What's a "true professional"? Installers please critique...!

[dishcomm]

Again, windows are 8-12 and 1-5. I tend to put service calls, service changes, and redflags (jobs that were missed by someone previously) on top of the list. My dispatcher will call if I am pushed behind, though.



I introduce myself and ask to be shown the areas where I will be working, and where the equipment is to be installed. Its always fun to ring a doorbell and be greeted with "who the hell is it" or--or to be left standing out in the cold b/c someone isn't dressed when you knew I was coming, probably before I did, since most days I don't get workorders until the day of.



I take a good look around, and then ask where you want your dish. Then we can talk about what it takes to make it happen.



I prefer stealth installs, but I can't make everything invisible. I have to ground it some kind of way.



I do not carry a vacum cleaner.....



I eat between jobs, IF I eat, and I don't smoke at all, period.



I will take my shoes off, if I feel comfortable doing so, or if I am muddy. Critters should be locked up. The next dog that bites me gets stabbed, and the owner gets sued. I have a scar on my ass and one on my ear from worthless mutts with puppies. Its not fun getting you ear sewed back together in an emergency room. Just because your beloved worthless little mutt hasn't ever bit anyone--well it doesn't mean they won't.



I was a training NCO in the Marines, thus, I perform a Period of Instruction, during which I stop repeatedly to ask if there are any questions. I start at the top of the remote and work down. I'm not teaching this for me. I know how to use the damn thing. The least you can do is pay attention. When people roll their eyes at me (and it is usually old ladies--the exact ones who need to be listening to me), it makes me want to poke those eyes out.



I don't bad mouth the competition because I have the competition. I install E*, but I wouldn't become one of their customers for all the gold in fort knox.



Please note that I did not promise you a free DVD player, so don't get pissed at me for not bringing it (one guy claimed he was supposed to get a $700 ebay gift certficate). I do not know WHO you ordered your satellite from, that is your responsibility. I'm a contractor. Anything told or promised to you by one of E* retailers is between you and them. I can put you in touch with E*, but I don't have a dog in this fight, so my name is bennet, I ain't in it.



Those same customers need to realize that they are not the only people on earth. I'm taking care of my current customer's first, THEN we can deal with new connects.



I always thank my customers.



My employer wants us to get referrals. I refuse to take part in this, because I hate telemarketers, and I would be some kind of pissed if one of my friends sold me up the river for a referal credit. I wouldn't do that to my friends, and I won't do it to yours. If you want a referral, get a club dish card and leave me out of it, please. Tips? I've been offered jobs while out in the field. I just might accept the next one that comes along.

" Please note that I did not promise you a free DVD player, so don't get pissed at me for not bringing it (one guy claimed he was supposed to get a $700 ebay gift certficate). I do not know WHO you ordered your satellite from, that is your responsibility. I'm a contractor. Anything told or promised to you by one of E* retailers is between you and them. I can put you in touch with E*, but I don't have a dog in this fight, so my name is bennet, I ain't in it.
this one of my biggest pet peeves....when i get these inquiries I tell the cust that issue is betwen they and E*..I just show up to do the work....I have had instances where a cust suddenly had urgent questions abnd I though they may lead to a cancel in the middle of a job.....I put the cust off until I'm done and off the phone with the activation done.. I am not gonna get screwed out of three hours of work because some telemarketer twit didn't explain all the details. Or the cust wasn't listening....Not my problem.....
Never been bitien by a dog but if an animal looks like it may be aggressive or bothersome I tell the cust to control the animal or I cannot do the work...Also, I do not move knick knacks or other breakables..This includes lamps and other delicates..I don't move furniture except to access wall plates/ penetrations....one more thing.....I don't remove tv's or place them either..I am not United Friggin van lines.......above all..I am not your hired help for the day.....

 

[dishguy15022]

true professional...I try

I work for a dish company. I agree with most of the criteria. I wouldn't say I'm a true professional, because I do make mistakes. I am very pleasant and polite to the customer's needs to a point though.

I dont leave my full name, usually just my First name and my tech ID. I don't leave my personal phone or cell phone because the customer can call my office or the toll free number if they have a question.

We are told not to remove our boots even though I do. We have boot covers and most of the guys wear them. Its a real pain if you have to run in and out of the house for some reason also.

Grounding...hmm.. if it's close to the place where I install I ground it. I don't go out of my way to make a run with the ground wire because then it wouldn't make any difference. I always use the rule: "Ground should be shorter than your shortest line run." I try to place the dish in a good location and try to place the ground block as close to the grounding area as possible.

I always ask where the customer wants the dish and if it's possible I try to put it there, but If i think there is a better place I give my reasons. One thing to remember is that the first time the customers starts running the install then it will more than likely be doomed.

I make a pretty decent living in this industry. Since I am not a contractor, I get paid by the hour so if the job does or does not get done I still get paid by my company, but everything you do is being watched so to speak. We have new connect, service call, etc., completion ratios. So if you constantly 'kick' jobs you will eventually be 'kicked' to the unemployment line. I keep my ratios high, keep my repeat trouble calls low and complete every job and thus I stay off the radar as we say in the office.

Even though I do complete every job, I don't usually install in the dark. That's an accident waiting to happen. I usually have dispatch reschedule them usually for the next day I work if possible

 

[dragon002]

I work for a dish company. I agree with most of the criteria. I wouldn't say I'm a true professional, because I do make mistakes. I am very pleasant and polite to the customer's needs to a point though.

I dont leave my full name, usually just my First name and my tech ID. I don't leave my personal phone or cell phone because the customer can call my office or the toll free number if they have a question.

We are told not to remove our boots even though I do. We have boot covers and most of the guys wear them. Its a real pain if you have to run in and out of the house for some reason also.

Grounding...hmm.. if it's close to the place where I install I ground it. I don't go out of my way to make a run with the ground wire because then it wouldn't make any difference. I always use the rule: "Ground should be shorter than your shortest line run." I try to place the dish in a good location and try to place the ground block as close to the grounding area as possible.

I always ask where the customer wants the dish and if it's possible I try to put it there, but If i think there is a better place I give my reasons. One thing to remember is that the first time the customers starts running the install then it will more than likely be doomed.

I make a pretty decent living in this industry. Since I am not a contractor, I get paid by the hour so if the job does or does not get done I still get paid by my company, but everything you do is being watched so to speak. We have new connect, service call, etc., completion ratios. So if you constantly 'kick' jobs you will eventually be 'kicked' to the unemployment line. I keep my ratios high, keep my repeat trouble calls low and complete every job and thus I stay off the radar as we say in the office.

Even though I do complete every job, I don't usually install in the dark. That's an accident waiting to happen. I usually have dispatch reschedule them usually for the next day I work if possible

dishguy,

you live in charleroi , huh?? im from donora. small world, 5 miles away.

 

[dishcomm]

I work for a dish company. I agree with most of the criteria. I wouldn't say I'm a true professional, because I do make mistakes. I am very pleasant and polite to the customer's needs to a point though.

I dont leave my full name, usually just my First name and my tech ID. I don't leave my personal phone or cell phone because the customer can call my office or the toll free number if they have a question.

We are told not to remove our boots even though I do. We have boot covers and most of the guys wear them. Its a real pain if you have to run in and out of the house for some reason also.

Grounding...hmm.. if it's close to the place where I install I ground it. I don't go out of my way to make a run with the ground wire because then it wouldn't make any difference. I always use the rule: "Ground should be shorter than your shortest line run." I try to place the dish in a good location and try to place the ground block as close to the grounding area as possible.

I always ask where the customer wants the dish and if it's possible I try to put it there, but If i think there is a better place I give my reasons. One thing to remember is that the first time the customers starts running the install then it will more than likely be doomed.

I make a pretty decent living in this industry. Since I am not a contractor, I get paid by the hour so if the job does or does not get done I still get paid by my company, but everything you do is being watched so to speak. We have new connect, service call, etc., completion ratios. So if you constantly 'kick' jobs you will eventually be 'kicked' to the unemployment line. I keep my ratios high, keep my repeat trouble calls low and complete every job and thus I stay off the radar as we say in the office.

Even though I do complete every job, I don't usually install in the dark. That's an accident waiting to happen. I usually have dispatch reschedule them usually for the next day I work if possible

I don't know who trained you ..A word of advice...ALL SYSTEMS MUST BE GROUNDED....NO exceptions..It is a DN spec violation to not ground a system..Their QC sheet has a point system that gauges severity of violations ..Ungrounded systems are an automatic failure...Word to the wise....

I don't normally leave my cell# with a cust unless they are having issues and they call dish at he drop of a hat..I have them call me and I'll help them out in order to avoid a Trouble Call placed in our grid by Dish..Trouble Calls count against our performance ratios and we avoid them any way we can.. but that is done only in extreme cases...Also if I think the cust would be a good contact for further work I will leave them a bus. card
Do you work for a sub or are you an employee of DNSC..If you work for a sub and are paid hourly ,who buys your cable, fittings etc?...I know of no contractor that pays by the hour...I also do not know any experienced tech that will work on the clock...No one can pay the hourly rate required to make the kind of money that is paid when compensated on piece rate.....Usually the hourly guys are working 12-15 hour days to make a couple hundred bucks..no thanks..I can make that on 5-6 hours including drive time......
Not cutting down on you at all. Just explaining the differences in pay scales....

 

[mikethedishguy]

The installers who have posted here just by the mere fact that they are reading this form show that they are professionals. I consider my self a professional, I use the site to share ideas so I can improve the instalations that I do. Information I have gotten here has improved my skills making me able to give the customer a positive experence in every instalation or service call that I do.

There are some common threads in all the responces.
1. Comunication with the customer, from letting them know when you will arrive to educating them how to work the remote. This includes hearing what input they have.
2. Keeping current on technical changes in order to make sure the customer has a product now and in the future. (this site has helped with this)
3. The pro knows who is paying there check, the customer.

 

[Van]

Pint well made Van. That's why I recommend the local retailer or dealer and for the consumer to do research. Most people will look into any other project being done to their home, but satellite TV heck any 800 number or website will do. I charge a trip charge for a service call then proivide an estimate when I get there. been on a few where I just tell the customer they need to call the original installer or installation company and they have NO clue who tey were or where they were from.

I cant recommend the local guy and heres why,

The local guy(s) are in the dark corner of this industry in that they are very very very rarely Q C'd on the quality of theyr work that they do. There is no place to really get a good reference on a local guy unless you actually know one or more people that have been installed and serviced by them and considering that most people dont talk to theyr neighbors then its a crap shoot at best. By the time that E or D get wind of one of the local guys thats been doing shoddy work and charging exorbant prices its usually after a huge amount of calls and the damage is done already.

I have to say that there are some very good " local guys" out there and it will take some serious homework on the part of the customer to find them but so many people dont want to put the time into learning anything about a satellite system except for how to turn it off and on and how to change the channel and this is the weakest link in the whole problem behind why we see threads like " lost signal on third day after install" or " help!! no idea how to record this show ".

 

[dishcomm]

The installers who have posted here just by the mere fact that they are reading this form show that they are professionals. I consider my self a professional, I use the site to share ideas so I can improve the instalations that I do. Information I have gotten here has improved my skills making me able to give the customer a positive experence in every instalation or service call that I do.

There are some common threads in all the responces.
1. Comunication with the customer, from letting them know when you will arrive to educating them how to work the remote. This includes hearing what input they have.
2. Keeping current on technical changes in order to make sure the customer has a product now and in the future. (this site has helped with this)
3. The pro knows who is paying there check, the customer.

good points...but a word of caution..never let a customer take over an install. we are the experts..the second a tech loses control of the job he is a goner..the job time could literally double if the cust gets too invovlved..
Yes we are customer service people BUT there is a wall that must no be breached....

 

[dishcomm]

I cant recommend the local guy and heres why,

The local guy(s) are in the dark corner of this industry in that they are very very very rarely Q C'd on the quality of theyr work that they do. There is no place to really get a good reference on a local guy unless you actually know one or more people that have been installed and serviced by them and considering that most people dont talk to theyr neighbors then its a crap shoot at best. By the time that E or D get wind of one of the local guys thats been doing shoddy work and charging exorbant prices its usually after a huge amount of calls and the damage is done already.

I have to say that there are some very good " local guys" out there and it will take some serious homework on the part of the customer to find them but so many people dont want to put the time into learning anything about a satellite system except for how to turn it off and on and how to change the channel and this is the weakest link in the whole problem behind why we see threads like " lost signal on third day after install" or " help!! no idea how to record this show ".

Please do not lump all retailers in together..I work for aDN sub/retailer..our retail jobs are all done to DN specs..we also have a QC guy that checks ALL of our retail installs....BTW DN does indeed QC retail installs ..that is provided there is a nearby DNSC office....if not, you're correct it could very well be a crap shoot....Unscrupulous retailers out there that hire the dregs of society to install their jobs...BUT, i have seen some of the jag offs that DNSC hires..trust me ,they have just as many bad apples..The factor that makes it worse on them is they get most of the work..and they don't seem to care as much as the contractors I work with..The contractors have a vested interest in the work and out employer..if we screw up DN takes work away and we don't earn..Dish can't take work away from itself......I see a lot of contractor bashing on here..It's unwarranted...and for the most part untrue.....there are a lot of good techs out here that either are not getting enough work or they get a bad rep from the few that do the sh!tty work.....

 

[mikethedishguy]

I have seen shoddy work from both subs and DNS techs. Generaly contractors are eather very good or not, the DNSC techs are only fair but never real bad. They take no risks and show no creativity a week never goies by when I have a install which has been NLOS by a DNS which I have made work

But there is a difference between a professional and a person who does this as a job. the pro will take the time to keep informed about the changes in technology. He will comunicate with the customer not just tell them what he want to do. He will attemmpt to complete every job even if it requires working untill late at night or driving to the local hardware store because he needs some odd part.

I am not sure that the satallite companys realy want professionals doing installs any more. If you look at the bottom dollar it might be cheeper in the short run to hire "employees" and have a rolling door then keep a staff of pros on hand.

 

[dishcomm]

I have seen shoddy work from both subs and DNS techs. Generaly contractors are eather very good or not, the DNSC techs are only fair but never real bad. They take no risks and show no creativity a week never goies by when I have a install which has been NLOS by a DNS which I have made work

But there is a difference between a professional and a person who does this as a job. the pro will take the time to keep informed about the changes in technology. He will comunicate with the customer not just tell them what he want to do. He will attemmpt to complete every job even if it requires working untill late at night or driving to the local hardware store because he needs some odd part.

I am not sure that the satallite companys realy want professionals doing installs any more. If you look at the bottom dollar it might be cheeper in the short run to hire "employees" and have a rolling door then keep a staff of pros on hand.

My cynical leanings on this matter tend to agre with your assertion that the satellite bus is not particularly interested in pros...They seem to be looking only customer rates for programming..i think that in order to keep the monthly sub rates lower than cable, the sat co's are looking to cut corners everywhere they can..The next target seems to be pay rates for techs are falling. I know this because in the last two years E* has cut to my employer what they get for each install..This was on the back of the E* decision to no longer pay for the oft abused "extras"..Until now my employer has NOT cut rates...However I hear thru the grapevine that many other subs are paying less to new hires...
It will not be long before the best techs leave the business entirely..IMO a short sighted effect of reduced overhead..But in the long term costly . That due to the shoddy work done by inexperienced uncaring installers who there just to pick up a paycheck....I do not know about any other DNSC office but I do know the one near here purposely hires inexperienced or non experienced people..The idea is that they can be trained to do things the E* way....
That's all well and good but in the long run, these tech never get it....Businesses often founder when salary control is their number one priority

 

[Van]

Oh it is without a doubt that the providers themselves are no longer concerned with having professionals on theyr pay rolls or under contract when it comes to the installation side of this industry. If they did then DNS techs would not roll out with a minimum of 80 units a day to complete but we do and we go out with an average of 100 units a day. Time does not allow DNS techs to be creative or go the extra mile but most of them do try even though so much has changed in the last year.

I'm not lumping all non DNS into a single group, I did say that there are those who are very good and some are on these boards for instance. But as a majority they ( the gypsies ) lump themselves together and after having been to 7 diferent states while doing this I can say its not a regional thing. Granted I have come across sub jobs that are done to spec but thats come to a running total of 9 in the last 5 or so years and I have repaired my fair share of DNS installed work and made my own mistakes and cut corners, no one can say they never have.

I want to do good quality work, I want to have the time to put into making my installs look class A, I want to be able to sit down with the customer for an hour to explain all the features of the system and be sure that they know how to use it. The reality is that if I have a superdish 4 room I will have to have it done in 3 hours at the most including paper work, walk through, orientation, and activation so that I can move onto my next call.

 

[dishcomm]

Oh it is without a doubt that the providers themselves are no longer concerned with having professionals on theyr pay rolls or under contract when it comes to the installation side of this industry. If they did then DNS techs would not roll out with a minimum of 80 units a day to complete but we do and we go out with an average of 100 units a day. Time does not allow DNS techs to be creative or go the extra mile but most of them do try even though so much has changed in the last year.

I'm not lumping all non DNS into a single group, I did say that there are those who are very good and some are on these boards for instance. But as a majority they ( the gypsies ) lump themselves together and after having been to 7 diferent states while doing this I can say its not a regional thing. Granted I have come across sub jobs that are done to spec but thats come to a running total of 9 in the last 5 or so years and I have repaired my fair share of DNS installed work and made my own mistakes and cut corners, no one can say they never have.

I want to do good quality work, I want to have the time to put into making my installs look class A, I want to be able to sit down with the customer for an hour to explain all the features of the system and be sure that they know how to use it. The reality is that if I have a superdish 4 room I will have to have it done in 3 hours at the most including paper work, walk through, orientation, and activation so that I can move onto my next call.

I had a discussion with my mgr about quality vs completion rates..I asked what dish wants..the reply, they want quality and quantity..I do not have a problem with that..But don't expect me to want to work 15 hrs a day to get jobs done and get them done right....I WILL NOT sacrifice quality for quantity, ever....that's why I made the decision to limit the amount of jobs I will take on a given day....That decision was agreed upon by my employer and myself..We do have guys that will head out with 5 or 6 jobs but all of them use helpers..We do have a couple of guys that are fast..must faster than me, that can get 4 installs done in about 9-10 hrs....But they have lower completion rates than the rest of us....They tend to blow off jobs that they think will take too long....One of those guys is no longer working with us....He was "quit- fired".....
oh yeah, I ma not familiar with the "unit' system...That info is no longer printed on our w/o's...Used to be..for instance I remember that a 4 tv job is allowed 5hrs..I think it is like 30 units or something like that..Don't know really...How many jobs is 80 -100 units?....
What has changed in the last year?
i can get a SD w with 4 tvs done in about 3-4 hrs if the home is either prewired or the runs of hardwire are pretty straight forward..If I have to go into the attic and fish a couple of walls or wrap a Brick house, I'm there for 5-6 hrs...The other jobs will have to wait and I'm in for a very long day/night...And if God forbid something goes wrong, like I have to trouble shoot a bad receiver or LNB on that install, I'm in deep crapola.....This is why i don't take more than I can do in a reasonable amount of time..I like to have a little room built into my day that allows for the inevitable problems that pop up...
Now I take offense that you have stated that you have run into a total of 9 Spec jobs done by contractors..please....Like I wrote earlier, DNSC is so satisfied with our work , they have told us that they do not QC our work as often as the other 4 contractors in the area..That bears out by our low number of failures and other violations per job completed......
I really don't want to go back and forth on who does better work, etc..I know my work is of superior quality. I strive to do perfect installs every time. no exceptions..No one can really do 100% work every time but there is no sense not trying..I do not take shortcuts, I don't tolerate sloppiness...I never think, oh well, "close enough for govt work"...All dishes are peaked to the absolute best signals...
Put it this way, I am sort of old school in that I take pride in my work....I would not do anything to someone else's home that I would not do to my own..I leave my jobs cleaner than before I got there....
I can't accept being any other way....that's just me..Be safe out there!

 

[Van]

Well its your call to take offense to what I said about the amount of sub/retailer jobs that Ive seen done to speck being only 9 in 5 years but only and I do mean only if I am working in your area and coming across your work. The reality of the situation is that there arent many subs/retailers such as yourself that take pride in the work they are doing. If you talk with any of the subs and retailers on here they will tell you that there are alot of fly-by-nights in the field and these are the ones that are hurting you guys because negative talk spreads faster and farther than positive.

I would honestly like to see many of the subs and retailers stay in the business with an partnership in place between the DNS facilities to work with the subs and retailers because there is alot of work that gets on the calanders. But things have changed and less work is being farmed out and more is being kept inhouse and I am concerned that the quality of dns work is going to drop from where it is now.

Equipment failure is the biggest problem on any install / upgrade that I go on, much of the reman equipment Ive worked with lately has been bad but thankfully now there is alot of new equipment coming in.

Units are the same thing as points really, they were taken off the workorders so that techs couldnt say that they had this amount of time to complete each job or so I have heard is the rumour. On the first page of this thread theres a basic break down of the units and hours associated, I'll break it down further to link each to what kind of jobs they go to.

Dish does want quantity and quality at the same time but its not possible as it stands right now without the 8 - 12 / 12 - 5 time frames not being met unless the person installing runs through each job and has all the tools to aid him/her in the install.

 

[dragon002]

dish com,

a 4 boxer sd ,no frills, prewired. 3-4 HOURS??????????

you are joking, right!

 

[Van]

Thats with doing it right, all new wiring, grounding, service loops, customer educ, and its done on a small single story ranch with an open basement and a very close to the house polemount or another mount type. I know of a few people that I work with that have done sd 4 tvs in under 90 mins, then again Ive had to fix the stuff and ground them for the first time.

 

[dishcomm]

Well its your call to take offense to what I said about the amount of sub/retailer jobs that Ive seen done to speck being only 9 in 5 years but only and I do mean only if I am working in your area and coming across your work. The reality of the situation is that there arent many subs/retailers such as yourself that take pride in the work they are doing. If you talk with any of the subs and retailers on here they will tell you that there are alot of fly-by-nights in the field and these are the ones that are hurting you guys because negative talk spreads faster and farther than positive.

I would honestly like to see many of the subs and retailers stay in the business with an partnership in place between the DNS facilities to work with the subs and retailers because there is alot of work that gets on the calanders. But things have changed and less work is being farmed out and more is being kept inhouse and I am concerned that the quality of dns work is going to drop from where it is now.

Equipment failure is the biggest problem on any install / upgrade that I go on, much of the reman equipment Ive worked with lately has been bad but thankfully now there is alot of new equipment coming in.

Units are the same thing as points really, they were taken off the workorders so that techs couldnt say that they had this amount of time to complete each job or so I have heard is the rumour. On the first page of this thread theres a basic break down of the units and hours associated, I'll break it down further to link each to what kind of jobs they go to.

Dish does want quantity and quality at the same time but its not possible as it stands right now without the 8 - 12 / 12 - 5 time frames not being met unless the person installing runs through each job and has all the tools to aid him/her in the install.

yep..Less work is in fact being farmed out...We are hurting badly as a result....Some of the techs have already quit...I'm hanging in there for a little while longer..If more techs leave then that increases the odds of getting more work...
I have less probs with the reman EQ than the new.
dish is unfair the way they rate trouble calls..They DO NOT take into consideration that a TC is the result of EQ failure..The regional MGR here is a dick..He sent a very terse email stating that the DNSC office has a lower pct of TC's and he doesn't believe our TC's are EQ related because he says they get their EQ from the same place we do..SO if there is an EQ failure we get hit with a TC anyway..
The regional MGR also wrote that our work load is based on performance(understandable) but the criteria is nearly impossible to meet..All the contractors are think that DNSC is "cherry picking " jobs..Here's what I mean...
The DNSC office is in Charlotte. one would think that DNSC would keep their techs as close OT the office as possible to keep their routes tight and cut down on drive time..That would leave one to believe that we shouldn't see any Charlotte work at all..DNSC has 50 techs....But on a nearly daily basis the dispatch hub will send an email asking us to pick up 5 -10 Charlotte jobs..We accept them thinking it will look good. Our techs get there and they are either apartment installs or NLOS....in other words ,garbage that DNSC won't do and pass it along to the contractors..This makes DNSC's numbers look better 'cause they are less likely to get the no completion w/o's...
If I was running the office I would tell DNSC to either send us a legitimate amount of work and cut the game playing or stick it where the don't sun don't shine...
The regional MGR is always threatening the contractors with pulling work..IMO it's a very unproductive and unprofessional way to communicate..The guy says it's a business but sends emails that look like they were composed by a teenager....
the situation here is if all the contractors got together and quit Dish, they (Dish) would be in very hot water.....lots of pissed off customers..
I don't know..If this keeps up, in a few months it will no longer be my problem..As i will leave the business entirely or go to work for r a DTV HSP..I will make less money per job, but I will have work...
The time frames are fair..But he there is no "fudge time" built into the system..SO if a tech gets stuck on a job and has difficulty with it, they are assured to miss appointments...That is not the techs problem it is Dish's problem for scheduling too much work on a given day..What is not considered in the time assigned to each job is the realization that very job is potentially different...It appears as though it is assumed that every home is built on an unfinished basement....Tel ya what, maybe 5% of all the homes and nearly zero% are that way..In fact many homes (about 75%) are built on concrete slabs..that style takes away a lot of install, cable routing options. now I am seeing many more new homes with distribution panels in them..You may say YES ,good..But the structured wring usually only has two or even just one run of coax going to the d-mark(ground)....If the panel is in the interior and the house is on a slab can't use any of the wiring in the house..That in many cases causes the customer to freak..The protest that they spent the extra $$ for the wiring and we can't use it..Most of these people do not want cables wrapped around their home or even run at all...Can't blame them

 

[dishcomm]

dish com,

a 4 boxer sd ,no frills, prewired. 3-4 HOURS??????????

you are joking, right!

I do quality work..Not once in my 8 years has anyone ever questioned my workmanship...NEVER...I don't have to go back on my jobs because I was in a hurry..I plan my day so I don't have to...I spend time with the cust making sure all aspects of the job are agreed upon before I start...I leave nothing to chance. This type of service takes extra time yes..We are not there just to install the system..We are performing customer service..I have gotten many complaints from custs about how the tech that did the original install was in such a big hurry....Many times I am at the service call because the tech did not show the customer how to use the EQ...Or because the tech did not complete the job to specs..Sloppy work. Cables hanging, not following the lines of the house..Cables not buried .....

besides what difference does it make to you or anyone else how long it takes?...the bottom line is the my jobs are perfect or near perfect every time..I get NO complaints from customers about workmanship.....I have NEVER failed a QC...
Again, I plan my day accordingly..My workload allows me to deal with problems that may arise ..If they don't I am home early with a smile because I made a good buck and didn't have to kill myself...I will not get into that rat race of doing 5 -6 jobs per day, getting home at 7,8,or 9pm like a some of the other guys i have worked with..when do you get time to enjoy those big paychecks..Nope, not important enough to rush through a job ..
Yeah, I could show up at the door, tell the cust it is going there,and this is how it's getting done..Hook the thing up, get a signature and bolt...Yep, then I could get a 4tv job done in 2 hrs..But that's NOT the job..The job is customer service...
Problem here is too many techs( not you necessarily) look at the job from their side only. Never looking at it from the consumers side...That's not customer service..
Tell ya what though, I haven't been doing this long enough to think there aren't;' a few more ticks I could learn to help me get done faster while maintaining quality.....But with me quality will NEVER take a back seat to speed.....If the business were to change to a production oriented scheme with a lower priority given to quality standards, I'm out...I refuse to do meatball unprofessional work...

 

[dishcomm]

Thats with doing it right, all new wiring, grounding, service loops, customer educ, and its done on a small single story ranch with an open basement and a very close to the house polemount or another mount type. I know of a few people that I work with that have done sd 4 tvs in under 90 mins, then again Ive had to fix the stuff and ground them for the first time.

I can see how that is doable..no problem..
Homes do not have basements here..Many are built on concrete slabs....most homes are two stories..lots of brick homes too...lost are small and with developers becoming more enviro-conscious leave many more trees than ever before..This especially applies to more affluent subdivisions..also many of these people take one look at the SD and the first thing is "not on my roof you don't"..
about once in every 15 jobs I will get a gravy job where all i have to do is mount the dish and run my drops to the dmark right below and place the boxes..Those are rare..My record for a 4 tv install, driveway in to driveway out is about 1:15..that was a dish mover..took me longer to get all the stuff off the truck than to install it..I think the shortest full hardwire 4 tv jobs have taken about 2hrs..again driveway in to driveway out..I typically leave 1 hour of job time per tv.....that's my cushion...If I am in a light day, I will take my time and sometimes I get tips for doing a good job..Customers like getting the :"deluxe treatment"..so it takes more time..I don't care..I'm not in a hurry..
I could do some things to get stuff done quicker here..Like put my dishes together at home and create premade jumpers..I could pre smash the ends of my poles....lost of stuff I guess..But here's the thing..Once I park my truck at the end of the day,I'm done.I don't ant know anything about work until the next day...SO yep I pay for it,...But my off time is far too important..The job stays away from here. I don't take it home with me...

 

[bhelms]

I do quality work..Not once in my 8 years has anyone ever questioned my workmanship.....We are performing customer service.....

Well said, dishcomm! That's the way we saw it in that other business I mentioned in my OP. In fairness to all the other responders in this thread... this has apparently become one really tough business in which to make a living. I think we're hearing from some of the best in this thread, and I can certainly commiserate. Like I said in that OP - my hat's off to all of you who recognize what's required and "do it right"...!

 

[dragon002]

dishcom,

unless im reading wrong, you stated a 4 box , sd, no frills ,PREWIRED, takes 3-4 hours. now you are saying complete REWIRE.