Cheapest way to get Dish installed with no contract?

[dishcomm]

Bottom line?

Pay TV is a racket.

UGH.....Then why post here on a PAY TV forum?

 

[dishcomm]

I didn't really mean to get this type of discussion going, my apologies. Based on the difficulty of this particular job and what I know about how to do it, I'd probably pay somebody $100 to do the job neatly,and professionally so that I don't have to worry about anything. When that price is doubled is when I start exploring other alternatives such as DIY. I prefer to own vs lease, and I prefer no-contract vs contract. I also have a decent level of skill compared to the average joe (I have a compression tool and know how to terminate RG6, I have installed and aimed my own 1000.2 once before, etc) so for me it's not worth $200.

The best advice I can offer is to shop around. be mindful that you will get what you pay for.
I agreed with the $200 because I do A-1 work. All cabling is done neatly. If I can hide it under the siding or behind a downspout, it's done. All wall/floor penetrations are sealed.
The antenna is perfectly aligned for the best signal. etc etc....And I stand behind the work. Typically I will warranty any parts that I supply. Grounding blocks, spiltters etc. If one of these parts fails in the first three months, I roll out and change it out on my dime......Another reason for the price I would charge. .

 

[rvvaquero]

I agree.

If some cheap bastard call's me and ask's "how much to change a head gasket?" I always give them a range - i.e. $500.00 thru $700.00. BECAUSE I HAVE NOT LOOKED AT IT.

My "labor guide" does not account for broken bolt's, and other incidental's, I EAT those.

If I was so inept, that I missed the water pump, and the valve job, then I would EAT that also. If your mechanic does different, maybe you need to reevaluate your mechanic.

Dish prefer's instead,to go with a "set price". for an install. Without even LOOKING at it.

I hope you understand,that you support the thought, that a small install, such as the OP's=a new receiver, XXX # of feet of coax, and a peek of the existing antenna, cost's the same as, a new antenna, a new LNB, a new switch, a hopper, a joey, etc, etc, etc.

Rob

Rob, the difference is that people bring their cars to you for a diagnosis. Would you go to their house, spend an hour doing a diagnosis on their vehicle, and then walk away with no pay if they decide to do something different?

The OP wanted a price on the phone for an unknown job. Here's the chat conversation if they did it the way you suggest.

CSR: Thank you for contacting Dish today OP, how may I help you?
OP: How much do you charge for running new cable from an existing dish to an owned receiver in my apartment?
CSR: Yes sir, I can help you with that. Give me a minute.
OP: Okay
CSR: Thank you for your patience. We can help you with this installation. How far is it between the dish and the receiver?
OP: Well, you'll need 38' of cable.
CSR: Thank you, we can do that for you. Give me a minute.
OP: Okay
CSR: That will cost you $74 sir. Are you sure you don't want a Hopper?
OP: No hopper, let's do the cable run though.

Two days later at OP's residence.

Dish Tech: Well, sir, I've run the cable and made all the necessary connections, that'll be $93.
OP: But the CSR told me $74.
Tech: You told her the run would require 38' of cable. I used just over 56'.
OP: But, there's no signal.
Tech: No sir, would you like me to fix that?
OP: Of course, I want to watch the ball game today.
Tech: Well, I can check to see if the dish is good, and if it is I can point it for you to get a peak signal.
OP: How much is that?
Tech: We get $26 for dish pointing.
OP: What if the dish is bad?
Tech: Sir, a new dish is $160 assembled and installed and peaked.

Etc. etc. etc.

 

[bamasat]

When I first broke into the installation business, I worked for a company that charged $250 for a single receiver install. We got 40%.....They supplied cable and accessories.

200 per house to my pocket.
Single ird 1996
LOS tool? A compass .

 

[Stargazer]

Retailer is charging for the equipment, not the installation as Dish promotes free basic installation. Dish pays the retailer for the installation, at least that is how it used to be. Maybe they increased the price recently and charge a little for it now as I see it being $249 in some instances instead of $199.

 

[ChadT41]

The best advice I can offer is to shop around. be mindful that you will get what you pay for.
I agreed with the $200 because I do A-1 work. All cabling is done neatly. If I can hide it under the siding or behind a downspout, it's done. All wall/floor penetrations are sealed.
The antenna is perfectly aligned for the best signal. etc etc....And I stand behind the work. Typically I will warranty any parts that I supply. Grounding blocks, spiltters etc. If one of these parts fails in the first three months, I roll out and change it out on my dime......Another reason for the price I would charge. .

I really do wish a retailer or contractor of this nature was easier to find.

 

[matt314159]

I really do wish a retailer or contractor of this nature was easier to find.

Agreed. I posted the photo of my cable run a few messages ago. I was kind of disappointed. Overall my installer was well-intentioned and had a great attitude, but it seemed like he didn't know what he was doing. He went outside for nearly 45 minutes and when he came back in I asked him if it was going okay. "oh yeah, I just had to adjust the dish a little." (does it take 45 minutes to tweak a dish? I can't imagine, unless the mast isn't plumb or something). Overall my install took almost 4 hours. The running of cable didn't take too long, but then he couldn't get a signal. He let the receiver sit there almost 30 minutes saying "acquiring signal" while he played some kind of game on his smartphone before he figured it must be one of his cable terminations and set about to troubleshooting. Then when we got signal on the STB, it turned out he hadn't provisioned it correctly before he got here, so he had to call in.

It was like watching a slow-motion train wreck. It might have been entertaining had it not made me miss half a day of work.

All in all it's about what I expected and why I personally didn't feel $200 was worth paying. The poor guy was probably only getting paid $10 or $12 an hour and he probably had minimal training and knowledge but that seems about par for the course these days in the satellite/cable industry.