# Brickman using GPS



## superdog1 (Oct 13, 2011)

I have a contract with Brickman. I get to the site and use their call in system. Half way through the call, it asks for my permission to use the GPS on my phone to track my location. Since I have nothing to hide and I want to get paid, I said "yes" I just thought this was interesting? I mean, what if I forget to call in until I am home? Does that mean I won't get paid since I didn't call in from the job site? Not sure what to think if this?


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## R&R Yard Design (Dec 6, 2004)

They will also use it to look at any other lots you have of your own. And they can not tap in to cell phone gps without a reason by law.


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## ryansplowing (Jan 2, 2011)

Thats Crazy!


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## Spucel (Feb 6, 2011)

Yea I was curious about all that stuff also. Used it the other night on a salt run and was wondering about the reasons for it.


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## zman9119 (Oct 3, 2004)

I do not know how they get GPS information from a phone call... unless you have an app on your phone to send it in. There are options on 95% of all phones now to opt-in to location based services (mainly \ possibly used by cell carriers to push location based ads). Believe you have to be a LEA to get the ANI-ALI information (mainly the ALI info) from any cell carrier. I am thinking their message is all BS.


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## superdog1 (Oct 13, 2011)

zman9119;1375322 said:


> I am thinking their message is all BS.


Well, It asked me for my permission during the first call. After I hung up, my phone rang. I thought, "Who in the he!! is calling me at 4:30AM??" and it was an automated call asking me for permission again a second time? Beats me if they can do it or not? I guess I tell them they can, they can get access to it?


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## Spucel (Feb 6, 2011)

superdog1;1375487 said:


> Well, It asked me for my permission during the first call. After I hung up, my phone rang. I thought, "Who in the he!! is calling me at 4:30AM??" and it was an automated call asking me for permission again a second time? Beats me if they can do it or not? I guess I tell them they can, they can get access to it?


I would pull up to a lot, call and check in with the system then jump out to fill the spreader. I got into the bed of the truck and the phone rang. Thinking it was the boss I jumped out to grab it since I left it in the truck and it was just them calling back. After the 3rd time I actually listened to the recording and selected yes so they stopped calling me. Thumbs Up


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## NorthernSvc's (Mar 12, 2006)

it has nothing to do with getting paid... don't worry i always ignore it or say no... not in the contract...


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## swtiih (Nov 30, 2008)

I would agree if it isn't in the contract and a condition of getting paid I would say no.


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## Dissociative (Feb 28, 2007)

i recently put a gps unit into a subs truck because they guy he subs for requires it to be in all vehicles. 

he said he wanted it to prove time of service for slip and falls and to track exact hours on lot..

i said to the sub then you should be driving HIS truck.....sub agreed to the terms though anyway and we mounted it to track the subs vehicle at any time via the bosses laptop....no way I agree to that.


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## Flawless440 (Dec 6, 2010)

*Brickman*

I have a buddy who subs for Brickman, he has never said anything about GPS. I'm going to ask him today.
On the up side I just stole a Brickman contract at a Condo Community, all my price's were higher. They hate Brickmans service, so keep price's high and get your contracts back one by one. I see them going under soon, doing free work then losing contracts can't last to long.....:salute:


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## forestfireguy (Oct 7, 2006)

Interesting how opinions on this differ.......

Form the slip and fall perspective I like it, we do with Navtrak.


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## Longae29 (Feb 15, 2008)

Flawless440;1375615 said:


> I have a buddy who subs for Brickman, he has never said anything about GPS. I'm going to ask him today.
> On the up side I just stole a Brickman contract at a Condo Community, all my price's were higher. They hate Brickmans service, so keep price's high and get your contracts back one by one. I see them going under soon, doing free work then losing contracts can't last to long.....:salute:


Yeah......I'm sure they're going under soon. LOL


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## White Gardens (Oct 29, 2008)

I do some work for Brickman and never once has GPS been mentioned to me.

I don't know how it would work though if you shut the GPS off on your phone.

...


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## superdog1 (Oct 13, 2011)

I don't think it is an application in my phone. I think it is the cell phone CO using triangulation from their towers that determines where I am. My guess is that Brickman pays them a good buck to release the information. 911 services can also locate you with the same method. Gotta' love technology!


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## 1olddogtwo (Aug 6, 2007)

http://www.trackapartner.com/index.php

works on 98% on all phones


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## LoweJ82 (Nov 16, 2010)

just turned down 2 contracts through brickman, After reading through all the b/s around the net about them I just wasn't sure, no where in the paper work did it say anything about gps though, I did get a return call requesting my info so that if I like they could put me to work in the middle of a storm if I finished up my work.


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## LoweJ82 (Nov 16, 2010)

1olddogtwo;1375731 said:


> http://www.trackapartner.com/index.php
> 
> works on 98% on all phones


lmao good thing my kid wasn't looking over my shoulder, thats fkd up


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## ajcoop20 (Dec 4, 2011)

How are you guys going about getting sub contracts with these nationals. i wouldnt mind putting my truck to work as a sub this year, im in northern illinois


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## LoweJ82 (Nov 16, 2010)

get on brickman.com find the office closet to you, I think theres one out of Chi area, anyhow they just happened to call out of the blue


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## superdog1 (Oct 13, 2011)

LoweJ82;1375830 said:


> anyhow they just happened to call out of the blue


Yep, same here. We were working at a job site when the phone rang. They got our # out of the yellow pages from an old ad we used to have. They sent us the info, we looked at it, added another $2000 to the price they quoted and we were hired. In my area, they had quite a few places that needed to be done. We took the biggest one they had. That pretty much put us at capacity, so we didn't look at any others.

I am interested in what they have to offer come Spring? I am hoping that this deal works out for us, because if it does, I should be able to keep another crew busy just cutting grass for them? I have read a lot about plowing for them, but so far, nothing about anyone doing the landscaping side. I guess we will see?


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## triadpm (Sep 26, 2009)

1olddogtwo;1375731 said:


> http://www.trackapartner.com/index.php
> 
> works on 98% on all phones


Too Funny...I needed a good laugh.


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## jhall22guitar (Dec 11, 2011)

I know here in MA some of the towns are switching to a similar system. As you drive around your cell phone can be tracked as it moves from tower to tower and this can also be used to see how long you are sitting at one location, so if your working for some towns here it is required, so if they catch you sitting at one spot for 3 hours you wont get paid for that time.


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## triadpm (Sep 26, 2009)

jhall22guitar;1376012 said:


> I know here in MA some of the towns are switching to a similar system. As you drive around your cell phone can be tracked as it moves from tower to tower and this can also be used to see how long you are sitting at one location, so if your working for some towns here it is required, so if they catch you sitting at one spot for 3 hours you wont get paid for that time.


Ditto on Montgomery County MD..


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## LawnmastersMike (Feb 1, 2010)

superdog1;1375865 said:


> Yep, same here. We were working at a job site when the phone rang. They got our # out of the yellow pages from an old ad we used to have. They sent us the info, we looked at it, added another $2000 to the price they quoted and we were hired. In my area, they had quite a few places that needed to be done. We took the biggest one they had. That pretty much put us at capacity, so we didn't look at any others.
> 
> I am interested in what they have to offer come Spring? I am hoping that this deal works out for us, because if it does, I should be able to keep another crew busy just cutting grass for them? I have read a lot about plowing for them, but so far, nothing about anyone doing the landscaping side. I guess we will see?


I don't think they sub out mowing, atleast not to my knowledge.


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## jerrydean (Dec 23, 2009)

*Never work for brickman*

Or any other national management company. If you choose to do so anyway, please remember you were told this, wait till after this season is over, and tell everyone about YOUR EXPERIENCE working with these leaches.

Lets start a GRASS ROOTS movement to rid the country of these slime balls!

ussmileyflag


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## Marek (Nov 16, 2005)

With out all thier subs they are out of the snow game period ! There rates around here are pretty good so alot of guys push for them. They are charging 320.00 per ton for salt .


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## SnowMT (Jan 12, 2011)

Very Sad, that we have become a society that can not take a man's word. We have to GPS them. 
AS for the tracking yes, all cell phones have the capablities to track. Know someone who worked in the Telecom world. 

Would opt out of the GPS option. There's some crazy stuff happening in business. CRAZY...... Let's educate or be educated on why they want that information. Don't just say OK, cause it's 4 am and they call. Every minute counts, those minutes make our history. Don't take for granit the minutes or the opportunity that presents it's self. 

We can learn from all "sometime's we learn what todo and other times we simply learn what not to do"


I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure: which is: Try to please everybody.
Herbert B. Swope


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## mullis56 (Jul 12, 2005)

Lots of people making comments that really don't know anything.


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## Longae29 (Feb 15, 2008)

mullis56;1377638 said:


> Lots of people making comments that really don't know anything.


Location off 
911 only on

Doesn't matter brickman is going to be out of business soon. .00001 percent of snowplowers (plowsite members) are going to band together and shut down 
brickman, usm, and trugreen.


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## mike ward (Nov 29, 2008)

Brickman going out of business soon...that is pretty damn funny...a real joker!!!!!


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## Mike S (Feb 11, 2007)

I ask the guys at the branch I work for about that and they laughed!!!!!! They are just now able to text and send pics! Thats funny! I mean for the love of god they are so cheap they only buy one wheel drive F450's why would they do gps? LOL!


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## superdog1 (Oct 13, 2011)

mullis56;1377638 said:


> Lots of people making comments that really don't know anything.


This is my first year with them. I took one of their accounts because it is keeping me and my crews busy and food on the table. Granted, I am not getting rich from the deal, but with this account, it helps me meet payroll and all of my other jobs are putting $$ in the bank.

If they pay slow or they give me the shaft, I will be the first one to tell you. Just like any other deal out there, you have people who think they are great and others that say Brickman is the devil himself?

FWIW, I really don't care what anyone thinks, as I will still be here in Spring, my guys will have gotten paid over Winter and I won't be down to my last $.05 till the mowers start up. Granted, I may eat those words if I don't get a check, but the chances of that are pretty slim. I am hoping that if we do a good job, fulfill the contract and pay attention to detail, everyone will be happy.

My guess is that some of the people who had a bad experience with Brickman had it for a reason. In chatting with some of the Brickman Reps., they have told me some horror stories about people that they hired in the past and some of the stunts they pulled. In those cases, I would have withheld payment too if one of my Subs did something that stupid.

If you lie and say that you have no problem taking care of a 6 acre lot and then show up in a Jeep CJ5 with a 6ft plow and think you are going to have the lot open by 6AM and only start at 4AM, they are going to be a little PO'ed at you. If you show up at the same lot with a Scotts 32" fertilizer spreader, then try to spread salt with it on the entire lot during an ice event, they are going to be PO'ed at you and rightly so.

There is ALWAYS 2 sides to every story, and in most cases, you only hear 1 side of the story, Lol


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## White Gardens (Oct 29, 2008)

Mike S;1377729 said:


> I ask the guys at the branch I work for about that and they laughed!!!!!!


Now, lets clarify a bit here. There are different divisions with Brickman, or completely different entities.

I'm not sure exactly how many there are though. As far as I've always understood, BFS is not affiliated with the local Brickman divisions that do landscape maintenance.

As far as them shutting down, even with their different entities, I don't see that happening. They might be making good business decisions and closing down branches and the such, but as a whole they just keep moving along.

....


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## LawnmastersMike (Feb 1, 2010)

I plowed for a company that got all their snow removal through Brickman 3 years ago and never had a bit of trouble from them, but I wasnt dealing directly with Brickman. I've heard alot of people complain about them but they all seem to keep working for them so it must not be too bad. I can only imagine the headaches trying to deal with that many sub contactors. I dont understand why they dont just buy plows for the trucks they already have that are salting?


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## mullis56 (Jul 12, 2005)

Like I said a lot of people stating stuff that they don't know a lot about.


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## chevyman51 (Dec 16, 2009)

The guy I sub for got some lots from brinkman last year and the paied on time everytime.


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## ross3031 (Nov 17, 2008)

Some of you guys are morons. Yes, one of the biggest national maintenance companys is going under soon. I also had sex with lindsey lohan lastnight, and i have beach front property in Arizona...........

And yes, BFS is not the same as Brickman, but any Brickman employee will tell you that. Its not like its a big secret...




If you get in with Brickman, it nothing but a good thing


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## Longae29 (Feb 15, 2008)

ross3031;1378898 said:


> Some of you guys are morons. Yes, one of the biggest national maintenance companys is going under soon. I also had sex with lindsey lohan lastnight, and i have beach front property in Arizona.........


#1 for snow if I'm not mistaken.....and I was sarcastically quoting someone earlier in the thread.


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## fireball (Jan 9, 2000)

I wonder how they would act if you asked permission to track their GPS the next time they call you.


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## needmoresnow (Dec 13, 2010)

Flawless440;1375615 said:


> I have a buddy who subs for Brickman, he has never said anything about GPS. I'm going to ask him today.
> On the up side I just stole a Brickman contract at a Condo Community, all my price's were higher. They hate Brickmans service, so keep price's high and get your contracts back one by one. I see them going under soon, doing free work then losing contracts can't last to long.....:salute:


A friend of mine just got 8 apartment complexes from brickman and they tried to drop the yearly maint. contract by $20k to keep it and the property manager told them with the quality of their work it was still no deal lol


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## singlewing (Dec 22, 2011)

BFS is only doing this, because the customer wants this kind of information. And just to clarify, BFS is a division of Brickman. BFS hires subs for national accounts, they don't do apartment complexes, or condos, the Brickman branches do this kind of work, not BFS.


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## singlewing (Dec 22, 2011)

superdog1;1375719 said:


> I don't think it is an application in my phone. I think it is the cell phone CO using triangulation from their towers that determines where I am. My guess is that Brickman pays them a good buck to release the information. 911 services can also locate you with the same method. Gotta' love technology!


That is all it is, they get a brief reading, they can't track your movement.


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