Flipping Agents!!!! Rant alert!!!!

[Clippy]

The agent was not bright. I told him I was a contractor so he should have known better. Plus I also said that this won't be the only contractor I will be taking on so he had a good chance to impress and become a supplier. Hey ho!

Did I mention he tried to bribe me when I told him about the advert stating a lower rate than I agreed with him. He emailed me a 20% Selfridges discount voucher.

Valid till 31 December 2008 no doubt.

[TheFaQQer]

Valid till 31 December 2008 no doubt.

Or only valid for purchases of hair gel?

[Addanc]

I cannot stand some recruitment consultants!

I asked them to advertise the role at x and said they can only take a maximum of 15% cut in this instance. I get home and there is an email in my personal inbox as I am signed up with that agency advertising the role at a much lower rate with them then getting a 40% cut!

Obviously we had words about this. Contractor starts yesterday and we start discussing rates. The contractor did not say what he was getting so fair enough. I get a call late last night from the agency having a fit saying that the contractor wants more and that because of me he is eating away at their 30% cut!! I got so annoyed I told them to call the contractor and say not to come in on Monday as we did not sign and agree the contract yet. 5 minutes later they phone me apologising saying he will be there on Monday.

Ruined my night really as I hate dealing with them. Makes me sick that they think they can shaft my client (who is a charity) and the contractor we are employing then act as if I am the evil one!

Glad it is off my chest!

Simple solution, don't use agencies.

[Spacecadet]

Basically we owe this agency money as a few months back there was a contractor taken on but he was fired for quite a few reasons which I won't go into. I was allowed to get a contractor but it had to be through this agency as there was an agreement made with the agent that we would get a replacement for him through them to cover the contract we had with them.

I was forced to use them this time but in the future it will be different.

so agency gets you a contractor who for one reason or another is so crap that you have to fire them
And then you have to go back to the same agency because it lost them money?

HOW THE **** DOES THAT WORK? if they sent you a decent contractor in the first place i.e. did their ******* job then they wouldn't be loosing money on the contract

******* theiving agency scum

[Hawkeye]

I think client co has learned their lesson now and wants me to read the new contract and check all the t's & c's before we sign anything.

I still do not get why companies use agencies. My ideal way would be to advertise via other means and review CV's myself. It was fairly annoying that they did manage to send in one stunning CV and I am positive it was picked at random as they knew nothing about this guy.

[Troll]

I think client co has learned their lesson now and wants me to read the new contract and check all the t's & c's before we sign anything.

I still do not get why companies use agencies. My ideal way would be to advertise via other means and review CV's myself. It was fairly annoying that they did manage to send in one stunning CV and I am positive it was picked at random as they knew nothing about this guy.

Can I send you my C.V. direct?

btw do you like gladiator movies?

[RichardCranium]

I still do not get why companies use agencies. My ideal way would be to advertise via other means and review CV's myself.

Because:
- advertising for roles is expensive;
- you will be inundated with hundreds of CVs from people that cannot do the job but would like to think they can;
- you will be inundated with applications from every unemployed person in the area;
- your ad is unlikely to be seen by anyone on CUK as we're all using the likes of Jobserve.

You are thinking of this:

Contractor @ £300 / day where the agent gets £60 of that x 100 days = £30,000

versus

Contractor direct @ £250 / day x 100 days = £25,000

which is incorrect. You need to think like a permie:

Contractor @ agent-claims-market-rate / day = £whatever as it isn't my budget
+ having to choose from 3 reasonably OK CVs
+ free lunch from agent

versus

Contractor @ rate-is-my-choosing-therefore-my-fault / day = £my arse on the line
+ having to write an advert
+ advert cost comes from MY budget
+ no free lunch
+ sifting through hundreds of applications
+ the 'phone won't stop ringing

Now which is the obvious choice?

[scooterscot]

It's the agents who call me salivating over the mouth piece spending there commission before I've signed anything that really get on my goat... the ones that make no attempt to hide that they are only interested in profit.... I've a picture of my last agent here.

I had one on the phone a few weeks ago whose exact words were "quar imagine getting that in your account every week"

[Hawkeye]

Fair point Richard. I do think if the contractor is not good enough I might still be blamed but will see. I did get 10 CV's from the agent so there was a fair bit of work and majority were awful.

Scootercot that is my agent!

[d000hg]

I still do not get why companies use agencies

Because they like paying 90 days in arrears, and most contractors won't accept that? Because they don't like having different contracts and terms with every single contractor? Because paying one bill to an agency is easier than paying 10 different people? Because they can more easily sue the agency for their money if it goes wrong?