[TheFaQQer]

• Check to see whether WindyAnna is using them

[WindyAnna]

[*]Check to see whether WindyAnna is using them

Absolute 100% pointer to imminent doom!

[BrowneIssue]

• Always do the credit check

Who do you use for credit checks? What does it cost? Do you learn anything useful?

[BrowneIssue]

Who do you use for credit checks? What does it cost? Do you learn anything useful?

Having looked on the PCG site for recommendations, they have a deal with checkSURE.

Having discovered that, I found the answer for myself here

http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...ight=checksure

[Gonzo]

Having looked on the PCG site for recommendations, they have a deal with checkSURE.

Having discovered that, I found the answer for myself here

http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...ight=checksure

Yep, that's who I use.

It costs £7+VAT for a single report if you use the PCG offer.

I don't suppose these things are foolproof but it will give you an idea if the company is in trouble already.

They give you a recommended maximum exposure but if that is less than your monthly invoice then that doesn't help. It should probably prompt me to negotiate different invoice and payment terms but I haven't done before.

[Kylie4485]

you can't ever really know with any company.

The very best recommendation you can ever have is from a fellow contractor.