Don't blame everything on. There are more than enough people who need to share it. Starting with the programmers!! With about 70% of every basic customers bill going straight to the programmers just for the service. On top of that add payroll insurance and other overhead, there is no wonder these cable companies are going under. I own a contracting company and have been hurt by this as much as anyone, but I also have been a GM, a tech ops director in a corp office and many other positions on the operations side. I see their side but my heart is where my wallet is, with the contractors pay.
I also understand that the guys out there doing the work are what makes my company successful. I get out there with them as much as I can and all the managers that work for me are "working managers". Our guys have to know how much we appreciate them and want them to make money, even if it cuts into my profits.
Yes these larger MSOs are putting the screws to us by letting the suits in a corp office that have not been in the field for 20 years make decisions on who they will or will not use. And taking all of the power away from the local offices on who they want to work there is a bunch of crap.
And as far as working for the small MSOs or the Mom and Pop companies, thats getting to be just as tough. Because in an effort to save money they will let any former dish installer with an insurance certificate contract directly for them for about half the price they would pay a real contractor. Then force the local offices to load up the hacks with the work to get it done cheaper. And instead of realizing after a year that they are getting what they pay for, they budget less the following year and it screws us out of putting good quality cable guys to work. It has taken VOIP launches here to make them realize they need to send these Gilligans back to doing dish installs where they can get away with doing slop.
These guys that get on here and ask questions like "how much should I bill for drop buries?", if you do not know, stay out! No offense, but if you are not in touch with the pricing you do not know enough about doing the job. When I am approached to bid on something I am unsure of current pricing, I will either walk away or find a great quality sub with much experience in doing that. Then I get a bid from him and add my share to it. This is the only way to make sure the MSOs pay quality prices and a good cabledawg gets paid. Keeping the hacks out may be the most important step in keeping our prices up.
Re: The Industry
Member #: 33592
Registered: 10/3/2004
Posted:
14
Name:
Ray
Company:
Integrity Communications
Occupation:
Owner
Location:
Missouri
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