Huxley - 28 Days to pay

[NotAllThere]

You are a business, agency is a business, it's standard terms FFS.

It seems that for contractors using agencies it isn't standard terms. You said that recently agencies have started offering better terms. That isn't the case. It's recently that agencies have started on this 30 days kick. ( Depending on your definition of recently, but 3 or 4 years ago, 14 days was considered to be taking the mickey ). And they're getting away with it, because puritans like you think it is reasonable.

As businesses, it is obviously in their interest to stretch out the payment period as a long as possible. And as businesses, it is obviously in our interest to compress the payment period as long as possible. And that is where negotiation skills come in. Now that you realise that many contractors are being paid in fewer than 30 days, you've got a bit more leverage to get better payment terms. You should be happy.

[Ardesco]

It seems that for contractors using agencies it isn't standard terms. You said that recently agencies have started offering better terms. That isn't the case. It's recently that agencies have started on this 30 days kick. ( Depending on your definition of recently, but 3 or 4 years ago, 14 days was considered to be taking the mickey ). And they're getting away with it, because puritans like you think it is reasonable.

As businesses, it is obviously in their interest to stretch out the payment period as a long as possible. And as businesses, it is obviously in our interest to compress the payment period as long as possible. And that is where negotiation skills come in. Now that you realise that many contractors are being paid in fewer than 30 days, you've got a bit more leverage to get better payment terms. You should be happy.

I have no problem with people negotiating for a shorter payment time frame, but I still say that 30 days is a perfectly acceptable period of time to wait for your invoices to be paid. Anything sooner is a bonus.

If you view it like this you will have nice low blood pressure and not get so up tight about something that really doesn't matter too much.

[NickNick]

Timeframes

The place I'm at at the moment (sans agency) have 30 day terms, but in practice they pay within three days.

Which is nice.

[rawly]

All good and well but those payment terms don't generally fly when you are direct i.e. with no agent and in a B2B contract.

Personally I would be picky over someone that cannot use 'sought' correctly.

HTH

Fortunately for me, then, English Language is not the skill in question.... I'd do poorly at a Royal Mail Sorting depot I guess. But I doubt they'd pay my rate anyway.

[NotAllThere]

If you view it like this you will have nice low blood pressure and not get so up tight about something that really doesn't matter too much.

It's only really doesn't matter too much if they have a nice healthy credit rating.