sundance-communications.com/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information Dont Nationals Get it when it comes to cost??

Not National-related, but in the same vain as this thread:

I was at a fancy Real Estate office build-out, installing the phone system (moved from their old office). I always ask if they have an IT guy to set them up (if not, I call in my buddy who refers me a lot of work. He is enterprise-level).

Realtor says "Yep...my IT guy is right there." pointing to the guy who was laying the tile (whose mother was assisting him, back-buttering the pieces).

I give up. :shrug:

These horror stories of getting offered $10.00, $30.00--whatever per hour for jobs is just crazy. Common sense tells you immediately that you can't work for that. We, like others here, only work for a few Nationals that understand what we do and how we do it and pay accordingly. Common sense, again. To even consider some of these offers is just plain crazy. If you want to talk to these people and have the time (I sure don't) have some fun and screw with their minds. You may get some frustrations out of you that way---but don't EVER take these guys seriously. JMHO

Sorry to not get back so soon. I misread the email, they were approving the 200 extra. This however, is unusall. There clients almost always, turn it down when I state "this is the cost to go to Vancouver island" so in the end, I did get what I asked for. I left at 4:15 am. Ferry left at 5:20 arrives at 7:20. Hustled to the site and got there at 8:10. Employee did not arrive till 8:35.

With lunch, total trip and labour was 11 hours. Job was less then a hour.

BTW, I am upping my rate to 300 or a little more for any job on the island within 30 min of driving. Ohh, and have a pre-made script of the cost break down instead of having to describe it all over again.

What if more of you started accepted these jobs and not show up...talking about the scum jobs..perhaps the customers would stop using these nationals. Ya know give them the run around...then you'll know who the customer is and see if they need to hire someone a little more reputable and you'll probably be able to beat their prices too and still come out smelling like a rose..Cut out that middle man.

So you do that "*" job and they decide to pay you in 90 or 120 days. Are you going to sue them, or just refuse to do their work?

The first option gets you paid in another 180 days, and the second gets you exactly what you started with, nothing.

Or, do you think the big guy wants to deal with 5000 1099's and 20,000 checks, plus finding and calling 5000 different vendors?

Instead, they don't call anyone, they just put it out on the web and it's fixed.

Yeah, I'll just bet we can bring Mr. Big to his knees. :rofl:

What are you trying to say Carl? :shrug:

-Hal

Hal, I'm saying that the big guy doesn't want to deal with a mom and pop operation times 5000. They call one source and the job is done. We have drug stores, department stores, and the like that don't deal with Joe Independant on a local level. They can't.

Just because you don't like dealing with Nationals, doesn't mean that someone else won't.
Then you won the battle, but lost the war.

You run your business the way you want. I prefer to pick and choose the Nationals and jobs I want, just as I would if they didn't exist. It makes us both happy.

Hal, I'm saying that the big guy doesn't want to deal with a mom and pop operation times 5000. They call one source and the job is done. We have drug stores, department stores, and the like that don't deal with Joe Independant on a local level. They can't.

I understand that and I know there are nationals for paging/music systems, security and locksmiths, electricians, plumbers etc. not just us. Funny thing is I never hear the horror stories from any of those trades. I have a locksmith friend who does work for nationals. They charge everything to their credit cards right away after the job is done, no BS, no paperwork nothing. I used to do work for one that maintained PA and music systems. Paid within 30 days.

Just because you don't like dealing with Nationals, doesn't mean that someone else won't.
Then you won the battle, but lost the war.

Dealing with nationals just because someone else will is a spiral to the bottom. I really don't know what war you are talking about. There will always be opportunists who will profit off the desperate and ignorant.

If you have agreeable relationships with some nationals then I say good luck to you. Just as I wouldn't condemn all nationals I wouldn't say all relationships with nationals are good ones either but the bad stories far outnumber the good. So I wouldn't use your experience to defend their existance or recommend that anybody do work for them.

-Hal

Like I said earlier, I do work for 3 Nationals, they pay in a timily maner. Others i've stopped doing work for because I was there bank. The ones I do work for help to fill in slow times.
It's a win win.

Continued..... They pay my prices and travel. I do discount rate a bit, not much.