Lazy installer: Need info before reschedule

[dslate69]

I had an installer come yesterday to do my 2 room install. I currently have DISH but only in one of the rooms. I also have my current dish on the back of the roof of a 2 story town home.
First thing he said is he couldn't put D*'s dish up there beside the other one because it was too big and it would take like 8 screws (dunno exactly). So of course he wants to upsale me on a pole install for $100 in the front of the house. I said no I want the FREE install on the roof like DISH did their install for FREE, so he says ok. But wait... He wants to use the cables DISH had already run or there is going to be a $65 charge for 125+ feet cable run. I don't know if it is even 125 or 135, but $65 when DISH ran the same length for FREE, just didn't sit well. I just got the feeling from the first words out of his mouth that he didn't want to earn his money and just went for the low hanging fruit. This was confirmed when at some point I showed him the bedroom where he was going to have to drill a hole to the outside and he wanted to put it in the center of the wall so he wouldn't have to run the cable 3 ft along the outside of the house.
At that point I told him I wanted someone else to do the install, got on the phone with D* on his phone and rescheduled. She told me she couldn't guarantee the same guy would come back out. What ????
This was a contractor, before I call D* to express my frustration.
I wanted to know if I can't request a guy that drives a D* truck, aren't they D* employees. If for some reason DISH gave me a pass and I do have a install that doesn't qualify as FREE; which I doubt. I still want an installer that would do the install the same way at his on house.

DISH actually put the dish on the roof then ran cables down to ground level to mount switch so it would be easily accessible. Does the D* install have a switch mounted to the dish as well? If so do most installers go that little extra or will I have to pay extra for the same type setup that DISH did for free?

I am trying to do my homework before the next install date and might even run the coax to the bedroom to make sure it is done right.
Thanks for any help.

 

[bateau980]

You didn't say whether you are getting an HD setup, if so, the dish is larger and requires more support. Pole installs are $75 in my area (just had one put in) but of course. I believe the free install includes run up to 100', any more you pay for.

Unfortunately, I am not aware of any DirecTV staff installers, all of their work is typically hired out to contractors and subcontractors. Call the D* Customer Service line and ask them for the phone number for the installation company that is coming out. You might be able to call the company and request a supervisor do the install, or provide better install notes so the tech coming out knows what s/he's up against.

D* dishes have a built in 4-Port switch, if you require more, they typically provide a 6x8 switch and run it where you ask, within reason. In your case, it looks like you will only need 2-4 cables since you said 2 room. If you were to add another room, you would need the multiswitch installed along with the new runs.

HTH

 

[Zynergi]

Why cant he use the same mast that Dish* is using? I am assuming Dish also has 2 lines from the dish now? and he has to run just 1 line to a box and re-use the one to the other room? Definitely sounds like you got a lazy tech.. an easy and quick $80+ for him for less than an hours of work as half the job is already done.

Unfortunately D* has no say as to which tech comes out as they use Contract Companies to install for them. They can however note the work order in "Tech Notes" not to send "Bob" back out.

Some of this may be wrong if your getting HD though, which would change the way it would be installed. In which case a new Mast and Mono-Poles would need to be installed and in some cases this footprint cant be easily reached from just a ladder. Many companies will not let a tech off the ladder on roof pitches over 4:12. So based on where it needs to go and teh direction the dish needs to point, the safer option would be a pole mount.

 

[Zynergi]

You might be able to call the company and request a supervisor do the install...

LOL.. omg I love those notes.. I have never seen a supervisor roll to do a job.. show up and assist maybe.. provide moral support, sometimes... but not actually be the installer.. most of them have been out of the install loop for 2 long and you would be better with a green tech to come out.

 

[bateau980]

LOL.. omg I love those notes.. I have never seen a supervisor roll to do a job.. show up and assist maybe.. provide moral support, sometimes... but not actually be the installer.. most of them have been out of the install loop for 2 long and you would be better with a green tech to come out.

Good point. Strike that from my recommendation then. I'm used to being in my role where supervisors are still expected to work with clients.

 

[dslate69]

Sorry for not pointing out it was HD, I take for granted everyone wants HD.
The pole mount wouldn't be the worst thing but I like the way DISH set me up and would like to duplicate it. The only place where a pole could go would be facing right towards a tree not 30 ft away; no leaves now. The tech did drop some logic on me by telling me the tree would NOT matter because the signal comes from the sky. :up
The biggest reason I called a stop to it was the $65 for extra cable. If I can get a tech that just isn't lying to make his job easier and won't take shortcuts I would pay a little extra to have both DISH and Directv working in harmony: I might sell or rent out and having both already installed and out of sight may be a plus.
At my old house I tipped the DISH installer $100 for an above and beyond install and tipped the installer $20 for the install I have now. So I am not a complete scrooge but this is MY house and I want the install to look good and be done right.

 

[foobar12]

It does sound like you got a lazy installer, but there is also quite a size difference between SD and HD dishes and there are extra support legs that should be used so his claim that it wouldn't work where the original dish was could be true. The biggest problem you're going to run into is the same with either D* or E*, and that is the fact they use contractors to do the installs. They are all paid per job and will always try to find the quickest and easiest way to do things. (This is not a bash on installers, but a simple fact of the way the system is set up. And yes I know some installers do go the extra mile, but they are the exception and not the rule.) If you want it done your way, you will likely either have to do some of the work yourself, or pay the installer extra. (On my D* install, I ran all the internal cables in my house to the location I wanted them to enter in the basement to save time and this assured things were done the way I wanted them.) I wouldn't give up on this, but you may have to be flexible in how the install is done.

 

[dslate69]

Yea installers are like a box of chocolates.
He was going to do the roof mount after I told him no to the pole so if it weren't for the extra $65 he wanted for cable, I would be watching SPIKE-HD. I still plan on having this done before the next season of TUF.
My buddy here at work just told me his installer used a pole and buried the cable and didn't charge him any extra. Sure wish I could specify what company does the install.
I will probably run the bedroom cable myself to play that part safe.

 

[Libra]

Tell DirecTV to put in the notes that you want a senior or lead in-house technician only. And tell them that sub-contractors in un-marked or poorly marked vehicles will be turned away and will not be allowed to complete the install. Someone will read those notes along the way at the local office and SHOULD make the necessary accomodations to getting an in-house tech to your doorstep. Even if he's fresh into the field, he can always call more in-house techs for help/moral support if need may be. lol.

 

[dslate69]

Tell DirecTV to put in the notes that you want a senior or lead in-house technician only. And tell them that sub-contractors in un-marked or poorly marked vehicles will be turned away and will not be allowed to complete the install. Someone will read those notes along the way at the local office and SHOULD make the necessary accomodations to getting an in-house tech to your doorstep. Even if he's fresh into the field, he can always call more in-house techs for help/moral support if need may be. lol.

Thanks that should be very helpful.

 

[Rey]

and by the way, the installers are told by D not to install the slimline dishes on the roof but when my installer arrived i told him that i wanted the dish on the roof and he did attaching additional support. i understood why they don't like to do this but at the end it's my home. i previously had two dish 500's on the roof. the slimline isn't that much heavier and they do add that extra arm for extra support.

 

[Libra]

and by the way, the installers are told by D not to install the slimline dishes on the roof but when my installer arrived i told him that i wanted the dish on the roof and he did attaching additional support. i understood why they don't like to do this but at the end it's my home. i previously had two dish 500's on the roof. the slimline isn't that much heavier and they do add that extra arm for extra support.

We have had similar restrictions. My company is no longer allowed to mount Ka/Ku dishes to the fascia. We were never restricted on roof mounts, but I'm sure your location might have additional concern due to more precipitation and the worry of leaks or prolonged stability of the mount due to possibly higher wind loads in your specific region. If I remember correctly, though, a pole mount is the preferred mounting method by DirecTV for that particular dish.

 

[Liquidforce88]

Ok so you are getting a Slimline HD dish. Those are much bigger dishes than a standard 18X20 or a Dish500. They take 10 lag screws to attach to the roof. Not sure why he would not mount it on the roof, other than being way up on a 2nd story if you get snow then you wont be able to get tv.

You get 125' of cable per box with a D* install. Unless you have an enormous house I don't see where he could use that much cable on a roof mount. Even so Direct only lets you charge like 30 cents a foot' beyond the 125. So for there to be a $65 charge you would need something like 500' of cable for your install. Not sure why you want both Direct and Dish mounted on your roof, as no matter what when you call for an instll they should do what is needed within reason.

His drilling the hole so that he does not have to run cable down the side of the house. When I do have to go thru a wall to get cable in, I try to bring the cable in a corner so that you don't see a long run of cable down the side of the house maybe this is what he was trying to do IDK.

Direct subs most of their installs out. Even in our area the vans with the big D logo are not Direct employee's. You may not have an option for an employee to do your install.

As far as Dish doing things for free and Direct charging. There are some things that Dish gives in the install that Direct does not. Poles are one of the things that D* allows installers to charge for(and the allowed charge is 75 not 100), that Dish pretty much makes you give the customer. Both have a similar policy on cable though.

Sounds to me you got one of the subs that brag about all the extra charge money they make. They seem to talk customers or BS them into paying for things. Some of it may be legit, but in your case I did not see anything that was. Sounds like he did not like the fact you would not let him use the lines dish ran so he was going to chagre you extra. Also sounds like he is one of the guys that talks customers into paying for a pole mount because it makes the job easier for him as well.

 

[Joe Diamond]

and by the way, the installers are told by D not to install the slimline dishes on the roof but when my installer arrived i told him that i wanted the dish on the roof and he did attaching additional support. i understood why they don't like to do this but at the end it's my home. i previously had two dish 500's on the roof. the slimline isn't that much heavier and they do add that extra arm for extra support.

I think the DISH 500 pole is the same size as the Ka/Ku head. They interchange if I am correct about the 500. Don't know DISH stuff well but have mounted the Ka/KU on DISH masts before.

DISH uses better wire than CATV or DTV.



Joe

 

[Jared Twomey]

I think the DISH 500 pole is the same size as the Ka/Ku head. They interchange if I am correct about the 500. Don't know DISH stuff well but have mounted the Ka/KU on DISH masts before.

DISH uses better wire than CATV or DTV.



Joe

None of this post is correct... sorry

I install both on a regular basis... and if you installed a kaku on a dish 500 mast, you must have had a hell of a time tightening that sucker down

A dish 500 mast is the same size as a directv 18" dish 1 5/8" I believe

And as far as the wire goes, depends on who's putting it in, and what they buy. In this area, one of the local cable companies uses the nicest wire i've ever seen. And it's not branded as far as who makes it... just has the local power company's logo on it every few feet... but its good stuff.
Kaku is 2"

 

[Joe Diamond]

None of this post is correct... sorry

I install both on a regular basis... and if you installed a kaku on a dish 500 mast, you must have had a hell of a time tightening that sucker down

A dish 500 mast is the same size as a directv 18" dish 1 5/8" I believe

And as far as the wire goes, depends on who's putting it in, and what they buy. In this area, one of the local cable companies uses the nicest wire i've ever seen. And it's not branded as far as who makes it... just has the local power company's logo on it every few feet... but its good stuff.
Kaku is 2"

Thanks,

Maybe it is the Super DISH I am thinking of. If it is the 500 that is 1.66 than it was the phase III & 18" that slide on that mast.

DISH uses copper center because they have to. The others vary as you mentioned.

I wonder about the dish in the middle of the roof.............corners are easier.

Joe

 

[dslate69]

You get 125' of cable per box with a D* install. Unless you have an enormous house I don't see where he could use that much cable on a roof mount. Even so Direct only lets you charge like 30 cents a foot' beyond the 125.

Thanks so much. This will help out a lot as I have printed this out from their website to have on hand just in case. Help me interpret this though, if one run is 25' and the other is 200' is there a charge? Also I didn't see the 30 cent a foot part on their website, I guess I got to take their word on how much cable they use too.

Also sounds like he is one of the guys that talks customers into paying for a pole mount because it makes the job easier for him as well.

Exactly.
I don't want someone doing the install that is worried more about shortcuts than performing a nice looking install. Hopefully the second time is the charm.

 

[Libra]

Thanks so much. This will help out a lot as I have printed this out from their website to have on hand just in case. Help me interpret this though, if one run is 25' and the other is 200' is there a charge? Also I didn't see the 30 cent a foot part on their website, I guess I got to take their word on how much cable they use too.

I'm pretty sure the extra footage charge is set by the HSP, not DTV. My old company wanted to charge $0.25 for every foot on extra cable, but that was more for if a customer wanted an extra 10 foot jumper in case they move thier TV further. On some work orders (going back to my old company) we listed the "custom labor" prices on the back of our carbon copies. This new company just gives us a sheet of paper with the labor and prices.

I'd also suggest to make sure you get a copy of the work order and possibly the tech number of the individual that did your work as well... If the second tech does a great job, it wouldn't hurt to let the company know that they have someone that knows how to do thier job and get it done right.

 

[dslate69]

Well I may get the best installer to walk the earth on Wednesday but he won't have much to do. Yesterday I went ahead and ran the cable to the bedroom and freed up a cable (using a diplexer on another run) to the main set. Now all the installer has to do is mount the dish on the roof and run the cables straight down and couple them to the 2 cables I have waiting.
I even have phone (on the maintv), hdmi & ethernet cables routed and waiting. :up
I am keeping the tip this time.

 

[dishcomm]

I had an installer come yesterday to do my 2 room install. I currently have DISH but only in one of the rooms. I also have my current dish on the back of the roof of a 2 story town home.
First thing he said is he couldn't put D*'s dish up there beside the other one because it was too big and it would take like 8 screws (dunno exactly). So of course he wants to upsale me on a pole install for $100 in the front of the house. I said no I want the FREE install on the roof like DISH did their install for FREE, so he says ok. But wait... He wants to use the cables DISH had already run or there is going to be a $65 charge for 125+ feet cable run. I don't know if it is even 125 or 135, but $65 when DISH ran the same length for FREE, just didn't sit well. I just got the feeling from the first words out of his mouth that he didn't want to earn his money and just went for the low hanging fruit. This was confirmed when at some point I showed him the bedroom where he was going to have to drill a hole to the outside and he wanted to put it in the center of the wall so he wouldn't have to run the cable 3 ft along the outside of the house.
At that point I told him I wanted someone else to do the install, got on the phone with D* on his phone and rescheduled. She told me she couldn't guarantee the same guy would come back out. What ????
This was a contractor, before I call D* to express my frustration.
I wanted to know if I can't request a guy that drives a D* truck, aren't they D* employees. If for some reason DISH gave me a pass and I do have a install that doesn't qualify as FREE; which I doubt. I still want an installer that would do the install the same way at his on house.

DISH actually put the dish on the roof then ran cables down to ground level to mount switch so it would be easily accessible. Does the D* install have a switch mounted to the dish as well? If so do most installers go that little extra or will I have to pay extra for the same type setup that DISH did for free?

I am trying to do my homework before the next install date and might even run the coax to the bedroom to make sure it is done right.
Thanks for any help.

So let me get this correct, you wan to keep your Dish subscription?
Facts. Dish's standard basic install includes one wall penetration and up to 200' of cable. Directv's basic install includes up to 125' ft of cable.
Wall fishes are payable at time of install.
You can request a company tech. But there is no guarantee.
Ia m wondering if this tech had a ladder which was tall enough to get to the roof of your home. Some of these guys try to get away wiht carrying only 20 or 24 foot ladders. These are not adeqate to get to most two story roofs.
So what happens is the tech will try to talk the customer into a pole mount.
On the Dish side, pole mounts are free of charge provided the run of buried cable is less than 50'.
Based solely on your account, that tech probably didn't want to do the job because it was somewhat difficult for him. So he blew it off. It happens.