The 'Virtual Bench'

**jmo21** · 2 June 2009, 17:13

do they rhyme with Deck Systems or Ballegis? one of whom is a sub of the other

**jmo21** · 2 June 2009, 17:14

oh yeah, reason I ask is because they are total Kunts

**nomadd** · 2 June 2009, 17:16

Originally posted by merrsh1 View Post

My will to live is slowly being eroded by shiny suited RC's.

Just had a call regarding joining the 'virtual bench' of one agency. This led to a question of could we meet, which then led swiftly on to '2 REFERENCES PLEASE'.

The funny thing is the same bone head had rang me not 2 weeks ago and read, effectively word for word, the exact same spiel.

It seems geared to catching the unwary and thinking about is a very sly exercise in getting info from people.

He received the same answer this time as he got last time, no sodding references and I only meet when there is a contract on the table.

Anyone else had this?

Yep, it's becoming par for the course.

It's got so bad that yesterday I just jotted my "no references/contacts" down in a little Notepad file so I don't have to keep repeating myself. I just cut-n-paste this into emails back to the agents now.

In my little letter I also refer them to the forums like this one and others which show the level of annoyance contractors feel about these "fishing" tactics. That's seems to make the point to them perfectly - i.e. they've been rumbled!

Nomadd

**HairyArsedBloke** · 2 June 2009, 17:21

After reading your post I was just about to write on a disk that I had just burnt but I had to stop because I started to giggle.

FFS, 'Virtual Bench'. I am so glad that I don't have to put up with this anymore. From the stories I read on CUK I know that if I was still in the contracting business (I stopped over 5 years ago and now run a ... ops

) I would be aproaching the point where I would be admitted to the loonie bin.

**merrsh1** · 2 June 2009, 18:08

Originally posted by jmo21 View Post

do they rhyme with Deck Systems or Ballegis? one of whom is a sub of the other

Yup, thats them. Toss Pots.

Originally posted by HairyArsedBloke View Post

After reading your post I was just about to write on a disk that I had just burnt but I had to stop because I started to giggle.

FFS, 'Virtual Bench'. I am so glad that I don't have to put up with this anymore. From the stories I read on CUK I know that if I was still in the contracting business (I stopped over 5 years ago and now run a ... ops

) I would be aproaching the point where I would be admitted to the loonie bin.

I agree, I'm considering jacking in and working for myself full time. In the past I've been 50/50 contracting and freelance. I keep looking at contracts and its all a load of toss. Crap rates, crap people and crap work.

At one point he said, with no irony, "How would you feel about being admitted to our virtual bench".

IT'S VIRTUAL YOU TWUNT IT DOESN'T EFFING EXIST. FFS!!!

**Shimano105** · 2 June 2009, 19:30

Originally posted by jmo21 View Post

do they rhyme with Deck Systems or Ballegis? one of whom is a sub of the other

Ha! Been slimed all over by their toss-pots recently.

'We do things differently' blah blah ' 2 technical references' blah blah 'do this test' blah blah 'meet up for a coffee'.

wtf?

That last bit sent shivers down my spine. The koonts expected me to travel 30 miles for a coffee and an obvious attempt at wringing some names out of me! Total and utter creeps.

**thunderlizard** · 2 June 2009, 20:07

Though I would happily give up a rolodex full of "references" when offered a fake contract, doing it for a place on a fake bench is a bridge too far.

**moorfield** · 3 June 2009, 20:46

Originally posted by merrsh1 View Post

Anyone else had this?

Yes, and my answer is always as follows ...

Just had a call regarding joining the 'virtual bench' of one agency. This led to a question of could we meet <CLICK...>

The 'Virtual Bench'