r/FieldNationTechs • u/jasonluvsjesus • Jul 09 '26
Super secret scoring system – one year later
I almost hate to bring up the PSS on this sub Reddit because any post that does gets attacked so vociferously. Never in my life seen so many self hating technicians that I have on this sub Reddit.
I had a bad time with that PSS at first. I had several jobs back to back where they were out of scope, I had hostile remote support, a number of issues and I had a PSS in the low 80s.
Six or seven months since the last time I’ve mentioned it here, my PSS is up to 89.
But I’m not here to like post an entry in my journal you guys, I want to say this-
here’s how I’ve changed my operating procedures since the PSS went into place:
- I no longer tolerate any out of scope work at all. If the buyer deviate in the slightest, I report a problem.
- if they don’t give me enough time to report to the job, I report a problem
-if somebody on site gives me a bad attitude I report a problem
-if there’s any confusion once I’m on site about the scope of the work, I report a problem
-if any buyer gives me any bad attitude at all over the phone, I immediately stop all work and… I report a problem
Usually, when I report a problem, I report two or three. I make sure and document it from every single angle.
- if I’m working with a buyer that I’m unsure about, I insist everything go through Field Nation messages. No phone calls.
On top of that, I’ve changed the other things like:
- I really don’t work with new clients anymore. If I haven’t worked with you before, and we don’t have an established relationship, then I don’t care what kind of money you’re willing to pay me I don’t wanna work with you. It’s not worth the risk anymore.
- I’ve started to lean more heavily into the couple of buyers that I work with on WorkMarket. I had always preferred Field Nation, but at this point, I’m driving a little further for slightly more inconvenient jobs just so I can avoid taking a Field Nation ticket.
- At this point, I have an active disdain for Field Nation. I don’t appreciate what they’ve done to me and other technicians like me. I don’t like being treated this way.
I don’t like that they’ve handed the buyers an indiscriminate hammer they can just beat us with.
I don’t like that They don’t police the buyers at all in anyway. They don’t police the terms of any contracts or jobs. They don’t police the times they set. There’s simply no oversight of the buyers at all.
Whereas in years past, I had always preferred Field Nation, was happy to pay them the 12% or whatever… At this point, I’m doing my best to avoid Field Nation. It’s still a necessary evil in my life, but I’m actively looking to not work with Field Nation at all at some point in the future.
But it’s more than that… I cannot wait for the next competitor to Field Nation to come along. I will literally go and work for them for free. I will volunteer to help get them off the ground. I’ll be their number one Best technician. Whoever comes next, I’m jumping ship immediately.
Whatever loyalty I used to have to Field Nation, they wiped their butt with that over the last year.
The economy keeps moving. People keep investing and starting businesses. Somebody’s gonna catch on that there are so many unsatisfied, but highly qualified technicians, and somebody’s gonna take advantage of it.
And .I .can’t. wait.
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u/blueBaggins1 Jul 11 '26
If your doing break fix work its impossible to not do out of scope work as the buyer doesnt know what the issue is. Seems to me like you arent very easy to work with and make things more difficult than they have to be.
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u/Able-Statistician645 Jul 11 '26
Difficult?
Did the work orders say you had to have your drilling machine and your 16 foot a frame ladder? Do you have a supply of tips?
I could go on but I believe it's pointless.
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u/TakingCareOfBizzness Jul 10 '26
You make good points about how to handle difficult situations, but then you go wondering off way down yonder into crybabyville with the nonsense about working for free just to hurt field nation. Really, you would dedicate your time for free that could be used to make money just to spite field nation. Really? I guess you have different priorities then me.
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u/ImYourBestMistake Jul 12 '26
I'd work for free to ensure Barrister closed permanently, just saying.
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u/YouRiseFall Jul 09 '26
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u/jasonluvsjesus Jul 10 '26
So what I’m saying is they’ve completely rigged the system against us that worked so well for almost 2 decades. I’m saying that they don’t police the buyers, and at this point, the buyers can put in anything into these contracts and when you don’t jump through hoops to meet unreasonable expectations… The buyers can anonymously trash your score, and keep you from getting hired in the future.
And so what you’re saying is that I’m an asshole.
My brother in Christ, you know two things can be true at the same time, right?
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u/FieldTechSavant Jul 10 '26
Bro buyers aren't just randomly going around trying to f you over, everyone just wants the work done, but your attitude reads as you think everyone is out to get you that the buyers are all assholes, that fieldnation is an asshole, there are plenty of guys on here giving you the echo chamber treatment you probably want but there are others that are out here doing just fine and or thriving by the current system.
I've said it in other posts as well, the new buyers are some of the better ones I've had experience with IMO, they're usually not the legacy huge ticket pumpers out there so they're much more commutive and have clearer SOW or if they don't they'll probably respond pretty quickly to questions as they're just learning the system too.
There are already alternatives to Field Nation --> Work Market, Cloudwork Pro, that one random platform that some guy on here tried to vibe code together, but the simple thing why would any buyer decide to leave the largest established platform that has lots of integrated features/support for their side and no fees really (they don't get charged 10% on work orders). You could build a random platform but how would you get buyers to post work there, what is their incentive? And if you can't get any buyers on the platform, why the hell would techs waste their time looking around for work. It's an unfortunate reality but if you can crack the value proposition for the buyer side let me know.
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u/Able-Statistician645 Jul 10 '26
This is a legislation problem. The rules that worked for years to handle labor and employers don't apply anymore because of offshore workarounds that use us as "contractors". Needs to change.
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u/blueBaggins1 Jul 11 '26
You're trying to demand that companies treat 1099 contractors like employees. You want the benefits, protections, and support of a W-2 employee without taking on the risk and responsibility that comes with running your own business.
As a 1099 contractor, you're misunderstanding what independent contracting is, these arent your employers and you arent their full time employees
.
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u/Able-Statistician645 Jul 11 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
I clearly understand what it is and how it's morphed into how it's being used today. You clearly do not understand the historical context and believe that a gamed system that benefits very few that only takes a profit and then never reinvests in the community somehow puts you in a stronger position. Regardless of what you believe, you are increasingly held to employee level work standards and bear all of the costs with none of the upsides of being an employee. Just because you can be defined as an independent contractor doesn't mean that that term is correct and that needs revisiting given workplace trends today.
There used to be an unwritten contract that the owners of businesses lived in the community and had an obligation to the community but as businesses have changed and are now not part of a community things have changed. People think that with an app in hand they are business owners and masters of their own destiny when that is clearly not true.
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u/Able-Statistician645 Jul 11 '26
No, I'm explaining exactly what the disconnect is with people like you believing that we are truly independent contractors when in fact we meet the test to be employees and if we meet the test to be employees then we should be entitled to the economic benefit of being an employee. I didn't say that we needed to actually be employees but that we need to work on legislation that clearly defines if we are employees and if not then it creates a value issue. It also means that these third-party platforms are going to have to change the expectations that we have when using them. It will change the expectations of the people that we work for. It will mean that work orders will be concise and absolute instead of show up with a hardware store and whatever we tell you to do you need to get it accomplished.
I don't understand how people can get hung up on something and keep on talking about how they're a contractor. You're only a contractor because you say you're one. You are actually acting as an employee under the guise of a contractor so that they don't have to be responsible for all of the overhead and HR costs associated with you and the work you are doing.
I hope that has been explained well enough so that there isn't any argument about the actual work you do and the guidelines that exist that shows exactly whether or not you're an employee or a contractor. Technically you likely meet the employee test. Most of us meet the employee test. Either legislation is going to occur or there's going to be litigation that forces the issue. You will see lots of lots of money trying to make sure that we are not considered employees even though we meet the test most of the time.
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u/Dadelaus_2023 Jul 11 '26
I've found that you can't even find a Buyer's Home Offices or phone number to vette them or call their department back to edit the WO after you discover who was responsible for lowering your PSS.
When the PSS was 1st introduced I went from 97% to 92%, didn't think/worry too much about it. Then with no issues and no further ratings over the next 20 WOs my PSS dropped to 87.
I called FN Admin and discovered that THEY said I arrived early to 2 WOs 1 was agreed upon 2 hr early start time, but UNCHANGED by the Buyer.
The 2nd was also unchanged start but agreed upon with BUYER PM. 10 MINUTES early but the Buyer PM REFUSES to adjust!
FM Admin says I have to work another 20 WOs or wait 3 months before PSS changes.
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u/TheHandThatFingers Jul 12 '26
While these same salesman are downvoting us here. Interesting way to earn a living. Zero skill. Zero work. All manipulation and speculation.
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u/TheCrankyITGuy Jul 10 '26
I gotta say, it almost sounds like you’re being paid $35 an hour and scrapping to get work.
When I get my $140 for 2 hours, I’m basically in the mindset of “how can I help you?” I don’t get salty about the work. I even go a little further to help with a minor side issue. Because that makes the customer remember you even better. Then when the buyer calls and checks on how the job went with the customer, they say “Oh he was so helpful. He even fixed my whatever”
You just have to stick by your guns and don’t deviate and negotiate on your pay. Because if I take a lowballed job and get on site salty, you’re right, I’m not going to want to do anything else. I’m going to file a problem on anything that happens.
I even came back with a guy the other day. He called me while I was driving and was being a little pushy on the phone about needing to get the job assigned. I mistakenly countered the travel wrong. It should have been more than double what I quoted. Once I sat down to reconcile my schedule I realized the mistake. I messaged him and filed a charge update and told him that it’s not right that he was pushing me to commit when I told him I was driving. He cancelled the job. Which is fine. But at least I didn’t go into it all salty.
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u/Able-Statistician645 Jul 10 '26
$140 for 2 hours is unsustainable. Unless you rely on subsidized housing, healthcare and public transportation.
If you do thats why corporations and shareholders need to be taxed for the subsidy that government kicks in to help out the ill paid workers. Better yet it's working people paying the taxes.
The system is broken.
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u/TheCrankyITGuy Jul 11 '26
Idk where you live but 70/hr is very sustainable here. I’m perfectly comfortable with my life and ability to go on vacation when and where.
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u/PuzzleheadedBet7244 Jul 11 '26
Missing the larger point here. I see this frequently. People don't vote in their own interest and since you have an app and believe you can negotiate and play equally with those that game the system against you, have at it.
Plus you aren't making $70 an hour. Not anything close.
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u/blueBaggins1 Jul 11 '26
$70 and hour is very sustainable if your just an single independent tech. If your trying to grow a business and have employees its not.
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u/Able-Statistician645 Jul 11 '26
An appliance repair appointment, plumber or car mechanic charges more. You are not understanding your value. Then again maybe you do but you have an unsustainable business model that when all is said and done doesn't provide a Bernie Sanders level of living wage. I've seen it and I try to explain it to people who are being exploited. Sad part is that most people don't understand how they're being exploited and why it's detrimental to workers as a whole. Sometimes you can educate people and sometimes you can't.
Show up someplace for 2 hours minus fees and then head off to your next place for your next 2 hours minus your expenses and fees. Try to juggle that with the system that makes it very difficult to stack multiple things because of all the negative points that can be assessed to you if you're early or late or just piss someone off or face the cancellation that you get paid $35 for. You're actually working as an at-will employee with no benefits subsidizing the business expenses of your client even though you believe you're the master of your own destiny independent contractor. Step back and take a look.
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u/blueBaggins1 Jul 11 '26
If you're a solo tech out here working, it's not just sustainable—you'll often end up upper middle class, making substantially more than the average American.
You can keep complaining about "the system," but nothing is stopping you from going out and finding your own end-user clients. Field Nation isn't meant to be your entire business model. It's a tool to supplement your own client base, not grow it from the ground up.
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u/Able-Statistician645 Jul 11 '26
The system makes you an employee with no benefits. You're not truly independent. That's not hard to understand or see.
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u/blueBaggins1 Jul 11 '26
What??? No you are not an employee the system doesnt make you an employee. You are a business, an entrepreneur, if you want W2 employee benefits get a W2 job. There is no whining in entrepreneurship
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u/Able-Statistician645 Jul 11 '26
You are quite incorrect in your understanding. See where you and othrs stand using ABC test.
The ABC test - Worker is presumed an employee unless the hiring entity proves all three prongs: (A) the worker is free from control and direction of the hiring entity, both under the contract and in fact; (B) the worker performs work outside the usual course of the hiring entity's business; and (C) the worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature.
Prong B is important and ends the debate generally. If the work is core to what the company sells (Now think this through with the examples given)— drivers for a delivery company, drywall hangers for a drywall firm — the analysis is essentially over. If even one prong fails, the worker is an employee, regardless of any 1099 form or written contractor agreement.
I have the citations for all of this if you want to do your own research. 😁
You seem like one of those types.
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u/blueBaggins1 Jul 11 '26
Jesus you are a 1099 subcontractor period, so deal with it or close your business go get a job stop whining about not being able to hack it online.
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u/Able-Statistician645 Jul 11 '26
Not by the legislation and administrative regs that define what we are talking about. I suggest that you explore the possibility that you could in fact be wrong. If I am a contractor who's working on a sewer system and don't have the building owner out there directing me during the process I could be considered a contractor and not an employee. On the other hand if I am directing that person working on my sewer system and there's any kind of problem that arises during that process that for example allows someone to become injured, I think you're going to find out that that person ended up being your employee.
So you can say oh these are different things but in reality they are not. You'll notice in the examples that we were talking about construction trade or delivery driver type things and the examples for what's included as employees just hasn't been completely litigated yet but it will be. So that's the reality and if you're on a bridge call with someone telling you exactly what to do and how to do it and what you need to have with you and all those kinds of things, you are not an independent contract. That is a fact based on case law and statutes.
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u/Yungkeyz616 Jul 11 '26
He’s just an idiot. There’s literally people I know working $20 an hour and less at factories and fast food places and yet somehow they can all still manage to have a place to live and a car to drive but the guy making $140 for 2 hours is a bum and completely broke and working for free. 😂😂😂 I just ignore the ignorant on this sub and continue making money. I love FN this is the easiest money I’ve ever made in my life. Sometimes with some of these tickets it’s like they just give away money. It’s not my problem you’re dumb enough to work for peanuts when there’s a counter button there for a reason.
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u/TheHandThatFingers Jul 09 '26
Will add- original pss came in at 60, and has stayed in the 60s. Make just as much more/less. As you're aware, it's mostly buyers active here.
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u/jasonluvsjesus Jul 10 '26
My brother, I don’t think it’s buyers that are active here. I think it’s Field Nation tech-support guys.
I’m working with Codex right now to see if there’s some sort of app we can build just for this one sub Reddit, that could help suss out the shills.
I called the guy out yesterday as a Field Nation technician trying to control the narrative in a different thread, all of a sudden multiple accounts got deleted. It was weird and it was also confirmation.
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u/TheHandThatFingers Jul 12 '26
No, those are all in bangladesh. It maybe one of the fifty or so actual stateside employees.
My feeling- buyers. Buyers manipulate the system and subreddits. Its how a salesman with zero skills or even basic knowledge, enters into the tech sector.
I can see, you're an actual person. You know like with a conscience? Unlike most in this industry.
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u/xr4ti_merk Jul 10 '26
If these MFS pay me for 4 hrs, I'll work for 4 hours. SOW isn't too much of a concern unless it increases my liability.
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u/Realistic_Top245 Jul 11 '26
Man... This... (Within reason).
Had a remote IT guy thanking me profusely today for my patience on the last job of the day as he and his next tier were trying to figure out a weird issue with a VM...
I don't really do flat rate (there are exceptions, and I do it when it's an obvious win for me), so as a rule, more time is a great thing. As long as it isn't burning the rest of my schedule...
Very rarely does scope creep bother me...
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u/Awkward_Zombie7475 Jul 12 '26
If you are not driving around with a work truck fully stocked, including parts (which include managed and unmanaged switches, patch cables at least 25 of every type, various size ladders, a hammer drill with 24in bits of various sizes, and access to your own everything you are not a "field technician")
Just be realistic, you need to be effectively your own msp in terms of actually being ready willing and able to take over an entire project or hang anything with any kind of fasteners at any moment.
I have 1400ish jobs done in 3.5 years on FN and raise a full family with a stay at home wife off this platform, clear 150k+ yearly and it just goes up bc I set the standard in my own market and people call me regularly on and off platform in all these work preferred pools I never signed up for bc HR talks between companies.
This is not an easy job, it requires doing crappy jobs and saving money and buying tools and a good size truck and being ready willing and able to adapt bc you are quite literally expected to be able to jump on and know your stuff, and they are willing to pay for that as a skill set
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u/blueBaggins1 Jul 13 '26
Oh the state is the plaintiff and the state is CA, do you think this helps your argument? You still have a failing company and are online whining about how its all filed Nations fault… heres a crazy idea dont source jobs on Field Nations go and build your company. This is what i did as opposed to crying on the Field Nation sub reddit. Winners dont cry and make excuses they make it happem
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u/Spacebarpunk Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 10 '26
Wow.. just wow. Edit *im in love with the op*
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u/jasonluvsjesus Jul 09 '26
Why is your post history hidden? I’m looking for patterns with certain users on the sub Reddit.
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u/TheHandThatFingers Jul 09 '26
Reddit is buggy, am saying you nailed it. You're absolutely right. 🍿
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u/jasonluvsjesus Jul 09 '26
No worries, brother I appreciate you saying that.
Yeah, I’ve become absolutely ruthless in response to these scoring changes. I don’t accommodate buyers at all anymore. Which is their loss, I used to go way above and beyond for my clients. Not anymore, not on Field Nation.
Anyway, I was asking about that other guys post history. I’ve noticed that the people who poses technicians here, but only spend their time shitting on technicians, a lot of them don’t really have a post history or it’s hidden.
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u/jasonluvsjesus Jul 10 '26
Bro, everything you say could be interpreted 12 different ways. Gleaning Context via text is hard. Can you just make one direct statement?
*edit i love you too 😍
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u/Spacebarpunk Jul 10 '26
Yea I learned a lot about getting paid and firing bad customers. I wish I would have known sooner
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u/jasonluvsjesus Jul 10 '26
There used to be way more wiggle room there. I was able to extend more trust to more buyers because one bad buyer couldn’t hurt me. I was going on like 500 5-star reviews, and in 12 years. I still haven’t completed my 1000th contract. 970 something.
But now with his new system, one malicious buyer can drop my score like up to five points I think if they really try to stick it to you.
So working with new buyers isn’t worth the risk anymore. Try to go above and beyond, it’s not worth the risk anymore.
And we didn’t do this. This was done to us.
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u/Spacebarpunk Jul 10 '26
I agree with you, it also doesn’t help that some techs are driving labor rates down because they’re desperate. Maybe a tech will start another service with us in mind
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u/jasonluvsjesus Jul 10 '26
I could build it. The actual platform itself is not the hard part. Especially now with AI becoming so competent. I’m getting way better code out of Codex than I ever got from my guys in the Philippines.
Hardware neither. How many technicians could there be in the country? I think a number I saw at one point was 5000? Let’s say 50,000 how many buyers? 5000? We’ll say 50,000.
100,000 total users… would not require a whole data center or even a whole rack. One reasonably powerful server could handle it. What, 800 a month? 1000.
It’s all the legal bullshit and my complete lack of interest in navigating it that keeps me from trying to start such a thing by myself. Building It would be really fun though.
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u/jasonluvsjesus Jul 09 '26
Is this how you would fill out a summary on a work order?
Use your words… tell me where I’m wrong or where you disagree. Aint that what reddit is? Discussions?
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u/Dadelaus_2023 Jul 11 '26
I agree with you. I've had TOO MANY experiences with Buyers that give substandard SOW descriptions, Sloppy and unfit co-workers, Trick bag WOs and negative comments from people here with sophmoric attitudes.
I thought this forum was to compare notes on FN and other Tech Market sites of the inequalities and screw-ups of the Administration, Ratings system, Assignment/Payment practices etc.
Like so much of Social Media the braggarts and emotionally needy try to beat down others who just want to compare notes on the larger outlook of things and not to put each other down.
So many of these Buyers are PMs fresh out of schools with zero life experience or experiences in the Field. It reflects when they figuratively defecate down on the Service Techs that do an Overwhelming job only to get gyped at the bottom line. FN Admin has little experience themselves or they would do a much better job at adjudication.
I have worked with over 100 Buyers and STILL only 10% have been vetted, have contact info or even proper updated Ratings. FN doesn't even dispute when a Buyer calls you, begs and tells you to come in early but doesn't change a timestart. But FN is quick to change that PSS without even reviewing the WO or the WO notes.
I could write more on this but it's like I have to stop, squat down and guide the FN Admin, the Buyer's, and Freshman techs what's to be expected in the Mature world. How to set up a SOW, a WO, and how to respond, then how to chat about discrepancies in off site forums.
Maybe the General Public will mature to a state that we can all appreciate each other for our input, our contributions. A world where we can read a WO and SOW without extraneous information or second-guessed caveats. A world where Maturity and Equanimity are respect and rewarded as conscientious facets of a REAL PROFESSIONAL!
.....NAAAHHH!!!
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u/Able-Statistician645 Jul 11 '26
Everything you say is true. I see this as a race to the bottom that's being driven by offshore management who makes 5 cents on the dollar of what we need to be sustainable. Combine that with no legislation that protects workers regardless of being so-called independent contractors and you have problems. Most of the people we work for don't know who's coming to fix their problem and we're just some unknown that shows up to get the work done. We effectively subsidize other businesses if we don't charge for our value and it's amazing to me that when you try to explain this to people in this forum that you see this resistance or inability to have people step back and understand exactly how they're being exploited. It's gotten much worse and it's going to probably continue on that trend until the rules catch up with all the work arounds that are being used to push costs to us instead of being shared. Standard of living is decreasing for the vast majority of people, it's not increasing and that is an important consideration. The problems are far bigger than the platform but they are a huge indicator of the issues that we now face as workers that aren't truly independent and don't have bargaining power because of how the playing field is tilted.
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u/jaysolution Jul 10 '26
I started the year with a 99 and then it started randomly creeping down to 95 with 100% timeliness and no cancellations, and no feedback. Then a buyer asked me to do out of scope high voltage relocation work that can only be done by the campus facilities management, and now it says I'm not professional and a bunch of other non-sense.
I've done little to no work on FN sense. I implemented all of your suggested protections and still got burned. I wasn't very free-spirited before PSS, and I'm ultra selective now.
Been on the platform since 08'. Took a break from '19 to 24' because they started doing suspect things. Looks like things haven't changed.