Installation nightmare with D*/Mastec

[spaceghost]

To answer some of the OP's other question IMHO:

Q: Why the over-books? (generalized question)
A: They may be having a snowball type effect; not really over-booked but missed one or two earlier in the week and everyone is slowing getting pushed back.

There is no snow ball effect. Its simply purposely overbooking. Why settle for 8 hours on a tech when you can get 10-12 hours for the same price? Its a piss poor game for everyone except DTV and the HSP. As a tech, if you don't play the game, then you get poor routes. On the flip side, the only way a tech can play the game is dedicating his life to the cause while doing poor quality work. The bonus: If he's caught, then he's charged back.

You won't get any calls for canceling because the tech is still suppose to "do his best" on getting the job done, even though he knows good and well he will never make it.

 

[Joe Diamond]

I agree with you on all of them but trust me when I tell you plays a big part in it. They (DirecTv and my local CSR) called me on about a activity scheduled to me for a day that I was already to be off. It would have been a No-call No show because D* wanted to fit a job in and I didn't any jobs scheduled for me. They called and I laughed at them. Sorry no can do, the sub has to wait.

At least a month after I had announced no more work until paid......and after the installation company had been served by the courts I got occasional calls for ETAs on my daily route from the call center for the AFS. The installation company (NOT MASTEC THIS TIME) had kept my tech number active in order to get additional work for new techs who may have not passed the drug test or criminal check. This is called "ghosting" and fills gaps created by NLOS & cancellations.

Part of the game.

Joe

 

[grydlok]

At least a month after I had announced no more work until paid......and after the installation company had been served by the courts I got occasional calls for ETAs on my daily route from the call center for the AFS. The installation company (NOT MASTEC THIS TIME) had kept my tech number active in order to get additional work for new techs who may have not passed the drug test or criminal check. This is called "ghosting" and fills gaps created by NLOS & cancellations.

Part of the game.

Joe

Yeah and I didn't play it last sat.
They attempted to overbook me for sat. a 4 room and install w/DVR and a 3 room standard in the am time frame. a 4 room w/ HDDVR in the PM time frame with 3 service calls.
All the activities where 1 hr apart from each other.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Yeah and I didn't play it last sat.
They attempted to overbook me for sat. a 4 room and install w/DVR and a 3 room standard in the am time frame. a 4 room w/ HDDVR in the PM time frame with 3 service calls.
All the activities where 1 hr apart from each other.

That route could take two days even if the jobs were in the same county. Sometimes you get lucky......all wire run etc and sometimes a NLOS will dump one. Then you get to eat a meal.

But what I have seen that makes this overbooking a little more sinister is the practice of picking up a helper. Without workman's comp insurance techs are tempted to pay a kid cash to ride along and work off the books. These "teams" sometimes work out and sometimes not. No one cares until something happens.

So it goes.

Joe

 

[Van]

Yeah and I didn't play it last sat.
They attempted to overbook me for sat. a 4 room and install w/DVR and a 3 room standard in the am time frame. a 4 room w/ HDDVR in the PM time frame with 3 service calls.
All the activities where 1 hr apart from each other.

That route could take two days even if the jobs were in the same county. Sometimes you get lucky......all wire run etc and sometimes a NLOS will dump one. Then you get to eat a meal.


Joe

Thing is that was a typical day for many of us at dish prior to my leaving employment with them in 06 wich lead to 20 hour work days and decisions on wether you do good work or all the short cuts you can to try and get home at a decent time.

 

[jwd]

Well folks, guess what?

My installation was re-scheduled for today (7-31) from 8-12. Nobody showed up. At 12:01 I called D*. They put me on hold, and at 12:16 said the installer would call me within 5 minutes. I waited 30 minutes, and called back. This time they put me on hold and at 12:50 said that the installer was on his way and would be here momentarily. I waited 30 more minutes and called back. They put me on hold and then said that the installer scheduled for this job didn't know how to do it. They advised me to call Mastec directly. I did that and I demanded to speak to a supervisor, who told me that they would absolutely get the install done today.

Does anybody here believe they will actually show up? I don't, but I don't know where to turn.

 

[spaceghost]

Well folks, guess what?

My installation was re-scheduled for today (7-31) from 8-12. Nobody showed up. At 12:01 I called D*. They put me on hold, and at 12:16 said the installer would call me within 5 minutes. I waited 30 minutes, and called back. This time they put me on hold and at 12:50 said that the installer was on his way and would be here momentarily. I waited 30 more minutes and called back. They put me on hold and then said that the installer scheduled for this job didn't know how to do it. They advised me to call Mastec directly. I did that and I demanded to speak to a supervisor, who told me that they would absolutely get the install done today.

Does anybody here believe they will actually show up? I don't, but I don't know where to turn.

cancel it and go with a local dealer. what are you getting installed?

 

[jwd]

I am getting a 5 LNB dish, 1 HDDVR, and 3 standard receivers.

I'm not sure what you mean by a local dealer. Can you give me an example?

 

[spaceghost]

A local shop who provides DTV. My office is a local shop and we can have you hooked up next day usually. I live in marion, nc. PM me if you're interested.

 

[hhh222]

I interviewed with Mastec about a year ago for a dispatch position. I asked them how they handle quota for different time frames. Does it cut off automatically, does the dispatcher adjust it according to installer work load capabilities, etc. Their reply was that Directv controlled quota and it just basically stayed open. I suppose it may close ocassionally but, the installers are just basically left to deal with whatever they can deal with.