KyInstaller said:
"Do you compensate your prewired customers? I certainly understand your desire to earn a living and you should certainly charge for additional services, however some of your charges seem petty and shouldn't be a consideration when going that extra mile to provide excellent service. If you were my installer, I would insist that you reimburse me for each foot of coax, every fitting, splitter and flex-clip on top of a flat fee of $125."
You are the kind of customer I love to say to "I DON'T THINK I CAN GET THIS JOB DONE TODAY, LET ME SEE IF I CAN GET SOMEONE ELSE OUT HERE IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS" Then blow the job off as a line of sight or something else.
Wonder what kind of labor You do for a living? Do You think We get the supplies for installations for free? WRONG, if You think the charges are petty, then consider if We do 15 or 20 installs a week, then multiply the parts used by that many. Not so petty then is it?
First, you know nothing about me; secondly, like the other gentleman...you need to actually read the postings and place them into their proper context; and finally, I spend a great deal of my time helping friends, coworkers and acquaintances correct botched installations.
I DON'T THINK I CAN GET THIS JOB DONE TODAY, LET ME SEE IF I CAN GET SOMEONE ELSE OUT HERE IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS" Then blow the job off as a line of sight or something else.
Wow! I'll bet your family is really proud of you, huh? Well, your words speak volumes and they work to form an insight into your character. I hope you're just saying this and that you really don't do this to your customers. If so, then perhaps you've botched or, in your words, blew-off more than one VOOM installs just so you can shriek in delight as you read about their installation woes in the VOOM Forum? Again, these are your words and I am merely pointing out the obvious. Once again, I hope you weren't being serious because I can see a pattern of how such people would surreptitiously plot against customers who voice specific rules and guidelines regarding outsider working in their homes. After all, it is their home and not yours; you are merely a guest...aren't you? Just because it is a free install that certainly doesn't mean they should expect unprofessional conduct or an unsightly, unusable, unsatisfactory service. Nor should they have to pay any frivelous charges.
It's easy make generalizations about people isn't it?
Since you asked...I design, implement and maintain network and information security systems for multi-million dollar networks. My last network was 93,000 seats and I am getting ready to turn-the-key on a newly built classified network in the near future. I do quite well thank-you.
As I stated before, I have no problem with you and other satellite installers earning a living - you are to be paid for your work and that is to be expected. But when certain installers scheme to charge for every nut and bolt it gets to be rather cheese-dickie...especially when D*, E* and V* often hire the worst-of-the-worst to do their free installations...and the proof is in the pudding: just look at many people are upset with shoddy workmanship, just look at how many people are upset with installers who do not call them to cancel or tell them they are running late, just look at how many people have very unfavorable opinions of installers. If VOOM or Installs Inc. doesn't pay enough money to meet your demands, then don't accept their work orders; same things goes for D* and E*. There's nothing worse than a customer having to listen to an installer whine and complain about the crappy pay they're receiving from VOOM installs. It's at that point I will show him or her the door because I can already tell the job is going to be half-assed and/or they're trying to scam additional monies.
To be honest, my first preference is to do business directly with a reputable dealer who sells, installs and services his or her own systems. They are indeed expensive, but many of them are worth every penny. The reason I, personally, ran my own cables is because I will do a better job than 99% of VOOM installers (I do have a personal interest in my property) and I don't wish to leave anything to chance. I make it an simply in-and-out job for the installer since I know he is not going to be eating Steak & Lobster on what Installs Inc. is paying him.
So, I was pointing out to the previous gentleman that, while he was certainly entitled to earn a living and charge for additional work, he shouldn't get so wrapped around charging for every nut and bolt - just the way he worded that sentence sent chills down my spine. Perhaps I over-reacted? So be it. I just needed to state that he should be more concerned about providing quality service than charging customers for nickel and dime items because it's not specifically covered on the contract. These costs should be built into the contract with Installs Inc. If they're too tight money then perhaps it's time to severe the business relationship. Anyway, here's an example of charging for petty services:
I have a 4 receiver installation and I run coax to three of the receiver locations. Since I live in a deep-fringe area and pull-in a (-13db) with my OTA antenna, it is imperative that I use a high-gain, low-noise amplifier in order to lock a reliable signal - a diplexer would surely kill any hope of OTA reception. So I go ahead and purchase a distribution center and have a separate coax ran to each receiver just for OTA.
Because of work commitments and other items, I only have time to run coax to 3 receiver locations and assume the installer will run 2 coax lines to the 4th receiver location. Anyway, the installer shows up (late mind you) for the install and insists that he has to charge me for running a 2nd coax line at 30 cents per foot, plus a charge for every fitting, coupler, etc. since his work order only said to run one (1) 125ft. coax per receiver. Let's see...the dish is in place, we're using my OTA, I've run cables to 3 of the 4 receivers and have even run two coax cable to the LNB and cleared an area in the wiring closer where I would like the multi-switch to be placed....and the installer is going to charge me for the 2nd coax? Based on what the other gentleman said, this is the exact picture he has painted in my mind. Do you seriously not see anything wrong with this picture?
Although I have run more than three-quarters of the coax and performed more than half of the installation, the installer is going to charge me...so isn't it fair that I, in-turn, charge him for my time and materials?