Reply to: Role Includes Paying For Work Related Flights

[jmo21]

The Agency just charges the client a wacking great total that 'includes' the contractors expenses.

Agency pays you 50% of their invoice. Tells you 'Sorry expenses not included'. Pockets the difference.

When do you ever see the Agency's invoice to the customer?

Also, this falls over the first time Johnny contractor moans about a last minute, can you go again next week request and they moan about having to pay themselves.

[jmo21]

What receipts? They just invoice. That's what I do if I need to have the client reimburse my company for plane tickets.

The Agency just charges the client a wacking great total that 'includes' the contractors expenses.

Agency pays you 50% of their invoice. Tells you 'Sorry expenses not included'. Pockets the difference.

When do you ever see the Agency's invoice to the customer?

If that is how it works, consider my gob well and truly smacked!

As an aside, in my first permie job, me and a few others worked onsite for a client in Holland.

Our company paid for our flights home every weekend, but to sweeten the deal (living away from home) they said if we wanted, we could fly out our wives/girlfriends/friends IF the cost was cheaper than our own return flight home - it always was because our flights were business class.

It worked great, us employees were happy with that deal, I was single at the time, so lots of my mates got a free weekend in Amsterdam.

6 months later (after I'd finished up on it), the client co start looking at the expenses that had been charged and found lots of flight receipts with people's names they did not recognize and refused to pay them. Oopsie!

[TheFaQQer]

When do you ever see the Agency's invoice to the customer?

When I'm implementing AP and see my company name in the data. Or when I sign off the invoices. Or when the client says "can I ask you about your expenses...". Or if I said to the person who dealt with the invoices "it's frustrating that I can charge my expenses back..."

In the meantime, make sure you claim the cost of the tin foil for your hat

[Flashman]

So the client relies on the agency to just guess the cost of the flights, and pays them without question?

You can add the exact sum to your invoice because you know what it cost you. If the client queried the cost, you would show them what it cost you. The agency cannot do that, they need to guess the cost and get the client to pay that, with no supporting evidence.

The Agency just charges the client a wacking great total that 'includes' the contractors expenses.

Agency pays you 50% of their invoice. Tells you 'Sorry expenses not included'. Pockets the difference.

When do you ever see the Agency's invoice to the customer?

[TheFaQQer]

What receipts? They just invoice. That's what I do if I need to have the client reimburse my company for plane tickets.

So the client relies on the agency to just guess the cost of the flights, and pays them without question?

You can add the exact sum to your invoice because you know what it cost you. If the client queried the cost, you would show them what it cost you. The agency cannot do that, they need to guess the cost and get the client to pay that, with no supporting evidence.

[NotAllThere]

What receipts? They just invoice. That's what I do if I need to have the client reimburse my company for plane tickets.

[jmo21]

The client are paying full expenses. The agency are just going to pocket the cash and pay you a flat rate.

Cynical? Nah.

How would they get the receipts?

[sirja]

It also depends where in Europe. Not all European cities are properly served by budget airlines in terms of frequency. As others have said it all depends on the daily rate and how often you would be expected to be travel

[Flashman]

Had call from agent today - they are advertising a role which requires few days travel to European sites each month. Clientco though will not pay for these flights/accom. Agent explained that they are expecting the contractor to pay out of the contractor daily rate and they will also not budge on rate to accommodate.

I have not come across this before, expressed how ludicrous this sounds and politely declined to take the conversation any further.

The client are paying full expenses. The agency are just going to pocket the cash and pay you a flat rate.

Cynical? Nah.

[kingcook]

Rate was standard market rate from which flights would then be paid for out of.

Ouch!

[d000hg]

Quite, but I wouldn't want to be in that situation in the first place.

True.

Rate was standard market rate from which flights would then be paid for out of.

There's no such thing as "market rate" really though, is there? Especially for overseas work.

[The Spartan]

That's how psychocandy started out - it's a slippery slope...

Nah he just loves to whinge and cause a stir so he can ge this post count up

[kaiser78]

What rate was on offer?

Rate was standard market rate from which flights would then be paid for out of.

[kingcook]

What rate was on offer?

[mudskipper]

Correct - I was just sharing the experience with my fellow forumers, as had not come across this situation before.

That's how psychocandy started out - it's a slippery slope...