It sounds like you are working in my home town with the squirrels. We had to fight them off the pole in order to work and they all looked like they were on steroids. Any how, once you brake out the coring tool you are no longer doing mod swaps.
It seems like every company out there tries to get you in the door and add to the scope of work once you are there. That is why I always get everything in black and white. We all need to stand up and quit doing work for free or we are all going to starve.
A few weeks ago I sent several crews to a project that was to be splicing composite. Once we got there it was splicing composite, workout of old plant for free, ingress test of drops for free, drop swaps for free with new fittings and weather boots, and any thing else they could think of for free.
We talked with them and they refused to pay for the extras so we hit the road that day. Other crews stayed and are going broke by the day. Had every one pulled back and refused the free work we would have all been in a better place.
We are not goodwill cable crews doing a free service to the cable companies out here. They would not offer free pay per views to there customers just because they want them for free because they have cable already.
I know it is hard to get work as a little guy when all of the big boys are offering every thing for free to run all the little guys out of business or force them to work under them. It is time we all band together and work as a force and set the industry standard.
We can’t keep working for the three big brokers out there any more who claim to be the largest force with big companies but have all subs that they can walk over and feed crumbs. We need to team up the little guys with our true in-house crews and become a force to be dealt with.
Ok back down off my soap box LOL.
