Installation Joke!

[Teronzhul]

The problem isn't slow techs, the problem is that the hsps are all switching to an hourly pay rate model instead of a piece rate by the job. The local HSP has absolutely no employees still making by the job pay. Speed is irrelevant in this situation. All employees were forced either into hourly rate vans or to quit.

Pay starts at $12.00/hour and only begins once the first job is started. If you have a job that is 1.5 hours drive time away, that gets cancelled, you've just wasted 3-4 hours of your workday without getting paid at all. Your remaining 4-5 hours of workday will get you no more than a total of $60 for the day.

 

[Todd Humphrey]

We have both HD-DVR's and AU-9's. The shortage is more labor than equipment, but there are some DVR delays, so the two combine make it hell. Our customer are taken care of and that is all that matters for us.

 

[grydlok]

Funny my area just runs out of HR20's and H20's.

 

[Tonedeaf]

Your math is just a bit off. 8 hours a day/$200 comes out to $25/hour. $400 a day is $50/hour.

Lurch was responding to dodge who said that installers get $10 per hour. He quoted what he makes in a typical day and that it was a lot more than $10 an hour.

 

[raoul5788]

Lurch was responding to dodge who said that installers get $10 per hour. He quoted what he makes in a typical day and that it was a lot more than $10 an hour.

Well, yeah, but it's ALOT more than $10/hour. That was my point.

 

[Todd Humphrey]

i work for an HSP and get paid by the job,i usually work 8 hrs more or less a day and make 200-400 per day.thats more than 10 an hour.Newer techs that work slow,try to do it faster resulting in poor installations.With our company getting all directv vans and tools supplied,it seems like anybody will try this proffession out.I've been doing it for about 5 yrs now and do quality work,fast,hence more money per day and maybee even a couple tips!

Do you work as an employee or contractor? If your income swings that far, you are being paid by the piece and not by the hour. DirecTV is moving towards an hourly rate and away from piece work. I know several installers who have quit the HSP's because they actually making less money than a year earlier.

I would really like to see the math on how you can EVER earn 400/day working as an employee for an HSP.

 

[dodge]

hsp's

I know a guy who quit an hsp because he went 12 an hour with van and tools , he now does contract and gets paid piece meal like before, but he only has work when the hsp's are real busy.

 

[lurch]

Do you work as an employee or contractor? If your income swings that far, you are being paid by the piece and not by the hour. DirecTV is moving towards an hourly rate and away from piece work. I know several installers who have quit the HSP's because they actually making less money than a year earlier.

I would really like to see the math on how you can EVER earn 400/day working as an employee for an HSP.

OK,heres the math, I get paid 65 a 1 box install and 20 each additional outlet.Most of the installs i get are 3 or 4 boxes that pay 105 and 125 each job.Sometimes I'll do 4 installs in a day.I am an employee with a personal owned vehicle.

 

[NiFi]

Halstead is paying you 65 - 20? Last i had heard they were at 35 - 15. Not that i keep up with their pay rates though.

Your banging out 3 - 4 quad installs per day? wow

 

[HDTVFanAtic]

Take the information for what it is worth - it was given me by some peeps high up at D* but I don't have a history with them to gauge it by.

First, they claim that in a 2 week period last Fall there were 500,000 HR-20s ordered. I called BS and stated that only 325,000 HD TIVOs were out at the end of Q3 2006 and asked do you really want me to believe that you literally had 2x the number of HD-TIVOs in the field ordered in 2 weeks last Fall? They stood by that number.

They also said the Priority list (which the OP calls the BS Priority list) was up to 50,000 at that time last Fall. I asked why it was still so long now. They said because that backlog pushed the December purchases into January.

I was arranging an install in Beverly Hills and was slated for 2 1/2 weeks which they said was on of the best they had seen right now - as they claimed most installs are running a minimum of 4 weeks now.

They did offer to drop ship the HR20, but as this house needs a new AT-9/AU-9 instead of the 3 lnb dish, it wouldn't do much good - so I passed.

Finally, they said they released $80 Million to get the backlog out of the way and to get the units installed. I again called BS and said the people don't work for you - they are sub contractors that you will pay for the install whether they install this this week or next month. They said that the subcontractors had severe manpower shortages and the brunt of it was proper training - so D* was concerned about loosing subs because of the long delays in installs - they were giving the $80M to the subcontractors to employee and train more people.

I suppose that means the company makes more money - the installers still get squat.

 

[lurch]

Halstead is paying you 65 - 20? Last i had heard they were at 35 - 15. Not that i keep up with their pay rates though.

Your banging out 3 - 4 quad installs per day? wow

Yeah its 35 -15 for new hires,i've been there about 4-5 yrs,so I'm grandfathered in at that rate.