Good and bad clients

[norrahe]

Best: Work from home, minimal interruptions from client, left to get on with my work, brought in as an expert and treated as such.

Worst: hated the project, the people, the client, the ultimate purpose of the system, and the location. Paid well though.

WHS

[BolshieBastard]

Best, banking client only operated a notional 35 hour week, able to work 4 day week for nearly 4 years.

Worst, utilities client with a stupid bitch who was supposedly a test manager (how you got that position Nina god only knows). Sent some minnions along to do the interview and I ended up interviewing them to find out what the role was. She wasnt on site for the first 3 days after I turned up, was too busy to discuss what the project tasks were when she was, tried to question my skills which were not a requirement for the job spec she had written (which I shoved under her nose to prove they were not).

Oh, and she was duplicitous to cover her own failings. She told another contractor to their face they were being extended then a few days later, agency phoned contractor they were not being extended as she didnt think they were good enough!

[FatLazyContractor]

Do you build the warchest so you don't have to work if you choose not to?

Or do you work to build the warchest?

tulip warchest, tulip client -> Stay

Good warchest, tulip client -> Bugger off.

What's the confusion?

[FatLazyContractor]

Do you build the warchest so you don't have to work if you choose not to?

Or do you work to build the warchest?

Or in someone's words, Do you have a warchest?

[SimonMac]

Warchest?

Do you build the warchest so you don't have to work if you choose not to?

Or do you work to build the warchest?

[FatLazyContractor]

This begs the question, if the Client is bad why stay?

One of the reasons I contract is so I can pick and choose the places I work, the one time I have stopped enjoying my time at a contract I turned down a renewal and left

Warchest?

[SimonMac]

This begs the question, if the Client is bad why stay?

One of the reasons I contract is so I can pick and choose the places I work, the one time I have stopped enjoying my time at a contract I turned down a renewal and left

[FatLazyContractor]

YANCOTBAC

FTFY.

HTH

PS - I suggest that you read the OPs threads in 'Business/Contracts'

[eek]

So your best place is the one that treats you like an employee, and the worst is the one that has a clear demarcation between how they treat employees and suppliers??

That didn't sound like a place that treated employees or suppliers well.

I have a simple rule I will happily work at places that treat me in the way I would treat others. If they treat me badly their probably treat everyone (including customers) as badly so I would leave asap to disassociate myself from them...

[TheFaQQer]

Best: Work from home, minimal interruptions from client, left to get on with my work, brought in as an expert and treated as such.

Worst: hated the project, the people, the client, the ultimate purpose of the system, and the location. Paid well though.

[TheFaQQer]

Yeh I know best one is the one that pays on time and pays the most :-)

But aside from this, what are your best/worst experiences at client? Heres mine.

Best - Couple of them really.
1. Nice atmosphere.
2 Decent people.
3. No-one really flags up all the time your a contractor.
4. Flexibility and bit of give and take with hours.

Worst- One specific I can think of.
1. Contractors had to sit on separate desk.
2. Anything complex came in - permies took over and refused to tell contractors how it was fixed.
3. Told not allowed to leave site at lunchtime - yeh right.
4. Contractors not allowed to use internet at all.
5. Told to minimise toilet breaks.
6. Told not allowed to eat at desk (but permies could).
7. Permies would write down the time you came in and went so you had to be careful.
8. Worked late till 10pm one night because of issues, then got moaned at because I came in at 10am a week later after doctors appt.
9. If I went to other office for meeting, manager used to appear after meeting end (I'd stay there and hot desk) to check I hadnt gone home (this office was on my way home).

Awful place.

So your best place is the one that treats you like an employee, and the worst is the one that has a clear demarcation between how they treat employees and suppliers??

[minestrone]

Too many Bobs and not enough traps.

[paulinefowlersgrowler]

Yeh I know best one is the one that pays on time and pays the most :-)

But aside from this, what are your best/worst experiences at client? Heres mine.

Best - Couple of them really.
1. Nice atmosphere.
2 Decent people.
3. No-one really flags up all the time your a contractor.
4. Flexibility and bit of give and take with hours.

Worst- One specific I can think of.
1. Contractors had to sit on separate desk.
2. Anything complex came in - permies took over and refused to tell contractors how it was fixed.
3. Told not allowed to leave site at lunchtime - yeh right.
4. Contractors not allowed to use internet at all.
5. Told to minimise toilet breaks.
6. Told not allowed to eat at desk (but permies could).
7. Permies would write down the time you came in and went so you had to be careful.
8. Worked late till 10pm one night because of issues, then got moaned at because I came in at 10am a week later after doctors appt.
9. If I went to other office for meeting, manager used to appear after meeting end (I'd stay there and hot desk) to check I hadnt gone home (this office was on my way home).

Awful place.