Sack or Sue an incompetent pimp

[Langkawi]

Hi,

So here's the situ/ Contracting through my Ltd to global bank. Everything between myself and the client is peachy.

However, ten months ago the clients HR department gave one agency preferred supplier status and all contractors & temps were press-ganged onto this agency's books.

Previous agency was very good and a pleasure to work with, new agency is absolutely dire. Have been messed around for 10 months now and it's been nothing short of a farce.

Have a list of issues with the agency but main complaint at the moment is that they have been screwing up my pay since October.

They started paying me my hourly rate & VAT and then applying VAT to it again. When I pointed out this error they started paying me as PAYE and are now demanding to see my Ltd company registration docs again because they neglected to keep a record of them.

I enjoy the gig and the client is very happy with me. Short of looking for another gig what are my options for sacking or sueing the incompetent pimp?

Have seen many posts about going direct with no firm conclusions. Is sueing an option? Also, if the client is happy but technically my contract is with the pimp can the pimp sack me regardless of the clients wishes?

Any suggestions?

Cheers,
Alan

[Sockpuppet]

If the owe money starting charging interest.

www.payontime.co.uk

[Emily]

From my experience, it is possible to bypass the agency and go to another one. You need to speak to the client and tell them that you cannot work with that agency - show them the cr*p you have had to deal with and tell them you want to use the old agency (or go direct if that is a possibility) .
9 times out of 10 it will be possible to bypass the PSL.

[Denny]

Hi,

So here's the situ/ Contracting through my Ltd to global bank. Everything between myself and the client is peachy.

However, ten months ago the clients HR department gave one agency preferred supplier status and all contractors & temps were press-ganged onto this agency's books.

Previous agency was very good and a pleasure to work with, new agency is absolutely dire. Have been messed around for 10 months now and it's been nothing short of a farce.

Have a list of issues with the agency but main complaint at the moment is that they have been screwing up my pay since October.

They started paying me my hourly rate & VAT and then applying VAT to it again. When I pointed out this error they started paying me as PAYE and are now demanding to see my Ltd company registration docs again because they neglected to keep a record of them.

I enjoy the gig and the client is very happy with me. Short of looking for another gig what are my options for sacking or sueing the incompetent pimp?

Have seen many posts about going direct with no firm conclusions. Is sueing an option? Also, if the client is happy but technically my contract is with the pimp can the pimp sack me regardless of the clients wishes?

Any suggestions?

Cheers,
Alan

All you can really do is highlight the issues to the EB and client. It is the client's call whether or not to sack the pimp, not yours. It is their supplier, after all. You could, of course, terminate the engagement but it would be to your cost if the client won't be involved in a dispute. Most won't unless your skills are so valuable and rare you are irreplaceable at short notice and vital to the project at present. Your value to the client is only as good as the ease in which you can be replaced.

If the EB owes you money then you could tell them that you will let them know, in no uncertain terms, that you will let the client know that you are dissatisfied with the service they offer if they don't cough up the right amount you're owed. Some might not want to take this risk if they feel they might be booted off the client's supplier list. If this doesn't work then sue.

[BrilloPad]

they started paying me as PAYE and are now demanding to see my Ltd company registration docs again because they neglected to keep a record of them.

personally that would have caused me to issue no more invoices and/or stop work until paid as per contract. why did you let them get away with it?

[Langkawi]

To be honest I don't know how much they owe me. My issue is more that the payments going into my business bank account are totally different to those on my invoices. It's a total mess and if hector comes calling reconciling the books is going to be a nightmare.

Then to top that off when I point out the erroneous VAT calculation then move me onto PAYE and start demanding that I show them documentation again to prove that I'm a Ltd despite the fact they've already seen all the documentation and had been paying me for months as such.

Insult to injury is obviously the fact that when I email or call them I just get blanked.

Is the clients HR department the first port of call then if I want to escalate my complaint?

Cheers,
Alan

[Denny]

To be honest I don't know how much they owe me. My issue is more that the payments going into my business bank account are totally different to those on my invoices. It's a total mess and if hector comes calling reconciling the books is going to be a nightmare.

Then to top that off when I point out the erroneous VAT calculation then move me onto PAYE and start demanding that I show them documentation again to prove that I'm a Ltd despite the fact they've already seen all the documentation and had been paying me for months as such.

Insult to injury is obviously the fact that when I email or call them I just get blanked.

Is the clients HR department the first port of call then if I want to escalate my complaint?

Cheers,
Alan

Yes, but don't be surprised if they tell you that your payment issues are nothing to do with them unless you threaten to terminate instantly.

[Crossroads]

Good God man. It's not that much of a problem is it?

Why on earth would you involve the end clients HR dept? Are you an employee of theirs?

Reconciling your accounts and keeping a note of the overpayment (and keeping the interest too!) should not be too complicated for you or your accountant.

Writing to the Agency and explaining their mistake, and including a copy of the documentation they have requested shouldn't be too hard either.

It is a fact of life that many customers (and the Agency is your customer remember) are idiots. You have a choice - do business with them or not. If you can't put up with a bit of hassle then go get another gig.

If you want to upset the Agency a little bit (and it sounds like it would be in order) then get hold of somebody senior and go through the issues with them.

[Langkawi]

"get hold of somebody senior"

I asked on my most recent email for my agency contact's managers details. The response. El blanko.

So route two. Went onto the agencies website in an effort to get another contact and find someone senior. The Contact Us button does El Zilcho!

There so incompetent its almost funny.

And in response to why would I go to the clients HR department. Because it's the client HR department thats landed these muppets on me. Because complaining to the pimp is falling on deaf ears. And because the client should know that it's preferred supplier is totally incompetent.

[SueEllen]

"get hold of somebody senior"

I asked on my most recent email for my agency contact's managers details. The response. El blanko.

So route two. Went onto the agencies website in an effort to get another contact and find someone senior. The Contact Us button does El Zilcho!

There so incompetent its almost funny.

You know there are alternate ways to contact people like:
1. Using the telephone and going through from reception to the contracts manager - you may have to be a bit devious and imply that you are a company looking to recruit staff.
2. Going to the agencies offices in person if you are in the same town. May take an hour or two but least you get the issue sorted out.

And just scan your company's documentation in again. Send the email to your pimp and the payment department.