Ring! Ring!
Me: I.T. Department, this is Daniel.
Caller: Hi, Daniel! This is Mary with E******. I’m calling about a job we have posted on F**** N******.
Me: Hello, Mary. So, tell me about this job.
Mary: We need you be on the customer site at 9PM tonight to replace two hard drives in the server and make sure the server is back on line and all services available to the business, before leaving.
Me: Two drives? Are they in separate RAID arrays?
Mary: No. Both drives are in the same RAID 5 array. Only one drive is available to array.
Me: Is there a good backup of the array?
Mary: The customer is uncertain. Replacing both drives on the array should be all you need to do to recover the data, according to the customer. The good drive in the array, now was replaced just last week, so it should have all the data on it. You need to stay until the rebuild is compete and all data is recovered. The previous tech we sent out this morning was not able to recover the data array. So, we need you to help us out on this. We are already over budget for this.
Me: OK. So, let me summarize this. A same day service call, scheduled for after hours with an immediate response time, to replace two of three drives in a RAID 5 array. I am responsible for restoring services and data, not to be released until the system is back into production mode and there is no certainty of a backup? The only remaining drive of the array was replaced just last week, and another tech was on-site this morning to replace a single drive in the array, which now needs two drives?
Mary: Yes. That is it.
Me: OK. What is the payment you are offering for this emergency service call?
Mary: This is not an emergency service call.
Me: You want a service call on the same day and after hours, it is an emergency. So … what are you offering as the compensation for what may be an all night long recovery?
Mary: $45, flat fee.
Me: Mary, really? This is a high risk situation, same day and after hours on a high skill requirement service call. And you want to offer a Craigslist rate?
Mary: Tell your counter and I will try to get it approved. As I said, we already had a tech out this morning and are already over budget for this case.
Me: Emergency situation, after hours, not to be released, until the system is back in production?
Mary: <Sigh> Yes.
Me: $150 an hour, portal to portal. Best effort to get the server back into production. Payment to be approved AND released for delivery from the platform within 48 hours of my closing the ticket.
Mary: My management won’t pay that much for such a simple process.
Me: Removing and inserting the drives IS a simple process. BUT recovering the array, getting the data back on it AND the server back into production is NOT a simple process.
Mary: My supervisor says you are not within market rates.
Me: Mary, you are correct. I am BELOW market rate for this kind of work and this level of experience, with the responsibility you are requiring. E-mail me the agreement with my rates and payment schedule detailed. I will respond accepting the agreement and be on the road within an hour.
Mary: We will find someone else. Thank you.
Two hours later …
Me: I.T. Department, this is Daniel.
Caller: Hello? Daniel, this is Charlie with E********. My colleague Mary spoke with you, earlier about a service call to replace two hard drives in a RAID array?
Me: Hello, Charlie. What’s up?
Charlie: We need you to run this service call for us. But your rate is not reasonable.
Me: My rate is not reasonable, Charlie? Really?
Charlie: No one is willing to pay that rate!
Me: Charlie, what is your e-mail address? I will send copies of the last 4, non-platform service calls, same day and after hours. All of which were paid the next morning. You will see I AM giving you a considerable discount.
Charlie: Are you willing to negotiate?
Me: I am. Are you willing to negotiate to at meet the minimums described by the industry for this level of skill requirement and after hours qualifiers?
Charlie: We believe this is, at most, a 3 hour job. I can authorize $100, flat fee.
Me: Charlie, $100 is not enough for me to leave my home, after hours. And you know it.
Charlie: Dan, please. We are already over budget on this.
Me: Charlie you are ‘over budget’ on this because you hired someone not qualified in the first place to replace a drive in an enterprise server. Because your organization was more concerned about profit margins than they were about meeting the needs and expectations of the client.
Charlie: Thanks, Dan. I will flag your profile so we never reach out to you, when we are in need, again.