I worked here for about two years and eventually worked my way into a lead technician role. For the…read moreamount of responsibility and work expected of me, I felt extremely underpaid and underappreciated. I was making $21/hour while being expected to handle a large workload and take on responsibilities beyond what should reasonably be expected of one technician.
I was also expected to juggle training an apprentice who had very little experience. I regularly had to go back behind work and correct mistakes, including finding loose bolts and other issues. Despite that, I was often blamed for problems that I did not cause until evidence showed otherwise.
Communication was one of the biggest problems. There were plenty of times I didn't even know what jobs were coming in, what customers needed, or what was going on with their vehicles. I communicated issues to management, but customers still ended up waiting a long time, and somehow the responsibility would come back on me.
Another major issue was promises and agreements made to me as an employee. I was told that if I completed certain things or reached certain milestones, I would receive what had been promised. When the time came to finalize those agreements, they weren't followed through with, and I ultimately had to fight over one of those issues in court. If you're going to make a deal with your employee, honor the deal.
There were also concerns that made me question the professionalism and management of the business. I personally witnessed what I felt were serious issues with customer communication, paperwork, and professionalism. I was even accused of lying to customers when, from my perspective, the real problem was management failing to properly communicate with customers.
The work environment could also be extremely unprofessional. There was frequent marijuana use around the workplace, including by people working there, which I don't believe belongs in a professional shop environment.
I also found management's communication and treatment of employees inconsistent. Certain people would constantly butt heads, and the overall environment became stressful and frustrating.
I'm not saying every single thing about the shop was bad. There were good people there, and there were times when management was nice to me. But being nice doesn't make up for poor communication, broken promises, inadequate compensation, and putting unreasonable responsibility on employees.
If you're considering working here, especially as a technician, I'd strongly recommend asking very specific questions about pay, responsibilities, agreements, benefits, expectations, and how those agreements are documented before accepting the job.
I wish I could say more, but this is where I'll leave it. My experience was ultimately one of feeling overworked, underpaid, and undervalued.
I'm grateful for what I learned, but based on my experience, I would not choose to work here again.
