Complaint Review: Barrister Global Services

Well here I am posting for what will probably be the last time, as this time I am not going to go any further than this to resolve my issue.  I have in the past 15+ years on and off again done work for Barrister Global Services and have had my share of problems, most of which I have written off.  And on this very site expressed displeasure with the way they handled issues ranging from: slow payment to no payment; from slow travel reimbursements to no travel reimbursements (in the early years, I have since learned never to allow them to get into me for more than $100); from telling me even though I have had proof from UPS, FedEX, and USPS that a returned part had been received, documented with names and dates that I “… did not return the part”; and even one time I was told that I would not get paid because I “…did not use the right words in the RFS” (that was in an email from someone in payissues and I have it framed in my office just to look at when I need a good laugh).

Now I totally understand what you must be thinking, and I am sure that you think that I am a bigger fool than Barrister is, but I want you to know that I have not built my business by not taking every opportunity that presents itself.  And I know that I am not perfect and I allow everyone the ability of redemption.  So over the years, after a period of inactivity they would call, promise me how things have changed and I would say, lets give it a try.  But in all of my dealings with them it was never Barrister that had a bad taste in their mouth when I stopped doing calls.  It was never Barrister that was left to get paid, or had a job incomplete, or did not in truth get all their parts back.  So they were never out any money from my actions.  In fact I have to say that in my dealings, over the subsequent years, I have come across companies that would at one time or another contract with Barrister for work and in one case actually ran into a (now) manager that remembered me from a joint job where he was the lead and we took orders on-site from him.  When we meet at a Microsoft gathering he told me that the joint partnership did not last long and they had gone with another company.  So, reader, please understand that I used the Barrister jobs to add to my regular clientele as a form of augmenting a day.  And I had gotten to the point of taking a job if and only if I was going to be in an area and had a guy that I could send.

So this brings me to the reason for this being my last post of my last dealings with Barrister Global Services.  You see they have recently taken things up a notch.  If you can find some of my earlier threads from this web site you see where I had a back and forth with one of the officers of the Company (a Debra Bowers, I have no idea if her and her son are still owners).  And in it I offered to forgive and forget all the problems and call them book keeping errors IF THEY WOULD HOLD THEMSELVES TO THE SAME STANDARD AS THEY EXPECTED FROM THEIR FIELD TECHS.  What I mean is if they were late paying they would include a bonus (or a PENALTY to them), if for whatever reason they did not live up to their contract that they would penalize themselves as they were wanting to do to the field techs.  But in all our conversations that was never an option.  For whatever reason it was ok to withhold payment for an error on the tech side but nothing happened when the error was on their side.  Well as I said they have recently it seems started imposing a ‘No Show’ penalty that is several time the amount of the basic call.

Well I was hit with one of these charges for a no show that was not my error, also starting in the latter half of 2014 their call center mover outside of the 50 US states.  Not that I have a problem with that it is just that you get people whose first language is not always English.  So, the job in question was a very simple transaction.  Someone from Puerto Rico I believe called me on a Friday for a job the following Monday.   I told her first that I was out of town all day Monday and Tuesday and that I would only be available on Wednesday.  I was told that she thought that she could get the change of ETA, and if she could would I take it.  I then replied that because of what the job entailed the rate would have to be $55.  She said fine she believed that she could get the changes and would call back and let me know.  Now at this point I would like to show how I used the word ‘change’ singular when talking about the ETA change.  And then I used the word ‘changes’ plural when talking about the change of ETA and the change of rate.  This is very important as you will see.

Monday stated sunny and bright and I was in my meeting with the rest of my crew in a Microsoft training session that had been planned for a long time taking up both Monday and Tuesday.   Then my phone started going off and I saw the recognizable 985 area code of Barrister.  Well at our first break I checked messages and found two from them saying that I was expected on site and since I was not I was being charged a “No Show” charge.  They did not even listen when I tried to explain to them the conversation on Friday and was told that I had to call payissues and was given a number.  Well Monday night after training I called and of course on one answered the extension and there was not even any space to leave a message (that ought to tell you how many problems they have if their voice mail is full).  So I was told to access the portal see if it had the answers.  It did not and I sent a email message to payissues.  I was surprised how fast they responded but was less the impressed with the content of the email as it seemed to be a form email and said that ‘… if I thought that there was anything else that would be of interest to this matter then I could send a reply.’  Well I was never so happy for a voice mail in my life.  See later that Friday the call center called and left a message that ‘… she had gotten the CHANGES approved…’ and I was good to go.  Well even though I had said that the voice mail said that the rep had gotten the changes they seemed to believe that the only change was the rate.

So I sent the wav file and they still maintained that the No Show status applied.  When I told them that in the voice mail that you can clearly hear the word ‘changes’ they clung to the belief that it only referred to one change and that was the rate.  Well in my last email I told them that surely even someone with as limited of IQ as hers (Nischal Patel was the person that emailed me) could clearly hear in the voice message that the person who left the message was talking about two changes.

So bottom line I now owe Barrister a large sum of money that they are never going to get out of me.  I believe that I would have to do almost three jobs for free to pay off what they think I owe them, andI am in the status of ‘No Show’ which I gather means that they will not call me.  So I do not have to have a guilty conscience about not taking any work ever again from Barrister.

Folks I was lucky all the money over the years that I wrote off from what Barrister owed me did not drag me under, but if you are a small shop and you can not afford all the games stay away from these people and find someone else.  There are dozens of third party contractors that pay when they say they will and will really treat you well.  These people will not and are not worth, quite frankly, the time that I have already put into this post.

It is clear from these continued posts that this is becoming a game of harassment. Posting these continued lies undermines the validity of your comments and the integrity of this site. I invite you to contact me directly at Barrister so I may assist you. 

Wow what a vacuous rebuttal.  When I first worked for Barrister I too was paid promptly and correctly, OCCASIONALLY.  So I guess that I would be part of those ‘thousands’ of technicians, but until Barrister approaches a consistency rate of 90% these types of posts will continue.  In this environment business can not survive if their income is only 75% assured and the other 25% requires hours of follow up and involvement to get, if it ever gets paid.  This is the only problem I have with Barrister. 

Barrister just does not pay enough for all the problems that are incurred in actually receiving the payment.  Also I find it very interesting that not one of you will address the fact that there are no financial penalties on Barrister if it turns out that the delay was an error on Barrister’s part.  So if you are so sure that they pay on time and they are totally in the right all the time then implement this idea and you will never have to take the hit.  But since you know as well as I do that if this was implemented Barrister would lose thousands of dollars and more.

And lastly I have not posted anything that is incorrect, or misleading, or something that I can not document.  I am only doing this because the company line is that Barrister will pay and pay on time and will pay on time and consistently.  And that is just factually not true.  And I wish that I had had that information BOTH times I decided to get involved with Barrister.  The first time I did I had no idea, the second time was totally on me as like I said I was hoping that what I was being told was correct and that Barrister had gotten their act together and was paying in a timely manner.

But alas nothing has changed and I am just posting information for others to do with it what they wish.  Also if you did not know that there was some substance to my post you would be charging slander and get it taken off.

Thousands of technicians are paid promptly and correctly by Barrister.  If there is an error or a delay, Barrister promptly resolves the matter with the technician.  Posting misinformation about our company is a way for some of the techs to try to steer others away from accepting work from Barrister.  It is a shameful practice.  We urge everyone who reads this kind of willful misrepresentation to disregard it as the fallacy it is. 

To whom rebuttal,

You seem like a good employee and you recite the company line very well, and who knows you may have some vested interest in the company other than a weekly paycheck.  But from what I have read most of what you said was cut and paste from other replies, but I will give you the benefit of the doubt on that.  However with that said you have not once addressed the point that is made over and over.  You people do not pay on a timely basis.  When reading even good reviews about this company they include statements of chronic late pay.  And you have not addressed the lack of incentive for Barrister to hold up their end of the agreement.  I am not going to waste your time and mine with arguing this point and that. 

I believe it is clear that Barrister has no interest in attempting to make themselves into a better company by addressing the one main problem.  And that is speed and consistency of paying.  You are 100% correct, and if you read my first post, I accepted the terms of payment and while I was making an observation that it is an industry low I know that it is my choice to accept or decline.  What I was making a post about was the absolutely ineffectual way that Barrister deals with payment issues and communication.  I did not even address this in my first post but there is no phone access to anyone that deals with pay issues.  And I have many copies of weeks worth (one a day) of emails that not only go unanswered but also unacknowledged that anyone living received them.

I will continue to do business and I am sure that you will continue to find techs so that you will stay in business, my only lament is that with a little change and honesty on your part there would have to be none of these posting.  If you would just spend a little more time in solving your payment issues and less time in writing rebuttals Barrister may get to the point where none are needed like so many other businesses that do the same type of thing that this company does.

Thank you and these thoughts are only for warning potential techs and meant as suggestions for management to provide a smoother work place.

And as to your suggestion about emailing pay issues I have, once a day, since I have posted my first post and have not gotten one deposit or one email.  But I am still getting calls, which I turn down.

Thank you

We regret that you take issue with the compensation for the service order or if you feel the payment was delayed.   Barrister representatives speak with every technician who is offered a work order assignment and the rate is offered verbally.  Once the technician verbally accepts the rate, the technician is emailed dispatch paperwork where the rate is clearly specified.  That paperwork including the rate serves as the agreement between Barrister and the technician.  Technicians are urged to review the paperwork prior to performing the service and to immediately contact our dispatch team upon receipt of paperwork if there are any questions, concerns or if the rate is not clearly stated or different from what the technician agreed upon.  Once the tech has accepted the rate, and performed the work, Barrister is unable to adjust the rate as we have dispatched the work to the tech at a rate at which we may bill our customer.  

Our company has been in business almost 40 years.  We appreciate the services provided by independent contractor technicians, like yourself, and there would be no benefit to us by punishing any technician.  We understand that techs work for money, and that sometimes a payment is not received as expected.  We are committed to investigating those delays and trying to resolve.  We would not be in business very long if we do the things you outline in your email.  Please understand that what is posted on the internet is not fact it is merely some individuals opinion.  We work with thousands of technicians nationwide.  If a handful post something negative, that is their prerogative to do as we live in a country that allows free speech.  I could go on line and post anything, true or untrue, about anyone it is merely my opinion.  Be smart and think about what I am saying to you.  We are a company conducting business using the services of independent contractors.  We want to work with you and we want to resolve the issue.  If you don’t trust us to look into it and give you a definitive answer about your payment question, then there is nothing further I can do for you.  But, no matter what you post or what complaints you file, I have the satisfaction of knowing I tried to help you and you failed to provide the necessary information, and that will be the answer to your posts or complaints.

So, please take a moment to send to payissues@barrister.com the service order number you have a question about, along with the issue, and let us try to assist you.