[rattlsnak]

I could have wrote this exact thread a few years ago. I was/am a 25 year ASE master tech and saw alot of this too. This whole flat rate thing started in the depression era so people could keep jobs, and yes, it made perfect sense , THEN. The only one who it makes sense for now, is the owners. The customers end up getting screwed. In what other industry can you have 20 employees at work for 40-50 hours each week, and get a paycheck for half that, and NO cost to the employer? I have seen several attempts by techs at certain dealers to pay techs on salary, but to the bosses, you are simply replaceable, and they feel that the techs would become unproductive. (unproductive , meaning obtaining less than 40 billable hours a week) We say that the cars would get fixed properly and with more care, because we would have the TIME to diagnose them correctly instead of rushing through a job so I can get another work order before somebody else does. I could go on and on, about so many different levels here, but to keep on topic, I have changed careers myself and couldn't be happier. Sure I miss it, and of course i have my own projects to work on. The turning point a few years ago was actully not the business practices, but I got injured and was out of work for 3 months and realized I didnt want to be 65 years old and busting my a$$ in all kinds of weather trying to make flat rate hours.