My company was brought to work for Mastec after the Florida devastation from the hurricanes-I posted an ad being told that the gig would last up to 6 months. I accumulated 30 some odd techs from across the county-traveling on a promise that there were many many rebuilds/reinstalls. True, a lot of the dishes looked like the homes they belonged to; sent through a garbage compactor. (I kept some pieces left over just for reference to what we really dealt with, have you ever seen a mast torn in half right in the middle? very wild)
However, around day 3 of restoration, the problems proved themselves. "Every job was a 'service call'" this paid very little for the drive. "service calls" had to be personally approved from the main outfit for each city we worked in to grant us the RE-INSTALATION, which was most of the work at least-equaling the money the work deserved. Well-the reinstallation required an approval code; which-in turn- had to be granted from DTV (says Mastec). MOST were turned down, even after being told on several occasions from the head personnel that it would be given, only to find out the next day that they had changed their minds on the proposition.
So, here we have 30 some odd good technicians, traveling from home far away-getting service call wages for re-installing Mrs. Jones' dish with nowhere else to go because they already saturated their bank account just getting there and paying for gas.
Being dedicated to this business means working for the customer-remember-these people in Florida had been weeks without television-a tech just can't walk away from the door without fixing the problem if he or she is conscience minded.
I will add that 85 miles aint ----, these people were working 10 to 15 calls a day each within each Neilson DMA-6 AM to late night.
These guys and 1 gal were moving, I mean REALLY 'rockin and rollin'. Did a HELL of a job too. Good People like I have ever found.
We were screwed from the beginning, we were told that the saturation would be around 75% re installs, which was the plain truth, though almost never paid.
As contractors, we were considered thieves, as quoted from the guy that runs the Orlando outfit. He thought the only honest people were the ones actually gullible enough to work in house, while I have seen better toothed Circus Carnies that could probably do a better job, my opinion of course.
So they got us back for even being there and accomplishing what other people were rewarded for. Keep in mind we were ASKED to be the help.
Fines;
1st late= $50
2nd +100
3rd (and three strikes and you are out,) a pleasant $200
Kind of a high price to pay when you are doing so much volume for a good cause, even if you are on a $30 service call.
These fines are a result of the lack of support from Mastec, no support for the contractors to call in completions except for ONE nice and VERY busy lady appropriated to us-way out of her or anyone’s abilities. Luckily-there was a husband and wife team present that came out-so I dedicated her dispatch-she did the calling, phone in each ear, out of my pocket paid to her. (I hope that wherever she is she continues her new forced to find talent.)
The last guy that wrote in really hammered that nail-calling completions is a joke;
Imagine calling a customer at 4:05 PM-politely stating that you will arrive after 5(deadline). The next 55 minutes you spend on your cell phone holding and hoping for someone to tell, so that they don’t fine your hard working butt. You don't get through? Cha Ching rings Mastecs profit margin.
We did the best we could to work with the impossible, seven days a week.
Next, there is ONE person in charge of billing for the WHOLE of Florida where Mastec operates. The 1st, 2nd and third payments were at least TEN GRAND short. Ask me why I lost installers. (I think it is a given.) The paperwork was turned in every day at around 6 am. There were NEVER any REAL or legal manifests of exactly WHAT customer was being paid for when we finally did receive income, nor any explanation detailing exactly what was purchased from their equipment till or explanation/chance to fix charge backs. On one occasion one installer was asked to sign a release for around $1200 in equipment missing-but with a phone call they realized that they goofed their paperwork and that is was an in-house problem-without an apology the call was over.
At the last of the jobs end, we were sent to Miami and Fort Meyers. The customers were mostly back to reception in this area and we were asked to stay anyway. The last week we did many new installations, while the people most in need from the disaster (still over 12,000 at the time on the East Coast) were in another area manager’s district. We were always being told that we would be sent to the East coast to help, but we were then suddenly told to go pack our bags simply because the problems were all under apparent report that all is well-probably after me more than obviously rocked the money boat being in the hole.
A handful of contractors were actually called by Mastec to work in the other half of Florida and states and stayed for many more weeks fixing what we were supposed to be there for in the first place. Go figure
The more I think about it-it was a numbers game. The man in charge of the Gulf Coast region was relatively new to this company (only several weeks in), he probably needed the credit for what we pulled through-seeing that we were told from VIP that I had summoned the largest contract group in their companies history-and in a rush too. Instead-I received after the fact;
Many pissed off subs
A VERY HUGE and bludgeoned reputation
I still am owed well more that $30 grand because, in an excuse letter to me, I mentioned to word "Lawyer". They will not validate any particular REAL reason that this money is over 2 months due. Betchya I will never see it.
Want to work for Mastec Advanced Technologies? better think twice and if it is your last choice-go sling slurpies. This isn't half the story, thought I was long winded enough to make a point.
I am embarrassed for the people I hired to go to work. I cannot pay them what they are due. There are NO excuses for such unprofessional behavior to this degree.
I HOPE that Mastec Advanced Technologies gets yanked from the DTV circuit; if it is more than a rumor then maybe DTV does not have such a blind eye after all.
Thanks. Burnt.
IP: Address Logged 1/8/2005 10:32:04 AM
I have been contracting for Mastec for over a year now. I can not speak for all Mastec offices but my local office is not loyal and does not care for contractors. They run you all over the place even as far as 85 miles to your first install. You will be heavily burdened with service calls. When on a service call YOU are responsible for bringing that job up to DTV standards even if it means a whole new install. For the same price as a service call. You are expected to run phone lines to every receiver for no charge. The rates are not that good either. Now granted you WILL GET PAID. They will charge you back on an install in a heartbeat. They will do the same on a service call as well. When you go and do a dish upgrade for locals, you are expected to bring that job up to the same standards as a new install for the same price. If you are an in house tech you will run more local. As Mastec does not want to spend the money on gas. Why should they if they can get a contractor to do it? As a contractor you are expected to be an "employee" but with none of the benefits. You have to attend every meeting if you are 1 minute late they write you up. You have to fill out 5-6 additional sheets of paper for every job. You have to close every job with a call center in Texas which is a JOKE. You will be on hold for 15-30 minutes everytime. If you don't get the job closed for whatever reason you will be charged back. If you go to a job and you need to change the work order, you have to call your local office and make the change their and wait until it gets changed in the computer until you are able to close it. As for a contractor you get no support from your office. If a customer says you damaged something at their home, Mastec pays what the customer want's without your knowledge and then gives it to you in the form of a chargeback. Whether it was your fault or not. I could go on and on but I am getting mad.
