No contract = no timesheet?

[NotAllThere]

...
Why not accept 28 day payments? This is pretty reasonable for a business to business relationship.

It is. But it may not be for an agency that is acting as a factor for payments. It is common for agencies to pay considerably more quickly than this (I've even had payment initiated on receipt of invoice).

[SarahL2012]

Happened to me...

Client wanted me on site 48 hours after I met them and agency promised to get the paperwork sorted asap. They then seemed quite surprised that I might actually want to get the contract formally reviewed and to put changes through - and so their Legal team started to stall.

After a fortnight I wrote an email to the client (my contact plus the HR team who deal with the agency), just calling it 'contract update'. I basically explained what the problems were and what was needed to resolve them. At no point did I say I would not turn up, but that was implicit in the email.

Email back that very same evening from my contact asking the HR team to 'just get it sorted'. They put pressure on the agent and I got a call the following day. I wouldn't say it moved particularly rapidly after that, but at least the agent was chasing his legal team as well as me.

[Wanderer]

Client wanted me on site 48 hours after I met them and agency promised to get the paperwork sorted asap. They then seemed quite surprised that I might actually want to get the contract formally reviewed and to put changes through

Amazing how they always claim that you are the only person ever to question their contract terms

[SueEllen]

Amazing how they always claim that you are the only person ever to question their contract terms

And the only one ever to get a lawyer to review their contract.

Mind you I'm not the only contractor who agents haven't believed.