February - 2006

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CONSUMER TRAINING AND EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

Written exclusively for the

Professional Servicers Organization of California

 

 

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As a journalist and Instructor in the electronics field I have watched the employment in service centers turn from a viable vocation into a nightmare.  Our association has been trying desperately to gain popularity in the cost of doing business seminars to show owners how to manage there business and make it a profitable venture.  We have had some impact but a few centers are destroying the market by undercutting what they charge, this means that instead of paying the technician what they need to survive they give them minimum wages with little or no benefits. I should also mention that a lot of centers are only using technicians as contract labor.

 

In order to pay workman’s compensation and medical benefits with paid vacations your rates must be set according to your overhead.  A decision must be made to hold manufactures to a reasonable warranty rate and over the counter repairs must be limited to items that you can maintain a good return on.  This also means that you need to belong to an association (PSOC) that is committed to holding regular training sessions at a reasonable cost and convenient locations near you.

 

 

My frustration is simple; I train technicians only to send them out on job interviews that turn out to be embarrassing to both me and the technician.  The training that a new technician must have is extensive, requiring more electronics, digital skills, set-up and diagnostics then ever before; but we expect them to work at a poverty level.   I watch technicians become discouraged and move to other fields or work out of there homes.

 

 

We have an obligation to try and make this a field to be proud of and raise the level of our expectations to the level of our commitment.  Your association will start to provided training sessions in the near future, there success will depend on your commitment to training.

 

 

Jack Geer

  IDENTIFY THEFT

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According to a 2003 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report, identity theft has affected more than 27 million Americans in the past five years and is getting worse.  In 2002, nearly 10 million people, or 4.6 percent of the population, reported having been the victim of identity theft, either through new credit card accounts opened in their names or by thieves who gained access to their existing accounts.  On average, thieves collected $10,200 worth of goods, money or services when opening a fraudulent new account.

 

Here are some tips to guard against identify theft:

 

1.       Promptly remove mail from your mailbox.

2.       Never leave receipts at a bank machine, ban counter, public trash can or unattended gasoline pump.

3.       When making an ATM transaction, block the screen and keyboard with your body.

4.       Memorize your Social Security number and all of your passwords.  Do not record them on any cards or on items in your purse or wallet.

5.       When writing a check for a credit card payment, do not write the entire account number on the check.  Instead, just use the last four numbers.

6.       Never have your Social Security number printed on your checks.

7.       If your credit cards are stolen, immediately call the three credit bureaus and request that a ‘fraud alert’ be placed on your name and Social Security number.  Keep these numbers handy:   EQUIFAX:  800-685-1111   EXPERIAN:  800 682-7654 and TRANS UNION 800 916-8800

8.       If your credit or bank cards are stolen or you believe they have been tampered with, contact your financial institution immediately.

9.       Immediately file a police report in the jurisdiction where your credit and bank cards were stolen.  Request a copy of the report in case you later need proof of the crime for your credit card company.

 

For more information about identify theft, visit the Federal Trade Commission web site:  www.ftc.gov.

 

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