Why Scott Foreman switched Umbrella providers

Steven Cheeseman

Marketing Manager

Monday 10th Feb, 2020

Related article - Maggie Darling's first steps into contracting

Deciding to become a contractor can be nerve-wracking. Find out how Maggie managed it, as well as how PayStream were able to help her start her journey.

Maggie, originally from Canada, works in marketing and events. She recently decided to enter the world of contracting and found that her role fell inside IR35 meaning she had the choice of agency payroll or an umbrella company.

We recently sat down with one of our umbrella employees to find out what influenced his decision to switch over to PayStream’s My Max umbrella service over the other options that were available to him.

Contractors looking to work through an umbrella company have hundreds of different options to choose from. And you’ll probably find that every umbrella company says that they offer the best service and are the best in the market making it even more difficult to decide who to go with. So we don’t want you to take it from us, as we may be a little biased, instead we asked one of our contractors - Scott Foreman - for his opinion on our umbrella company service.

Scott works in the banking sector as a Quality Control Analyst and has found himself falling inside the IR35 legislation. Initially, he started his contracting career with a different umbrella provider but later decided to switch over to PayStream’s My Max service. We asked him what factors influenced his decision, and why he chose to move to PayStream over the other companies that he could have chosen.

"I feel like I'm a part of something at PayStream, whereas before I was just one of the many, many employees under their payroll."

1. What was it like contacting PayStream for the first time?

I spoke to one of the New Business Advisors at PayStream about it all. She ran me through what the benefits of joining PayStream were, and basically gave me a step-by-step guide of how to do it. She sent me an illustration of what I would be getting, so there were no hidden costs or charges, all cards were open and on the table.

2. How would you rate PayStream’s customer service?

The service is excellent. Every time I ring up I get through straight away. I'm able to speak to someone and if worst comes to worst and they can't answer my query, they'll ring me back when they say they're going to ring me back, which is excellent. Their customer service is spot-on.

3. What does PayStream offer that other umbrella companies don’t?

I feel like I'm a part of something at PayStream, whereas before I was just one of the many, many employees under their payroll. It's nice to feel welcomed, it definitely makes me more comfortable and I feel that I can ask stuff if needed.

4. Would you recommend PayStream to other contractors?

I would recommend to everyone who is going to go contracting to definitely check PayStream out. I did obviously shop about before I switched to PayStream, and if you want the best value for money with a good level of service to go with it, I would highly recommend PayStream.

Scott had plenty more to say about the world of umbrella contracting and the different options available to people in his position. If you’re interested, you can read his full case study right here.

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