Umbrella Bribe

[original PM]

hmmm it is a referal fee however the agent receieving the referal fee is more interested in what they get than the service the contractor gets.

and generally the higher the 'referal fee' is the poorer the quality of service to the contractor.

[Wanderer]

I know of one umbrella that pay the consultants £150.00 for every new contractor.

As Lisa says, it's not a "bribe" or a "back hander", it's a referral fee and it's quite legal. Lots of businesses offer referral fees to people who bring them customers. You've got a lot to learn about how businesses work.

I'm always wary of referrals, sometimes they are good, other times it's because the company pays the referrer money.

Some websites like quidco will even take the referral fee and then refund (most of) it to you. Worth a look to see how the processes work.

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

Does anyone else have experience of their agency consultant deliberately pushing you with a particular Umbrella because they are getting back handers from the Umbrella?
I know of one umbrella (lets call them "<snip>") that pay the consultants £150.00 for every new contractor.

<admin note>Let's not call them anything! As discussed before, allegations without substantiation could lead the forum into hot water so please, don't be even slightly specific about who may be doing this. Thanks.</admin note>

It is not uncommon practise but not all umbrella companies work this way

[JLaidlaw]

Does anyone else have experience of their agency consultant deliberately pushing you with a particular Umbrella because they are getting back handers from the Umbrella?
I know of one umbrella (lets call them "<snip>") that pay the consultants £150.00 for every new contractor.

<admin note>Let's not call them anything! As discussed before, allegations without substantiation could lead the forum into hot water so please, don't be even slightly specific about who may be doing this. Thanks.</admin note>