Question about install today

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yellowcanary73

SatelliteGuys Guru
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Mar 12, 2006
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Installer should be here around 11 to 12 today.Getting 2 HD DVR,1 standard box with whole house and CinemaPlus.
1.I forgot to add the protection when I ordered can that be added after activation
2.It's really cloudy here in the Dallas area will he still be able to get a good signal
3.Last time the installer came out which was a different guy then today he stated I would have to pay $2.00 a piece for any ends he had to replace or add is this normal.
Thanks
 
1. yes
2. yes
3. uh no....that is included. My installer had to put on 2 ends on the cable I ran for the new room when I upgraded to HD 2 weeks ago

Now if you wanted him to change ALL ends in the house even if they arent part of the install.....well then maybe he'd charge ya
 
He will have to run one coax up stairs along the carpet to a vacant wall plug to hook up the internet for CinemaPlus at least thats what the last installer said but would like to have a carpet guy put under carpet will he do that.I know thats an extra cost for the wire run along wall and carpet no problem with that.
All the ends on wire now have been used by Dish and now Uverse which will be leaving.
Thanks
 
Well installer arrives an hour late not that big of deal but now find out he used my dish at his last install and will now have to drive 40 minute to meet someone with another dish man hope this turns out all right.
 
I hate installers who try and make bogus charges as much as I hate home owners who buck legit charges.
That being said, no where in this country should an installer charge you for ends on the wires as that is included.
Installers making up bogus charges have ruined this industry and made it hard for legit ones to make an honest living.

There are several things we should be able to charge for these days but no longer can because installers have taken advantage of these in the past.
All I can say is for future reference, if you think the charge is bogus, ask to speak to the installers supervisor or call the satellite provider.
Examples of legit charges include but are not limited to
wall fishes
pole mounts (but only in certain cases)
cable burial
Running lines from one receiver to additional TV's
 
yellowcanary73 said:
Installer should be here around 11 to 12 today.Getting 2 HD DVR,1 standard box with whole house and CinemaPlus.
1.I forgot to add the protection when I ordered can that be added after activation
Thanks
Click to expand...

You will get your bill in a few days and I bet the protection plan is already on your account. I did not order the protection plan when I got service ~3 weeks ago but there it was on my bill. It may have been hidden in the fine print but I definitely did not consciously order it. Check your bill.
 
red hazard said:
You will get your bill in a few days and I bet the protection plan is already on your account. I did not order the protection plan when I got service ~3 weeks ago but there it was on my bill. It may have been hidden in the fine print but I definitely did not consciously order it. Check your bill.
Click to expand...

I went ahead and signed up for the protection while installer was here.
 
Yes,he did finished around 4:30 due to having to use my stuff to do he's first call that they didn't send the right stuff so it really wasn't he's fault.He was very professional cleaned up the wiring mess outside Uverse left on their install ran the wire to the empty coax in other room along wall and carpet so I could have carpet guy run it under carpet.
So I was very pleased with install and was no comparison to the installer they sent out the first time about a month ago when I cancelled.
Directs picture quality really is a big step above Uverse even the wife commented on how much better it is.
 
red hazard said:
You will get your bill in a few days and I bet the protection plan is already on your account. I did not order the protection plan when I got service ~3 weeks ago but there it was on my bill. It may have been hidden in the fine print but I definitely did not consciously order it. Check your bill.
Click to expand...

I hope you called and told them to take the protection plan off.
 
Replacing ALL coax fittings outside the home is the rule in my neck of the woods. Crazy not to...asking for trouble if you don't. Service call potential goes way up and the chargebacks that go with them are a lot more expensive than fittings. Questionable fittings/wall plates inside the home are replaced for the same reason. When homes are prewired it is unusual to find anything but the cheapest fittings and wall plates. 99% of cabeling used in prewires and by most cable companies has a copper coated steel center conductor. Perfect Vision cabeling we use has a solid copper center conductor. Much more corrosion resistant. Salt air wreaks havoc on exposed cabeling/connectors here on the coast. Connectors have a nasty habit of failing if disturbed after initial installation. By disturbed I mean removed and re-connected on subsequent installs. I change connectors because I don't want an install that has my name on it to fail. I'm just fine with never seeing a customer twice. I have never seen Hi-Def (blue barreled) wall plates in a prewired home. Chain is only as strong as the weakest link. All connectors should be watertight compression type. PPCs or Digicon. No crimp on/twist on junk. In a home that has had cable tv that worked fine forever will often not when asked to support a satellite install. Cable TV will run up a water hose. It can be compared simply as--cable signal is shoved...satellite is pulled.
 
Do you still change the ends if its a D* upgrade (from SD to HD)?

Reason I ask is the tech who did my upgrade 2 weeks ago used the same cable/fittings that was already there. I went from a 18" to a Slimline 3 SWM. Already had the PPC ends on there and he just hooked it to the SWM setup. Then again it was -4 out when he did the upgrade so maybe that small detail was neglected ;)
 
Iceberg said:
Do you still change the ends if its a D* upgrade (from SD to HD)?

Reason I ask is the tech who did my upgrade 2 weeks ago used the same cable/fittings that was already there. I went from a 18" to a Slimline 3 SWM. Already had the PPC ends on there and he just hooked it to the SWM setup. Then again it was -4 out when he did the upgrade so maybe that small detail was neglected ;)
Click to expand...

If they are PPC's, I inspect them.
If they look good then I don't bother.
So will change them out because they figure it is not worth the risk of a rollback or Sin7 service call, but I have yet received one because of fittings.
I figure one day I may get one but I am sure over the time I have been installing, I have probably hundreds possible thousands of dollars so it is worth the risk.

(BTW, I change out all non compression fittings)

Honestly, as long as they have a compression fitting they are fine.
PPC's are IMO are not the best, they are just approved by DTV and required in most markets.
If they are non approved, the tech risks failing the the QC if it is inspected having to roll back out to fix it or get back charged.
 
Under the carpet is not a great idea,Tack Strips that hold the carpet down can cause major problems if they puncture the cable
 
Time is a factor. With the next install bearing down on you, you weigh the risk. Like kjlued said-any that are not compression have to go. By the same token I've had to change many that looked fine that wouldn't work/wouldn't tone out for no obvious reason...something there causing a little impedence mismatch. With lines that won't tone the 1st thing you do is change them, regardless of how good they look. In this market you don't get to fail many QCs before you get more time off than you want. Judgement call to an extent. The in-house service techs will tell you that a high percentage of necessary fixes are fitting related.
 
Daddy Dithers said:
The in-house service techs will tell you that a high percentage of necessary fixes are fitting related.
Click to expand...

I can't even begin to count the number of service calls I do that the fittings or cables need to be changed. I recabled a 4 receiver house today - it had a huge crawl space (I could stand up under the house) and the existing cabling was wrapped around the house with RG-59.... The only thing I didn't replace were the receivers and dish. 2+ hours. House wasn't wrapped when I finished.
 
Uh?

Service calls pay $30.00 or less. You rewired a four holer for service call piece rate? I am sure your work was superior and technically the installation was sound when you left. Did you make any money?

Joe
 
Taking pride in your work and a commitment to the customer come into play. Hard to find that these days whether its the DTV guy, your auto mechanic or plumber. When you weigh in the cost of a service on service call you sometimes spend a few dollars not to lose a handful. There are service calls that are fixed in 10 minutes. You have to think of those when eating the ones when you find yourself correcting things you should not have to. I hear that the in house guys are supposed to bring things up to standard regardless of what they find on a service call and everyone is SUPPOSED to on upgrades. I not saying that is the way it should be but that's the way it is. There are days when you take the bad with the good. Its not always get all you can for as little effort as possible and get out as quickly as you can. Everybody is different.
 
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