CABL Forum - Houston We Have A Problem Revisited

This post is going to be long because that is how silly it was...

I was working as a sub of a sub of a prime which makes the billing a nightmare since the field technician never gets a copy. That sh*t should be illegal by the way. I really get tired of quadruplicate w.o.'s and sticking the lowly field tech to fend for their own copies after working sun up to sun down. Get in the 21st century. Scan the f***ing work orders and make them available on the web or an intranet geezus. Shouldn't need anything other than one piece of paper for a job in this day and age. Impress me on the administrative side with that 50%+ taken out of the monies.

So I am presently still owed money, some due to errors above my pay grade for not getting dailies paid from a previous pay period. Yes, I was thinking the same thing... why am I still waiting for it. Well it's pretty simple actually. How the hell can you ramp up to bring in 50-100 field technicians and expect to support them with the same hand full of dispatchers, warehouse personnel, and the same billing person that handles your regular work load? You CAN'T!!! Well maybe it would work by node but not if you are going to micromanage the piss out of the storm damage project and do it by work orders.

At least Amtec paid on time, you just have to be the most patient mf on the planet to straighten out a shortage. Horizon on the other hand, well I will leave it to others to comment. You people at the top need to grow a pair though. If Comcast is not paying or is fooking up then use your god given pair to man (/woman :) up. If your attitude is fine, get the lawyers it won't get you paid faster, you know the game, when I get paid you get paid... fine... sit around and wait for your money but geezus get the field worker paid. It's dam pathetic to see a man have to bum $20 when he has already 1) earned it and 2) should have already been paid it.

Other misc stupid problems in Houston:

1. Sending technicians into the field inadequately supplied. Like barely any supplies the first day of drops and no equipment the first day of service calls... c'mon... are you serious?

2. Boasting there are 70,000 subs without cable and handing me 20 work orders for drops where I have to drive 5-10 miles between jobs... are you serious, you can't find 20 close together out of 70k?

3. Require I show up at 7:00a.m. only to have me wait around until at least 10a.m. every day for the work orders to show up... (cough) no standby pay because really, i don't like finishing 3 hours later than I normally would every single dam day... are you serious?

4. Showing preference to a company who has a stack of qc's longer than this post and asserting they have preference because they get more work done... this is classic cable bs here, are you serious?

5. Making me sit for a day and not getting paid per diem to sort it all out because another prime is supposedly holding completed w.o.'s causing too many duplicate tickets going to the field.

6. Making me sit a second day without a per diem and tell me the reason is the other prime did not get all their w.o.'s turned in until 6p.m. so they are sorting it all out today.

7. Send me out on a w.o. to wreck out a drop on an active sub and then only pay me for a drop replacement. Not for wrecking out a drop, packing up my crap, dealing with a pissed off sub for 20 minutes, unpacking my crap, and hanging a new drop to provide COMCASTIC customer service! That is two jobs no matter what planet you are from. Ok, no problem... the next ones were... 1-800-Comcast lady, my w.o. says wreck out the drop at this address.... are you serious?

8. Don't provide a homerun or house wrap code the first week. I didn't ask up front for my health. Sorry buddy, 1-800-Comcast I am only contracted for outside only work from the tap to a properly bonded ground block. I am truly sorry your previous drop was poorly routed directly into the attic from an un-groundable location on the opposite side of the house. I know you have been waiting a month to get your cable back, but don't fret it will probably only be another month if your lucky to get it straightened out. If you are super lucky the job will not get kicked twice before someone does the work... are you serious?

9. Tell me I am going to get back charged because I wrote "No signal at tap" on the work order instead of 3/-35 117/-35... are you serious?

10. Then tell me I am not going to get back charged but then don't pay me for those jobs on my check so I have to be the most patient mf on the planet to get paid for them... are you serious?

11. Send people into the field to splice 14 nodes with maps that you say are ready to go so I can splice maybe 10 locations and walk the sh*t out for you.

12. Don't pay a trip charge. Sorry pal, 1-800-Comcast, I realize your cable is working and the game is on but they only would have sent a second tech out because the first tech did not do the job properly. I will just need you to put the dog up and open up the privacy fence so I can rehang it... are you serious?

13. Hand my buddy 8 service calls all 8-11 time frames (at 10:00a.m. naturally) and me 8 service calls all 2-5 time frames. So my buddy and I take it upon ourselves to switch up four each (which are in areas 25 miles apart btw). I get to the last of his 8-11's, it's a not home. Now I got to spend 30 minutes getting through to dispatch and when I finally get through I hear oh, the sub called in and rescheduled for 2-5. Ok, no problem, code it out because since it was rescheduled two hours ago, Comcast does not pay trip charges, and I didn't get a phone call they obviously scheduled a different job for a different tech. Well no you have to go back. Oh, well now we have a problem and it's not mine. When was the install done? Last week. Ok, tell you what put this note on the account. Brand new apartment building. Two brand new recently spliced taps, splicer likely left this apartment unhooked because he thought it was an illegal due to the brand new quad shield cables routed through windows and holes in screens. Service tech reconnected at tap. Dispatch will send original install tech from last week's new connect, his supervisor, or a qc tech at 2pm... problem solved... are you serious?

So here is the kicker... what is the competent, qualified field working technician supposed to do once they have went out of pocket to get there, done some work, figured out how silly it is, and are waiting to get paid?

Bend over and take it with a smile?

Do a lot of bitching and get blackballed by the company you are working for and possibly nationally by a prime?

Get a laywer and get blackballed by the company you are working for, nationally by a prime, and nationally an mso?

Call the media and get blackballed by the company you are working for, nationally by a prime, and nationally by an mso?

Make a post on the bar and get blackballed by the company you are working for, nationally by a prime, and nationally by an mso?

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Apply for management?

So... who is hiring? :)

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Start a Telecommunications Association?

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Houston We Have A Problem Revisited