All the installer and service complaints...

[damjr]

Week in and week out I keep coming across multiple threads complaining about installers, long waits, not getting right answers, etc............... for both D*& E* direct sales.

I strongly believe that if more people went through their local retailers we would not see as many complaints. These people NEED to make sure you're happy in order to survive, so you WILL see better results. You will find, in most cases, that the person you will deal with has been in this business longer than most of the in house installers working for D*& E* and will have, in most cases, better knowledge of the product as well as what is needed to install your system to fit your needs.

Also, by going local you ARE helping out the "MA & PA's". In todays world with more and more jobs going over seas, wouldn't it make you feel better knowing you are helping out your community and keeping your tax dollars local?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking all the in-house guys nor is it my intentions.
These guys are under a lot of pressure with job overload and have to meet many quotas, which is why you will see more stress, the I don't give a F@*& attitudes, and big turn over in their groups.

Most local retailers will be more flexable, less stressed, and have the ability to work more deales with you when it comes to the install.
So, please keep this in mind when you are talking to your friends and family about getting satellite TV and help support the little guys out there.

 

[rcdallas]

There was a time when Uncle Chuck decided to cut the work load off his inhouse crew, routes became lighter, quality was a demand in order to gain a profit, then they found that majority of crews still didn't give a hoot not any more money being made, so the workload went back up, if he can't make money doing quality, then give it quantity.

I agree with your Ma and Pop scenario, in my opinion with today's cut throat industry that it has became with cheaper labor it hard to compete, lots of people it comes down to the dollar.

There needs to be some sort of a union, degree or something, I don't know. All this foreign trade this and that (I'll stop there).....

Issue with local retailers (not much experienced) is with today's mentality of people constantly switching back and forth (cell phone 4 example) contracts are broken and the retailer eats it, there no such thing as a legal and binding contract anymore.

I partnered a ownership in a lighting maintenance company for about 8 years, I made bookoo bucks traveled the country contracting with major retailers, money was good, only worked 6 months a year then costs went up, cheap, cheap labor came in and became cut throat industry, I canned my partnership and got out, looks good I did as it's even worse now then what it was then. Perhaps it was my strategy, maybe not, times are changing....... all this email on the go crap needs to go.

 

[damjr]

There was a time when Uncle Chuck decided to cut the work load off his inhouse crew, routes became lighter, quality was a demand in order to gain a profit, then they found that majority of crews still didn't give a hoot not any more money being made, so the workload went back up, if he can't make money doing quality, then give it quantity.

I agree with your Ma and Pop scenario, in my opinion with today's cut throat industry that it has became with cheaper labor it hard to compete, lots of people it comes down to the dollar.

There needs to be some sort of a union, degree or something, I don't know. All this foreign trade this and that (I'll stop there).....

Issue with local retailers (not much experienced) is with today's mentality of people constantly switching back and forth (cell phone 4 example) contracts are broken and the retailer eats it, there no such thing as a legal and binding contract anymore.



I partnered a ownership in a lighting maintenance company for about 8 years, I made bookoo bucks traveled the country contracting with major retailers, money was good, only worked 6 months a year then costs went up, cheap, cheap labor came in and became cut throat industry, I canned my partnership and got out, looks good I did as it's even worse now then what it was then. Perhaps it was my strategy, maybe not, times are changing....... all this email on the go crap needs to go.

You are correct about the retailers taking the hit when all these whinning "upgrade, or service me for free or I will quit" customers try to get their way. All my guys have iron clad 3rd party contracts with credit card imprints and signatures. I have yet to have one guy lose a credit card dispute or small claims suit with these.

 

[TommyTDFVC]

The industry is cut-throat. I believe the bottom dropped out in Michigan in 2006.
From record prosper, to disparity!
Anyway, what is important in my opinion is the first impression by the customer at the install. Most Dish sales are marketed. A clean cut installer and installation will build the reputation of a company targeting a town. Iron clad contracts and term commitments may be signed by the confident customer.
I have seen prospects turned away in small town because everybody knows eachother. Do one person wrong and your name is mud.
DTV and Dish do business through grassroots retailers. They (DN for example) are obligated to take care of you for 180 days or they lose money. Good installs pay off. Sales to customers that can pay their bill pay off.
Accuracy in the details/ requirements are vital.
When done right, everybody is happy. No surprises.
If not, they will go back to cable!
By the way, details like grounding are notorious for going undone due to the cost of grounding materials, gas especially, and the lack of quality control available to customers. If your system is not grounded, the retailer themself will get charged back for what the contractor did not do!

 

[divecorn]

There was a time when Uncle Chuck decided to cut the work load off his inhouse crew, routes became lighter, quality was a demand in order to gain a profit, then they found that majority of crews still didn't give a hoot not any more money being made, so the workload went back up, if he can't make money doing quality, then give it quantity.

I agree with your Ma and Pop scenario, in my opinion with today's cut throat industry that it has became with cheaper labor it hard to compete, lots of people it comes down to the dollar.

There needs to be some sort of a union, degree or something, I don't know. All this foreign trade this and that (I'll stop there).....

Issue with local retailers (not much experienced) is with today's mentality of people constantly switching back and forth (cell phone 4 example) contracts are broken and the retailer eats it, there no such thing as a legal and binding contract anymore.

I partnered a ownership in a lighting maintenance company for about 8 years, I made bookoo bucks traveled the country contracting with major retailers, money was good, only worked 6 months a year then costs went up, cheap, cheap labor came in and became cut throat industry, I canned my partnership and got out, looks good I did as it's even worse now then what it was then. Perhaps it was my strategy, maybe not, times are changing....... all this email on the go crap needs to go.

I agree with your comment about the lack of expierienced help at the local retail level .... especially i.e cell phone retailers BUT the comment about no such thing as a legal contract anymore doesn't make sense. The big three cell phone companies still want to lock you into ridiculous contracts and impose big penaltiies if you break them.
To the big three and others who compain about breaking contracts, I say
" TOUGH sh*t ". You have been robboing the public with your exhorbitant rates for long enough .... it's time you got some of your own medicine.
$100 a month plus bills for phone service is outrageous. At the risk of dating myself, I remember the " good old days " when local phone service was $20 a month plus long distance and my average billl was $40 - $50 I'm not sure that haviing the ability to call and be reached by anyone and everyone no matter where you are is really worth the extra cost. Somehow we survived
without all this instant acccesibility in the past.