Newbie Contractor in trouble...?

[Neomash]

Hi All,

Relatively new contractor here who has run into his first problems with a recruitment agency. I decided not to renew a contract whilst on holiday after my request for a raise was turned down. I had worked up until an hour before I was due on my flight finishing off some last minute work before the contract expired the next day. I went off on holiday for a week, only to return and find out that I had made a very stupid mistake. Before my holiday I had been so pre-occupied with finishing the work and getting to the airport in time to catch my flight I had neglected to submit a final timesheet. By the time I returned from holiday I had been locked from the system and was now unable to submit this final timesheet. I imagined this would not be too much of a problem and contacted the company I had been working for and the recruitment agency to rectify my mistake. I am still waiting almost two months later for the final two days wages to be paid. I would chalk this up to 'experience', but feel I was professional in my treatment of the company inasmuch as I completed the work and feel that I should be paid the £1900 owed.

To make matters worse my recruitment agency has effectively forced my hand by deliberately paying the last months wages, despite the fact I had specifically requested they not be paid until this final payment issue was resolved (thinking the recruitment agency would work harder on my behalf if they could see their slice of the take being delayed).

I opted out of the employee regs if that makes any difference?

I am wondering if anyone else had encountered a similar situation or can offer any advice?


Regards

[malvolio]

Hi All,

Relatively new contractor here who has run into his first problems with a recruitment agency. I decided not to renew a contract whilst on holiday after my request for a raise was turned down. I had worked up until an hour before I was due on my flight finishing off some last minute work before the contract expired the next day. I went off on holiday for a week, only to return and find out that I had made a very stupid mistake. Before my holiday I had been so pre-occupied with finishing the work and getting to the airport in time to catch my flight I had neglected to submit a final timesheet. By the time I returned from holiday I had been locked from the system and was now unable to submit this final timesheet. I imagined this would not be too much of a problem and contacted the company I had been working for and the recruitment agency to rectify my mistake. I am still waiting almost two months later for the final two days wages to be paid. I would chalk this up to 'experience', but feel I was professional in my treatment of the company inasmuch as I completed the work and feel that I should be paid the £1900 owed.

To make matters worse my recruitment agency has effectively forced my hand by deliberately paying the last months wages, despite the fact I had specifically requested they not be paid until this final payment issue was resolved (thinking the recruitment agency would work harder on my behalf if they could see their slice of the take being delayed).

I opted out of the employee regs if that makes any difference?

I am wondering if anyone else had encountered a similar situation or can offer any advice?


Regards

Where to start...

I assume you did tell the client you were leaving?

Wages? What are they then?

£1900 for two days?

Employee regs? I assume you mean the Agency regulations... And if you opted out (which most people don't manage to do successfully anyway) it doesn't matter a damn if you have no proof of work done.

You're the supplier, it's up to you to get things right if you want to be paid. Payment is presumably dependent on timesheet submission. Since you can't do that you can either issue an invoice to the agency and hope they take you word for it that the work was done, or negotiate with the client to fill in the timesheet and approve on your behalf.

Personally I'd write it off and get on with life. I suspect the client isn't your friend any more, and at £950 a day, you're not exactly struggling to pay the mortgage.

[northernladuk]

Raise? Wage? Jesus, what are you? A permie?

I would assume from your terminology you haven't looked in to IR35?

[TheFaQQer]

One would expect someone who commands £950 a day to be able to work a search engine. Maybe get a minion to do a search and see what has been discussed goodness knows how many times before.

[TheFaQQer]

I opted out of the employee regs if that makes any difference?

If you opted out, then you will have researched first and understood the implications, no?

[mudskipper]

Hi All,

Relatively new contractor here who has run into his first problems with a recruitment agency. I decided not to renew a contract whilst on holiday after my request for a raise was turned down. I had worked up until an hour before I was due on my flight finishing off some last minute work before the contract expired the next day. I went off on holiday for a week, only to return and find out that I had made a very stupid mistake. Before my holiday I had been so pre-occupied with finishing the work and getting to the airport in time to catch my flight I had neglected to submit a final timesheet. By the time I returned from holiday I had been locked from the system and was now unable to submit this final timesheet. I imagined this would not be too much of a problem and contacted the company I had been working for and the recruitment agency to rectify my mistake. I am still waiting almost two months later for the final two days wages to be paid. I would chalk this up to 'experience', but feel I was professional in my treatment of the company inasmuch as I completed the work and feel that I should be paid the £1900 owed.

To make matters worse my recruitment agency has effectively forced my hand by deliberately paying the last months wages, despite the fact I had specifically requested they not be paid until this final payment issue was resolved (thinking the recruitment agency would work harder on my behalf if they could see their slice of the take being delayed).

I opted out of the employee regs if that makes any difference?

I am wondering if anyone else had encountered a similar situation or can offer any advice?


Regards

Have you spoken to the client? What do they say? If it's simply that you're locked out of the system, knock up a paper timesheet and ask them to sign that.

[CloudWalker]

You were on £950 a day and left them because they wouldn't give you more!

[Sausage Surprise]

Is this a wind up?

[eek]

I opted out of the employee regs if that makes any difference?

Yes, it makes an awful lot of difference but I would hope most people tried to understand what they were doing before before their opted out.....

oops

[Wanderer]

I opted out of the employee regs if that makes any difference?

If you didn't opt out then they can't use the lack of timesheets as an excuse for not paying you.

I would be inclined to just invoice for the days work.

If you have already invoiced then just chase it up with the agency until you have the situation resolved. I can't see that a minor administrative problem like this should mean that you don't get paid (however big or small the amount is).