Year: 2010

Normally I would post this in one of the private user group forums but I believe this is a topic that everyone should discuss as it is a general ethical question and one that anyone outside a particular platform could encounter either with a national or within their own operation and is something everyone who operates a business with a code of conduct needs to address.

For the protection of all parties and to avoid possible violations of confidentiality agreements the parties involved will remain anonymous.

Recently a national service company posted a job through a service platform for a tech to run a service event to one of their clients. This particular company normally provides the equipment used onsite at such events as part of their service to their customers and this case was no different, however something happened to the shipment and the equipment never made it to the site.

The national requested a tech to go to the site and bring specific equipment for the event to replace that which did not arrive. This was not equipment a service technician would typically have on hand, therefore the following request was made to secure it:

Should the tech not have the necessary equipment to provide onsite for the event, the tech was advised to go to Wal-Mart or Best Buy to purchase it (on the tech’s dime) and then return it to the store the next day.

Now, there are ethical questions about unfairly taking advantage of a big box store, but before making the call there are are three very important things to consider.

1. This equipment was intended to be used by the national as a one day rental to the customer
2. It was not one or two items, but a list consisting of over a dozen items, including several expensive hardware devices, accessories and recordable media.
3. The tech would not be reimbursed for any of it.

So the suggestion was to purchase the items, take them on site for the day and return them all to the place of purchase the next day for a refund.

This is just wrong on so many levels I don’t know where to begin.

First, the national is renting out equipment it doesn’t even own and does not intend to purchase with no compensation to the tech who would own it after purchase. That in itself is just wrong.

Second, the national is suggesting the tech actually use the items for a for-profit event and then return it when finished to the place of purchase. The store will take a serious hit for the merchandise. That could constitute fraud.

Third, returning recordable media after it was used is, at the very least, dumb.

Fourth, should the store ask questions or investigate due to the large amount of merchandise being returned, it will be the tech on the hotseat and on the hook.

Fifth, should something happen to the equipment while on site, the tech assumes all liability. Would the tech’s insurance cover it? Possibly, unless it is used as rental equipment. The national would not assume liability, yet collect the rental fee from the customer. That is simply dishonest.

finally, if a national suggested a tech do something ethically questionable or wrong for their own gain and at the tech’s risk, it is not a company to work for.

The company did clarify the tech who performs the service event could keep the equipment purchased for the event “as long as its on their dime”.

So they will “let” the tech keep something the tech bought and paid for that they wanted the tech to buy for single use as “their” rental, for which the tech would receive no proceeds from, at the tech’s own liability and risk, that the tech wouldn’t have purchased for himself or herself otherwise.

How big of them!

Now, that’s just messed up.

Is this what our industry has come to? What was once considered a somewhat respectable business has become a quagmire of mistrust, disrespect and outright disdain for both the customers/end users and the dedicated, hard working, qualified professionals who service and support them.

Stories abound about nationals who demand immediate service from techs and are slow to pay or actually have clauses in their contracts placed there specifically to avoid payment (and in at least one case even bill the tech) for services rendered,  middlemen on national service platforms who require all manner of detail on service calls for lowball rates, platforms that claim to be neutral parties and assume no liability or risk themselves, yet control the customer/tech relationship and act as judge, jury and executioner of the tech should a dispute arise.

When did we, as IT service professionals, lose control of our own marketplace? At what point was it decided we are no longer contracted professionals, but day laborers with little power to negotiate with our clients and few, if any, rights?

Now we have nationals suggesting we cast away our code of professional ethics as well, telling us to put it all on the line for them at our cost and our risk, as if we are all that stupid and gullible to comply.

The scary part of all this is that, at least to some degree, they may be right.

The reason we got to where we are is because there are some “techs” out there who will comply, and for the lowest amount.

Then again, perhaps its me. Perhaps there are techs who think such a request is perfectly reasonable, who think spending an hour working on a server for $25 is good money and the moral or ethical issues of returning  $1000 worth of merchandise in a potentially fraudulent transaction is just business as usual.

What do you think?