ReplyOut of the 12 Techs there is not one that likes to be on call it is just the nature of the business. I understand that part of it. It is like others said make it worth while and it would be better all the way around.
Professional Member
my impression of CLAC is that is an an employers union, does not look after the men. Indeed to keep real unions out.
for $1879 you will give me a free A/C lol
Regular Guest
Out of the 12 Techs there is not one that likes to be on call it is just the nature of the business. I understand that part of it. It is like others said make it worth while and it would be better all the way around.
Regular Guest
And also I would not drive that truck around on my time. It gets parked in the driveway and that is where it stays until needed. We also have to have our uniforms on when out on calls. I will not be wearing those long black pants and white shirt on a hot summer day waiting for a call to come in.
Professional Member
We go on call it's time and a half door to door.There is no excuse for blowing off customers period.I've herd guys say "If I go over there and your unit needs a part ordered you will still have to pay O.T. even tough we didn't complete the repair.Do you still want me to go over there?"
Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.
Regular Guest
I don't like showing up and charging the on call rates and not been able to fix the problem because the trucks are not stocked with the parts we need. The wholesalers will open in a no heat emergency but not for cooling up here. So why not give the customer the option to wait till the morning and the parts can be picked up. I had a call 2 week ago the tech on call drove 1.5 hours out to a call charged the customer the on call rates for the job plus the parts. I was sent out in the morning with the part for the 1.5 hour drive out to finish the job and then drive back so who made money on that? Why not just go out in the morning when everything was open?
Regular Guest
Yea, I don't think I would work for someone like this. I'm single with no support network. My weekends are filled with shopping, cooking, cleaning, paying bills, studying, laundry etc. I would take great offense at an employer telling me to sit around my apartment all weekend. Sure I would do it if they sent me a servant to do all of my "personal" work for me.Originally Posted by ptemko
For reference I work commercial service, which is normally one week on call. I have never ducked a call. I have walked the customer through some basics to make sure that the call is needed. Hey Bob, no disrespect but 10 minutes is not realistic. I'm not hopping out of a nice hot bath or interrupting other activities to return a phone call. The flip side is I may already be on a call and simply don't want to interrupt a complicated diagnostic procedure to return a phone call. It's not fair to the customer your working for at the moment. The customer will be called back ASAP but that could be 2 or 30 minutes away.
The on call tech needs to be responsible, trustworthy and professional. If there are problems they should be handled with that individual tech
J P.
Member
It goes both ways. Nobody likes running afterhours service. That includes me.
However, I don't try to scare customers off with comments like "It is going to cost you a lot more" or "I might be there all night long" and etc, etc, etc
On the other hand, you have to be honest with these people and tell them "Look, there is a possibility that I may not have 'the parts' or 'access to the parts' on a night/weekend. Most parts are universal, but many are not. So there is a chance that we may not get this repaired tonight, but at least we can get the ball rolling." If you don't at least tell them this, you are defrauding them in my honest opinion. How many of us have every inducer for every furnace? or every blower for every furnace? etc...on our trucks?
Omitting this information while on the phone with the customer is negligent, because it is true, they may not get their heat on tonight if you come out, they may get it on if they call another dealer who handles their "brand" of equipment. Skipping this just to "capture" a customer is a disservice and underhanded at best!
This is only going to increase in importance with the increase of proprietary equipment, like manufacturer-specific thermostats, inducers, blowers, safeties, controls, etc...
Last edited by ryan_the_furnace_guy; 08-25-2007 at 06:31 AM.
Banned
We are open on Saturdays,20% of the techs and office working,they get the following Friday off,so a three day weekend.Same techs are on call.
We have found the majority of weeknight calls come in before 6PM ,so when it's hot we usually have someone answer the phone and dispatch until 6 or 6:30PM.
Sometimes we have someone answer and dispatch on Sunday too.
Professional Member*
with your heating season coming up,and if the guys are "tight in your shop "you need to get payed more for being on it,and definitly for the return trips home. get the troops together and have them back you with say $100 to be on it and payed for returns home note to your boss or bring it up at the next service meeting.what is the worst that can happen he will probably "get back to you on it" but if he sees that all the techs are concerned with it he might say OK.i have seen shops and techs get together and go from $100 to $300 for being on it when the boss is caught off guard with a definite want list.imagine if you guys refuse the watch if you don't get this and that...there is power in numbers,but there always seems to be a "deep throat" with all shops to tip the boss of whats going down.he knows he is getting away with it ,and how are the other shops around your area start asking the other techs you see at the supply houses and get their views.
"when in doubt...jump it out" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1qEZHhJubY
Member
...almost...sounds...like...you...are...whispering ...the...dirty...U...word
Professional Member
We had a canned question that went something like this. The minimum charge is four hours on time and a half of your regular rate, do you you want a service call tonight or over the weekend? We couldn't discuss price, labor rates, feasibility of a solution, etc. If it was a non-contract customer, then we would give them our standard four hour time and a half rate. They would also have to call the answering service back, give them all the info again and say "I want a service call now" which was all recorded.
Nothing else could be said, also every now and then someone from the shop would call us and test us.
Professional Member*
the "U" word says in the BOOK....that on call service techs will get $75 but the OEM groups get $250 or better(YORK pays 11 hours X your rate),and i know of a company that handles hi-retail in the city,and they jacked themselves up to that $300 for on call pay.the union here won't get involved with on call money problems, its up to the techs within the shops union or non to go after it.carrier 10 years ago had a new tech on the watch and they payed 9 hours regular to be on it...well he went out and did so weekend service and they took that 9 hours and subtracted it from his overall total OT...all the techs got together and refused the watch in the middle of a hot season.the office go the message real quick!the fitter side of the union here gets 8 hours minimum double time/2 fitters on any overtime,the union would get involved with that if anybody tried to touch that.
"when in doubt...jump it out" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1qEZHhJubY
Professional Member*
We have up to an hour to call the service back. It was 15 minutes until I told to owner that I wasn't going to do it. I don't answer the phone or return pages while I'm talking to a customer. (At any time of day or night) I also don't stop working on their equipment to answer phones and return pages until I'm at a point where I can stop.
Our stand-by rate sucks big ones.
I never give an ETA until I've pointed my truck in their direction. It's way too easy, especially on after hours calls to find multiple problem due to lack of PM. Then you have to call them back and tell them you will be late.
If I don't want to do the call I tell them the after hours diagnostic fee. If I want to do the call I tell the HO it's only $XXX amount over the normal rate.
I always warn them I might not be able to repair the problem due to lack of parts and will still be collecting for the Dia. fee. They need to know this before I come out.
I think the on call guy should work from 10 am to 6:30 pm plus the calls that come in until he can quit at 11:30 pm. This will allow the company not to charge OT until 6:30pm and allow the tech to come in fresh at 10 am. What we do at my job can wait until the next day in most cases. NOONE needs the AC fixed at 2:00 am in the residential side of this industry.
OT rate should be higher than the motel rate. If they can't stand the heat, get a room. We can get to most customers the next day. A space heater or window unit can be bought 24 hours a day at most Wal-Marts.
Professional Member
we have enough techs that im only on call about 4 days a month avg.We get 1 1/2 from the time of dispatch until we get home.Sunday and anything over 12 hours in a day is doubletime.We advertise as "emergency service" and have a choice on what is classified as an emergency."My stat is set for 68 and my house is 70 when it's 95 outside..."very seldom gets run.Im all for running calls....especially Sunday.If I'm gunna work all week for 25.....I'll dayum sure go a couple of hours for 50.Besides,the vast majority of these calls are not our maintenance customers.When the problem is a lack of maintenance(plugged coil,loose wires popping fuses..etc)the maintenance agreement sells itself(small spiff) or if the equipment needs replaced(larger spiff) it all adds up.Its nice when things get slow for a customer to call in and say"I've decided to go with the maintenance agreement....can you send Dave back out...)
Go RCR!
Regular Guest
at my work when you are on call, for being on call we earn a paid day off,thats a big plus for being on call. also when we get called out we start out time from when we leave our house,and stop the clock when we get back in our door.
even if we have to drive 2hrs home! no a little $60
Professional Member*
We get $10 a day, plus paid from when we walk out the door until we get back home. Weekdays we start at 10am and run until whenever. We also start call Sunday and come off the next Sunday morning. That way you always have a day off every weekend to "recharge" your batteries.
It is the job of thinking people not to be on the side of the executioners.
~Albert Camus
Regular Guest
Well $60 is the lowest I have had for being on call. But when I got hired it was a LAXED On Call rotation. No friday night to saturday night stuff and we ONLY had to take care of call backs, new units stuff, certain commercial customers, etc... and everyone else was allowed to wait. I ran as many as any other techs. The other lead tech would tease me and call me a "soldier" just for going on Sun City rooftops (the safer ones I've shown) at night instead of making them wait until the next day!
But that started to change this year.
The supervisor don't remember telling me this before, but here it was in black and white even before I got hired on....
Taken from this thread: http://hvac-talk.com/vbb/newreply.ph...eply&p=1051402
Banned
Always Sat. or Sun. off,that sounds interesting.
What do other techs here think about this?
The down side is you have "messed up" two weekends in one weeks on call.
Please what do other techs think of the idea?
Professional Member
Man I am pissed. I am glad I left my last company. I was on call every third week unless the boss wanted to take the weekend off, then it was me or another guy. We had 24-hr service dispatched through an answering service. I could not do anything on those weekends, I was paid from the time I got into my truck until the time I got out, but nothing for being on call. One time I said forget it I'm leaving, and I got a call while I was in Canada...DAMN.
I always thought that 24-hr service was a joke. If your junk goes out at 2-am suck it up and put on a blanket or open a window. I liked the idea of a flat rate for the week you were on call, and a percentage of the take, like 2%.
I also like the idea of a call sheet documenting what calls you took and why you didn't go out or schedule the call for monday, or the next day.
I am spoiled now, I have gone out on one weekend call in a year and a half, and hardly any overtime calls.
I STARTED WITH NOTHING, AND I STILL HAVE MOST OF IT!
Regular Guest
Exactly! Especially residentil rooftop units. WTF... can't you wait until next daylight?
The on call pager for the company in Phoenix who installs THOUSANDS of units in tract homes would just go nuts every night and weekend.
However, even THAT LARGE COMPANY would not allow the answering service to page the on call tech after 10PM!
That's right. You worked alot, but NEVER had to worry about getting home at 11PM or so from the last call and then getting woke back up at 1AM.
Those people got a call back the next AM after 6AM or so when the calls got forwarded.
AND... the answering service was to tell the customers to expect up to TWO HOURS for a return call.
So if a large company with more customer's than all of the others can do that, why can't the smaller "family owned" companies as well?
The people who move to the desert are just too spoiled these days.
People here say "You picked your career". I say "...you picked the desert to live!"
Posting Permissions