On call 24/7 all the time, always??

[Tesla]

Hi, everyone

Today I had my first interview for an entry level locksmith, Class D locksmith. Another prospect and I were taken on a ride-along (more like a kidnapping), We went to a few of calls (2 car lockouts and one house lock out). I'm very interested on a career as a locksmith. there was just one thing I was very disappointed with and that was the 24/7 service this company has. I was requested to be available 24/7 all the time. He also said I'd use my own car and phone. $280 a week plus bonuses ($10 per call after the 4th call of the day), they'd provide gas, training and tools, but if calls are missed they'd come out of the pay check. I'm o.k with most of the deal, it is entry level locksmith after all you know?, but on call every time all the time??

I mean, I understand the nature of the job, a locksmith comes out when he/she is on call no matter what time of the day it is, but being on call, mobile 24/7 all the time for ever sounds rough to me. I do maintenance at an apartment complex and I'm on call every other two weeks for a whole week, there is a rotation among the employees. There's always somebody on call all the time, but never the same person.

Now my question is: Is being on call 24/7 constantly forever normal? Do I have the wrong idea about the way a locksmith work?

This is something I really want to do, but I love my wife and family, I don't think I'm ready to put them aside for a job.

Cheers

[Evan]

@Tesla:

The proposed employment relationship you have described sounds rather strange/unusual/fishy to me... A base pay rate of $7/hr (assuming full-time employment of 40 hours a week) plus "bonuses" of $10 per call after the 4th call every day... The fact that "if calls are missed" you would be deducted for them sounds more like a "pop-a-lock" scammer type of business that is going to over schedule you, as "bonuses" are generally not something which can be deducted from a paycheck...

Also, you sound as if you should be in training or a probationary period for a while before being "on-call" at any business, especially a locksmith... You are of limited usefulness as an on-call employee if you run into a situation in the middle of the night which requires you call up and awaken other employees to give you consultation, even if it is only on the phone, to be able to complete the call successfully...

There will be a hidden cost to you using your own vehicle for this new employment, you will need to change your insurance policy to reflect your new commercial use and increase the default coverage amounts to CYA...

How would this new employment fit in with your present job as the apartment maintenance technician ? Is one going to be days while the other nights ? You have a major conflict there as far as your on-call availability... Please explain a bit more about the working hours required at each employer...

To answer your last question about is being on-call 24/7 normal, no, not in this type of entry-level situation at the proposed rate of compensation... Especially not in a business with several employees, the on-call duty should rotate between the employees like it does at your apartment maintenance job...

This whole thing just smells wrong for the following reasons:

-- the "bonuses" potentially being deducted if you can not keep up with the insane pace of work
-- the immediate requirement to be on-call 24/7
-- requiring you to use your own vehicle to do locksmithing work out of
-- the very low base pay rate (Walmart pays more per hour)

Some things to check out about this business:

-- how long have they been incorporated to operate a business in your state ?
-- have the principals of the business been involved in similar businesses in other states ?
-- what is the reputation of the business (any complaints to the BBB or state agencies) ?

~~ Evan

[Tesla]

@ Evan

Thank you for taking the time to answer this. Let me elaborate a bit more

-The locksmith did mention a probationary period, but after the quick "2 day training course" I'd be good to go on 24/7 availability on my own, keeping track of all cash and credit transactions (all credit cards were run over the phone).

-The company is Alpha Locksmith, LLC. Which I just checked on BBB.org http://www.bbb.org/kansas-city/business ... asonrating That pretty much says it all.

- I never heard of a shop to go to. I was going to be on the road constantly reviving calls 24/7 and since I live in KC,MO downtown I'd be taking care of the calls in the area. Only car lock-outs though.

- The locksmith said the company was getting ready to expand, to go national and that there was a lot of potential for growth. He, at the time, was doing the work of three people and they needed more employees to free him up. He also said I wouldn't be as busy since they would be spreading out the work among all the new employees, I'd be moving up fast and that around this time of the year next year I'd be making 2G a week. really?

- I never talked with a supervisor or anything.

The whole thing (interview and ride-along) wasn't that professional. The Locksmith was 30 min late to the meeting at a Starbucks. In the middle of the interview he got a call and asked us to go with him on a ride along arguing that showing us would be best than telling us about what we'd be doing. Everything was so fast I didn't even think too much about it so I went. He kept getting calls and wasn't able to get us back to our cars! (He eventually did)

On the ride-along we kept getting interrupted by his postpartum depressed wife. The arguments over the telephone kept escalating and became rather awkward. Man, He even argued with her over the phone in front of a client.

One thing that threw me off completely was his response to a comment I made about his Snake-rake pick. I said "That's a pretty nice snake you have there, bub", he replied "snake? No, snake is a brand name, this is actually a dragon" ...ehh What? To be fair he had been doing it for only 6 months.

I wasn't planning on doing my current job and be a locksmith. I'm looking to get my foot on the door and earn the right to move up, I'm not expecting to be taught everything I believe in hard work, respect, honor and loyalty.

[keysman]

I did a quick search on yahoo http://www.yahoo.com/ for "scam locksmith"

Are you sure you want to join up ?

[Evan]

I wasn't planning on doing my current job and be a locksmith. I'm looking to get my foot on the door and earn the right to move up, I'm not expecting to be taught everything I believe in hard work, respect, honor and loyalty.

@Tesla:

The opportunity you have described here in this thread is not a real locksmithing job...

It is a scammer/boiler room type operation and not worthy of further consideration...

Any meeting with a tradesperson that takes place in a Starbucks regarding potential employment should be a big alarm bell...

If you are looking to get your foot in the door, look at the established shops in your metro area and stop by to ask the managers if they are looking for apprentices...

A real locksmithing company will not be afraid to disclose its name, invite you to it's shop OR arrive to a meeting in a work van marked with the companies' name and phone number... Reputation in this business is everything...

~~ Evan

[Tesla]

@ Evan.

Most definitely. Red flags where going off left and right through out the whole interview/ride-along even prior to the knowledge I posses now on what to look for on company to work for. This was definitely a learning experience.

That guy seemed rather desperate and I told him I'd think about it, but clearly, this is huge no go.

Thank you, guys.

Tesla.