Commission labor in this industry is borderline slave labor. The problem is you have these shops that charge $150, $180, $200 or more whilst keeping the techs pay at the same rate. For me it’s $23 per hour per job.
My job requires me to use the internet to pull trouble codes and diagnostic procedures. Without it I can literally do nothing but sit at work and make $0. Can’t leave because I’m required to be there. When the internet goes down or when the IT company does updates or changes some setting, I get completely shut out sometimes for a whole day.
It’s like working at McDonald’s and if the power is shut off and the boss tells you they can’t pay you but you’re required to be there. It’s so bullshit.
Another thing about commission is warranty rates. If the book for customer rate pays 2 hours (pays me $46) warranty might pay 0.6 of an hour ($13.8) even if the job takes 2 hours to do. So the incentive is to “do the job faster” when sometimes it’s physically impossible.
And when labor rates continue to rise for customers but employee pay doesn’t, customers are deterred from wanting to pay for work, harming my paycheck further. Again, I am paid $23 per hour per job. If there is no work to be done, I get paid $0. And mopping floors is still working for free.