Reply to: Parasol Group: A Warning (Do not use this Umbrella Company)

[jack15]

Choose Danbro

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[lucyclarityumbrella]

Have left Parasol now and looking for a reputable firm.

let me know if you want a chat!

[gsc2000]

Another unhappy Parasol 'employee' (employee being a generic term at Parasol)

Do not use Parasol or KPMG Resource Solutions. If you want help when there are payment problems due to disjointed HR+payroll processes between Parasol and their 'client' don't rely on either party on an umbrella basis.
Basically if the client decides to not approve timesheets or not pay Parasol at all you are ON YOUR OWN. Parasol will fall back on blaming the client. Parasol will tell you ALL responsibility to sort the mess out is your responsibility with the client meaning your Parasol employee status means very little. You have no leverage with either party. You are left unpaid for months on end.

You, as a Parasol employee have done nothing wrong as all your timesheets are completed and submitted as required under all T&C. It's just sheer KPMG and Parasol ineptitude leaving them unapproved and by definition leaving you, the innocent hard working party, unpaid for months on end!

Prior to that I'd been with Parasol for years with no problems whatsoever.

However they have grown substantially and I found out to my cost that a combination of Parasol and KPMG Resource Solutions led to quite possibly the worst cashflow situation I've ever experienced. It showed just how callous both of them are. Complete disregard for an individuals payroll.

If you need an umbrella company, choose one who will back you in times of trouble and not distance themselves from their responsibility to get you paid. One who takes their employer status seriously. Stay well clear of agencies like KPMG and Resource Solutions who are just as bad. I've been contracting for 20 years and this is by far the worst experience I've ever had. Have left Parasol now and looking for a reputable firm.

[Neil2332]

another person unhappy with parasol

Hi , would just like to add to the complaints about Parasol , Last month they took twice the monthly fee from me , when I called to complain I was told that I would not get the money paid back until the end of the month, I then asked to escalate the call to a manager and all of a sudden I was told I would get the money back via Same day payments ( which I pay extra for ) , I then got a text to say I would be getting the money back via BACS, I called to complain again to discover the payroll team had gone home ( or at least said they had ) and there was nothing I could do , this was after being assured by 3 different members of staff that I would be getting the money that day.

Fast forward to this month , I submitted my timesheets , was told again ( in fact assured ) by 2 members of staff as I wanted to chase them up as I really don't trust them that I would be getting paid same day payments, which again I have signed up for , on my pay-slip it shows they have taken the £35 charge I pay for same day payments , I then get a text saying I would be getting paid by BACS, ( so no payment on Friday , and will turn up tomorrow. I called and emailed to complain, when I realized I was speaking to one of the same people who assured me I would be paid by my chosen payment method ( SDP ) , I said with all due respect I would like to speak to someone else as I feel I have been misled ( again ) this member of staff, then got quite abrupt bordering on rude , trying to tell me that he said , I would get paid by my chosen payment method , to which I explained that the method is same day payments , and the charge has been deducted and to look at my payslip. I then got put through to someone else who said they would look into it first thing today and get back to me this morning. I'm still waiting. I no longer have any faith in this umbrella company and would advise others to stay clear, bottom line , either the staff need more training or they are just dishonest.

[original PM]

Parasol used to be good.... but then they got bought out by vulture capitalists.

Generally you are an employee of Parasol and so they have legal requirements of what they should and should not do with regards to payment queries.

Info can be found here

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/wo...wes-you-money/

However that is hiding behind the law - we all know in reality Umbrella services do provide a service and as such should be more forthcoming with assistance on employee payment queries.

[piebaps]

Their website Sara says they're affiliate members of APSco and associate members of FCSA so they have some industry based regulation.

APSco is here and this is their code of conduct page Codes of Conduct

FCSA is here and their code of conduct is also open to view FCSA Compliance

You will no doubt have signed some form of engagement letter when you hired them and that may be a good place to start. Have they agreed to do something which they haven't done but you have paid for. That of course would be a breach of the contract and you would need to take legal action.

There's also a school of thought that if you've lost enough already, and cost of recovery could be greater than the loss, get out of dodge and take it on the chin. Throwing good time and money after bad could result in a pyrrhic victory.

[SaraUccheUk]

Awful Company!

Hi all,

I registered to this forum just because of the complaint against Parasol!

My bad experience on this side is that I have been sold in October the Platinum account, I've been paying almost £40 per week and I got barely half of the services they promised

I am now trying to get a refund and all they want to give me is a refund of £34!

I'm absolutely fuming with them.

Does anyone know who I could report them to? Or who I should call to get a refund?

Sara

[LondonContractor101]

Stay away from Parasol

I posted a new thread on this utterly unprofessional company. Long story short, just keep away from Parasol.

[psychocandy]

Hmmm My accountant recommended parasol - same group.

I think not then....

[Waldorf]

Interesting that no-one from Parasol has responded.

Perhaps someone from one of their sister companies; SJD, Nixon Williams or ClearSky will give them a nudge?

[BrilloPad]

Interesting that no-one from Parasol has responded.

[dmini]

Having to use Parasol with Hays many year ago was the main driver for going limited. I had a number of conversations with them which went along the lines of :-
Q Please can you explain how you have calculated xxxxxx as it appears to be wrongly calculated.
A We have calculated this correctly. You are wrong. (no explanation)
Actually I was right & they were wrong - but it took an email to one of their directors to get them to look properly! Even then they didn't refund the full amount, but I lost the will to fight it further (only a few £ wrong)
Sorry to hear they haven't improved since then.

[eek]

SJD Accountancy was sold off not CU

Glad to hear it. After the story above I was concerned my recommendations were in vain....

[lucyclarityumbrella]

And contractor umbrella (as that was SJD's umbrella branch).

SJD Accountancy was sold off not CU

[BrilloPad]

What did they say when you contacted them?