Rose among thorns...

[JasonSyracuse]

I just can't do it anymore. I've been working as a residential installer for about 5 years now and honestly, I don't like where I see the business going.

Are there no more good satellite technicians? I drive around all day looking at random houses and think, 'Is this what we've become?'. I train new guys and come across the same problem every time. Laziness. It's too much of a temptation when you're at a house with no one around to cut corners and do a bad job.

I don't want to come off sounding like I'm the best but... from what I see I am. I take the time to do the job perfectly, thinking of the customer first and myself and my company second. I work at a company of around 15 techs and they are all hackers. I go back on trouble calls and just can't believe what constitutes an install these days.

Nobody takes pride in their work anymore. After all this time, where is the customer service?

Of course it doesn't help that my company gives its techs 3 four-room installations every day. (Not me, I told them I don't do hack jobs and I won't settle for quantity over quality.)

So what am I to do? Maybe it's time I moved up. But what to? I know that if I went anywhere else I would take my work ethic with me.

This post is getting way too long and kuds if you've made it this far, I just needed a place to vent.

 

[riffjim4069]

Unfortunately, from what I have seen the "freebie installers" (E*, and VOOM) aren't worth a hill of beans. The one good Installer I ran into (top notch) was an Independent, but even he was having a difficult time earning a living in today's Free Installation/Do it on the cheap mentality. I would rather the DBS companies give customers an option to receive a reimbursement voucher and let us hire someone locally. I would gladly pay a premium for the services of a Professional Installer. Anything to keep Jethro away from my house.

 

[JasonSyracuse]

Unfortunately, from what I have seen the "freebie installers" (E*, and VOOM) aren't worth a hill of beans. The one good Installer I ran into (top notch) was an Independent, but even he was having a difficult time earning a living in today's Free Installation/Do it on the cheap mentality. I would rather the DBS companies give customers an option to receive a reimbursement voucher and let us hire someone locally. I would gladly pay a premium for the services of a Professional Installer. Anything to keep Jethro away from my house.

Exactly! Residential satellite installation is turning into more like pizza delivery. But I do understand that companies probably aren't making all that much money from these installs like they used to.

It's funny but I actually thought about a business where I would go to someone who was getting satellite installed, doing all the wiring and mounting and then the installer would hook up the recievers. Or, even better, hiring me to meet them at their house at the same time as the installer and telling them how to do it. *LOL*

 

[Van]

You can thank your local cable co's for this problem. A few years back the big players in cable started running tv adds saying how much it would cost you for the install, plus the cost of the dish, and the cost of a second room to be installed, after that add ran D and E dropped all of the fee's associated with insallations and also stopped installer direct sales. Now D and E have to make up the lost revenue by increasing the amount of work an installer does each day to make that installer effective or to be more direct, able to break even.

But its not just the cable co's that are at fault, its you and you and you and me, people who want more for less and we are all to blame for this. Would you today be willing to pay up to $2,500 for 2 942's, a dishpro plus lnbf, and the install and 2 - 4 additional coax runs to hook up a total of 6 - 8 tv's? Or would you be more apt to go with go with the cable company that can hook up all 8 tv's indepent and put 2 hd dvrs in for next to nothing?

 

[JasonSyracuse]

There ya go. You hit the nail on the head. In my opinion this is a market-driven lose-lose situation. The satellite companies are heading toward driving themselves into the ground.

Customers know a good install and a good installer. When you take the time to address their needs and concerns and take pride in your work it shows. That person will tell other people about Jason and how great he was.

I had a customer the other day that was a little confused about what their monthly cost would be. So I sat down with the couple at their dining room table and crunched all the numbers and answered their questions honestly. (Unlike the sales people.) In the end, they decided that it would be better to go with Cable and I agreed with them. For what they wanted it wasn't worth it. They were so happy with my service and honesty they asked for some of my business cards so they could give them to their friends and family. Alot of times my company doesn't look at the long run and just tries to get the short-term gain.

I've had numerous calls from the Cable Co. but I don't want to be a cable tech. There's no art in it. All you do is mess with preexisting lines or run a few new ones. I feel it's a step down in the skill feild.

 

[riffjim4069]

I blame it all on Wal-Mart and all that cheap overseas labor...

 

[JasonSyracuse]

I blame it on the French. It's always the French.

I tell my customers that the reason they have no line of sight is because of the French.

 

[riffjim4069]

I blame it on the French. It's always the French.

 

[Doctor Bob]

There ya go. You hit the nail on the head. In my opinion this is a market-driven lose-lose situation. The satellite companies are heading toward driving themselves into the ground.

Customers know a good install and a good installer. When you take the time to address their needs and concerns and take pride in your work it shows. That person will tell other people about Jason and how great he was.

I had a customer the other day that was a little confused about what their monthly cost would be. So I sat down with the couple at their dining room table and crunched all the numbers and answered their questions honestly. (Unlike the sales people.) In the end, they decided that it would be better to go with Cable and I agreed with them. For what they wanted it wasn't worth it. They were so happy with my service and honesty they asked for some of my business cards so they could give them to their friends and family. Alot of times my company doesn't look at the long run and just tries to get the short-term gain.

I've had numerous calls from the Cable Co. but I don't want to be a cable tech. There's no art in it. All you do is mess with preexisting lines or run a few new ones. I feel it's a step down in the skill feild.

You actually told them that Cable would better serve them???? You are the problem Jason!!!! You do need to get out of the installation business, and go serv fries at Micky D's... RONTGLMAO....

 

[msblkbry1962]

i agree

 

[JasonSyracuse]

Well, like I said, companies need to look at the big picture. Right now E*'s contract is 18 months. Thats 1 1/2 years. Better to have a happy non-customer than a disgruntled customer who's locked into something they didn't want in the first place.

Also, the only reason that customer even considered us was because I installed their neighbor. Word of mouth can be a very powerful thing, both positive and negative.

Oh and I went to a trouble call yesterday where a technician had mounted a double ground block on a customers bedroom wall.

*ugh*

You know that commercial with the guy who's trying to work but everyone in his company are monkeys? 'Nuff said.

 

[vurbano]

You actually told them that Cable would better serve them???? You are the problem Jason!!!! You do need to get out of the installation business, and go serv fries at Micky D's... RONTGLMAO....

He sat down with the customer and ran the numbers with them. They made the decision. I applaud his honesty.

 

[Chado]

Ditto... And I never agree with Vurbano.

 

[rkrenicki]

Instead of the Big E or Big D cutting corners, they should pay their installers what they are worth.. if it wasnt for the dishes being installed, they wouldnt get the revenue of the programming..

Then when that half-ass install goes haywire, then another tech gets to fix it.. theres more money, then the reciever toasts because of poor or no grounding, theres even more money.

How can you sit there, with a straight face, and say that they are going to run themselves into bankruptcy by not charging for installs? Have you even looked at DTV or E* earning numbers? They make money hand over fist, the least they can do is actually make sure that things get done right the first time.

 

[Doctor Bob]

It has nothing to do with honesty!!! It's a simple mater of "Quality", over the Cable Companies, and the prices are pretty close... The idea is that if you work for the Cable Companies, then you promote the Cable Companies... If you work for the Satellite Companies, then you promote the Satellite Companies... Have some "Team Spirit"!!!

Have some credibility about yourself, for heavens sake!!! LOL If you worked for Ford, would you promote Chevy, or how about if you worked for Circuit City, would you send people to Best Buy???? NO YOU WOULD NOT, so why would you turn your back on your own Industry??? Get a Grip Guys!!!

 

[rkrenicki]

I think it is you that needs to get a grip.

I work for a cable company myself, and I will promote whatever service is best suited to the persons needs.. that being said, I do not go out of my way to promote a satellite service under the guise of my cable company.. Since I work specifically for the cable internet side of things, if a customers needs are not filled by our service, then I would suggest for them to get DSL.

The question isnt creadibility, but honesty. Why sell them a Mustang, when a Focus would do fine, same vice versa. Its all about the honest needs, and the way to fill those needs.

 

[W_Tracy_Parnell]

It has nothing to do with honesty!!! It's a simple mater of "Quality", over the Cable Companies, and the prices are pretty close... The idea is that if you work for the Cable Companies, then you promote the Cable Companies... If you work for the Satellite Companies, then you promote the Satellite Companies... Have some "Team Spirit"!!!

Have some credibility about yourself, for heavens sake!!! LOL If you worked for Ford, would you promote Chevy, or how about if you worked for Circuit City, would you send people to Best Buy???? NO YOU WOULD NOT, so why would you turn your back on your own Industry??? Get a Grip Guys!!!

He already explained why he is turning his back on the industry. I agree with him that the DBS companies are going into the toilet. All they care about is getting new subs and they don't care how they get them. That is why I quit Dish and went to analog cable/FTA. Yes, the quality of DBS is better. But there comes a point with all of the price increases and low standards of customer service by installers and CSRs alike that cable becomes a better option in spite of inferior picture quality. I am saving $20 a month over Dish and with an FTA system I still have a digital system that offers unique programming that compliments the regular cable stuff.

And I can still see "Charlie Chat". Free.

Jason is absolutely right. Your signature says "looking out for the little guy". That is a joke-Jason is the one looking out for the little guy.

 

[Doctor Bob]

Yes, you must be right, because you said so.... Aren't you glad they don't legalize that stuff you're on... RONTGLMAO...

CYL...

 

[W_Tracy_Parnell]

I had Dish for 4 years and my experience was when they bend over backwards to get you as a new customer. Then after some time you start to see all the deals for free equipment to newbies that you paid good money for ( I paid about $450 for Dish equipment total). Then when you have a problem (such as I did) they don't want to help you even when you tell them you are going to cancel. I figure if they don't care why should I? That was my experience and from what I have read I am not alone.

As far as FTA they are never going to scramble things like news feeds which is what I got my system for.

Now my advice to you is instead of laughing me off why don't you think about some of the critical things said here by myself and others and do something about it? Ergan has made his money, he may be content to let the company go to pot and sell out-who knows. They certainly don't act like a company that is in it for the long term at times.

 

[vurbano]

It has nothing to do with honesty!!! It's a simple mater of "Quality", over the Cable Companies, and the prices are pretty close... The idea is that if you work for the Cable Companies, then you promote the Cable Companies... If you work for the Satellite Companies, then you promote the Satellite Companies... Have some "Team Spirit"!!!

Have some credibility about yourself, for heavens sake!!! LOL If you worked for Ford, would you promote Chevy, or how about if you worked for Circuit City, would you send people to Best Buy???? NO YOU WOULD NOT, so why would you turn your back on your own Industry??? Get a Grip Guys!!!

Comcast quality in many areas of the country is far better than satellite. D*'s quality is about the worst HD you can get at this time. I dont see how an installer could advise someone to get satellite in those areas unless the issue was sunday ticket. The best buy vs CC arguements dont hold water, they both sell the same products. And Ford and Chevy are both fine products as well. IMO, Car buyers do research and make their own decisions anyway, unless they are fools. What is disturbing is that at some point the potential customer must ask you what is best and you tell them satellite. In some cases Im sure thats true, but in some cases you are lying to them. Some people would call that dishonest thankgod