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Client requests weekend work

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  • BlasterBates
    replied
    I remember my marketing course.
    Rule number 1 the customer is always right.
    Rule number 2 the customer is always right.
    Rule number 3 if the customer is wrong go back to rule 1.

    Obviously you don't want to be taken for a ride but if it was me I wouldn't charge for a one off or piffling amounts. I would see it as marketing, i.e. angling for a renewal.

    If you think you can charge and not annoy the client with huge amount of bureacracy that would be totally disproportionate to the amount involved, then no harm in doing that.

    Leave a comment:


  • Willapp
    replied
    I'd say it's chargeable unless there happens to be anything in your contract/schedule that specifically includes travel to different client sites as part of the agreement.

    Some people say why damage relations for the sake of £20 but that's not the point. You're a business and IMO there's a difference between flexibility - staying a bit late, maybe giving casual advice on projects outside your schedule etc - and being taken advantage of. You need to deal with these things head on though, because if you agree to it once then it becomes difficult to charge for it subsequently.

    I'd approach your PM and say "look, I understand you need me to travel to X on Monday. As travel to other client sites isn't part of our agreement I will be expensing mileage to/from your main office." Get confirmation in writing that they agree, or if they don't then you don't go.

    I think sometimes people feel that their position as contractors are too fragile, but ask yourself is the client really going to bin you for the sake of £20 expenses if you're mid-way through a project?

    Leave a comment:


  • Antman
    replied
    Originally posted by mankyspanky View Post
    First off this client is pretty good but they seem very haphazard. Big culture of JFDI here I must admit and sometimes the details get missed out a bit.

    Latest is client wants me to be available on monday to drive to another site if needs be. Usually I get the train (and my season ticket is paid for until middle next week) which client knows.
    Client is 40 miles from home, other site is another 30 miles. So either way its either an 80 mile trip or 140 mile trip for me on monday - something I wouldnt have to do because ive already paid for train.

    Now, no mention of expenses at all. Should I bring it up or just suck this one up? After all - in terms of cost to myself even 150 miles is probably £20 most.
    I dont want to come across as pennypincher.

    In the past I've worked late to fix things and they've been great about eventually but it is annoying to be put in the situation all the time. Get the feeling though they're the type to get annoyed if they get a contractor who kicks off about every last penny.

    What would rest of you do?
    I'd suck it up. What's the point of damaging a client relationship over £20?

    Leave a comment:


  • PerfectStorm
    replied
    Originally posted by redgiant View Post
    What is in your contract? IME you claim for expenses when you are going to a site that isn't named in the contract as the clients main office (where you supply your services). Remember you're running a business not a charity
    Would you still do this if the main office isn't specified? I.e. The place where you go every day?

    Leave a comment:


  • redgiant
    replied
    Originally posted by mankyspanky View Post
    First off this client is pretty good but they seem very haphazard. Big culture of JFDI here I must admit and sometimes the details get missed out a bit.

    Latest is client wants me to be available on monday to drive to another site if needs be. Usually I get the train (and my season ticket is paid for until middle next week) which client knows.
    Client is 40 miles from home, other site is another 30 miles. So either way its either an 80 mile trip or 140 mile trip for me on monday - something I wouldnt have to do because ive already paid for train.

    Now, no mention of expenses at all. Should I bring it up or just suck this one up? After all - in terms of cost to myself even 150 miles is probably £20 most.
    I dont want to come across as pennypincher.

    In the past I've worked late to fix things and they've been great about eventually but it is annoying to be put in the situation all the time. Get the feeling though they're the type to get annoyed if they get a contractor who kicks off about every last penny.

    What would rest of you do?
    What is in your contract? IME you claim for expenses when you are going to a site that isn't named in the contract as the clients main office (where you supply your services). Remember you're running a business not a charity

    Leave a comment:


  • mankyspanky
    replied
    First off this client is pretty good but they seem very haphazard. Big culture of JFDI here I must admit and sometimes the details get missed out a bit.

    Latest is client wants me to be available on monday to drive to another site if needs be. Usually I get the train (and my season ticket is paid for until middle next week) which client knows.
    Client is 40 miles from home, other site is another 30 miles. So either way its either an 80 mile trip or 140 mile trip for me on monday - something I wouldnt have to do because ive already paid for train.

    Now, no mention of expenses at all. Should I bring it up or just suck this one up? After all - in terms of cost to myself even 150 miles is probably £20 most.
    I dont want to come across as pennypincher.

    In the past I've worked late to fix things and they've been great about eventually but it is annoying to be put in the situation all the time. Get the feeling though they're the type to get annoyed if they get a contractor who kicks off about every last penny.

    What would rest of you do?

    Leave a comment:


  • jmo21
    replied
    Originally posted by mankyspanky View Post
    In my experience it doesnt always happen like this though.

    BUT this person ended up working for free for however many weekends.... Sorry but I'd rather not be the mug that gets kept on like this.
    NO!!! IT ALWAYS HAPPENS LIKE THIS!!!

    clearly I wasn't suggesting that it will ALWAYS happen like this.

    No need to apologize, I wouldn't either.

    Leave a comment:


  • mankyspanky
    replied
    Originally posted by jmo21 View Post
    I worked on a team which included permie guys in the US, who were always bending over backwards to do ludicrous amounts of unpaid overtime, including weekends to look good to their bosses.

    They US bosses had the same expectations of the UK team, some permies did it, and all but 1 of the UK contractors did not.

    After what was a good run, I was happy enough by the end when there were no more extensions forthcoming. The contractor that did bend over was the only one that got a further extension.

    So it CAN affect you. Whether that bothers you or not is up to you. Do you want to stay somewhere that tries to get time for free?
    In my experience it doesnt always happen like this though.

    BUT this person ended up working for free for however many weekends.... Sorry but I'd rather not be the mug that gets kept on like this.

    Leave a comment:


  • jmo21
    replied
    I worked on a team which included permie guys in the US, who were always bending over backwards to do ludicrous amounts of unpaid overtime, including weekends to look good to their bosses.

    They US bosses had the same expectations of the UK team, some permies did it, and all but 1 of the UK contractors did not.

    After what was a good run, I was happy enough by the end when there were no more extensions forthcoming. The contractor that did bend over was the only one that got a further extension.

    So it CAN affect you. Whether that bothers you or not is up to you. Do you want to stay somewhere that tries to get time for free?
    Last edited by jmo21; 21 January 2015, 12:10.

    Leave a comment:


  • Batcher
    replied
    I once worked a 16 hour shift over a Saturday/Sunday on the promise from the project manager and an HR person at a meeting that he would supply a different cost code to allow me to claim time and a half as I was on a PWD contract.

    As of the Monday he went into hiding and wouldn't respond to emails/calls to supply the code and I eventually had to put down just normal time as 2 PWDs to get my timesheet signed. The HR person wrote and said a PWD was 12 hours and gave the example that if I started work at 09:00 and took an hour (unpaid) for lunch, then I shouldn't be leaving the office until 22:00...

    I made sure I got my time back in other ways but the bottom line is get it in writing before you do the work and deal with the agency so you know the payment will go through ok.

    Leave a comment:

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