The Spring group (aka Hyphen) - AVOID IF YOU CAN

[lje]

I work for Spring and support the website in question. I cannot comment on the reasoning behind why you were on a particular timesheet frequencies or timesheet types as there a few different types. One being the complete on-line preferred solution but some clients prefer the printing out, signing it and then having it faxed back in method.

With regards to your comments on the site being down for some time due to a “virus” I would have to completely disagree with you here. The website has not been down during work hours for the last 7 years I have been responsible for the support it. We only down the site for maintenance out of working hours and always give notice of this outage. We have NEVER had a “virus” on it.

Why would you revive a thread which was well over a year old and kick off people complaining again? Very strange.

[MarillionFan]

I work for Spring and support the website in question. I cannot comment on the reasoning behind why you were on a particular timesheet frequencies or timesheet types as there a few different types. One being the complete on-line preferred solution but some clients prefer the printing out, signing it and then having it faxed back in method.

With regards to your comments on the site being down for some time due to a “virus” I would have to completely disagree with you here. The website has not been down during work hours for the last 7 years I have been responsible for the support it. We only down the site for maintenance out of working hours and always give notice of this outage. We have NEVER had a “virus” on it.

I dont work for Spring or have never used them. But the complaints on here seemed to have stated that some Spring staff were slow, incompetent and rude.

You work for Spring, your post is 16 months after the thread was created(slow), therefore(incompetent) and your actual attitude to the feedback 'NEVER' (rude).

Well done HandlingIT, you have succeeded in re-inforcing these contractors views!.

[TopNotch]

Hmmmm, better to keep quite and have everyone think you're an idiot then to post 18 months after the event and have it confirmed...

[NickNick]

In all honesty, it's better to post without spelling mistakes..

[Estragon]

Contractor Poohtal, a Little Balance

Without eluding to detail (the wounds are too fresh) there are serious communications problems, lost time sheets, failed payments and debit notes incorrectly applied with no reference to the victim, however, I have never experienced rudeness, verbal or written, from anyone who works for either the agencies involved or The Contractor Poohtal.

They try to sort out the inevitable messes but I just don't think they have been given the tools to do the job.

Perhaps one of the managers of this comedy outfit could be persuaded to tell us what's what? Alas, no, these elusive souls are even more difficult to pinpoint than our missing loot.

[BolshieBastard]

One of my repeat clients took this 'mob' on as sole supplier last year. Fortunately my agent didnt role over so I stayed with them but loads of others got dumped by their agencies and had to use the spring group of companies.

This client asked me to go back recently so I had to use the 'mob.' I had Bauer & Cotterill go over the contract and they got changes made I could never have negotiated. 200 quid well spent!

I still have to use this tulipty portal though. Hope it works better and I have minimal need to contact the agent.

[Bilious Maximus]

Hello everybody, first post

And it was this thread that got me to register. My agent mentioned his problems with Spring Hyphen, so I googled, and "AVOID IF YOU CAN" came up as the third link.

*click*!

My client recently got The Spring Group to look after its recruitment. Last month I asked for a 10% raise on my extension after a year in the job. The client accepted. After submitting an invoice at the new rate, I was THEN informed that a wage freeze was in place, and that I'd have to drop back to the old rate! I wasn't having any of it, and after raising a stink got my raise reinstated, although my agent had to take half the hit. Nevertheless, this gives the lie to the so-called "wage-freeze" excuse for their behaviour. And some of my colleagues weren't so lucky, and accepted lower rates than had originally been agreed.

My agent is convinced that the unethical behaviour originates with Spring Hyphen trying to demonstrate that they're "adding value" to the client.

They aren't

Oh, and to add to the replies to the Spring employee: I don't think that the original poster ever believed that there was a virus on the website, that's why he put the word in quotes. So thanks for confirming our suspicion that your colleagues were lying when they used this excuse.

[JennaUK]

You support the Portal?

Here's the thing: If I were supporting a portal that was more rubbish than the rubbish dumps, I'd be hiding the fact, not advertising your incompetence.

Unfortunately, I too got caught by the same company. Normally I'd do some background work on the agencies I contract through but because I was so busy finishing off my previous contract, I did not actually do any checking.

In desperation today, I logged on to try and find out what others have to say about the Agency and to leave some feedback:

Im the 3 months I've contract through them, I've not been able to log onto the portal and submit a time sheet. My contract came up for renewal on Friday (last) and they told me to log onto the portal to accept the contract - but hey, guess what? I cannot log onto the portal.

Spoke with the company concerned and on Friday they outright lied about the fact they'd allow me to submit 'manual' timesheets as I could not log onto the portal to submit any.

They've (the agency) offered to log onto the portal for me, print off a copy of my contract renewal and walk over so I could sign it. Now boys and girls, how old am I, you have to ask. The moment I put my signature back on that contract, I'll be working for another 3 months for free.

Yup, I have to agree with all of you on here. When talking to other contractors, do the kind thing and warn them not to work through this agency. Every opportunity I get, I now ask who others contract through and pass on my experience.

If enough of us do this, eventually the agency will start going backwards, downwards and ultimate, if there really is a God, under.

[en184]

Spring / hyphen / computer people - avoid !!! Worst in industry

I am quitting Spring Hyphen after only 1 month. They are a dishonest bunch, and try to renegotiate my contract after 1 month.

AVOID and RUN the other way.

[northernladuk]

There are more sockies in this thread than there is in General!!