Left Dish in 2004 Due to Poor Install... Need Advice for Returning...

[michaelmantis]

Hey All,

I was a Dish subscriber over a year ago and left because the dish mounted on my roof kept blowing out of alignment and I refused to pay the $100 for someone to come out and realign it. (I live in a townhouse and don't have the ability or the desire to get on the roof myself).

I'm month 14 into my 16 month Comcast promo and just realized that my bill is going to jump up over $35 a month once this promo is over.

My main concern is with making sure I do not get stuck with an awful install again. Here's my concerns...

1). Is there some sort of maintance package I can get that will cover me in case the dish gets out of alignment?
2). Are there any signs to definitly watch out for when the dish is installed?
3). How can I tell a good installer from a bad one?

Dish Networks pricing is great, the new 625 DVR looks much better than my old 508, but I'm still hesitant to switch back...

You guys are a great resource and I appreciate any responses, they will help me out greatly!

Thanks,
Mike Mantis

 

[nsafreak]

Hey All,
I was a Dish subscriber over a year ago and left because the dish mounted on my roof kept blowing out of alignment and I refused to pay the $100 for someone to come out and realign it. (I live in a townhouse and don't have the ability or the desire to get on the roof myself).
I'm month 14 into my 16 month Comcast promo and just realized that my bill is going to jump up over $35 a month once this promo is over.
My main concern is with making sure I do not get stuck with an awful install again. Here's my concerns...
1). Is there some sort of maintance package I can get that will cover me in case the dish gets out of alignment?
2). Are there any signs to definitly watch out for when the dish is installed?
3). How can I tell a good installer from a bad one?
Dish Networks pricing is great, the new 625 DVR looks much better than my old 508, but I'm still hesitant to switch back...
You guys are a great resource and I appreciate any responses, they will help me out greatly!
Thanks,
Mike Mantis

1) Yes that would be the Digital Home Protection Package (DHPP) it runs $5.99 a month. It doesn't totally eliminate the cost of a service call but it does bring it down to $29. Plus like any other service call the work that is done is under warranty so if the tech has to come back out within 90 days it's done at no charge. You can either pay the $5.99 a month for it or if you're willing to commit to 18 months you'll get it at no charge during that 18 month period.

2) Well it kindof depends where it is mounted and how it is mounted. Some basics for any mount though are that you should get a signal strength of at least one hundred on satellite 119 & 110 at transponders 11 & 12. If you're in the high 80s or low 90s that's ok too but 100 or above is preferable. The dish of course should not move at all under any winds unless they are VERY strong winds. The dish should also be grounded (a number of ways this can be done) and you should have drip loops as well.

3) Well here's the thing it's hard to tell a good installer from a bad installer solely by where he works. My install was done by a DNS technician and I haven't had a single problem since it was installed. My signals peak at well over 100 and I very rarely get any interruption in service. Some people have had very bad installs done by DNS technicans and others have had very bad installs done by retail technicians. Probably the safest way to go is to go with an established local retailer that has a good reputation. Ask around your neighborhood and see who folks in your area had install their dish. If you have any questions at all feel free to ask the retailer. One of the big plusses with going this approach is that if you have something go wrong you have somebody local to you to go to instead of having to wait for a DNS technician to come out and fix your problem.

 

[hdtvtechno]

with Directv, the service calls are allways free

 

[nsafreak]

That's a new one on me hdtvtechno, how the heck can they afford to pay their technicians if they don't charge for service calls?

 

[hdtvtechno]

That's a new one on me hdtvtechno, how the heck can they afford to pay their technicians if they don't charge for service calls?

i dont know, but you do have to sign up for their Directv Protection Plan
which is $5.99/month for SD
& $7.99/month if you have HD

 

[SatinKzo]

I had directv a couple years ago and service calls were not free. So if true, this must be a new policy.

 

[SummitAdvantageRetailer]

Service calls with D* are NOT FREE. They may give you service calls for free if you threaten to cancel but you'll definitely need some sort of a service plan with D* to get service calls done at no add'l. charge, but since you're paying a monthly fee for that, that's not exactly free is it?! Same with cable. They factor in cost of the service calls into your monthly bill.

 

[SimpleSimon]

you should get a signal strength of at least one hundred on satellite 119 & 110 at transponders 11 & 12.

That used to be a truism, but nowadays wth the various types of receivers, LNBs, and dishes, it's no longer true.

See if you can get 100s on 110 with a D1000/DPP-Twin to a 625.