End client ending contract and changed their minds to pay the notice period payment

[TheFaQQer]

If we know that the notice period would not be paid we have the right to leave immediately.

What law / precedent are you basing such a statement on?

[mike67]

I presume that the trail of what happened was the client said to the OP that they were terminating the contract, he or they told the agency and potentially the agency then terminated his contract. I say potentially because the agency may not actually have done so - they may have assumed that he knew already. What the agency needs to understand is that unless they say something different in their contract (sometimes they do) there is no link between their contract with the OP and their contract with the client - they should take on some risk here for the margin they are getting. The fact that the end client terminated is kind of irrelevant - the agency had a contract with the OP that stipulated 5 days notice and they breached it and terminated with no notice.

It doesn't cost a lot to take legal action as it will be small claims court - £105 to initiate a claim up to £3k. The OP should put in writing to the agency that his agreement is with them, that they had an obligation to give 5 days notice, they breached it and as a result he is out of pocket. Therefore unless they pay him for the notice period within, say, the next 14 days, he will issue proceedings against them. Chances are this will at least get them to negotiate, but if they refuse to do so, he should start the legal action for the amount owed plus the court fees plus interest. Pretty small downside to taking action, pretty big upside.

[WTFH]

Pretty small downside to taking action, pretty big upside.

Only if the facts are that the delay in returning the laptop was a short period of time (maybe less than 5 days), and that the OP has told us the whole story without leaving out relevant facts.

[WTFH]

Were you working through your own limited company or through an umbrella?

[Bee]

1) inference

That is one of the problems on here, getting conclusions without knowing the facts.

2) agents aren't stupid enough to promise payment

And the clients are?

[SueEllen]

And the clients are?

Yep.

[WTFH]

And the clients are?

Yes, because they have no legal obligation directly to the contractor.

A client can tell you they want to double your rate. If the agent doesn't agree to it, then you don't get double your rate.

[Bee]

It's implied - how would the agent know that the OP has the laptop in the first place?

It doesn't prove anything but assuming that you are correct.
You could ignore an email from the client because does not have legal significance, (pretending that you don't know anything about it) at the end you claim to the agency that the notice period was not paid... and then Surprise:
You are not paid because you didn't deliver the computer when whatever date was supposed to deliver that the agency "forgot" to notify you. Great...

[TheFaQQer]

It doesn't prove anything but assuming that you are correct.
You could ignore an email from the client because does not have legal significance, (pretending that you don't know anything about it) at the end you claim to the agency that the notice period was not paid... and then Surprise:
You are not paid because you didn't deliver the computer when whatever date was supposed to deliver that the agency "forgot" to notify you. Great...

Generally, you aren't paid because there is no contractual requirement to pay you.

[Bee]

What law / precedent are you basing such a statement on?

Only an idiot would work in notice period knowing that was not going to be paid.