Field Nation and Essintial UNFAIR!
Chamapign,#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sun, February 03, 2013
I have worked several work orders (at least 10) for Essintial through Field Nation. I am highly familiar with their flagrantly long hold times, typically of 20 minutes or more, the series of calls that I made on my final job with the company being on hold for as long as 50 minutes!
I did absolutely nothing to cause these long holds as I most often did not even have the chance. Typically these long hold times would occur waiting for the 3rd or 2nd (and occasionally even the 1st) level operators to even get to my call as, apparently, these operators were busy with other calls. This kind regular overwhelm indicates it is most likely the result of Essintial's personnel management deliberately understaffing its call centers rather than just a series of incidental times of high call volume. I had grown used to these wait times as I was once paid for them along with the rest of my work time.
However, after my final job, Essintial decided to stiff me out of half of the pay (some $200!) they agreed to give me according to their own policy due to "excessive on-site time," identical to the situation that occurred to the original reporter. As a considerable portion (almost half) of the time on the job was spent either on hold or waiting for call backs, I considered this so unfair that I refused any further work orders from Essintial. Further, as Field Nation decided to give me the runaround when I attempted to contact them about the matter, in the end, I quit Field Nation as well.
Further, the rebutter first claims to be a "company owner" and in the first sentence of the rebuttal says that he/she has "been doing a number of jobs for Essintial." Which is it? If somehow it is both, why would this person not explain how he/she came to be in this rare position (possibly indicating a conflict of interest)?
Therefore, I find the original report rings very true according to my experience, and, in fact, I question authenticity of the 1st rebuttal.
Chris y
Vancouver,#3REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, September 21, 2012
I have been doing a number of jobs for Essintial, follow the rules, and have gotten paid VERY quickly for each job. Although the jobs may not pay as well as I would wish, in this economy, rapid payment can be more valuable than a higher pay rate and slow payment. The people at the call center have always been polite and courteous, no problems there. I do make a point of getting the Technician's name and their ticket number when I call in so that I can follow-up if needed (Experience from another company), but have never needed the information.
Platform work is always "interesting" in that you are dealing with multiple company's needs and requirements for documentation. My answer is OVER documentation of the work I do, calls I make to open, close tickets and who I talked to, both on the phone and onsite. It takes a little bit more time (maybe 10 minutes a job), but it pays off with no "push back" on hours and materials billed. Of course, I coordinate materials and travel costs BEFORE accepting the job. No surprises makes the payment faster!