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Good/Bad Experiences with Reed Global?

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    Good/Bad Experiences with Reed Global?

    About to contract for the first time through Reed. I am finally in the process of getting my contract reviewed following excessive delays during the referencing process. Another example of recruitment agencies leaving it until the last minute unnecessarily, when this could have been received over a week ago. Agent has been pushing me to start whilst it is being reviewed and playing 'dumb' about certain important aspects of getting the contract right, notably the schedule. As he's been in the contracts recruitment game for over 5 years and is therefore obviously trying all sorts of silly tactics to get me to start asap e.g bleating on that the client is now questioning my 'commitment' etc. because I'm not going to go on site without getting the contract reviewed properly first doesn't bode well with me.

    After already telling him the timescales an external company needs to review my contract I know he purposefully left it until inside that timescale to send a copy to me, in the hope that I would just accept it and start regardless and has now said that the client expected me to start on the day originally specified as she has plans for me and there is a risk that the contract could be cancelled.

    I know that you shouldn't put an agency down due to the behaviour of one particular individual but what have other people's experiences with Reed been like on here? Do their contracts tend to fall below standard?
    Last edited by ziggystardust; 1 January 2017, 15:09.

    #2
    Not Reed, the whole dammed industry. There are some good agencies out there (SQP and Ifftner come to mind) but the majority have no interest or knowledge in what we do for a living. Don't forget you will always be dealing with their cheapest and most disposable resource; the good guys are in front of the client.

    You're doing the right thing though. The only other step is to keep in touch with the client and apologise for the delays the agency is causing. Then when it all goes wrong, you have the right team on your side...
    Blog? What blog...?

    Comment


      #3
      I would never work for them ever again even if starving! Did an 8 week contract several years ago. Pay was supposed to be hourly rate & weekly pay. Reed PM who hired 25 contractors for the project (short term OS & email app migration for 6000 users needed to be done ASAP as the client had fired someone in a hurry without a backup plan!) forgot to mention the hourly rate was BEFORE stoppages! He also delayed sending out the signed contracts until everyone was onsite for the 1st week & just lied about that making it up as he went. Then when challenged he turned nasty & threatened non payment of 1st weeks invoice to anyone who refused to sign the amended contract & also went on to threaten breach of contract legal action if anyone left before the end of the contract & or told the end client about his underhand methods!

      Several contractors did walk including me & never heard anything back from him but did get all the owed pay. This same Reed PM was real piece of work he also hired contractors on many different rates of pay despite the end client being on a fixed margin he was out to pocket the rest so hired some non English speaking hires put them up in a hotel in the week whilst onsite then also paid for their flights to & from the EU. These contractors were on about €100 a week after Reed's expenses...the end client was being charged £300 per day per contractor! when the end client PM finally let us see his invoice & we told him how much we were getting he could not do anything about it but understood why so many resigned or never bothered to return!

      Then a few years back a close relative of mine did a 6 month contract for them and was promised to be hired perm at the end of the 6 months. It was sold to him as a temp to perm placement or 6 month trial. Reed handed him his notice on the last week of the 6 months & said he would not need to work any notice! then hired someone else for another 6 month contract with the same broken promise of a perm role at the end of it!

      So for me personally based on my experience with them & my close relative I would avoid them!

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by uk contractor View Post
        I would never work for them ever again even if starving! Did an 8 week contract several years ago. Pay was supposed to be hourly rate & weekly pay. Reed PM who hired 25 contractors for the project (short term OS & email app migration for 6000 users needed to be done ASAP as the client had fired someone in a hurry without a backup plan!) forgot to mention the hourly rate was BEFORE stoppages! He also delayed sending out the signed contracts until everyone was onsite for the 1st week & just lied about that making it up as he went. Then when challenged he turned nasty & threatened non payment of 1st weeks invoice to anyone who refused to sign the amended contract & also went on to threaten breach of contract legal action if anyone left before the end of the contract & or told the end client about his underhand methods!

        Several contractors did walk including me & never heard anything back from him but did get all the owed pay. This same Reed PM was real piece of work he also hired contractors on many different rates of pay despite the end client being on a fixed margin he was out to pocket the rest so hired some non English speaking hires put them up in a hotel in the week whilst onsite then also paid for their flights to & from the EU. These contractors were on about €100 a week after Reed's expenses...the end client was being charged £300 per day per contractor! when the end client PM finally let us see his invoice & we told him how much we were getting he could not do anything about it but understood why so many resigned or never bothered to return!

        Then a few years back a close relative of mine did a 6 month contract for them and was promised to be hired perm at the end of the 6 months. It was sold to him as a temp to perm placement or 6 month trial. Reed handed him his notice on the last week of the 6 months & said he would not need to work any notice! then hired someone else for another 6 month contract with the same broken promise of a perm role at the end of it!

        So for me personally based on my experience with them & my close relative I would avoid them!

        This is very confusing. What are these "stoppages"? Were you engaged as a contractor, or a temp on payroll? Or a brolly maybe? In any "job", the rate quoted is gross - if I apply for a £50K perm role, I'm not surprised when tax, NI, pension are deducted.

        Regarding the contract to perm - if your relative didn't think to talk to the client about their intentions during the 6 months, that sounds a bit remiss on their part.

        I'm hoping the OP is contracting to be a contractor, not as a step back to permanent employment.

        Comment


          #5
          I worked for them for 2 years and they were brilliant great woman as the client sales person, always paid on time so what more can you as for - just proves depends on who is the agency contact.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by aardvark View Post
            This is very confusing. What are these "stoppages"? Were you engaged as a contractor, or a temp on payroll? Or a brolly maybe? In any "job", the rate quoted is gross - if I apply for a £50K perm role, I'm not surprised when tax, NI, pension are deducted.

            Regarding the contract to perm - if your relative didn't think to talk to the client about their intentions during the 6 months, that sounds a bit remiss on their part.

            I'm hoping the OP is contracting to be a contractor, not as a step back to permanent employment.
            These stood out as odd to me as well. I am sure you could have made a contract appear before going on site. Not going would have been enough. I assume stoppages are times the client didn't have work to do, furlough or change freezes. It's not that uncommon anywhere.

            I can't help but think that this looks more like a tale of novice contractors that can be avoided in most cases.
            'CUK forum personality of 2011 - Winner - Yes really!!!!

            Comment


              #7
              Client co bank use Reed.

              They pay weekly.

              No issues as yet.

              qh
              He had a negative bluety on a quackhandle and was quadraspazzed on a lifeglug.

              I look forward to your all knowing and likely sarcastic and unhelpful reply.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by ziggystardust View Post

                After already telling him the timescales an external company needs to review my contract I know he purposefully left it until inside that timescale to send a copy to me, in the hope that I would just accept it and start regardless and has now said that the client expected me to start on the day originally specified as she has plans for me and there is a risk that the contract could be cancelled.

                I know that you shouldn't put an agency down due to the behaviour of one particular individual but what have other people's experiences with Reed been like on here? Do their contracts tend to fall below standard?
                Most reviewers offer two turnarounds, so apart from stating once to the agent you are getting the contract reviewed there is no need to go into detail about review turnarounds.

                It is then up to you to choose the service with the turnaround from the reviewer that fits the start date.

                If the contract appears with less than 48 hours to go, then contact both the client AND agency at the same time to explain your start date may need to be pushed back by a day due to the contract being given to you late so there is no enough time to review it.
                "You’re just a bad memory who doesn’t know when to go away" JR

                Comment


                  #9
                  I'd avoid Reed!

                  Client co bank use Reed.

                  They pay weekly.

                  No issues as yet.

                  qh
                  qh: Did you not get an e-mail from Reed before Christmas saying in January they are going to change it from being paid weekly (on the Friday if your timesheet is approved by end of Tuesday) to instead still being paid weekly but with a delay of 4 weeks? So soon you'll go 4 weeks without being paid then go back to being weekly. But they will then always be able to threaten you with witholding 4 weeks money instead of 1. They claim that this is to distinguish you more from employees Bull$hit!

                  They wouldn't commit to saying that they won't try and make this change mid-contract so it remains to be seen.

                  ziggystardust
                  Good luck with your contract review but I doubt you'll get Reed to make any changes. These review companies claim that they'll talk to the relevant people at the agencies. But that's no good if the agency won't speak to them. The response Reed seem to give is "we as agents are the face of Reed, it is only us that you or your advisers can speak to, not our legal team".
                  Last edited by PTP; 2 January 2017, 23:36.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by PTP View Post
                    I'd avoid Reed!



                    qh: Did you not get an e-mail from Reed before Christmas saying in January...".
                    Didn't see anything that stated this. I will check with my pimp contact. It's in my contract as weekly so would be a breach of that.

                    qh
                    Last edited by quackhandle; 9 January 2017, 21:11.
                    He had a negative bluety on a quackhandle and was quadraspazzed on a lifeglug.

                    I look forward to your all knowing and likely sarcastic and unhelpful reply.

                    Comment

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