A message on behalf of techs to customers

[jwgreen68]

I don't work for a Satellite company. If I did a lot of you guys would be out of a job.

 

[Tyralak]

jwgreen68, you wouldn't last 5 minutes in my world.

And just out of curiosty, jwgreen68, what reason do you have to consult this site?

I mean really, are you a member of a water heater forum as well?
but you are probably just here to complain.

jwgreen68, you say:



Are you employed? Because you aren't in any position to lecture me about my work ethic.

And, if you are unemployed, I can get you an application for our company.

You know, I'm starting to think you're a troll. You come on here out of nowhere, and in your first post you start with this "Let me tell you something, mister. Let me tell you a thing or two mister" type tone. I've been in the business 3 times as long as you have, and many here have been in it longer than me. We all have things that annoy us. But you have to realize that the customer is the reason we have a job. You've added nothing constructive to this board as of yet. I'd recommend that you spend a little time in the Installer's Forum, and the other parts of the board, build up a reputation and posting history before you start in with this kind of thing. Otherwise you're just going to be branded as a troll.

 

[jwgreen68]

You know, I'm starting to think you're a troll. You come on here out of nowhere, and in your first post you start with this "Let me tell you something, mister. Let me tell you a thing or two mister" type tone. I've been in the business 3 times as long as you have, and many here have been in it longer than me. We all have things that annoy us. But you have to realize that the customer is the reason we have a job. You've added nothing constructive to this board as of yet. I'd recommend that you spend a little time in the Installer's Forum, and the other parts of the board, build up a reputation and posting history before you start in with this kind of thing. Otherwise you're just going to be branded as a troll.

:up:up

 

[stardust3]

You know, I'm starting to think you're a troll. You come on here out of nowhere, and in your first post you start with this "Let me tell you something, mister. Let me tell you a thing or two mister" type tone. I've been in the business 3 times as long as you have, and many here have been in it longer than me. We all have things that annoy us. But you have to realize that the customer is the reason we have a job. You've added nothing constructive to this board as of yet. I'd recommend that you spend a little time in the Installer's Forum, and the other parts of the board, build up a reputation and posting history before you start in with this kind of thing. Otherwise you're just going to be branded as a troll.

Could not have said it better myself. The op may know how to install a sat system, but his customer skills are well under par. The people he's pointing fingers at don't even come to this site. Over the years I learned more "What not to do" than "What to do". The op fits in the "What not to do" category.

 

[dishcomm]

Originally Posted by dishcomm
Questions....what is the distance from the shed to the house? Is it more than 25 feet? Did your job require any wall fishes?. Did you require hardwire phone lines to be installed? Did the tech use more than 200 feet of cable from HIS truck?
The reason is all the above items are NOT part of a standard basic install and as such are chargable to the customer and payable at the time of service.

lol....Yeah then customer service or the loyalty team waives the fee and the next think you know you have to trench the cable 100 feet.
:

If the customer disputes the information on the Dish Network Service Agreement form, he may do so. That does exonerate them from their repsonsibility to pay for additonal servicees rendered. So the next step would be the work order gets rescheduled and DNS gets to send their hourly people to do the work. The Loyalty Team or whoever has NO right to tell us to work for free. You can bet the first dollar you ever made on that.
I will tel you why. The people I work for frquently speak to people in Colorado that are high enough up the flagpole to make the loyalty people look like ants
And .......there has never been an instance where any "team" at Dish has been succssful in getting us to do chargeable work without being paid. That's that.
If one wishes to knuckle under and not stand up for what is right, that is their problem.
We are in business to make money. End of story.
Or ...no payey no workey.

 

[lawnmowerman]

...So the next step would be the work order gets rescheduled and DNS gets to send their hourly people to do the work. The Loyalty Team or whoever has NO right to tell us to work for free. You can bet the first dollar you ever made on that.

.......there has never been an instance where any "team" at Dish has been succssful in getting us to do chargeable work without being paid. That's that.
If one wishes to knuckle under and not stand up for what is right, that is their problem.
We are in business to make money. End of story.
Or ...no payey no workey.

discomm, what does your company consider (roughly defined) as a basic install?
What do they consider to be beyond that?

 

[stardust3]

discomm, what does your company consider (roughly defined) as a basic install?
What do they consider to be beyond that?

Wow, you started this mess of a thread and you don't know the answer to that?

 

[dishcomm]

discomm, what does your company consider (roughly defined) as a basic install?
What do they consider to be beyond that?

We adhere to the terms stated on the Dish Network Service Agreement form. On the back is a desription of services that are included in a standard basic install
This is what it reads word for word.
Site survey at time of installation. Assembly of dishes and mount(s).Grounding of system componenets to meet NEC standards; sytem peaking for optimum performance; installation of up to 200' of RG-6 cable; routing of cable through one wall penetration; testing of equipment for proper operation; orientation to Dish Network programming and equipment.

Materials: Up to 200' of rg-6 cable; connectors grounding equpiment; weather sealant(s); wall plates etc; standard mount hardware. ..***Note*** they include tripods but Dish will NOT add these to a work order so we charge for them. We have to. We cannot eat the cost.
pole and up to 50' of trenching...
Anything else needed we are allowed to by Dish and do charge the customer for. Anyting not listed above is chargable. That's that.

 

[dishcomm]

Wow, you started this mess of a thread and you don't know the answer to that?

That emoticon is a hoot.
Nice call. I agree.

 

[lawnmowerman]

duh I know what it says on the back of the contract dudes


but it is not specific or detailed enough regarding excessive amounts of work. such as an unruly customer who demands wall fishes, attic crawls, crawl space crawls, etc

you get the idea

my boss says 1 free wall fish, 1 free attic line, at that point charge the customer or give the job back to DNS

 

[dishcomm]

duh I know what it says on the back of the contract dudes


but it is not specific or detailed enough regarding excessive amounts of work. such as an unruly customer who demands wall fishes, attic crawls, crawl space crawls, etc

you get the idea

my boss says 1 free wall fish, 1 free attic line, at that point charge the customer or give the job back to DNS

THe terms are specific. Anything not included in the terms is "excluded".
If your boss has told you you must give away one wall fish, he has made his own rule.
Customers that demand chargable work be done without compensation are rescheduled and the job sent back to DNS.
We don;t pick fights with customers over this. We make it clear that certain things are not incleuded in a basic install. We politley adviset rthe cutsomer of these conditions. If they ask to see something in writing, we allow them to inspect the terms of the Service Agreement.
If they balk further, we move the situation up the flag pole.. We never choose the option of "go ahead and do it for no charge"...Can't do that. This is a business.
Anyway, that will be all on this subject for me.

 

[UnSat]

Some CSR people are ill trained to help callers determine their problem.Some technicians are ill trained and inexperiencd to install your system or fix your problem. And some Customers are just down right Ass holes expecting too much for too little. In the end we have to co exist and try to understand each other whether we want to or not.

Its funny that when a customer has a appointment AM or PM appointment they think they will be the first in that time frame and are disappointed when they find they are not.
Some customers don`t realize that every job could be the same but not everybody lives in the same style house,etc.
You show up at their house at 4:55 pm to do a 4 rm install (because your following the route order ).Customer expects you to be done in 2 hours you tell them 4 to 5 hours ,they get pissed and want to reschedule.
If a customer has a appointment they should clear there calender for that day or have a back up plan in case there is a snag .NO WHINNING.

 

[sikma]

I'm sure I'm the minority here. Around 1985, without any help from the internet or anyone else, I installed my first BUD. My only resource was the public library. It took awhile but the satifaction I felt when the job was finally done was fantastic. Since then, I've done several installs for myself and others (only a hobby). My point is, do some research then install it yourself....................IT IS NOT BRAIN SURGERY!!!

 

[dishcomm]

Some CSR people are ill trained to help callers determine their problem.Some technicians are ill trained and inexperiencd to install your system or fix your problem. And some Customers are just down right Ass holes expecting too much for too little. In the end we have to co exist and try to understand each other whether we want to or not.

Its funny that when a customer has a appointment AM or PM appointment they think they will be the first in that time frame and are disappointed when they find they are not.
Some customers don`t realize that every job could be the same but not everybody lives in the same style house,etc.
You show up at their house at 4:55 pm to do a 4 rm install (because your following the route order ).Customer expects you to be done in 2 hours you tell them 4 to 5 hours ,they get pissed and want to reschedule.
If a customer has a appointment they should clear there calender for that day or have a back up plan in case there is a snag .NO WHINNING.

Two things here.
One. the total elimination of no call no shows would go a long way to ending what may be the biggest pet peeve that customer have over service people. Techs ahowing up unprepared to do the work is another common complaint. "The last guy didn't have a pole" is not an excuse to reschedule the job. Go get one and do the friggin thing.
Secondly, customers must be made aware that the world is an imperfect place. They must realize that thery won't be able to go to the store or run errands or try to squeeze in that 2pm appointment if their job is scheduled 8-12 and the tech arrives on time at 11.30 am.
Appointmewnt windows were created as a general point of reference. Not a means to give the customer and exact time of the servoce person's arrival.
I cannot count how many times during precall the customer soaid something to the effect that the person they spoke said the job would be started at 8 or 12 on the dot and the customer would have plenty of time to go to whatever activity they had planned that day.
One time.. Learned my lesson that the customer is NOT always right.
Arrived at the jobsite a bit early. No biggie. Call the customer and let them knw. Guy says he's at his closing and he'll be done and an his way. He says it's ok ot pu the dish on the roof but don't start yet because he officially does not own the house yet. I wait. Long story short, three hours and 5 phone calls layter the guy is still not there. I didnlt have anyhting else after that. And I drove 60 miles to get to this job. So I wasn't giving up
Here's the thing. This particular customer only thought of himself. He wanted tv for his first night in the new diggs. He said it was so his kids wouldn't drive him nuts.
So I hung out.
Any way, it's late and I tell the guy I am not going to wait around anymore and he'll have to reschedule. He was a bit pissed. But did he thank me for my patientce and undersatnding? Heck no.
In fact the SOB cancelled the friggin job!!!...BTW this was a retail sale!
The moral is if you've got appointments of chores or errands, don't schedule service appointments

 

[dishcomm]

I'm sure I'm the minority here. Around 1985, without any help from the internet or anyone else, I installed my first BUD. My only resource was the public library. It took awhile but the satifaction I felt when the job was finally done was fantastic. Since then, I've done several installs for myself and others (only a hobby). My point is, do some research then install it yourself....................IT IS NOT BRAIN SURGERY!!!

As you know, a very small percentage of the population is what one could consider "handy". And even less of them can understand the proper method and procedures to do an installation all cabling, the dish, peak the dish ,etc..
So while it is admirable that you can go to the library and come back with the knowledge to design and build the next generation SRB for the space shuttle (LOL!!!!), most people can't make their way out of a wet paper bag if you spotted them the open end.
I am with you on this point.I believe if a person has abilities they can not cause harm by trying. If they fail ,they are in no worse shape then they started.

 

[UnSat]

When the tech that was REQUIRED by Dish to come out and install my 622 arrived, he found my entertainment center out from the wall and everything already done for him. All he had to do was hook up thWhen the tech that was REQUIRED by Dish to come out and install my 622 arrived, he found my entertainment center out from the wall and everything already done for him. All he had to do was hook up the 622, call Dish, and ask me a few questions about my home theater setup and then thank me for making the housecall so easy.



I would like to say that you are the exception when it comes to customers.I would guess that maybe 2 out of a every customers I deal with are like you.Most of the customers I deal with do not do what things to prep for a serv call install etc. ,some have new TVs still in box and want you to take it from there,or they have 4 room dish mover and only have 1 tuner and any tech will tell you the trouble involved with that senario.

If the sat co. industry was considered a utillity industry like the{electric or telco.} and not a fringe industry things would be different.Sat co companies could charge customers for not being home during their appt. time window, could charge for having to move the ent. center from the wall 3 feet or not do the job at all etc. etc..

There are a lot of variables on both sides of the fence that go into the experience of being a customer or a technician on ant given day.

You and customers like you should be commended.And all techs should be on their best behavior and do their best to hide their thoughts and emos. when in the face of a less than consideratate customer.

 

[bhelms]

This brings up an interesting thought, maybe one that has been tried/covered before. When a customer schedules a job what would be the harm in the provider (either Dish or DTV or the subcontractor who will actiually handle the job) sending along a bit of information in advance that would guide an otherwise unknowledgable but perhaps willing/able customer into some prep work of his own in advance? This could be multi-level depending on the complexity of the system he ordered. For instance cover things like:
- Have the home theater system moved out from the wall (as mentioned above), or at least have the area cleared as much as possible.
- Determine in advance where he'd prefer the dish to be installed (assuming it's possible) and some alternates in case the first choice isn't possible.
- Assume that coax will have to be run some distance on the outside of the structure, and if so places he'd prefer that be done if that's the case and possible.
- Where he would prefer that things like switches be installed, if needed and where possible.
- Have the animals locked-up away from areas that could be involved in the installation.
- Secure valuables.

And also clearly define what "on time" means and remind them that the planned installation window is just that, and that the whole installation may not be completed in that window even if started "on time".

Etc...

Just saying...

 

[ianai]

- Have the home theater system moved out from the wall (as mentioned above), or at least have the area cleared as much as possible.


And also clearly define what "on time" means and remind them that the planned installation window is just that, and that the whole installation may not be completed in that window even if started "on time".

If ANY of the techs mentioned any of this, I'd have it done. In-fact, I'll do it tomorrow for my scheduled appointment having learned today that it helps installers and techs out. Still you people can't begrudge customers for not knowing we are supposed to pull our entertainment centers out. I've NEVER been asked to do so by Dish when scheduling. I've always done it for or with the tech when requested though it hasn't been more often than not as many issues haven't required doing so.

I think regarding scheduling, that this post would go a long way. I understand the window, and know that 1 minute til the last second of the window is still on-time. As far as I'm concerned ten minutes late is on time, I understand. What I think would be HUGE would be if installers could simply call customers as a sort of courtesy call. I've had installers miss the window by literally hours. I perfectly understand that - there is NO way to know what you'll find when you get to a job, but would a quick call hurt to the next guy in line when you know there's no way you're going to make the appointment? I work in a technical field and understand how difficult time estimates can be so I always try to keep my clients informed of the situation regarding the estimate and the actual.

 

[ianai]

In response to myself, the automated message from Dish just proclaimed that I should have three feet of clearance behind all TV sets. Nice!

 

[nstraughn@yahoo.com]

That's not what he was concerned about. What causes up problems is unnecessary trouble calls for things that the CSR could have handled over the phone but didn't want to. Or a customer who calls for dumb reasons, and thinks he's going to get a different answer about his HD picture quality by having someone else out. Yes, that HAS happened. I spent 45 minutes explaining to a customer the reasons why the HD picture wasn't as sharp as his cable HD (he had them both hooked up and was switching back and forth) on certain channels. He insisted I "fix" the situation. I nicely explained to him that it's outside of my purview to hop on a plane to the uplink center and dial down the compression. He acted like he understood, but 15 minutes after I left, he called the CSR complaining that I didn't "fix" his PQ problem. The next guy who came out there told him the exact same thing I did. The tech later told me that he got a really pissy look on his face when he was given the same answer.

This is a very touchy subject. I've been a tech for 4 yrs now. What really pisses me off is when the "Customers" pays for there $1500 TV & don't know how to operate it nor wants to figure how to use it. I have a blue screen???? Duh Wrong into idiot. Pay attention when WE the TECHS show you that we use the inputs for a better quality picture or IF you have an HD Receiver THAN YOU the CUSTOMER "YOUR" TV will most likely be on an "HDMI" input. Enough said.
Techs can't stay there for a dinner : and a movie before you get it. Unless your one Hot Momma.:lickLOL. OH we leave you a book that comes with your receiver. All right enough