Installer refuses to peak dish

[shibby191]

Hmmm, I'd probably "nudge" that dish over a bit so my signal was around 60 and then call for a realignment and make sure it's 90+ when they do it.

Being in Cali though I wouldn't worry too much about rain fade, but 90-95 is very doable on the KA sats and quite easy to get.

 

[vurbano]

What are you doing being so close to the installer so he can't get his job done? Or making him so nervous that he just ... "leaves" ???

Nothing #$%^ 's me off more than to have someone hover and gawk and kibitz when I am working...

You probably didn't think about that, eh?

He can simply read the signal strength on the TV, that doesnt mean he was hovering.

 

[vurbano]

Hmmm, I'd probably "nudge" that dish over a bit so my signal was around 60 and then call for a realignment and make sure it's 90+ when they do it.

That is an excellent idea since they warranty the install for a certain time period.

 

[johnml]

Whenever I pay anybody do do a job at my house (which you ultimitly do when you have a install) They are working for me, Not doing me a favor. If I want to watch, I will. Even if its just to earn how to peak the dish. Dont forget, your woking for the customer.

 

[grydlok]

I agree 100%. While I dont hover every second, I will, and have stayed close by to make sure the job is done to MY satisfaction. I am the one paying the bills. While 75% is the acceptable according to D*, it is not to me. I wouldnt want to lose signal that easily.

I dont know how the OP handled his particular situation, but I have never had a install tech balk at something as simple as a slight repoint during an install. If I were asking him something that required a vast amount of extra work, I would compensate him, but this is something pretty easy to do with the correct equipment. Should have taken 2 minutes. TOPS

How where you going to stop him from "balking".

Call D and they will tell you tough 75 percent is withing tolerance, or attempt to prevent him from leaving your home?

 

[grydlok]

Whenever I pay anybody do do a job at my house (which you ultimitly do when you have a install) They are working for me, Not doing me a favor. If I want to watch, I will. Even if its just to earn how to peak the dish. Dont forget, your woking for the customer.

There are not working for you. If you contract any type of service plumber, electrician they are not your employee. You have a agreed upon deal/contract to complete some work. It's your home you can follow me around I don't care, but you will respect a man/woman personal space.

 

[Jimbo]

You should have flashed the installer a $20. I bet he would have been happy to do it then.

Anytime I ask an installer to do something that I know is going to cost him more time, I alwyas back it up with some cash.

Lets face it, time is money.:up

Yes, but he should have taken the time to do it right the first time.
Many times the installers are loaded with orders and get a signal and go, then you have trouble later on with rain and other weather issues.

Not knowing the whole story , it's hard to say what the mood of the conversation was.
I would call the installation company and see if they can send someone else out to peak it.
I would also contact D* and let them know of the experience.

Jimbo

 

[grydlok]

Yes, but he should have taken the time to do it right the first time.
Many times the installers are loaded with orders and get a signal and go, then you have trouble later on with rain and other weather issues.

Not knowing the whole story , it's hard to say what the mood of the conversation was.
I would call the installation company and see if they can send someone else out to peak it.
I would also contact D* and let them know of the experience.

Jimbo

+1 You know I said that but no one wants to listen to simple answer. They want to beat their chest and say what they would have did.

 

[Jimbo]

+1 You know I said that but no one wants to listen to simple answer. They want to beat their chest and say what they would have did.

I thought I read that somewhere ....
I thought I'd type it again for you

Jimbo

 

[Ronnie-]

How where you going to stop him from "balking".

Call D and they will tell you tough 75 percent is withing tolerance, or attempt to prevent him from leaving your home?

I have NEVER had one refuse to peak a dish to the best of his ability. I dont know if its HOW I ask, or the fact that I wouldnt accept anything but the best he could do. If he tried to do less than that, I simply wouldnt accept. I dont see how that is hard to understand. Install it to my satisfation, when it comes to signal strength at least, or take it down. I am not talking about complicated installs, multiple runs, wall fishing, ect. Of course if thats what I was looking for, I would compensate for the work.

Like I said, 75% may be acceptable to D*, it isnt to me as a customer of D*. NOr is it difficult to get it higher in MOST cases. If it is in the OPs case, then there are factors that we arent aware of.

 

[Ronnie-]

There are not working for you. If you contract any type of service plumber, electrician they are not your employee. You have a agreed upon deal/contract to complete some work. It's your home you can follow me around I don't care, but you will respect a man/woman personal space.

I agree, contract labor is different than simply being an employee. The installer is not my employee. He will however do the job to the point that I am satisfied (when it comes to something as simply as turn it a few centimeters this way) , or he can take it out.

 

[iwc5893]

Some people always defend installers, they can do no wrong.

And the customer is never wrong....or never the cause of the problem.

Despite what we're being told here, it's only half of the story. Unless the actual installer comes on here to give their version, that's all we'll ever have.

 

[Ronnie-]

And the customer is never wrong....or never the cause of the problem.

Despite what we're being told here, it's only half of the story. Unless the actual installer comes on here to give their version, that's all we'll ever have.

The cutomer shouldnt be wrong in a simple case like this. I assume that the story he is telling me is correct. What reason do we have to question it at this point?

 

[digital echo]

Couldnt be a customer that thinks he knows it all....Nooooooooooooooo that never happens..lol

 

[iwc5893]

The cutomer shouldnt be wrong in a simple case like this. I assume that the story he is telling me is correct. What reason do we have to question it at this point?

I'm not saying he was right or wrong...just that we don't have the whole story. But in regards to your second question, let's look at the original post in this thread.

I had an installer come out for a new installation and after quickly aligning the slimline with a signal meter, he concluded that 75% was sufficient for the Ka satellites. This is for an HR21 receiver. \I asked him to peak the dish better, whereupon he refused and abruptly left without even asking for my signature approval on the install. He then activated the receivers on my account without my permission. I called the install company and they said they will not do anything because 75% is sufficient for my location in Southern California. Who is right here? What should I do?

According to this, the installer peaked the dish with a signal meter and then left the job site before activation. Most, and please note that I say most, installers will do the dish first before running cable to the receivers. So when was the cable run? I realize that what the OP was actually trying to describe occurred at the END of the job, and not the beginning, but can you see how there would be room for misunderstanding? If it was at the end of the job, then the installer did not JUST UP AND LEAVE, as originally described. He completed the job and proceeded to his next one.

In addition, most installers won't start work unless the customer has signed the lease agreement. Part of the lease agreement that the customer signs states that they agree to activate the receivers, so if this agreement was signed then the customer did give de facto permission to activate the receivers. In addition, the installer is not required to obtain your specific permission to activate the receivers that you ordered...it is assumed you gave your permission when you ordered the system through DirecTV and agreed to their terms and conditions.

It's his house! I'd never leave an installer alone ANYWHERE. I don't know him/her therefore I do not trust them. They can steal, leave the job half-assed. Add to that that there are certain things he is not allowed to fiddle with. No installer has ever hooked up my receivers, just wired up the dish outside, aligned, put out proper cables and I hooked up the receiver because the equipment is my Home Theater is probably more than what he makes in a year!

You're home theater cost more than $65K? That's what I made in one year as an installer.

He wasn't nervous, he was probably lazy! Seems to be common among SOME installers.

Some yes, but not all.

Sucks for you, but you gotta take it.

He probably did, he just didn't care. An installer is paid to do a job and do it correctly and professionally in a clients home. The client must supervise the installer to ensure the job is completed to their satisfaction. If you don't like that... tough find a new job.

There is a difference between doing the job to DirecTV's standards and to the customer's satisfaction. The installer is required to do it to DirecTV's standards, accomodating the customer's requests/desires where reasonable and where they do not violate the requirements from DirecTV.

As for the OT. I don't know about your area, but in mine I accepted nothing below 90. I didn't have any problems with the installer though, especially him walking out. If I were you I would raise some serious hell especially for the activation without approval. If need be file a complaint against the installer and installer company with the BBB.

Please see my comments above about activation.

 

[Ronnie-]

In addition, most installers won't start work unless the customer has signed the lease agreement. .

.

.

I am not saying this isnt true in your area, for the company that does those installs, but I have never been asked, nor would I ever consider, signing a work order and agree to the activation (and 2 year contract) BEFORE the work was even started. Why would someone put themselves in that position???? Too many things that can go wrong, and that takes any power that the customer might have completely away.

 

[cummingsje]

Just had D* installed a month ago and the installer went so far as to give me a business card that if anything, including rain fade, should go wrong to please call him. Obviously I'm sure he would rather me call him than D*, but all in all he did a very good job on the install.

 

[Mike0616]

I had an installer come out for a new installation and after quickly aligning the slimline with a signal meter, he concluded that 75% was sufficient for the Ka satellites. This is for an HR21 receiver. \I asked him to peak the dish better, whereupon he refused and abruptly left without even asking for my signature approval on the install. He then activated the receivers on my account without my permission. I called the install company and they said they will not do anything because 75% is sufficient for my location in Southern California. Who is right here? What should I do?

Call D* and say "cancel" at voice prompt before you are out of the 3 day "trial period." When you are transferred, tell them what transpired and they will send someone who will actually peak the dish for you. While 75% may be above the absolute minimum, but, with some weather conditions, you may very well be out-of-luck with your signal whereas a system peaked at 90%+ may have excellent PQ.

 

[DetFan]

75% isn't great but unfortunately it is acceptable.
You can call the installation company and ask that the send someone out to do it again. That would be your best course of action.

Sorry.

No way I would stand for it.
Too many options in my city for me to put up for sub standard work.
70% is not acceptable with these new receivers, I know this first hand, because I was getting that crappy number and the guy that came to my house said, no way thats going to work for him and he fixed the problem.

We pay or at least I pay way too much money to this company to have that garbage, if that were me, and they tried to tell me that was good enough, they would be getting their stuff back and I would be getting a different company.

I would call D* and tell them about this.

For the other guy who wants nobody breathing down your neck, Grow up, I assume you are an installer, get a better attitude. No way im letting a stranger walk through my house unattended, that is how things come up missing, hell now a days that is how people die. Good thing you didn't come to my house. Sheesh, great attitude.
Way to represent your company.

 

[DNiermeyer]

How are the signals on the 101 and 119 satellites? Over here on the east side of the states, we get mid 90's on 101 and 119 satellites, and the KA's are 70 to low 80's.

The installer, first peaks on 101, and then adjusts the skew for 119 signal. The others are then supposed to "fall in place". I have no way at the dish to see signal on 99 or 103 to peak them.

Just my $0.02