It's a tough job and depending on your location, the pay can be pretty terrible. Certain locations have higher pay, and we're told it's due to a higher cost of living, but there are other locations with lower cost of living but still receive higher pay which is really unfair.
There are long hours and excessive mandatory overtime. Techs are working five 12-hour days instead of the four 10-hour days we were told when we were hired. Well over a month ago we were told that there would temporarily be mandatory overtime, with many people having to work both Saturday and Sunday, and it was OK at first because thought it was only for a short period of time. We have expressed our displeasure to management, but the response is basically "Tough luck, be glad you have a job."
It's incredibly hard to advance or get promoted. They have changed the already difficult criteria several times and you basically have to be perfect for 90 days in order to be promoted. It is especially difficult because your some of your jobs are inspected and you can fail for using the wrong colored cable clips and having a stinger on a connection that is too long.
Techs are continually have been getting increased responsibilities and workload without an increase in pay. There are more jobs to do in a day and throughout the week, so at times we've had problems getting sufficient supplies from the warehouse. Also we're now required to sell Dish Smart Home services, which are overpriced accessories like wall-mounts, screen cleaning kits (sell for $15, you can buy comparable kits online for less than $3), and TV/home theater system installation. For selling these services, there isn't a commission, but a point system which you can use on a proprietary website to purchase various goods. All the techs would prefer real money on a paycheck but management seems to believe that we are children who are appeased by arbitrary points.
