Answer Precision Tool Reviews

Aside from being a good place to learn different types of skills for machining purposes, APT has racked up a lot of negatives from my experience, and my friends share the same views as well. First, there is an insane amount of overtime. In 2013 and 2014, it was very typical to have enforced overtime here and there. But near the latter part of 2014, the owner started taking more orders than he could handle and told everyone, specifically the apprentices, that we had to work at least 50-60 hours a week, with some people putting in even more. The owners and managers all used the same phrase: "we're a team, and we need to work together". But honestly, that phrase can only be used so many times before it becomes meaningless. If you're forcing people to work 50-60 hours a week, and this has been going on for at least half a year to a year, all anyone can think of isn't teamwork, but rather the owner's greed and incapacity to foster a well-oiled flow of business. One of my friends has left already because this is not what he signed up for, but me and a few others are still there. And for us that work here...we feel as if our efforts are not appreciated. When we first started working overtime, it would be 48-50 hours on a bi-weekly basis. When more orders came in and the owner refused to hire more people, 50h became 60h. And now, because even more orders came in, the owner is saying I can do better and that some people are putting in at least 60-70h per week. But, I was obviously shown no proof of this. It's obviously a ploy to get us to work more hours. And if you think about it...60-70 hours a week means 6-7 days of 10 hour shifts, meaning there's either a one-day weekend or no weekend at all. This signifies poor management and HR regulations, and to be honest, is a violation of the Employment Standards Act, which was brought to my attention from a friend who left. Ever since, I've accepted working these hours just to gain a bigger income, but I'm definitely getting sick and tired of my lack of sleep and being forced to switch from nights to days, the nights again, especially when I only signed up for day shift. They kind of sprung that on me a few weeks after I started..."hey, did you know you have to do 2 weeks of night shift as well on a regular basis?" Well, no I didn't! But a job's a job, so what else can I do except say "Sure! I'll give you as many hours as you want!"? just to keep my position. Secondly, I know that the Ministry of Labour, Occupational Health & Safety division did a blitz inspection on APT. From what I hear, my friends have said that they've known a few disgruntled employees who have complained about APT in the past, and it took almost 3-4 complaints throughout 2013 and 2014 til someone from the government finally came to do the inspection in 2015. And guess what? Apparently APT failed in many aspects and rumours have spread that they need to comply to make the work environment safer for employees. One of these main issues is the paint fumes, which were deemed toxic. The inspector came around asking me and my friends if we had been trained using respirators, and upon doing some research, these respirators were not adequate or clean enough to filter out benzene particulates, which can cause cancer. I totally freaked out because I don't want to get cancer and when I got back to work, the owner didn't seem to care much about the health hazards and potential health issues with concerned employees. This greed, this disregard for employees has really turned me off from staying loyal to this company. The worst part is, APT did this to themselves. Apart from those two main areas of concern, APT also dabbles in bullying and false advertising. If you don't give them what they want, they bully you into it (like overtime). One of my friends signed up for general machining as an apprentice and is currently being bullied into switching to toolmaking, which isn't just a waste of 2 years of general machining experience, but a huge downgrade to a non Red Seal trade in which my friends are no longer eligible for any apprenticeship funding from the government as the requirements are enrolment in a Red Seal trade program. This, to me, is just another extension of greed and selfishness - APT doesn't care about apprentices and their futures, they just care about making more money for themselves at the expense of others' health and future careers. That is just not right. And how do I know? Because THEY DID IT TO ME! I have to spend so much money on my tools, I'm in serious debt, I'm not eligible for any Red Seal incentives, and I'm stuck here because the job prospects for this trade is horrible. Right now, I'm not even in a rush to finish or start my apprenticeship - I want to find a new place and if not, I'll quit cause I have a backup business to fall back on. But for those who don't have one...they need to think carefully. In terms of benefits, APT offers typical benefits (vision, dental, health, etc) through RWAM. Nothing spectacular, but the strange part, like others have mentioned in reviews here, is that they don't give you any details on such benefits until you have passed probation. As a result, no one who joins this company really knows what they're in for until they've already finished probation. That's when they start making you do what they want, and that's when they have you by your throat. The wages at APT are mediocre. They pay alright, but the main issue is that of fair wage amongst equally-ranked employees. One of my friends was earning $13 from day one, but another started off from $15, both the the same credentials. There was no negotiation, it's just that they were both offered different wages to do the same thing, and they had identical qualifications. The only different was a few years of age between them...but I hope that doesn't play a role in determining how much you pay someone! Some other employees who were doing less skilled labour were paid more than those doing skilled labour...more than my $15! Could be because these employees were family members of the owner, but who knows? All I'm getting out of it is that although the wages are fine, they are very inconsistent and it's unfair to give someone more money than another for less difficult work. It just doesn't make sense. Last but not least, the owner himself is extremely moody. That's what all the current reviews say, and that's what I believe to be true as well. He comes in happy one day, and in the afternoon or the day after, he's done a complete 180-degree turn and hates the world. Mood swings are very common, and it's hard to work in an environment where you feel stressed and nervous about what surprising mood the owner will be in, every day you come into work. Overall, APT has many more cons than pros. If you want a dead-end job with no life, APT would be your top choice. If you want any of what I just mentioned, then APT will just be a temporary stepping stone to something better, because at the rate they're going, they will overwork all of their current employees and foster negative relationship and disloyal workers who wish for nothing but to move on with their lives. And I really feel like no matter how hard you work for this company, they don't care about you and you'll probably eventually work to death for them...literally! Unsafe workplace means lots of danger! All of this can be fixed, but it's obvious that it never will.