In other words, it is downright FOOLISH to contract. Anyone who has ever contracted for Directv knows that none of the above conditions apply. Virtually EVERY contractor for Directv is an employee.
They tell you:
1) What to wear
2) Which jobs to do
3) Where to go
4) What tools to use
5) What vehicle to drive
6) They tell you which materials to use and make you pay for them
7) They add or take away work without your consent
8) They charge you back insane amounts, often more than they even paid you to do the job in the first place.
9) They often tell you which days to work.
10) They don't let you fix your jobs before chargebacks.
11) They make you fix previously existing portions of an upgrade without paying you for it.
12) They make you adhere to their matrices like maintaining a certain level of protection plan sales.
13) They tell you when to show up.
14) They even mnake you attend weekly meetings sometimes...off the clock needless to say.
15) Many contractors pay late or not at all.
But those are the CONS. The PROS are:
1) You get buy your own benefits
2) You get to buy your own gas
3) You get to pay for your own vehicle maintanance
4) No workers comp
5) You get to let them hold onto your money (retainer) for you. At least you'll never have to see that money again!
6) They pay you less year by year. Less money to calculate around at tax time!
7) FREEDOM...You get to find a new job, maybe even leave your family to travel out of state, every time another contract goes belly up or workload slows to a crawl!
So yeah...oh wait!
With the increasing level of expertise required, you'd think the pay would go up, or at least stay steady. Between the gas, materials, chargebacks, retainers, increasing cost of materials, declining pay, and vehicle maintanance (all Directv's doing), you're practically paying Directv to do their installs for them. Include the sheisty contractors littering this country, that Directv can seem to help themselves from hiring, and the routine "unpaid job", and you would LITERALLY be better off with a $12/hr job with benefits. I've worked in-house and as a contractor. There is literally ZERO difference between the way they treat their employees and the way they treat their contractors, except the employees get benefits, company vehicles, gas cards, free Directv srvice, and everything related to the job, from uniforms (minus pants), to materials, gloves, tools, ladders, and vehicle maintanance paid for. When all expeditures are taken into account, the employees even pocket more money than contractors do! Significantly more.
If you are currently contracting for Directv, you are, without exception, a complete IDIOT! You should at least be in-house, and at best, be in another industry altogether. You cannot plan for the future contracting for Directv. It is the DEADEST of dead end jobs.
Re: Is it wise to subcontract ?
Member #: 67257
Registered: 3/26/2009
Posted:
67
Occupation:
Installation technician
Personal:
early 40s
Experience:
~18 years
There is 1 reply to this message
