DirecTV should supply it to them like the telephone companies do. But then again they should pay their employees like the telephone companies. DirecTV and E* will get by on the cheap for as long as it works.
Shaddy Installers.
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DirecTV should supply it to them like the telephone companies do. But then again they should pay their employees like the telephone companies. DirecTV and E* will get by on the cheap for as long as it works.
Unfortunately, D* does not do the installation of their systems. It is contracted out to various companies so each company would have to purchase one. Again, it's not a cost effective option when a shovel is available and you can charge the customer for the labor.
D* is trying to compete with the cable companies like they are some national cable company yet they are getting by on the cheap with the installs. Customers are led to believe everything should be free like I did a few years ago and they don't understand that the guy at your house is not getting paid anymore from D* for doing a tougher than normal install. I'm in the minority but I believe they should have a regional system of install companies, pay them like they deserve and give them the tools to do it like a ditch witch and yes even a bucket truck to trim trees to get the job done. Their two year commitment is absurd with all the wild variables of life and keeping a satellite signal. If you are going to tie people down to a two year commitment then you should make sure you can do everything possible to deliver your service. Since they don't they are open to law suits if the press the two year commitment. In two years people can lose their signal, their jobs and even their lives. Are they going to get their commitment from beyond the grave?
Anyways their system is working for them because didn't the owner of D* just purchase Fox?
Unbelievable..After striking out in the rear of thre house I would have asked if you had any objections to the front of thre house..On the first visit!
I had one like that Saturday..Only the customer was not going for it..I had a good LOS for HD but the Dish would have been on the street facing side of the roof near the peak. He said no way. He was ok about it. However in the past I have had experiences with customers who took a street facing option away but still wanted to know why it wouldn't work...A few had insisted I set the dish anyway. Basically do the install to prove to them there is no line of sight..At that point I just tell them that isn't going to happen and they are free to get a second opinion...
But your case to me looked like a slam dunk.
Both satco's have one goal in mind...Keep programming rates to subs as low as possible...E* and D* will do whatever it takes to keep their rates on average lower than cable..Plus the satcos are dealing with the perception that cable cos will do any type install free of charge...Of course this is not true..Now, in order for your ideas to work, the machines to dig, bucket trucks to trim trees and union scale wages, the money has to come from somewhere....The source:..customers....
I can give you an example of how tough it is to get paid..
This Am we had a tech on site to do a simple single receiver add on...Well the order was improperly built(some say purposely) because the customer had two receivers of their own and had just moved into a nrew home...The job should have been three tv install..The tech was not going to do a 3 tv job for less than a thrid of the pay to add on on one to an existing system..Ouyr dispatch was on th ephone when I got to the office and was still on the same call 45 mins later when I left...From what I gathered form the half of the conversation I could hear the CSR supervisor was either stupid or just digging his/ her heels in and trying their best to not pay us...This is the crap we have to put up with..
My employers do not want to do fulfillment work..They would rather just do retail which is far more lucrative..But selling against national ads direct mail and other companies with huge ad budgets is difficult....Anyway....This is just one reason why after 9 years of doing quality work and taking pride in what I do, I have had it...I am not the only one who is getting out...
The "Free everything" message the satcos have been chirping for years is coming home to roost...The costs are rising and pay is stagnant. The satcos are demanding more and more for the same pay....It's too much..I have a warning for all customers who are satellite customers ..You will get what you pay for....
Cable companies at least in my area are doing like D* & E*. The guy who came out to help me get 119 better use to work for charter and he told me his salary went from 50K a year to 40K a year and now they are paying their installers even less. So they are getting kids that don't know what they are doing and are not highly motivated. One guy I work with wasted two off days to have cable installed
and on the second day the guys said that they couldn't find the line. My co worker grabbed a shovel and found it and told them to run the line. FIOS is going to blow all these people out of the water when it gets going. You do get what you pay for period. The guy that helped get D* worked his tail off and I was out there helping him. I payed him and tipped him and thanked him very much.
I use to have a lot of anger towards Bruister but now I don't blame them. You see a difficult job that might not work move on to a sure thing. They have to feed their families also.
when i go to get my brakes worked on it cost money when the plumber comes to my house it costs $. i install and hardly charge xtra for stuff cuz im sick people whining about xtra money.maybe offer a few bucks to a installer that looks and acts like a pro.the "shaddy" guy dont answer the door.
This free, free,free crap is out of control..
I can make a few extra bucks selling upgraded HDMI cables and surge suppressors..That's easy money..but I refuse to allow it to offset and custom work the customer aske for...Sometimes I will run inot these horse traders that will say "well since I bought that suppressor you can wire such and such for free"...I flat out refuse ..I tell them that the cable and fittings cost me money and same will cost you money if they want it installed..I have no problem letting them know they are paying for my materials ,time and talent....
I wish I had been aware of the fact that the installers weren't D* employees. I would venture to say that many D* customers have no clue that the installers arranged by D* are not D* employees.
We just had our system re-connected after a few days of having switched over to TW and coming back. When D* said they would waive the $19.95 reconnect fee, I never dreamed that our installer would be here for over two hours and he would only be getting the $19.95 ... or a mere portion of that $19.95 because he is an employee of an installation company.
This reconnect should have been exceedingly simple with a minimal amount of time involved for an experienced installer. However, the TW guy removed one of the diplexers for our OTA antenna and took it with him (he left the other one and the cable it was attached to.)
Our D* installer had to determine that there was, in fact, a missing diplexer ... and that it was not installed in a different location than where we thought it had been installed originally. He never once mentioned that this extra work he was having to do would (or should) generate a higher rate of payment.
I was not happy about the fact that the guy was not able to get the OTA antenna signal working. I certainly would have understood if we had been expected to pay extra for his effort. Unfortunately, the poor guy finally gave up and had to leave, with the promise that his supervisor would come back the next day to determine why he was not able to get the OTA signal. Later in the day, my husband discovered what the problem was, switched the cable connections to the diplexer .. and BINGO ... we had OTA reception and let them know that they didn't need to come back!
Needless to say, I feel for all the installers out there who are faced with customers who do not understand that they don't work directly for D* and that they are sometimes entitled to additional payment from the customer for some of the services completed.
We just had our system re-connected after a few days of having switched over to TW and coming back. When D* said they would waive the $19.95 reconnect fee, I never dreamed that our installer would be here for over two hours and he would only be getting the $19.95 ... or a mere portion of that $19.95 because he is an employee of an installation company.
This reconnect should have been exceedingly simple with a minimal amount of time involved for an experienced installer. However, the TW guy removed one of the diplexers for our OTA antenna and took it with him (he left the other one and the cable it was attached to.)
Our D* installer had to determine that there was, in fact, a missing diplexer ... and that it was not installed in a different location than where we thought it had been installed originally. He never once mentioned that this extra work he was having to do would (or should) generate a higher rate of payment.
I was not happy about the fact that the guy was not able to get the OTA antenna signal working. I certainly would have understood if we had been expected to pay extra for his effort. Unfortunately, the poor guy finally gave up and had to leave, with the promise that his supervisor would come back the next day to determine why he was not able to get the OTA signal. Later in the day, my husband discovered what the problem was, switched the cable connections to the diplexer .. and BINGO ... we had OTA reception and let them know that they didn't need to come back!
Needless to say, I feel for all the installers out there who are faced with customers who do not understand that they don't work directly for D* and that they are sometimes entitled to additional payment from the customer for some of the services completed.
I've ALWAYS tipped my Directv tech.I think the guy who does my area is Smart ,Fast and does a clean job always.He is a heck of a nice guy too. Thats what I like about my small town,we always get the same Tech,everytime. Thats great because he knows my entire system without question.
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