Retailer, local installer.

[kemo46]

I have decided on Direct TV as my service. I went to a local retailer/Installer. I talked with them and they said they could give me the exact same deal as over the phone or online. I would like to hear from other retailers/Installers, is this true? I would be guaranteed the equipment that I want, 2-hr-24 and 1- h24. I am getting the MRV. After talking with them, i felt better about the decision.

I am loctaed in Texas and one thing they told me was kind of distubing and i would like the retailers/installers to weigh in on it. They said they could do the install and honor the online offers but they were only allowed to service the account for 30 days. They said if I had the service plan and had any issues later on that DTV would dispatch some company from Dallas that they have service contracts with. Basically DTV contracts companies to the lowest bidder for their service work, is this true?

Does all of this sound like it is accurate and should i be concerned about the promotions or install?

Thanks.

 

[raoul5788]

I'd be less concerned the way you are doing it. Having a local company doing the install means they will likely do a better job than a contracted one, therefore less likely to have problems later.

 

[kjlued]

I'd be less concerned the way you are doing it. Having a local company doing the install means they will likely do a better job than a contracted one, therefore less likely to have problems later.

Sorry, but honestly not true.

Retailers have good and bad installers just like anyone else.

I know of 1 retail installer around here that I would allow anywhere near my property.
That is only because he used to work with me and I know he does pretty good work.

Other then that, all I ever do if I go behind a retailer is fix stuff.
They never change connectors, never ground, and do shoddy work.
I even went to fix a job that a lady kept having a retailer come back and constantly fix paying them each time (several hundreds of dollars over a couple years) to realign the dish.
Problem was, it was a slimline dish on a sleeved standard mast mounted to the fascia board with no support arms. I am honestly surprised with the winds we get around here in the mountains that it was not ripped off the house.

I know, this is not all retailers but around these parts, forget it, I would never call a retailer.

Keep in mind, nobody QC's the retailers but about 80% of the in house and subs for D* are are checked after the install.
Although we have some bad ones too, we are held to higher standards and the bad ones usually get weeded out pretty fast.
I would also put my worst tech up against 99% of the retail techs (around these parts) any day.

That being said, we still never heard the deal you got.

You could be giving up a couple hundred dollars in rebates by going to the retailer.
Also, what are they charging you for receivers?

However, by ordering Directly from D* you are not guaranteed equipment but I will say 95%+ of what we have put in (again, in my area) has been 24 series receivers.

 

[Chavez]

I am a retailer and I would tell you I have cleaned up messes behind contractors and in-house techs as well as other retailers. I would say stick with the retailer, but I am a retailer so take it for what it is worth.

 

[kjlued]

I am a retailer and I would tell you I have cleaned up messes behind contractors and in-house techs as well as other retailers. I would say stick with the retailer, but I am a retailer so take it for what it is worth.

That is why I said "in my area".

Also like I said, there is good and bad in with both.
I would actually like to get on the retail side as I personally do not need a QC guy to go behind me to to do good work and the pay is usually better.

The point is, just don't assume that you will get a better installer by choosing retail over calling D* directly.

Retailers will do more work as they are allowed to charge for custom labor. In house/subs will not do as much for you in the custom department as we either can not charge or are limited in what we can charge for custom labor (or in some cases just not allowed to do certain things like mounting TV's).

Other then that, the only other difference is we have guys go behind us to check our work and make sure it is up to spec.
This does not necessarily ensure the install is better, so take that for what it is worth.

 

[raoul5788]

Sorry, but honestly not true.

Retailers have good and bad installers just like anyone else.

Did you see the word likely in my post? You need to read before you type. A retailer is LIKELY better trained. A retailer is more LIKELY to take the time to do the job right. A retailer is LIKELY to take more pride in their work because their name is on it. Need I go on? You say they "they never change connectors, never ground, and do shoddy work." That is preposterous. You lose credibility when you make blanket statements like that.

 

[kjlued]

Did you see the word likely in my post? You need to read before you type. A retailer is LIKELY better trained. A retailer is more LIKELY to take the time to do the job right. A retailer is LIKELY to take more pride in their work because their name is on it. Need I go on? You say they "they never change connectors, never ground, and do shoddy work." That is preposterous. You lose credibility when you make blanket statements like that.

Man, people get too butt hurt around here when somebody disagrees.

Did you see me say "IN MY AREA!"

But since we are on the topic and you brought up the points, the idea of a retailer being any better or worse well trained is preposterous.

You made a blanket statement about the likeliness of a retailer being better trained which blows your credibility on this topic out of the water.
I made a statement about in my area which denotes that it could differ per area.
MAYBE in your area which happens to be in Cheshire CT, retailers are on average better.
In my town in NC, retailers are worse.
In the OP's town in the TX, I have no idea and neither do you.

I think my post very clearly stated that where yours did not.

So again your blanket statement about a retailer LIKELY being better is still not true as there is no more LIKELINESS of a retailer being better then an in house/sub.

I am sure you throw out a lot more bla bla bla on this, but whatever.

 

[raoul5788]

Man, people get too butt hurt around here when somebody disagrees.

Did you see me say "IN MY AREA!"

But since we are on the topic and you brought up the points, the idea of a retailer being any better or worse well trained is preposterous.

You made a blanket statement about the likeliness of a retailer being better trained which blows your credibility on this topic out of the water.
I made a statement about in my area which denotes that it could differ per area.
MAYBE in your area which happens to be in Cheshire CT, retailers are on average better.
In my town in NC, retailers are worse.
In the OP's town in the TX, I have no idea and neither do you.

I think my post very clearly stated that where yours did not.

So again your blanket statement about a retailer LIKELY being better is still not true as there is no more LIKELINESS of a retailer being better then an in house/sub.

I am sure you throw out a lot more bla bla bla on this, but whatever.

I have read many of your posts here. Some have been helpful to others. MANY of them have been either confusing, partly right, or outright wrong. Your reading comprehension skills are also highly suspect. Your response is clear proof of my point. I won't get into details because you can't or won't understand. Just to clear up one of your points, I get "butt hurt", whatever that is, when erroneous information gets posted. You do it quite a bit, so pardon me if I give you a hard time when you do it. Like I said in a previous post, one of our missions here is to make sure that correct information gets posted. You aren't helping that cause very much.

 

[kjlued]

Misdirection good tactic when you are proven wrong but don't want to admit it.

 

[raoul5788]

I can hear the laughter in the forum right now!

 

[stardust3]

Blow smoke up someone else s bung hole. 600 post in 20 something days, 99% of which are BS. The one sided posts, BRAGGING, misinformation, etc, etc, we'd be better off @ another site because this would not have been allowed to pursue like this.

Retailers have much more @ stake than your misguided hsp installer. It is true that they cannot service your system for the 1st 30 days. Most will unless it's a receiver problem, but will assist in helping to replace it. In the event you get a retailer that won't work with you. Rest assured D* will send 1 of their own reps out to rectify your problem, like the a fore mentioned. You will get the same promotions & discounts regardless of who you sign up with & probably will likely get the equipment you desire & if you require any custom work, IE: wall fishes, pole mount w/ bury, dvd/home theatre hook up etc, etc, a local retailer will most LIKELY be able to accommodate you more than the average hsp installer. Also more than LIKELY you will have the phone # for your local retailer in the event you do have a technical issue or otherwise.

My 2 cents is to go local & do not pay attention to these 1 sided know it all posts................................

 

[kjlued]

Yes, my post was on sided even though I said in my area.

You guys win, all retailers across the country rock and all hsp guys across the country suck. I was wrong and it was very one sided of me to say that quality could vary depending on where you are. My apologies for even recognizing the fact that there could be a good hsp guy out there and that a retailer could do something wrong.[/sarcasm]

BTW, here is some quality work by one of our local retailers who did happen to service the dish 3 additional times in less then 2 years at the tune of $150 each time.




When I touched that thing, it practically fell.

Seen some really bad work from hsp guys too, but never anything that bad.
I am pretty sure any hsp guy would be fired immediately if this happened.
At least they would IN MY AREA.

Oh yeah, and retailers sure do have a lot more at risk because hsp's don't have million dollar contracts on the line.

You guys really trip me out.
I swear, I say it could either way and you still insist that one is better then the other.

I guess if you can show me some hsp work that is worse then that, maybe you will hold a little weight.

AGAIN to clear stuff up, I say it can co either way.
There are crap installers everywhere no matter who they work for.
Many of your retail installers were working for an hsp yesterday and will work for one again tomorrow and vice versa.
In fact, many of them do both.

However, with retailers there is no QC/QAS inspections once it is put in.
Does this mean it will be a bad install?
No
Does this mean you will get a better install with a hsp?
No
It just means that if you get a crapy retail installer, nobody goes behind them to see it and have it fixed.

So that being said, I am now done with my know it all attitude.

 

[Mr Tony]

KNOCK IT OFF!!

seriously people.....its just TV

 

[Mr Tony]

now to actually answer the OP's question (hey remember that???)

I am loctaed in Texas and one thing they told me was kind of distubing and i would like the retailers/installers to weigh in on it. They said they could do the install and honor the online offers but they were only allowed to service the account for 30 days. They said if I had the service plan and had any issues later on that DTV would dispatch some company from Dallas that they have service contracts with

I would go with the local guy because honestly if something is going to go bad it would go bad in the 1st 30 days. Most retailers care about their customer (unless they're a fly by night jobber) and want to make sure its right before leaving.
I havent had any issues with the installers in my area (Minneapolis). The original install was done very well and the HD upgrade was awesome. The installer was very professional despite the cold (it was -4 that morning) and he did a helluva job.

 

[kemo46]

now to actually answer the OP's question (hey remember that???)



I would go with the local guy because honestly if something is going to go bad it would go bad in the 1st 30 days. Most retailers care about their customer (unless they're a fly by night jobber) and want to make sure its right before leaving.
I havent had any issues with the installers in my area (Minneapolis). The original install was done very well and the HD upgrade was awesome. The installer was very professional despite the cold (it was -4 that morning) and he did a helluva job.

Thank you. I chose to go local because they said they will offer the EXACT same discount/rebates as offered online. I went with the Choice Ultimate plan with 2- hr24's and 1- h 24. I went with the MRV. I try to buy locally if possible but if they would not have been able to match the online offer, I would of had to buy online. I like the idea of knowing 100% what equipment i will be getting. I feel comfortable after talking with them and feel I will get a quality install. Their installer has been with them for over 4 years. They said that they will not leave until everything is working perfectly and I am 100% satisfied. They said the wiring will be squared off , tacked and look very professional. I have read way too many posts on this forum that if something was left off the order and the installer would not have it on their truck and have to come back. This will be eliminated because the order will be done with them 1 week before we move, all equipment will be there prior to my move and they alot more than enough time for any issues that might come up at the install. It is not someone coming from out of town and has to rush to make their next appointment. Those are the main reasons I have chosen to go with the local retailer.

 

[Jimbo]

Thank you. I chose to go local because they said they will offer the EXACT same discount/rebates as offered online. I went with the Choice Ultimate plan with 2- hr24's and 1- h 24. I went with the MRV. I try to buy locally if possible but if they would not have been able to match the online offer, I would of had to buy online. I like the idea of knowing 100% what equipment i will be getting. I feel comfortable after talking with them and feel I will get a quality install. Their installer has been with them for over 4 years. They said that they will not leave until everything is working perfectly and I am 100% satisfied. They said the wiring will be squared off , tacked and look very professional. I have read way too many posts on this forum that if something was left off the order and the installer would not have it on their truck and have to come back. This will be eliminated because the order will be done with them 1 week before we move, all equipment will be there prior to my move and they alot more than enough time for any issues that might come up at the install. It is not someone coming from out of town and has to rush to make their next appointment. Those are the main reasons I have chosen to go with the local retailer.

You made a good choice .... the local installer is NOT getting paid by the JOB, so there usually not a need for him to RUSH your install so he can get to the next one.

Keep us informed on how it goes !

 

[kjlued]

KNOCK IT OFF!!

seriously people.....its just TV

You are right and sorry.
Sometimes it is good to have a voice of reason when we get carried away.
Hardly anyone here knows anyone but we all seem quick to pass judgment and jump down peoples throats.

You made a good choice .... the local installer is NOT getting paid by the JOB, so there usually not a need for him to RUSH your install so he can get to the next one.

Keep us informed on how it goes !

Sounds like he may be getting a professional.
Hope it works out well,

It is true, sometimes installers get rushed because they have a full day.
I personally never let a full day rush the install though.
However, at times it means I can not converse with the customers which I like to do and unfortunately at times it means I can not train them as well as I like on the equipment.
However, I do make sure they have my # (which we are not supposed to do) and let them call me if they have questions. I would also go back free of charge if there is something I can't walk them through on the phone.

Also, my buddy who is a retailer does get paid by the install just like any of us that work for my hsp.
He is a good installer.
There are hourly hsps and those that get paid by the job and the same with retailers.
There probably is really no difference on average across the board .
This comment is not to rehash any argument but more to be informative and to acknowledge there is good and bad in both areas.

 

[Mr Tony]

I like the idea of knowing 100% what equipment i will be getting. I feel comfortable after talking with them and feel I will get a quality install. Their installer has been with them for over 4 years. They said that they will not leave until everything is working perfectly and I am 100% satisfied. They said the wiring will be squared off , tacked and look very professional.

glad to hear it
Sometimes the installer will let you help with the little things

 

[Fiscap]

Do you have any good references for installers in Minneapolis who do rewiring as a side job? I have a dual tuner and need to get a few rooms setup with receivers vs. just the one room I have right now. I don't know enough to do it myself, and I can't find any resources through DirecTV or or searching via google or any of the job ads in the metro. Just wondering if you know of any who might help for some extra cash.