We all know what we’re capable of doing, but sometimes, bosses insist on hiring someone else who is technically more qualified.

This man works in IT and regularly fixes broken equipment, including wi-fi access points.

He was confident he could fix a broken unit, but his boss insisted on contacting a low-voltage vendor.

Read the full story below to find out why he thinks this is ridiculous.

$400 to hand something to someone on a ladder

I work in IT and fix things that are broken.

A wireless access point (AP) is the thing that lets you get wi-fi internet, but sometimes they break.

They’re about the size of an ipad.

They get mounted to ceilings in a little clip that’s essentially slide in/slide out.

It’s super easy stuff.

This man was called out for repairing the problem himself.

I brought it up in my daily work meeting what work I was doing today.

I got called out for doing it myself.

I already went over, unplugged the device to make sure it was broken, and put it back.

It’s no different going to replace it.

He was informed that a low-voltage vendor would be the one to deal with it.

However, it’s dealing with wall cabling and power.

These devices get their power from the data cable that runs to it [Power over Ethernet{PoE}].

So, we are told to contact a low-voltage vendor to come do the work for us. That way, they’re the ones climbing ladders and we don’t screw with building power.

It would cost them $400 for a very simple task.

Just got a quote back, and it’s going to cost $400.

$400 for a guy to show up, climb a ladder up about 3.5 feet, and unplug an AP.

Then, plug in a new AP I hand him while standing beside him.

I can not stress how easy this work is enough.

He gets paid anyway, so he didn’t protest anymore.

“Plugging in” is the same thing as plugging an internet cord into your computer, game console, etc.

The hardest part of the job for him will be finding parking.

At the end of the day, I get my hourly rate whether I’m standing there or doing the work myself, so I don’t care either way.

Just thought it was pretty silly.

That does seem like a pretty easy job.

Let’s see what others have to say about this on Reddit.

This person makes a good point.

This person shares an idea.

Here’s another opinion from this user.

Show the result and the invoice to the boss, suggests this person.

Finally, this person’s partner thinks it’s silly, too.

Some companies would rather waste their money than trust a good employee.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.