Would you do a crap contract short-term if needs be?

[northernladuk]

Oh well. Due to start on monday but its all fallen flat now.

That's not good. Not unheard of but not good.

Oh well, at least NLUK will be please because, if I'd started, sounds like they would have pissed me off before long!

Of course they would have pissed you off, they are a paying client.

I know I'm not the first and won't be the last, but it is a little irritating to hear that the client has pulled the role at 3pm on friday before monday start. Bit wassed off that the agency was hassling me a week ago to get the contract signed to show 'commitment' and now they do this. Also, had a chat with the manager at client yesterday to discuss arrangements/work etc. Would have been the more professional way for him to phone me also and let me know the score rather than hide behind the agency.

Why are you blaming the agency just because they were hassling you to sign the contract and then saying 'then they do this'. It's not up to the agent, it's the client that pulled it. The agent is probably as pissed off with it as you are and hassled you to get signed so this didn't happen. Also it would have be 'courteous' for the client manager to call you, nothing to do with professionalism. Your contract is with the agent who in turn has a contract with the client. There is no relationship between you and the client so he is under no obligation to call you at all. That is the agents role. He isn't hiding behind the agency he is letting them do what they are paid to do. It has nothing to do with the professionalism of the client.

You really need to understand the model before getting pissed of else everything is going to piss you off.

[psychocandy]

Why are you blaming the agency just because they were hassling you to sign the contract and then saying 'then they do this'. It's not up to the agent, it's the client that pulled it. The agent is probably as pissed off with it as you are and hassled you to get signed so this didn't happen. Also it would have be 'courteous' for the client manager to call you, nothing to do with professionalism. Your contract is with the agent who in turn has a contract with the client. There is no relationship between you and the client so he is under no obligation to call you at all. That is the agents role. He isn't hiding behind the agency he is letting them do what they are paid to do. It has nothing to do with the professionalism of the client.

You really need to understand the model before getting pissed of else everything is going to piss you off.

OK. You have a point. To be fair, the client seems to have pushed the contract, they pushed for me to call them etc to sort out the start etc.
But yes, considering I'd had a long conversation with the client it would have been nicer for them to call me too.

Sure I heard before of someone being binned as they sat in reception on first day? Now thats bad. I would be very tempted to go off on one on the spot if this transpired.

Never seen this but last contract they did a shift rota for nights etc. But then one day they decided they didnt need a night shift that particular friday night so they just left a message with security telling the fella to go home. I left at 8pm as this guy showed up expecting to be working that night only to be told to go home. If it was me I'd have gone nuts...

[SueEllen]

OK. You have a point. To be fair, the client seems to have pushed the contract, they pushed for me to call them etc to sort out the start etc.
But yes, considering I'd had a long conversation with the client it would have been nicer for them to call me too.

Sure I heard before of someone being binned as they sat in reception on first day? Now thats bad. I would be very tempted to go off on one on the spot if this transpired.

Never seen this but last contract they did a shift rota for nights etc. But then one day they decided they didnt need a night shift that particular friday night so they just left a message with security telling the fella to go home. I left at 8pm as this guy showed up expecting to be working that night only to be told to go home. If it was me I'd have gone nuts...

And what would going nuts get you? In the two cases you mentioned the person doing the dropping is hiding behind the people at reception and security to do their dirty work for them.

The only thing you can do is look at your contract and depending on the clauses in it charge them for wasting your time.

[northernladuk]

Sure I heard before of someone being binned as they sat in reception on first day? Now thats bad. I would be very tempted to go off on one on the spot ..

Here is one of the threads about it.

http://forums.contractoruk.com/busin...ot-agreed.html

[lukemg]

Don't blame you for being annoyed, perfectly natural reaction.
But - as with most things in life, think about what course of action will benefit you the most.
Quick scream at agent gives you a short term buzz of righteousness but not much else.
So I would contact the client, thank them for the interest, express regret you cannot work together on this occasion and say if the situation changes please consider me for future work (they already like you, it's the money that stopped it). Keep it brief and professional and dont whinge AT ALL.
Maybe follow with a linked-in request to client manager, hard to be offended by that.
Say the same to the agent, he wont care but who knows.
Stuff gets halted and restarted all the time and it might not lead to anything but it might and you are pitching for the maybe.
GLA

[blinko]

bills are bills my friend, they wait for no man.

[psychocandy]

Don't blame you for being annoyed, perfectly natural reaction.
But - as with most things in life, think about what course of action will benefit you the most.
Quick scream at agent gives you a short term buzz of righteousness but not much else.
So I would contact the client, thank them for the interest, express regret you cannot work together on this occasion and say if the situation changes please consider me for future work (they already like you, it's the money that stopped it). Keep it brief and professional and dont whinge AT ALL.
Maybe follow with a linked-in request to client manager, hard to be offended by that.
Say the same to the agent, he wont care but who knows.
Stuff gets halted and restarted all the time and it might not lead to anything but it might and you are pitching for the maybe.
GLA

Yeh have done. Spoken to agent - obviously not their fault. Have asked them how my SC is looking now and asked them to ask the client to at least tell me what they've done here.

Pretty sure its dead in the water though. Think they've got permie in there for peanuts.

[Bunk]

Sure I heard before of someone being binned as they sat in reception on first day? Now thats bad. I would be very tempted to go off on one on the spot if this transpired.

I worked at one client where a contractor got binned after his first day. Client manager phoned the agent and told him they didn't want the guy back. Agent didn't bother telling the guy so he turned up the next morning wondering why his pass didn't work.

[psychocandy]

I worked at one client where a contractor got binned after his first day. Client manager phoned the agent and told him they didn't want the guy back. Agent didn't bother telling the guy so he turned up the next morning wondering why his pass didn't work.

Had he done something to upset client?

[Bunk]

Had he done something to upset client?

Ah yes, forgot to mention he was pretty useless so it was probably deserved. He had a phone interview first so they should have found him out then, but they didn't. Ho hum. So it goes.