Computer Technician Happiness

I employ several PC Technicians and would like to keep them. I pay them more than minimum wage. My company is just keeping its finances above water so I can't give large raises. What type of incentive could I offer to make my techs happy?

If you really want to make you techs happy, make sure that they are treated with respect. Make sure they know how much you appreciate them.
Even tell them that you would give a raise if you could, and that when thing turn around, you could look into it.

Perhaps in lew of a payraise, yopu could give them an extra personal day or vacation day.

I hope that this informatin is helpful

I can't see how you would have a problem in these current economic times. If it ever was an employers market then now is as good as it gets. If they have the opportunity for better wages somewhere else then you should understand that. I see adds in the Houston area offering only $10.00-$12.00 hr for PC techs. You could probably hire new techs easily if you need to. It's nothing personal from either side. Life goes on and people do what they need to.

Agree with Frank, in addition; make sure you give them the tools that they need to perform on site; if there is something lacking hardware or software wise, don't make them go out and pay for it. Continually ask them what they might need to make things easier.

Who would trust a "world-class organization" that uses a non-corporate email address? Sounds hokie to me. I bet they want your social security number for "employment check" and bank info for "auto deposit" up front. Can you spell identity theft?

Actually Phil, NO WHERE does it ask for a social security number. It does not ask for any banking info either. Please if you don't know anything don't write comments based on fiction. The truth is that we are a recruiting company. We find good qualified technicians to perform onsite service for several service providers. I recently had an issue with a hosting company and do not have a website/corporate email until I get my servers back up. Very shortly the email address will be amended. I don't know what your background is or even if you are an onsite technician but many technicians have been burned in this industry. Service providers making you wait 60-90 days for payment, etc. That is in part why I started this company. To help good techs find good work. NO BANKING INFO. period. If you have had any actual experience with this industry please pitch in and post your thoughts. If you are aimlessly trying to spread rumors and negative feedback about something you know nothing about please post it on another thread.

TSS Boca in Oregon said: Actually Phil, NO WHERE does it ask for a social security number. It does not ask for any banking info either. Please if you don't know anything don't write comments based on fiction. The truth is that we are a recruiting company. We find good qualified technicians to perform onsite service for several service providers. I recently had an issue with a hosting company and do not have a website/corporate email until I get my servers back up. Very shortly the email address will be amended. I don't know what your background is or even if you are an onsite technician but many technicians have been burned in this industry. Service providers making you wait 60-90 days for payment, etc. That is in part why I started this company. To help good techs find good work. NO BANKING INFO. period. If you have had any actual experience with this industry please pitch in and post your thoughts. If you are aimlessly trying to spread rumors and negative feedback about something you know nothing about please post it on another thread.

Phil you were correct these guys do excatly what this guy says they don't do... How many names can you guys use? Syntechs, tss.bocca, there are several others. How on earth can you promise all of this work and then not deliver. I just saw a local ad and it promises the world, but in fact its the same old company pulling the smae old tricks.... You won't even get a check for 90 days if you work for these guys...

syntechsripoff.com/forum/

onsite tech in Fontana, California said: Phil you were correct these guys do excatly what this guy says they don't do... How many names can you guys use? Syntechs, tss.bocca, there are several others. How on earth can you promise all of this work and then not deliver. I just saw a local ad and it promises the world, but in fact its the same old company pulling the smae old tricks.... You won't even get a check for 90 days if you work for these guys...[/QUOTE
That is not correct. Many service providers do pay on that scale but we do not. We have absolutely no affiliation with Syntechs. I have done alot or reading on the web and understand why you guys think every comapny out there is a scam. I am not here to convince you either way. What I do want to say is that it's not right to make claims and hurt the reputation of one company because someone else did something wrong. I have found on several forums that people who worked with Syntechs and some others didn't get paid what they were due. There is nothing about TSSBoca to that effect. I know many of the guys on the forum you just posted the link to. They have a right to be pissed off. I know a lot of those guys tried to help out in situations where service providers needed their help, but when it came time to pay, or help them they got screwed. Ask them. None the less, what do you have to gain by bad mouthing a company you know nothing about? Lots of techs get screwed and need to find work from someone who understands that TECHS ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE INDUSTRY. Without good techs, there is no service. You probably got screwed by SYntechs or someone like them, but you did not get screwed by TSSBoca. I think you would be hard pressed to find someone with a real gripe about something we have done. I would tell you more about my background and how it is that I know this stuff but I don't know you. BTW the server is backup so back to recruting@tssboca.com instead of the temp email address posted above.

Correct me if I am wrong James Drew is or was an employee of Syntechs.

BTW - Syntechs is the only company I have ever come across that makes you wait 90 days for your money. If you know of others please share them with us so we can AVOID THEM AS WELL.

Ex-Employee actually. Call them and see if I work there. There are lots of companies that have that same wairting period. Their methodology is that they want to manage their cashflow so they won't pay you until they have been paid, and it's very common between bigger businesses to have this "net monthly account" where everything from this month is paid at the end of next month. Then you have to wait another month to get paid. MOnth online service providers pay right away which can be great, but be careful about their terms of use. I have found several prevent you from getting real full time contracts if you have ever worked with the company through the online service provider.

James sorry to hear about that, but I have to say that if you believe that crap about waiting 2 months for pay that Clarissa and Matt spread is true then you know less about this biz than I thought. I have contracts with 4 major tv manufactures and get paid by all of them within 30 days of service so that waiting period is a bunch of lies. Another lie created by this sham industry is that you are only taking a small fee for admin. In reality Syntechs and others like them are taking much more than their fair share of the techs pay. FOR EXAMPLE 42" LCD REPAIR PAY FROM MANUFACTURE IS $145, BUT FOR SOME REASON BY THE TIME SHAM ADMIN COMPANYS TAKE THERE CUT THERE IS ONLY $45 LEFT...THIS IS THEFT PLAIN AND SIMPLE. YOUR CONTRACTS ARE NO MORE SOLID THEN MINE SO THAT POINT WONT HOLD WATER EITHER. Remember when Bantec was bought by Qualexserve? They just yanked over half of syntechs work when this happened so where was the solid contract that saved your work. This happens over and over in this industry so to say your work is protected or more secure is incorrect. In closing if you are trying to Steal SYntechs work and make positive changes then I wish you all the luck in the world, but if you are just doing this to revieve Clarissa faltering company by using a new name for her the KARMA will get you as well.

I said that was their methodology, not what is going on in actual fact. You are mostly correct about the fees they charge for the most part. The numbers are not correct but the message you are sending is correct, for the TV's anyway. For the computer stuff the rates paid to the service provider are much lower because more people are involved and want their cut. Now to clarify, I do not charge a fee, I do recruiting for service providers I have found to be reputable and well respected. I do not recruit for Syntechs. I have chosen to do my little part in helping to get techs business from companies that don't have some of the issues you have mentioned. There are many out there who seem to "suffer" from the same problems. Now As far as the contract issue, no contract is secure. Every manufacturer is trying to cut costs and if they find a cheaper solution in your area, quess what, you are SOL. I am not trying to steal work from anyone. I believe, (maybe I am niave) that the companies who have their acts together will eventually win over those that don't. I am not making any accusations because I have not been with Syntechs for months so I don't know what they are up to.
This is the deal. I want to get good techs work from good companies. I do not administrate the calls, I do not route calls, I do not run calls directly, I am not a service provider, I just recruit for comapnies that have shown me they are better than the rest. I am glad to hear that you have good solid contracts and that you do not have issues with payments. Unfortunately many techs don't have that luxury, that's why I am here to help. Believe it or not I am on your side. I do not and will not help Syntechs.

Yep got to agree. I've outsourced for years and wannabes take a huge chunk of your service payment just for passing on the information. Currently I work for a different firm than TSS Boca for another firm who then in turn hired by the client. Spoke with the dispatch staff with the originating company at length and discovered that there is money they allotted for me that is pocketed by the outsourcing company I directly work with. Called said outsourcing company and they deny it (yet they proudly post some ridiculous profit gain for the quarter (85% +). I am not a rocket scientist but I can easily see where this profit is derived. So what is the skinny on TSS BOCA?

onsite tech in Fontana, California said: BTW - Syntechs is the only company I have ever come across that makes you wait 90 days for your money. If you know of others please share them with us so we can AVOID THEM AS WELL.

Field Solutions takes about 2 months.

Mountain tech- Thank you for that information about field solutions. I have a friend that signed up a couple of weeks ago and then told me about them. He said they don't dispatch much work, and the work that they do send him is lower pay than normal. Also he told me that the work he got from them were jobs that were first offered on the Onforce platform and nobody would take for the low prices so field solutions ends up trying to route them out. As for TSS Bocca, you can tell from the prior post made by James (former syntechs employee ??? funny he answered the phone there less than 2 weeks ago) that he is only a middleman. A middleman that takes no fee??? How does he make a living if he takes no fees?? I would have probably sent him my infomation had he not made the mistake of using the word BOCCA in his new domain name which caused me to dig deeper to see who this company was. What I found is a domain that was recently created by a syntechs manager and no website with signup or no website at all for that matter. My guess is TSS BOCCA has been setup as a front for the owners of Syntechs so they can roll to the manufactures and appear to have complete US field service coverage. Only problem with that is SYNTECHS has burned too many bridges and continues to pay out less than 30% of fees collected making their work only suitable for the unemployed technician. If these companys were truly legit and wanted to play in our field they would do so in a way that treats us as sub contractors and not "Employees". You see what they don't tell you in the millions of craigs list ads that they place are that once you are given these great workoads in your area, is that if you decline a service call they give u for whatever reason (not enough pay, out of area, vacation) they will reassign and then bill that amount back against you??? GO FIGURE THAT SOUNDS LIKE AND EMPLOYEE NOT A SUB...THEY THINK THIER CONTRACTS ARE BULLETPROOF AND WILL LAUGH IN YOUR FACE IF YOU COMPLAIN...STAY AWA

"onsite tech" please call SYntechs and ask if I work there. This is really ridiculous. I left on July 12th, 2009. not two weeks ago. I run a recruiting firm, I am not a service provider. There for I am paid for recruiting techs. We do not work with companies like you have mentioned. We also have absolutley no affiliation with Syntechs. It seems to me that you have a grudge against them. That's fine. Maybe you should take it up with them. You are spreading false statements about the industry and anyone thinking they might want to start doing field work would be pushed away. If you hate what you do then do something else. Don't spread lies about companies you know nothing about and compare them to companies you obviously have had a bad experience with. Time to take the chip off your shoulder "onsite tech" and look at whats really going on. There are some crappy comapnies out there, I am trying to help the companies that are not crappy, the ones who don't try and make you do run calls you don't want to, those who don't charge you for going on vacation, or being sick. For anyone who feels like they are being treated as an employee instead of an independant contractor please google "Contractor or employee? Ask the IRS"

This explains that if you are unsure about your status and think you are being treated like an employee then you can have the IRS decide.

You are doing for recruiting for them according to the person on the phone that I spoke with. You are an independant(no longer employeed by them) contractor for them.

As for me I have no chip with my work, the chip comes from people trying to benifit from others work.

Your ads promise high workload in your area. How about some numbers from this 6 month old company that has "World Class Status" according to the ad. How many service repairs have your techs completed this month... BOO..

My only reason for looking into this blog was your false ads in my local craigslist. I am only here to open the eyes of all of the techs who have yet to deal with Vipers like Syntechs aka whatever Bocca Raton name they have come up with this month... You admit yourself you were one of them and now you are guilty of trying to spread that learned "methodology" to benefit, as the Syntenchs owners have done for years.

Karma is the highest power and we all live with the results of our decisions.

Oh by the way the last thing any of us need is an ex syntechs employee telling us about IRS laws. I am sure if you check they have several complaints from ex contractors for failure to file proper year end paperwork. You are blowing smoke youngster....

I am not recruiting for Syntechs. You did not speak to anyone here over the phone. I was an employee, I am no longer there. I am happy I am no longer there. I hope that any company out there who screws people get what they deserve. The areas I am recruiting in are high call volume, but Syntechs doesn't have business where I am recruiting. I want nothing to do with Syntechs. Why do you think I posted IRS info. Think to your self and answer this... If I work with them in any capacity why would I post that? That could be the nail in their coffin. If the techs that worked for them in any capacity were deemed to be employees, that would then put the burden on Syntechs to pay 7.5% of Social Security and Medicare, it would also entitle the techs to benefits of they worked 40hrs, it would require Syntechs to keep a recrod of hours worked, and it would also entitle techs to overtime pay for work over 40 hrs. You are pissed off at companies that screw people. I am too. You don't want others to fall prey to they, niether do I. Why don't you call in and ask... You make up alot of BS statements, none of which are based on facts. Listen if you want to go after Syntechs then go after them. Leave me out of it.

Don't read me wrong, I truly believe there are good people there (Jessica O. eg) but it takes forever to get paid and that doesn't work when you're living paycheck to pay.... blah blah. Hey it was the sign of the times in the 90's and it just continues. BOTTOM LINE:

I get paid an average of 35 per hour to do what I know. I work 4 hours and surpass the earning potential of the locals for a week. I just want a upfront opinion about TSS Boca?

I have worked for (amongst many others):

IBM - ISSC X 2
DATAFLEX
Robert Half
Safeway
Pro Business
Jackson Lewis Schnizer and Krupman
Graham and Jasmes
LSI LOGIC
and ten other companies that got wiped away.

I am NOT old but I know old school technology (Start at FORTRAN, COBOL, VAX, S/390, CPM - 80) legacy systems I relish.

I guess all I am looking for is you to admit what you just stated, that Syntechs is using people (calling them contractors, but using them as employees.) This from the IRS standpoint is not leagal. If you agree with that and your new company is not going to operate in that manner then my gripe with you is over.

but

Please don't call my statments BS or we do have another problem, becauses I have documents to back up everything I have said on this form, including invoices paid by manufatures (proving pricing). I deal with the largest electronic manufacture on the planet and I think I know a little bit about this biz. I know you have experience with a Growing company, but I too have worked with them since their inception and have been in the field with every model tv they have ever sold in a store. Please don't start a pissing match or I will join in....

We do not operate that way and we do not operate with other companies that do. It is outrageous that some comapnies have been able to "get away with it" and thus I posted the info about the IRS. I do not question you knowledge of the industry. I question your knowledge of me and my company because several of the statements you made about my relationship to Syntechs were incorrect

I haven't heard of or had any doings with SYNTECH. This is a new one to me. What I am trying to do is get an idea of what to expect from this employer, plain and simple. I want the work. I am not slinging crap here. I just know what I know.

tssbocca - There you go you have a tech right here wanting the work...smh

MOuntain Tech, we are not an employer, we are a recruiting firm. We work with a few Service providers who have a good reputation. I have had experience with a few companies that are NO GOOD and I WILL NOT WORK with those companies. I will be in the office tomorrow, we can talk and depending on what you are looking for maybe you could talk to some of the techs we have recruited and you can decide for your self.

This is rather funny. I love how the TSSBoca person get pissed off. I do agree if your are a worldwide company why when I "google" I do not find your website? Why are you using a gmail email. Worldwide sure of screwing people over. Just from reading your reply posts you can tell your not a Good company even if you are a company. If TSSBoca is good then they need to can this rep they have posting.

Over All. I have seen these ads and submitted to them. I will talk to them on the phone and see what happens. Overall I can say I will not be working for them.

I'm getting tired of Syntechs' BS about the pay - I got my check for services rendered in September 2009 and didn't get it until last month; more than the usual 60 days they make you suffer having to pay for your travel expenses unless a job is out of your local proximity (but then, they only pay less than half of what the IRS suggests for mileage compensation) - WTF! I worked for it, and I want it now!

OnForce and Field Solutions are starting to piss me off, too. Service purchaser known as C-Plus accuses me of breaking a printer when it was half-ass broke when I arrived! OnForce wanted to terminate my contract, even if it wasn't my fault - Field Solutions is pretty much the same BS as OnForce.....

ServiceLive is just a waste of time.....

And worst of all, they're doing this to a unionized IT technician! I do the work, I pay my dues, I want fair pay (something that most of these IT companies know jack **** about!)

onsite tech, if you read the contracts more carefully, there are loopholes in which unions can step in and change things. Unfortunately, there are not enough tech unions and not enough unionized technicians complaining. OnForce, Syntechs, Unisys, Barrister.....they're in it for themselves - give you a job for $30-$40-$70 or even $35-$45/hour, but some give you mileage and some screw you over. It's unethical to drive 40 miles and more for 30-40-70 flat when you're using parts more valuable than the job itself.

OnForce can be well utilized, if the buyers don't accuse you for breaking the item - like what C-Plus did to me last month - when it was partially broken upon arrival. This is the only place where I've been give $0.55/mile (IRS rate) for mileage (I am lenient since buyers are willing - w/i 40 miles: round-trip; more than 40: one-way)

And I will agree with you, these call center screwjobs like TSS.Boca are why we are so underpaid - they register us as 1099 subcontractors, so they can rape us in the *** and be paid hundreds of dollars less than what Syntechs and OnForce are paid....

But I draw the line when you mentioned about untrained workers - I spend eight hours of each day of one-on-one training - this stuff is not as hard as you make it.....I have no formal education or fancy college degree regarding this field - I'm been doing this stuff since I was 3.

wwpmediaexec - Please explain how a union could ever be organized when all the manufacture has to do outsource the work and then it's outsorced again until it reaches places like craigslist and companys like tss bocca who tell these call center places that they can get them all of the quality 1099 contractors that will do this kind of work for $30-$40 flat fee.

I agree the work is not rocket science, but how many of these so called techs that are jumping at this kind of offer ($40 flat fee) even know what ESD stands for, let alone how to use the equipment for properly repairing electronic equipment. I am on your side and have been doing this kinda of work for over 9 years and am just dissappoined in the way it is heading. Pretty soon the next tss bocca will come along to make his buck and will be advertising for $30 per call. Just think the call centers save $10 more bucks a call and they will jump on that and dump tss asap. Where does it end? I believe the only way this ends is if the maunfatures understand what is happening. Why do the tv manufacture's pay $140-$145 for field repairs and the tech doing the bulk of the work only gets paid $40. How about Dell who I am sure pays more than $28 to replace a motherboard in a laptop, but that is what Qualexserve offers me?? I am sure that Dell probably pays in excess of $100 but most of it is lost in Qualexserve overhead (profit).

onsite tech in Lynwood, California said: wwpmediaexec - Please explain how a union could ever be organized when all the manufacture has to do outsource the work and then it's outsorced again until it reaches places like craigslist and companys like tss bocca who tell these call center places that they can get them all of the quality 1099 contractors that will do this kind of work for $30-$40 flat fee.

I agree the work is not rocket science, but how many of these so called techs that are jumping at this kind of offer ($40 flat fee) even know what ESD stands for, let alone how to use the equipment for properly repairing electronic equipment. I am on your side and have been doing this kinda of work for over 9 years and am just dissappoined in the way it is heading. Pretty soon the next tss bocca will come along to make his buck and will be advertising for $30 per call. Just think the call centers save $10 more bucks a call and they will jump on that and dump tss asap. Where does it end? I believe the only way this ends is if the maunfatures understand what is happening. Why do the tv manufacture's pay $140-$145 for field repairs and the tech doing the bulk of the work only gets paid $40. How about Dell who I am sure pays more than $28 to replace a motherboard in a laptop, but that is what Qualexserve offers me?? I am sure that Dell probably pays in excess of $100 but most of it is lost in Qualexserve overhead (profit).

Not sure how much dell does payout, I know when you outsource to qualexserv and unisys pays $25 a job to there onsite techs. does not matter what the job is. But they still get paid on time unlike some of these places that make you wait 4 to 6 weeks for a check. I can send a letter from Utah to Florda with in 1 week so WTF is with there pay system.

Joe - Are you saying the pay has been reduced again for Dell calls? Is Qualexserve now paying $25 per call? I am glad to hear that you get paid on time. It sure makes it eaiser to pay the bills. What is the company that is not paying if you don't mind if I ask? I would like to avoid any slow paying call centers in the future.

HA! A world-class organization that doesn't pay its bills, techs or otherwise. These people are crooks, the owner came from (or is still in) Syntechsu

Please tell me more, Am I understanding you have signed up with tss/bocca and have not gotten paid? You are correct the owner just left Syntechs in July and is now trying to leave his own sh*t stain on this industry. If you have been screwed by James and tss please elaborate. Thanks

I've had an opportunity to speak with James Drew and the opportunity seems very legit. He has profound knowledge of the industry, explains the entire process in full, and answered all of my questions upfront and without hesitation. I completed an application and it did not ask for a SSN or bank account information. After our conversation was over, I had additional questions that I sent to him by email and he responded quickly. I am looking forward to working with TSSBoca.

I too have had a good experience with James. More detail in a later post.

No question James has a smooth tounge, but what I want you to tell me is that you have recieved your $40 per tv repaired? Are you aware that the same tv work was available to you at 40% higher rates until James came along? Who do you think will end up with this 40%. If you guys are happy running tv service calls for $40 then more power too you, but when the manufacture wants a tv replaced becasue the eu says you damaged it, How many $40 calls will you have to run to pay for it?

onsite tech in Wrightwood, California said: No question James has a smooth tounge, but what I want you to tell me is that you have recieved your $40 per tv repaired? Are you aware that the same tv work was available to you at 40% higher rates until James came along? Who do you think will end up with this 40%. If you guys are happy running tv service calls for $40 then more power too you, but when the manufacture wants a tv replaced becasue the eu says you damaged it, How many $40 calls will you have to run to pay for it?

How many times has this happened to you?

Mountain Tech said: How many times has this happened to you?

Honestly.

Honestly , This has never happened to me in over 300 field visits for tv's , but in the same breath I will say that I can give you a list of 4 techs in southern calif. alone that have been or are being threatened with charges for damages claimed by eu's in the last year alone. 2 tvs had to be replaced just becasue eu's claimed damage after techs had left site. The one unit was over $1500. Read the contract that the tss bocca people are offering up. I am sure You will see that you are carrying 100% liability for any damages either to tv or anything belonging to eu's. Also in each of the cases that I have spoke about above the techs working on the tv told me that they were never really given a chance to tell their side of the story. They were told either replace the unit or all work will stop and you will be billed for full amount of new replacement unit. Also think about how your company will justify having two techs onsite for these repairs. Remember that the main company that tss is trying to contract with has a two tech rule on all units above 40" which is 75% of the calls. Can you really afford to have two guys onsite for 45 min to 1 hour for $40. Thats less than $20 each after gas? How about wear and tear? tools? insurance which you may just need? lunch? paper and ink for your printer? fax machine? The list is endlist and still they find people who will do the job cheaper. Your contracted area for tss will only be valid until they can find somebody in your area that will do the same for $35... Notice a pattern?

Mountain tech- Do you think that $28 is a fair price for a motherboard swap in a laptop? Just curious

onsite tech in Wrightwood, California said: Mountain tech- Do you think that $28 is a fair price for a motherboard swap in a laptop? Just curious

That depends on the Brand/Model of the laptop. 10 years ago I'd flatly say no even in a depot environment. Today, with the current fair market compensation such as it is, I might. Any experienced tech learns the quirks of dis assembly and assembly of different brands/models. Some units are a plain pain in the butt, others not so much. You may or will someday learn which units are troublesome and not worth $28.00 to even pick up let alone repair/replace. I have only found a few machines that have been an engineering blunder as far as I am concerned. An hours work including testing.

As to your other post. I will answer that tomorrow.

G Night.

onsite tech in Wrightwood, California said: Honestly , This has never happened to me in over 300 field visits for tv's , but in the same breath I will say that I can give you a list of 4 techs in southern calif. alone that have been or are being threatened with charges for damages claimed by eu's in the last year alone. 2 tvs had to be replaced just becasue eu's claimed damage after techs had left site. The one unit was over $1500. Read the contract that the tss bocca people are offering up. I am sure You will see that you are carrying 100% liability for any damages either to tv or anything belonging to eu's. Also in each of the cases that I have spoke about above the techs working on the tv told me that they were never really given a chance to tell their side of the story. They were told either replace the unit or all work will stop and you will be billed for full amount of new replacement unit. Also think about how your company will justify having two techs onsite for these repairs. Remember that the main company that tss is trying to contract with has a two tech rule on all units above 40" which is 75% of the calls. Can you really afford to have two guys onsite for 45 min to 1 hour for $40. Thats less than $20 each after gas? How about wear and tear? tools? insurance which you may just need? lunch? paper and ink for your printer? fax machine? The list is endlist and still they find people who will do the job cheaper. Your contracted area for tss will only be valid until they can find somebody in your area that will do the same for $35... Notice a pattern?

I answer this one tomorrow.

That sounds right on, and again when you throw in the cost to run a busniess, travel between laptops, and compensation for the "experience" you are refering to makes a $28 payday seem a stretch.

How much would it cost us if we had to call a tech to come to our house to do this repair?
depot enviroment is a different story as you are not subjected to a battery of questions while you are working,after you finnish and all the way to the car. I had to spend 30 minutes trying to get away from most Dell customers as they all wanted some kind of favor. If I were able to find depot work that paid by the piece close to $28 per unit I would be in heaven.

All that I am trying to understand is the breaking point of when somebody with tech skills says sorry that is not enough for that job.

If I try and make money running calls that need two techs(for saftey only), by the time I am done paying for everthing the wages left are less that we could have both made waving a real estate for sale sign on a street corner. ???

Your concerns and arguments are valid. It seems to me that really what you are doing is venting frustration which is understandable.
A laptop MB replacement does not require two people for any reason so I think you are blending two different threads.

What is your email addy? Let's take this thread out of forum.

onsite tech in Wrightwood, California said: That sounds right on, and again when you throw in the cost to run a busniess, travel between laptops, and compensation for the "experience" you are refering to makes a $28 payday seem a stretch.

How much would it cost us if we had to call a tech to come to our house to do this repair?
depot enviroment is a different story as you are not subjected to a battery of questions while you are working,after you finnish and all the way to the car. I had to spend 30 minutes trying to get away from most Dell customers as they all wanted some kind of favor. If I were able to find depot work that paid by the piece close to $28 per unit I would be in heaven.

All that I am trying to understand is the breaking point of when somebody with tech skills says sorry that is not enough for that job.

If I try and make money running calls that need two techs(for saftey only), by the time I am done paying for everthing the wages left are less that we could have both made waving a real estate for sale sign on a street corner. ???

I guess the answer to that question is HOW HUNGRY ARE YOU WILLING TO GET? Experience is invaluable but retraining centers churned out thousands of techs in the 90's and early 00's. With that sort of glut in the market place what would one expect? Employers (buyers) market by nature devalues the Techs (sellers) market. That's reality and so is lower wages. Ego and pride go before the fall. Cut your overhead, suck it up and deal or start strengthening that waving arm. Those are really your choices.

Sorry to be blunt.

Mountain Tech said: I guess the answer to that question is HOW HUNGRY ARE YOU WILLING TO GET? Experience is invaluable but retraining centers churned out thousands of techs in the 90's and early 00's. With that sort of glut in the market place what would one expect? Employers (buyers) market by nature devalues the Techs (sellers) market. That's reality and so is lower wages. Ego and pride go before the fall. Cut your overhead, suck it up and deal or start strengthening that waving arm. Those are really your choices.

Sorry to be blunt.

Oh and learn to use the phrase "sorry that is out of my current scope" Champagne drinkers on a beer budget are a staple in this biz. Learn to be polite yet firm. If they persist, offer them your services outside of the current scope at a price. Give them a business card and ask them to call you. This separates you from any affiliation with the company you are representing at the time and in 90 % of the cases they'll never call you. Good luck.

Ok, I would like to have you respond on one question that I have and you seem to be a perfect person to answer.

Lets say that you were a owner of a hardware tech call center, and you employeed less than 20 people not including your field techs. You one day find that 3 of your top team menbers have decided to leave your organization, which happens, but your 3 ex employees are now engaged in related business, and are dealing with one of your biggest competitors? You have a pretty good idea that these 3 have not only taken their paychecks when they left.

My question to you is do you feel what the 3 ex employees have done is fair? Legal?

Now lets say the situation was one that you were not involved in, but have knowdledge of. If a friend had a large company that needed field techs and you knew of this new company and how they came to be, "would you refer them to friends or associates"?

Thanks for you time and I will stop as we both have better things to do I'm sure.

I'll answer those questions this afternoon.