Socket Telecom Technical Support reviews

Working at Socket Telecom—Columbia, MO—ONLY IF YOU ARE DESPARATE I worked at Socket Telecom for about a year and a half, and came to the conclusion that the company is not worth working for. Here are the reasons for this conclusion: Socket has a Marketing Department that does not market. Yes they send out 3 or 4 mailers a year, put out a few yard signs, and really that’s about it. Socket has run the SAME television commercial for at least 7 YEARS and only on the dual owned stations KMIZ (ABC 17) and KQFX-LD (FOX 22) and that’s under a barter system (Socket provides the stations phone and internet service in exchange for advertising). Socket also sponsors the postgame show for Missouri Tigers football and men’s basketball games on the radio. Socket also has 2 billboards, one in Millersburg, MO (about 15 miles east of Columbia and for some reason on Interstate 70 eastbound near Warrenton, MO (about 60 miles west of St. Louis). There is no social media presence, no community involvement for at least a year, and really no caring about their neighbors. Products and services are a little more expensive than the competition, and the quality of the hardware sent out is suspect. On the business side, the products (routers, call systems, etc.) are of decent quality, but for residential customers the modem/routers are of the “el cheapo” variety. DSL service is competitive with the incumbent carriers (Century Link and AT&T), but their fiber plans are way overpriced compared to the competition (local electric co-ops). Socket admits their fiber TV product is substandard; they only have it to meet the terms of the federal grant money they received for rural fiber (the grant required a TV service to compete with satellite). Socket TV uses Entone set top boxes that fail on a regular basis. Programming wise, Socket TV does not have any of the Viacom channels (MTV, VH1, Spike, CBS Sports Network), no pay per view (movies, concerts, boxing, UFC, or WWE), no video on demand, no sports packages (MLB Network and MLB Extra Innings, NBA/WNBA League Pass, NHL Center Ice—they dropped NHL Network, MLS Direct Kick, ESPN Game Plan/Full Court), limited viewing on phones or tablets, and no music choice channels. Socket’s main location in Columbia is cramped and uncomfortable. People are moved constantly, the furniture is old, dirty, and uncomfortable. There are not enough toilets for the 100 or so people that work there and the restrooms constantly smell. Socket’s customer facing staff looks unprofessional. Field technicians are usually dressed in jeans that have seen better decades (most times without a belt); shirts that many times are untucked and at times look as if they have not been washed in a month. In some cases hair also looks like it hasn’t been washed in a month, mustaches and beards are scraggly and unkempt, and many staff members have tattoos that are visible to the customer. Other business field techs refuse to take their baseball cap off indoors and other fashion choices that are questionable in a customer-facing environment. This has led to situations where customers have accused Field Technicians of theft, simply because they look like “meth heads”. Pay and benefits are terrible. Most staff begins in either Residential Technical Support (telephone help desk) or Residential Customer Service (again telephone work). These positions start at $9 per hour, that’s right 9 BUCKS AN HOUR. The competition for the $9 jobs are: Dollar Stores, Gas Stations/Convenience Stores, Fast Food, and National Restaurant Chains (Applebee’s, Bob Evans, Waffle House, IHOP, Cracker Barrel, Hooters, Golden Corral, etc.). In Missouri, the state’s minimum wage is $7.85 per hour. Business Technical Support (again a telephone help desk) starts at a whopping $12 per hour. Competition there is Grocery Stores, Big Box Stores (Wal Mart, Target, Best Buy, Menard’s, Lowes, and Home Depot), and Warehouse jobs (Here in Mid-Missouri we have distribution centers for Wal Mart, Dollar General, Scholastic, the MBS Textbook division of Barnes and Noble, Orchelin, and soon Remington Arms). As for benefits, they look good on paper, but the employee cost is prohibitive at 9 or 12 bucks an hour. As for dependents, forget it, there are children of employees covered by the Federal/State CHIP program (MEDICAID FOR KIDS), and if people are covered by that program, many staff members probably qualify for FOOD STAMPS, as their guidelines are easier than for CHIP. Finally, Socket became too wedded to government grant money. When the money from the 2009 Stimulus package ran out and was not renewed in 2017, Socket found itself hurting. They had to stop soliciting business in core markets (Jefferson City), sell equipment and cutback on hiring and spending. Management keeps saying “WE NEED TO BE MORE PROFESSIONAL”. Well, if one wants a professional staff, one has to pay for it. Socket’s philosophy is WE WANT LOBSTER AND CHAMPAGNE BUT WE WON’T PAY FOR ANYTHING MORE THAN “FILET-O-FISH” AND SODA. If you’re looking for work, only consider Socket Telecom if your unemployment benefits are about to end, or you are required to work to receive welfare and other government benefits.

Terrible middle management that does not care about retaining experienced employees. Worst pay I've ever come across in tech.