Installers took old LNB

The technicians should not be removing any old DISH Network equipment from the customers home unless the customer gives it to them.

If the installation calls for a new Dish and there is a Dish already there then the customer gets to keep the old one.

Case and point, about 4 years ago I had an idiot installer who put a system in at 7pm on a Saturday evening. Dish Networks computers where down, so he told the customer to call and activate it themselves and went home for the weekend because he did not want to wait an hour till they came back online.

Sunday comes around the customer still has not activated, she then somehow managed to get ahold of another dealer who ran out there on Sunday afternoon, swapped out all my equipment and activated it.

I go over my activation report, and I don't get paid. I call Dish and find out my equipment is not activated.

I call the customer and im told to come pick up my equipment since she went through someone else.

I go to the customers home, pick up the equipment and put it in my truck first. Then I ask her where the Dish is that we installed on Saturday. She then points to the Dish on her roof and tells me that the other dealer said she could keep it.

I explained to the customer that it was my property. She could either pay me for it, or I was taking it with me. She got smart with me and said she would not pay for anything, and she was keeping the DISH. I got pist off, pulled my ladder off my truck, went on the roof pulled the Dish off the house and removed all the exterior wiring that the other installer used as she started calling the police.

I missed the police by about a minute, because they where turning down the street to go to her house, I was just finishing my turn on to the main road.

I got a call about a hour later at my office from one of the Detectives telling me I had to go and put the Dish back up that the customer claimed I just stole off of her house. I kindly explained the situation, and told the detective it was a civil matter and if she wanted the Dish back up she would need to call the Dealer that stole my sale.

Now If I had been there when the cops showed up, I guarantee they would have made me put it back up and told me it was a civil matter and to take her to court if I felt she owed me for the DISH.
 
The technicians should not be removing any old DISH Network equipment from the customers home unless the customer gives it to them.

If the installation calls for a new Dish and there is a Dish already there then the customer gets to keep the old one.

Case and point, about 4 years ago I had an idiot installer who put a system in at 7pm on a Saturday evening. Dish Networks computers where down, so he told the customer to call and activate it themselves and went home for the weekend because he did not want to wait an hour till they came back online.

Sunday comes around the customer still has not activated, she then somehow managed to get ahold of another dealer who ran out there on Sunday afternoon, swapped out all my equipment and activated it.

I go over my activation report, and I don't get paid. I call Dish and find out my equipment is not activated.

I call the customer and im told to come pick up my equipment since she went through someone else.

I go to the customers home, pick up the equipment and put it in my truck first. Then I ask her where the Dish is that we installed on Saturday. She then points to the Dish on her roof and tells me that the other dealer said she could keep it.

I explained to the customer that it was my property. She could either pay me for it, or I was taking it with me. She got smart with me and said she would not pay for anything, and she was keeping the DISH. I got pist off, pulled my ladder off my truck, went on the roof pulled the Dish off the house and removed all the exterior wiring that the other installer used as she started calling the police.

I missed the police by about a minute, because they where turning down the street to go to her house, I was just finishing my turn on to the main road.

I got a call about a hour later at my office from one of the Detectives telling me I had to go and put the Dish back up that the customer claimed I just stole off of her house. I kindly explained the situation, and told the detective it was a civil matter and if she wanted the Dish back up she would need to call the Dealer that stole my sale.

Now If I had been there when the cops showed up, I guarantee they would have made me put it back up and told me it was a civil matter and to take her to court if I felt she owed me for the DISH.


Surely you can see how your scenario differs greatly from the one that started this thread. Your situation was completely FUBAR( that was a crappy deal, sorry to hear it), and taking that eq interrupted the customers service. The installer mentioned in the original post was not doing anything nefarious or trying to make a buck at the owners expense, he just did what quite a few installers have done in his situation. If you re-read the post, it sounded to me like the guy knew they were taking the LNB, and let them take it. They even told him they were taking the stuff down. So, to me, that's as good as permission, it's only after the fact that he realized he could have use for it and was just asking if this was proper procedure. I've done this several times WITH the customers knowledge and gratitude, and it is one of the few things in this business that has never bitten me on the ass!

But despite that, it is very painfully obvious that an installer has to tip toe ever so lightly around customers these days, especially the ones that post here! I would go so far as to say some of them are just waiting(hoping?) that we'll screw up. So I suppose it would be good policy to keep that ass covered from every angle.

And for the record, NO I DO NOT, NOR DO I CONDONE STEALING CUSTOMER OWNED EQUIPMENT!!
 
If you re-read the post, it sounded to me like the guy knew they were taking the LNB, and let them take it. They even told him they were taking the stuff down. So, to me, that's as good as permission, it's only after the fact that he realized he could have use for it and was just asking if this was proper procedure.
You're right, Roadwarrior. It really wasn't a big deal, and I was just asking if this was protocol. I will add that the installers were courteous and knowledgeable, and I didn't mean to paint them in a light like they stole something. They even game me an HDMI cable.
 
There are just as many techs that take equipment that they shouldn't as there are customers who SAY that a tech took something that was theirs, when in reality he HAD to take it for a return. Whenever we do an upgrade, we install new equipment, and we are REQUIRED to return the old equipment back to the office for return processing. On an installation, if there is existing equipment there, we have the option of either using it, turning it in, or leaving it with the customer. What is actually done depends on a lot of factors. Does the customer "own" it? Is it in good shape? Is it currently used, like a dish 1000, or something older like a superdish? Even in cases where the customer may have orignally purchased a dish 500 system with 1 2700 model receiver, if we do an upgrade to a dish 1000 and a 301, we HAVE to take the old LNB and receiver as a return. There are no 2 ways about it. Elsewhise, the customer either gets charged for the non-returned equipment (which is sh!tty since it was already paid for once), or the upgrade doesn't get done, even if the system is left non-functioning as a result. Now, keep in mind that what I just said is policy as it stands. There are exceptions that can be made, but technicians in the field do not have the authority to make them. A phone call has to be made to DISH, letting them know that the customer purchased their original equipment, a replacement is needed, but the customer refuses to allow me to take the old stuff with me. DISH will then make the executive decision on whether to complete the job, or make the customer pay for the replacement parts.
 
If I paid for my equipment, there's no way they're charging me if I don't return it.

Well, the idea is this: I come to your home and give you an equipment upgrade. I give you a new dish and a new set of LNBs on that dish. That equipment now becomes "yours", and I take the old set with me so that they can be recycled. Most of the equipment that you get on an upgrade is free. If there is any charge, that typically is to cover the costs of a truck roll and technician labor.

If you have a legacy receiver that you bought, and it goes bad for some reason, in most cases DISH will ship you a new receiver for free. However, when you get that new receiver, you must box up the old one, the one that you bought however many years ago, and send it back to them. The new one becomes "yours", and the old one gets returned for repair. It's the same difference. Now if they send you that new receiver and you don't send the old one back within X number of days, then they WILL charge you for it, regardless of whether you paid for it 5 years ago or not. They're actually charging you for the new one they sent you, but either way..... All they ask is that you return the bad/old part. It's no different than if we do an upgrade and the part that you paid for is still good, it still must be returned.
 
It's been a couple of months since my install, but I started thinking about this when someone mentioned taking another satellite to a tailgate. When I moved into my house (been a couple of years) the old owners left a Dish 500 on the roof and an old receiver that they didn't want (I'm supposing they owned both). I had cable through work, but back in the summer I decided to go with E*. The installers came and said they could take the old dish off the roof but would have to leave the poll that was mounted (no biggie). They left the old dish in the garage and I noticed later on that they took the LNB. It didn't really bother me at the time, but I just started thinking about if I ever do decided to use it at a tailgate or something like that and add the receiver that the old owner's left to my account (have one 622 now). Did the installers take something they shouldn't have?
They took the LNB under orders to do so..When we do an Upgrade, Dish wants the existing LNB sent back to them . If our warehouse mgr fails to send back an LNB from an upgrade we do not get paid for the upgrade. This is Dish policy. The customers are leasing the EQ..Meaning the customer has no claim to the EQ.
 
Yes, IMO they took something they should not have taken. The LNB does not belong to them. If it was a leased item then they should have explained this before removing ANYTHING.
in this case your opinion doesn't matter .As a tech, If I am required to take the LNB I am certainly within my rights and it is my duty to collect this equipment. We don't keep the EQ for ourselves. The LNB in this case is boxed and sent back to Dish as part of the process for my employer to get paid for the upgrade. If the customer for whatever reason refuses to release teh LNB to me ,we make a note of it and the customer is billed for the EQ. If they refuse to pay, their service would be interrupted for non payment.
Now to clear something up here. If the install was NOT an upgrade, the tech was not required to A) remove the old dish and B) not required to collect the LNB.
 
I had a dish 500. I had purchased and added a Quad LNB. Last year I added Dish HD service. The installer came out and said a new dish had to go up. Asked me if I wanted to keep the old stuff. I said yes. He worked for a few hours due to some cabling issue with the old cables requiring some new ones to be run. After he was done and left I noticed the old dish sitting outside minus the LNB.

I wasn't happy that he took the LNB, but to be honest, with the newer tech stuff coming out, what would I want with a old Quad LNB? If he was going to take one thing though, he should have said something and not act like he left it.
 
I don't think that's in the 'rule book'. Why would it be? If the customer doesn't mention it at the time, then the installer has no reason to assume they would need it. It's a very uncommon request. I'm sorry but this is stupid. I know it was just an innocent question by the OP, but anyone who would actually make a big deal out of this is just trying to get something for nothing. It's a damned old LNB that probably didn't work anyway. I throw away several on a weekly basis. I've never had a single customer that wanted anything to do with any old dish, lnb or reciever left at a house they just moved into. They usually try to unload them on me, even Direct TV eq they expect me to get rid of for them. This is not something that is first and foremost on our minds since the majority lease the equipment.
unles it's an upgrade I don't touch it..It isn't mine and that's that..I fthe customer ask me nicely to remove the old dish I will. Bu tit stays with the customer. I am not in the disposal business. The space for trash in my garage is every bit as limited as his.
As previously stated if it's an upgrade(D1000 Plus, single tuner to dual tuner , etc) I must take the existing LNB for RA. If not an upgrade it stays right where it is.
 
Most people just leave the LNBs up because it's too much trouble to get to them when they cancel, and dish doesn't want to deal with the possible headaches that may ensue forcing their customers to go and take the LNBs/switches down from high places, lol.

Those things do cost a bit, but they're not exactly expensive either, for a mid-level or upper-level account they probably break even/start making money after a month or three, eh?

I don't see the big deal, lol. It's kinda ghetto though that he'd leave you the dishes and take the LNBs, if you're gonna take the LNBs take the @*#% dishes too.
I don't see the big deal, lol. It's kinda ghetto though that he'd leave you the dishes and take the LNBs, if you're gonna take the LNBs take the @*#% dishes too.
And do what with them?..Fill up my rollout garbage container?..Sorry I am required to take the LNB on an upgrade and that's all. I am not in the business of disposing other's trash for them.
 
I had a dish 500. I had purchased and added a Quad LNB. Last year I added Dish HD service. The installer came out and said a new dish had to go up. Asked me if I wanted to keep the old stuff. I said yes. He worked for a few hours due to some cabling issue with the old cables requiring some new ones to be run. After he was done and left I noticed the old dish sitting outside minus the LNB.

I wasn't happy that he took the LNB, but to be honest, with the newer tech stuff coming out, what would I want with a old Quad LNB? If he was going to take one thing though, he should have said something and not act like he left it.


The old Dish you can keep. For an HD upgrade the Tech is required by dish to RA the old LNB. If we don't we get charged back for the new dish and LNB. It sucks when you do an upgrade and end up paying to do the work.
 
We are scum. Every last one of us.(except skyviewmark, bozo button for you). If it's so important, get the damned lnb down before the guy gets there, because you know we're all just a bunch of friggin clepto's, and not nearly of the same quality as 'decent' folk. How can any of you rest at night knowing that we are out there....somewhere...I can't live without my lifetime supply of green legacy singles and corroded 21 switches.....it's a compulsion.
That's friggin hilarious!!!!! BTW I am kind of diggin andrewski's hard guy routine..Next he'l be telling us how he will pull his over under 7 shells in the mag one in the pipe 12 guage shotgun on the next sumbitchin Dish tech he sees...LOL!!!!!
 
The technicians should not be removing any old DISH Network equipment from the customers home unless the customer gives it to them.

If the installation calls for a new Dish and there is a Dish already there then the customer gets to keep the old one.

Case and point, about 4 years ago I had an idiot installer who put a system in at 7pm on a Saturday evening. Dish Networks computers where down, so he told the customer to call and activate it themselves and went home for the weekend because he did not want to wait an hour till they came back online.

Sunday comes around the customer still has not activated, she then somehow managed to get ahold of another dealer who ran out there on Sunday afternoon, swapped out all my equipment and activated it.

I go over my activation report, and I don't get paid. I call Dish and find out my equipment is not activated.

I call the customer and im told to come pick up my equipment since she went through someone else.

I go to the customers home, pick up the equipment and put it in my truck first. Then I ask her where the Dish is that we installed on Saturday. She then points to the Dish on her roof and tells me that the other dealer said she could keep it.

I explained to the customer that it was my property. She could either pay me for it, or I was taking it with me. She got smart with me and said she would not pay for anything, and she was keeping the DISH. I got pist off, pulled my ladder off my truck, went on the roof pulled the Dish off the house and removed all the exterior wiring that the other installer used as she started calling the police.

I missed the police by about a minute, because they where turning down the street to go to her house, I was just finishing my turn on to the main road.

I got a call about a hour later at my office from one of the Detectives telling me I had to go and put the Dish back up that the customer claimed I just stole off of her house. I kindly explained the situation, and told the detective it was a civil matter and if she wanted the Dish back up she would need to call the Dealer that stole my sale.

Now If I had been there when the cops showed up, I guarantee they would have made me put it back up and told me it was a civil matter and to take her to court if I felt she owed me for the DISH.

ABsolutely correct.
A side note on the Activation deal. I would not have wanted to wait the 60, 90 or 120 mins for Dish's system to come back up either. Especially at that hour. There are limits to everything. I would have left but called every thirty mins to dish to activate. Then called back to verify the w/o was closed. Never rely on the customer to do my job..
 
Surely you can see how your scenario differs greatly from the one that started this thread. Your situation was completely FUBAR( that was a crappy deal, sorry to hear it), and taking that eq interrupted the customers service. The installer mentioned in the original post was not doing anything nefarious or trying to make a buck at the owners expense, he just did what quite a few installers have done in his situation. If you re-read the post, it sounded to me like the guy knew they were taking the LNB, and let them take it. They even told him they were taking the stuff down. So, to me, that's as good as permission, it's only after the fact that he realized he could have use for it and was just asking if this was proper procedure. I've done this several times WITH the customers knowledge and gratitude, and it is one of the few things in this business that has never bitten me on the ass!

But despite that, it is very painfully obvious that an installer has to tip toe ever so lightly around customers these days, especially the ones that post here! I would go so far as to say some of them are just waiting(hoping?) that we'll screw up. So I suppose it would be good policy to keep that ass covered from every angle.

And for the record, NO I DO NOT, NOR DO I CONDONE STEALING CUSTOMER OWNED EQUIPMENT!!
oh yeah..If a customer gives me the impression he is one of "those people". The ones that will do anything, try anything. I document the color of the sky. I take no chances.
Here's the rub.. Witrh reagrd to the dish..I don't want it..Taking it means I have to carry it around and if need be dispose of it..I only take the LNB if it's required as part of an upgrade. Otherwise the dish and lnb stays..Not my property
 
If I paid for my equipment, there's no way they're charging me if I don't return it.
Ski...calm down ..this applies only to leased EQ and upgrades. Trust me even thought we are scum of the earth we really don't want your precious 20" diameter stamped metal disc..In fact we'd rather you throw it away for us..
 
I had a dish 500. I had purchased and added a Quad LNB. Last year I added Dish HD service. The installer came out and said a new dish had to go up. Asked me if I wanted to keep the old stuff. I said yes. He worked for a few hours due to some cabling issue with the old cables requiring some new ones to be run. After he was done and left I noticed the old dish sitting outside minus the LNB.

I wasn't happy that he took the LNB, but to be honest, with the newer tech stuff coming out, what would I want with a old Quad LNB? If he was going to take one thing though, he should have said something and not act like he left it.
Yours is a perfect example of what I have been refering to..Your job was an Upgrade..I assume to HD...One of the requirements of the job copmleteion is that the tech collects the LNB. This LNB is returned to the warehouse and is sent back to Dish. In these cases a with upgrades we must return the exisiting LNB to Dish or Dish will NOT pay us for the job..The tech is following proper procedure.
 
Well, the idea is this: I come to your home and give you an equipment upgrade. I give you a new dish and a new set of LNBs on that dish. That equipment now becomes "yours", and I take the old set with me so that they can be recycled. Most of the equipment that you get on an upgrade is free. If there is any charge, that typically is to cover the costs of a truck roll and technician labor.

If you have a legacy receiver that you bought, and it goes bad for some reason, in most cases DISH will ship you a new receiver for free. However, when you get that new receiver, you must box up the old one, the one that you bought however many years ago, and send it back to them. The new one becomes "yours", and the old one gets returned for repair. It's the same difference. Now if they send you that new receiver and you don't send the old one back within X number of days, then they WILL charge you for it, regardless of whether you paid for it 5 years ago or not. They're actually charging you for the new one they sent you, but either way..... All they ask is that you return the bad/old part. It's no different than if we do an upgrade and the part that you paid for is still good, it still must be returned.

OK...fine. So I will now own the dish and receiver, and not be leasing it? I'd be fine with that.
 
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