Dish *requires* a technician visit just to add an additional Joey?? Really?!?!?! URGH!!!!

[ThomasTrain]

So I have a 2H/2J install that overall, I'm not unhappy with. Black Friday rolls around and I pick up a nice Tv for one of the Kids bedrooms.

No problem, I hit the duo node, add a splitter as per the wiring diagrams, hook up the distribution coax to that room and voila, ready to order the new Joey.

OH but WHAT! Dish can't ship a Joey. They have to have a Tech come to install it at a cost of $95 or ($7x3) + $15 =$36 for the protection plan for 3 months plus a $15 tech fee.

ARE YOU F@@#ING KIDDING ME????

$95 to screw a frigging coax cable in? Who the heck is making these decisions at Dish?

The nickel and diming I can live with.. but flat out stupidity is a bit harder to swallow.

 

[brad1138]

They never let customers install new equipment, You may be able to figure it out, but many can't and they just have a blanket rule. You most likely didn't use Dish approved parts either. I am telling you how they think, I agree with you for the most part.

 

[TheKrell]

I thought it was cheaper to buy the Joey outright and install yourself. Some folks do this so that they can leave it hooked up and activate/deactivate as the need arises, without shipping a leased Joey back and forth.

 

[skyviewmark]

If you want to install it yourself, go buy one from an independent retailer.. Then you can do whatever you want..

 

[MikeD-C05]

www.dishdepot.com is great to buy from and free shipping and NO tax if you live outside of Florida!

 

[gadgtfreek]

I had one hiccup in my install. Tech would not dig and install pole because he was afraid of a sewer line, told me Dish had real strict rules. Supposedly someone will come out this week and mark any lines in my yard, then a tech will come back out and install a permanent pole (dish is in corner on tripod right now, hope it doesnt get windy...).

I got a notification this morning I have an appt 12/1 from 8-12, but have no clue what its for.

 

[Kawiace]

All dish techs are required to set up Dig Safe if they have to install the dish on a pole. This is for their safety and to protect your home. You would not want the tech to hit a gas line, sewer line or anything else that would cause damage to your home or hurt them. The other appt that was set up is for the pole mount to bury the lines and set the pole.

 

[gadgtfreek]

Thanks. I guess it was odd because Ive never dealt with that before, it must be a newer policy.

I'm guessing since dig safe is due out sometime during the week, they figure the pole install works for Sat 8-12. I will be out of town but told the tech's Id leave my gate open for dig safe. Ill be back before Sat.

 

[Scherrman]

So I have a 2H/2J install that overall, I'm not unhappy with. Black Friday rolls around and I pick up a nice Tv for one of the Kids bedrooms.

No problem, I hit the duo node, add a splitter as per the wiring diagrams, hook up the distribution coax to that room and voila, ready to order the new Joey.

OH but WHAT! Dish can't ship a Joey. They have to have a Tech come to install it at a cost of $95 or ($7x3) + $15 =$36 for the protection plan for 3 months plus a $15 tech fee.

ARE YOU F@@#ING KIDDING ME????

$95 to screw a frigging coax cable in? Who the heck is making these decisions at Dish?

The nickel and diming I can live with.. but flat out stupidity is a bit harder to swallow.

Customers like to think it's just the most simple thing in the world to. It always seems when we do something like that for acustomer because of how easy they said it would be it turns into a nightmare and we lose money. It's best for a business to stick to their guns and charge what they charge since they are the ones liable for the work being done.

Why would Dish just send you a Joey for free and allow you to hook it up because you say you have it all set up. I don't want this to look like I'm saying you don't know what your doing, you may have it set up perfect. It's just that Dish has to be liable for any of the work done since it's their equipment. So if you put it in and it was all screwed up, Dish would have to fix or replace it for free. I think they would rather have their own techs handle their equipment then they won't feel as bad sending someone out if there is a problem.

I could allow someone to take a receiver home and do it themselves but we don't jsut because I am responsible for it.

 

[ThomasTrain]

Customers like to think it's just the most simple thing in the world to. It always seems when we do something like that for acustomer because of how easy they said it would be it turns into a nightmare and we lose money. It's best for a business to stick to their guns and charge what they charge since they are the ones liable for the work being done.

Why would Dish just send you a Joey for free and allow you to hook it up because you say you have it all set up. I don't want this to look like I'm saying you don't know what your doing, you may have it set up perfect. It's just that Dish has to be liable for any of the work done since it's their equipment. So if you put it in and it was all screwed up, Dish would have to fix or replace it for free. I think they would rather have their own techs handle their equipment then they won't feel as bad sending someone out if there is a problem.

I could allow someone to take a receiver home and do it themselves but we don't jsut because I am responsible for it.

I see the point and I fully agree if this were a Hopper as installing the duo node is a royal pain. But in my case, I am a network engineer and to top it all off, a former Dish employee, I fairly certain I've got it figured out.

I installed my complete system and various upgrades from back in the old SW64 days when I had dual SW64s with feed through loads and then took it forward through various upgrades and conversion to DPP LNBFs and my current DPP44s. Plus all the self installed receivers from the old Dishplayers and 721s to 942s all the way up to the 722Ks with centralized backfeeds I had right before the Hopper install. All self installed. All all of this is documented in my account if they'd simply look at it.

What I'm saying is that it's rediculous to require a truck roll for a simple Joey install. and contrary to what you say, it IS that simple to add a Joey and YES my 5 year old can do it because he currently moves my joey from one room to the other when he wants to - this was simply a means to stop him from having to manually move it.

The issue I have is my having to take time off to be here to greet a tech that most of the time is only 2 weeks on the job and doesn't have a clue so I end up doing the install anyway while he watches (which is what happened with my original hopper install). Now, I didn't pay for the Hopper install so no monitary loss there, but I stick to my guns and say that requiring a truck roll to install a Joey is utterly rediculous, regarless of the circumstances.

 

[TheKrell]

And it's also ridiculous.

 

[gadgtfreek]

I havent had a bad or green installer from Directv or Dish in years. Seems like they both do better at training. I had a Dish install in SC in 2006, boy was that guy bad. Showed up in a 1st gen jeep cherokee too, with a ladder strapped to the top.

 

[Bobby]

And it's also ridiculous.

Please don't correct his spelling Krell, he's a network engineer!

 

[brad1138]

Please don't correct his spelling Krell, he's a network engineer!

I don't get how anyone misspells these days, doesn't everyone have in-line spell check?

 

[sparc]

Yep, i think it's fair to say that people should try to get the equipment they want with the original install. I actually dropped a Joey to get from 2H/2J down to the 2H/1J. I basically decided at the time that i'll buy a joey outright if I needed to go back and add another one again. There doesn't seem to be enough consistency when it comes to adding equipment mid-contract where I would actually trust Dish not to tack on a lot of costs.

 

[keckge]

When did dish start charging for tech visits?

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[Claude Greiner]

I see the point and I fully agree if this were a Hopper as installing the duo node is a royal pain. But in my case, I am a network engineer and to top it all off, a former Dish employee, I fairly certain I've got it figured out.

I installed my complete system and various upgrades from back in the old SW64 days when I had dual SW64s with feed through loads and then took it forward through various upgrades and conversion to DPP LNBFs and my current DPP44s. Plus all the self installed receivers from the old Dishplayers and 721s to 942s all the way up to the 722Ks with centralized backfeeds I had right before the Hopper install. All self installed. All all of this is documented in my account if they'd simply look at it.

What I'm saying is that it's rediculous to require a truck roll for a simple Joey install. and contrary to what you say, it IS that simple to add a Joey and YES my 5 year old can do it because he currently moves my joey from one room to the other when he wants to - this was simply a means to stop him from having to manually move it.

The issue I have is my having to take time off to be here to greet a tech that most of the time is only 2 weeks on the job and doesn't have a clue so I end up doing the install anyway while he watches (which is what happened with my original hopper install). Now, I didn't pay for the Hopper install so no monitary loss there, but I stick to my guns and say that requiring a truck roll to install a Joey is utterly rediculous, regarless of the circumstances.

I agree customers should be able to install their own equipment, but here is what typically happens...

90% of the customers who get equipment shipped to them don't have a clue of how to hook it up, or want to pay someone a fair price to come out and install it for them. So the receiver that Dish just shipped to them sits in the closet, which doesn't do anyone any good.

Then on the off chance the customer does attempt to install it themselves, they screw something up and now none of their televisions work. Then they call Dish and pretend their system just stopped working and threatend to cancel to get a free service call to come fix it.

I used to sell alot of equipment on the Dishstore and I had a long chat with someone at Dish about this because they didn't want me selling equipment because of the problems it caused them

 

[3HaloODST]

When did dish start charging for tech visits?

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

They've been doing it for at least the last 5 years.

Sent from my iPad 2 using SatelliteGuys

 

[Hall]

But in my case, I am a network engineer and to top it all off, a former Dish employee, I fairly certain I've got it figured out.

Sure, if you say so.... I could claim to be the lead designer for the Hopper / Joey system and if I were to call Dish and tell them that, why should they believe me ? Dish has no way to know who you are or what skills you have.

And it's not a case of "screwing a frigging coax cable in" either -- at least not by the book, which is what the reps HAVE to go by. You say you already ran the cabling and have the node installed ? Dish has no way to know this.

Did you use Dish-approved cable and connectors ? Dish has no way to know this. Sense a common theme yet ?

 

[ThomasTrain]

Sure, if you say so.... I could claim to be the lead designer for the Hopper / Joey system and if I were to call Dish and tell them that, why should they believe me ? Dish has no way to know who you are or what skills you have.

And it's not a case of "screwing a frigging coax cable in" either -- at least not by the book, which is what the reps HAVE to go by. You say you already ran the cabling and have the node installed ? Dish has no way to know this.

Did you use Dish-approved cable and connectors ? Dish has no way to know this. Sense a common theme yet ?

When’s the last time you saw a Dish tech or any cable company or satellite technician come in a completely rip out all cabling, connectors, etc to replace it with 'company-approved' cable and connectors as part of S.O.P.: never.
Your argument doesn't hold water but thanks for your opinion.