Thread regarding Sears layoffs

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If I can offer any advice to my (former) fellow technicians... it's to look long and hard at the opportunity you have in front of you. You're all tradesmen. Skilled laborers with the opportunity to hang your own shingle and go into business for yourself. The power you hold over your current corrupt employer is knowledge, integrity, and efficiency.

YOU know what needs to be done to deliver the service YOUR customers expect. YOU have the technical training, the first-hand understanding of reasonable routing/scheduling, and parts knowledge to know what to fix and what not to. YOU know that Sears top customer complaints involve scheduling and wrong/NLA parts, and YOU also know how avoid these pitfalls.

I speak from experience that it's terrifying to think about being self-employed for the first time. But most of us have done side work for friends and family and when you really break it down to yourself, being an independent repair technician providing service to a public that chooses YOU is no different. When I first saw my district transitioning from employee techs to contractor techs I was furious. But the day I showed up at a house at the same time as a contracted tech changed my life.

I spent most of the service call talking to this guy as we repaired the washer and dryer - because only Sears would be so inept in it's own processes to send a contractor and a tech to the same house to work on the same appliance industry. What I found out on that service call was more valuable than anything I could've expected. He was a former Sears tech and he explained that he left for the same reasons we all consider every day. The lightbulb moment for me was when he told me about going into business for himself. Over the next few weeks I kept in touch and he walked me through the process he took to free himself from our oppressor. I occasionally met up with him on my off days offering myself up as a free helper - not as a repair apprentice, but as a business apprentice. I learned how he manages his work, his parts (let the local parts house or even Amazon be your warehouse), and his pricing structure. Believe it or not, there's an app for everything.

I'm now 2yrs out from under Eddie's failed experiment and I feel like I'm alive again. I set my own hours, I give honest estimates and timeframes, and I manage my business in ways that support my customers - who in turn support my business (and revenue) growth through referrals. I also stay in contact with my friend because we often refer each other work when we're already booked up. it's a collaboration of competition that I never thought existed. I'm 45yrs old now and have never felt more secure in my purpose or more in control of my destiny. I eat dinner with my kids (single dad) every day and I hope they can be proud of what I do to provide for them.

As for "clean and maintains"... I still sell preventative maintenance checkups on other appliances because it's pure profit. But I also get to pick my battles. I sincerely hope you all get through this nightmare at some point but I would strongly encourage each of you to apply your talents independently - even if it's just starting out on your nights or weekends - if Sears allows you to have them anymore.

Sears ownership had the goose that kept laying golden eggs in its service business but the goose wanted to eat. Eddie thought it was eating too much so he ate the goose. Brilliant Eddie just brilliant

A&E used to set the industry standard for tech know how, when repair techs could troubleshoot and find root causes of problems. Over time, they've devolved into guys helpless without STAC and an Internet connection to back them up, and as the single largest provider of home repair services by far, the lack of focus on training, service, and customer service has dragged the entire industry down with it. Fifteen years, 5,500 years, 55 billion in revenue and a billion in cash flow. Alan Lacy gave him the keys to a friggin' kingdom, who Eddie himself styled as the next potential Berkshire Hathaway, and he destroyed it all. Sears was the 4th largest retailer when Eddie took over, Amazon was what, 25th? Incompetence, Targets, Costcos, Burlingtons, and even U-Haul seem to have no problems making money at old Sears locations. Repair and home services has the easiest controllables, and it seems like he can ruin even that. Worst CEO and owner in history, that r—d Eddie.

Maybe, if the techs didn't have such a bad reputation of horrible customer service and knowledge to fix the problem, it would be easier to sell the plans. Have a nice time staying at home an actually working.

@nbr... maybe should look for a job with a reputable company and stop selling worthless plans

If you don't sell anything, you'll be fired...
before you're laid off.

Congrats on being a top seller. Seems impossible to sell warranties from a bankrupt business.

The optics are terrible. How would it look if you and a bunch of your peers were sent on trips, while others are losing jobs and stores being closed.
Maybe you should go to work for the government. This sounds like something the government would do with our tax dollars.

This is a bunch of c-ap why penalize us techs and take our Bahamas or Florida trip away, cause store people couldn't raise money like they were asked to do. SMH

(Just had a meeting last week that our employee perk for selling fraudulent C M’s & Warranties trip has been erased! ) Maybe you will sleep better at night knowing you are not a stooge for the crooks you work for? no who am I kidding if your still with A&E you are a Stooge

Tens of thousands have losts their jobs and you're whining like a little girl about a canceled "perk". GTFO.

If "no one" isn't selling, then everyone must be selling. Is that really what you meant?

Funny all 5 replies were deleted. Sears’ owner is a snake and is cheap