Choosing an Umbrella - new to contracting

[Byte]

Hi there,

i am new to contracting and am looking for an Umbrella solution. I have come across Parasol (PCG offers their umbrella service in association with Parasol), PayScheme+, Carrington Umbrella to name a few.

Do you have any recommendation or advice?

[ferret]

Hi Byte,

There are lots of threads on the forum here giving views on various umbrella companies. You may get some personal recommendations here and you can also look at the directory of umbrella companies on the main site.

Ferret

[Byte]

Hi Ferret,

Thank you. I actually browsed through the threads before posting. There have been mixed reviews about Parasol. Contractor Umbrella has more positive reviews i guess. Orange Genie has some. There are few more. There is a list of umbrellas with more negative reviews and I am totally avoiding it.

What I am looking for is the recommendations or advice based on the recent services by the umbrella companies (for eg there was a post about some particular Parasol service which had negative vibes).

I'll continue browsing related forums here but I would appreciate if someone gives any recommendation/advice about the umbrella company they are currently using.

cheers.

[mr_woo]

I am currently ltd, however would recomend Parasol. Was with them for 18 months without any problems.

[MarkOD]

i used crystal Umbrella before i went ltd, used parasol also however "wasn't raving"

[spig]

I've used Parasol without problems. I wouldn't rave about them either, but I find thier service to be acceptable.

[Torran]

I've used Parasol without problems. I wouldn't rave about them either, but I find thier service to be acceptable.

They pay on time. Its all i really ask from an umbrella. Timesheets and expense procedure is simple too.

[spig]

They pay on time. Its all i really ask from an umbrella. Timesheets and expense procedure is simple too.

Yes it is simple and they do pay promptly. Also the new website they rolled out a few months ago is much better than the old one, very simple to see when you've submitted timesheets and exes for.

They're also pretty big company, which makes me think they're less likely to go bust in the current climate.

Sometimes I've had to wait a while for an email response and the support phone number is 0845 which I don't like. I was told when signing up I could use a normal number, which isn't true, it's only for new buisness/sales.

I also don't think the payslips are as clear as they could be.

Just started a limited company an hour ago with NW so will be leaving Parasol very shortly.

[northernladuk]

Parasol worked for me. Bit of a hiccup here and there, sometimes me, sometimes them but sorted in a phone call no problems.

[TykeMerc]

I've found Orange Genie to be perfectly acceptable in the past.

Giant on the other hand did not provide a satisfactory service.