provident agents [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]

no_issue

Stoneybroke - thats good news, can you post any more details re legal case, is it based on contract of employment, the agents I know who've spoken to a solicitor have been told that it appears the contracts changed in 1996, don't know the specifics but they (provident) seem to have put a new clause in then which gives them the right to deduct money from agents wages in order to recover any money owed by the agent. Whether this is legal or not is one for the legal minds (and indeed could be argued that this is purely to recover any loans owed by the agent) but anyone with a contract before then does not have this clause so again this is one for the solicitors. If those with older contracts do have a case against the company then people who have newer contracts could then claim that they are being discriminated against - all sorts of legal minefields, but Provident being the moneygrabbing rogues that they are probably weighed up the financial side of things but never considered spending money on good legal advice.
Anyway stoneybroke if you have any details which you can put up on here we'd all appreciate it and it may give hope/inspiration to a few as well.

fran_tick

Bump


QUOTE=fran tick;45824741]This is good news and all self employed agents need to look into this and get some legal advice[/QUOTE]

Stony_Broke

no_issue wrote: »

Stoneybroke - thats good news, can you post any more details re legal case, is it based on contract of employment, the agents I know who've spoken to a solicitor have been told that it appears the contracts changed in 1996, don't know the specifics but they (provident) seem to have put a new clause in then which gives them the right to deduct money from agents wages in order to recover any money owed by the agent. Whether this is legal or not is one for the legal minds (and indeed could be argued that this is purely to recover any loans owed by the agent) but anyone with a contract before then does not have this clause so again this is one for the solicitors. If those with older contracts do have a case against the company then people who have newer contracts could then claim that they are being discriminated against - all sorts of legal minefields, but Provident being the moneygrabbing rogues that they are probably weighed up the financial side of things but never considered spending money on good legal advice.
Anyway stoneybroke if you have any details which you can put up on here we'd all appreciate it and it may give hope/inspiration to a few as well.

I certainly will as soon as I have more info. The agent I refer to is from a branch some 30 miles from my own, but I know another agent who works from there so I am waiting for news of any developments. Lets hope if news does arrive that its in our favour and the floodgates may then open for us all. In the meantime I am sure we would all welcome any advice that may come our way, no matter how large or how small. Personally I live in hope that B.B.C. Watchdog will take this up, as wouldn't we all enjoy watching them squirm.

Joshua_W

I resigned in May after over 30 yrs working for Provident, I refuse to work for a company who make deductions from my wages after I've done a full weeks work. I've got another job that pays me well, I work hard and I'm treated fairly.

My old customers are still phoning or texting me every week complaining, 2 new Agents have started since I resigned on my old Agency.. they did not realise the amount of hours you have have to put in collecting, issuing, calling back, phoning, texting, visiting Office, banking etc. It's not a part time job, it's working virtually every day. The round is vacant again, the new Agents only lasted a few weeks.

My Area Manager has asked me to reconsider and come back, I said thanks but no thanks. They authorise credit, they write to customers offering credit ( I never saw the letters sent in my name, they were just sent ) and I get my wages deducted for their credit decisions ?

Sorry, that sucks.

Customers are struggling financially, the whole country is struggling for goodness sake. It's a double dip recession and it's going to get worse.

Customers go into arrears....and Agents pay for their arrears, that's not right.

Provident have turned on their own workforce.

90,000 views on this thread..... good advertising Head Office... keep up the good work.

Stony_Broke

doinadaftjob wrote: »

hello everyone,

hope this isnt too long a rant!

took over a provident round 3 months ago and i didnt realise that i would be fined if customers didnt pay!..................

looking for another job asap,

anonymouse.

I doubt that you’re breaking any laws; it is after all the responsibility of the customer to ensure that their payment reaches the Provi on time. At least that is what they are told if they use the excuse that the agent hasn’t called. Strange then isn’t it that a percentage of their payment is for the benefit of having someone collect. And even stranger that if they pay by phone or card, they are not charged at a discounted rate.
You are right about the irresponsible lending also. Fact of the matter is, (although they strive to conceal it) their aim is to secure at least 25% of a household income. As you may see on the clip, offers in excess of £70 rates will often appear. Taking into consideration the media reports that their customer base are families with an average household income of £250, this equates to more than a quarter of all monies crossing the threshold. This way they force the customer to become dependent upon them, knowing full well that they will subsequently be drawn into a never ending spiral of loan after loan. When the customer is paying well, they reap the benefits, and when the customer drops by the wayside they claw back their losses from the agents who they then attempt to shift the blame onto.
Unlike this gang of high ranking CROOK’S, there are only a minority of agents who would lend irresponsibly, and these are usually just fly by nights, people who are out to make a quick kill, earn as much as they can from rollovers and the like, trash the book and then move on. As for the vast majority of us, we would not dream of using such tactics, our aim is always to ensure quality financial advice on a one to one basis.
It angers us when we have been managing a customer with excellent credit control, reducing their terms or preparing them for Xmas, (I am telling mine now how much they need to pay to bring them up to scratch and its only August), and they send through the post offers of up to £1000. The customer obviously can’t afford these increases; we as their agent know this.
In the eyes of these poverty stricken people, these are attractive offers, the answer to their prayers, a means of getting their car on the road, or replacing their washer, and they wave these letters in our faces, fully expecting a dollop of cash in their hands. If we refuse they are often aggrieved, with some going as far as to believe that it is us who are standing between them and their hearts desire. Their minds can then demonise us overnight. We are suddenly not the friendly agent, chatting away, chewies for the dog, sweeties for the kids, Xmas cards all around, we are mean and spiteful individuals who are never going to darken their door again. (More missed payments for us =more fines).
And now we even have our names on these letters that we didn’t want sending to begin with.
Dear Customer,
There are loads of great ideas for making the most of the summer and Provident could help you make them happen.
Your agent Stony has worked out that you could have another loan of up to £600* to spend however you like this summer.
Make them happen!
From a sunshine break or a family day out to sprucing up your house or garden for the summer, we can be there if you need a little help.
Talk to Stony the next time you see him/her to discuss your available loan options. If you can’t get hold of Stony, you can call me instead on ***** ******.
Yours Sincerely
Filthy Rich.
HOW DARE THEY USE OUR NAMES FOR THE PURPOSE OF MARKETING WITHOUT OUR CONSENT?
If you decide to stay a while in the job, then pay attention to the C.D.F. Customer Declaration. Section H.
(If you do not wish to receive such information by post-e-mail-telephone-SMS- tick here).
I’m sure many customers don’t want junk mail dropping through their letter box at six to the dozen, so in future I will ensure that I don’t forget to ask these questions.
Incidentally its disgusting that no-one in your branch had the decency to inform you of these fines before you accepted the job. Managers thinking purely of themselves again by the look of it, one less book they have to collect be it only for a while.
Having said that, I would not have a D.M’s job gift wrapped. What a horrendous company to owe ones soul to. They are regarded no higher than us agents, their basic pay is atrocious and to top it all they have to collect books with no monitory rewards. The fact that most branches seem to have at least five vacant books is not purely accidental, as while the D.M’s are out collecting, the Provi are saving the cost of paying all those agents, totalling an astronomical amount nationwide. Add that to the savings on the fines and it’s no wonder that their half year profits are up by a substantial 15%. How the D.M’s will manage as more agents leave and more books become vacant, I don’t know, thankfully it’s not our concern. Obviously the encumbrances now placed upon us will have a knock on effect, as there are very few D.M’s who can actually look forward to a bonus. This now puts us on opposite sides as inevitably we are going to issue less loans and recruit fewer customers. As this continues to bite, they will suffer, their moral will drop, arguments will flare and working conditions will become tense. I gather from many of the comments on this forum that a number of D.M’s are unsympathetic towards the plight of the agents, and vice versa, however while all this upset is rife office to office, section to section, we should not lose sight of who the real villains are.

20yrs_agent

no_issue wrote: »

Stoneybroke - thats good news, can you post any more details re legal case, is it based on contract of employment, the agents I know who've spoken to a solicitor have been told that it appears the contracts changed in 1996, don't know the specifics but they (provident) seem to have put a new clause in then which gives them the right to deduct money from agents wages in order to recover any money owed by the agent. Whether this is legal or not is one for the legal minds (and indeed could be argued that this is purely to recover any loans owed by the agent) but anyone with a contract before then does not have this clause so again this is one for the solicitors. If those with older contracts do have a case against the company then people who have newer contracts could then claim that they are being discriminated against - all sorts of legal minefields, but Provident being the moneygrabbing rogues that they are probably weighed up the financial side of things but never considered spending money on good legal advice.
Anyway stoneybroke if you have any details which you can put up on here we'd all appreciate it and it may give hope/inspiration to a few as well.

have tried to get agents say no ,its no longer possible has it been deleted by prov anyone know ?????

no_issue

20yrs_agent wrote: »

have tried to get agents say no ,its no longer possible has it been deleted by prov anyone know ?????

Its still there but can't find link to post reply

max48

no_issue wrote: »

Its still there but can't find link to post reply

It is there, I've looked this morning, the posting bit is at the bottom of the page.

catch_my_cat

I have worked for Provident for over ten years. When this new system came into play, I went to see a solicitor about it. They said that if Provident make any changes to your contractual agreement they have to give you 3 months notice if you have worked for the company for over three years. (we had a weeks notice) I told my DM this and the next day I was told that there would be no deductions made that week because head office had cocked up the paperwork and could not enforce the new system. If they do implement the new system in that three month period, you are entitled to claim back everything they have taken off you. Interesting isnt it that the deductions were suspended for that week.

demoralised

20yrs_agent wrote: »

have tried to get agents say no ,its no longer possible has it been deleted by prov anyone know ?????

Just google- voice your opinions here provident- then click link seems to be only way to get on now, then add to favorites,hope this helps.