install scheduling question

[stretch]

Hello.. I'm scheduling an install with Dishmover. Every time in the past that I have scheduled an install it goes like this... Dish sets up the time over the phone, then they later contact an installer who is local to the area, and then that installer calls me and reschedules for a later date. I'm 3 for 3 with this scenario.

Well this time I really need to get it done on the scheduled day so I want to maximize my chances.

when I reschedule i talk direct to the installer... so I thought I would try that ahead of time and book it with them. But dish replied that they don't know that information until the day before the install is scheduled.

What I want to know is... is that correct as far as you all know and is there anything else i can do to maximize my chances for getting the install done on the target date?

 

[stretch]

Sorry this is not a bump.... but I called in a dishmover today for the first week of January. I felt the lead time was critical to getting the install done on the desired date.

the effect of this was that my service address changed immediately, so I no longer recieve my locals. I don't live at the new address until the installer shows up so why change it now?

my only options were to cancel the dishmover and call back 3-4 days ahead of the desired date.. of course NO local installer is going to have free time on that short notice so I am screwed. Or... live without the locals for 3 weeks. I did manage to get a credit for the lost locals.

But this is silly... change the service address WHEN IM INSTALLED... not when I call... I am not moving on the day I call... UGH.

I was tempted to cancel completely and go with D* and get a deal as a new sub.. but decided this was small potatoes compared to several years of good service and just went with the flow

 

[Jared Twomey]

who did you call when you originally had the system installed? a local retailer or dish network directly? If you went through a retailer you can go through that same retailer to setup the Dishmover... that way you eliminate the middle man(dish sending the job to the retailer or installer)
if you went directly through dish originally, you may be able to setup the dishmover through any local retailer, just call and give them your info and they should be able to set it up for you, again, eliminating the middleman...

 

[ZandarKoad]

As a retailer yes it is true: We don't know which jobs we will have until approximately 6:00PM the day before. Even then, we don't even really look at our jobs until the MORNING the DAY OF, because often times Dishnetwork Dispatch will change stuff in our list of jobs (AKA our 'que') overnight. BUT: As a retailer, we do let dispatch know what our CAPACITY is for a given day. We tell them weeks or months in advance that we can handle... say, 5 jobs a day. Or 25 jobs a day. Or whatever. Then they fill our capacity. So even when we don't know what jobs we are getting until the morning of, we still know that we have enough manpower to get it all done. It is VERY rare that we'd reschedual a job unless it's the CUSTOMER'S fault it can't get done that day. Dishnetwork Dispatch will actually schedual jobs for CHRISTMAS DAY those M&(#*$ F#&$$ers. So we'll reshedual jobs on holidays after they are in our 'que'. But it looks bad when we have lots of jobs reschedualed so its in our best interest to GET IT DONE THAT DAY.

 

[stretch]

I didn't mean to belittle the installers... I know they do as much as they can and sometimes stuff happens... oh and the first date Dish offered me was Dec 25th.. and I knew better.

so I guess Ill cancel the order for now and call back 4 or 5 days ahead.. it doesn't sound like it changes the situation any by giving longer lead time.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I know what your going through, the installers sometimes just don't care!

Why don't you schedule the appointment a few days before and then let them reschedule you the day you really want to get installed.

 

[stretch]

I know what your going through, the installers sometimes just don't care!

Why don't you schedule the appointment a few days before and then let them reschedule you the day you really want to get installed.

the thought did occurr to me. I suppose if they keep the original date when they call ahead to confirm it I can reschedule it then. That still leaves me without locals here for the interim but I am the one who has to be so picky.. and everything has a cost associated with it.

 

[daboogas94e]

well we, as installers, know when our installs are several days in advance. and u are probably running into sub-contractors and they are paid by job and Dish Techs are paid by the hour

 

[ZandarKoad]

well we, as installers, know when our installs are several days in advance. and u are probably running into sub-contractors and they are paid by job and Dish Techs are paid by the hour

There are two different types of 'installers'. Sub contractors and employees (as you mentioned). Which one are you? Your post doesn't indicate if you think the offending technicians are Employees or Sub Contractors.

 

[TTS]

the effect of this was that my service address changed immediately, so I no longer recieve my locals. I don't live at the new address until the installer shows up so why change it now?

You still receive your locals, they are just not mapped down to the lower channels. Look in the four digit range and they will be there, (i.e 8000 or so, not sure where your locals come out of, but just look in that range and see if you see them)

 

[stretch]

wow I didn't think to check that.. it will be several hours before I get home and can look. I just assumed I was changed to the new locals for the new address and couldnt see them because im outside the spot beam for that region.

 

[daboogas94e]

im a tech for dish

 

[ZandarKoad]

im a tech for dish

Give me ambiguity or give me something else.

 

[stretch]

I would like to follow up by saying that TTS was correct. My locals (at the place I have yet to move from) are still available on their actual assigned channel numbers (in the 7000's in my case)

I will admit I was stupid not to look for them there... I didn’t notice them because I always use a favorites list.

But wow.. both 2 CSR's and the supervisor I talked to also had no idea to tell me to look there. They just said there was nothing I could do.

thanks for setting me straight...

 

[dishcomm]

well we, as installers, know when our installs are several days in advance. and u are probably running into sub-contractors and they are paid by job and Dish Techs are paid by the hour

what's your point?..
That because Contractors are paid by the job they don't keep a schedule?
You may be getting your work sevral days in advance but that isn't the norm..we get our work the morining of the job...We then precall the customers and route the work based on time frame and geography. New connects taking priority..If we are going to be earlier or later we communicate with the customer.....
Missing appointments with no phone call to warn the customer is not tolerated in our office...Rescheduling jobs without a valid reason is also not tolerated.

 

[ZandarKoad]

what's your point?..
That because Contractors are paid by the job they don't keep a schedule?
You may be getting your work sevral days in advance but that isn't the norm..we get our work the morining of the job...We then precall the customers and route the work based on time frame and geography. New connects taking priority..If we are going to be earlier or later we communicate with the customer.....
Missing appointments with no phone call to warn the customer is not tolerated in our office...Rescheduling jobs without a valid reason is also not tolerated.

What he said.

 

[Zero327]

What he said.

Hmm. That screams Summit Advantage/Green to me.

 

[ZandarKoad]

I have no idea what you are referring to Zero. Our que in Econnect does not get filled for the next day until approximately 5-6 PM. Even then they will make changes quite often overnight or even DURING the DAY. But usually dispatch calls us if they are making changes on the same day.

 

[michaelpa]

Is it possible to request a company installer come out rather than a sub-contractor? Nothing against foreigners but I couldn't understand a word the installer was saying on my HD install. I asked if I had a DVR and he shook his head affirmative. Well, he was shaking the wrong way because it wasn't. I will receive my DVR next week and hopefull it will be a company employee.

 

[dishcomm]

I have no idea what you are referring to Zero. Our que in Econnect does not get filled for the next day until approximately 5-6 PM. Even then they will make changes quite often overnight or even DURING the DAY. But usually dispatch calls us if they are making changes on the same day.

Same with us.The calendar used to close by 4 or 5 the day before. Now they leave it open 'til midnight....It's a two edged sword..We used to be able to pre call the night before. This allowed us for example to get jobs with shaky line of sight off our grid. But the other side is we get more work..
No way jobs are assigned 96 hrs in advance..However I do know that the DNS offices were at one time getting the work 4 days out..I know this because a friend of mine was a QAS trainer at the local DNS office..He told me that the FSM's would cull out all the apartment jobs and ride out on them to see if they could go in..The FSM's would keep the ones they knew would go in and sent the sh!tty ones to the contractors..this is not done any longer..At least to my knowledge..
But this 4 day thing is poo poo...It don't happen..