Flat Rate Attitude

kellyf · July 20, 2015

I am interested in knowing how flat rate techs maintain a decent attitude in this day and time. I personally left Ford after many years of faithful employment ,because I could not handle the stress and politics of the position any longer.. During my time with Ford I became senior master and kept it up when needed. I work for a fleet company now, but no one knows what the future holds. I feel for those who struggle, and I feel for all of the spouses that wonder what hours are going to be like week end and week out.

Matt Saunoras · July 20, 2015

I am done with flat rate. I've basically become a salary tech with my 40hr guarantee. The day I came to the hell hole we worked in I was getting beat down by hours. I was never ahead, always chasing my ass trying to learn something and make a paycheck at the same time. When I started doing trucks my paycheck really suffered, I was on course to make about 10k less that year. How the hell is that even feasible when we make so little to begin with? Why would management even let that happen? Well I put an end to that, pay me for lost time or I'm leaving. At the time I was doing all the trannies too.

Then as you get better you become everything but a technician, you now have a customer base that wants you for all the answers. I can't turn shit for time anymore because I can't focus on one single thing. Now everyone's constantly borrowing my tools or my time, the only 2 things I have here.

Right now as you can tell my attitude is pretty poor. I don't know what the hell to do to snap out of it. I've been feeling the burnout for a while now. All I have to look forward to is when our latest tranny guy quits, then I get all that shit all over again.

cbriggs · July 21, 2015

Its tough Kelly. We have a guy in our shop that has been here for 6 months ish. He just got switched to straight flat as of July1st. It is already getting to him. You can tell he is super stressed about turning his hours, and has completely blown up twice last week, over things directly related to hours and who jobs are given to. I cant see it lasting too long. I have been straight flat rate since I started here 10 years ago. There are times that it gets to me and I get stressed, but there are other times where it pays off. I busted my ass today and did a head on a 2008 f-150 4.6 in 6 hours. Cant see myself going that hard for an hourly wage. I try to see the big picture, as long as the monthly and or yearly income is OK, I try to not stress about every job, or hour. We are also a small shop (2 techs, 1 apprentice), not sure if that makes it better or worse, I have never worked anywhere with more than 4 guys in the shop.

Keith Browning · July 21, 2015

It is indeed tough. I have always maintained my own personal integrity with regard to how I do my job. FIX THE TRUCK is my primary responsibility and treat it as if I were the customer. But productivity and making money is in fact why we all get up in the morning and go to work every day. It is why our employers are in business. There are techs that are capable of turning many more hours than me. Unfortunately most of them (not all) exhibit a poor approach to the profession. Its all about "me." Poor attempts at diagnosis, over repair (you cant help fix it if you replace everything) and rush it out the door. Some guys just flat out steal and work the system. I cant do that. I wont do that. I stay true to me in that regard. Unfortunately the flat rate system promotes most of this.

Illegitimi non carborundum

is a mock-Latin term meaning "Don't let the bastards grind you down".

I keep a positive attitude because I am at peace with doing what I love to do and the fact that I believe I do it well. I am not perfect. For me the hard part is dealing with the negativity around me. Coworkers. The consumers. The clowns in the Internet forums. It seems to be a constant barrage of negativity. After all these years I have finally come to the realization that letting all of the shit around me get to me makes no sense. I defy it. In some instances it brings me great pleasure and satisfaction to prove them wrong by defying it. Oh. The money? If you are truly good, someone will pay you what you are worth. It just may take some time to prove your value. I may not make a lot of hours but I make a lot PER hour. On the weeks I can and do make decent time because the mix of work coming in the door allowed for it, it makes it all better. You cant look at your pay week to week. Try looking at it monthly and see if that improves you thinking. Of course, if you are starving then you will need to change SOMETHING. Don't let yourself fester.

Matt Saunoras · July 22, 2015

I haven't been looking past the negativity lately. Techs, as I've noticed, are very competitive (read the ford message boards). Someone somewhere, makes more money, works faster, makes a higher rate, works in a nicer shop, etc. There's a whole hell of a lot of super techs out there but somehow when you talk to other dealers service personnel they all disappear. I constantly have people asking me why I work for a dealer and don't open my own shop. I don't even know what to say to that.

The corner cutting flat rate ways are killing dealerships and we are just as guilty as anyone. Go look in any of our techs bench cabinets and you'll find a multitude of unopened flush chemicals and fluids. Our oldest guy here has been with the shop for over 40 years now and has been stealing oil filters for his personal cars probably since day one. We just got a new alignment machine and everyone has already figured out how to cheat the heads off the tire to "fix" a camber issue.

My problem right now is lack of strive. It's like I have nothing to prove. No one asks what I'm doing or even questions anything anymore. I could turn 10 fucking hours this week and no one would say a thing. Free reign of the brand new shop, come and go as I please, I feel like I need some discipline but there's no one around worth respect (the boss doesn't work in this dealer). It's very strange how things have changed in the last year. The only thing that hasn't changed is parts, we still don't have what I need when I need it.

cbriggs · July 22, 2015

Just like Keith said, a person needs a bit (or a lot) of personal integrity and values to work on flat rate. The opportunity is always there to lye, cheat and steal to make more money. I have seen enough people go through our shop to come to realize, these people usually burry themselves eventually....