# Work history and company reputation



## DarwinsFarm (Jun 13, 2018)

After a few months of pestering every plumbing company in Austin I finally found my first helper/apprentice job. They had me come in for an interview the same day they called me back from a resume I sent in. It all happened so fast. I start Monday.
After they offered me the job and sent me to a lab for a UA I went and did a little more research on the company. Their reviews are really bad. The good ones look really fake.. Like they are trying to dilute their online poor reviews with their own fake ones, just a suspicion.
I saw an ad they posted for journeyman in a TX Plumbers Facebook group. The post was flooded with literally 20+ comments from local plumbers bashing the company.. Talking about how terrible they are. Some comments about it being a terrible place to work (commission pay/lack of work/terrible owner/management) but some about the quality of the work as well.

So I'm thinking either this is an opportunity for me in that they are kinda desperate, apparently, or this is the wrong way to start my career. What I am wondering is if I am going to have a hard time moving to a better company or Union (preferred) with a company on my resume that has a bad reputation in TX (3 locations in 3 cities).
Ill grind out a ****ty work situation for 6 months to a year if it will get my foot in the door of a plumbing career, but I don't want to tarnish my own reputation and limit my appeal to other employers in the future. Or maybe it is all noise and a good place to learn and work..


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## DarwinsFarm (Jun 13, 2018)

God I hope my boss or coworkers aren't on this forum. Haha. That would be damn awkward..


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## canuck92 (Apr 1, 2016)

Its hard to find an employer whos willing to take someone in with no experiance " but how do you get experiance if nobody gives you a chance" that whole cycle.

Personally i would take it, get signed up as an apprentice learn what you can. Youll find out for yourself if its good or a bad place then you can move on but atleast then you can say " im a registerd apprentice with some experiance and im just looking for a better company to learn from"


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## exclamation (Mar 11, 2013)

canuck92 said:


> Its hard to find an employer whos willing to take someone in with no experiance " but how do you get experiance if nobody gives you a chance" that whole cycle.
> 
> Personally i would take it, get signed up as an apprentice learn what you can. Youll find out for yourself if its good or a bad place then you can move on but atleast then you can say " im a registerd apprentice with some experiance and im just looking for a better company to learn from"


^^ this


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## DarwinsFarm (Jun 13, 2018)

canuck92 said:


> Its hard to find an employer whos willing to take someone in with no experiance " but how do you get experiance if nobody gives you a chance" that whole cycle.
> 
> Personally i would take it, get signed up as an apprentice learn what you can. Youll find out for yourself if its good or a bad place then you can move on but atleast then you can say " im a registerd apprentice with some experiance and im just looking for a better company to learn from"


Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too.
You don't think future employers will avoid hiring me because of where my experience comes from? That is all I am worried about.


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## canuck92 (Apr 1, 2016)

DarwinsFarm said:


> canuck92 said:
> 
> 
> > Its hard to find an employer whos willing to take someone in with no experiance " but how do you get experiance if nobody gives you a chance" that whole cycle.
> ...



Nah most of us all know eachother in our cities an we know whos a hack an who gives a sh*t about the work. 
So leaving for better ...im sure they would understand. Or you could just say " looking for more experiance"


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## canuck92 (Apr 1, 2016)

Also there two sides to every story, we had an ex employee leave a bad google reveiw cause he got fierd for stealing whip cream from a grocery store with company clothes on. 
Also some customers can be impossible to please. So its always best to form your own opinon then go from there...dont let bad google reveiws keep your from getting into a great career !!


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## exclamation (Mar 11, 2013)

DarwinsFarm said:


> canuck92 said:
> 
> 
> > Its hard to find an employer whos willing to take someone in with no experiance " but how do you get experiance if nobody gives you a chance" that whole cycle.
> ...


I would think most people would understand if you had something like “looking for a better work environment” or “don’t like company ethics” etc listed as your reason for leaving - just be ready to answer a question about it if it came up


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## Alan (Jun 18, 2008)

canuck92 said:


> Also there two sides to every story, we had an ex employee leave a bad google reveiw cause he got fierd for stealing whip cream from a grocery store with company clothes on.
> Also some customers can be impossible to please. So its always best to form your own opinon then go from there...dont let bad google reveiws keep your from getting into a great career !!


I'm trying to remember another thread where the apprentices ate all the ice cream in a homeowner's freezer or something along those lines. Was that your story too? :vs_laugh:


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## tim666 (Mar 11, 2014)

Bad reputation is not normally transferred to an apprentice. However if you pick up bad habits from a bad company it will be hard to break you of them


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## canuck92 (Apr 1, 2016)

Alan said:


> canuck92 said:
> 
> 
> > Also there two sides to every story, we had an ex employee leave a bad google reveiw cause he got fierd for stealing whip cream from a grocery store with company clothes on.
> ...


No, this was a guy addicted to huffin cans.
Nothing related to eating ice cream at a homeownerw house. 
And it deff isnt my story.


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## GAN (Jul 10, 2012)

Give it a try, you need the experience. Just make sure they get you registered. If things don't work out keep your eyes open nd move on.


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## DarwinsFarm (Jun 13, 2018)

Lots of good advice here. I will just go in with a good attitude and see where it takes me.


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Alan said:


> I'm trying to remember another thread where the apprentices ate all the ice cream in a homeowner's freezer or something along those lines. Was that your story too? :vs_laugh:


We have a 4th year apprentice right now and I have no clue how he has been able to stay in plumbing for so long. I don't mean to be mean here but he is pretty much worthless. 

I thought I would share a story I was told by one of his earlier journeyman. They were on a service call for a clogged kitchen drain. The lady that lived there had just come home from her husband's funeral that same day. She offered them some homemade cookies. Now this apprentice (meaning well but not using his head) makes this comment. 

MMMM THESE COOKIES ARE TO DIE FOR.

Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

DarwinsFarm said:


> They had me come in for an interview the same day they called me back from a resume I sent in. It all happened so fast. I start Monday.
> 
> 
> After they offered me the job and sent me to a lab for a UA I went and did a little more research on the company. Their reviews are really bad. The good ones look really fake.. Like they are trying to dilute their online poor reviews with their own fake ones, just a suspicion.
> ...



I'll tell you what you are getting involved. make your Choice. We have exactly a company like that, the owner is a crook, a cheat, and whips his employees.

He also diluted fake reviews because he had 14 out of 14 negative reviews from customers calling him a bully and a cheat and also from past employees. The whole city knows him, every plumber refuses to work for him unless they haven't heard of him. He has a phone book thick with legal complaints and I just don't know how he kept his licence or wasn't found in a ditch. I mean it.

He tells his employees if they want to work to supply the tools even though by law he has to. He also tell new employees they should of stolen safety equipment because he's not supplying them. You also lose your overtime and parking amount down town(another scam) You'll be working evenings and weekends for free while he buys a big boat, 4 wheelers and a new house. That means he'll steal food from your kitchen and your mouth.

He also tells other employees and even you that you are scum and other derogatory insults all day long.

He hired you because no one wants to work for him. If you do work for him more than a week, you may have a break down and quit or become a cheat like him just to stay afloat.

MAKE YOUR CHOICE


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

> Ill grind out a ****ty work situation for 6 months to a year if it will get my foot in the door of a plumbing career, but I don't want to tarnish my own reputation and limit my appeal to other employers in the future. Or maybe it is all noise and a good place to learn and work..


I did just that, started out with a company with a poor reputation, although I didn't know it at the time. Six months in, with a little experience under my belt and something better came along. It sounds like you are both desperate, and you don't have many other options at this point, so any port in a storm.

If their reputation is as bad as you think, you won't even have to state a reason for wanting to move on. Other employers will understand why you want to get out. If they ask anyway, just take the high road and say that you heard that this company has a good reputation, and that is what you are looking for. It will say a lot about your character too, that you are not looking to badmouth folks at the drop of a hat, even those that deserve it.

Your reputation is your reputation, and if you uphold it, it can't be tarnished by others. When I was faced with situations in which my company did embarrassing work I would simply say something like, "I can't believe we did it that way", or "I would have done this differently". Pretty soon GCs and others recognized my integrity and were confiding in me things that they hated about my company, offering me leads to other jobs, references, etc.


Also keep in mind that online reviews can be very misleading, even those that seem to have a common theme, for good or bad. Customers can be very vindictive for hosts of reasons, many of them unfair, so can previous employees. Some of the best people or companies can be hated for simply doing the right thing. Some of the worst can be loved because they flaunt the rules and have low prices. Go in with an open mind and find out for yourself.


FWIW, the guys at my first company were fun as hell to work with, mostly because they were often drunk or high, and simply didn't care too much about anything. Then I went someplace that did everything above board, with quality work, yet they were a-holes to work with. You just have to keep kissing frogs until one turns into a princess.


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## goeswiththeflow (Feb 24, 2018)

Alan said:


> I'm trying to remember another thread where the apprentices ate all the ice cream in a homeowner's freezer or something along those lines. Was that your story too? :vs_laugh:



There are plenty of stories about journeymen and masters who do things like that too.


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## DarwinsFarm (Jun 13, 2018)

Today was my third day. Seems like a great place for me to get started. 
I shouldn't have listened to the noise. A few of the plumbers I have worked with so far told me that they recently got rid of a lot of bad management, plumbers and apprentices. So there is a good chance all the facebook comments were just disgruntled employees who got let go.

The new business manager and quality control manager seem like real solid guys. They have been patient with me and haven't given me too hard of a time for being green.

Anyway, looks like it is gonna work out better than ok. I was lucky to get in. Most apprentices I've talked to had to go to school to get this job. I would like to apply for a union apprenticeship but classes start in September and I don't want to bail on this company that soon after they gave me the opportunity. Might wait until next year to do that. I doubt they would take me on with just 3 weeks experience anyway.


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

DarwinsFarm said:


> Today was my third day. Seems like a great place for me to get started.
> I shouldn't have listened to the noise. A few of the plumbers I have worked with so far told me that they recently got rid of a lot of bad management, plumbers and apprentices. So there is a good chance all the facebook comments were just disgruntled employees who got let go.
> 
> The new business manager and quality control manager seem like real solid guys. They have been patient with me and haven't given me too hard of a time for being green.
> ...



I worked in many plumbing shops before getting my license and my own company, each place I worked I learned something new or a different way how todo something, I also watched how that business was run and how well they made money, each time I changed jobs I always went up in salary, never down..you should learn as much as you can from this company and then decide if you want to move on and when you do you will have gained knowledge, also many companies dont like someone that bounces from job to job in short times, I gave each job at least a year or 2 before moving on and came back to 1 company a second time when they offered much more money than where I was...


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## Alan (Jun 18, 2008)

The Dane said:


> We have a 4th year apprentice right now and I have no clue how he has been able to stay in plumbing for so long. I don't mean to be mean here but he is pretty much worthless.


I was thinking the same thing today listening to this young guy working with a carpenter. He didn't want to measure layout for ceiling joists because he didn't want them to be off.

How the heck do you expect to learn anything pushing everything back on the person teaching you because you are scared to mess up?


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Alan said:


> I was thinking the same thing today listening to this young guy working with a carpenter. He didn't want to measure layout for ceiling joists because he didn't want them to be off.
> 
> How the heck do you expect to learn anything pushing everything back on the person teaching you because you are scared to mess up?


Saddest thing is that our boss has hired a guy for a few weeks just to help him out as his mother is friends with the bosses wife. This guy has never plummed before and mostly is just helping using a shovel for a few weeks before leaving us again. He is actually already better than the 4th year apprentice I wrote about. Simply because he listens and does exactly what he is told.

Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


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## DarwinsFarm (Jun 13, 2018)

The first week was good. I think I could do this gig and be happy. Worked with some good plumbers. Did a slab leak and reroute, 3 water heater installs, a water heater flush, diagnosed a drain backup (tree roots), main on/off replacement, a bunch of pressure tests and replaced hardware, some pipe and manifold behind a shower / tub.
I did and lot of running parts too.. but I was surprised how much time was put in to teach me. Especially since the plumbers are all on commission and teaching me slowed them down. They seemed happy to help after seeing I wasn't a dumbass, lazy or glued to a smart phone. Cool guys too. 

Anyway.. I guess the topic has been run dry. I scored a great gig, with no prior experience. I'm pretty happy with the situation. I will apply to union next year. This situation is too good to leave so soon.


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Alan said:


> I'm trying to remember another thread where the apprentices ate all the ice cream in a homeowner's freezer or something along those lines. Was that your story too? :vs_laugh:


That was me Alan. And come to think of it, it was a plumber & his apprentice. 

Had they been huffing cans it would have made more sense, but these guys were just morons.


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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

We have a guy on our crew that came from one these get rich quick service companies. They had him on call within 2 months. After 6 months he realized he wasn't getting a good foundation in his plumbing career. He met some of our service guys at a water heater repair course in another state and they encouraged him to apply. We needed more help in new construction so they put him with our crew. 

He started off saying he was between an apprentice and a journeyman., but I think he soon realized he still had a lot to learn. 
He's coming along great and I'm sure they will put him in his own truck in about another 5 to 7 years. 

Not knocking your situation DF, you seem to have a good attitude and that's half the battle.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

89plumbum said:


> He's coming along great and I'm sure they will put him in his own truck in about another 5 to 7 years.


Can I have my own truck? Oh wait I do!! And the guy who I work for provides me with all the cool tools, even a Milwaukee battery operated fan when its hot in a customer's kitchen or bathroom!


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## DarwinsFarm (Jun 13, 2018)

89plumbum said:


> We have a guy on our crew that came from one these get rich quick service companies. They had him on call within 2 months. After 6 months he realized he wasn't getting a good foundation in his plumbing career. He met some of our service guys at a water heater repair course in another state and they encouraged him to apply. We needed more help in new construction so they put him with our crew.
> 
> He started off saying he was between an apprentice and a journeyman., but I think he soon realized he still had a lot to learn.
> He's coming along great and I'm sure they will put him in his own truck in about another 5 to 7 years.
> ...


I've never worked anywhere else so I don't know what the norm is but they don't have us apprentices ride with the plumbers. They dispatch us to the plumbers, at the job. Some times we pick up parts on the way. They are having me drive a beat up Tacoma. Sounds like it is the truck they give the newest guy, the last of which was fired just before I came on. There are no tools stocked in it or anything, just a ladder rack. I don't get to take it home either, just drive it around. I'm guessing when you say "get your own truck" you mean something more than having a company vehicle to drive to jobs and pickup parts though.
.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

DarwinsFarm said:


> I've never worked anywhere else so I don't know what the norm is but they don't have us apprentices ride with the plumbers. They dispatch us to the plumbers, at the job. Some times we pick up parts on the way. They are having me drive a beat up Tacoma. Sounds like it is the truck they give the newest guy, the last of which was fired just before I came on. There are no tools stocked in it or anything, just a ladder rack. I don't get to take it home either, just drive it around. I'm guessing when you say "get your own truck" you mean something more than having a company vehicle to drive to jobs and pickup parts though.
> .


Well it's good thing you have at least a truck to drive during the day. Even in the union over here some employers are bad and make the employees take their cars and trucks to carry materials and pipes and make them drive to several jobs without paying them gas.(Which is illegal but they don't care)

One of the company here tell the new guy to put on company stickers on their truck and tell them to buy a trailer and all company tools and ask their receipts. If you want to read more look at my previous post about it.

Looking back being an apprentice and spending half a day getting supplies for the guys was a kick back relax task.


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## exclamation (Mar 11, 2013)

Well sounds like you’re lucky to be where you are - especially with commissioned guys willing to be teaching on your 1st week - literally if it were me a new helper would be just fetching, cleaning, and digging for the reason you mentioned : not to slow me down. Once they start learning on their own by watching then they can start doing some stuff with piping/connections etc, but not until I’m sure they can do it without me having to stand over them - nothing worse than “well we were just going to change that angle stop, but now we need to open the wall and stub out a new piece of pipe” or something like that


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## plumber check (Jul 18, 2018)

Hey guys. I'm new to this forum. Who else is on construction vacation at the moment?


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

plumber check said:


> Hey guys. I'm new to this forum. Who else is on construction vacation at the moment?


I was banking on the vacation go get a lot of calls but not this summer. Freaking slow with people wanting free reno estimates.

All I got were 4 flooded basement phone calls because of the rain but one has hired me to pump them out.


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## plumber check (Jul 18, 2018)

That's too bad... Sorry to hear


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## plumber check (Jul 18, 2018)

Hey @Tango, you're from Quebec? What type of work do you guys do?


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

plumber check said:


> Hey @Tango, you're from Quebec? What type of work do you guys do?


What do I do now by myself, or what I did previously?


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

plumber check said:


> Hey @Tango, you're from Quebec? What type of work do you guys do?


Check here....

https://www.plumbingzone.com/f3/tango-78882/


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## DarwinsFarm (Jun 13, 2018)

exclamation said:


> Well sounds like you’re lucky to be where you are - especially with commissioned guys willing to be teaching on your 1st week - literally if it were me a new helper would be just fetching, cleaning, and digging for the reason you mentioned : not to slow me down. Once they start learning on their own by watching then they can start doing some stuff with piping/connections etc, but not until I’m sure they can do it without me having to stand over them - nothing worse than “well we were just going to change that angle stop, but now we need to open the wall and stub out a new piece of pipe” or something like that


Yeah I was kind of surprised how eager 4 or 5 of these plumbers are to teach me. They have even gone out of their way to tell dispatch which jobs I should go on as they would be good experience. I wouldn't blame anyone for doing like you said. Cash is king.. I definitely do some fetching, cleaning and digging but also a ton of hands on learning. They explain what they are doing and why through the whole job.

This is a reminder of why you should never trust BS on the internet.. anyone can say anything and it doesn't necessarily reflect reality.

I want to apply to the union apprenticeship on the 1st of August, classes start September.. but I would feel like a dick after how good most of these plumbers have been to me. It's a tough decision. I feel like I should, as what's best for me.. but I would feel like such a dick for bailing after just 3 weeks. Maybe I should wait and do it next year.


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## DarwinsFarm (Jun 13, 2018)

exclamation said:


> - nothing worse than “well we were just going to change that angle stop, but now we need to open the wall and stub out a new piece of pipe” or something like that


Yeah, I'm terrified of making an epic **** up. Trying to stay on my toes and not do anything stupid.


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## DarwinsFarm (Jun 13, 2018)

So apparently the company is now going to charge the plumbers per hour for the apprentices help. That's going to cut back on the detailed teaching I have been enjoying.
One plumber told me it is going to be $25/hr, but I swear I heard the manager say it was $130 for a full day.. maybe I heard him wrong. 
Slowing a plumber down a little is one thing. Taking money from them is another.
Maybe this will just be good motivation for me to hurry up and pick up this stuff, and be of more help. Or maybe they will just send me back to the shop because I'm green and they don't want to lose $$. Couldn't blame them.
Anyway, I'm guessing this will change things a little bit.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

DarwinsFarm said:


> Yeah, I'm terrified of making an epic **** up. Trying to stay on my toes and not do anything stupid.


Don't worry you will screw up, break a toilet by tightening it too much. 

Tighten a speedway by hand and forget to finish with a wrench and leave. 2 weeks later it unscrews and wrecks a ceiling.

Cutting a 2" copper line with a sawsall 10 feet in the air and flood the arena locker room with 4 inches of water.(that one my mechanic told me to do it) 

Being a 1st year apprentice and told to remove the hose from the water heater and all of a sudden the whole valve popped out flooding 6" of water in the mechanical room at city hall.

What about stripping the shaft of a 25000$ 24" industrial valve because the company was too cheap to supply the appropriate tools.

$hit happens, get ready!


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## JohnnieSqueeze (Mar 23, 2016)

canuck92 said:


> Also there two sides to every story, we had an ex employee leave a bad google reveiw cause he got fierd for stealing whip cream from a grocery store with company clothes on.
> Also some customers can be impossible to please. So its always best to form your own opinon then go from there...dont let bad google reveiws keep your from getting into a great career !!




god I hope that whip cream was to get high and not to go on an old wax ring, had a kid last year working for me smell a wrench first day that had ****ter wax on it, then stuck his finger in it and tasted it. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

JohnnieSqueeze said:


> god I hope that whip cream was to get high and not to go on an old wax ring, had a kid last year working for me smell a wrench first day that had ****ter wax on it, then stuck his finger in it and tasted it.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Damn that's hilarious! :vs_laugh:


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## canuck92 (Apr 1, 2016)

JohnnieSqueeze said:


> canuck92 said:
> 
> 
> > Also there two sides to every story, we had an ex employee leave a bad google reveiw cause he got fierd for stealing whip cream from a grocery store with company clothes on.
> ...


Yes to get high on, also he wasnt a kid late 30's.Must of not been getting paid well if hes stealing whip cream lol


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## Dpeckplb (Sep 20, 2013)

DarwinsFarm said:


> I've never worked anywhere else so I don't know what the norm is but they don't have us apprentices ride with the plumbers. They dispatch us to the plumbers, at the job. Some times we pick up parts on the way. They are having me drive a beat up Tacoma. Sounds like it is the truck they give the newest guy, the last of which was fired just before I came on. There are no tools stocked in it or anything, just a ladder rack. I don't get to take it home either, just drive it around. I'm guessing when you say "get your own truck" you mean something more than having a company vehicle to drive to jobs and pickup parts though.
> .


Well that's better than when I was an apprentice, one outfit I worked for wanted to install tool boxes and their lettering on my pickup. I told them to shove the job and write me a cheque for the 3 days worked. They went belly up three months later.


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## DarwinsFarm (Jun 13, 2018)

Dpeckplb said:


> DarwinsFarm said:
> 
> 
> > I've never worked anywhere else so I don't know what the norm is but they don't have us apprentices ride with the plumbers. They dispatch us to the plumbers, at the job. Some times we pick up parts on the way. They are having me drive a beat up Tacoma. Sounds like it is the truck they give the newest guy, the last of which was fired just before I came on. There are no tools stocked in it or anything, just a ladder rack. I don't get to take it home either, just drive it around. I'm guessing when you say "get your own truck" you mean something more than having a company vehicle to drive to jobs and pickup parts though.
> ...


Wow. I would have done the same thing. Put their logo on your truck? That's something..


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## DarwinsFarm (Jun 13, 2018)

This company is putting me to work. Damn. I just worked sunday thru Friday. Sun 11 hrs 
Mon 14 hrs 
Tues 13 hrs
Wed 14 hrs.
Thursday 13 hrs
Friday 13 hrs
Sat n Sun OFF

Is that normal in the service business? I don't want to complain about it, especially since I know lots of people who would love to get that kind of over time.. but with my 1 hour commute each way that week really kicked my ass hard. I dont know if I could do this more than

Ive learned a little more about the company. Basically, it was in bad shape not long ago. They cleaned house and are trying to rebuild. They also just started advertising quite heavily and are trying to find more plumbers to bring on. So, I'm hoping this is just part of the rebuilding process and in the not so distant future I can work more like 55-60 hrs instead of 65+


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## Logtec (Jun 3, 2018)

DarwinsFarm said:


> This company is putting me to work. Damn. I just worked sunday thru Friday. Sun 11 hrs
> Mon 14 hrs
> Tues 13 hrs
> Wed 14 hrs.
> ...


Service work fluctuates, some times it’s dead, some days are slow and other times you’re so busy there is not enough hours in a day, with no rhyme or reason.
There doesn’t really seem to be a slow season either, like in new construction or Renos.

Last summer July and Aug were pretty slow, this summer I’m working 10-12hrs 5 days a week and 1/2 days sat and Sunday.. 
you gotta do the work while it’s there cuz if you don’t someone else will. 

It’s better to complain about being too busy vs complaining about not being busy enough!


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

DarwinsFarm said:


> *So apparently the company is now going to charge the plumbers per hour for the apprentices help. .*
> .
























Excuse me? That doesn't sound fair to the plumbers. The company doesn't sound like it is being run properly if that is the philosophy. If I'm on a job and I need an apprentice, the company should supply one to get THREIR job done and keep THEIR customer happy. 


A flaw with that school of thought is a plumber won't ask for help because he wants to keep the company from deducting more money out of his paycheck. So he'll attempt some task that really needs {2} men and he may hurts himself, hurt someone else or damage something. It may even be illegal to 'charge' the plumber for any help that he needs.


My advice to you: learn as much as you can. Get into new construction if that is ever offered to you. That is the only way to really learn this trade inside and out. After about {5} years in new construction {your mileage may vary} then you will have an excellent foundation to go into service work if you desire.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

DarwinsFarm said:


> This company is putting me to work. Damn. I just worked sunday thru Friday. Sun 11 hrs
> Mon 14 hrs
> Tues 13 hrs
> Wed 14 hrs.
> ...



It can be quite busy then all of a sudden you get your lay off. Make sure to save as much as possible for the months being at home without a job. Forget the 6 month rule for money reserve. For me It's got to be at least 18 to 24 months. That way you are not stressed out, you can get a low paying job until you go back to plumbing.

In between plumbing jobs where it was so slow I worked for a tire distrubutor as a delivery guy at 8.25/hr. It didn't pay much but I had a blast, put 2 tires in the truck bed and drive across town to deliver. I'd drive through the main drag and do sight seeing.

Then I assembled ikea furniture, thousands of units. I discovered people are freaking cheap and that's why they bought stuff there thinking it would assemble by itself.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

be happy for the overtime and not having to work on sat or sunday...

their are some companies that would expect a lot more out of you like doing some commerical demo through the night while a place is shut down,,,

take it in your stride for now.... you are getting good experience for now..

service is easy compaired to being stuck on some condo project drilling vent holes up on a 10 foot ladder and running pvc all day long.... 

trust me I know.


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## GAN (Jul 10, 2012)

As long as your getting paid your overtime, it is hard but as stated service has to be done when it is there.

It takes a lot more skill to do service than construction.

Construction takes speed & accuracy.

Bad thing about service is you can't go home at 4:30 unless the job is done.

Bad thing about construction is affects of weather and as stated night shifts.


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## exclamation (Mar 11, 2013)

That’s kind of the nature of service work really - it’s hard to find a place that’s 1) close to home 2) pays well and 3) has good hours - in my experience it’s almost like an iron law (but not really since R+D is not involved with employment lol) - you can only have 2 of the 3 - like with cars they can be 1) fast 2) reliable 3) cheap but you only get 2 of those - a fast, reliable car isn’t cheap, a fast cheap car isn’t reliable, a reliable cheap car isn’t fast 🙂


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## Alan (Jun 18, 2008)

GAN said:


> As long as your getting paid your overtime


This ^ 

Labor laws vary by state, but I learned the hard way that if I haven't been released from work, I am to be paid my normal rate even if I am waiting for work. I have been screwed out of so much OT, that it makes me nauseous. There were many times I was at work from 8-6, then came back at 10 and worked another 4 hour shift. Those days I'd be lucky to get 8 hours because part of the time was spent waiting for service work in the normal day shift.
"We don't pay shop time once you get your license."

The sad fact is that if there wasn't enough work and I was demanding to be paid for my time that he was requiring me to be there waiting, I may have been laid off, and then not be in the position I am today. So maybe the nausea is just a cost associated with my business. :vs_laugh:


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

DarwinsFarm said:


> This company is putting me to work. Damn. I just worked sunday thru Friday. Sun 11 hrs
> Mon 14 hrs
> Tues 13 hrs
> Wed 14 hrs.
> ...


if your being paid overtime and being taught..be happy you have a job,,,everyone pays there dues in the beginning..put all you overtime in the bank and save it for a rainy day, down the road when you have experience and a long list of skills you can be more in control of the hours you work and jobs you work, many people would more than happy to make the extra money when young, so your social life can be cut back for the time being, this will not be your lifetime of working , many people complain because their hours are cut from lack of work, so again be happy they need you and feel its worth paying you the overtime for your labor, look at it as a plus and not a negative..now if they arent paying time and a half for your overtime thats a whole different story...


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Alan said:


> This ^
> 
> Labor laws vary by state, but I learned the hard way that if I haven't been released from work, I am to be paid my normal rate even if I am waiting for work. I have been screwed out of so much OT, that it makes me nauseous. There were many times I was at work from 8-6, then came back at 10 and worked another 4 hour shift. Those days I'd be lucky to get 8 hours because part of the time was spent waiting for service work in the normal day shift.
> "We don't pay shop time once you get your license."
> ...



Some bosses came up to me and said we had to work evenings and weekends. Too bad it doesn't translate from french to english but basically it said I deal with the bank not banking hours. I told them the company wasn't the only ones allowed to make money. For us it was double time.

Later on when I worked for a real bad company and he screwed us over everything I just shut up took notes and filed a complaint. I still have one in the tubes with my last employer. He'll eventually have to pay up. The organisation doesn't give up once it is filed.


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