Hiring Repair Techs On Moonlighting Time??

[30yearslater]

Originally Posted by newhaul

I guess I'm one of those rare birds I charge a mere $50 USD per hour plus materials I have bussiness license and y for insurance and pay my taxes in April. I'm so busy its hard to find time to go sailing most of the time. My advertising is purely by word of mouth. So we are out there just ask around.

Same here! I do work for a company but since I paid for my own training, tools, truck and everything else any employer that thinks I owe them more than a good days work is delusional. In fact if they aggravate me or make threats I will purposely go to their competition and cut their repair costs to put the former employer out of business. Been know to do that more than once and still sought after. An employer can be happy with what I give and enjoy the savings or try to squeeze for more at their own peril.

[seasick]

Angie's list for vetted contractors and or Craigslist. These sites may be better for finding a refrigeration tech than a water maker tech. You should be able to figure out the water maker yourself.

[redhead]

Originally Posted by newhaul

I guess I'm one of those rare birds I charge a mere $50 USD per hour plus materials I have bussiness license and y for insurance and pay my taxes in April. I'm so busy its hard to find time to go sailing most of the time. My advertising is purely by word of mouth. So we are out there just ask around.

Glad to see someone chiming in. My husband has been in HVAC for 40 years- one truck, one or two men. Word of mouth is all the advertising. Although he charges more than $50/hr his prices are less than half of the "shiny truck" operations back in New York. I have found that independent contractors fall into two categories - they are unwilling to toe someone else's line and are perfectionists (not cost effective, but great for customers) or complete shmucks who want every dime they can suck out of a few one time customers and then move on to the next town.

Back on subject: employees of any trade usually agree to "no side jobs" while employed unless it is way out of the employers usual geographic area. There are competent and incompetent independent contractors and since you, the customer, are looking for a price break it is 100% your job to vet them. Ask for references, licenses, proof of insurance. So many people hire the "one off"s, don't do their homework and then go around ranting that they got ripped off. If you want to pay less than the corporate going rate you're going to have to invest some time choosing which guy you want to work on your boat.

[Cheechako]

The answer is find an independent. he's often better than the employee type anyway. I've had big businesses do a terrible job way too many times. Essentially charging $100 and hour and assigning a guy who flipped burgers last week.
I have absolutely no problem hiring someone who want to moonlite. But only when he walks into my life, not going out and looking for him. I've had tile work done by a guy a few times. He comes in and does the job on the weekend. He's a superb craftsman too. His employer is not going to have him working on the weekend he comes anyway.

[Xthewater]

Originally Posted by newhaul

I guess I'm one of those rare birds I charge a mere $50 USD per hour plus materials I have bussiness license and y for insurance and pay my taxes in April. I'm so busy its hard to find time to go sailing most of the time. My advertising is purely by word of mouth. So we are out there just ask around.

Newhaul: We've moved to Sequim, R U anywhere near there?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Xthewater

Newhaul: We've moved to Sequim, R U anywhere near there?

Not sure what kind of work you are looking for but I would imagine Port Townsend has a bunch of people available.... Check readerboards at the marina etc?

[CREX]

You can always have the pro, company or independent... Diagnose / estimate at their rate and then you know what to buy, fix. Honest and it helps you understand the system better for next time. Good luck.

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by tikirawker

I need some work completed on the water maker and refer.
(I have lost the battle too many times)
I found a local company that has techs but they bill $100/hr (usd).
I would imagine that the guy actually doing the work is making $30-40/hr.
My thought is to take advantage of the spread - I want to find the guy and offer him $50/hr cash.
He makes more and I save. win win

Now the hard part. How do I find the tech to make the offer?

And then there are morals and integrity.

I take a very dim view of an employee who steals potential clients, using the training and resources provided by the business owner, so they can earn a respectable income, while supporting the business.

I take a dimmer view of the boater who attempts to lure them.

If one has a boat they can't maintain, either using their own skills or by hiring professionals at regular rate, I think they have bigger problems than they realize.

Lastly, if one finds someone who is not smart enough to realize they are being taken advantage of (expected to work on a yacht for substantially less than regular rate), would one really want them working on their boat?

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by tikirawker

Bummer. Doesn't sound like anyone has had very much success trying this.
There are several different industries where moonlighting is normal.
If an employer can only afford to pay for 40 hours because overtime is too expensive then any employee should have the right to find more work.
That craftsman did take the time and effort to become highly skilled. They should do whatever is necessary to maximize the return on their personal investment.
I'm not big on debating politics as there isn't a perfect answer.
I understand low demand equals boutique industry which means higher prices - doesn't make it any less annoying...

Boutique?

The going rate for an automotive repair shop is around the same. There are millions of vehicles requiring repair every year.

The going rate for any service industry is the rate required to keep them in business.

If the rate is too high, they will lose business to competition; if the rate is too low, they won't survive. Simple supply and demand.

If one did manage to lure an employee to moonlight, especially for lower than market rate, "successful" is not the term I would use.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Your post makes no sense.

It made sense to me when I wrote it.

Which part sounds stupid to you? All of it?

b.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by tikirawker

Bummer. Doesn't sound like anyone has had very much success trying this.
There are several different industries where moonlighting is normal.
If an employer can only afford to pay for 40 hours because overtime is too expensive then any employee should have the right to find more work.
That craftsman did take the time and effort to become highly skilled. They should do whatever is necessary to maximize the return on their personal investment.

I've been on both sides of the service equation - both employee and as an independent, and in other industries as well as marine. Finding competent people at the low end of the billed hourly is the exception, not the rule.

Overtime is overrated. Been there. I value my boat-time too.

The good people aren't standing on a corner hoping you'll drive by. You need to network, to build up some longterm relationships with other sailors and people in the biz. That's where you'll find out who's good and who's not.

Once you find a good tech with a reasonable rate... support them! Give them all your business, and refer your friends to them.

[fishsail18]

One thing that was not touched on is using a well established shop will have the financial backing to correct a screw up from their mechanics. I was a marine mechanic for years and although I had been approached many times for side jobs I always declined, however I know some co-workers that did moon lite, and if you hire a guy on the side and say while working on the motor their foot slips and breaks off an oil pressure sensor or as they install a windshield wiper motor they crack a windshield. Something that seems so simple can turn into a nightmare in a second, and these guys don't have the money to fix it. They will usually walk off or run off the boat. and now yur stuck with a much bigger problem.
When I was younger I had a friend doing some fiberglass work to this guys boat in his driveway. well he knocked over a full gallon of resin on the guys driveway he threw dirt and leaves on the puddle and took off. I can't imagine what a mess that was to clean up. It all comes back to two things, 1. you get what you pay for and 2. If you want something done right do it yourself.

[Stumble]

So you want to hire someone to do something dishonest, and then expect them to act honestly with you?

Just keep in mind they will not be covered by their employers insurance, and if they are working on your boat they will be considered jones act employees. Which you are completely on the hook for. Something as simple as a mechanic slipping and breaking his leg could easily cost you a hundred grand or so in lost wages, plus the medical bills. Not a good bet in my eyes.

[Cheechako]

It's a two sided coin. On one hand an employer will say "we don't have any work right now" to an 'employee'. Especially in seasonal jobs like boat repair can be in northern climes. On the other hand it's not OK for the employee to get work after hours?
I don't think a worker should be offering to do work in direct competition with his employer. But it's not always that simple. For instance many contractors, may specialize in larger jobs, like building apartment complexes. Or doing the tile work in that sort of thing. This is "do it quick and dirty" work. It's so competitive $ wise that there's little profit in it. If a worker takes a weekend job, it really doesn't effect the contractor at all, small jobs are not his thing.
A couple of moonlighters I have hired over the years are so highly skilled compared with most, that I doubt their employer is going to say anything anyway. They know those guys can get hired wherever and whenever they want. Those guys are not easy for an employer to find.

[Stumble]

Cheechako,

I have a good friend who is a machinist at a company that specializes in cargo ships. They are absolutely uninterested in any job that doesn't involve massive machinery and they are fine with him doing small piece work at their facility on his off hours. But that is not what we are talking about here. The op wants to try and entice an employee at a lower price to do exactly the work his employer has quoted. Radically different thing.