Auto Mechanic turned Dish Installer!

[chadzx11]

I'm going the other way. After 9.5 years in satellites, I am in school to be an auto tech. I plan to open my own shop because, IMO, all the service people around here are morons, like the other satellite installers. Costs going up, pay going down.

I plan to gear my shop towards women at first. That seems to be an untapped market around here. I, for one, am tired of having to give up my off day to take my wife's car for an oil change or whatever. There needs to be a place for people to go without getting jiffy lubed up and bent over.

Even some of the dealerships around here suck. Plus, I have the casino market, and there are maybe 2 shops and 1 dealer 15 miles away (one shop and the dealer sucks, the other shop is new), and they don't do tires at all. Oh, yeah, there is money to be made.

I took my truck to the dealer because it was running rough, and the dude told me it was running great for the amount of miles on it (380,000). I agree, but it is running rough, now WTF? They even charged me $50!!!!!!!!

 

[rcdallas]

Do what you are asked of. Identify your customer types, build a rapport. Never leave a job unfinished. Cover your ass.

I read this from a book.

 

[mkmkmk13]

big tip - use SVIDEO or COMPOSITE or COMPONENT video hookups from the receiver to a tv (whichever is applicable for the situation)

I can't tell you how many neighbors and friends I have that their installer (usually DIRECTV) hooks up the receiver to the tv with the stupid tv3 modulator. I usually get the right cables and hook it up correctly for them for better PQ.

Ill tell u why we do this and i am sure all the installers here agree with me its to avoid TROUBLE CALLS
Advice for the auto tech
work you way up learn the biz save some money buy a truck or a van and tools and work for a sub contractor
i make 75 / 20
75 for the fist tv 20 for second 20 for third 20 for fourth...
my check avereges 3000-4000 every two weeks but i have 1 day off
i work from 7:30 to about 5-6 latest

 

[dishcomm]

Ill tell u why we do this and i am sure all the installers here agree with me its to avoid TROUBLE CALLS
Advice for the auto tech
work you way up learn the biz save some money buy a truck or a van and tools and work for a sub contractor
i make 75 / 20
75 for the fist tv 20 for second 20 for third 20 for fourth...
my check avereges 3000-4000 every two weeks but i have 1 day off
i work from 7:30 to about 5-6 latest

I agree..TC's are avoidable if you do quality work. Well almost. We sometimes get TC's because the customer couldn't figure out how to use their DVD player or decided to vaccum behind their tv and disconnected the cables. Stupid stuff like that.
I guess you pound it out 6 days a week, 11 hrs per day,...That's tough.
I won't work that much... Been there. Done that..No more 60- 70 hr weeks for me..Don't need the headaches that come with the money..I put in 5 days and do three to 4 jobs a day max....I need balance between work , family and leisure time..I work to live. Not the other way around..
Your pay rates are dentical to ours for installs..Do you get extra for D-500+/ D-1000+?..We do ...Not much..Extra $20...

 

[MNTater]

Yup, trouble calls are just like a return job in the auto industry. AVOID THEM! It does happen though and I can expect to get them while I am new. Just can't get discouraged about it. I just need to know the equipment, install practices and keep the customer happy. Also, I am done with the 6 day weeks at 9 to 11 hours a day. I have a 15 month old daughter tha likes to have me around.

 

[dishcomm]

Yup, trouble calls are just like a return job in the auto industry. AVOID THEM! It does happen though and I can expect to get them while I am new. Just can't get discouraged about it. I just need to know the equipment, install practices and keep the customer happy. Also, I am done with the 6 day weeks at 9 to 11 hours a day. I have a 15 month old daughter tha likes to have me around.

I hate to tell you this but the DNS techs work those kind of hours..Just 4 days per week though....I know a couple of guys that work in the local office..They do some serious hours. Nice overtime stuff...But at 11.75 an hour to start it doesn't amount to much. The most experienced techs top out at a paltry $14.50....That's here...

 

[mkmkmk13]

I hate to tell you this but the DNS techs work those kind of hours..Just 4 days per week though....I know a couple of guys that work in the local office..They do some serious hours. Nice overtime stuff...But at 11.75 an hour to start it doesn't amount to much. The most experienced techs top out at a paltry $14.50....That's here...

Thats why ill never go inhouse and i dont work long hours just 6 days aweek 4 jobs a day
i average 2 4room jobs 2 service calls or upgrades or 3 2room jobs and a service call around atleast $300 a day and no we dont make extra for 500 or 1000 + dishes but our office get 1 of those a month and when we do i dont take it :up

 

[ZawNH-VT]

I'm capable doing a lot more then installing satellite and hometheaters but I just cant' leave this career! Working outside traveling, a lot of technologies to keep up with, nice customer just make my day every day up around here. I love it, a lot better then sitting in cubical some where seeing same people every day!

 

[dishcomm]

Thats why ill never go inhouse and i dont work long hours just 6 days aweek 4 jobs a day
i average 2 4room jobs 2 service calls or upgrades or 3 2room jobs and a service call around atleast $300 a day and no we dont make extra for 500 or 1000 + dishes but our office get 1 of those a month and when we do i dont take it :up

We get lots of D-1000plus jobs because our DMA is going to have HD LIL in few days..Those chs are bouncing off 118.75...Right now about 4 of every ten new connects are HD. Essentially the D-1000 is obsolete in our DMA. In fact we keep just a few on hand for service calls. Because of the expense and time of D-1000 upgrades and the paltry amount we get paid, we have requested that DNS not send us any of these. Essentially a D-1000 upgrade is a full install that pays like a service call. There is so much material to use and so much time thta we can actually lose money doing them if you throw in the cost of gas and other expenses..No one is going ot stand for that. Dish will not pay another cent for upgrades so my employers have told Dish that we are going to reject those jobs So far they have been pretty cooperative on that front. Actually the GM of the local DNS office is a very level headed person and realizes our concerns are lefgitimate. He tries his best to work with us..
Om a good day I will take two installs and a service call. If the jobs are close together I'll take three installs...However, D1000 plus installs take at least a third more time..They pay more but they are very time consuming. Even the fastest techs are struggling with these installs. 7 out of 10 are to 4 tv's..It's pretty amazing how gluttonous people can be..I have done 4 room installs in single wide MH's, in homes with two tv's...
I can't remember that last time I did a D-500 to two tv's...Those are so easy.. Even in a slab built house they take less than two hrs..BTW , I didn't mention house construction here..75% of all new homes are built on concrete slabs. Basements are virtually non existent..That obviously takes away a very important cable routing option..Two story houses on slabs are the worst. Another issue with D1000 plus is they are difficult to install on hip roofs and roofs with steep pitches. Steep roofs are very poplular here. Anyway, we are getting paid the same for more difficult jobs. Guys are getting frustrated and taking short cuts..They are eshewing customer service due to time constraints. Customers seem to be less and less educated about their purchases and this is adding to the frustration..We seem to be re selling far more jobs than in the past. Something has got to give..

 

[djmurdock3636]

i know the big installer of dtv is mastec but who is the one for dish?

 

[mikenewy]

Just curious, I wanted to add 61.5 dish, have the small round dish with legacy LNB, so it would need a new lnb to match with the dpp44 switch and the D1000 that is currently installed. What should it cost to get that dish put up, right now I get 119,110 and 129. I appreciate the help, but don't want to go through Dish to avoid any new commitments.