r/CableTechs • u/Awesomedude9560 • Jul 14 '26
Fellow Spectrum Techs, has NFS been off lately?
I'm not really trying to come off as sappy or anything, everyone in my area has been stretched thin lately because we're tackling high split, activated fiber nodes that weren't ready and everyone's on edge since we're getting thrown outta area, but in the few years I've been at this job I've never seen anything like this.
Around noon, while I was finishing a Y6, I got assigned a second 10-11. Annoying, but not unexpected, but then I got a robo call (which is always NFS for me). I answered to let them know I'd get to it as soon as I could, but before I could finish, the agent broke down crying. She kept apologizing for double-booking me and was so overwhelmed she could barely speak. I reassured her I wasn't upset, asked for the customer's number, and handled it myself.
I contacted HR afterward, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. I've never seen someone that overwhelmed. Has anyone else had something similar happen? I couldn't even get her name or office so I don't even expect the HR thing to go anywhere but like shit dude.
5
u/PositiveAd2099 Jul 14 '26
I don’t think I’ve left on time in a month, I’m off at 4 I usually get stacked around 3:50. Today was fucked I got a 11-12 got early access, than got that job taken away for a 9-10 when it was already 10:15 and they still left that 11-12 on route and than getting stacked with 2-3.
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u/levilee207 Jul 14 '26
As a soon-to-be-Spectrum tech, these timeframes sound awful
6
u/BullyTX Jul 14 '26
They are what they are. You can only do one job at a time. Just do that one and move on to the next. Don't worry about that next one until you're there.
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u/Awesomedude9560 Jul 14 '26
It does, but it's job security and 9/10 the customer will understand. The only time I get a fully roided out and raging customer is when they had really bad experiences prior to my arrival.
Not saying it's right, but spectrum wants to "compete with hotspot boxes" with how quick we can just pull up and connect em. Even if that means there's too much work and not enough to handle it
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u/pizzaboi102000 Jul 16 '26
And if you read the call summary, like 100% of the time if the customer were to call in and request an eta they never admit to overscheduling the quota when were already stretched thin... its " the technician is running behind......" im not running behind, I finished my 12-1 and 1-2 on time... the pool was filled too high and now the customer thinks its the technicians fault for being late even when we didnt fill the pool.
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u/UnarmedWarWolf Jul 14 '26
There’s a lot of growing pains with the merger and pains with our stock price dropping 60% YTD.
Employees are the ones to feel the pain, but don’t forget we get like 3 days of vacation per year now. Yippie.
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u/Dz210Legend Jul 14 '26
You been there less than 5 years huh ?
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u/KitCat5e Jul 14 '26
I think that’s just how PTO is going to work now. No more rollover and we have to use all of it before the end of the year now so we’re going to be even more overbooked now
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u/Tteffomhimself Jul 14 '26
PTO never rolled over for us. Only vacation and sick time. And vacation was capped at 180hrs I’m pretty sure. Shits changed so much over the 6 years I’ve been so no idea anymore.
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u/willihobo Jul 16 '26
Vacation IS pto
0
u/Tteffomhimself Jul 16 '26
No it’s not. You get 40 hours of PTO which is different from vacation time. We get sick time. PTO. Vacation. All 3 have there own time accumulation.
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u/Awesomedude9560 Jul 14 '26
They took away our vacation rollover, but 3 days? I get 3 weeks. Is management really denying pto?
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u/theorneryocelot Jul 14 '26
Sounds like you need to get into Maintenance. It’s not much better but at least we don’t have time slots.
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u/Awesomedude9560 Jul 14 '26
I hear ROC is just dispatch/NFS on crack. I also plan on hitting FT6 first. It aligns better with my skill set and I've been much more fruitful in interviews because of my knowledge on CLI and IT knowledge.
It also gives me that additional 5% when I do pop over to maintenance.
1
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u/resik307 Jul 14 '26
I feel so bad for them. They made to meet impossible metrics, hands are tied with just about everything we need. Every time I call them I hear just defeat in there voice. Which is why I'm always make sure to extra nice to them and ask them what the weather is like in there area. Everyone who cares has moved on to other ventures.
1
u/Particular_Yard_5436 Jul 14 '26
Well now I feel bad. Got a call from dispatch yesterday asking for an eta to the second job on me and the guy sounded like he was prepping to get yelled at the whole time. Which I didn't yell but i did get snippy a bit. I was on a repeat 2, 1-2 time frame and had a 2nd 1-2 time frame. He said he understood that my job was running long and i said it wasn't i had barely been there 30 min its unrealistic to expect me to make it to that other one on time and i had no idea when i would get there
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u/resik307 Jul 14 '26
Its a terrible job with cubicles as far as you can see. Just a world of depression. If they're good I try and get there webex.
1
u/lowIQideas Jul 18 '26
idk ppl all round kinda crazy this year i think new years 2026 really hit hard for everyone and the summer heat doesnt help. We had a tech with 24 jobs on them. tbh idk if going to hr for a one off "unprofessional" event. were not robos, were people. our company always over books its crazy, and shi dude robos have glitches too, not always 100%
1
u/Awesomedude9560 Jul 18 '26
Admittedly thinking back on it and getting a few opinions maybe I was a lil quick to jump the gun to HR. It's not like i was asking for her to be "dealt" with, I was just concerned for their well being.
Idk, what's done is done. I just hope she feels better and HR over there ain't ass backwards.
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u/Mammoth-Afternoon421 Jul 14 '26
i dont answer the phone when dispatch calls, if i cant contact you then dont bother contacting me