Associates

History
As an IT professional, you are probably tired of everyone asking for your help, I know that I was and this is why I created FCA. It started one night when someone telephoned me in the middle of my favourite television program. They had heard from a friend at school that I was good with computers and that I had fixed their Dad's for him. Normally I like to be helpful to people but this one was the last straw, I told this lad that I charged for my services and he hung up so quickly that I thought the phone was on fire. However, from that same repair that I did, I received a call from a local barrister asking me to quote for some work that he needed doing in Chambers. I have never looked back, since starting FCA I have developed a small but loyal client base who are happy to pay for the small amounts of work I do for them and I am now only doing freebies for close friends. The result of this is that I get far more time for myself and a little extra money in my pocket, the few clients that I have get a very good deal as well.

What is an Associate?
All associates are effectively self employed although currently all of them (including myself) also have full time careers in IT. Each associate is responsible for building up their own client base although any potential new clients contacting FCA directly from their area will be passed on to them.
The idea behind the association is that whilst each member has their own clients, they and their clients have the backup of a larger organisation. This means that if you are a member with a question that is outside of your particular area of expertise, you can call on other members of the association for support. Also, your clients can still get assistance if you are snowboarding in the desert or if you get hit by the proverbial bus.
In order to achieve this, we have a common client list and a centralised (web-based) source code library that is available to all associates. The key to the success of FCA is honesty with the clients and trust between the members. In the event of a breach of this trust or deliberate dishonesty with the client, the offending associate will be removed from the association and the entire client list will be requested not to deal with that person again.

Complaints from clients
In the event that a client complains about an associate to FCA, their performance as an associate will be judged according to the rest of their client base and not by the one that complains. The associate will also be given a chance to explain the situation themselves. If the majority of the associate's clients are happy with them and FCA then that is what matters to us. In the days before I started FCA, I had a client myself who got a lot more than his money's worth out me and who then still complained about me to other people so I am very aware that it is possible to get the odd bad client. Also, due to the way in which FCA is constructed, it is possible for the odd cowboy to creep into FCA. Because of this, any complaints will be taken seriously and clients should feel free to contact FCA in the event that they feel that an associate has deliberately lied to them.

Depending on the nature and severity of a complaint, there are several possible outcomes. In all cases both the client and the associate will be informed of the decision reached and the reasons behind it:

1.	Genuine misunderstanding	no action will be taken although we hope that the associate will attempt to make good where possible and appropriate.
2	Bad working practice by associate	a warning will be given to the associate who should then make good where possible (This includes a "3 strikes and you're out" principle in the event that an associate receives 3 warnings in any 2 year period)
3	Deliberate misrepresentation by associate	the associate will be removed from the association and the entire client list will be requested not to deal with that associate again. In addition to this, FCA will attempt to make good if possible and appropriate.
4.	Bad client	the client will be removed from the FCA client list and will not be dealt with again.

How to become an associate
If you like the look of FCA and agree to work within the framework laid out above then please contact us stating your address and credentials (a resumé or CV in word or RTF format would be great if you have one). There is no charge for the services offered by FCA, we work on the basis of helping each other out as a loose conglomerate and that anything that helps FCA helps every member. In the unlikely event of multiple requests to join the association from one geographical location, existing associates will be consulted prior to acceptance of your application.