is it the company im with or is work slowing down

[acmech13]

I been with this guy for a few summers. every summer im running around to 8pm if not later. some night around 11. all summer long. this year im the only service tech. And it seems like im lucky at time to get 40 hours and other times to get 6 to 8 hours of ot. Wtf? most the work is in rich towns like wyckoff franklin lakes and saddle river we do all the other towns in my area. this company has been around for 40 years. Is it time i startt looking for a new employer or is the whole buisness slowing down. There is work but last summer we had 3 techs running around. I miss my overtime. emergeny calls are almost none. those who do call for emergeny are contract customers. I know i will always have work and friends have to me there companies are running about the same. how is everyones job. like last summer or slow?

[jvillehvac]

I'd say it seems slower, but we added 3 techs so we are up to 8 ppl. i for one am glad to get off around 6pm now.

[amickracing]

The company I'm with (huge commercial) is slow too. Not really scary slow, but not overly busy either.

One guy keeps wanting to hire another guy, the rest of us are screaming no lol.

I don't like OT, but I don't like the paychecks of less than 40 too often

[allan38]

Look around.

I worked most of the summer for a good company that was having a slow year.
Had several weeks of 25 hours. A few barely over 40. Was told by everybody in the company that all the business's were having a slow summer.

I can't take care of my family on 25 hours, forget about saving money in case of a mild winter.

I looked for new employers. I figured someone who was looking to hire would have work.
Posted my resume on MEP Jobs and applied to a company that had posted a job for a service tech.
Received six or seven phone calls from companies who had more work than they could handle
Interviewed with three who had good reputation, had firm offers with two.
Both were offering a hiring bonus, an increase in pay and had lots of service contracts for work during the winter.

You can see where this is going.....

I started work last Friday with a new employer, with a raise and a bonus.
A long established family owned company with lots of service contracts. Made 40 hours the first 4 days. Overtime all day Friday.

I wish I hadn't waited so long to look around and taken everybody's opinion that is was just a slow summer.

[tinknocker service tech]

well it is down some
i seem to remember agust always beening slow arround the last two weeks

as gas proces drop and things become stable again it should pick up some but i dont see thinks getting nuts like they have been over the past few years

[dougvhvac]

Reading Allan38's post reminds me that in the HVAC business we face two big challenges, being technically competent and also being sharp enough at marketing to keep the dispatch board full. The past few years it seemed like the board was overflowing and keeping the level of service high was the problem. Now it's returning to the initial skill of drawing enough positive attention to your company to keep everybody busy. Just doing what you've always done (marketing) is probably not going to cut it - unless luck is smiling on your company. But luck has a nasty habit of running out.

[aircooled53]

SLOW, it's HOT outside!!!!!!!!!

WE can't keep up and we need installer's. Our business has not slowed down, we work 60+ hours a week. And if your the lucky on-call technician you will be close to 70+.. $,$$$.00 week..

[dash]

In areas like ours,huge down turn in new constructon,it seems slow,not much OT for the techs.However all phases of the business are up ,except new construction related phases.

We are down hundreds of new construction installs,so down the same for first starts and warranty calls.

[hvaccompowner]

I am an owner, not a tech, so here is my take on whether things are "slowing up" for parts of the business. The economy is down significantly but not horrible.

Residential Install - New construction is dead. If you have a job here hang onto it for dear life. Replacement-only contractors will hold their own for now - pray for weather.

Residential Service - Should be steady, but not great. Homeowners will continue to cut back $$$ on many things. 2008 and 2009 will not be record years for anyone. Whatever OT you did this year, budget 10% less for next.

Commercial Installation - Not great. Businesses are playing it safe and being tight with the checkbook. Ironically, an exception is foreign-owned firms. Our greenback is so weak that everything is on sale here! A new rooftop is a lot cheaper when they can pay for it with their Euros.

Commerical Service - Will stay solid in most markets despite this economy. But these companies drive the most miles and are hit hardest by skyrocketing fuel and insurance. If you are nervous about your residential shop, then seek safety with a commerical service company for the next year or so.

Might be some diagreement out there on these points, maybe because I'm only in the North East, but this is what I'm feeling.

[dngtig]

I think if you work in the south where you still have hot weather you should do fine. I personaly have not had my a/c on for 2 weeks so I don't think most of my customers have either. Business really sucks up here.

[stooge11]

After putting my time in the trenches,I took a job in Richmond.Hired on in June in the middle of a heat wave. The owner was seeing dollar signs and made me an offer I could not turn down. I worked 55 hous on average with some good spiffs, until about 2 weeks ago. The phone just flat stopped ringing. My last paycheck had 3.5 hrs paid down time on it to make my 40. I'm worried that as the new and possibly overpaid guy that I'll be the first to go. I bust my butt and try to maximize every call. I get great feedback from the customers and have started to tell them after a compliment to let my boss know that they feel I did a good job. I hope it's enough. I made a move 5omi. for this job and to be let go would not be good.

[AlmondEyes]

Things in my area are slow as well. My last company got rid of all their helpers recently because the lack of jobs. Now I'm looking for work and am finding out most every other company is also slow. Really is a bad time to be out of work, especially when you are laid off (meaning you didn't see it coming).

[acmech13]

things are getting worse my boss is saying it may be half days untill things pick up. At least all the heating check ups are gonna start in a week or 2. im getting worried. they been keeping me busy and with full days. hopefully it will be a really cold winter.....

[wolfstrike]

los angeles is slow, looks like it's going to rain every morning, foggy

[spymoocow]

I am laid off. I have been laid off since the end of june. my boss told me he wants me to come back but unfortunately it wont be until next spring. he says the economy sucks and its an election year.

[engineerdave]

Our little operation is sorta growing, but word at the supply houses is most everybody has had a slow season here in Vegas. We may be an anomaly, but I'll take it. Been busy, need another van, another tech. Looking for office space. GAWD I love global warming! Will everyone please buy and use more aerosol products?

[mechanicalgsxr]

im in dallas were crazy busy year round...we do a/c electrical plumbing refrigeration water treatment and building automation all our guys average 50 to 100 hours a week the key is to diversify yourself and become better than your competition so your always useful and needed and not just sitting around blaming your problems on george bush!

[drk]

Not slow here! We just got done with Julys PMs!

[william antley]

It's slowing down a lot sooner for us here than it did last year this time. I didn't even start getting less than 60 hour paychecks until November last year. Of course, December through March was alot slower than I'm kvetching about now. I am doing maybe 30 hours a week now with no sign of an increase, last winter I was lucky to get 20 hours a week.
My employer is strictly service and an occasional changeout, with some PMs thrown in now and again but, not many. Problem here is the customers aren't going to spend any extra money for major repairs until they're absolutely out of reasons to delay a repair, i.e. the site has 4 units and one is down with a dead compressor, when they're down to only 1 unit operating they'll spring for the first compressor replacement but leave the other 2 dead ones down until the weather turns to summer again. No major repairs until it is absolutely necessary otherwise, keep 'em running as cheaply as possible.
I have probably several hundred thousands of dollars in work waiting for the different customers corporate approval and I'm sitting on my duff praying that something will happen so I can at least earn gas money to get to the gas station.

[superheat3211]

This year is slower than last. Very little OT even during the middle of August. It's the economy. No one spending. and we do all commercial.Lost alot of contracts. Quoted out work not comming in or being sent out for bid. I expect next year to be worse.