Agencies to avoid....

[unixman]

Most likely they offered someone else the contract at a higher profit margin for the agency. They keep you in the dark until he accepted or declined. If the other person accepts you will never ever hear from them again if he declines they might come back to you saying, you've got it

Doesn't make sense. The client chooses you from a shortlist supplied by the agency. The agency might choose to leave you off the list if your higher rate would impact their profits. But their reputation will suffer if their preferred candidate is poor or can't do the work. Agencies are in competition with each other, and sometimes the client engages more than one to meet the same requirement. If agency A messes up, provides a poor contractor, the client might give them the boot altogether.

[TTT]

Agencies to avoid....

MPOWER PLUS UK LTD

Lovely Indian people who have a nasty habit of not to paying last month invoice...

Avoid at any cost!

[Eirikur]

Resource on demand who despite me writing an email to their director not to approach me anymore after a series of total F@#k-ups, still approach me several times per month with totally non relevant roles.

[ruasonid]

Trying to get off the bench and my cv is going forward with a few agencies including R0C Search, Venn, and Connectus. Have seen earlier comments. Can anyone who has been on a contract with these agencies comment on opt-in, payments, and overall experience?

[cojak]

Still so?

No, I'm with another agency now also generally vilified on these boards.

I had no problem with Alex Mann, I got extensions and no rate cuts and they paid all of my invoices.

Capita are the same.

[TykeMerc]

I'm currently through Alex Mann, apart from the 30 day payment terms which I would not normally have agreed to, but I like the client and the project is interesting they've not been any real bother. Timesheets via Fieldglass and payments have all been on time with no chasing.

The contract had a few IR35 problems, but they were negotiated out and the renewal process included communicating with Poland which was a bit of an effort.

[TheLordDave]

Rullion - sorted out interview for me, rang me every day and morning leading up to it.

I sorted accommodation, drove there - interviewed well (I thought). Wasn't asked anything technical - just very vague things so nothing to really mess up.

Rang them after - then never heard from the again. E-mailed asking if I had the role or not a few times but they never emailed back (Tried a couple of people who I had dealt with)

few months go by and then get in touch about another role!

Stuff like that really winds me up. I know there's is no margin in it if your not successful but a one line email telling you you didn't get it would be enough and would be professional.

It is also enough to add that agency to the avoid list. My latest job was advertised by several agencies, 3 out of the 6 I had had stuff like this happen so went with one of the others who I had worked with before and got the role.

Some are so terrible that anything from them goes into my junk mail (any bob agency or computer futures linked company).

I have been kept in contract by the same 3 agents for the past 4 years. I know they are good, they know I am so it's almost like a professional relationship*shock horror*

[psychocandy]

Stuff like that really winds me up. I know there's is no margin in it if your not successful but a one line email telling you you didn't get it would be enough and would be professional.

It is also enough to add that agency to the avoid list. My latest job was advertised by several agencies, 3 out of the 6 I had had stuff like this happen so went with one of the others who I had worked with before and got the role.

Some are so terrible that anything from them goes into my junk mail (any bob agency or computer futures linked company).

I have been kept in contract by the same 3 agents for the past 4 years. I know they are good, they know I am so it's almost like a professional relationship*shock horror*

Yep same with me. I just don't see how it makes sense sometimes either. 30 seconds to email me back to say sorry you didnt get it.

Week later I see another gig. Seems to be two agencies advertising it. Then I remember that Agency A is the one who couldn't be arsed to email me back, so what do I do, I phone Agency B and get the gig. Agency A have now lost £x in cut because some scrote couldnt be arsed to spend 30 secs to be polite.

[TheFaQQer]

Stuff like that really winds me up. I know there's is no margin in it if your not successful but a one line email telling you you didn't get it would be enough and would be professional.

When I was first starting out, I had an agency line up an interview for me at an inconvenient time. I asked if they could make it an hour earlier so I could get there, interview, and get back in half a day rather than needing a whole day out. Agent said that he thought that wouldn't be a problem and would confirm it in a few minutes.

I'm still waiting for that call back

[CoolCat]

The biggest mistake agents make in not being legal, decent, and honest... is that they forget how close a relationship contractors build with their clients. I was sitting next to the CIO of a big organisation for a long time at my last gig, we became firm friends, my feedback on the agencies was fed into his toolkit of knowledge. Some of us are also on the hiring side of the fence from time to time. And so on.