Wall Fish Custom work or Not?

[KyInstaller]

Free Wall fish........ HA

I have installed over 400 DSS systems & never, repeat never done a wall fish for free. And never will, D* & E* can come out & show Me how to do them for free because I doubt that I will EVER learn how. I bet Eargen won't do them in person for free. If You do wall fishes for free, whats next, free pole mounts when You could have mounted the dish on the house?

 

[Mike500]

The way I see DISH Networks wall fish policy is that you should install a wall plate on any penitrations going through an exterior wall to the outside.

If the customer wants an interior wall fish, or an installation where the cable is not seen on the inside or the outside of the home then that goes under custom labor. The customer needs to pay to have that type of work done, if not then I don't do the Job or we run it through the floor.

I absolutely agree. That's my policy, too. And it is the policy of all of us long term dealers and installers.

It is, however, these new uninitiated "hungry" installers, who degrade the value of the industry that hurts us all.

Customers think free means that everything is free. Someone always pays. Eventually, it's the installers, dealers or customers. That's why there is so much turnover in installers. Customers pay for freebies, as they are later hidden in price increases and fees. That has happened in the credit card and banking industry as it has in all industries. WalMart's buying from China and lowering of prices pressures suppliers and employees, which costs jobs and increases the cost of health care for the commuinity. WalMart employees are more likely to use "welfare" subsidized health care.

 

[svarney]

I agree for the most part on what is being said. But as a customer if i sign up for something that is free it darn well better be free. If an installer came to my house to install the dish and then told me that i would have to pay I would tell them to get the heck out.
Now if someone told me up front when i ordered what the added charge would be i would accept that for face value.

 

[TYORK]

I agree for the most part on what is being said. But as a customer if i sign up for something that is free it darn well better be free. If an installer came to my house to install the dish and then told me that i would have to pay I would tell them to get the heck out.
Now if someone told me up front when i ordered what the added charge would be i would accept that for face value.

On most recepit it will tell you in fine print what is included in you free installtion. But it also states that if there is work such as pole mount , wall fish, and etc, than there is a extra charge to be paid to tech upon completion of the work. But most customer never read past Free installtion.

 

[Travis]

I agree for the most part on what is being said. But as a customer if i sign up for something that is free it darn well better be free. If an installer came to my house to install the dish and then told me that i would have to pay I would tell them to get the heck out.
Now if someone told me up front when i ordered what the added charge would be i would accept that for face value.

This actually just happened to me this week. Installer came out on Thursday to do my install. It took him four hours to decide that I needed a wall fish and he would have to come back on Saturday. He never mentioned that it would cost more. A different guy came out on Saturday and said it would be an additional $75. There was no way I was going to pay an additional fee at this point. I would have gladly paid the fee if I was told about it upfront or even by the first guy. Looks like I will be stuck with cable for a little while longer.

 

[gpflepsen]

IMHO, it looks like a custom wall fish to me. But, if they are mass produced to such an extent, how can that be considered custom?

 

[kevnt63]

Wall fishes are considered part of the standard installation and are not charged for by Dishnetwork.

 

[deezoneezo]

It all depends on what your agreement states. If you WORK for Dishnetwork then you do them for free. If you are a dealer or work for a dealer or sub for a dealer then it all depends on what your contract states. In my personal opinion I would never sign anything that states I have to do free wall fishes...

 

[bcshields]

Salesman will sell you free installation of your own personal moon if it got you to sign up for it. They never disclose anything and expect the final installer to be the bearer of bad news. Then the installer looks bad having a poor completion percentage because of a shoddy salesman, and all he's trying to do is be honest and forthcoming with the customer.

It takes teams of dispatchers going over lists of questions to verify if the customer knows what is coming and what is involved to cover for these salesmen, just to make sure things will go smoothly when out in the field. And that's if the stupid salesperson or CSR even got the correct contact information to begin with.

Then you have the installer go through all this crap... DVR fee, Phone line fee, wall penetrations for 322/522, add'l outlet fees if customer doesn't like additional holes to be drilled... and then you want the installer to do custom labor for free because the salesman said everything was free and was too afraid to lose a sale by telling the truth?

I don't think so.

 

[pearldriver]

bcshields,

You have "HIT A NAIL" on the head ( to bad there are many others). That is clear problem as well.....

A few people have brought up DirectV with in this thread. I have worked for them and loved the work. The problem here lies I can not work for a Manager thats favorite phase is "Do it or you are Fired" and his drinking bubbies do exactly what he said he'd fire you for and do nothing, but put someone-else on leave without pay for a week. Sence, I have left that office 9 other techs have also left. Myself and one of the other techs that left Dierctv are now Lead techs. We Know our jobs very well but have a hard time doing work ( wall Fishes ) for free. We need/want to see in black and white, something from DishNetwork that Clearly states Wall Fishes are free.

 

[Barry Erick]

The dish installer did a wall fish at no cost last month. This was because after they put in the RG6 by using my RG59 as a pull line, he did not hold on to the RG6 when he cut the line to put the connector on and it fell down inside the wall. Of course he did not have a fish but I did and I helped at one end to fish.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Well - yeah. How can he charge you for a fish he didn't need to do. I've got no problem doing a simple pull-through either.

At the point that he lost the end, it became his problem, but also appropriate for you to help him out.

 

[viqventeur]

It is very vague with D*. What I keep hearing is, "Do what it takes to get the job done." I do wall fishing, run new phone lines tapped into existing phone lines, put the dish where the customer prefers it, ground the system, and mirror to additional TVs. I cannot tell the customer what is considered a standard or custom installation if I do not even know. I really do not mind doing all that work for the install especially if makes the customer happy. But I have a problem of the boss telling me I have to get 3.5 jobs done in a ten hour shift. Especially if each job could be multiple TVs, dual-tuner recs, multiple dishes, Superdishes, etc. I am worn out at the end of the week.

 

[ZawNH-VT]

drilling holes in the floor board is nothing but don't forget about the wall boxes, wall plates, frames and cutting sheet rocks too.. those thing could take some times to finish the job.

If the basement is open, customer already have a cable the wall that I could use it pull new cable(s) without enlargeing the hole, I don't usually charge for it.

 

[SummitAdvantageRetailer]

I agree that the definition for standard professional installation is NOT UNIFORM across all levels of DISH Network. DISH Network can be broken down into different groups: DISH Network Service Corporation -located at the local Echosphere offices throughout the US (the internal tech's with DISH vans), Regional Service Providers - located where there isn't a local Echosphere office nearby, and retailers. For the retailers, the guidelines for standard professional installation is available on the retailer web site. For RSP's and DNSC, they have different rules on standard professional installation and are the most aggressive and favorable to the customer. For RSP and DNSC: pole mounts, wall fishes, and wall plates are ALL FREE. Why? They provide them to you at the office. If the work order says "pole mount needed", then you get a pole and bags of cement for that job. Of course labor is a different matter but the supplies are usually supplied for these kinds of extra work.

Benefits of working for an RSP or DNSC are the benefits of working for a big company (benefits, short routes, dispatch help, and consistent number of jobs). Benefits of working for a retailer is that you don't do as much installation as free but are custom. You also get to the customer a little better in the sales process. DISH should uniformly make some things NOT free at the RSP/DNSC level and make more things free at the retailer level. Customers don't have the time or the knowledge to know whether they're getting installed by a retailer and get a different "package" than DNSC.

 

[wobbie]

Alot of good comments here. You just have to realize that with the RSP's you are stuck doing alot of what an independent or retailer would consider custom work. I worked for an RSP for 2 years and always fought over free wall fishes and phone lines and was always on the loosing end. You just have to suck it up and realize you'll be doing them for free. Good luck trying to change the rules.

 

[pearldriver]

Thanks for all the input guys,

I have seen the contract that My RSP had to sign. It DOES states Wall Fishes/drop are part of the install. "Game Over"

I may end up starting contract company to off set the money "I feel" I am losing.

This only applies to RSP's and Echostar employees.


Once again thanks for all the input........