Rude Installer

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Sorry I have contracts for every job. It protects me and the customer., I look at every job I get ,Big or small. I get Prints for the houses as well , and I Bid My price.
I Charge for whats in my contract, and a Customer Reads and Signs BEFORE work begins. Again if you don't do business this way then go talk to your boss. Not me! If I happen to do something outside of my contract, Thats on me. Once the contract is signed, Thats that. If they want an addtion, thats a whole other contract. There is 1 guy over me at a time, The homeowner or the Bank. Satellite TV installers are the ones that run their companys ass backwards. Atleast an auto machanic gives estimates up front. Ateast cably companys tells you what they charge, and whats free. D* and E* are running around claiming free

We have contracts too. One the contract that the customer signs with Dish Network and Directv (should be signed before installation begins) it states that a free BASIC installation is provided. Any additional costs are the responsibility of the customer. And there are any additional charges, those should be brought to the attention of the customer before work begins and signed off on.
The problem doesn't lie in the installers trying to charge for additional parts and labor, its the sales people not fully explaining what the customer gets with a basic installation.
Both Directv and Dish have their guidelines on what is and isn't provided on a basic install.
DIRECTV: Support : Installation : Professional Installation

DISH Network - Standard Installation - 1.888.825.2557
 
I don't understand with such a knowledgeable group of customers, why they don't do the install themselves. That would be perfect.


i would much rather do that but it hasn't been an option for quite awhile. unless you spend the money getting all the necessities which would cost you more than letting D or E take care of it under a contract.
 
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I think we have gotten way off point now.

Here are just my thoughts aka my 2 cents.

1. Are techs of any kind working for dish or direct via contractor or hsp or any other 3 letter acronym getting the screw job at times on some installs. YES

2. Do Techs always get paid a fair wage .... NO

3. Does DirectTV / Dish sales or csr promise the world to the customer and tell them covered under "free install" like wiring up 8 additional rooms for free while only using 4 receivers yes I been told some wild sales stories from sales people them selves anything to get a customer to sign up. YES

4. Does the above practices tend to screw over contractors and HSP installers. YES

5. Is it the customers fault..... NO NO NO NO NO NO



So why the hostility towards the customer?

I understand you all are getting a raw deal but no need to take it out on the customer.

Also on the orginal point I bought a 3rd 722 to hook up to a SDTV before I left dish 3 months ago. Did the installer pitch a fit because it was not a HDTV yeah but the point being was in that bedroom the person who wanted the 722 was for Voom channels which still came over just fine via rca cables. Now we left and I have 3 722 in the closet that I bought and paid for but that is life.
 
I think we have gotten way off point now.

Here are just my thoughts aka my 2 cents.

1. Are techs of any kind working for dish or direct via contractor or hsp or any other 3 letter acronym getting the screw job at times on some installs. YES

2. Do Techs always get paid a fair wage .... NO

3. Does DirectTV / Dish sales or csr promise the world to the customer and tell them covered under "free install" like wiring up 8 additional rooms for free while only using 4 receivers yes I been told some wild sales stories from sales people them selves anything to get a customer to sign up. YES

4. Does the above practices tend to screw over contractors and HSP installers. YES

5. Is it the customers fault..... NO NO NO NO NO NO



So why the hostility towards the customer?

I understand you all are getting a raw deal but no need to take it out on the customer.

Also on the orginal point I bought a 3rd 722 to hook up to a SDTV before I left dish 3 months ago. Did the installer pitch a fit because it was not a HDTV yeah but the point being was in that bedroom the person who wanted the 722 was for Voom channels which still came over just fine via rca cables. Now we left and I have 3 722 in the closet that I bought and paid for but that is life.
Couldn't agree more.


Just to add , By looking over D*and E* terms for the free install, I'd say they give the customer Quite a bit. So with that in mind. I see pole mounts are included if its required to get a line of sight. So next Time instead of bitching and moaning, and looking for every excuse in the book to not do it, just do it stop complaining about it. And Don't complain about one thing thats on that list. Thats your Job!
 
Couldn't agree more.


Just to add , By looking over D*and E* terms for the free install, I'd say they give the customer Quite a bit. So with that in mind. I see pole mounts are included if its required to get a line of sight. So next Time instead of bitching and moaning, and looking for every excuse in the book to not do it, just do it stop complaining about it. And Don't complain about one thing thats on that list. Thats your Job!

I wanted a pole mount for my DTV service due to line of sight and the installer like it is 150 to do a pole mount. He ened up putting it on my roof which I said not to do but I went back in side after he said he figure something out. Well that ment apparently blow me off and put it on the roof anyway.
 
I wonder why the installers here don't have their Sub Contracting Company in their signature to drum up business. I know if I saw one in my area that sounded like the kind of installer I wanted to do my install, I would call them direct or request in my work order. On the other hand, I would also not call or request a certain contractor to do my install if by their post they give me the impression, they hate their job and or their customers.
 
I wonder why the installers here don't have their Sub Contracting Company in their signature to drum up business. I know if I saw one in my area that sounded like the kind of installer I wanted to do my install, I would call them direct or request in my work order. On the other hand, I would also not call or request a certain contractor to do my install if by their post they give me the impression, they hate their job and or their customers.

It's against the board rules.
 
I wonder why the installers here don't have their Sub Contracting Company in their signature to drum up business. I know if I saw one in my area that sounded like the kind of installer I wanted to do my install, I would call them direct or request in my work order. On the other hand, I would also not call or request a certain contractor to do my install if by their post they give me the impression, they hate their job and or their customers.

The other reason is you don't want national advertising to get local work. Dtv limits the number of national companies it will deal with and dumped many strong local companies to reduce the number of companies. Others quit when the money offered dropped.

Read the story of what the United States government did to the American Indians. You'll get the idea.

It's complicated.

Joe
 
The other reason is you don't want national advertising to get local work. Dtv limits the number of national companies it will deal with and dumped many strong local companies to reduce the number of companies. Others quit when the money offered dropped.

Read the story of what the United States government did to the American Indians. You'll get the idea.

It's complicated.

Joe
You had me until the Indians comment.
Are you equating Sat installers plight with Indians having their land stole from them and being hunted down if they resisted and maybe receiving diseased blankets for their trouble?
:confused:
If it's too complicated, I understand how you may not want to delve into it, but you might try to come up with a better comparison.
 
You had me until the Indians comment.
Are you equating Sat installers plight with Indians having their land stole from them and being hunted down if they resisted and maybe receiving diseased blankets for their trouble?
:confused:
If it's too complicated, I understand how you may not want to delve into it, but you might try to come up with a better comparison.

Well, maybe I did over emphasize my comment......a little. What I was hinting at was as the DTV system evolved their mode of dealing with retailers and installers also evolved. With each change came money loss for some of those who had set up businesses and planned to provide services.

The most recent example I was thinking of was the MSP (Master Service Provider) program where vendors were just told to find and make a contract with these few entities. The money offered for sales and installations was dropped. At that point two of the last honest companies I had been dealing with decided there was no margin and went out of business.

What has been left is the HSP (Home Service Provider) system where these few companies get all the DTV installation work. DTV is now doing most of it's own sales.
People who did acceptable installations for years will not work for the HSPs because of their way of doing business.

So, the American Indian analogy came to mind. I guess I was thinking of the shrinking territory and the gradual changes in the working relationship. I am sure DTV and all their associates would never march old installers off to reservations. Plague infested blankets are not part of their business plan. And, like the Indian story, there are isolated examples of fair dealing by the great white chief.

And this may be a digression from the original rude installer story except to say that in the past all was perfect and now we get rude installers runnin around dissin folks who don't deserve to be dissed.

OK?

Joe
 
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And this may be a digression from the original rude installer story...
Actually this whole thread has been a digression since the rude installer story wasn't much of a story, rather a statement with no detail. ;)

But I do appreciate your clarification in your analogy. :up
 
of course you can get something out of rudeness

If you do have an HD tv there is no reason for the installer to complain. What I do in those situation is contact directv. It doesn't matter if it is an offical dtv service tech or a sub contractor they both get paid by the same source, Directv. So call 800 number and request represenative, then ask for tier 2 supervisor, this will take some time cause you will more than likely have to tell your story to 3 or more people, then ask for 6 months of free HBO Showtime or what ever for "YOUR" inconvinience. Remember you're the paying these people. Hope this helps. you may not get the HBO etc... but I would not settle for any thing less than 6 free PPV movies. Have a good one
 
This whole thread would have been immensely more interesting and worthwhile if the OP had only come back on and explained what actually happened and why they considered the installer "rude".
 
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HD Upgrade nightmare

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