Direct TV Installer was horrible

[Jacksunion]

Well I ordered Direct TV (DTV) earlier in the week and was really excited on Saturday when the installer arrived ready to hook me up to the DTV experience. However, after looking around and doing his thing he tells me that he can't mount it to my roof because I have tile (obviously) and he can't do a side wall mount either, so my only option would be a pole mount.

After questioning him about why he can't mount it to the side of my home, which is a single one story family concrete block home, he tells me that the dishes have been falling off homes and he doesn't want to be responsible for that. So I walk him next door to my neighbors house and show him his HD DTV mounted to the side of his concrete block home. The installer continues to tell me that my neighbors dish will probably fall off soon and he still can't do it becasue cinder blocks are hollow and if it isn't exposed brick you can't anchor it to anything.

Well he kept trying to sell me on the idea of the pole mount and I wasn't buying so I cancelled my order with DTV.

Please tell me this was just a novice installer and the dish can be mounted on the side of my home as I have seen done with other homes in my area.

Any advice would be helpful or should I just breakdown and get the pole mount? Thank you.

 

[vurbano]

If its the 5lnb Dish then I think he is right. Slimline or not, you do not want to mount that monster on the side of a house. Its gotta be on a pole or on top of the roof with at least 2 additional support arms, IMO.

 

[rad]

First, I don't think the title of this thread should say the install was horrible since nothing was installed, you're just questioning the installers judgement.

That said, I think I'd agree with your installer and his comment about cinder blocks not providing a lot of support. The dish can catch a lot of wind putting alot of pressure on the mount. I'd rather pay a few bucks extra for the pole mount vs. having it possible damage the wall if it does come off.

 

[HIFI]

I wont even mount a triplesat to a cinder block wall!

 

[Jimbo]

Jacksunion,

Whats wrong with a pole mount ?

Jimbo

 

[directmommy]

TECHNICALLY you did not have a horrible install, because nothing was actually installed, what you had was a fundamental miscommunication , go to directvs website and look up what is included in a standard professional install


there is an under eave mount available, but you would still need to have something to mount the braces to
personally , i would not mount into the cinder blocks, too hard to drill no one compensates the installers for the extra cost of the lag shields needed to mount the dish
Did the installer mention to you he would be drilling 10 holes into the cinder blocks and if any of the blocks cracked during that process he would not be responsible for them , because you were requesting a side of house mount?
i doubt it,
also did he tell you that a pole mount is free?
(technically according to dtv's standards a pole mount is supposed to be the first mount of choice with a hd dish) , and its supposed to be no charge... there may be a fee for trenching the cable to the house or for the concrete , but the pole itself is free.

im sorry you had a bad experience, request a different installer, and make sure that you talk to the installer and simply and calmly explain to him what happened last time , and yes , sad but true , a twenty will grease better than a nice personality....

 

[webbydude]

TECHNICALLY you did not have a horrible install, because nothing was actually installed, what you had was a fundamental miscommunication , go to directvs website and look up what is included in a standard professional install


there is an under eave mount available, but you would still need to have something to mount the braces to
personally , i would not mount into the cinder blocks, too hard to drill no one compensates the installers for the extra cost of the lag shields needed to mount the dish
Did the installer mention to you he would be drilling 10 holes into the cinder blocks and if any of the blocks cracked during that process he would not be responsible for them , because you were requesting a side of house mount?
i doubt it,
also did he tell you that a pole mount is free?
(technically according to dtv's standards a pole mount is supposed to be the first mount of choice with a hd dish) , and its supposed to be no charge... there may be a fee for trenching the cable to the house or for the concrete , but the pole itself is free.

im sorry you had a bad experience, request a different installer, and make sure that you talk to the installer and simply and calmly explain to him what happened last time , and yes , sad but true , a twenty will grease better than a nice personality....

I'm not sure where you're getting that info from. Every contractor I've worked with, as well as the local HSP, charge for a pole mount. Typical charge is $75...usually with the first 20 feet of cable buried.

 

[Jimbo]

I'm not sure where you're getting that info from. Every contractor I've worked with, as well as the local HSP, charge for a pole mount. Typical charge is $75...usually with the first 20 feet of cable buried.

Actually, around here anyways, it's NOT always a charge for the pole mount, if there are no other GOOD options, they will do it for free.
In my area, I prefer a pole mount. When the weather gets bad (snow), you'll be happy to go out and dust off the dish instead of climbing on the roof.

 

[JMikeH]

Concrete blocks have two hollow cavities, but are solid in the middle, and at the ends. I've mounted dishes before to blocks with anchors, and lag bolts. All you have to do is to plan where the lag bolts will not be in the hollow area.

With that said, a pole mount is very sturdy, and the installer doesn't have any liability IF something doesn't work right. I would've gone with the pole.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Why should the installer take a chance? He wasn't issued molly bolts........has other jobs to get to or be charged for being late. This whole thing is not about customer service.........numbers! Do the EZ ones and move on.

Write out instructions (a specification) and ask for another installer. Ask for a mast and hang it yourself.

FREE is worth what you pay for it.

Joe

 

[Dgenx321]

The installer did his job the right way.

It's not his fault you thought you knew more about his job than he does....

 

[MLBurks]

I'd go with the installer on this one. I'm not sure what Jacksunion thought was wrong with a pole mount. I have a pole mount that has had a dish on it for over 8 years and have never had a problem.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

All HSPs have different local rules, im not positive this is a d* rule or not, but I can tell you, my HSP (Halsted Communications) does not allow mounting a Ka/Ku to any sort of masonry location at all, instant QC Fail, the Tech was right, the dish could rip right out very easily. as far as anchoring to the center or side of the block, well thats on the tech. I would never do it, and i try not to mount standard (18 or 18x20) to brick or block either, if it has to be done, and its a brick surface (not block) ill consider it, but the mount is too small to aim right into cinderblocks. But ya, to recap, i would have refused to install unless it was on a pole as well.

go to directvs website and look up what is included in a standard professional install

also did he tell you that a pole mount is free?
(technically according to dtv's standards a pole mount is supposed to be the first mount of choice with a hd dish) , and its supposed to be no charge... there may be a fee for trenching the cable to the house or for the concrete , but the pole itself is free.

This is half true, the pole MAY be free, but only if there is No LOS from other areas of the house. Not being able to install due to land lord permission or building structure is sorta a different category to most HSPs. In this case the pole is not part of the standard installation and a charge of 75$ for the pole up to 10' away with cables buried is correct. Other costs, depending on how much wire would be needed would vary from there, the installation includes 125' of cable per receiver, so if your dish is like 50 ft away, and there are runs across the basement, or up the sides of the house, whatever, the wire would be counted past that, and if you exceed 125' of cable, then it is billed to you up front at 1$ per foot for single and 2$ per foot for dual. if the dish is more than 10' from the house then you will either have to pay for trenching at 3$ per foot or do it yourself at the time of the install. Be prepared to pay these charges preferably in cash to the installer, you WILL get a receipt for this. Some installers take checks, but be warned if it bounces, the tech has the right to rip out all of his custom work. You can always try to call d* and say your installation will require some custom work (pole, trenching, and excess wire) and request some promotional credits to off set what you need to pay the tech, this works alot, but not always. Please note the charges will be justified, and will not be waived. They are custom work charges to the installer, if you dont pay him, no one will. I would personally walk off a job with a cust refusing to pay a couple hundred dollars for custom work then do it for free to get paid for the install, alot of times your job may take most of the day, and the custom work charges would be more than what we would make doing the install.

 

[boba]

Correctly mounted to a stable concrete wall is safe. First question did the installer have the right mounting hardware. Secondly was he more interested in making a fee for pole installation. Now tell us the rest of the story my parents house in New Smyrna Beach was a stucco over concrete block. I wouldn't mount to it because the stucco might separate from the wall leaving loose mounting bolts. It was concrete filled blocks designed for hurricane strength winds and I assume it would be strong enough to hold the Slimline dish.

 

[digiblur]

Actually, around here anyways, it's NOT always a charge for the pole mount, if there are no other GOOD options, they will do it for free.
In my area, I prefer a pole mount. When the weather gets bad (snow), you'll be happy to go out and dust off the dish instead of climbing on the roof.

Not much snow in Florida.

 

[buzzbar]

I just mounted my dish to my brick chimney. The installer would not do it, even though my previous dish was mounted on the brick. I drilled the holes, and mounted the mounting bracket for installer. He took it from there.
The Directv installers are not prepared to mount anything to concrete, brick or cinder block. I'm an electrical contractor, so I've got all of the tools.

If you are handy at all, my suggestion would be to mount a piece of plywood to the cinder block, making sure that the anchors are drilled into the SOLID portion of the block. Then, the Directv installer can mount the dish to your plywood.

Also, while pole mounts work great, they are UGLY! Who wants a big 'ole pole mounted in your yard with a giant earlobe on it? I mean, come on. But if that' the only option, so be it.

Good luck!

buzzbar

 

[talos4]

I'm with installer too.

The strength of cinder blocks is vertical load. not along the face. It's relatively easy to breakout the face of a cinder block at the hollow portion.

There's not much strength when anchoring anything of any weight to the face.

The wind load will eventually pull the anchors loose.

I'd go with a pole mount. I'd even pay for it if that's what the HSP requires.

 

[MLBurks]

Also, while pole mounts work great, they are UGLY! Who wants a big 'ole pole mounted in your yard with a giant earlobe on it? I mean, come on. But if that' the only option, so be it.

Good luck!

buzzbar

Beauty (or ugliness) is in the eye of the beholder. I don't find them ugly at all.

 

[jdspencer]

I just had my AU9 moved from my carport roof to a pole on the south side of the house. The main reason was that I'm having the roof repaired.

...
Also, while pole mounts work great, they are UGLY! Who wants a big 'ole pole mounted in your yard with a giant earlobe on it? I mean, come on. But if that' the only option, so be it.

In many cases, I think having a dish mounted on the roof is a bit more ugly, depending on where of course.
At least with a pole mount you can always camoflage it.

 

[sbuell20]

depending on the layout of the house and yard a pole mount can be the way to go. The installer probaly did the right thing in fear of a charge back or a 9700(go back). I would have made the same decision based on what i have read.