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> Just a couple observations here. (1) In almost all professions 30 days has long been the standard waiting period before being paid, particularly if you are performing the work for a company rather than for consumers in the general public. In fact, some industries work on 60 or 90 days. I've had personal experience in the auto service industry and the building trades, and can tell you that if you can't afford to wait at least 30 days for your money in those businesses your company will never make it. It's different if you are just one guy on your own and working for individuals as customers. You can expect cash on delivery in that situation, but as subs we don't work for individuals, do we. (2) I agree that waiting 30 days in this industry can be dangerous because of all the low-life primes and subs that have cropped up. The answer to that is to check out a prospective company and the project carefully before you sign on the dotted line or travel halfway across the country. If you don't think you have the time or money to do that, what makes you think you will have the time or money to chase your pay when the job turns out to be a fraud? I always ask for solid, verifiable references of any company that is offering me a contract, and the righteous ones never have had a problem with it. The ones who take offense are the ones to avoid. (3) There is an awful lot of complaining done on here about lack of work, lack of pay, pay too far out, cheating primes, cheating subs, cheating cable companies, etc... but most of that is done by a fairly small group of people when you consider how many folks work in this field. I'm not trying to slam anybody here, but the reason everybody here seems to be complaining is that they are the only ones who have time for it. The majority of cable dogs are too busy working to hang around here whining, and come to think of it they don't have anything to complain about anyway. I've worked with a lot of guys, both subs and in-house, and you know what? Even in these tight times, the ones who keep the whining to a minimum and do decent work still have all the work they want, and at way better prices than you'll find posted on here. These folks have found that a good reputation is money in the bank. I know a sub who is paying subs under him 35-40 cents a foot for splicing in midwest right now, and has been for years. He recently told me he was looking for a few more splicers, and asked me to pass it on to a couple guys we know, but you'll never see that project posted here. Most of the good work goes to guys that have already developed a good rep with the guys doing the hiring based on past personal experience. (4) Sorry to get up on a soapbox at the end there. I'll be quiet now, and take my punishment like a man.
