After applying and taking the drug and backgrown checks, i was hired as a sub contractor with skylink to install directtv. Then after spending almost 00 dollars on the birddogs, inclincometers, telephone cable, coax cable etc, i went to work installing. Over the next 9 months i took verbal profanity abuse from the head supervisor in hurricane west va, while installing from 7 am till sometimes 11 pm. The area i installed in is very rural and sometimes it was an hr or more drive to the next install. I would be called at a customers home to find out why it took me more than the company reccommened 15 minutes to the next install job.
When i would explain that it is impossible to drive to the next install in this rural county i would get a verbal profanity laced response. After 9 months of installing, i had just finished an install at 9pm, and was heading to the next install, when my brakes that i had just put on the day before locked up on me. I called in and left a voice mail stating that i would not be able to do the last install i was heading to because of my brake trouble. My installs for the next day were faxed in as usual to me.
The next night i called in to see why i hadnt gotten any installs faxed to me for the next day, and was told they didnt need me any more as i should have called in with my brake proble before 8 pm when the office closes, not leave a voice mail as i did. I guess i was supposed to fore see an hr ahead that i would have truck problems. Ok so now whn all the contracts were originally signed before starting with direct tv, one line in the contract stated that 20.00 per week would be with held, so that when an installer quit or was let go, that they would recieve the money witheld within 6 months, less any direct tv equipment that was not returned.
Well after a month of calling and getting the reply, that oh as soon as we can we will reply to you by phone. Well that call never came. So here they have aprox 9 months of witholding 20.00 per week from my paychecks, and im wondering how many hundreds of former directv installers have never gotten back this 20.00 per week deduction and have given up trying.
It is very hard to get to talk to anyone in the corporate office of skylink, because when anyone calls the hurricane skylink office that i worked out of and asks for the phone number or email address of the corporate office of skylink, they are told that they are not allowed to give out that information. Who has ever heard of any major company not wanting their phone number or email address given out? Which leads me and other installers here to wonder whether the corporate office of skylink actually has any idea that their office here in hurricane west va, is operating the way it is. It surely cannot be any goodwill for the pr of directv themselves to have a contractor such as skylink letting custonmers think that they are dealing with directv.
They have run daily classified ads in the local papers in this rural area stating that, urgent needing directv installers, make 1000.00 plus per week. This is also a great misrepresentation for these installers sub contract positions. Because as stated above one must lay out close to 2000.00 initally for the equipment needed, coax cable, brass grounds etc etc and also, lets take the 1000.00 dollar fiqure they state in the ad that one can make per week. First deduct 153.00 that you must set aside for the ss self employment tax one will have to pay into social security. Then set aside another 150.00 for income tax that may be owed at the end of the year. So that leaves aprox 700.00 income left.
Now deduct aprox 250.00 from that for a helper. Leaves 450.00. Now put on aprox 200 miles a day in this rural area for 6 days and your gas will be aprox 150.00 to 175.00 per week depending on the milage your truck gets. That leaves me aprox 275.00. They required a million dollar contractors policy which cost me 20.00 per week and truck maintence such as brake pads, tires lubes, etc etc ran aprox 50.00 per week.
So all in all if i cleared over 200.00 per week i felt lucky. Here are the phone numbers that i wish the wv labor board to call and find out why this holding of this money that was withheld is so hard for any previous installers to get returned. It is our money not skylinks to keep. Im wondering how long this has been going on, as any company, bank, utility company etc etc that has held deposits, have to hand over any funds to the state that have not been returned to the owner, so that the state can advertise to try to find the persons that are entitled to the return of these witheld deposits. Skylinks phone number in hurricane west va is 1-562-0800 in ohio the payroll office number is 1-888-745-9717. Any help will be greately appreciated
Brannon
belfry, Kentucky
U.S.A.
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