Gig Cancelled Immediately After Signing Contract

[hairymouse]

I've just signed a contract yesterday , only to have it cancelled this morning. I was supposed to be on client site Monday and had completed all the required paperwork for the agency. IR35 check, business indemnity insurance, copies of my passport, the works. Agent calls this morning and tells me the client thought the rate was £380 instead of £450 and he can see why I would walk for that. I told him I wouldn't work for that and could come down £10 on the daily rate it says on the contract in an emergency. I think it's very likely that the rate thing is made up and there's some other reason to cancel me. Perhaps the end client got somebody else and the agent was out of the loop.

What should I do now? Is there any way I can call the client direct? There was one more consultancy group (B) between the agency (A) and the end client (C). My contract is with A to provide services to B. The agent (A) seemed to be always lacking specific knowledge of the client, couldn't give a good job spec and didn't know much about the interview. He made a lot of mistakes and was useless overall, other than getting me the interview.

I've wasted three days of faffing around and £50 on a QDOS check, I don't expect to get that back. I don't expect to get paid for any notice period or anything like that.

My big questions are:

How can I tell if I am prohibited from contacting the end client and making an agreement with them myself?
Do I need to get something in writing from the Agency or the middle client (B) that I'm not going to work with them.
Should I request that the agency destroy all the highly perosnal data I've given them? They've got copies of my passport.

Anything else I should think about?

[TonyF]

I'd complete the IPSE claim form for the contract falling through.

[SteelyDan]

Not much you can do about this I'm afraid apart from suck it up & move on. And 'no' I wouldn't try & contact the client directly.

Sages on here will advise [rightly] that you don't really have a confirmed role until you're sat at a desk on-site.

As for "I told him I wouldn't work for that and could come down £10 on the daily rate it says on the contract in an emergency."...really; what's all that nonsense about?

[sal]

Judging by the numbers provided it's probably a case of VAT inclusive/exclusive mixup, either on ClientCo or Agency part.

Forget about skipping the agency, unless you are literally "one in a million" ClientCo won't risk all the associated grief.

[hairymouse]

Judging by the numbers provided it's probably a case of VAT inclusive/exclusive mixup, either on ClientCo or Agency part.

Forget about skipping the agency, unless you are literally "one in a million" ClientCo won't risk all the associated grief.

You are probably correct, I also think there's a likelihood ClientCo filled the role with another person already.

[Old Greg]

I've just signed a contract yesterday , only to have it cancelled this morning. I was supposed to be on client site Monday and had completed all the required paperwork for the agency. IR35 check, business indemnity insurance, copies of my passport, the works. Agent calls this morning and tells me the client thought the rate was £380 instead of £450 and he can see why I would walk for that. I told him I wouldn't work for that and could come down £10 on the daily rate it says on the contract in an emergency. I think it's very likely that the rate thing is made up and there's some other reason to cancel me. Perhaps the end client got somebody else and the agent was out of the loop.

What should I do now? Is there any way I can call the client direct? There was one more consultancy group (B) between the agency (A) and the end client (C). My contract is with A to provide services to B. The agent (A) seemed to be always lacking specific knowledge of the client, couldn't give a good job spec and didn't know much about the interview. He made a lot of mistakes and was useless overall, other than getting me the interview.

I've wasted three days of faffing around and £50 on a QDOS check, I don't expect to get that back. I don't expect to get paid for any notice period or anything like that.

My big questions are:

How can I tell if I am prohibited from contacting the end client and making an agreement with them myself?
Do I need to get something in writing from the Agency or the middle client (B) that I'm not going to work with them.
Should I request that the agency destroy all the highly perosnal data I've given them? They've got copies of my passport.

Anything else I should think about?

Contact the client direct. Where's the downside to that?

[fidot]

Contact the client direct. Where's the downside to that?

Agreed. If you say something along the lines of "I was looking forward to working with you, but I understand, from the agent, that your budget has been reduced. Let's connect on linkedin and perhaps we can work together sometime in the future", you are making a potential direct contact and finding out whether it was the client budget or the agent who has just found someone else and realised he can make an extra £70/day.

[Unix]

What's the notice period? They have to pay you that as you signed a binding document. Otherwise sue the agency and the client into the ground.

[northernladuk]

I've wasted three days of faffing around and £50 on a QDOS check, I don't expect to get that back. I don't expect to get paid for any notice period or anything like that.

Not really. Doing business costs time and money. Sometimes you have to put some time and effort in upfront to secure work worth potentially 100's of K. That's contracting/business/life. All fit the bill here. Don't sweat the small stuff.

[northernladuk]

What's the notice period? They have to pay you that as you signed a binding document. Otherwise sue the agency and the client into the ground.

<Yawn>