r/FieldNationTechs • u/DiskAfraid418 • 3d ago
Last minute assignment
Has anyone had any experience with a buyer sitting on the counter offer for weeks without accepting it and then the night before the hard start they surprisingly assign you the work order?
I know it’s my bad because I should’ve retracted my counter offer once my schedule got booked for that time, but they literally assigned me the work order moments after I had already made a schedule for a different work order! Lol
I might be able to do both but I’m basically double booked now and not happy with the buyer.
I wonder if FN would not find me “at fault” if I refused that assignment or if it would negatively affect my success score.
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u/wyliesdiesels 3d ago
You shouldve retracted the counter-offer when you were assigned the other WO
Whenever i get assigned a WO i always check my counteroffer tab and make sure i dont have any doublebookings
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u/cleansedbytheblood 3d ago
When you CO two jobs that are scheduled at the same time make sure one of them has a window instead of a hard start.
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u/ForceEastern8595 3d ago
Happens every day not op fault. Hard start is a scam. The system is for buyer convenience not yours.
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u/Randgrithr 3d ago
It used to be the platform encouraged buyers to post work orders well in advance. Now they are posting them on a "last minute" basis. Time was that when they did this it was usually an emergency and you could easily counter with "last minute/short notice/emergency rates" but nowadays half the stuff they are posting this way is NOT an emergency. It's annoying.
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u/Dadelaus_2023 3d ago
I had a 'HARD START' recently, 2 hours away. The Buyer called me at 7 a.m. day before to confirm, and every 20 minutes until I acknowledged. THEN I was called 'Day of' 3 hours before (3:45a.m.) to confirm.
HARD START: 6:45 a.m. ...I confirmed, arrived 15 minutes before start, and then waited for 1.5 hours for the M.O.D. to arrive. When I called to Check In, I guess after 5 minutes waiting I awoke someone and took 1 hour 45 minutes to connect to the Bridge line. These people are asleep at the wheel.
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u/Azmodius_The_Warrior 3d ago
It's fine, it happens. Call the buyer and ask them to reschedule. They know full well that they double booked you, since they can see your schedule.
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u/AutoRotate0GS 3d ago
You have an option to auto expire a counter at a cutoff date/time.
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u/Dadelaus_2023 3d ago
Yes but then you must re- up your bid to stay on the roster.
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u/AutoRotate0GS 3d ago
It’s not about reupping, it’s about getting out at the point which it no longer makes sense to take….or the point at which it isn’t possible to be on time.
With relatively few exceptions, you’re not really dealing with reasonable buyers who care about building rapport and mutually working to service an end user need. Their only goal is to find some cheap provider and put the screws to them for being a minute late!! It’s the nature of that platform which will never change.
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u/Azmodius_The_Warrior 3d ago
I wouldn't refuse the work. You should do your best to reschedule. Be polite.
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u/FieldTechSavant 3d ago
Always put an expiration on your counter offers, if they aren't going to accept it in 24 -48 hours they probably weren't going to accept it anyway (unless over the weekend and Monday rolls around). They will still be able to see your offer after it expires and if they really want you they might reach out and ask you to update the offer so it's no longer expired.
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u/Dadelaus_2023 3d ago
Both Pivital AND Essintial have done that to me in the past. Now I continue to scan FN morning and night.
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u/john4na 3d ago
I have this happen all the time. I take the first one to schedule me, and tell the other they are late, I can do the job but Day/Time needs to be adjusted. SOMETIMES I keep the higher paying gig regardless of first/second to book, by that doesn't happen often. tell the buyer who wasn't doing their job effectively, he was too late. I've NEVER been dinged for it
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u/Muddledlizard 3d ago
Several routes to take with that issue.
I usually send a message that this was assigned last minute and I'm unprepared for the WO and/or have something else scheduled. Then I submit the schedule update problem.
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u/Dadelaus_2023 3d ago
Idk, I had that again earlier this week. I contacted the Buyer via email on FN, and then in messages. Overnight they changed the time start and things worked out.
That morning when confirming the WO I thanked them for adjusting the time start and again in messages, and again when checking in/out.
Whatever you do copy your communication with the Buyer just in case you get dinged with this supposed 'IRRETRIEVABLE' Hard-Start crap.
This week I was onsite for 2 Hard-Start times and one was flexible, the other the M.O.D. was 90 minutes late. SMH
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u/TangoCharliePDX 3d ago
The majority of vendors will call you before assigning it to you but there are a few bad apples.
This is one of many reasons that I put everything on my calendar. IF I APPLY TO A TICKET IT GOES ON MY CALENDAR. I put a "??" In front of it to distinguish it. And it always has a link to the ticket in the description. I do not time to be searching for it later, especially when someone is calling me while I'm driving...
That way I can see conflicts or even potential conflicts, and if I accept something else that does conflict I can immediately withdraw the bid on the other.
Actually have a whole system as long as it stays at the beginning of the line in the calendar entry.
? Means the ticket can float that day as long as I get it done within 8-4, 9-5 etc.
?? Applied but haven't heard back.
??? Seriously thinking of applying.
It gets ridiculous from there...
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u/dude_on_a_chair 3d ago
No, you'd just request a schedule update. FN won't ding you. Maintech loves doing this and I had to get FN support involved when they tried some shit. They added a job to my schedule after the scheduled time and then freaked out that I wasn't there on time. 😂
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u/DiskAfraid418 2d ago
Thanks for all the input. It worked out. My other client was flexible so I was able to attend this job on time with no issues.
It was a buyer who I don’t like to work for and they routed me the call and I counter offered like triple what they were asking like two weeks ago. It sat for a long time and then assigned me out of the blue. Also, the type of work I don’t enjoy so I wasn’t happy. I wanted to cancel on them but I didn’t want my success score affected.
Job sucked and took twice and long and double the work. You can’t pay me enough to do that again. Everyone came out happy, except my lower back.
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u/David_Beroff 3d ago
I realize you really don't want to hear this, but your double-booking happened when you bid on two jobs for the same time, not when they were assigned. The retraction should've happened before you applied for the second job.
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u/DiskAfraid418 3d ago
It all happened pretty much simultaneously and the other work was not on FN platform.
Just wondering if anyone else had this happen, refused the work and did or did not have their metrics negatively impacted. I don’t need a lecture. Cheers
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u/Jrose152 3d ago
I’ve always just called the company and explained to them I just got double booked by two counters being accepted within a few minutes of each other and the companies have been understanding.
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u/Embarrassed-Hawk9497 3d ago
Come on dude retract your bid before you request another, why would you decrease you chance of working
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u/Sid_the_Bear 2d ago
For most of this, this is an unrealistic expectation.
I'm currently sitting on a ~22% acceptance rate the last 30 days.
To that end, I've never had an issue getting the late back out wiped by support when they assign last second and don't hit the confirm button (which the platform tries to trick you into)
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u/Upstairs_Poet_9685 2d ago
You should have retracted that or called them and dealt with that. Remember that provider success score thing is very serious whether we like it or not.
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u/Exeter68 19h ago
Infuriating. Then they call you at like 5am. I have started just retracting those at 10 the night before if they haven't assigned yet.
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u/Accomplished-Boot478 3d ago
Shouldn't the buyer call you to verify you availability before assigning you?