End client refusal to sign timesheet

[northernladuk]

I'm not outside IR35 I don't have that much of a cushion to cover me

Why does this make any difference? You can still put money aside for a warchest can't you? Particularly over a 2 year period. What happened to your warchest before you started this gig?

[Freewill]

Why don't you ask if the PM could authorise your timesheets directly?

[NotAllThere]

I'm worried though because I'll soon be owed 15 days and I can't really see the point in continuing if I'm not going to get paid. On the downside though they'll refuse to pay me if I just down tools.

They cannot not pay you. The lack of a signed timesheet makes thing more complicated, but if you've done the work, you're entitled to be paid. It just takes longer.

Your contract is with the agency. You should issue invoices without the timesheets, so that you can start dunning.

[DurhamLad]

Why does this make any difference? You can still put money aside for a warchest can't you? Particularly over a 2 year period. What happened to your warchest before you started this gig?

Used a chunk of it to make up the shortfall when the wife went on maternity. Some of it used as a deposit for a new house and another chunk went into a fixed rate account that I can't touch for another 8 months (saving it for a rainy day). To be honest, the fact that I'd had no problems here and was enjoying the work made me feel a bit secure; I never anticipated that it would turn to crup in the space of a week. I'm not skint by any means, but it's more the inconvenience of having to move things around that i'd rather not be touching. Lesson learned I guess.

Why don't you ask if the PM could authorise your timesheets directly?

PM has been told he's not to approve anyone's time sheet so not just me on that front. Not sure what the managers beef is with people.

Your contract is with the agency. You should issue invoices without the timesheets, so that you can start dunning.

Invoice is raised with the agency. Just have to wait it out. I think I'm more specifically concerned about how long they can keep me waiting. It seems that the end-client can refuse to sign time sheets and I have absolutely no power to do anything about it. Hence the concern about keeping on working and being owed more.

No clue why this is happening. It's so out of character for the organisation.

[psychocandy]

It's literally an email that says 'Approved' responding to an email I send with my hours on it. Takes all of a minute to sign off. I might have given them the benefit of the doubt that they were busy but the PM showed me the email chain
from the very morning I sent the reminder asking him to confirm my hours.

This morning, when I asked over Skype I simply got told I had to go monthly. I've not heard a peep since.

I'm very tempted to walk.

Unfortunately, the world is full of clients like this who think they've got a bit of power because they've stopped the contractor getting paid. I've had this before - one guy no matter how many times you asked nicely, explained payment would be delayed just could not be arsed to get it done in the three days he had to click on link in email.

I knew full well he just did it because he could. Yeh you should be able to cope but its just annoying have to chase it all the time.

[simes]

I suspect it's because they don't want to have to send me an email twice a month saying 'Approved'. (She's one of these people who likes to tell everyone how busy they are but they're doing nothing)

And by the sounds of it, she will be busier dealing with your 'chasing emails' than she would if she just approved the bloody thing...

Feel for you.

[Agent]

Do you know if you're opted in or out of the The Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003?

If you're opted in then the agency can't withhold payment even without a signed timesheet.

[GhostofTarbera]

Drop a note to HR saying you feel very much stressed/depressed and a bit bullied by MRs plonker not willing to sign your timesheet to enable you to feed your children

Sit back and enjoy


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[northernladuk]

So this will be a non thread in 2 weeks when they've finished a poorly executed move to monthly billing or whatever silliness is happening?

[DurhamLad]

So today I tried to get in touch with the manager again and once more I got completely blanked. I'm not going to lie, I was incredibly pissed off. I phoned the agency to tell them I was done and before I got the chance to say it, the boss at the agency beat me to the punch and said he'd pay the invoice immediately. So the good news is, I got paid.

Bizarrely, not 15 minutes after that call the manager emailed me approval for the timesheet. I have a feeling that the boss at the agency gave them a call. He's friendly with her the head of digital delivery, (my managers boss), and he agreed that the refusal to acknowledge the timesheet of my emails was very unprofessional.

Not sure if I'm going to be made to go monthly. No mention of it yet. I guess I'll find out when I submit the next timesheet at the end of the month ?

I suspect though that if there has been words the manager is going to try and make life difficult moving forward. I'm going to still look for another gig, I'm getting too old for this petty office crap.