Alright. Lets get a little humor and truth because this trade. It sure doesn't give workers many smiles, and now not even the reward in the wallet. I know why so many of the good, nice do-anything-for-a-customer are all gone. They have at least move away from the front line...or even just in-house. The days of finish8ing a job on one truck roll, getting paid for selling services or upgrades are gone, so are the daysa of really getting paid for EVERYTHING you do. More the time, get money taken, that you cannot recover, on screw-ups with work orders, with the fact your stacked SOO much in every window, you could be superhero, because you need to not only move at light speed, but teleport to the next job. If you stop to piss, you can blow the rest of your day. No wonder guys snap on the customer who wants to check every every cahnnel on every outlet. To be honest, it is every customer’s right. Though, I never do it when I am on the other side of the coin, but you wouldn’t by a car just by looking at a tire. Though, the stress has gone through the roof to be able to be that super hero, in order to try and cover your rent, and hope the company doesn’t find out you lapsed on your insurance until after next paycheck. It is more and more like living paycheck-to-the-next five paychecks to paychecks. Sometimes, it seems like the process to make the check costs more money than the amount that is on it. It really has put things in a bad way from a customer stand-point. They called to order service. They want, what they want – because they ordered it. They just want it done, and the one’s that don’t want to bargain with, the ones that will not reschedule, the ones that demand to speak to someone with some authority, those are the ones you can tell the moment they open the door. You know not only the job is a bitch, but maybe, if your lucky, they will watch you do EVERYTHING. They will stand so close to you, you can hear their nose hair whistling. Those are the ones, I hope win the good fight. There is no power in installers. We can tell them until we are blue in the face. In the end, we are just a tech number, and percentages. The ones screaming at yelling on the phone to a supervisor, I sometimes stop and listen to what the customer is saying. Because, when the customer calls a supervisor a “**** all” for screwing up the order, you can have a nice chuckle and still keep about your business. There are joys in the cable trade, it just is the little joys that were once from my in-house days have just started to trickle over into contracting. Door tags. OH, these are great when you get a work order, no matter what it says, you already KNOW it is not going to get done, much less attempted. The “call to meets” jobs, are sweet too. When you hope there is a traffic jam wherever they are, so you can slip out due to a no-show. All the while you survey that the job would take 3 men, a bucket truck, and a hope and a prayer to finish in the time frame. The old, “drive by” trick on a customer with a full install and no phone number, and you know you’ll just be back out to disco them next billing cycle. Then the old “tip toe” doortag – just tip-toe up on the property, and slip a door tag as quietly as you can without the customer, who you know is very well there. There is jobs you know you can just ditch.
See? These things, are just horrid. I hated doing them. It pissed me off in the big cycle of things that you can get paid equal amount whatever I did the job, or didn’t. Getting paid by the hour, has it’s downfalls once, that has been established, or when your up to your knees in a job, and the in-house company training tape has no effect on boosting your morale. So, contracting was a good thing. Going with a firm that paid that way, but provided company trucks and gas…made it a cream dream. It made me work, for a big company I truly enjoyed, (while working in-house already knew I was screwed, my boss was a moron and pissed in his corn flakes. ) I busted my ass and it paid. Paid well, and no need for anything other than me, everything was taken care of. Now, years later, after leaving, (the way it was there soon changed drastically.) Being “out on my own” really puts the meaning of “they pay you enough to live, not to leave.” Into new light. Though, I want to pull my old in-house techniques because it just doesn't pay to end up doing the job, than take it, and got to the next one and hope for gravy. It really, really sucks.
However, my purpose was to entertain, and get my mind off finishing my 12-2 at 7:30 just to have rain and dark get between me and my money (Who do they think they are?)
I just hate the horrid way things have gotten, when nobody pays, everybody really looses. Well, except if you own a yacht, because I help buy it. I wonder how many things I have helps the fat cats buy. I can show you a wrapper from a sandwich working today help me buy…rather help me waste more money, and not be at home for a real meal.
Something gotta give. We don't even get the bit of praise. Nobody that is telling you you need to meet these numbers, or do this job...is out there. I invite them all to go out and ride with me, takje the job along, and we will see together, why my day is too full, oh, and for that day, you get paid like how I do. Let's see who is who now.
So, yeah, let’s find out about how late it was you worked, or how later a time frame was, or a good company you worked for, or a stupid boss. I know when can just talk about everything else, but man, when it is just you at the job, and let’s just even talk about the feeling of elation of a doortag when it is just pouring buckets..
Whether union or not, we are all on some level.. United.
Off to have a quick drink, early day everyday. I just hate having to catch life when I can, because soo many bills, and so little money.
Take care, Dawgs. Good to know y’all are out here, fighting the good fight, one by one towards getting off at 5pm with a pocket full of money…will they ever come again? And I wonder….
Just my take, on the cable life.
Member #: 37806
Registered: 5/1/2005
Posted:
71
Name:
XYZ
Company:
XYZ
Occupation:
Headend/Business/Upgrade/Retent. Project Manager
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