Huxley holding money for 28 days before paying contractors

[Brussels Slumdog]

Average payment terms 15-30 days

The best agencies I have dealt with in the past are Modus,Square one,Huntress and Red commerce. I believe that they use factoring services. I have worked for one agency where I had to wait 90 days.
Its not so much your cash flow problem but you do worry whether perhaps the agency has a cash flow problem.
I have read other negative remarks about Huxley before relating to providing references.

[bobhope]

Really, you brought this on yourself: using Hoaxley indeed.

[mattfromlondon]

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to reply.

This is my lowest rate contract to date, and the shortest, 3 months.

After starting I had to wait for 3 weeks to even see a copy of the contract..

After reading it I discovered that they pay 28 working days after an approved time sheet and invoice. So I called them to re-negotiate the payment terms. They would not budge an inch on this so I have still not signed the contract to date.

Despite not signing the contract I have been paid for 3 weeks work to date but am still owed for weeks... Its costing me the best part of £100 a week in travel expenses to get here..

I do know for a fact that Huxley are paid weekly, for the previous weeks invoices as my friend works in payroll.

Its a tough situation to be in as, in this current climate, jobs are hard to come by so I don't want to get to a point that they will get rid of me because I cause to many problems etc..

I know the client are happy with me and have offered me a 3 month extension, but at the same time I am trying to get another agency in who will pay me more and each week!

As there are 10+ of us here in the same boat its hard to get anything changed because as far as I know we are all on the same contract/terms...

Cheers,
Matt

[thelace]

They've been paying me bang on 14 days, just like it says in my contract!

[Beefy198]

After starting I had to wait for 3 weeks to even see a copy of the contract..

After reading it I discovered that they pay 28 working days after an approved time sheet and invoice. So I called them to re-negotiate the payment terms. They would not budge an inch on this so I have still not signed the contract to date.

Despite not signing the contract I have been paid for 3 weeks work to date but am still owed for weeks... Its costing me the best part of £100 a week in travel expenses to get here.

Live and learn I'm afraid... you'll have to take it as a learning experience. Turning up means you've basically signed the contract.

I ALWAYS ask a new agency what their payment terms are as a matter of course before accepting a role.

If you ever have issues on a contract you want to try and get it sorted before you start, you often have more bargaining power at this point.

[BoredBloke]

Its a tough situation to be in as, in this current climate, jobs are hard to come by so I don't want to get to a point that they will get rid of me because I cause to many problems etc..

I know the client are happy with me and have offered me a 3 month extension, but at the same time I am trying to get another agency in who will pay me more and each week!

As there are 10+ of us here in the same boat its hard to get anything changed because as far as I know we are all on the same contract/terms...

Cheers,
Matt

Just tell them that you cannot afford to work under their payment terms and that you will have to hand in your notice. They won't get rid of you because the client is happy with you and it would mean that they would have to start looking for a replacement. Also, you don't have to hand in your notice, just make them think you will.

Also if there are 10 people there then if you all act as one you stand a better chance. What are HA going to do? Play hard ball and lose comission from 10 pí55ed off contractors or bend a little?

[Not So Wise]

Ok where to start,

First off Huxley (and all other S3 agencies) are crap, this is well known to contractors who have been around a while.

Next the 28 days is common for them and other big (and crap, which all the big ones are) agencies, some even do these terms on monthly invoices (thus giving the contractor up to 2 months exposure) but this is not agencies fault, this is good for their bottom line.

These crap terms are 100% the fault of contractors foolish/desperate enough to accept terms like these, if they stopped using those agencys due to those terms these agencies would be forced to either change their T&C's or go under. People need to realise normal agency margins (8 to 15%) are justified only if they do the normal agency stuff and act as a type of factoring service, otherwise you are getting ripped off

Now, as your little plan for having another agency steal all your contracts, of course 3rd party agency should love this idea as they would have nothing to lose and much to gain. Lets forget for now your individual contracts with Huxley which will have T&C's to try to prevent this type of thing as that will not be the biggest pitfall and lets consider instead the client /agency contracts, guess what? They will have exact same type of clauses and while a agency would be unlikely to sue a client (or individual contractor) over the pinching of one or even two contractors you can bet your ass they will over 18 odd contracts, that's a lot of money they will be losing.

The minute your client consults their lawyers, unless Huxley messed up big time on their contracts, which is unlikely as they have been around for a while, you can kiss your little plan goodbye

Your only real chance is for all the contractors to group together and group negotiate Huxley to your terms but that requires you all to be willing to walk if you don't get what you want and honestly in the good times that would be unlikely, in today's market to get that kind of solidarity and at such a low level and thus easily replaceable (assuming the low level, ie helpdesk, due to acting like £100 per week on travel is putting you under financial hardship) I would say pigs will fly first

Next, you have not signed a contract yet, bad news the minute you got it and continued to work you will generally be found to have accepted the T&C's, hence next time if you have not got the contract before you start send at least written confirmation to the agency of your key points (aka payment rates/terms vs work/hours) before you start

If you cannot live with current situation my general recommendation is start looking for new contract and once you find it tell client exactly why you are leaving and stay away from the other S3 group agencies as they will treat you pretty much exactly the same way

[Recruitment Agent]

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to reply.

This is my lowest rate contract to date, and the shortest, 3 months.

After starting I had to wait for 3 weeks to even see a copy of the contract..

After reading it I discovered that they pay 28 working days after an approved time sheet and invoice. So I called them to re-negotiate the payment terms. They would not budge an inch on this so I have still not signed the contract to date.

Despite not signing the contract I have been paid for 3 weeks work to date but am still owed for weeks... Its costing me the best part of £100 a week in travel expenses to get here..

I do know for a fact that Huxley are paid weekly, for the previous weeks invoices as my friend works in payroll.

Its a tough situation to be in as, in this current climate, jobs are hard to come by so I don't want to get to a point that they will get rid of me because I cause to many problems etc..

I know the client are happy with me and have offered me a 3 month extension, but at the same time I am trying to get another agency in who will pay me more and each week!

As there are 10+ of us here in the same boat its hard to get anything changed because as far as I know we are all on the same contract/terms...

Cheers,
Matt

My organisation should be able to acomodate you and your colleages we are cash rich and turn over 500million a year without giving to much away

[Churchill]

My organisation should be able to acomodate you and your colleages we are cash rich and turn over 500million a year without giving to much away

So what are you going to do? Buy them out of their current contracts?

Be realistic.

It's "too" btw.

[BrilloPad]

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to reply.

This is my lowest rate contract to date, and the shortest, 3 months.

After starting I had to wait for 3 weeks to even see a copy of the contract..

After reading it I discovered that they pay 28 working days after an approved time sheet and invoice. So I called them to re-negotiate the payment terms. They would not budge an inch on this so I have still not signed the contract to date.

Despite not signing the contract I have been paid for 3 weeks work to date but am still owed for weeks... Its costing me the best part of £100 a week in travel expenses to get here..

I do know for a fact that Huxley are paid weekly, for the previous weeks invoices as my friend works in payroll.

Its a tough situation to be in as, in this current climate, jobs are hard to come by so I don't want to get to a point that they will get rid of me because I cause to many problems etc..

I know the client are happy with me and have offered me a 3 month extension, but at the same time I am trying to get another agency in who will pay me more and each week!

As there are 10+ of us here in the same boat its hard to get anything changed because as far as I know we are all on the same contract/terms...

Cheers,
Matt

They are paying you as per your contract. What is the problem?

Ahhh I get it. Whose sockpuppet are you?