Parasol

Parasol seem to rely on standardised email responses which do not answer the queries made. It's so easy to leave and there are better firms out there.

Appalling customer service using automated responses without reading emails. Cannot understand why agents use them. I soon left and went elsewhere.

They make life very difficult- unnecessary admin overheads to prevent payment, all under the umbrella- ha- of anti financial crime requirements. I was offboarded (not by me) and now cannot seem to be re onboarded...so they refuse to release my payments..though they have confirmed they've been paid by the client

Avoid at all costs. they seem to create processes and checks from no where just to delay expenses payments they have already received from my client and quote all sorts of meaningless HMRC regulations to justify them (and I am an ex HMRC employee!)

Fraudulent. Didn’t explain deductions up front. Multiple unlawful deductions. Couldn’t get tax right and now I have a huge tax bill. Avoid, there’s plenty of other choices out there. When I compare to my other umbrella company - Randstad Sourceright worlds apart in terms of service.

They lied with pension contributions, said the law changed and they had to contribute a higher percentage. The law had not changed and they were actually taking money for themselves. If the client had not checked as most people don't check their pensions so frequently, they would've gotten away with thousands of pounds taken from salary in a fraudulent way.

Parasol have a confusing and contradictory system to negotiate in order to get payment. Support is non existent. It's so easy to change to another company.

I was convinced to invest here by a friend I met on Tinder, Her name was Annie ( now I know she could be anyone else). At first everything was going on well until I requested for withdrawal, that’s when the nightmare started… I had to put in more money before I could withdraw. Then came the unending taxes; I was fined and taxed for various reasons. There was always a reason why I couldn’t take out my money. I was tired of everything and began looking for help. Since all the payments I made were through cryptocurrencies, my local police could not help me. Luckily I finally got help from the authorities I contacted via email at CRYPTORECOVERYHACKER @ GMAIL COM. Wonderfully, after providing my details, it took them barely a week to trace and retrieve my funds. Get help from them if you are in a similar

**DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE THIS SERVICE** Late payments and remittances, NON PAYMENT!!! terrible service!!! Can’t even directly contact the CIS department should be shut down and not allowed to handle people’s wages!!!!!

Everything with this comoany is an absolute shambles. Please avoid !!

Overcharged me on every payslip for their services as well as taking off much more tax than I owed.

I have received terrible service from Parasol, never knowing when I will be paid, withholding pay against contracted payment terms. I just get blamed and fobbed off.

I stopped using Parasol in November 2020. I received a letter from Parasol's parent company in December 2022 advising my private data was identified as being stolen in a massive hack occurring in January 2022. Very angry it took so long to be advised and very concerned as private data included passport, driving licence and bank details. Immediately joined the legal class action to obtain compensation.

Awful, non professional, terrible company! After 10 years not working with them I received an email from out of the blue that my personal data were stolen through a cyber attack. Issue happened in January but notice issued only in December 2022. Now dealing with all costs and time to stop any false applications with my details at different companies….

Cannot begin to describe the issues and severe stress this company have caused me. All of their employee's tell you different things: Faye, Amanda, Rav, Mohammed etc.. the list is endless. Honestly the most awful company I have ever worked with, 3 months of incorrect and late payments with the worst service in the world. DO NOT go to this company.

I had been with them for 4 months and they have been the worse/worst service and they have been playing with the payments every month and not sure how they are able to still run the company with these many complaints.Never got paid on time,Need to chase them they give wrong information all the time.

7 pay days (weekly pay) in to my time with Parasol and so far 5 incorrect payments and one unpaid. The catalogue of mistakes and errors in less than two months is far too extensive to be able to cover them all, so here are a few highlights. Strangely enough, all of these mistakes left me out of pocket, and usually left Parasol with more money in their account...... Parasol are incapable of basic arithmetic, such as 'number of hours worked' x 'hourly rate'. According to Parasol maths, 35 hours x hourly rate gives the same number as 38.5 hours x hourly rate. And 3 x 40 somehow equals 100. The end client decided to pay contractors for the Queens Funeral Bank Holiday, but Parasol decided not to, and I only got this money after multiple chases, which was eventually paid in a separate pay cheque, meaning I got two pay cheques in one week, costing me a significant amount of extra tax. So far this "accountancy" company can't do basic multiplication, and make you pay more tax than you need to, completely the opposite of what you want. Live chat, emails and phone calls are pointless. Although you will be able to speak to someone, it'll be someone different every time, and they either won't be able to solve it, say that they'll start an investigation and will be in touch (4 investigations to date, still waiting for someone to get back to me), or will try to tell you that you have been paid the correct amounts despite your payslips and bank telling you something very different. Forget the submit a complaint bit on the website too, as that also gets ignored. Escalating the issue gets you a more senior person who will send you all the payments they have made and for how many hours, clearly showing the errors, although it is presented as being correct. But at least you can use this to show how multiplication works, and finally agree that you are owed money and how much. It is at this point that you'll be told that they pay you everything that is sent to them, if it's wrong, then they have been sent the wrong amount. Asking if that is the case, why didn't they send over the bank holiday money that they received but didn't pay doesn't make you any friends. Just when you think progress is being made, and this may actually be fixed, they then decide not to pay you at all. Of course payday is a Friday, and although there are people in on a Saturday, there is no-one in who can pay you until Monday, which is apparently acceptable. Digging in to why you haven't been paid is the kicker - because they have now seen their previous mistakes, trying to correct them puts your current payment on hold! Resolving it the next week then means two payslips in one week, paying excessive tax, and so the cycle continues. Asking how to leave Parasol to go with, at this point, anyone else, also yields an incredible answer. First, you have to cancel the contract with the end client, and start a new one when you are with someone else. And you have to have received your last pay before you leave, otherwise they have to put you on emergency tax for anything not yet paid as you are no longer an employee. When asked how this works as you are always a week in hand, the response is, "I don't know".

They were "OK" up until I resigned from my contract. They refused to issue a P45 until the agency confirmed. This would seem to be illegal to me... I am "employed" by Parasol, and clearly getting a P45 is not dependent on a third party giving an OK.

I have to endure months of excuses as to why I haven`t been paid by this amateur company. Anyone out there considering using them, DONT, they are by far the worst payroll company I have had to endure

Unnecessarily difficult to use! Not recommended.

They are the worst umbrella company ever, I have tried opting out of pension for months they simply keep taking pension contributions, they are incompetent and a joke , intelligent resource are a joke too

This is one of the most awful companies I have dealt with. I wish I had read the reviews before using them as I would say they are very accurate. This shower are useless, their contact with you is poor. Every time to have to write to them its a different person that comes back. They seem to think its ok to make decisions on your behalf. In addition they did not do what I requested when I joined them. Seriously DONT use them.

I am charged a ridiculous weekly fee and taxes I should not be paying in my bracket for them to process my pay cheque but I get nothing out of that other than a headache, and the admin is a joke. No communication between advisors, and when they say they will do something they do not.

Do not use this company, they are awful. They invoiced for money they shouldn't have and then held it for almost two months. The customer service are rude and they have no complaints procedure and are not regulated. Customer service reps argued with me and laughed at me. They would not let me leave, it was draining to have to deal with them. I can't actually believe people like this are allowed to operate.

A complete mess from beginning to start. Missing payments, compromised personal data, wrong payment, no employee bonus program, missing pension payments, customer service is terrible and I now get paid more out from my salary with a different umbrella company...Rip off!

Got my p45 and its showing over £600 more than what I actually received in payment from them!

I have never experienced such poor service. I don’t understand how this company is still going. I have been asking for further details of my contract for over 4 months and have been ignored at every avenue. I should not have to submit a DSAR to a company (that I pay for a service) to find my working conditions. The customer service is laughable- some (but not all) staff are, quite frankly, rude and indifferent. If there is a problem they will just ignore it, no matter how many times you contact them to try to resolve it.

Ive used another well known umbrella and that's been fast and painless. Im still trying to get them to sort out my contract been on hold now for 25minutes at a time. Reallly dont recommend at all. Shameful and regretting ever opting to used them.

a change in contract and change in umbrella to coincide should be so simple. Not so for Parasol. ignore instructions, charge double for the priviledge and add a further deduction. Challenge every expense submitted as if you are laundering money and a hardened criminal. Keep you on hold for 30mins having waited 20 minutes for the call to be answered. The Data breach should have been a warning to all associated with them.....................amateur service and competence at top professional charges

This is by far the worst company I have ever worked with in my life. I urge everyone to avoid this umbrella company, I cannot express enough how much stress I have been put though due to repeated, unnecessary complications. There has been a series of underpayments and miscommunications. The way this company dealt with the earlier cyber attack was appalling. Not only is my personal information possibly leaked, they’ve on more than one occasion ESTIMATED what I should be paid - this being much less than the correct amount. One week they paid me £0.02. You read that correctly. With this company, it’s not only constant technical issues arising - their customer service lacks severely. I don’t know what the training process is for parasol employees is, but if you expect at least the bare minimum customer service, then please lower your expectations. Unbelievably apathetic employees who are limited to copy and paste responses. The managers are no exception to this - who offer call backs with no possible timeframe at all and emails with the exact same copy and paste responses you get on live chats. Why not raise a complaint you may wonder? I have. No acknowledgment, no correspondence, no resolution offered. I’ve saved many screenshots of their failings, not that they’re at all interested in feedback or trying to better themselves. This does not feel like a genuine company who are subject to rules and regulations at all. It genuinely feels like a group of people on the street got together and thought let’s do this. No experience, no processes, just winging absolutely everything. I’ve cut my role short and found a new position entirely due to the weekly stress of having to contact these people to sort out yet another issue. I can’t underestimate how relieved I am to never have to deal with these people again. Do NOT join this company.

This is by far the worst company I have ever worked with in my life. I urge everyone to avoid this umbrella company, I cannot express enough how much stress I have been put though due to repeated, unnecessary complications. There has been a series of underpayments and miscommunications. The way this company dealt with the earlier cyber attack was appalling. Not only is my personal information possibly leaked, they’ve on more than one occasion ESTIMATED what I should be paid - this being much less than the correct amount. One week they paid me £0.02. You read that correctly. With this company, it’s not only constant technical issues arising - their customer service lacks severely. I don’t know what the training process is for parasol employees is, but if you expect at least the bare minimum customer service, then please lower your expectations. Unbelievably apathetic employees who are limited to copy and paste responses. The managers are no exception to this - who offer call backs with no possible timeframe at all and emails with the exact same copy and paste responses you get on live chats. Why not raise a complaint you may wonder? I have. No acknowledgment, no correspondence, no resolution offered. I’ve saved many screenshots of their failings, not that they’re at all interested in feedback or trying to better themselves. This does not feel like a genuine company who are subject to rules and regulations at all. It genuinely feels like a group of people on the street got together and thought let’s do this. No experience, no processes, just winging absolutely everything. I’ve cut my role short and found a new position entirely due to the weekly stress of having to contact these people to sort out yet another issue. I can’t underestimate how relieved I am to never have to deal with these people again. Do NOT join this company.

The way Parasol dealt with the very serious data breach they had in January- Appaling! They use software that can't handle the slightest of changes in pay, so they've messed up yet another of my paychecks, and now they've just stopped replying to my emails. Unfortunately, I haven't been lucky enough to be helped by Andy E or Joanne like some of these "reviews" claims, any company with the level of discrepancy in reviews as we see here raises alarm bells with me. They've now charged me double pension to a pension fund I've not even received an account number for after being with them for over a year. This morning I received a letter from NEST Pension stating that they reported Parasol to The Pensions Regulator for not paying contributions, so where has our money gone? Avoid at all costs, I'm currently looking for a new umbrella company as this company has gone down the pan. I will report Parasol to the Financial Ombudsman and HMRC.

Late pay, underpayment, impossible to get hold of someone.

System down for months due to data leak. Confusing payments as a consequence. Impossible to have a conversation to clarify why I was charged incorrectly. Difficult to leave since it is so hard to get what I am owed due to their miscalculations.

Complete disaster. They got hacked and have been unable to get back up.

always broken, they don't pay on time, getting hacked, system like from 1995

Their systems were down for three/four weeks with a super bad service and they have only refunded me one week of margin. That is simply added on my payslip and deducted, so basically you don't get this full amount back.... They charge me for margin and sometimes I am even paying more for their NIN than mine. Just to give you an idea, last year they completely messed up with my taxes and I received over 1000£ of tax back. Service is bad, phone lines not working, I have to chase for my payment every week. If I don't ask them to check their remittances and payments they forget to pay me. I am basically doing their job and even paying them. And last, but not least, my personal data was compromised and I dont know what's been happening but my email is full of junk these days. Avoid them

Utterly shambolic shower of shit of a company. MAJOR problems here - don't sign up. Messed up pay every week, can't contact them except for their joke of a web chat service, don't reply to emails, don't send P45 when you leave

Data breach recently caused weeks of delayed pay. Always need to chase payment as they never pay on time. Always someone else’s fault. Staff are pleasant but must be so fed up and embarrassed at representing and trying to defend such an awful company with horrendous infrastructure and systems.

Very similar to all the reviews that's already posted. I am missing a payment from October and after TOO MANY phone calls, chats and emails it is still unresolved. This is the first time I have used Parasol and will surely be the last. Customer service doesn't exist, phone calls get cut off, live chat are long and unhelpful. Raised the issue more than 2 months ago and still unresolved. Terrible company. No doubt there will be further issues when I leave soon.

I've been with Parasol for a month. My first pay was wrong but I was informed immediately and it was rectified the following week with two weeks free to make up for it. Chris was extremely helpful fixing it despite a 15 minute hold time. They tell me their issues are short-term and unprecedented... I may amend my review if mistakes continue.

6 weeks after the outage and still no sign of receiving their margin back. Apparently they will refund it after 28 days, but no sign of it. Do no sign with Parasol, they rip me off everytime. Not only they charge VAT to my agency but they also charge me for margin. I also have to pay their expenses (NIN contributions). They also take a margin to my private pension!!! Thefts!

I had to change from Brookson due to their appalling service and customer service, i hadn't been paid in a month and my line manager recommended Parasol. I spoke to Chris in their onboarding team who couldn't have been nicer and he had everything up and running within an hour and I was paid today. A big weight off my mind!

I've used Parasol and Giant on and off for the past few years when needed. My last contract started in January and i believe this was when Parasol's cyber attack started. There was an initial frustrating lack of contactability but within a week i could speak to them and within two i was paid. They've been quick enough to respond and Megan in their support team has been unbelievably apologetic and helpful.

The word is that it is very unlikely Parasol will survive this outage and so will go bust with any money owed to contractors and other employees. At this moment please try and chase them for all you are due. Parasol will not open up to the problems they have. I have been informed that there backup systems and redundancy and DR are more or less non functional hence the difficulties they are having in getting normal services back.

Lying thieving scumbags. Dishonest, incompetent, moralless, shady and most of all cowardly. They lied, then they lied again and today they have admitted that sensitive data has been leaked online. Its not enough to drag them through the civil courts, they need to held criminally accountable. Doug Crawford and Greetje Brosens need to be held to account for their disinformation and their unethical business practices

Please save yourself the headache of paying a premium £28.50 fee weekly for the worst umbrella company. I have no idea, how they were voted as a good company. Prior to their Cyber attack, I have been missing payments. Their teams are more like a call centre, no one has a clue and they try to flog you off to someone else. They love to blame other companies as in the agency etc but I have all email communication proof. I have sent them proof the agency have paid them and yet 6 months later, I am owed thousands! Their online chat representative was caught out on misinformation of lies and I quickly told them they were wrong. They then admitted call back list is so long, it's unlikely I will get a callback. I have been on their useless online chat since last year and emails chasing my payments. I have argued for them to waive my fees as this is a fault on their end but they ignored all my messages. They are quick to take my money yet don't want to pay me. I have done more admin work than they have. It blows my mind why I am paying them £114 per month?! PLEASE DO NOT USE THEM.

I'm due 33 days of pay, promised someone will phone which never happens, no reply to emails, phone lines down and looks to be no sign of my money. Have never received a penny from a contract I started 13th Decemebr. As soon as I can, I'll be off to another umbrella company

Received the following… Good Morning, As you are aware, Optionis recently experienced a cyber security incident and I want to thank you again for your patience over the past few weeks while we have been investigating the situation. The incident has been contained and we have notified the police and relevant authorities. Our security team has now detected that some data belonging to Optionis was copied from our system and we believe some of that has been leaked online. At this stage we have not been able to ascertain the precise nature of the information, however we are investigating this as an absolute priority. We felt that it was important to let you know about this development and we can assure you that we will inform you as a matter of urgency should we uncover that personal data which is likely to result in a high risk to you has been leaked. We continue to take this incident extremely seriously and will keep you informed as the situation develops. To assist us in providing expert security advice we have partnered with Experian, the world’s leading global information services company, and have set up a dedicated helpline should you have any questions on the above.

I’m owed thousands in pension contributions dating back to November 2021. Payroll is badly run and clear as mud. Refuse to communicate, avoid like the plague.

Avoid like que plague. I have been waiting for my salary for the PAst three weeks and finally I received 0.2£ Pence today. Will resign with Parasol ASAP

The most awful, dishonest, horrible company I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Just do yourself a favour and treat them like they have COVID and run as far and fast as you can from them.

I tried calling Options, the parent company, it is the same phone number as the Parasol number that has an automated message then cuts you off. My Parasol down again since last night. Any advice folks?

Hopeless Umbrella company. Even without their latest 'cyber' attack, their communication is awful and very lacklustre. If you send them an email, they will probably reply a week later and just apologise and think everything is ok. If anything goes wrong on your portal, which isn't your fault, you will have to sort it out. This so called IT output was the icing on the cake for me, I never got 1 phone call, even though I repeatedly requested one or I'd leave...well, I'll be seeing you Parasol

After paying £84 per month to parasol and requested a call from Senior manager to get more understanding on taxes paid, this is the response I received.. "I cannot guarantee that we will call you today, however we will call you as soon as we can". Paid more taxes due to errors made by Parasol and Chat messages are lost in translation and no one to get hold on phone, due to phone lines are down. On some invoices my take home pay is less than 40% and tax paid is 60% by parasol. I strongly not recommend Parasol to anyone.

The incompetence is beyond belief - but now worried on the next potential step - that they file for bankruptcy and we are all left unpaid? Does anyone have links to get this company exposed and get some intervention in place now? My nightmare experience is the same as others on this thread - coming up 4 weeks missing payment. Support - it does not exist. Help please!

Parasol made to pay 67% of tax to HMRC in one of my invoices. Invoice amount of roughly £2K and final amount received from Parasol was £810+. I think I am the highest paid tax person in this country. Phone lines are still down. Chat messages lost in translation. No proactive approach and still charges for their services. Its better not discuss about their cyberattack and implementing measures to protect personal data

Like many on here and other sites, I am waiting for thousands owed to me. But that is a minuscule amount compared to the loan facility that the PE backers of Parasol are owed via loan facilities. It is clear that Parasol are going under and it now looks as though they are desperately banking money before liquidating. Don’t forget that any money owed after liquidators are appointed goes first to HMRC and then to the primary debtors. In other words, it looks as though the PE backers are trying to fill the coffers to maximise the amount of money they can play off against their loan facility. So HMRC get their money (employers NIC etc), then the major debt is payed off and we contractors get nothing because we are only owed a few grand and as a bonus I suspect HMRC will then chase us for any unpaid taxes that Parasol haven’t paid out.

Been with parasol for over 10 years, and whilst I understand cyber attacks happen, their treatment of customers and employees is truly disgusting and abysmal. I am owed thousands of pounds and they refuse to pay me salary owed to me or even communicate with me. The ceo is an absolute cnut as far as I am concerned. Don't sign up to this ridiculous company and learn from my mistake.

Thankfully I am leaving Parasol this week. Even before the cyber attack the customer service was awful - they regularly take weeks to respond to basic queries. I've been trying to cancel my auto enrollment pension for 6 months now and after several complaints to Parasol they have still not resolved the issue and owe me about £350 in unauthorised deductions. The cyber attack response has been poorly managed and now almost a month later their systems still haven't fully recovered. The MyParasol portal is very basic and difficult to navigate. The payslips are confusing to read. I highly recommend you do not use Parasol.

Absolutely terrible service, since their IT issues and even before they were not always on time for payments , no contact other than the chat , same messages every day , where is the money you owe me ???

AVOID AT ALL COST, parasol have serious Cyber attack issues, they are not paying contractors, if you contact them they are useless, fob you off, I am owed money that my client paid weeks ago, but they keep avoiding to pay, please do not use them if your company recommends as they seem to be a preferred supplier, shocking service

I have been trying to get paid for money dating back to November and December, my client paid over to my agency, who duly paid Parasol in good faith weeks ago. It's thousands. Parasol made one 'emergency' payment to me (very nice of them to give me a small handout from my own money), which is a fraction of my earnings, and I'm eating into savings, like many others I suspect. The situation is utterly disgraceful. They don't respond to communications, while the portal now masquerades the service as fully functional. I'm now considering legal action, and once free of the contract I'm in, would never use them again, and most certainly do not recommend them to anybody considering this precarious way of working. AVOID!

Since their IT problems Parasol have been quite frankly been awful. Not taking calls, not responding to emails and live chats being of little value as questions remain unanswered. Senior management do not have a Plan B in place to pay clients (the contractor). Senior management have ducked the hard questions and left the responsibility to junior members of staff who lack the knowledge or experience to deal with the problem. I have been promised call backs on numerous occasions and not one has materialized. A posting on LinkedIn is required to ensure maximum exposure on social media as to the shambolic on goings, I do hope funds are retained in a client account as I do see this being a sign of their pending demise!

I have lost count of the number of hours and days I have now spent chasing the money I have earned and am owed by Parasol. Emails go unanswered as do calls and the live chat is a joke. Parasol have taken my money from my agency and have kept it. It’s been weeks now and it seems the cyber issues still allow it to collect my money from my agency but stop it from passing it onto the person who earned it. FCSA regulate Parasol but what are they actually doing? Parasol take my money and keep it. Parasol give membership money to APSCo/FCSA in order to look good but APSCo/FCSA do nothing for it. And whilst that is all going on I struggle to feed my children. It stinks...I hope Parasol and FCSA sleep at night because I’m not!

Totally lost confidence in Parasol. I feel for them having a cyber attack , but have now have lost total confidence in their management of the problems and more importantly the management of my money. I have not been paid since mid December even though I know my agency has paid Parasol Their phone line just has recorded message which says contact us via Web Chat!!! the Web chat is totally useless, and just incredibility frustrating, you have to wait hours before being connected, then the admin people are not able to help you or provide any advise on when you will receive your money, I get the same response "they are waiting for information" but they are unable to tell what this information is. Like others on here I am now instructing me agency not to pay any further invoices to Parasol. I also note other comments on here about joining forces and taking legal action I will be joining that group. Parasol should not be allowed to trade FSCA should now be stepping in and taking control.

This Cyber attack on Parasol has been handled terribly. No response to emails, phones not in use and only the chat option where you are left queuing for a really long time - as everyone now can only use the chat. Ive just received a text to say my password on my account has been changed - i didnt change this - so i have gone and reset my password and gone to the chat to ask if my account has been compromised. Im still waiting for an advisor to even help me and have been waiting for a stupidly long time. Pay seems to be cut in half and only explanations are on chat which can get confusing. I do not recommend this company.

Avoid them at all cost!!!!Most Useless Umbrella Company in the UK. No one picking up phone lines, Left with faceless Chat

Parasol owes me 5 months wages which my Sanctuary consultant allowed me to put through to them. I didn't know that they were such scammers however in her position as senior consultant surely she should have know at least that they were not paying their employees their wages and should have advised me as such. Parasol is one of Sanctuarys reccommended Umbrella companies and Sanctuary Personell do not allow locums to work with others outside their 8 reccommended umbrella companies so Sanctuary needs to take some responsibility as they have a duty of care towards their locum workers and not just to collect her commission. I had been warned about her lacsidasical attitude towards locums and now I have experienced it. As much as I have enjoyed my time working at Hounslow. I will not be going to work on Monday having not received my wages which is unfortunate because I am just getting to know the young people and make a difference to their lives. However, I cannot work for free. as bills need to be paid. Shame on everyone involved in this decepetion although my God asks me to send blessing to you instead.

Joining Parasol is the worst decision I made, Timesheet approved on the 17th January assured of payment by this Wednesday gone due to their system issues and just been advised that payment is being processed by the useless unaware Webchat advisors, chasing them.up constantly and now going to be worse off as I will miss my financial commitments due to Parasol withholding my payment unfairly and unethically. Reached out to FCA who put me through to FOS urging to lodge an official complaint against Parasol

I thought I was the only one got paid 2p without providing any breakdown of my payments. Hopefully my agency allowed me to switch the company. Never again I want to see Parasol near my money. Those answering the chat do not seem to know what they are talking about. Absolutely scammer company. Never never never Parasol.

Missing payment. Delayed payment. Impossible to get hold of them. Portal not working.

I got paid 1000 pound from 1400 At least this thiefs paid most of it after 20 emails and each day for 2.5 weeks constantly using the chat to chae them. Simple criminals I'm tired asking them for the rest 400 misin . Feel for and hope for other ppl to ge at least most of the money they worked Har for

DON'T SIGN UP WITH THEM. REALLY SHIT COMPANY.

Was sent bacs payment of 2 pence ? still not answering the phone, come on Parasol take responsibility and pay people what they are owed if you want to restore your reputation ?

Sigh! Not sure what to spend it on. Writing a list now!

Been with this company for nearly a year, they seemed to be ok for the most part and then got worse and worse. I have decided to leave now and go PAYE I genuinely got paid 2P no explanation to why, I have tried phones but they are down, tried to use webchat but no one is answering at all! I expect my money for the work I have done no if or buts. What's even worse then anything is the cyber security attack, I want to know what's been affected and who is affected. the most terrible Customer service I have ever had in my life. I'm sorry but I think a monkey with a hammer could of done a better job.

I've been with Parasol for years and never had a problem. However they way they have handled the 'Systems down' (assumed cyber attack) is disgraceful. Obviously never heard of a Disaster Recovery Plan. For 3 weeks now, they wont answer phones just web-chat - standard answer to everything is the systems are still down, it will be dealt with when they come back up. No indication of when that might happen. Seriously sort yourselves out Parasol...I'm sure some will be looking to take legal action soon!

Thankfully my contract renewal won’t be sent to parasol and the one month left on the existing is currently being changed by my agency. I will be resigning with immediate effect, Iv chased and chased and chased my pay and it’s been a week, apparently everything is running now and they run ( payrolls per day but still haven’t paid me. I am disgusted in their service and lack of professionalism - shoddy crap PAYE! Avoid at all costs.

3 weeks and still no pay, you can't not pay us like this !!! The system has been down 3 weeks and now I'm told its up and running ...so if the money is avaliable then pay me!!! I've had to borrow to get by..awful and ill be leaving the min I can !!!

My agency has paid Parasol (they showed me proof) but Parasol website says it is still awaiting payment. The Live Chat doesn't work, telephone numbers unanswered. I will report Parasol to HMRC

Please take my advice and never ever ever use this cowboy outfit, they look professional from the outside, but for 4 weeks now they will not answer the phone, respond to me or provide any useful information.

i paid my invoices immediately at 'Cyber attack week' as always and still the payments have not reached the contractors. i have now paid the contractor again, not via Parasol as not fair on the contractors. Completely and utterly disgraceful, scammers !!!!!! no excuse to keep ours and the contractors money !!!!!!

Definitely would not recommend at all! They were hacked two weeks ago and still owe me pay. Impossible to get through via email or by phone.

Its now been 2 weeks since they were hacked. After kicking up a huge fuss they paid me the money for two weeks even tho it was short and they still owe me money. They have no idea what they are doing. I need my p45 issued as I had handed my notice a month ago, today they are claiming 'everything is back to normal' but cant pay the money they owe or issue P45. My patientce with them has run thin

I have been left disappointed with Parasol over the years, I have ran into several problems and felt let down by them, found it difficult the get a response or even help when needed. As my agency recommended them to me I have stuck with them reluctantly. However now my payments has been severally delayed, leaving me in a difficult position, I feel like they are constantly fobbing off when I can get in hold with them and even as I write this there is now end in sight.

Used the Parasol Chat today, Parasol will not give a date when payment will be made. Contacted my Agency to ensure no further payments are made to Parasol until Parasol resolve their problems. Catastrophic reputational damage.

I will be leaving Parasol the second I can. No payments for a week, appalling - literally diabolical, terrible, hideously awful - customer service. I'm afraid they are also terrible liars. There is absolutely nothing good about this company. They have literally ONE JOB to do which is pay the people who are forced into signing up with companies like them since IR35. Their systems were so feeble they clearly collapsed in the face of problems : of course they should have had back up systems available since their systems are their only asset. They should be avoided at absolutely ALL COSTS

Waiting on 3 payments having finally been able to submit timesheets. Never had an issue but the poor response and resolution to this Cyber attack (which should have been mitigated) has left me with no option but to leave. Hold on, you can’t leave until the end of your current assignment..! I’m the process of moving to Paystream and thankfully my current assignment is nearly done. You had 1 job to do and you failed, 1 week of pain I would have understood and accepted; but this sorry state of affairs and poor communication from you to your CUSTOMERS was a step too far.

Where is our money?!!! Apparently the systems are back up and running yet we have still not been paid. Live chat are hopeless individuals that ask for your name about 4 times, confirm you’ll be added on some priority list since mortgage payments and bills need to be paid yet still waiting for payments to be made!! I will be leaving parasol immediately, they have failed again and again to reach the minimum standards of customer service, quality and a decent payroll representative..we pay fees blindly to not get paid on time. It’s outrageous!

The buck stops at the CEO. Numerous contractors haven't been paid due to "internal system issues" I.e. website got hacked. Doug Crawford keeps sending emails telling people everything is sorted but portal is still not working and payments aren't being made. Do us all a favour Doug and resign. You are not fit to be a CEO of a parking lot.

First and foremost Parasol are a payroll processor - despite the contract of "employment" which should really be a services contract. Parasol, like the Agency who approached you about a contract, are in business for money and you, the contractor, bring in that money. Payroll slip - never seen a breakdown like it, until I started using an umbrella. Why do we need a minimum wage line item. The MyParasol functionality is limited, it doesn't show the assignment details in full i.e if you want to give notice on an assignment you have to email them, Parasol respond by saying they will check with the agency - pointless I can speak to the Agency. Main contact with Parasol is arms length through email - they put every barrier possible to stop you being able to call someone. Regulation in the Umbrella payroll sector is well overdue and the ills have been exacerbated by Off Payroll implementations. The current cyber hacks on brands of the Optionis parent company, shine a light on poor practices within the Umbrella payroll sector, the accreditation is pointless as it is awarded by a body (FCSA) that Parasol is one of three founders of, the focus is on profit only (check involvement of Private Equity firms in sector and lack of IT security), communication is poor (during the cyber attack Parasol just closed down comments on social media) and contractors are just bodies/resources that generate income with limited employment rights (common across the Umbrella sector). Parasol heavily pushed by the Agency.

Where's my money? 2 weeks and counting, no food on the table tonight because of these conmen. Not even sure if I'm ever getting paid at this rate

Dear Manager, You have managed my payslips between 13 Oct 20 till January 21. Pls let me have a link to my P60. Best regards, William Amaee.

I haven't been paid for nearly two months. They never did do anything about chasing agency / client late payments, but now it's worse. Contractors can't live on fresh air. Their 'restored' website just goes round in circles.

I've been using Parasol for years, and in fairness this is the first major crisis I've seen. However, their service has declined steadily in recent years. They spend more time e-mailing you to send in good TrustPilot ratings than they do helping you chase your agency / client for late payments, and there is no continuity of care - no named individual to deal with. Like everybody else I'm unable to enter timesheets and have not been paid for over a month. Once sorted, I'm off, and will not use them again.

Hacked and down. Blocked everybody from accessing the MyParasol portal which allows us to submit timesheets. Shameful ! Where is my salary? I have bills to pay, it has been two weeks since the attack, c'mon what's wrong with you people?

This stinks of data breach..over a week and still no service..strange they have turned comments of on fb and linkedin....they need to tell the truth

11 DAYS AND STILL NOT WORKING?

System was hacked over a week. Can’t submit any timesheets or check payslips. Landline is off and chatroom staff doesn't know when everything will be back to normal and when our salary will be process. I received last week half of my salary, but my landlord doesn't accept that I pay half of my rent . . . . This is unacceptable ! ! ! ! This company should go down as well as the umbrella companies out there.

Messing up all the time, avoid them

A week and a half without being able to sign in and to submit timesheets. Portal is down, my agency doesn't pay them anything and they did a random payment to me (half of what I own by the way). Disorganised and bad. They never listen to their client needs, they don't pay on time and I have to chase them every week to get my money, poor costumer service as well. Bad as bad as it can be. Companies like this shouldn't even exist!!

Could not explain the amount paid, cannot pay expenses or pension contributions until further notice. Told my tax position won’t be impacted…. Simple job to do but…….

When I joined Parasol last year in order to avoid the risk of non-compliance with the "off-payroll" IR35 rules, I had no idea just how one-sided the relationship would be. As it turns out, my Contract of Employment is full of the obligations I have to Parasol, and says practically nothing about their responsibilities to me as an employee. The contract even forbids me from resigning until my assignment end date, meaning the only way I can get out of this mess is to ask my end client to terminate. I've been contracting for over 20 years and have never been in this position before. It just goes to show how broken the contractor industry has become after the Government's disastrous IR35 interventions in the private (and public) sectors. Just to be clear - I am now going to lose my job because Parasol didn't have adequate security on their IT systems, and lose a significant sum of money in the process. Please bear this in mind if you are considering signing up with them in the future.

Terrible. Their system has been hacked and down for over 10 days. There is no chance to sign in and submit timesheets or even resign. Unacceptable. I have bills to pay and I haven't seen any money for two weeks. They don't invoice my agency at all and they are careless. Just waiting for their portal to be back up and running and to resign!!

Was due to be paid and its been a week and still waiting. They are really poor at communicating the problem. You cant speak to anyone over the phone and can only have a conversation on live chat where they dont have access to your information so can just fob you off with more excuses.

2.5 weeks not been paid they only lie in live chat. Agency has paid them already no funds coming to me. Excuse Is repeated lie they will look into it and there is a system problem. I belive they even enjoy joking with people. Horibel company and staff live chat still working obviously this clowns get paid to procrastinating for legal reasons to show they do something.

Have to chase payment nearly every week....wrong deductions, poor 'advice' if you can call it that....AVOID AVOID AVOID

Just don't go anywhere near

Paid wrong constantly (100 percent so far) Failed to pay correct tax (because they paid wrong constantly) Then guessed my pay this week cus systems down Probably lost my personal details during this But charge for this service Avoid

Failed to pay my wages, promised to advance money due to their ineptitude however still haven't sent it to me, despite me contacting them daily.

I Believe, Corner shop could resolve the issue earlier than this company.7th day in a row and they are still down, No ETTR, No PAYMENT yet as well. We are still in dark. They messed up many times in different areas, last month with Pension company (NEST) and still in pending. On call or live chat asking same crap and giving you fake hope again and again. No one contacted, no email yet over last 4 days and missed some important direct debits payment. We all from IT background and we know that none of the company is being down this long. DEFINTILY THIS IS SOME THING ELSE “PONZI SCAM”. CHANGE YOUR COMPANY ASAP. Dear Contractors, There is a “Petition” link to the government. This company is doing unethical practice, Risky in the market and left many employers unpaid. The link demanding from the government to SHUTDOWN this CRAP company and save many employers. Please sign ASAP.

I Believe, Corner shop could resolve the issue earlier than this company.7th day in a row and they are still down, No ETTR, No PAYMENT yet as well. We are still in dark. They messed up many times in different areas, last month with Pension company (NEST) and still in pending. On call or live chat asking same crap and giving you fake hope again and again. No one contacted, no email yet over last 4 days and missed some important direct debits payment. We all from IT background and we know that none of the company is being down this long. DEFINTILY THIS IS SOME THING ELSE “PONZI SCAM”. CHANGE YOUR COMPANY ASAP. Dear Contractors, There is a “Petition” link to the government. This company is doing unethical practice, Risky in the market and left many employers unpaid. The link demanding from the government to SHUTDOWN this CRAP company and save many employers. Please sign ASAP.

Similar to many other reviewers here I have been affected by the seemingly huge attack on Parasol's system. I appreciate that no company is totally immune to cyberattacks but when your sole business is to pay people via an online portal then at the very minimum I would have expected them to have ironclad contingency plans - when in fact they have none. On top of that I would have expected better software security to prevent things like this from even happening. I haven't been paid and they can't tell me when I will be paid. Customer service is poor and they tell me they aren't able to provide any help at all. They are failing to deliver their sole service and so I will be leaving ASAP.

Contingency planning! They need some. All attempts at getting some answers from them thus far (if you can even get through on the chat function) have been met with the equivalent of a shrug and some empty apologies. "Just wait to hear from us about your pay". They say they have been making payments. I'm not so sure. Looking elsewhere for another provider.

Just read some of the other reviews... I say no more. The company needs to learn about contingency backup plans

I've been with Parasol years, and watched them go from a reasonably efficient outfit to the current situation where their systems are out and they aren't responding to requests for information. I haven't been paid for weeks, can't enter new timesheets, nor ascertain the status of what I'm owed. I have instructed my own agency that I'll probably have to make new arrangements. Disgraceful, really.

These clowns add no value to contractors. They treat the money made by contractors as Parasol's, paying the contractors what they deem right. If after this issue is resolved, you continue with them, then you're on your own. It doesn't get any worse than this. FLEE PARASOL THE PARASITE!!!!

I've been contracting since 2001 & due to IR35 went under an umbrella with Parasol. I should have been paid on the 6th Jan. After repeatedly chasing them to call me, eventually I did get a call. Very little information was given on what's happened or when systems will be available. I had to grovel to get them to advance some of MY PAY!!! If their systems have been breached we should be told straight away so we can protect our accounts. Today's they've confirmed by email systems are down due to malicious activity but still no ETA on when service will be restored. As soon as it is, I'm voting with my feet. Please be warned about using Parasol.

Reality says we are still taking all the risk, and when Parasol goes pop will the government step in to protect us as "employees"? Will it hell, at that point we become self employed again. For 30 plus years the IT contract market was working fine but the bloody Tories had to go and break it.

When is parasol portal going to be working ? how easy is it to switch umbrella companies mid contract if they dont fix this please, I need to get paid?

I am completely dismayed with this company. Now I am left without money last minute and was not provided any information when would I get paid. This is causing me anxiety and great worry as I have payments coming out of my account today. I will be terminating my contract and taking this matter further

like everyone has said ….this week parasol allegedly have IT issues? NO COMMS !NO PHONE ! NO REPLY TO EMAILS we are all waiting to be paid!! More painful is CEO sends email that CUSTOMER supports says IT IS WRONG!! They cannot pay us! DO NOT USE this company!

Sod them - set up on your own and let me know how you get on!

I should have been paid on 11 January, however no payment came through. No access to Parasol Portal, telephone, email, internet, web chat, no explanation or communication as to what is going on. Finally having contacted the agent several times, they feedback parasols has IT issues. Tonight I received a generic email from Parasol suggesting I can get a pay advance. NO, GIVE ME MY FULL WAGE. ALL PARASOL CHARGES MUST BE REFUNDED AS COMPENSATION FOR THE STRESS AND ANXIETY YOU CONTINUE TO CAUSE ESPECIALLY WHERE MY PERSONAL DATA MAY ALSO BE AT GREAT RISK. If this data breach is true I am sure a hefty fine and class action will follow.

Parasol systems have been down since last week - but they will have you believe that they have only been down for 24 hours - whenever you contact them. They have been paid by my agency since last week and have failed to forward payment to me. They have a history of not calling folks back, errors in their accounting and other sloppy practices. I will suggest you move away from these clowns as soon as you have the opportunity to. But for the fact that this moronic government forced us into IR35, I was running my company fine with a direct contact with an accountant. Avoid Parasol if you seriously can!!!!

Over 24hrs later still no update on when their system is going to be back up. Just checked the website and even the 'down for maintenance' message has been taken off the website and the employee login portal removed. We are yet again left in the dark on what is happening and when we might get paid. If it is a cyber attack wouldn't it be good to let us know so we can take the necessary measure to protect our personal information. Really not good enough Parasol, an absolute disgrace.

Not been paid, literally zero communication unless you try to contact them and they have no useful information to provide. They do not know, or do not divulge what is going on and whilst apologetic they are doing nothing but stating they have a systems ‘outage’ for days now and payments will be made when systems are back up. I was forced to use this company - avoid like the plague if you can.

I've been with Parasol for just over a year and this week I have not been paid. All of their computer systems are down and they are deluged with customer support calls, so I can't get through to them and have no idea when I will be paid. They have ONE JOB to do and they can't do it! Parasol were on the preferred list of umbrella companies from my agency, but I would not recommend them. Unfortunately I think I'm stuck with them until my next contract.

Having been forced to work through Parasol and coming to the end of my contract I find their entire company has suddenly suffered some kind of IT outage which means they can’t pay me and can’t issue my P45. How are these thieves allowed to trade, let alone be on a preferred suppliers list for Harvey Nash? This is a disgrace and they have broken their contract with me and many other contractors.

The worst payroll company ever

ALL SYSTEMS ARE DOWN INCLUDING PAYROLL - WILL NOT BE RESOLVED UNTIL EARLY NEXT WEEK.

Not enough that we are living in an uncertain times, job, housing, etc with so many issues that I lost count and that can affect health, relationships, and so on but this company is making it a lot worse by having unreliable systems (that they are working on relentlessly) and when I asked them whether their system failure will affect payments the answer was we are not sure which means yes. So I have a pile of bills to pay and I am sitting in the dark whether I am going to be paid for my work or not. Contractors were forced to go inside IR35 and ever since the payments became a lot more complicated with weak links sitting in the middle. I would avoid Parasol unfortunately is too late and I have manage this somehow. Look for a different umbrella if you can because it is completely unacceptable to behave like this when there are hundreds or thousands of people financially dependent on them. Irresponsible and negligent. Update: This afternoon I contacted Employee Support using their chat and it was quite quick. Finally I got an honest answer from Lydia Coburn that until the systems are not back they won't be able to do any payments. At least that clears up some of the issues. Still not happy.

For the second month in a row I have not been paid by this Umbrella. Utterly appalling. Today they left me a message from a restricted ID number to state they have issues and cannot confirm when I will be paid at all. I would never recommend Parasol they are appalling.

I had to chase my payment almost every week for 3 months then decided to leave, nothing but stress-stay away and don't trust those fake trust-pilot reviews.

Switched to Parasol after having issues accessing my online payslips with Giant. First pay run was messed up and had to spend some time on hold while they did what they had already been paid to do. Would have switched back immediately but agency said constant switching was a pain for HR. I should have insisted over the 4 months I've had to call at least 4 times to actually prompt them to pay me or ask my I hadn't been paid by 3pm Friday. The parasol employees to be fair to them were all pleasant and helpful but the organisation socks.

Awful - They Won't Pay You Awful, just awful. Recently finished a contract with Parasol at the end of September, working inside IR35. Invoice submitted on 30/09, we're now into November and they haven't paid. I'm owed about £7000. The client (who I know personally & trust, having worked for them several times before, without issue) have provided Parasol with the banking transaction number - thereby proving payment, but still they're claiming they haven't received anything. It's disgraceful, really. Borderline criminal. When you phone up you're just passed from pillar to post, are promised call backs that don't happen and it's clear that they're more than happy to hold on to your money. It all feels very underhanded, to be honest. I literally have no trust in this outfit whatsoever. My advice - avoid this outfit and go with someone reputable. I suspect that all of the 5 star reviews are paid for shill reviews. It's clear to see from Parasol's trust pilot rankings that they are very close to the bottom of the list. I'll give it till the end of the week and if I haven't received payment by then, I'll be complaining to the regulatory bodies, engaging ACAS and seeking independent legal advice. It'll most likely be a pyrrhic victory - given the costs of taking them to court - but I will be taking it forward & will hopefully be able to persuade the courts to award costs. Have been a contractor for a long time and never been faced with a situation like this before. Learn from my mistakes and choose someone else, please.

I have been with Parasol six months or so and in that time they have screwed up expense claims (weeks late), pension payments (over £20k in a black hole somewhere) and payroll (two months in one payslip and incorrect payment). Getting answers from them is almost impossible. Considering ombudsman/legal advice. Avoid these people like the plague.

I was surprised to see some poor reviews as thus has not been my experience. I was with the Umbrella company before and it was a dreadful experience. I changed and went to Parasol. Really helpful, courteous and responsive. Big shout to Wayne and to Carl Leicester - absolutely brilliant service. Just a shame I won't ve with the comany fir long.

Don't use this company - I'm in shock at the amount of money I received after costs were deducted. I was made to believe I would only be charged £28 a week by parasol and then I find out there were other costs. please don't use them.

Hi all, I've had a very poor customer experience with Parasol as an umbrella (and also ClearSky, their accounting package). My takehome was poor, customer service was a litany of broken promises and they managed (somehow) to tax me twice in the same month. Make your minds up, but there are options out there

I joined Parasol over a month ago and have to say that they are the worst umbrella company that i have ever come accross, more so then giant, orange genie, JSA and the other FCSA umbrellas. I was put through a process of confirming I was out of SDC. I filled in a form and it went back and forth for over a month and in the end nothing moved forward despite Parasol confirming I fell out of SDC. If you fill in a timesheet and make a mistake in any way, to resolve the mistake you will be stuck on call after call and they still won't help and keep fobbing you off. They take nearly an hour to answer calls. When they don't know the answer to your question then add a further 15 minutes waiting on hold for them to get back to you. If you are asked to chose Parasol and have no other choice then just leave the job as your mental health and stress levels will lead you to an early passing.

Avoid

Extremely slow to do anything. Cant get through on phone, you email 1 department it takes 2 days to get a response telling you to contact another department that then takes 2 days to respond if you're lucky. With IR35 rule changes they seem to have taken on too many contractors for the staff they have, will be looking elsewhere at contract renewal time.

Parasol was very efficient at getting me set up as one of their contractors. I moved to them because they seemed to offer more flexibility around pension contributions. Unfortunately, their service comes to a grinding halt after they have signed you on. Of the 12 timesheets I have submitted since joining them, 8 have been incorrectly processed (I have been short-changed on all of them). Despite numerous phone calls, emails, and letters sent to them, I have had no engagement in resolving the issues - not even a response. I am now resorting to the services of the Financial Ombudsman. I would avoid using this company at all costs.

::::: AVOID :::: Extremely poor service for what they charge. To name few issues - Messed up deductions (incl. pensions contributions) and they don't put the money into your pension unless you remind them multiple times. Every time you get on a call (or their new chat feature), it takes minimum 35 to 45 minutes to speak with someone on the other end. Issues are never ending and no hope for improvement. ::::: AVOID ::::

They are completely incompetent. They messed up setting up my pension contributions. They deducted Employer's NI even when I was drawing minimum wage. They won't answer e-mails at all. I have given notice.

Parasol has provided payroll (umbrella) services for me for three weeks, they pay quickly and on time but, despite being on a daily rate, the pay I receive differs by hundreds of pounds from one week to the next without reason. I genuinely think they have no idea how to run payroll.

AVIOD. They do not answer calls. I am going to contact the Director and tell him about themselves!! They have caused me serious problems by telling my current employer that I still work for them and have issued an incorrect P45 which my new employer will not accept!!

I have been with Parasol for 4 years and normally their customer service and process of subitting tiesheets etc was great. but in the last couple of months they have NOT been responding to my calls, they have NOT sent an invoice TWICE - i have missed my rent payment because of them , there was no apology, no-one is coming back on emails. I am trying to get in touch with someone for an hour - on their new chat system - its outrageous. I am not sure what is going on - are they going under or something? proper Downhill!!

So pathetic service that it takes ages to speak with someone on the phone, email responses takes a long time with very little or irrelevant information prologing the time to resolve issues. I am on their premium service and if they are offering this kind of service paying extra, I can't imagine how their normal service is like. ::AVOID::::AVOID::::AVOID::::AVOID::::AVOID::

It never ceases to amaze me how poor the service is from Parasol, they cannot answer the phone, take a long time to respond to e mails - and usually the response is generic ie irrelevant. I wish I had not chosen them.

AVOID AVOID AVOID!!!!!

I joined Parasol recently and extremely disappointed from services. No reply to emails, no support. I suggest to stay away from it.

Once you registered with them, that's it you're on your own! They won't reply to any emails you sent or they won't sort anything for you, no follow up, nothing! Don't waste time, imagine this is just a start, think about what it comes to when they will have pay you!

Awful and arrogant response when asked for clarifications. Their service is expensive compared to some of the other similar companies, but calculations/deductions are shown as lump sum with out much details. I will be moving away from them very soon.

Received quote, their fees are expensive. Employers fees lumped into one line item on illustration. It's not very clear where my money is going. Glad I checked this site, bad reviews, not great, i wont be using this umbrella,

Nothing works. could not even create timesheet to get paid!!!!!!

Avoid this place like the plague

Met all Furlough criteria but did not pay or offer any assistance when needed did not step up when needed but stepped up to take their commison. Money grabbers

Looking for new umbrella and been told by Parasol they are still participating in furlough (January 2021) and also made pay up to 100%. Find this incredible if true.

Worked through lock down until October. Was still on books in November. Was told that I wasn’t entitled to JRS as Covid wasn’t explicitly mentioned in the termination of my contract with the end client! Made up criteria by Parasol. Not happy.

So angry, frustrated and let down. I've been with Parasol for 4 years and working all through lockdown until September. I was told I didn't qualify for the new JRS and advised to resign to claim UC mid October - if I hadn't of taken that advice I would qualify for furlough. I still qualify under the guidelines for re-hire and furlough... after getting differing reasons - first I don't qualify for re-hire, then finally admit that I do after I spoke with HMRC, but now say they are not implementing re-hire... why aren't you adopting re-hiring and furlough? Website states proudly: "Our dedication to always doing what’s right, not what’s easy, is something we’re proud of". Except when you don't. @parasolgroup @OptionisGroup

Worked for 2 years on same client but due to way contract extensions work, they said I wasn’t eligible for furlough. Avoid them.

Was told by Parasol that I met all criteria except I had 2 weeks left on my contract instead of 3. This they said meant I was not entitled to any furlough pay. It now seems that this rule was made up by the company and was not created by HMRC. Completely let down by them, it seems they made no effort to help. I was told by the organisation I was working for that the contract would have been extended so If by any chance I resume working in my previous role I'll make sure to look for an alternative umbrella company, and I hope others do the same. Parasol's loss for not doing the right thing.

I just hope Parasol are not being this strict with their guidelines so they can claim furlough on our behalf and keep the money for themselves. AVOID!!!!!

I've used Parasol on and off for 8 years. I was in a long term booking from September 2019 due to end May 2020. I took some time off on 5th March with the intention of going back a few weeks after to the end client as a perm role was getting drafted out. Then everything happened. Now they're I'm not entitled because I left 2 weeks before lockdown. Very poor communication from them and very unfair how this has been handled. I will not be using them again.

Will not furlough as I was not on active contract at the relevant date

Paid me fairly in the end. Always had great communication with them until now. Obviously this scheme was launched quickly and information has been hard to get a hold of. Looks like they are putting the effort in now. Please just keep trying with them. Think now they have all the info and updates they are genuinely trying to help. Spoke to them over a few queries during lockdown with a lot of confusing answers. Ended up chatting to a young sounding guy called Tom, polite, professional and very empathic. Good on you Tom. After the CEO update went out there was more clarity from all at Parasol.

said i am not entitled to JRS, checked on HMRC's website and i am. i have just resigned from them and will be taking my business somewhere else

Disgraceful behaviour from this umbrella no communication for weeks then conflicting emails saying that I am not entitled then say I am then another saying I am not again resigned will never touch another umbrella in my life total jokers

After 12 weeks of emails and calls they paid 3 weeks furlough backdated from march. Still only umbrella stopping full 12 weeks furlough even when work has been stopped because of CV19 and no work since. What about the other 9 weeks I’ve had no work due to contract ending and no work because of covid? They want people to think they are helping and give up when their aim is till to help as little as possible. They need to look at what other umbrella companies are doing. They know they can do it but they won’t.

Had to do the dance and jump through hoops for eight weeks every member of staff gave completely wrong advice. Advised me to resign and go for UC even though I’m not eligible. Was furloughed last week with a promise of money in bank by Frosay, but didn’t happen after a weekend of wondering finally got paid today...... it’s been difficult.... don’t know how they’ve calculated it and no explanation either...

Ignore emails when asking for an update on an ongoing complaint and don't call back when they say they will. Will not be using this Umbrella company again.

Parasol did help me out and spoke to my end client to get a would have been extention date because my contract ended, i'm now getting furlough payments and all backdated.

I have now received full £2,500 (taxable) furlough payment. I am very disappointed at the way they have handled this but the first payment is in my bank account.

It’s been a long process but I’ve finally been paid my furlough money by Parasol. I waited for weeks like everybody else and was told a few weeks ago that I wasn’t eligible as my contract was due to finish at the end of March. However I persisted and with an email from my previous client (To say I would have been extended if not for Covid 19) payment was agreed. If you are in the same position go back to Parasol even if you have been rejected as I was first time around. Good luck !

I am one of the lucky ones and really feel for anyone (and there seem to be plenty), who have fallen through the cracks. I can imaging how stressful it is for you at the moment!

I the their comma are terrible; they sent me an email saying I didn’t qualify but after that they are not answering my emails. They have been updating a blog post on their website from their CEO but no emails.

I qualify for furlough but received an email stating I don't. Parasol have fabricated rules making it impossible for freelancers to get any compensation for loosing their jobs due to covid 19. Sneaky money grabbing lizards.

After fulfilling all the criteria on government website and parasols own eligibility guidelines it appears as though I should get the money. My assignment was due to start 17th March and be rolling until at least mid June. The state that the assignment didn’t start so wasn’t live, this is appalling it was only ever cancelled because of COVID 19. Had to constantly chase and fill in forms. Hot proof of assignment termination from recruiter. They are just pulling any little thing the can to prevent payment. I think I have been treated totally unfairly as I follow the HMRC guidelines. Feeling stressed and anxious but not about to let this go.

Parasol like most Umbrellas have been awful. Basically lying and making it up as they go along. My experience is I believe similar to many. Been told they will not furlough me because the assignment was not terminated specifically due to covid-19. Meet all of the other critieria made up by Parasol and all set by the government. Can’t provide me with a new assignment due to covid-19 as nobody is hiring. One time told it may be best to resign and claim universal. credit. I use umbrella only due to IR35. Will try desperately never to Sue one again. I think also we should not forget the part the FCSA has played in covid-19. They are the body that represents they umbrella’s and they have been a awful and a complete waste of time. Don’t expect them to direct their members on what to do but to not even be willing to provide advice e.g. having taken legal advice we suggest members furlough the following employees, is disgusting. I suggest where possible all contractors boycott Umbrellas.

Refused to include me because the assignment that was cancelled had less than 3 weeks to run. I had received an extension and signed it but they refused to consider future contracts that had not been 'Confirmed'. Friday 15th May they emailed me "it may be worth resigning from us so that we can provide a P45 to you".

I have had agency contracts with both Harvey Nash and Hays, using their preferred Umbrella companies Parasol and NASA. I have been on the PAYE payroll since 2018 using these Umbrella companies, and paid £40K in PAYE income tax over the past 2 years. My last assignment finished in December 2019 and I have actively been trying to find a new assignment since then. I have contacted both Umbrella companies but they refuse to Furlough my employment or submit my application for JRS. I have been emailing them for 7 weeks now but have been told that the HMRC guidelines are open to interpretation and that I do not meet their company policy eligibility criteria. I'm not a tax expert, but I do not understand how they can undermine the HMRC guidelines with their own company policy? How can this be fair? I have paid £40K into the PAYE tax system, but do not get the required support when it is needed the most? Do Umbrella workers actually have any employment rights? We desperately need HELP on this, as I am really worried about the prospect of finding any work in 2020, and working for an Umbrella company again if they DO NOT comply with the government guidelines issued. I believe these Umbrella companies are abusing the JRS scheme to their own benefit. This practice deliberately excludes umbrella employees from claiming the government help available. Personally, I feel totally let down and discriminated against, by the actions of these Umbrella companies.

Totally disgusted by Parasol.... SHAMEFUL BEHAVIOUR!!

Never using parasol again

Parasol are awful. It's a very stressful time in general but they have added to my stress. For over 7 weeks i have been trying to speak with them and when I did, I had rude staff shout at me to keep checking your emails or we are waiting on HMRC. When I emailed they never answered my questions just copy and paste the last email they sent to all employees. My contract was stopped due to Covid-19 on March 23rd and i havent had any furlough money, Its now 16th May. I qualify for furlough but I received an email stating I didnt. My agency contacted them and i sent another email explaining why i was entitled and the next day I received an email saying I'm entitled. Not sure how they didnt realise this to start with as they have ALL my details and the necessary information they need to furlough me on their system. I'm not holding my breath that I will get furlough money due to the lack of communication, support and help I have received. I guess as they are not making money from furloughing their employees they are trying to use every trick in the book to make as many people unsuccessful when they are in fact entitled to furlough. I hope they are investigated once this is all over as they have also made up their own criteria for furlough, which isnt in line with the HMRC criteria. I also found out the CEO has only been in his position for 9 months and has no experience in the industry. Well thanks Mr CEO for adding to my stress and allowing me to struggle financially.

I qualify for furlough according to HMRC guidance, but Parasol are stonewalling and telling me that I don't qualify for the scheme. Very unimpressed to have been paying PAYE tax and then get excluded for something for which I qualify by a third party who are happy to take their fees when the going is good, but then reveal their true colours when things aren't going so well. They told me I didn't qualify and that I should resign and claim Universal Credit! I keep chasing, they keep saying no, presumably safe in the knowledge that they won't be held to account by a regulator.

I've been employed by Parasol since last June. I was on a client assignment from June to December last year and then again all of March this year. I have been technically employed by Parasol the entire time, even when not on an active assignment, so I believe I should be eligible for furlough. They recently emailed saying that I am not eligible due to one or more of the following: 1. You were not payrolled by Parasol on or before 19th March 2020 2. The assignment was not terminated early due to COVID-19 3. You did not have three weeks or more left on the assignment prior to it being terminated (three weeks being the minimum term of a furlough). I emailed them off the back of this asking them where in the HMRC guidance are the three criteria above specifically covered, and they responded with: "Thank you for your email. ?The furlough scheme is designed by the government for people who cannot work due to COVID-19. ?I have included the link from the government website below for your reference. ?https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme" I initially had to chase them multiple times for updates on whether they were furloughing and the response each time was they were waiting for advice from HMRC. They've only been proactive in emailing saying I've been deemed not eligible due to the above reasons. I'm feeling annoyed as I've used Parasol multiple times, previously recommended them to friends, always found them very professional and responsive.

Freelance booking was due to be extended as I am on rolling contracts - such is the nature of freelance contracts. Have been an employee for over a year so I meet the requirement of 19th March, never had a gap in bookings. My booking wasn’t extended due to Covid 19. I have emails from end client and recruiter stating booking was going to be extended by at least 3 weeks but Parasol have just disregarded everything and refused furlough because they’re saying it wasn’t terminated due to Covid 19. Parasol are going to lose a lot of employees after this.

It is funny how Parasol suddenly can't take calls after sending furlough emails. First they send an email to enquire about eligibility followed by an email to give me ray of hope by stating in their email that I am eligible for it and that I have to send then back signed contract within 7 days for the process to start. Then the very next day received an email contradicting their email and told me so called Parasol policy that doesn't even comply with HMRC rules. I had to wait almost two hours on the phone to get hold of an employer support advisor named Natasha who made me more anxious angry, let down and intimidated as she clearly couldn't understand my point. I have even spoken to HMRC myself yesterday, explained my situation and they informed me that I 100% qualify for furlough. Parasol won’t furlough unless you had 3 weeks or more left on your contract and it was terminated early due to COVID. This is ridiculous because as per government guidelines for JRS, you have started a PAYE payroll scheme on or before 19 March 2020, enrolled for PAYE online and hold a UK bank account. Parasol has failed to comply with HMRC and made up their own rules which has caused immense chaos, unnecessary stress and anxiety. The other umbrellas who are furloughing employees have published their criteria on their websites and Parasol has not which makes me wonder if they are doing anything fishy under the carpet... Parasol has clearly failed to satisfy their clients in this current situation. MUCH DISAPPOINTED!

After waiting a while, I’ve been told that I’m going to be paid. I had to fill in an online form and apply. After filling form in, I hear back next day to hear it’s all approved. I should get first payment in next few days. In short, it took a while, but looks like it is going to get sorted.

Disgusted in the service from Parasol one of supposedly one of the ‘best’ umbrella companies. Added extra criteria to allow furlough deeming most not eligible but only by their criteria and not HMRC. Can’t get hold or anyone, no word from CEO, No updates on website and abusive attitude from customer care shouting at me down the phone! We pay for this and earn their living, it’s simply obscene. The government has created this scheme to help everyone and they should not be allowed to take away the right for much needed support. I’m sure if the shoe was on the other foot they would be seriously unhappy too. I expect little contractors left on their books after this crisis.

People Group Operations furloughed weeks ago as they didn't have the work "discretionary in their contracts. Parasol did not have the term "discretionary" in their contract. I called up the employment support team, who argued that although the contract doesn't contain the term "discretionary" because employees are only contracted to basic pay and anything on top is commission. He shouted down the phone and was very aggressive. Now they have clarification on the terminology, they have now included their own criteria regarding the "original assignment date". Many workers will not qualify for this. Parasol do not want to help the employees and should be ashamed at how much stress they have caused. I hope the CEO Doug Crawford, of Optionis Group (Parasol Parent Company) reviews this and does the right thing and help furlough their employers.

So disappointed with Parasol as have been with them for years and always championed them, this has completely changed my opinion of them. They claim they are following HMRC and FCSA guidelines but have implemented their own set of criteria to limit the number of people they furlough. Other umbrellas (also accredited by the FCSA) do not have Parasol's criteria and are furloughing all employees on the payroll on 19th March (government guidelines). Parasol won’t furlough unless you had 3 weeks or more left on your contract and it was terminated early due to COVID. I have worked for Parasol for years and all my contracts are short term, a few days to a week, other contractors are on rolling contracts. Where did these criteria come from they are not from HMRC? The other umbrellas who are furloughing employees have published their criteria on their websites and Parasol has not… a sure sign they know they are doing something dodgy. The last time I received an email from Parasol was 30th April! They still have not updated all their employees on their policy only the people who may be eligible (I imagine because they know there will be a lot of upset employees). I have had to call them regularly to get any updates. Terrible communication. Seem’s crazy business practices as this will lose them so many employees in the future. Feel so helpless, I pay taxes and am entitled to governmental help in this crisis but Parasol are creating barriers and refusing to help their employees, many of whom have been left with no income for over 2 months and counting.

From Parasol... We have used the guidance given by HMRC and worked with them and the FCSA to put a business decision / policy together. Within this, the three eligibility points that we have for furlough are: -The employee was employed and pay rolled on or before 19th March 2020 - The assignment was terminated due to Covid-19 and has not come to a natural end or been terminated for any other reason. - The assignment had 3 weeks or more left to run prior to it being terminated. Governemnet requirement ONLY -The employee was employed and pay rolled on or before 19th March 2020 PARASOL requirements (NOT LEGAL) - The assignment was terminated due to Covid-19 and has not come to a natural end or been terminated for any other reason. - The assignment had 3 weeks or more left to run prior to it being terminated These two PARASOL guidelines are stopping so many from receieving furlough even when they were on the payroll on the specified dates! Why not pay furlough, take a little hit and still have contractors after this??

Parasol added their own criteria to HMRC's guidance so many on weekly rolling contracts won't be eligible for the JRS. I hope that a senior member from Parasol's parent group, Optionis Group, realises the immoral attitude towards it's employees during this already stressful time and does the right thing to help financially furlough it's employees on the Government's JRS. I've spoken to many recruiters who have said that even before lockdown, they have been unimpressed with Parasol, and have said they are also keeping an eye on this situation for future references. If Parasol hope to keep employees and recruiters referrals in the future, I suggest that they need turn a corner and start taking responsibility in their approach and attitude towards both agencies and it's employees.

They have announced they are paying JRS but have amended the gov guidelines to add their own stipulation which limits most of their contractors from being eligible. Knowing many contractors work on short contracts or rolling contracts extended weekly especially early this year because of CV19 and IR35 they have purposely chosen to make sure they won’t support. HMRC says we are eligible. Payroll says we are eligible! Nobody to get through to at parasol, you get blocked from going higher than customer support. No Communication and won’t change their stance. A Disgrace! Happy to provide emails and evidence if needed.

Waited for 7 weeks to get any kind of update - kept saying they were waiting for update from HMRC. Then find out they have added their own stipulations to avoid making payment. My current assignment finished on 20th March but it was impossible to secure work as I am in the events industry. I joined them in Jan and worked full time up to 20th March. Now I'm in a position where I have missed out on benifit for 7 weeks and I'm still reluctant to resign as I am hoping that they will do the morally right thing and look after their staff. They will lose alot of staff who won't return!

Absolutely shocking, they just fob off their employees with the line “we are waiting for legalisation” basically they are just refusing to furlough any of there employees, which should be illegal

Parasol's communication has been very poor from the outset, their approach has been to say little to nothing (so far from proactive). Only one email received to date, which was weeks ago which said that they await guidance and will communicate further (nothing further then received). Whenever I have called or emailed with clear questions, they are never answered (as to be fair the call handlers don't have the answers or have been instructed to be vague). I have called 6 times (got through 4 times and couldn't 2) so followed up with email twice. The decent thing to do would have been to arrange payment through the JSR on the MLW pending further clarification, rather than letting people go without any information or income for this period. At the point of writing this, I have been told an update is due to be emailed today with a link to a questionnaire. The answers from this questionnaire will then be used to identify who is eligible and who isn't. Honestly, this is ridiculous! All of the information they need to identify whether people are or are not eligible will be freely available to them within the employment files. I will actively discourage anyone from using Parasol in the future.