Reply to: The worst contractor you have ever worked with or heard about

[psychocandy]

Dammit, I've got one which will trump all others. Prostitutes, cocaine, police, fights, drug dealers, hotel bans, midnight flits abroad, arrests and fraud. But due to the fact said person going to court shortly I shall wait until it's published in the papers & update this thread accordingly.

I remember one contractor when I was permie.

Two contractors always stayed in this one hotel. Anyway, they were friendly with the owner and got a deal for the departmental xmas party to be there - decent it was too.

This one contractor, who was staying there as normal got absolutely hammered. Lost his room key so decided to kip in the lounge/bar. For some reason, couldn't find the toilets and shat in the sink behind that bar (that they wash the glasses in). Classy eh?

Trouble is the hotel had security cameras and they had it all on camera. Of course, because of xmas party, the hotel knew client etc so was straight on the phone. Client was obviously not pleased because the hotel had linked him to them - not cool.

Terminated his contract. Yeh I know what you do in your own time is no business of the client, but I thought client had every right to be a bit peed off with his behaviour. The other contractor who'd done nothing, was also peed off because hotel refused to let people who work at client x stay there in the future.

[OwlHoot]

Dammit, I've got one which will trump all others. Prostitutes, cocaine, police, fights, drug dealers, hotel bans, midnight flits abroad, arrests and fraud. But due to the fact said person going to court shortly I shall wait until it's published in the papers & update this thread accordingly.

Good luck! If those are everything, it sounds like you'll get off with a slapped wrist though.

[woohoo]

Not funny or terrible but the worst contractor I worked with was one of these guys then just started arguments with everyone. Eventually, he was made to work from home (which may have been his plan) and he would pop-in one day of week. You could see the mood of everyone change on that day. Unfortunately, couldn't get rid of him until he finished a piece of work that was required for a tight deadline, just had to sit it out. Miserable time.

A year later I was on another contract and he turned up for an interview (not with me). Heart sank. Lucky enough he didn't pass the interview.

[DaveB]

Dammit, I've got one which will trump all others. Prostitutes, cocaine, police, fights, drug dealers, hotel bans, midnight flits abroad, arrests and fraud. But due to the fact said person going to court shortly I shall wait until it's published in the papers & update this thread accordingly.

Hope you've got a good lawyer. Sounds like you'll need one.

[northernladuk]

Dammit, I've got one which will trump all others. Prostitutes, cocaine, police, fights, drug dealers, hotel bans, midnight flits abroad, arrests and fraud. But due to the fact said person going to court shortly I shall wait until it's published in the papers & update this thread accordingly.

Cojak?

[MarillionFan]

Dammit, I've got one which will trump all others. Prostitutes, cocaine, police, fights, drug dealers, hotel bans, midnight flits abroad, arrests and fraud. But due to the fact said person going to court shortly I shall wait until it's published in the papers & update this thread accordingly.

[northernladuk]

Next time you tell this story, can I suggest you don't

FTFY

[BlackCountryContractor]

Disclaimer: I don't do work in IT networks this was partially relayed to me on the day what had fully occurred.

There was a desk telephony rollout for a company I was doing work at, one contractor who shall not be named wondered what would happened if he put 2 cat5e cables into the desk phone then patch them into 2 adjoining floor network ports.

Walked in the next morning only to find the entire section the clod did this in have the network crash repeatedly, I was not a happy bunny.

[OwlHoot]

Not entirely relevant, but will probably confirm to the panel their deep dislike of me.

When I was a permie manager many years ago, through nefarious routes, I found out about a contractor my team lead (we'll call him Tim) hired. A Scot of Indian ethnicity. We'll call him Jim for short.

For the first two weeks, all was well. Then he started coming in late. So Tim had a quiet word and Jim seemed to get himself together and was usually in the office within 10 minutes of 9. Then Jim's work started deteriorating. Stupid mistakes slipping through. During the 4th week, during a team meeting a half-bottle of whisky fell out of Jim's pocket... and that was the end of Jim.

Or so Tim thought...

A couple of years later, I got a call from Jim's agent, cheeky smegger, asking me if I'd put Jim on our Barcelona project- being run by Tim. I politely declined.

But that gave me an opportunity with Tim that I couldn't resist.

I told him I'd recruited this great contractor Jim who was all he neded for this project. I lauded him to the heavens, I told Tim that I'd managed to ensure that Jim would join the project for the following day, and that he would pick Jim up from the airport.

There was a short pause.

Than Tim confessed all.

I laughed and laughed and laughed.

In my defence, m'lud, in between this project, was the time of the Office and Tim could do a wonderful Dave Brent. In Paris during the project management meetings, he'd start doing Dave Brent entirely to get me to crack up, the little tulip. I didn't get him back very often, but this was sooooo satisfying.

Tim is now a CIO at a multinat. And one of the best people I've ever worked with.

I'm still an 'umble contractor. Ever so 'umble sir.

Next time you tell this story, can I suggest you make the names a bit more different than Tim and Jim?

Half way through I was starting to get confused over which "im" was which!

[BR14]

I never bought my Mrs pots and pans for xmas either.

It was a matching mop and bucket.....

Bugger! - you can get matching ones?

[TestMangler]

Insert 'swears a lot in an accent only his mother can understand' and its you.

I never bought my Mrs pots and pans for xmas either.

It was a matching mop and bucket.....

[vetran]

I told him I'd recruited this great contractor Jim who was all he neded for this project. I lauded him to the heavens, I told Tim that I'd managed to ensure that Jim would join the project for the following day, and that he would pick Jim up from the airport.

There was a short pause.

Than Tim confessed all.

I laughed and laughed and laughed.

So fearing Jim coming back and becoming your buddy, Tim confessed his undying love for you?

[woohoo]

Not entirely relevant, but will probably confirm to the panel their deep dislike of me.

When I was a permie manager many years ago, through nefarious routes, I found out about a contractor my team lead (we'll call him Tim) hired. A Scot of Indian ethnicity. We'll call him Jim for short.

For the first two weeks, all was well. Then he started coming in late. So Tim had a quiet word and Jim seemed to get himself together and was usually in the office within 10 minutes of 9. Then Jim's work started deteriorating. Stupid mistakes slipping through. During the 4th week, during a team meeting a half-bottle of whisky fell out of Jim's pocket... and that was the end of Jim.

Or so Tim thought...

A couple of years later, I got a call from Jim's agent, cheeky smegger, asking me if I'd put Jim on our Barcelona project- being run by Tim. I politely declined.

But that gave me an opportunity with Tim that I couldn't resist.

I told him I'd recruited this great contractor Jim who was all he neded for this project. I lauded him to the heavens, I told Tim that I'd managed to ensure that Jim would join the project for the following day, and that he would pick Jim up from the airport.

There was a short pause.

Than Tim confessed all.

I laughed and laughed and laughed.

In my defence, m'lud, in between this project, was the time of the Office and Tim could do a wonderful Dave Brent. In Paris during the project management meetings, he'd start doing Dave Brent entirely to get me to crack up, the little tulip. I didn't get him back very often, but this was sooooo satisfying.

Tim is now a CIO at a multinat. And one of the best people I've ever worked with.

I'm still an 'umble contractor. Ever so 'umble sir.

Don’t forget you are also a tulipe moderator.

[NotAllThere]

Not entirely relevant, but will probably confirm to the panel their deep dislike of me.

When I was a permie manager many years ago, through nefarious routes, I found out about a contractor my team lead (we'll call him Tim) hired. A Scot of Indian ethnicity. We'll call him Jim for short.

For the first two weeks, all was well. Then he started coming in late. So Tim had a quiet word and Jim seemed to get himself together and was usually in the office within 10 minutes of 9. Then Jim's work started deteriorating. Stupid mistakes slipping through. During the 4th week, during a team meeting a half-bottle of whisky fell out of Jim's pocket... and that was the end of Jim.

Or so Tim thought...

A couple of years later, I got a call from Jim's agent, cheeky smegger, asking me if I'd put Jim on our Barcelona project- being run by Tim. I politely declined.

But that gave me an opportunity with Tim that I couldn't resist.

I told him I'd recruited this great contractor Jim who was all he neded for this project. I lauded him to the heavens, I told Tim that I'd managed to ensure that Jim would join the project for the following day, and that he would pick Jim up from the airport.

There was a short pause.

Than Tim confessed all.

I laughed and laughed and laughed.

In my defence, m'lud, in between this project, was the time of the Office and Tim could do a wonderful Dave Brent. In Paris during the project management meetings, he'd start doing Dave Brent entirely to get me to crack up, the little tulip. I didn't get him back very often, but this was sooooo satisfying.

Tim is now a CIO at a multinat. And one of the best people I've ever worked with.

I'm still an 'umble contractor. Ever so 'umble sir.

[xoggoth]

Whoever had previously sat in the seat I was given. It was disgusting! Swapped it as soon as I got the chance.