Agencies to avoid....

[eek]

CAPITA

They are just terrible. I would never, ever use them by choice but a lot of companies like them cos they're cheap. Whaddya get if you pay peanuts?

A poorer quality project, delivered at greater cost, late?

[Steelman]

Lorien - best avoided

I am sure I am not alone in getting previous contracts via agencies that I would rather not work with again. Generally I've been ok but had a recent bad experience with Lorien / VerticalIT:

- lengthly payment terms; 30 working days from last friday of month ie. this is a min term of 6 weeks from end of month even if you invoice weekly and you could be waiting over 10 weeks if you finish a contract at the start of a new month.

- Even when they agreed to reduce their term they conveniently forgot and needed chasing every month.

- the contract specifically stated that I could not 'resign' so I should insist on a rolling 1 month contract in future.

- Would not allow their contract to be signed without signing the 'optional' Suppliers EAA Regs Opt Out.

IT would be useful to get others views on agencies so that we know to scrutinise their contracts just a little more carefully.

LORIEN were awful. they got heavy about the Opt Out I told them they could not legally force me to Opt Out and they backed off.
Also they have a crap online timesheet system which timed out so you were continually chasing the client manager to resign. Ridiculous and a waste of everyone's time. They took 8 wks to pay me my final invoice and only paid up after I threatened legal action - as I had OPTED IN and therefore even if the the client hadn't paid them, they still had to pay me.
Best avoided.

[kevpuk]

LORIEN were awful<snip> continually chasing the client manager to resign<snip>

Guessing that is re-sign, but good info nonetheless

[MaryPoppins]

LORIEN were awful. they got heavy about the Opt Out

I am yet to find a agency that don't do this.

[Quagmire]

I am yet to find a agency that don't do this.

You wouldn't believe, but I had an agent who told me "it is totally up to you if you want to opt out". Now, this is not news from legal point of view, but I liked his approach. Agency was a minor player, though.

[Steelman]

Freudian slip

Guessing that is re-sign, but good info nonetheless

Must have been wishful thinking on my part...

[AdamPag]

I would avoid Hyphen

My current client move to only using contractors through Hyphen, so I move to Hyphen and have not been paid on time for 4 months.

[Wanderer]

I am yet to find a agency that don't do this.

I worked for an agency which had a single contract which had the opted out/not opted out clauses marked saying that the relevant ones applied depending on the worker's status. They did try and convince me that I should opt out (not in writing of course) but in the end I wrote to them to say that "MyLTD had decided not to opt out" and they wrote back and said this was fine. Not much of a fight really, I was pleasantly surprised.

[Ticktock]

The agency I'm currently working with never give me any hassle about opt out - not even the first time I spoke to them. They did send the opt out form for the current contract, and when I didn't send it back emailed me telling me I hadn't sent it. I simply replied "I don't Opt Out" and never heard any more from them on it.

[Anonimouse]

was surprised to see CP here I have worked for them for many years (just finished 18 months IB) they always pay weekly and find me loads of work.

HAYS on the other hand solicitors letter with threats of legal action in order to get paid and also there OT rules unbelievable.