On Sunday I am scheduled for an installation in a home that has never been wired for cable. Today my installer came by to verify a line of sight and scope out the job. I will be having 5 rooms wired instead of the 4 which are included in a normal free "professional" installation. My guy wants $400(cash) for running cable to the 5th upstairs bedroom and for installing five(5) wall outlets. He told me the going rate for a single wall outlet is $80. He told me some guys charge $80/hr for the entire job and not by individual piecework also. There will be no wall "fishing" involved. Are his charges reasonable?
Is my installer gouging me?
- Thread starter Cobra5wood
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He's ripping you off, I'd call his supervisor and explain how he wants a CASH deal, and you have considered turning him in.
You might end paying nothing for almost being conned.
Too much money for a leased system when they advertise four rooms installed for FREE all the time. Now if you were to own those receivers plus the cost for the special switch to install that fifth receiver then that would be more acceptable but there is no point in owning the receivers anymore when you can lease them for nothing and the receivers are worth nothing when they are used and the hardware is very cheap now.
I agree that it is too much, but don't forget that the install is for five wall outlets, not just five rooms. Wall outlets are much harder to install and cost more.
If all the outlets are wall fish than that is normal.
You need to explain everything the tech is doing.
btw 4 room stardard install is free.
You need to explain everything the tech is doing.
btw 4 room stardard install is free.
Well I am a installer and he is really putting the screws to you!! For a wall fish we charge 41.25 per fish and for a 2 story a lil more but we always have them write out a check and have them make it out to the company and the company pays us!!
$40 to 50 per fish is the norm. This guy is just an idiot! Don't sweat it just ask for another installer and it is ok to reschedule it if your not comfortable with the Tech..
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I don't think this is an unreasonable fee, for your area, because as you stated, the home has never been wired. If you call the phone company, to find out how much they will charge you, for 5 phone lines, you will find that their charge will be higher for just the phone lines.
Custom wall fish's go for approx. $80 to $125 ea., and you will need a multiplexer that will handle at least 5 outlets. (spaun makes the best but comes in a 6-8-16 configuration)
Be careful about who you choose, to do the work, because 80% of the guys out there do not know how to do the work, without botching the job... If you have a nice home, and need someone to pay close attention to the esthetic's of your home, then pay someone to do a quality job, and don't pay any mind to the "FREE" BS... Free, is running the cable on the outside of your home, and it becomes an unsightly mess...
Just my humble opinion...
Too me it's always funny how quick we installers for satellite tv get acused of trying to gouge a cutomer. Yet if you call an electrician or a plumber, you gladly write that check out for what service he provides. DirecTv and Dish for that matter have caused this by making everyone think that free installation is what everyone gets. I provide a service. Yes I get paid by DirecTv to provide a basic installation.. But If I am going to spend hours at your house crawling through attics or in a crawlspace to get cables in your walls so you don't have to see them then I am going to charge you accordingly. If you want that free basic installation I will be glad to provide that also.. But I wouldn't want a free basic installation at my own home.
Understandable, but do you get paid what plumbers & electricians do? I doubt you make union wages parallel to Journeymen. So it should stand to reason that it should not cost as much.
Yes, you should get paid more for the non-typical install, but what this guys wants seems a little steep, and like everything else "get a second (or third) opinion". He should only be paying for anything "Extra" beyond typical, not for the entire install, come on, some of it he would do anyway in a typical job.
But once again, the fact that this guys wants "Cash" in that amount should make anyone leary. I know you guys do little things on the side for extra cash, and I totally understand, but usually you guys are fair about it, and don't charge as much as DTV would since it's free & clear cash-ola.
I've dealt with plumbers, electricians, cable installers, sat installers, etc., for over 25 years now, and when I feel someone is duping me, I dump him and go elsewhere. I'm not one who will pay "whatever the tradesmen wants", as I'm skeptical. Just recently a plumber tried to rip me off saying I needed $2,000 worth of work, and when I got another guy out there, he said that was "ridiculous" (which I knew) and he charged me $125.00 - HUGE DIFFERENCE.
Those of us who have had the experience of either getting screwed, or almost screwed, know what to do.
I'm sure you are an honest installer, but you know as well as I do that there are many cons out there, and a lot of $$ to be made off of old people and those who buy into their BS.
I take exception to your comment.. Are you saying that what I do is not as important as a plumber or electrician. Ask that to the customer if his TV goes out during the Superbowl or whatever is the big event at the time. No, I don't rip anyone off. I give a fair price for a product. And most of the time I give a price that is lower than what it really is worth for what I have to actually do. We have not Union Wages for installers. Around here wages for satellite installers can go from nothing to little more than nothing depending on who you install for. I am independent. I own my own business, and won't install for anyone not willing to pay me what I am worth. But the original message was for a 5 receiver install with wall outlets. With multiswitches and outlets and all other extras involved it is not completely out of the question to have a $400 bill for completion.. But I do take checks.. Doesn't have to be cash..
First, I NEVER said what you do is not as important, you probably should get paid more, but since you don't, you cannot compare yourself to them as you did before when questioning whether we would. [your words] "Yet if you call an electrician or a plumber, you gladly write that check out for what service he provides" I meant if you don't get paid as much as them, then you can't charge as much either.
Secondly, read my ENTIRE post, at the end, I said "I'm sure you are an honest installer...", OK so lets's get that straight. I was clear in not pointing a finger to you personnally.
My point, made pretty clear I think, was that he should seek another opinion, just as you yourself would do if sought medical advice, auto repair, and any other home repair you could not do yourself that came out to a lot of $$.
Sorry, no offense intended, but all I'm doing is injecting (what I think) some common sense into his decision to pay the man, or get another quote, as I feel he's getting screwed. When I need my install done, I only had 2 cables in my house, we needed more, and the "Extra" work that needed was to fish 3 more cables through walls, install wall boxes for them 3 only came out to an extra $75.00. So I'm sorry, but I think his quote is outrageous, IMHO.
Come on, this guy was going to get paid from DTV, and then collect an extra $400.00 dollars from the homeowner, and never report it. What a deal, I'm sure if he could pull a few of them off, he would only work 2 days a week, and still make enough $$
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Satisfied with my installation...
I cancelled the first installer who I felt was charging too much. There really was no wall "fishing" needed in the installation. It did go well although it took almost 4 hours and a lot of wire. I ended up having the installer just drill straight through outside walls into the appropriate location for the 3 - 1st floor and 2 - 2nd floor rooms. The 4x8 powered switching box is located in the garage and we then fed 2 lines up thru the garage ceiling into the family room and ran the other 5 lines thru the garage wall into my unfinished basement and fed them to the appropriate positions to go back outside and up walls as necessary. The wiring is on two outside walls that face wooded areas of my property. The installer only wanted to charge me $150 for his time but I paid him $200 and gave his son $20 for helping his dad. I will convert the entry points thru each interior wall to proper wall outlets in the future as I was anxious to get the installation done. My 2nd installer was very professional and did an outstanding job!
I cancelled the first installer who I felt was charging too much. There really was no wall "fishing" needed in the installation. It did go well although it took almost 4 hours and a lot of wire. I ended up having the installer just drill straight through outside walls into the appropriate location for the 3 - 1st floor and 2 - 2nd floor rooms. The 4x8 powered switching box is located in the garage and we then fed 2 lines up thru the garage ceiling into the family room and ran the other 5 lines thru the garage wall into my unfinished basement and fed them to the appropriate positions to go back outside and up walls as necessary. The wiring is on two outside walls that face wooded areas of my property. The installer only wanted to charge me $150 for his time but I paid him $200 and gave his son $20 for helping his dad. I will convert the entry points thru each interior wall to proper wall outlets in the future as I was anxious to get the installation done. My 2nd installer was very professional and did an outstanding job!
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Glad it worked out for you. Everyone note that he still wants regular wall outlets, not just wire coming out of the walls. That is where I said the original installer may have been chargng too much, but much of that $400 was in the cost of the wall outlets.
Wall outlets are CHEAP and EASY to install. The man should be paid for his time at a reasonable rate. Not some outrageous fee per wall drop. Ive done 3 or 4 in my own home. Its not that difficult.
I agree with Vurbano, if the RG6 is already going to be installed through the wall anyway; the complete wall outlet plates are only $9 or so each at the retail level on the high side. So where does the huge up charge come in for that?
Maybe I'm not as fast as Vurbano, but it would take me a couple of hours to install 5 wall outlets. The cost would be more in time than materials. Like I said, the installer was charging too much at $400, but it isn't a straight forward job.
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