Got a new job...for the worse??

[crazy dave]

So last week I was sent to training for my new job. Cleaning carpets and upholstery. During training I got half pay. okay no problem. After the training I was supposed to get my own machine to go on my own to do jobs they send me 2. They kept putting me off due to the machine being broken. Understandable but inconvenient. So today was my first day out on the job by myself. I only got sent to 2 homes. normally I would go to 5 or 6 in a day. They said it was because of the weather. I got no tips at all, which basically all my profit comes from. I dont know about other people. But I would never be able to use a service and not even think about tipping the technician. Note, I pay for my own gas and use my own vehicle. Hopefully its just a bad day but im pretty pissed right now. Rant over

 

[buccs40oz]

hopefully it picks up for you. it's always scary changing jobs, especially in these times.

 

[urbanj]

Are you contracted? Using your own gas and vehicle? You should be able to write off all of your expenses from the way it sounds.

 

[sxty8goats]

So last week I was sent to training for my new job. Cleaning carpets and upholstery. During training I got half pay. okay no problem. After the training I was supposed to get my own machine to go on my own to do jobs they send me 2. They kept putting me off due to the machine being broken. Understandable but inconvenient. So today was my first day out on the job by myself. I only got sent to 2 homes. normally I would go to 5 or 6 in a day. They said it was because of the weather. I got no tips at all, which basically all my profit comes from. I dont know about other people. But I would never be able to use a service and not even think about tipping the technician. Note, I pay for my own gas and use my own vehicle. Hopefully its just a bad day but im pretty pissed right now. Rant over

That sounds like the sort of job designed to screw employees. Especially if you have to depend on tips to get by. There are loads of jobs out there set up to exploit entry level employees. Typically door to door sales and unskilled labor positions that base the employee's income on commission or tips. Your boss makes money on every service you do, regardless of the tips you make. He/She also has a good idea of the amount people are willing to pay for that service. Chances are he has set a price point that inhibits tipping. IE "I just paid $300 to have my rugs cleaned and it took less than an hour, they must be paying that guy well."

I have much respect for the fact that you are working. But I think you found a **** job. Use the time you have free to search for a better one. I think I'd rather work at Jiffy Lube or McDonald's than work under that sort of scam. (You are the one getting scammed. I don't mean to say you are scamming customers.)

 

[crazy dave]

I do get paid but its almost nothing due to gas and distance I travel. For example i drove 15 miles to do a $85 job and I only get 15 out of it. That was a close job. I could be traveling as far as 40 miles away at any time. Plus I have to drive to L.I twice a week to go to the office which is about 30 - 40 miles each way

 

[C-bus Biker]

I never would have considered tipping the carpet cleaner. I had no idea that that was an expectation. I put them in the same catagory with plumbers, electricians, and painters and assume that they are paid a fair market wage for what they do. I'm not trying to sound inconsiderate and I will consider tipping based on your note, but if they hired you with the carrot of tips, I think they sold you some crap. Good luck to you and thank you for planting that seed.

 

[crazy dave]

I never would have considered tipping the carpet cleaner. I had no idea that that was an expectation. I put them in the same catagory with plumbers, electricians, and painters and assume that they are paid a fair market wage for what they do. I'm not trying to sound inconsiderate and I will consider tipping based on your note, but if they hired you with the carrot of tips, I think they sold you some crap. Good luck to you and thank you for planting that seed.

I see where your coming from...i guess im just a grenerous tipper and expected others to be :/

 

[C-bus Biker]

I see where your coming from...i guess im just a grenerous tipper and expected others to be :/

I understand. I tip very well. Hell, a Sh##ty waitress gets 15% while a good one gets 25% most nights. The barber gets 20%, the cabby gets 20%, the house-keeper gets 15%.

 

[Wavex]

What was the old job like? Can't answer your question without details about the old job

From what you say about the new job, it sucks big time indeed, but didn't you know what to expect when you signed up?
If it keeps sucking that hard, I'd recommend you keep looking on the side.

Good luck.

 

[crazy dave]

I used to work for a church doing some building maintenance. mostly cleaning carpets, painting, applying polyurethane (in excessive and unneeded amounts, and changing lights. My pay was 15 an hour but I was only putting in like 10 hours a week. When I was training for this new job my trainer seemed to be doing pretty well with tips and he didn't even do that great of a job in my opinion. I guess its just luck of the draw.

 

[Wavex]

Hang in there then... if someone else is doing well doing the same job and you think you're better than him, maybe you just need to be patient... in any case good luck to you.

 

[Hellgate]

Make sure you keep every receipt and track your mileage. Keep a mileage journal in your vehicle and write each trip down. Do it before you go inside for the job. Essentually you're self-employed so you need to take advantage of every write off opportunity.

Hang in there.

 

[C-bus Biker]

I used to work for a church doing some building maintenance. mostly cleaning carpets, painting, applying polyurethane (in excessive and unneeded amounts, and changing lights. My pay was 15 an hour but I was only putting in like 10 hours a week. When I was training for this new job my trainer seemed to be doing pretty well with tips and he didn't even do that great of a job in my opinion. I guess its just luck of the draw.

Remember... you work to live, don't live to work. Find something that pays the bills and then enjoy the rest.

 

[Botch]

I never would have considered tipping the carpet cleaner. I had no idea that that was an expectation. I put them in the same catagory with plumbers, electricians, and painters and assume that they are paid a fair market wage for what they do. I'm not trying to sound inconsiderate and I will consider tipping based on your note, but if they hired you with the carrot of tips, I think they sold you some crap. Good luck to you and thank you for planting that seed.

This was a complete surprise to me, too...

 

[Stumbles06]

Stick in there crazy, hoefully it will pick up. As was mentioned, if it doesn't, don't stick at it too long, go get something better.

All this talk of tipping, there's no such thing here in Oz, you pay $2500 for a couch, that's all you pay, the delivery guy gets paid by the company he works for. Seems strange to me to hear you gotta tip someone for bringing something you paid for, to you???

:rockon:

 

[08fz6]

Stick in there crazy, hoefully it will pick up. As was mentioned, if it doesn't, don't stick at it too long, go get something better.

All this talk of tipping, there's no such thing here in Oz, you pay $2500 for a couch, that's all you pay, the delivery guy gets paid by the company he works for. Seems strange to me to hear you gotta tip someone for bringing something you paid for, to you???

:rockon:

There should be a delivery fee, why would it be the same price if you took it yourself or if you had them bring it to you. thing is as far as tipping over many don't even make minimum wage. So the tips make up for it.

 

[Stumbles06]

There should be a delivery fee, why would it be the same price if you took it yourself or if you had them bring it to you. thing is as far as tipping over many don't even make minimum wage. So the tips make up for it.

Yeah, delivery is generally always figured into the price here.

I see now, minimum wage would suck, so makes it plausable then.
I must admit, we do get a decent wage here (mostly... well, I do, considering I don't work real hard).

:rockon:

 

[Jez]

This all sounds rather familiar. There was a time, when I was broke and desperate, that I answered an advert for a sales position with a company that did upholstery and carpet cleaning. The name doesn't matter, but they sell a kind of overpriced vacuum cleaner. The money looked OK - £1000 a month basic, plus commission for every machine you sold. You had to go out on demonstrations in your own car, and get leads out of the people whose carpets you were cleaning.

The drawback was that the basic wage was only payable if you did 60 demonstrations a month. Otherwise you got nothing except commission... but as a trainee you only got 25% of the commission that a full salesperson would. And 60 demos a month is roughly 2 a day, which was almost impossible to get.

It's basically a scam designed to generate leads. Pyramid selling. The top 10% of sales staff get all the best leads, full commission, the trainees collect the leads but don't get given enough to do 60 demos and basically get paid nothing at all.

 

[mikebike]

I would not and have not 'Tipped' the carpet cleaner.... like was mentioned -- he is like a plumber, electrician etc.

Wait Staff.... gets tipped according to level of service....usually 20% but has been over 100% if exceptional...

good luck with determining if that is the right job for you...