Last week I upgraded (AT-9, (2) H20). I made the initial arrangements thru D* (Jan 9). They had a rep from Halsted Communications contact me for an install date (Feb 8).
Feb 8 arrived, the installer was a no-show. I called Halsted at 5:15, they got back to me at 5:30 saying the installer would arrive by 7 pm and would be prepared to work on my roof, in the dark (installing the AT-9 using lights).
8 pm, still no-show. Now Halsted's phone lines were no longer answering OR taking messages. I called D* to complain, got the issue escalated, and got 3 free months' Showtime for my trouble.
Next day (Thurs 2/9) I contacted Halsted. They gave a sob-story about only having 6 installers the following week, wanted to schedule me for their next available date: March 6. I told them "No. Your staffing issue is not my problem. If you want to make it right, then you'll have someone at my house tomorrow morning." They did.
Friday 2/10. Installer arrived around 10 am, worked until 4 pm. The AT-9 requires (2) braces for a roof mount. Halsted sent him with a dish and no braces. He had to wait for someone to bring him braces. When they finally did, he wasn't able to get a signal from 101. He re-connected my Phase-III and told me another installer would arrive between 8 and 9 the next day (2/11).
Sat 2/11. 9:15 and no installer. I called Halsted and the CSR asked for a work-order. I had none. He then said: "This happens all the time, the tech can't finish and tells the customer that someone will fix it the next day. Then nobody shows up." Then he put me on hold and I got disconnected. I called back, got another CSR, who determined that the tech would arrive shortly.
2 techs actually showed. They quickly identified the mistake made by the Friday guy, fixed it, and had me working within 45 min. Before they left, they informed me that I"m lucky: most people don't get a usable signal when the cable run is over 80 feet (one of mine is approx. 100 feet)
Ugly, ugly, ugly... and for my trouble, the 3 free months' showtime (and I still haven't found anything worth watching on any Showtime channel). Halsted may have made it a poor experience, but D* takes a BIG hit for the conduct of its contractors --> they arranged Halsted, it wasn't my choice.
The good news: on advice of the installers, I sprayed the dish and LNB's with PAM (to repel rain/snow). 26-inches of snow fell during the next 24-hours, and I had no visible signal loss.
Feb 8 arrived, the installer was a no-show. I called Halsted at 5:15, they got back to me at 5:30 saying the installer would arrive by 7 pm and would be prepared to work on my roof, in the dark (installing the AT-9 using lights).
8 pm, still no-show. Now Halsted's phone lines were no longer answering OR taking messages. I called D* to complain, got the issue escalated, and got 3 free months' Showtime for my trouble.
Next day (Thurs 2/9) I contacted Halsted. They gave a sob-story about only having 6 installers the following week, wanted to schedule me for their next available date: March 6. I told them "No. Your staffing issue is not my problem. If you want to make it right, then you'll have someone at my house tomorrow morning." They did.
Friday 2/10. Installer arrived around 10 am, worked until 4 pm. The AT-9 requires (2) braces for a roof mount. Halsted sent him with a dish and no braces. He had to wait for someone to bring him braces. When they finally did, he wasn't able to get a signal from 101. He re-connected my Phase-III and told me another installer would arrive between 8 and 9 the next day (2/11).
Sat 2/11. 9:15 and no installer. I called Halsted and the CSR asked for a work-order. I had none. He then said: "This happens all the time, the tech can't finish and tells the customer that someone will fix it the next day. Then nobody shows up." Then he put me on hold and I got disconnected. I called back, got another CSR, who determined that the tech would arrive shortly.
2 techs actually showed. They quickly identified the mistake made by the Friday guy, fixed it, and had me working within 45 min. Before they left, they informed me that I"m lucky: most people don't get a usable signal when the cable run is over 80 feet (one of mine is approx. 100 feet)
Ugly, ugly, ugly... and for my trouble, the 3 free months' showtime (and I still haven't found anything worth watching on any Showtime channel). Halsted may have made it a poor experience, but D* takes a BIG hit for the conduct of its contractors --> they arranged Halsted, it wasn't my choice.
The good news: on advice of the installers, I sprayed the dish and LNB's with PAM (to repel rain/snow). 26-inches of snow fell during the next 24-hours, and I had no visible signal loss.
