Pictures of my EA Install (some things seem odd to me)

Toggle sidebar
david_jr said:
Unfortunately if Dish put the money into customer service and installers to improve things to the way we'd like it would probably take the cost of the service beyond what a lot of people would want to pay.

Over the years I've only had one truly bad installer here. But Dish fixed that when I complained. When I upgraded to Hopper I did a lot of research here and was able to have my house prewired and practically plug and play ready. The installer came from over an hour away and had two more jobs after mine that were further still from his home. When he got out of his truck he was in a bad mood and was complain game 2H/3J install was going to take him 5 hours and he still had two big jobs. When I started telling him what I wanted and he realized I spoke satellite and had prewired, his attitude took a 180 and we were friends. He was out in 2 hours with lunch and a tip and a second tip to check out Satellite Guys. He really was a good guy and did good work but what he was being asked to do by Dish was stressing him out.

Sent from my iPhone 5 using SatelliteGuys
Click to expand...

I'd shake your hand if I could..
 
dvrexpander said:
Here is the thing, the same people that demand everything from Dish as in want the service right NOW and want it FREE just don't understand that a tech in this field doesn't get paid very well at all for the professional work they can do. Now don't get me wrong, I do good work and its quality work that won't break down or cause problems down the road outside of my control which is normally someone getting the channel off input wrong, dropping remote putting batts in backwards or whatever. Remember if a customer calls in cause of one of these stupid issues out side of the scope of a good professional install in 12days or less that is a TC12 and the Tech is now hit right smack in the pocket for not just that job for all others in the near future which can and do often drop them into a lower pay scale. This is just something out of our control same goes for you getting a survey from Dish about the visit and while the visit may have been super professional and all the work done great you hit the wrong button of say a 1 instead of a 0 which means 10 then that drops the tech down even more. You just have no idea, NO IDEA what this work involves day in and day out so not every job is going to be perfect. I hunt down existing cables and use what is there on site if and when I can to avoid wasting more and just to save some time. My drip loops or service loops may not be perfectly round 6 inches by spec or code but they are there and do the trick. I may not run cable perfectly straight but its not super sagging down a wall and is safe to be around. These are the types of things for most techs on normal days when they are slammed with several jobs that Dish thinks they can get done in a decent amount of time which is hard to do.

I understand there are people that are challenged and have issues beyond their control, do keep in mind we do the best we can with what we have and go on to the next job and just cross our fingers you don't press the wrong buttons on a survey or call in for something stupid a few days after we leave. If the home is just too bad no matter what issues they are having or problems as in a safety hazard from breathing in something foul or unstable walls,floors or large items not excluding small/large dogs that customers refuse to put up out of the way then I'll by pass those jobs in a heartbeat and have even called social services to these homes or law enforcement when it involves kids. TV is just not worth it when you need to have it before taking that money and fixing things, cleaning things or paying someone to clean or keep the home clean and safe...just amazes me at how much people value TV over their health.

So I leave you with this thought, imagin doing this line of work with all the pit falls and issues with pay or other problems that arise. If you still don't know how bad it is then check out the installer zone section here and read thru the old threads about all the installers and their issues.
Click to expand...

Dude..I was already empathizing with you. Read the first lines of my post more carefully. I do understand what you go through. I am not going to post all the reasons why I can feel your pain (the jobs I have held, the people I have encountered, etc.). All I wanted to do was offer a caution to try and see things from someone else's point of view. However, from the tone of your posts, I suspect you are in your twenties or thirties, and those generations are sadly lacking the ability to feel for those less fortunate than themselves. I should not have bothered with my post, and I won't again. Instead I will say this...I too was raised and then trained by the military to do my best job every single time...not whine about why I cannot be a professional. My empathy for you has just ended.


Posted Via The SatelliteGuys Reader App!
 
To be fair, Dvrexpander does have some good points and I can understand where he's probably coming from. I've never installed satellite systems, but I did do many service calls for TV's where the houses were disgustingly dirty, or things were going on where you just wanted to get out of the place as quick as you could, all sorts of strange stuff.

Anyone who hasn't done any type of in house service work probably wouldn't believe some of the things you might run into. I remember one service call where a guy and his wife answered the door butt naked and couldn't understand why I refused to enter their house until they put some clothes on. Because they were nudists, they thought this was okay and only agreed to put on clothes when I turned and began walking away from their house, even though it should of been obvious to them that I just about wanted to rip my eyes out as soon as they'd opened the door.

Another one, I was lying on the floor behind an big old projection television set working in it and felt something move up alongside my leg, it's a big huge python. Really!? That guy didn't understand my problem with that either, cause he always just let the snake wander around free inside his apartment and he wouldn't put it into it's cage until I told him flat out that I was leaving right then and there and not even putting his TV back together if he didn't. And there's much worse than that, some situations you actually are worried about your safety, never mind just being grossed out by the filth and wondering if you might get something from it or whatever.

I'm semi-retired now and you couldn't pay me enough to do service calls nowadays, it's probably worse now than it was back when I ran a full time business. Whenever someone's been out to my house doing anything I always give them a decent tip unless they do a real horrible job. At least I always had the option to refuse a job if I wanted to, I doubt installers for a big company can refuse many jobs, if any.
 
I don't read a bad tone from either of you...you both bring up valid points and issues.
 
The bottom line is you do the best you can under the circumstances which are always different.
 
Wicked_Girl said:
Dude..I was already empathizing with you. Read the first lines of my post more carefully. I do understand what you go through. I am not going to post all the reasons why I can feel your pain (the jobs I have held, the people I have encountered, etc.). All I wanted to do was offer a caution to try and see things from someone else's point of view. However, from the tone of your posts, I suspect you are in your twenties or thirties, and those generations are sadly lacking the ability to feel for those less fortunate than themselves. I should not have bothered with my post, and I won't again. Instead I will say this...I too was raised and then trained by the military to do my best job every single time...not whine about why I cannot be a professional. My empathy for you has just ended.


Posted Via The SatelliteGuys Reader App!
Click to expand...

Its fine to be as you are, you serving in the military is irrelevant to the conversation as is my age. I'll end with this, I care enough to know that if you can't take care of the vital issues in your home or provide better for kids and pets but instead spend those funds on TV then you have priorities in the wrong place.

Again, I invite you to read thru threads of the installer zone here at Satguys and see how it really is at least from that which is posted or maybe even do a ride along with a installer in the area, I'm sure they won't mind if they are a fellow vet.
 
Breaking news, disgruntled Satellite installer is fired after Dish searches out and finds IP address of said installer due to his lack of customer understanding.
As a result, customer satisfication rises in said installers area.
 
3HaloODST said:
stood over each installer to make sure no shortcuts were taken. While I understand that they are under pressure, I still made them do things right if they tried to take shortcuts. I think it's very reasonable.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Forum Runner
Click to expand...
+1 I do the same with every installer, just like I do the same when maintenance is done on my car, It's not be suspicious or anything, but like you said I don't want shortcuts, I just want a professional clean install.
 
ohioankev said:
Alright so by chance lightening did hit my dish voltage running down to that wouldn't matter or be even possible to happen in the first place ? I just don't want the house to you know, blow up and I really know nothing other than what the installer that connected my Hopper system told me about never connecting anything to gas lines. (this was prior to being connected to the eastern arc)
Click to expand...

If lightining hits your house, the LAST thing I would worry about is how the satellite system is installed.
Overall, and in my opinion, this is a crap job.
I would have run my cabling under another course of siding parallel to the existing.
That 17 ga wire from the dish to the node is absolutely useless.
I don't see a proper ground for the new Dish install.
The cables should not be attached to the telco service line.
 
dvrexpander said:
Now don't get me wrong, I'd go over each step of it with the customer and make sure they were aware of how the runs were gonna be which for many they just don't give a damn. The installs would pass inspections and would last for years provided their dog or kid didn't chew the wires in half or the feces didn't rot it so yeah I'm sorry to say that my home didn't have what most would claim to be a meth lab growing in one room or half dead cats walking around that should have been put down months ago, or the rug/seat soaked urine (not the animals) thru out the house but still expect me to get on my knees and run perfect cable runs. LOLz 60's... makes me laugh - try doing this work TODAY! I'm sure you made much more money, were treated a ton better by both company and customers and didn't have to depend on someone pressing 0 for every question on a survey most don't understand to get paid decent let alone well.
Click to expand...

You make good points. If a job is at a ghetto house, they usually get ghetto work.
I never did sh!tty work on purpose but more in line with if I was concerned for my safety, I would get the job done and get the hell out.
I didn't care what it looked like. And quite frankly neither did the custy.
 
Wicked_Girl said:
I hate to say it dvrexpander, but in your last post, you have some valid points. However, I want to caution you in that way of thinking. If you came to my house, it looks like we are half a hoarder house. By that I mean, we have stuff piled on all the horizontal surfaces. The house is run down, because my spouse bought a POS, and he hardly ever wants to do any maintenance to keep it up. The house is clean however. I try as hard as I can to keep it clean. It looks like crap and like a tornado hit it, but it is clean. The problem for me is that I am a disabled female veteran. I spend most of my time inside this house and I am limited in what I can physically do, but I do my best. So, if you were to come in here and judge that I was not worthy of a decent install just because my house appears to be a rat trap, it would really suck. Anyone who comes in to do something needs to do the best job they can for me, because if they don't the probability is high that they will actually make my life more difficult than it already was. Poor workmanship means I will have to exert more effort at some point to get something to work or to get something done. Since I cannot rely on my spouse to fix anything, that leaves me. While I am more technically inclined and far less lazy than he is, I just cannot bend down, lift things over 5 lbs or crawl under or into things anymore. So, if I was an installer for DIsH, while I also would not crawl in feces, urine-soaked anything, or try to burrow past a true hoarder's crap to install or fix something....please remember there are those of us who are somewhat challenged in our daily living. If you just tell me to hold a flashlight, move something if I can, or ask me to stand by in case you need questions answered....I am happy to do so. And, I will hope for a clean, professional install from you in return.


Posted Via The SatelliteGuys Reader App!
Click to expand...
Look, I have always maintained that if one is poor, so be it. Just because one is poor that does not mean they have to be lazy. Lazy usually transfers to dirty.
To me, a cluttered home is a dirty home.
There is no reason to keep all that crap. That is in MY house. That's the way things are kept here. Everyone is different.
Now, if one does hoard or just cannot comprehend throwing useless things away, please remember this:..If you are expecting a service person to work in your home, clear away your personal items from the areas in which he will work.
As technicians, it is NOT our job to move your laundry, your kid's toys, your family heirlooms, the boxes of Christmas decorations, the discarded furniture or piles of whatever from the perimeter of your house, the stuff placed just around the pull down stairs to your attic, etc...
If a person does not care enough about their living quarters then what incentive would a service person have to think any different?
Now, all of the above conditions make it virtually impossible to perform the job properly. We cannot rout cables on the exterior of the home if there are overgrown shrubs, various and sundry clutter which must be worked around. If there are piles of laundry, toys or other personal items around the tv's, same thing.
In other words, it's a two way street.
 
Last edited:
3HaloODST said:
The 60s were a much different (and better in some ways) time. I bet AT&T doesn't say that now. With the way Dish treats installers I can't say that I blame them for trying to take shortcuts. All Dish cares about is the bottom line, not that every house is wired as if it were the installer's own home. This is evident in other areas, too. Just look at the buggy receiver software, or call their 333-DISH line for "customer service." Unfortunately, this is standard practice for most big companies these days.

So that's why I prewired my house and stood over each installer to make sure no shortcuts were taken. While I understand that they are under pressure, I still made them do things right if they tried to take shortcuts. I think it's very reasonable. Since I prewired I already saved them a lot of time. Every installer/tech I had was very happy to see that, and even more happy that I already had everything planned out. They would even stick around for a chat afterward. Sometimes it seemed like they didn't want to leave but had to, lol.

Sent from my iPhone 4S using Forum Runner
Click to expand...

Depends on what your perception of 'short cut'...
Each of us uses different methods to get to an end result. As long as the job meets specs and is neat, there is no reason for customers to interfere or "hover"..
In 12 years there were instances where I had customers who I knew were less than trusting. They attempted to hover over me while i worked. In each instance, I asked them how much they would like it of their boss spent 3 hours watching every move they made including following them to the bathroom...They got the idea and left me alone.
I actually walked off a couple jobs because the homeowner insisted on bothering me.
Now, if a customer is curious about how things worked, about the use of the equipment/remotes, how the wiring was routed, wanted answers to general questions about do it yourself projects related to running communications cables, audio stuff, wanted to hand me tools, or just chat and make the job go easier, that was fine. That kind of curiosity was useful because most times an interested customer is an educated customer. An educated customer is least likely to call Dish because they put the tv on the incorrect input and could not figure out how to fix that.
 
Wicked_Girl said:
Dude..I was already empathizing with you. Read the first lines of my post more carefully. I do understand what you go through. I am not going to post all the reasons why I can feel your pain (the jobs I have held, the people I have encountered, etc.). All I wanted to do was offer a caution to try and see things from someone else's point of view. However, from the tone of your posts, I suspect you are in your twenties or thirties, and those generations are sadly lacking the ability to feel for those less fortunate than themselves. I should not have bothered with my post, and I won't again. Instead I will say this...I too was raised and then trained by the military to do my best job every single time...not whine about why I cannot be a professional. My empathy for you has just ended.


Posted Via The SatelliteGuys Reader App!
Click to expand...
Point valid. However, the adage, 'walk a mile in the shoes of the other guy' cuts both ways.
Few of us every purposefully does a poor job. Or ever left their home in the morning with the intent of doing so.
Now, I never had a bad attitude about compensation for the job for it was the business I had chosen.
My approach is based on logistics. The conditions I mentioned in the previous post relate to that issue alone.
 
Last edited:
dishcomm said:
Depends on what your perception of 'short cut'...
Each of us uses different methods to get to an end result. As long as the job meets specs and is neat, there is no reason for customers to interfere or "hover"..
In 12 years there were instances where I had customers who I knew were less than trusting. They attempted to hover over me while i worked. In each instance, I asked them how much they would like it of their boss spent 3 hours watching every move they made including following them to the bathroom...They got the idea and left me alone.
I actually walked off a couple jobs because the homeowner insisted on bothering me.
Now, if a customer is curious about how things worked, about the use of the equipment/remotes, how the wiring was routed, wanted answers to general questions about do it yourself projects related to running communications cables, audio stuff, wanted to hand me tools, or just chat and make the job go easier, that was fine. That kind of curiosity was useful because most times an interested customer is an educated customer. An educated customer is least likely to call Dish because they put the tv on the incorrect input and could not figure out how to fix that.
Click to expand...

I feel like when an installer is in my home I have the right to "hover" I don't most of the time but will if I see fit. It's my home and I have every right too. If you want to walk off a job because I want to "hover" then that's you. You must be up to something.


Posted Via The SatelliteGuys Reader App!
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 0, Members: 0, Guests: 0)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)

Share this page

Share this page
Top