Reply to: Onboarding billable?

[heathen666]

Unless the client and the work are superb, I'd be inclined to move on away from this agency at the first opportunity.

TBH the client is decent, the client has been looking to fill my role for 5 months so there's a load of work there. Also outside of IR35 so it's a difficult call. I certainly will be looking at the market when my renewal in April comes up.

Which is fair enough but I must admit I'd be proper irked at this and wonder what other tricks they are pulling. I can't help but think this is the tip of the iceberg. If they are happy to blatantly screw the client then I'd be wondering what they are doing to you? Do you know the rate they are charging the client and therefore their margin? Are you sure they aren't pocketing 20%+ and so on.

I agree with you, I've made sure I have a email trail for all of the conversation that's been going on. As for their cut, they've said 9%, but I have no way of confirming whether that is true or not but given the weird day rate I'm on, it'd make sense.

[northernladuk]

I had been tempted to be honest, but there's around 15 of us on this project from the same agency so I don't want to rock the boat any more than I already have (that's another story). I did have a chat with a couple with the other guys and it seems that it's accepted that the agency is a bit dodgy (understatement) but they pay on time.

Which is fair enough but I must admit I'd be proper irked at this and wonder what other tricks they are pulling. I can't help but think this is the tip of the iceberg. If they are happy to blatantly screw the client then I'd be wondering what they are doing to you? Do you know the rate they are charging the client and therefore their margin? Are you sure they aren't pocketing 20%+ and so on.

[ladymuck]

Unless the client and the work are superb, I'd be inclined to move on away from this agency at the first opportunity.

[heathen666]

I'd throw the agency under the bus by innocently talking about it with the client. But then, I'm nasty.

I had been tempted to be honest, but there's around 15 of us on this project from the same agency so I don't want to rock the boat any more than I already have (that's another story). I did have a chat with a couple with the other guys and it seems that it's accepted that the agency is a bit dodgy (understatement) but they pay on time.

[quackhandle]

Reminds me of a sneaky pimp who sent out 3m extension contracts to all contractors without checking with the end client. None of us were extended.

3 years later I'm still getting daily email reminders to sign that contract in my junk mail.

qh

[NotAllThere]

I'd throw the agency under the bus by innocently talking about it with the client. But then, I'm nasty.

[Paracelsus]

I wouldn't bill for it if outside IR35. Also wouldn't go along with whatever shenanigans the agency is upto trying to sneak those days in.

[northernladuk]

To be honest. I haven't seen anything from this agency that's done "properly". I got an email confirming my timesheets for November had been approved, but when I checked to see who had approved them.. it was an employee of the agency. As far as I can tell, unless there's a communication between the agency and their client which I don't know about, the client doesn't know what I'm billing for!?

Which is exactly what I suspected and would make me very nervous. I'd expect the client sign off is in the contract and if the agent is self signing for days not agreed with the client then this could be pretty serious hence me not being overly comfortable with the situation. You can bet when it goes tits up it will all fall in your lap, not the agents, although I can't see how they can come out of this unscathed if you have an email trail.

How you proceed I've no idea but good to understand exactly what is going on.

[heathen666]

Well so far there is only me automatically assuming that and based on the fact A) It's an agent and B) this dubious process of spreading it overtime has dubious overtones so A+B makes a fair assumption.

If the agent wasn't scamming it would be black and white, stick the 9 days in and away you go. All the evidence this is a backdoor job and none that it's being done properly.

To be honest. I haven't seen anything from this agency that's done "properly". I got an email confirming my timesheets for November had been approved, but when I checked to see who had approved them.. it was an employee of the agency. As far as I can tell, unless there's a communication between the agency and their client which I don't know about, the client doesn't know what I'm billing for!?

[northernladuk]

Ha funny how everyone automatically assumed the agent is trying to pull a scam.

it is sus that they have just out of the blue agree to pay.

Well so far there is only me automatically assuming that and based on the fact A) It's an agent and B) this dubious process of spreading it overtime has dubious overtones so A+B makes a fair assumption.

If the agent wasn't scamming it would be black and white, stick the 9 days in and away you go. All the evidence this is a backdoor job and none that it's being done properly.

[JustKeepSwimming]

Ha funny how everyone automatically assumed the agent is trying to pull a scam.

it is sus that they have just out of the blue agree to pay.

[rocktronAMP]

Thinking about what NLUK said, how is this going to work? E.g. will you need to submit a timesheet for those 3 days and get the client to approve it?

Good luck, if this end-client is the well known Hispanic banking monolith: TINSTAAFL.

[hobnob]

Last week I had a catch up call with the agency, and they've agreed to paying me for these days but want it spread over the next few months starting with the 3 days in between Christmas and New Year. 👍

Thinking about what NLUK said, how is this going to work? E.g. will you need to submit a timesheet for those 3 days and get the client to approve it?

[northernladuk]

A quick update and a surprising outcome.

I did send an email to my agency about billing for the first 9 days. They initially said no so I let it lie until I got my feet under the desk. I didn't really want to rock the boat to be honest.

Last week I had a catch up call with the agency, and they've agreed to paying me for these days but want it spread over the next few months starting with the 3 days in between Christmas and New Year. 👍

So the agent is ninja billing the client on the sly to get their commission through the back door then. The offshoot is you get paid as well but be under no illusion the agent is only doing this or themselves. I'll bet the client doesn't know. I'd be a tad nervous about this.

[heathen666]

A quick update and a surprising outcome.

I did send an email to my agency about billing for the first 9 days. They initially said no so I let it lie until I got my feet under the desk. I didn't really want to rock the boat to be honest.

Last week I had a catch up call with the agency, and they've agreed to paying me for these days but want it spread over the next few months starting with the 3 days in between Christmas and New Year. 👍