Televideo payment issues
Probably the biggest ongoing worry of a freelancer’s life is the fear that they won’t get paid on time to meet their monthly bills.
Unsurprising, given that landlords and mortgage companies both give very short shrift to excuses when their payments aren’t forthcoming on time and in full.
Fortunately though the government has very helpfully laid out a very clear timescale within which companies must meet their debts: within 30 days unless agreed otherwise. They are rules which have been in existence for over 25 years so fortunately pretty much every company in Britain is aware of and dutifully follow them.
Not so Televideo however, as one freelancer who recently did some work for the company found to his cost.
Thirty days after his invoice, this freelancer’s payment was nowhere to be seen so he asked where it was. And it was only at this point that the company announced that they actually like to avail themselves of up to an extra 30 days more to pay their bills, giving as an excuse that if the broadcasters don’t pay them on time, they can’t pay freelancers on time either.
After giving the company a few days more, the freelancer did finally manage to get his invoice paid but the company, in the shape of Chief Operating Officer James Poole, then refused to cover the late payment fee (to which the freelancer was statutorily entitled) and then blocked him from further contact and from ever working for the company again.
Poole had no comment to make when asked why the company was routinely breaking these regulations, nor why the freelancer wasn’t being paid the extra fee he was owed other than that (as he claimed) the extra 30 days payment terms “are available via our website”. If they are then they must be well hidden because they certainly aren’t anywhere to be seen, let alone be readily available and agreed in advance (as the rules require).
All in all then, a pretty grubby way to treat someone who has done work for you. Which all serves as a warning to anyone who might consider working for the company in the future and who might be assuming that they will be paid on time. It is very likely they won’t, and they are only likely to find that out after the moment that the bank manager or landlord have come knocking for their monthly payments.
Televideo: Freelancers beware!