Dish... Subcontract installs have got to Go!!!

[Jared Twomey]

Subcontracting can be ok, it just depends on who you work for... I personally sub and the main company that I sub for provides all of the wire, connectors, ground blocks, ect.... i provide the tools and the truck. And I make good money at it...
And yeah, if you provided your own wire it would kind of suck to get a house that you end up using 300+ foot of wire, but then again, you occasionally get those houses that are already wired.... so it usually works out over time

 

[miguelaqui]

I just spoke to Dish and wall fishing is NOT on the scripts. And Soraya has been gone from the company for a long long time.

Wall Fishing is extra for those who want such an install.

WOW It was in 2003.....I was unaware that Soraya was gone. When I called about my freind's install, the CSR said that it was in the standard install.

Have they taken pole mount out also? That was all added around the same time back in 2003....wall-fishing, pole mount, attic crawl...no extra charge.

 

[SimpleSimon]

Subcontracting can be ok, it just depends on who you work for... I personally sub and the main company that I sub for provides all of the wire, connectors, ground blocks, ect.... i provide the tools and the truck. And I make good money at it...
And yeah, if you provided your own wire it would kind of suck to get a house that you end up using 300+ foot of wire, but then again, you occasionally get those houses that are already wired.... so it usually works out over time

Yup - that's what I was going to say.

Among other things, I do installs as a per-job employee. I'm slow as a snail on most jobs because I love to talk about receivers and such. SO, I only make $25-30 an hour. The boss supplies almost everything except gas & truck, and if I pushed, I'm sure I could get him to spring for the $10 or so a week I spend on misc. junk like caulk.

 

[miguelaqui]

I'm having friend check on when they changed the wall-fishing policy...I know for a fact that it was included in 2003.

If that is the case...I feel badly about making that sub-contractor do it for free...I would have just taken care of it myself.

There was already one wire coming up from the basement...it wasn't that hard to fish one wire up...He wanted to drill through the siding instead.

 

[chadzx11]

I am still sitting on the dang SS8. I just got word from rocking R that I will be getting only ~$760 of my $1000 reserve back. Not even at one time. They are sending $260 at the end of this month and $500 a month later. Needless to say I am seeing red right now, and I am jonesing for a roadtrip to lincolnton georgia.

If you are an installer, stay the hell away from Rocking R international.

They are a Dish Network RSP out of Lincolnton, Georgia.
They have ops in Atlanta, Richmond, Raleigh, Memphis, Florence (SC), and someplace in North Carolina referred to as "SRNC." I don't know about any of the other locations, but the installers they have in Memphis are the dregs, they are all related to the manager, after he ran off everybody who knew just what they were doing. I do know that they have an office in Virginia.

Work for these jerks at your own risk, they will charge you back for anything they can make up. By way of example:

 

[chadzx11]

Is there anyone that can defend this chargeback? It cost me $40, and they couldn't even tell the truth on the work order (Rocking R's office staff wrote those notes). The truth is circled. That's Shane's handwriting and that's what he told me he did.

 

[skyviewmark]

WoW.. I am glad I am an independent retailer. I would starve to death working as a sub-contractor. And I too, only do wall fishing if it's the easiest route. I don't ever remember wall fishing being part of a standard basic install. And I have been doing this since before dirt.

 

[webbydude]

I am still sitting on the dang SS8. I just got word from rocking R that I will be getting only ~$760 of my $1000 reserve back. Not even at one time. They are sending $260 at the end of this month and $500 a month later. Needless to say I am seeing red right now, and I am jonesing for a roadtrip to lincolnton georgia.

If you are an installer, stay the hell away from Rocking R international.

They are a Dish Network RSP out of Lincolnton, Georgia.
They have ops in Atlanta, Richmond, Raleigh, Memphis, Florence (SC), and someplace in North Carolina referred to as "SRNC." I don't know about any of the other locations, but the installers they have in Memphis are the dregs, they are all related to the manager, after he ran off everybody who knew just what they were doing. I do know that they have an office in Virginia.

Work for these jerks at your own risk, they will charge you back for anything they can make up. By way of example:

Wow!! I wonder why they are taking 2 pay periods to pay you back?

 

[chadzx11]

Because they are aholes. They are lucky I have no money or I might make a one way trip to a georgia prison. I was so pissed. Bah. You have no idea how pissed I was......

I should go to their mini storage and jack their trailer and push it into the Mississippi. No trailer hitch, though. Hell, I'm just pissed.

 

[ZandarKoad]

I Love This Thread!

This thread is great... I guess I wond be considered a subcontractor (I do DNSC fufilment for a semi-local retailer). My only two complaints would be:

1) Get me the equipment earlier and more of it, and don't make me travel for it.

Their main warehouse is an hour from the major metropolitan area where I work. So they have technicians who live up in that area drive down and drop the stuff off wherever we happen to meet. This means I don't get my equipment till around 9:00AM. Can't get to a job till 9:30AM. I could have a four tuner neconnect DONE by then. I could almost have TWO new connects done by then if I find a customer who will let me start at 7:00AM. Every hour of my time wasted is probably about $60 to $100 in gross pay to my retailer (assuming he gets matched on what I do). I think it would behoove him to keep me well supplied and operating on all pistons.

2) Get me more jobs.

I have a helper I pay by the hour (soon I'll be getting married, then my wife will work with me for FREEEE!!!! ) and I can knock out 6 large new connects a day, easily. High quality work, very low TC rating, very high efficiency, etc etc. Right now the most he's been giving me is 3-4. Sure, it's nice making a decent wage for a 6 hour work day... But SHOW ME THE MONEY!!! I want 10-12 hour days baby! I know how he gets paid, so I'm sure he wants me to work more too...

The pay has been cut three times in the last 18 months. Which sucks. But then again, the locals in our market went from 121 to 110, so now it's all D500 stuff. Very sweet. They also intruduced the DPP LNBs during that time: again, very sweet. So all in all, I make about the same money I did this time last year. Yet, considering that I was still kinda green last year... Now I have over two years and 1000+ installs under my belt. I would think I could be making MORE than I did last year for the same or less time in the field...

 

[chadzx11]

After dealing with rocking r, I will NEVER warehouse someone else's equipment for free again. They will pay a fee per month equal to what my insurance deductible is for warehousing and inventory costs. I bet some of that money they gave me is for equipment I turned in. They were always trying to slide that by. They got me for about $400 in Janruary. "Couldn't find" the equipment, so they just gaffled me for the money. Never even called to ask me about it. I called Bullsh!t, because I have reciepts for everything--signed by the manager. I want you to know, it took almost 2 months to get my money back. Ain't that some sh*t? Some other installers got screwed because they didn't keep up with that paperwork.

That's the difference between a hack installer and a good one. Hacks think they know everything. Therefor, they don't listen or take advice. The rest of us are learning new stuff all the time.

 

[tski]

you should have been backcharged on that install you had two repeat trouble calls within a month of the install.

 

[mikethedishguy]

Back to the original Idea, Way back when Dish paid the installer for the wall fish's how ever this was on the honor system and the tech's would always do 1 wall fish for each reciever installed. And the policy was stopped. As an Sub contractor I have always taken the approch that If I can't do the fish for free (simple up from a basemnt or down through an interior wall w/ no fire stops and the space is clear for my entry) then I wont do the fish. I will also explane to the customer why I wont do the fish. I do not belive that Dish requires that a wall fish be done but if the customer calls then dish will ask that it be done. Additionaly not all tech's can be trusted to do a wall fish or have the material to do the job right on the truck.

 

[webbydude]

I believe the current mechanism of allowing wallfishes as custom work is a good one. Too many times a customer sees "free install" and totally runs with that. Free does not mean free EVERYTHING, people. I guess the next step and question is, what is considered a fair amount to charge for wallfishing?

The RSP I work with bills it as $59.99/hour, with the first hour billed...even if it takes 30 minutes. Maybe I'm an idiot...or just a fair person, but I tend to bill by the wall and per floor at the rate of $30. For example, a 1st story outlet with an open basement being $30. If you have a finished ceiling in with that basement, you bet I'm going to charge ANOTHER $30 to accomodate for that.

 

[ZandarKoad]

Once we've established that I'm not required to do a wall fish for free, I'll charge enough for them to say 'no' to the wall fish.

 

[whitford25]

Just here to say, i've worked w/ E*,Direct,and cable. and i say 1 guy doesn't put in all 400 or so jobs a day between these guys. I choose to sub because the pay is better and I'm able to work and EARN as much as possible. I would put my work against anyone's out there! Don't forget the "employees" still get their pay when they rescheduale and or give reasons why they can't do the job! Myself on the other hand gets nothing if a job isn't completed. I work very hard as a sub and would love some type of benefit for working for these guys but,I get the job done and for the most part my customers are very happy w' their installations.

 

[iafirebuff]

The sub that did my upgrade was: nice, did a nice neat job BUT he was also: clueless! That is not to say all subs are bad! Subs and company both have good and bad

 

[chadzx11]

you should have been backcharged on that install you had two repeat trouble calls within a month of the install.

Don't speak when you don't have all the facts. How in the hell is it my fault that dish send somebody out to hook up a DVD player? Read the installers notes on that WO!!!!!!!!!!!

Secondly, the first service call I did for that customer was also not related to any equipment that myself OR dish network provided or installed for this customer. Here is the full story from my post on the MSN installers group:

Rolled to a house to do a double double (625/322) in April 24th. No Problem!

Sent back to house on April 27th because customer has the phone screen blocking the TV. It turns out that his wireless phone jacks (purchased on clearance at walmart) did NOT work--he did have them hooked up properly. I sent him to Radio Shack to get some that would work, and I waited an hour + for him in his driveway. I had NO other jobs nearby, and I wasn't interested in making a third trip. The ones from radio shack worked, bit of course I had to listen to him bitch about how much they cost.

When payroll came through, I was paid for the install, but not the service call. I was told it was "customer education" and they don't pay for that. I argued that it was defective customer equipment to no avail.....

A month later, they sent a different tech to the moron's house. This generated a $40 charge back on me. That means I got paid $150-$40=$110-to pay for parts, gas, & labor.

Oh, I didn't tell you about the other guy's service call, did I?

On the WO I recieved with my chargeback was written:

"CB-Chad Griffith-$40
Problems after being out on 4-24-NC
and 4-27-TC
Shane Jordan out on 5-26
Customer Education. Had to hook customer's TV up to system after it had been moved."

WTF???
a) How is that my fault?
b) That was a blatant lie, because Shane had written on the WO the following from his trip:
"Ran wire to DVD."

I had to pay $40 to hook up a customer's DVD player? That's real fair.

As you can see, there was NOTHING WRONG with his dish network system. He decided he didn't want to the $5 phone fee, so he went the cheap route. I have no idea what happened on the second one except what shane told me. He hooked up a DVD player. I didn't sell or give the guy a DVD player. How the hell is that my problem?

I've been charged back repeatedly for instances where the customer SHOULD have been charged. But customers don't want to take responsibility for their Fups and want FREE FREE FREE all the dang time.

Other chargebacks: customer got new tv, customer got new VCR, Customer rearranged room, customer changed channel on the TV, not the IRD. How are any of these my fault? They all get charged back under the "customer education" catch all. As far as the wrong tv channel, I have done everything I can do:

a) I tell the customer what channel number the various tvs work on.
b) I put a sticker with that channel number on the f'n TV!!!!!!
c) I put another sticker on the f'n remote!
d) I write it on the work order!
e) I write it on the manual!
f) I tell dispatch
g) I tell dish network

What more can I do? Move in and become the maid??????????!!!!!!!!

 

[iafirebuff]

Man, that is a terrible way for a company to treat its employees!

 

[webbydude]

you should have been backcharged on that install you had two repeat trouble calls within a month of the install.

Sorry Chad...I would've jumped to your defense as well. Been away from the computer all last evening and this morning. Yes, I too read the notes and saw that both cases weren't your fault. Then again, I *also* read your post on MSN...so I had background info

Unfortunately, RSPs and and a lot of retailers won't/can't stand up to DNS to support their own techs. It's such a major PITA to defend "...the installer didn't hook up my DVD player..." or "...the installer didn't hookup my OTA..." Neither of which are part of the dish install, but contribute to television viewing.

The only thing I've found to prevent accidental changing of televisions is to place the remote(s) in "limited-mode". But even that isn't fool-proof. Televisions do break down and get swapped out. Or the customer will reprogram things and somehow lose Channel 73 or whatever the F'k their television is set to.