provident agents [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]

needs_a_new_job

In response to the people accusing us agents of ripping off the poor defenseless customers with the high interest loans they can't afford to pay...
I would like to point out that this is high risk lending to people banks etc would not go near and as such the interest needs to be high so that the ones that do pay cover the loss of the ones that don't! Simple really. They know exactly what they are paying back, no-one is forcing them and generally they are extremely grateful as they can't get credit anywhere else.

The APR is misrepresented as it is short term lending and a set credit charge that does not go up (but can go down if repaid faster) if you look at, for example a credit card charging 30 odd percent APR and see how much interest you pay over the years it is possibly even higher than provident. i am not saying it is not high and extortionate, just not unique!

As for lending to people that can't afford it... we have to take income/expenditure details to ensure they can afford it and I can assure you the couple I did a loan for the other week that are too 'depressed' to go out and get a job, so receive £450 p/w benefits whilst living rent/council tax free CAN afford the repayments!!

No agent with a brain will lend to someone that can't pay it back as we are only paid on commission so if they don't pay it back we don't make any money.

I am totally against this new structure despite the fact my wages have actually gone up since it came into play through the incentives, , being penalised for something that is not in my control is just too depressing! I stand to lose £25 this week if a couple of customers don't pay and if I tot up how many I have had to call on to make that £25 in the first place it's just demoralising!

Essentially we are not children that need to be punished or rewarded, we are going to go out and collect as much as we possibly can anyway as that is our job. I never thought self employment would be so dictatorial!!

fizzylolly

Let's hope that shareholders have looked on this forum and realise that things are not rosy in the home credit garden where they have invested their money . This is a post recessive period which is a minefield in the credit business and will rely on the staff working together to keep the customer base up and able to re-use the sevices. Field staff and their managers need to support one another, but the posts on here look as though feelings are becoming predominantly hostile between the two camps. Agent/managenent relationships are as key to performance as agent/customer relationships

babyape

well out of 11000 agents there seems to be only a few unhappy ones on this forum, no but i know that my best friends sister in law,s aunty is unhappy and she has been an agent for 100 years,
welcome to the real world this is the 21st century if you want to throw your wooden shoe into the machinery go ahead.
there will be other ways of running this business that will not need so many negative people.
ask the people in all industries and services, ask the people at london and scottish, cattles, morses,welcome
seems to me that relying upon thousands and thousands of finicky and temperamental toy throwers is certainly a risky proposition,
can the job be done with less agents? yes it can
by reducing the business and being even more selective on who they take on as customers it is probable they could reduce the agents by half and also reduce the management structure.
also read my previous post NOT a DM AM ROM DOM etc.

crazyguy

Babyape,

Well done for having the common sense to write a post that is both clear and concise.

The only point I wanted to make here was that the handfull complaining here no end should look for other jobs as they are stating that other company's will be only to happy to employ them and they also seem to think that the actual customer base they deal with will go with them I am sure the provident bosses will not like the fact that a: they are moaning non stop because they have to put a bit more work in to earn there money and b: they think that if they leave they are entitled to take customers with them.

Get a grip you lot and put up or shut up !

The vast majority of us out there do have to actualy work for our money and its not a case of a free ride.

wheres_wally

I too am a provident agent and was disgusted this week to have had £70 deducted from my wages. I feel this is very unfair as all customers are vetted by provident first. We go out and collect as much as possible sometimes making several callbacks to customers to try to get their money. This should have been a "good week" for me, but losing £70 is just not on. We can only do our best and if they think this will make us work harder they are mistaken!! Most agents and even my area manager think "to hell with them then". With the interest they charge it is just pure greed!! Two agents from our office have already handed their work back and several others including me will soon be following!! Absolutely disgusting!!

cash_loss

stormchild wrote: »

By the time the agents have left there will be no-one to collect and their profits down so much the ones at top of tree will be forced out along with half the am/dms through stress. As a SELF EMPLOYED person you can comment as much as you want as there definitly is nothing in your contract to stop you speaking out. If they want to stop that type of thing you would need to be employed and we all know thats not going to happen.

But they will make things very difficult for you

needs_a_new_job

crazy guy,

You clearly have a problem with Provident as a company therefore do not have the ability to express a reasoned, impartial response to issues raised in this thread!

The issue is nothing to do with Provident's treatment of customers it is to do with the fairness of the treatment of it's agents.

We work incredibly hard doing this job I don't know what gives you any other impression? Calling on some customers 3-4 times trying to get a payment if we don't get a payment, no commission and now a charge for something that is beyond our control, this is what agents are complaining about and rightly so.

Many people complain about thier jobs postal strikes etc you may find sympathy for thier situation though would you? as they are not working for a company you personally despise?

Your advise to simply go out and get another job is not really an intelligent response or had you not noticed the current unemployment crisis in this country? I fear due to this most agents will end up having to 'put up' out of necessity however by no means should they have to 'shut up'.

crazyguy

Whilst the market for employment may be at an all time low if you take a look at the jobcentre online almost each and every day there are approx 100 new jobs being put up and if you are all that unhappy with being employed by this firm then move on it is after all not that hard.

Lots of people dont like there job so they either retrain or change there job, surely you guys can do the same as stated on here you after all a minority that are chucking your toys out of your pram.

as to the fact that I dont like the company, when you read back to my earlier post about a friend of mine that is in the process of fighting your company over the fact that a agent took his money and did not pay off the loan well surely you can understand that I would not be keen on the company and its employees.

IM_OFF_GOOD_BYE_PRROVI

Ive just sent a link to this thread to all the major News Papers in the country and explained what is happening here. I hope they put something into print so the shares drop and the share holders are left with a big hole in their pockets like I have the last 2 weeks. Ha ha Im off. Good bye Provi. Lol. xxx :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::T

IM_OFF_GOOD_BYE_PRROVI

Crazyguy, you dont know what your talking about. If you'd worked for a company for many years , then without any warning your wages were cut by 70% you would be screaming. Its a drop many cant cope with in one week with no warning at all. Maybe it should have been implemented a month or so before it came into force, but it didnt. No warning. Just the system changed overnight. Most agents love their job so tio say find another job is not the answer for them. If it had haoppened to you in your job, whatr would you do. How longb could most people stand on greatly reduced income while looking for another job !!!!