I was a tech with Brewster and Assoc, for quite sometime in New Orleans. I had quit about 6 months prior to Katrina (everybody who lived in south LA or MS life will forever be divided into post and pre-Katrina) when they were going from 60/25 installs to about $13.00/hr with a van. (I know many of you remember) After Katrina I did a little cable/DSS work then changed careers and no longer called Louisiana home, BUT...
I have been back in NOLA (New Orleans, LA) to help some friends and family who have stayed, I was surprised to see that Brewster was now doing much of their work through the use of contractors. For the last 6 mos or so I have been doing installs again for B&A (Brewster and Assoc), and I would like to inform everyone of why I will again be leaving this field and hopefully for good this time.
Before we made $135/4 box install + all supplies were provided + they provided insurance + they paid their half of Social Security Insurance about 7.5%. Now we make about $115 for the same install, but we pay for all supplies + we pay for our own insurance + we pay the full 15% self-employment taxes. On average we are talking about a $50-$65/install less, but consider this they are paying more because the contractor takes his share. So they are paying more and we are getting less, and the install suck worse than any I have ever seen.
I know this is getting long, so let me tell you my experiences. 1st let me say that I would gladly face any of the subscribers which I installed, I did solid installs and I will not have service calls, BUT they did not meet DTV standards usually. You tell me you want phone lines, but then expect me to pay for the $.25 phone splitter (are you out of your freakn mind). You want me to run 4 lines to the ground block even if I am only installing 1 box (yea right, not when I am paying for the wire and $.28 fittings) You want me to run a second line to a DVR for free, but make me pay for the supplies (not when I know DTV will send another work order for another tech to go back and get paid for it and not charge the subscriber) I have actually (more than once) pulled a complete dish, mount, wires, ground block, ground wire, and split bolt, from the neighbors house (these are houses which were flooded and many have not been touched in over a year) and placed the whole unit on my subscribers house.
I know this will piss some of you off, but others will know why I am upset. And again I emphasize that these installs are neat and solid, (not the "hack" which you have all been hacking on) but they are not DTV approved. And for that they can kiss my butt. They only way you can make a living with a family is by doing side jobs (of which there is tons in NOLA)
For those of you who remember me from the past trying to start union days, I would ask that you not mention my name. But that probably would not matter because I used my wife's name and SSN (she has one of those multi-gender names) so that I would not have to admit to Sherri that I came back to work for B&A.
