Service contract for BBBY (Bed bath beyond)

[jjhoward]

Got someone calling us to sign up for service contract for 10 or more BBBYs.
This company will supply all materials needed, all they want is our labor.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Not sure how to price it. In there "scope of work" they are allowing:
20 mins for a ballast replacement.
2.5 mins for a lamp replacement.
10 mins for a socket replacement.

Must ensure that the store is 100% lit before we leave.

Has anyone seen or been involved is such a service contract??

 

[quogueelectric]

Got someone calling us to sign up for service contract for 10 or more BBBYs.
This company will supply all materials needed, all they want is our labor.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Not sure how to price it. In there "scope of work" they are allowing:
20 mins for a ballast replacement.
2.5 mins for a lamp replacement.
10 mins for a socket replacement.

Must ensure that the store is 100% lit before we leave.

Has anyone seen or been involved is such a service contract??

Good luck getting paid. And they are going to dictate how long all work takes Send them a note in a bottle I know thier act and it isnt a good act. My advise is buy a pair of sneakers and RUN from this one. Nuf said.

 

[acwservices]

you must be dealing with one of the "two" major nationwide lighting maintenance companies. If this is the case, then be very clear on what is expected from you, and likewise be very clear with them of your payment terms. What they are going to want you to do is give them an hourly rate for your services, and they will then try to prorate your hourly rate based on the allowed times that they have given you for a specific task. Lets say you give them an hourly rate of $100. They call you to repair a light in a restroom, and you end up replacing the ballast. Since they allow 20 mins for a ballast replacement, you can now bill them about $33.33 for your time. Unless, of course you have a show-up fee or minimum billing amount agreed upon.

 

[220/221]

I like to set my own rates.

I did some sub work for Walgreens but the dollar amounts were fair.

20 minutes to change a ballast is pretty tight unless you are doing 100 of them with nothing in your way during regular hours.

 

[jjhoward]

This is from US Maintenance.

They want to be invoiced per item, so the actual hrs don't matter.
One ballast is 20 mins, end of story.

Someone made the real money swapping out all the original lighting with newer high efficiancy lights & ballasts.

 

[mdshunk]

Everyone who signs up with those national service contract people get burned out after a while, or they don't get paid. I didn't get paid. The company was NationService.

 

[bradleyelectric]

I've done some national service work. Never been told how long it would take me. I did have 1 of them sending "membership" offers or some sort of nonsence like that. They wanted me to pay them $79. month for the right to do work for them. Total Facility.

 

[quogueelectric]

Let me expand on this just a little bit more.
You get a call to go fix a light . You dispatch a truck to the store which probably doesnt open till 9 am you have to find parking but your ladder rack doesnt clear the parking garage min height.
You park out on route 4 and you carry your 14 foot ladder across the parking lot. You have the manager out the back door smoking a cigarette no where to be found and 8 teenagers who have no clue what you are talking about.
You finally find the manager who directs you to a light down an aisle where the new xmas display is sprawled about and boxes and big green carts blocking the area you have to get your 14 foot ladder into.
Now you set up the ladder pull the lamps and the ballast because at this point it is going to get a ballast change anyway. You forgot to bring in the new ballast disconnects so you head back to the truck.
You have to find the manager again because they are supplying all material and he has to hunt down the ballast in the stockroom which is packed to the roof with reindeer pillowcases.
He finds the ballast you get back to the light and replace the ballast 277 hot because all you want to do is get out of there and get a cup of cofee. Oh I forgot you had to go through the security entrance and sign in on the other side of the building and get a sticker to put on your shirt so they know you are an electrician.
you replace the ballast you get the manager to sign a ticket you lug the ladder back through security so you can sign out and carry the ladder down 4 flights of stairs to the exit which is 2 miles from your truck.
According to the contract you can only bill for the 20 min ballast change it is 11 am and you are 1/2 hour from the next job. You can count on fighting with the moron on the other end of the phone His name escapes me who after 1 hour on the phone will authorize 2 hrs billable time for the service call.

 

[Mule]

sounds WAY too micro-managing, I would not do it, UNLESS, It was actual time spent, and a healthy rate charged.

When they take your material markup away from you, THEN, they pin you down on task times, your GOING to loose.

 

[peter d]

Let me expand on this just a little bit more....

That about sums it up...not too far from the truth actually.

 

[480sparky]

If they set the pay rate, and they set the labor hours......

Run, Forrest! Run!​

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc172/480sparky/Fun Stuff/RunforrestRUN.jpg

 

[220/221]

Let me expand on this just a little bit more.

Classic post

Think about it. It will take more than 20 minutes to do the administration and accounting not to mention the hoops you have to jump thru waiting for a managers assistance. You will make more money by staying home.

 

[Mule]

What you need to do, Is call corporate offices of BBBY and offer your services and bypass the folks that are trying to hire you.....Take on a region around you...think outside the box....

 

[acwservices]

I didn't mean to imply in my previous post that I would walk awayfrom this work, I would just be very careful. By setting your rates high enough, and insisting on a show-up fee per call, it is possible to turn a profit. They are not setting your rates, only the allowed time of the task. You may only get 20 mins to change a ballast, but that is at the hourly rate that you set and they agree upon. Add that to your minimum show-up fee, and you may do ok.

 

[Greg Swartz]

Let me expand on this just a little bit more.
You get a call to go fix a light . You dispatch a truck to the store which probably doesnt open till 9 am you have to find parking but your ladder rack doesnt clear the parking garage min height.
You park out on route 4 and you carry your 14 foot ladder across the parking lot. You have the manager out the back door smoking a cigarette no where to be found and 8 teenagers who have no clue what you are talking about.
You finally find the manager who directs you to a light down an aisle where the new xmas display is sprawled about and boxes and big green carts blocking the area you have to get your 14 foot ladder into.
Now you set up the ladder pull the lamps and the ballast because at this point it is going to get a ballast change anyway. You forgot to bring in the new ballast disconnects so you head back to the truck.
You have to find the manager again because they are supplying all material and he has to hunt down the ballast in the stockroom which is packed to the roof with reindeer pillowcases.
He finds the ballast you get back to the light and replace the ballast 277 hot because all you want to do is get out of there and get a cup of cofee. Oh I forgot you had to go through the security entrance and sign in on the other side of the building and get a sticker to put on your shirt so they know you are an electrician.
you replace the ballast you get the manager to sign a ticket you lug the ladder back through security so you can sign out and carry the ladder down 4 flights of stairs to the exit which is 2 miles from your truck.
According to the contract you can only bill for the 20 min ballast change it is 11 am and you are 1/2 hour from the next job. You can count on fighting with the moron on the other end of the phone His name escapes me who after 1 hour on the phone will authorize 2 hrs billable time for the service call.

This is very close to the situation you will encounter every time...

 

[Greg Swartz]

I'd say: GO FOR IT!
But only if you can get that remote control thingy they are keeping in the BEYOND section...

 

[Greg Swartz]

Everyone who signs up with those national service contract people get burned out after a while, or they don't get paid. I didn't get paid. The company was NationService.

My first collections I had to send out was from a huge mall company: General Growth Properties

Took 8 months, but I finally got paid, minus the 25% fee they charged...

Funny thing, the mall actually called me and tried to figure out how I calculated the interest charges.

 

[quogueelectric]

I didn't mean to imply in my previous post that I would walk awayfrom this work, I would just be very careful. By setting your rates high enough, and insisting on a show-up fee per call, it is possible to turn a profit. They are not setting your rates, only the allowed time of the task. You may only get 20 mins to change a ballast, but that is at the hourly rate that you set and they agree upon. Add that to your minimum show-up fee, and you may do ok.

Not to be annoying to you but how are you going to change 3 ballasts in an hour in a store with crap piled to the moon you cant supply the ballasts and there are 12 bluehairs in aisle 3 shopping slowly. All you What does the estimating programs give you to change a ballast?? If the store was empty and the floors were clear no problem however they are not. Crap piled to the moon and beyond. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH youve got my fur up!! Not at you but at those predatory schmucks calling you laughing at how you are going to work for free and then some. Dont forget to bring a camera because you will have to document all reasons for work not progressing as contract speeds. 2 hour minimum plus rates and you might break even. Dont forget you cant leave until the store is 100% lit.

 

[Greg Swartz]

... Dont forget you cant leave until the store is 100% lit.

Store manager calling jjhoward @ 6:30PM on Friday evening after he spent 4 hours there that day working on 3 ballasts: Ummm, sir, the store isn't 100% lit... one of the lights in the storage closet is out... could you please come back and fix it... tonight... like it states in your contract?

 

[jjhoward]

Ok Ok Ok I hear ya!! I am running!

When this place reached me on my cell, I thought geez, no materials.... Gotta ask the folks on the MIke Holt site.

When I got back to my office, I see more gory details in my fax about how I MUST invoice them pre their production rates.

I like Mule's idea of contacting them directly.

I will sleep on this, but I don't see this being part of my future.

Thank you all for the input.