Installer Trick

[dvrexpander]

To reschedule the customer for another truck roll would have cost the company more money than the extra 10 minutes he spent modifying the 1000.2 bracket. Work orders are constantly incorrect on a daily basis and whose job is it to correct them? The Techs. It’s our job to go out there and get the job done and as long as this mod achieved the minimum signal threshold, there’s nothing wrong with it except to those who play by the books. To be a successful satellite installer requires innovation and thinking outside the box and this is a great tip that I will pass on.

Think outside the box yes, install the WRONG equipment NO!!! I don't think you get it, you missed the point here like a few others. The WRONG equipment was used, you need to either go back get the right stuff, call in to have someone bring it, or reschedule for another day and have the correct equipment put in. I can assure you right now a few miles of gas used to bring the correct equipment in is WAY cheaper than putting up a 1000.4 in place of a 1000.2 which is what the work order called for to begin with. When you apply innovation and thinking outside the box to make the install, to run wires or to get a TV to work with the Receiver then that's one thing.. installing the WRONG equipment is a completely other. I WILL NOT endorse this since it not only screws the customer over but also the company - the same company many of us Techs would love to see get their act together but to take a dark road they travel on isn't showing a good example.

 

[dishcomm]

Another problem down the road I see from this.... the Work order called for a certain type of dish. You most likely didn't change the work order cause it would have or prob would have cost the customer more (the 1000.4 kits cost more) and now if there is a service call the next one out will either end up fixing a problem and the work is now their's unless they change it.

What you should have done was either went back and got the correct equipment or rescheduled it till you could instead of making up some way for it to work.

I don't call this a trick at all but more like a failed attempt at a good install. As one said, the customer got screwed in this ordeal but prob didn't care cause at least they have TV... OMG the thought of no TV to some people is just amazing!

Here's the problem....Reschedules are NOT permitted unless the customer says "don't come today..Or "Go away, Come back next week"...
Reschedules for other reasons are not allowed.
I see both sides on this.

 

[dishcomm]

no, I'm a installer myself and I'm as upset at how they run things as the next guy, but this is just wrong. Why fool around with a customers setup when that's not what they were supposed to get. Your costing the company more money regardless if someone is a company man or not that's just not the way to go about it. The simple solution here would have been to reschedule it and return, no biggie and the whole thing gets done the RIGHT way. I can assure you this as a Dish Customer myself I wouldn't want someone rigging something up on my home just to make it work. I'd want exactly what I was supposed to get.

Instead of questioning me about how I object to this "trick" maybe you should be asking yourself if it is indeed a trick or just a quick way to avoid more work and being lazy in the long run cause it sure sounds like it.

i understand your frustration. The OP didnl;t have a dish that was not on the workorder. He had a custy that most likely wanted his tv that day. The OP improvised, overcame, adapted.
I certainly would not want to get the service call, read the work order and load the appropriate equipment only to arrive and find the dish on the work order is not what is there.
One thing the OP left out was how far form his shop this particular job was.
Could have been over 100 miles. If so, would you have him drive two hours out and two hours back for something that was NOT his fault? Remember, he said he was "helping another tech"....

 

[TigerpounceTN]

I don't see anything wrong with this as long as it is documented properly so that the next guy knows should the dish ever need service. In theory, it should work better than a standard installation.

 

[Tomboy257]

Here's the problem....Reschedules are NOT permitted unless the customer says "don't come today..Or "Go away, Come back next week"...
Reschedules for other reasons are not allowed.
I see both sides on this.

Why wouldn't a reschedule be allowed? When I first signed up with Dish they were going to give me a 1000.2. I had line of sight issues and they said "wait a couple of weeks as the EA was coming online" They came back later and installed the new system.

 

[dvrexpander]

Many unanswered questions on doing this so called "trick", if the shop was within 20mins drive I would have gone back for the right equipment, if it was farther away I'd have the office put it on "HOLD" vs reschedule if needs be and just swing back through the next day or have another tech in the area do it, whatever it takes. I won't put up the wrong thing no matter how bad a customer wants TV, this is exactly the kinds of things that cause more problems down the road. You guys gotta remember you can't trust the customer!! Rule #1 in installing, never go out your way for them. I've had to eat those words a few times by doing just that and both times I got stabbed in the back and will never do it again. Nope its either the right stuff and there is a 100% agreement on how and where the install is placed or there is no install. Plain and simple. :up

 

[dishcomm]

Why wouldn't a reschedule be allowed? When I first signed up with Dish they were going to give me a 1000.2. I had line of sight issues and they said "wait a couple of weeks as the EA was coming online" They came back later and installed the new system.

It's not a thing most customers know about.
Dish has numbers they want to be met. They keeps loads of stats on their installers as well as contractors.
The amount of work given to contractors is based on a scorecard. Completion perceantage is part of what makes up the score. LOw scoring outifts receive less work.
On the employee tech side, they are ranked according to performance. Again, completion percentager is a large portion of the score.
That said, reschedules are a no-no...
Your case is quite different. The tech did the right thing and basically guranteed an install by waiting until the new satellites were available.
The OP's case is quite different. He had ot get the job done to avoid a reschedule(very bad to reschedule) so he did what he needed to do in order to close the work order.

 

[SaltiDawg]

...
The OP's case is quite different. He had ot get the job done to avoid a reschedule(very bad to reschedule) so he did what he needed to do in order to close the work order.

a
And if a subsequent unrelated tech visit can not be completed because of the un-documented alteration, that's no skin off the original tech.

 

[dishcomm]

a
And if a subsequent unrelated tech visit can not be completed because of the un-documented alteration, that's no skin off the original tech.

Thanks for chiming in...
Earlier in the thread one poster intelligently responded by postintg that all is neded is good documentation on the "trick" and that would solve the issue of the next tech having problems.
Improvise, overcome, adapt...Case closed.
Next!!

 

[SaltiDawg]

Thanks for chiming in...

Golly, thank you for the ruling.

As I said, "And if a subsequent unrelated tech visit can not be completed because of the un-documented alteration, that's no skin off the original tech."

Do you actually believe that documentation about equipment departures will make it to the eyes of a subsequent Dish field tech or a CSR? lol

 

[dishcomm]

Golly, thank you for the ruling.

As I said, "And if a subsequent unrelated tech visit can not be completed because of the un-documented alteration, that's no skin off the original tech."

Do you actually believe that documentation about equipment departures will make it to the eyes of a subsequent Dish field tech or a CSR? lol

No sense repeating yourself. It makes you appear as though you insisitng to insist.
There are techs that do standard work then there are the higher skilled and creative techs that get things done where others fail.

Your concerns are duly noted. This discussion is over. However ,you may now have the last word.

 

[SaltiDawg]

No sense repeating yourself. It makes you appear as though you insisitng to insist. ...

Who died and left you in charge? I notice you did not disagree nor did you answer my question. lol

If you ever find yourself in a position of responsibility for either maintenance or repair you may become aware of the need to document any departure from the original design.

You have a nice day.

 

[whatchel1]

Golly, thank you for the ruling.

As I said, "And if a subsequent unrelated tech visit can not be completed because of the un-documented alteration, that's no skin off the original tech."

Do you actually believe that documentation about equipment departures will make it to the eyes of a subsequent Dish field tech or a CSR? lol

If the installer can't see what was done in having to adapt the dish to the site then he would be pretty green and not someone I would want to have doing a job for me. It is going to be pretty obvious to a trained installer what had been done. I think the installer made lemonade with the lemon he was given.

 

[SaltiDawg]

If the installer can't see what was done in having to adapt the dish to the site then he would be pretty green and not someone I would want to have doing a job for me. It is going to be pretty obvious to a trained installer what had been done. I think the installer made lemonade with the lemon he was given.

I agree with that.

I thought the discussion was pointed toward the general case and the fact that an undocumented change might cause a subsequent repair tech to be unable to effect a repair without a second trip due to not having the correct items on the truck. At least I thought that was the case until the death that left the new Big Kahuna in charge. lol

 

[HIFI]

not sure if this has anything to do with the argument that seems to have gotten started here but I just received this in my box

 

[Dah-Henny]

That's nice, HIFI. Good to have the .4 to work for both arcs.

 

[SandFarmer]

They've also announced to us (us being install techs) that they're making a Western Arc LNB to fit on the 1000.4 dish. Soon we'll be installing nothing but 1000.4 with the Eastern or Western LNB. So, really, you're just ahead of the game!

If I gather correctly, the 1000.4 is a bit larger dish with a larger target/reception area? If so, that would confirm their actions in using the 1k4 dishes and what I have been told about the 1k2s falling short of what they need to be to perform correctly, having been "under designed" and all the issues I had. It makes perfect sense in regard to what I have been told. I just got my two dish set up back and since have not had 129 drop. So I'm happy about that. The 1k4 on the Western Arc is interesting.

 

[whatchel1]

Why stamp 2

If I gather correctly, the 1000.4 is a bit larger dish with a larger target/reception area? If so, that would confirm their actions in using the 1k4 dishes and what I have been told about the 1k2s falling short of what they need to be to perform correctly, having been "under designed" and all the issues I had. It makes perfect sense in regard to what I have been told. I just got my two dish set up back and since have not had 129 drop. So I'm happy about that. The 1k4 on the Western Arc is interesting.

Why would they want to continue to have 2 different dishes of almost the same size stamped. My feeling is that it was easier just to design a new feed and then just send out one dish everywhere w/ the correct feed for the arc.

 

[robotek]

Shouldn't this thread should be moved to the Installer Zone, since it's an "Installer Trick?"

 

[RTCDude]

I was helping another installer on a job he had because he was having probs aiming a 1000.4 dish. So pulled out my Super Buddy and went to the dish and he was clipping a tree but it couldnt be moved anywhere else. He could have aime a 1000.2dish but he didnt have one and either did i. So I converted the 1000.4 dish to a 1000.2made adjustments ,swung the dish and bam..perfect signal.All you have to do is cut off the 2 little tits stinking out on the front of the LNBF. Works like a champ. Good info if your stuck out on your last joband need a certain dish. DONT TRY TO CONVERT A 1000.2 to a 1000.4. Dish is smaller and the LNBF wont pick the signal up very little if any.

Great tip! Could you post a picture of what you did? There's nothing like a picture to explain the details.