provident agents [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]

Gingerbread21

proviripoff wrote: »

Positive action is needed to first ascertain whether the deductions are legal. We have arranged to see an employment solicitor and will keep you all posted.

I look forward to reading the outcome.

firebladechick

UPDATE: I spoke to a solicitor this morning and she said that they can't vary the terms of the contract with out both parties consent.... But they can terminate the contract whenever !!!! Also had a meeting with ROM this morning basically they won't change the current system but they may "tweak" it????? And we have 3 choices 1) shut up, 2) put up 3) leave!!!! Make of that what you will!!!!!!

sjk24

they must have known that agents wouldnt be happy with this and leave so what do they intend to do? dm's cant collect all thier agents books ......they must have a cunning plan surely, they arent that stupid??

so what r they really upto is the question???

meg65

My mum is a hard working provident agent and has been for 25 years she has a close friendship with most of the customers she collects from, certain people on here have been slating agents and the loans they have received off provident,i myself have been if financial difficulty and turned to provident for a loan i knew the apr was high but went ahead with it as i knew and it is well advised of the high rates. People on here are slating agents when they are just doing their jobs and now they are being penalised for customers who dont stick to their agreements, if people dont like the rates and the way they are delt with they should not sign up for anything. Before people come on here throughing the dirt around about agents they should look at the bigger picture and the fact that agents cant afford to live without their wages just like anyone else it is a job and they work for a company it is the company that deal with the rates not the agents,i would not like to do my mums job it is hard and sometimes she has to come across some nasty people but on the otherhand when people are in direstraits she does her best to help!!!!!!

skintagent

sjk24 wrote: »

they must have known that agents wouldnt be happy with this and leave so what do they intend to do? dm's cant collect all thier agents books ......they must have a cunning plan surely, they arent that stupid??

so what r they really upto is the question???

Pay Point is what i think they are up to!!! obviously not every customer will pay by a paypoint card at post offices but i think those that dont will be re-grouped into rounds and a number of agents will colllect those rounds = less agents to pay wages to as a percentage of customers will be paying by paypoint.....provident still get their money and wont be forking out as much money to pay agents to do the job.........thats just my personal opinion!

Marvin-the-Martian_2

guess which part of provident this belongs to

Agent Charter

As a valued agent we aim to always treat you fairly and support you fully in your activities as an agent. This charter outlines to you what you can expect from us

[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]
[*]You can expect to be treated courteously and with respect
[*]You will be provided with a full induction and development plan which will help you to be a successful agent
[*]You can expect to be provided with extensive guidance relating to your health and personal safety. Any concerns you may have relating to your personal security will be dealt with promptly by the company
[*]We will help you to become a competent agent. As a new agent you will be accompanied by your development manager on all customer visits during your first two weeks including an introduction to all new customers. Your development manager will accompany you for at least your first ten sales to ensure you fully understand how to assess credit and complete all relevant documents
[*]You will be assigned an agency and supported by your development manager and other employees at the company. You will have a weekly meeting where your development manager will be prepared to guide you and provide you with constructive feedback
[*]You will be provided with documentation to conduct your business and receive advice to help you attract new and maintain quality customers in order to maintain and grow your agency effectively
[*]You will be fully informed of any changes to products, procedures, promotional activity and opportunities for enhanced commissions
[*]You can expect any queries to be dealt with promptly
[*]You will have confidential access to an independent manager in the event of any relationship problems

You will be recognized for good performance
• You will have access to communication channels to express your opinions, for example, at branch meetings, forums and through the agent engagement survey
• If you have any concerns regarding financial malpractice we ask you to inform us immediately. If you prefer to you can also use the independently operated 24 hour hotline service on [FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial][insert number/ only include this bullet where applicable]. [/FONT][/FONT]You may report anonymously using this service if you wish to
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n return we expect you to be a responsible agent. We ask you to:

[FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]
[*]Provide customers a high level of service. We expect you to respect and adhere to the Customer Charter and always aim to be Responsible, Respectful and Straightforward in carrying out your business
[*]Observe the personal safety policy and guidance at all times and actively promote safe working practices amongst your colleagues. If you have any concerns regarding your personal safety you must inform your development manager immediately
[*]We expect you to run and grow your agency in a responsible manner. This means following guidance from the company regarding responsible lending, taking care that customers do not over commit themselves under any circumstances and you should not breach the lending guidelines provided on your collecting list
[*]Always clearly explain to your customer what he or she is committing to in taking out a loan
[*]Always complete a financial assessment of a customer’s ability to repay and complete the customer information sheet properly for every new loan. Accurate customer information helps us to be a responsible lender
[*]Visit your home credit customers every week to collect repayments and discuss borrowing opportunities when appropriate
[*]Clearly explain all repayment options to customers
[*]Be honest in the conduct of your agency and to pay in collections on the agreed date
[*]Be open and honest with your development manager. Stick to your commitment to meet your development manager weekly at the agreed time and be prepared to issues and opportunities within your agency
[*]Act on the feedback and guidance of your development manager and if you are not sure, ask!
[*]Take opportunities to give us feedback and suggestions via the different communication channels open to you
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waygran

Well provident agents we are all unhappy with new terms but what are we going to do about it. I would suggest that as usual we dont have a lot of say although we are supposed to be self employed, the thing they dont like is bad publicity so I suggest we make as much as we can. We need to work together but as you all know that is not easy as we all work individually. I would suggest we use this forum to pass information and attempt to make a united stand

summer_boy

For anyone else interested the number for HMRC is 0800 788 887. i have just spoken to them anonimously about what they have been doing and how they treat us in terms of ordering us to collect etc. they were really interested and the lady i spoke to said that they would progress it further. if more people call then we may end up becoming employed which would really P*** on crookys bonfire.

Joshua_W

Provident own Vanquis, which is doing very well at the moment it seems, so they don't need to make alternative payment methods for our customers as our customers ( generally speaking ) need a weekly visit to pay regularly.

These £5/£10 deductions are simply a way to further reduce Agents earnings. They've already cut the % commission rate to 6% for arrears customers, plus I got charged £15 for a free money advice write off this week.

With petrol prices going through the roof, less commission, VAT, gas/electric etc etc I need to reduce my costs also.

When customers wanted their loan mid-week I'd happily go out and do it...not now. I'll be doing loans whilst out collecting on my collecting days.

These charges should be applied to the customer if they go into arrears, not the Agents.... I guess Agents are the easy target for Provident.

We are the face of Provident on the doorstep....and it now snarls.

prov

Why dosent someone start pooling money, say every agents puts £10 in and uses that to get a decent solicitor and get them to contact provident directly.
Yes provident can terminate our agreements but from what i hear there are branches already struggling to keep up with how many agents have left, Do you think they can take many more agents going? I dont think so. We all need to stand up and put our names to it, they cannot fire us for having an opinion and sharing it.