Opus bestpay umbrella - do not use it! It's highly toxic!!!!!

[whattheheck]

Contractors in the UK,

Since this Forum doesn't seem to blacklist this Umbrella, I am opening this thread to make you aware!

I have just signed up to a new contract, the agency suggested OPUS BESTPAY. I asked to have a bog standard pay arrangement, NI and taxed as usual, plus a weekly fee. They declined and pushed the "LOAN AGREEMENT" scheme forward. I signed up! I did, even though I don't like it. And I did it because I need my pay, I can't live on fresh air, FFS!

But I came to dig out info about them also because they did not pay me on time. This is allegedly because the paperwork had not been completed. Hypocrites! That did not stop them from paying themselves from the agency. I know because the agency told me they had already paid OPUS BESTPAY and that was BEFORE the contract with me was completed. So it is good to know where OPUS BESTPAY priorities are! The contractor comes LAST in their priority list.

Incidentally, this has had consequences. I worked flat out for 2 weeks without pay and funds dried up.

So, because I had no more funds to allocate for diesel, I stopped and gave the agency the heads-up about what was going on with OPUS BESTPAY Umbrella. Besides, I am an IT Contractor and any similarities suggested by the irresponsible and damaging actions of umbrellas or agencies, with the working donkey or the pyramid slaves of yesterday are OFF THE MARK!

So, be aware! Do not use OPUS BESTPAY. Another names to watch out for are "THE TRUST SHOP", which is named in the contract/loan agreement, and also OPUS UMBRELLA.

My sincere advice to everyone is this... If you come across this payment arrangement, either by suggestion of agencies or otherwise because you are looking up the Internet and found them, WALK AWAY! Simply REFUSE and DEMAND another Umbrella! No, really! It is as it is. If you sign up, you are likely to be investigated by HMRC as many others were - just read the threads about that - so just DO NOT!

Best regards

[WTFH]

Since this Forum still lists this Umbrella,

Please provide a link to where ContractorUK is listing Opus Bestpay.

While your complaints about that business may well be valid, your comments about this forum (in two threads now) don't appear to be.

[whattheheck]

Please provide a link to where ContractorUK is listing Opus Bestpay.

While your complaints about that business may well be valid, your comments about this forum (in two threads now) don't appear to be.

Apologies, I have corrected my initial opening post in the thread to reflect that. Indeed, the Forum doesn't list it... Nor blacklist it, despite the potential damage this umbrella may cause to contractors.

Guys, this is a nice Forum. But it needs to take proactive action to help people avoid trouble. You have thousands of members. It is high time this Forum promotes a blacklist of umbrellas that are only out there to exploit the contractors and abuse loopholes in our Laws. I want to see a list of who I can trust and who I should not touch!

Think of it as a Review system. Umbrellas supply a service for which we contractors pay them. It is high time they start to get us breathing on their necks.

[WTFH]

Apologies, I have corrected my initial opening post in the thread to reflect that. Indeed, the Forum doesn't list it... Nor blacklist it, despite the potential damage this umbrella may cause to contractors.

Guys, this is a nice Forum. But it needs to take proactive action to help people avoid trouble. You have thousands of members. It is high time this Forum promotes a blacklist of umbrellas that are only out there to exploit the contractors and abuse loopholes in our Laws. I want to see a list of who I can trust and who I should not touch!

Think of it as a Review system. Umbrellas supply a service for which we contractors pay them. It is high time they start to get us breathing on their necks.

Thank you for editing your original post. Maybe now you understand why Fred and I commented the way we did not he other thread.

I'm guessing you're fairly new to contracting.
For quite a few years now companies have set themselves up offering schemes to contractors, promising them 80%+ returns using various models. We don't actually have the time to monitor every single one and watch as they change company name from one to another.
Instead we have several sticky threads about choosing umbrella companies and avoiding schemes.

https://forums.contractoruk.com/umbr...-umbrella.html
https://forums.contractoruk.com/umbr...ey-differ.html
https://forums.contractoruk.com/umbr...companies.html

And this section purely on schemes:
https://forums.contractoruk.com/hmrc-scheme-enquiries/

[whattheheck]

(...) I'm guessing you're fairly new to contracting.(...)

Nope... I have been a contractor for 25 years.

I am fairly new to modern business corruption and malpractice in the UK IT Contracting Industry though! I guess in this sense, you are right to conclude I am fairly new...

[WTFH]

Nope... I have been a contractor for 25 years.

I am fairly new to modern business corruption and malpractice in the UK IT Contracting Industry though! I guess in this sense, you are right to conclude I am fairly new...

The schemes have been going on for a long time, but it's only in the last few years that HMRC have decided to go after everyone who has been using them in the last decade or so, and backdate their demands.

[malvolio]

The schemes have been going on for a long time, but it's only in the last few years that HMRC have decided to go after everyone who has been using them in the last decade or so, and backdate their demands.

Although there are posts from 11 years ago pointing out both that these schemes were highly risky, that HMRC had put a stake in the ground in 2008 from which everyone was going to be challenged and even mentioning the potential IHT threat.

While most of the schemes were aimed at earning shedloads for the promoters, a small part of the problem was people not worrying too much about how taxation works but taking whatever option appeared to provide immunity from IR35.

We are where we are now. Pointless raving about what's done and by whom, the focus has to be on minimising the damage that's been caused

[cojak]

And it’s not up to this forum to take proactive action on anything - it’s for contractors to be the business people they say they are to perform due diligence on these umbrella companies.

[stonehenge]

And it’s not up to this forum to take proactive action on anything - it’s for contractors to be the business people they say they are to perform due diligence on these umbrella companies.

Agreed.

Although, to be fair, people often join brollys because they don't want the hassle of running a business.

It's disappointing that some agencies are still steering people in to dodgy schemes.

[whattheheck]

The schemes have been going on for a long time, but it's only in the last few years that HMRC have decided to go after everyone who has been using them in the last decade or so, and backdate their demands.

The State can never be trusted. The State holds the means and the Power to change the status quo to whatever is more convenient to... Well, the State itself. It is naive to engage in stuff knowing it is dodgy and the State might change strategy.

Overall, beginning with the State, corruption is rampant in Britain I have been digging about this OPUS BESTPAY umbrella and I am horrified.