Stupidest thing a E* Tech has ever told you?
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Me: Hello, I'm calling to de-activate my old 4000 and activate a new 4900. I also have a 7100 that has free-for-life DVR functionality, so would you please be careful to not disconnect it, because if you do, then Dish will start billing me a DVR fee.
Tech Support: Don't worry sir, I know how to do this.
Me (30 seconds later): Er, my 7100 signal just went black.
Tech Support: Oops. Don't worry I'll get that right back and you won't have a problem.
Me: I know this is going to come back to haunt me. Would you please make a notation on my customer record that you accidentally disconnected my 7100 and that was not due to my request.
Tech Support: That won't be necessary, sir. I'll take care of it.
Me: I really would prefer if you do this for me.
Tech Support: Okay.
------ One Month Later -------
Me: I'm calling to ask you to remove a $5 charge for a DVR on my next month's bill.
15 minutes and a supervisor later, I was able to get the DVR charge removed.
Tech Support: Don't worry sir, I know how to do this.
Me (30 seconds later): Er, my 7100 signal just went black.
Tech Support: Oops. Don't worry I'll get that right back and you won't have a problem.
Me: I know this is going to come back to haunt me. Would you please make a notation on my customer record that you accidentally disconnected my 7100 and that was not due to my request.
Tech Support: That won't be necessary, sir. I'll take care of it.
Me: I really would prefer if you do this for me.
Tech Support: Okay.
------ One Month Later -------
Me: I'm calling to ask you to remove a $5 charge for a DVR on my next month's bill.
15 minutes and a supervisor later, I was able to get the DVR charge removed.
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OK, so I call go ahead and put a Bronze Package on top of my HD Package 2 days ago (4/24). The person in India assured me it was done but would take 15 minutes.
So 2 hours later I call tech support to try and find out why I did not see any indication of the new channels.
They asked me for the firmware version on my 6000 (I tell them 8.29P).
"I am sorry sir, that version is several versions outdated and you must have the latest firmware before I can help you"
I respond "according to your techportal http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/customerCare/technical/software_versions/index.asp that firmware was the very last version prior to 8.55P which only started to spool on 4/19 - 5 days ago"
So 2 hours later I call tech support to try and find out why I did not see any indication of the new channels.
They asked me for the firmware version on my 6000 (I tell them 8.29P).
"I am sorry sir, that version is several versions outdated and you must have the latest firmware before I can help you"
I respond "according to your techportal http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/customerCare/technical/software_versions/index.asp that firmware was the very last version prior to 8.55P which only started to spool on 4/19 - 5 days ago"
I called E* to find out why no one show up for my install and the CSR started arguing with me that my appointment was yesterday not today. So finally I just said well no one show up yesterday to install my 622.
Now, maybe someone will correct if I am wrong, but when I had my 211 installed, he decided on using basic rca cables to connect the box to my HDTV. I told him that when I had Adelphia and Directv, they used componet cables for the hd receivers and he said that " there really isn't much difference between the 2 cables, the different color coded cables are just to identify the sound a video cables" .....WTF?!!!
salsadancer7 said:Now, maybe someone will correct if I am wrong, but when I had my 211 installed, he decided on using basic rca cables to connect the box to my HDTV. I told him that when I had Adelphia and Directv, they used componet cables for the hd receivers and he said that " there really isn't much difference between the 2 cables, the different color coded cables are just to identify the sound a video cables" .....WTF?!!!
Jesus....
Not defending the tech but I think he may be right, especially if they're short and routed so as not to pick-up radiated/induced interferrence. That would mean away from power cables and not parallel and close to other signal cables. Simple thing for you to verify, tho'. The primary difference between the premium cables and the basic ones is in the quality of the shielding. (The dielectric is also a lower loss and the cables are lower capacitance for improved high frequency response, but that shouldn't matter much in a short run.) The color coding means nothing as long as you have the cables connecting the correct outputs to inputs. Remember you have 3 cables for the color and sync information (commonly referred to/colored as R, G, B regardless of the actual signals they're carrying) and another pair for the analog audio OR a coaxial or optical audio connection for the digital audio.salsadancer7 said:Now, maybe someone will correct if I am wrong, but when I had my 211 installed, he decided on using basic rca cables to connect the box to my HDTV. I told him that when I had Adelphia and Directv, they used componet cables for the hd receivers and he said that " there really isn't much difference between the 2 cables, the different color coded cables are just to identify the sound a video cables" .....WTF?!!!
I assume your TV doesn't have a HDMI or DVI input otherwise you'd be better off using one of those connections anyway. If you have to use the component connections, try a set of the better cables and compare them to the basic cables the tech used. I would certainly be interested in your results. (My 811 came with component cables which I ended up using between the DVD and TV. Did you get a set with the 211?) Note, as widely reported in these threads - The exotic cables promoted at the big box stores are overpriced and don't provide any noticeable (visual) improvement over the lower-cost versions you can buy on line...
BRgds...
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salsadancer7 said:Now, maybe someone will correct if I am wrong, but when I had my 211 installed, he decided on using basic rca cables to connect the box to my HDTV. I told him that when I had Adelphia and Directv, they used componet cables for the hd receivers and he said that " there really isn't much difference between the 2 cables, the different color coded cables are just to identify the sound a video cables" .....WTF?!!!
Yup, I've got a couple of DVD players hooked up via the component connections with standard 'junker' RCA cables from the dish recievers. No problems. I had one bad cable once that caused the picture to flicker Red a little bit, but I replaced those and they were fine.
One set I have some actual shielded 'component' cables, and on another just standard RCAs. Granted, these are just standard resolution, not HD, but I can't imagine you'd see a heck of a lot of difference unless there was some interference getting into the signal.
Copper is copper, right?
SouthRider said:Well this one wasn't from tech support but.....
Installer to me: Do you mind going on the roof to repoint that Dish? I'm afraid of heights. I'd rather stay here on the ground & watch the signal while you turn the dish.
I hired an installer one time that started out really good... until one day he came back and said he couldn't do a service call because he couldn't reach the Dish. I assumed the dish was on a very high roof or something, so I went out to take care of it. I got out there and it was a regular 2 story house, and the dish was on the lower part of the roof. From a 20' ladder is was easy to get to. I went back and asked him about it... Then he told us he was affraid of heights and wouldn't go over a few feet up a ladder.
We did a ton of installs in commercial applications, and very large homes... so he didn't stick around very long.
had a tech come to re-install a second dish pointed at the 61.5 since I completely lost the 129 due to foilage. It was slightly raining and I was in the back yard shoveling dirt and manure for the garden when he peeks over and says... I can't put another dish in because it'll never see the 61.5 because of a tree!
My response... Umm there was a second dish there as of 2 weeks ago (see the bracket's still attached to the roof) and it NEVER had a problem seeing the 61.5 over the course of the past year!
I knew he just didn't feel like doing the job (mind you I was the first work order on his shift) after I asked him 3 times if it was the pine trees or the oak trees preventing my line of sight to the 129 when I of course knew it was my oak all along. After the 4th time I asked he said "wait.. it is the Oak."
Sigh.... good thing I didn't get the pines cropped!
My response... Umm there was a second dish there as of 2 weeks ago (see the bracket's still attached to the roof) and it NEVER had a problem seeing the 61.5 over the course of the past year!
I knew he just didn't feel like doing the job (mind you I was the first work order on his shift) after I asked him 3 times if it was the pine trees or the oak trees preventing my line of sight to the 129 when I of course knew it was my oak all along. After the 4th time I asked he said "wait.. it is the Oak."
Sigh.... good thing I didn't get the pines cropped!
I have a friend who called E* at the end of 2004 because they were loosing local channels from the 105 sat every night. The CSR told her that due to the earthquake in Sumatra the earth had a wobble now and it caused her to loose the signal. After that answer, she hung up the phone, and couldn't stop laughing. Turned out to be a bad LNB.
Some audio cables are perfectly fine for video. If they use shielded cables and 75 ohm connectors, then they are basically the same thing. Radio Shack sells a 3 cable set for A/V with two audio cables and a video cable, for say a DVR or VCR. They also sell a 3-cable set for component video. One time I checked and the A/V set was selling for $19.95 and the component set for $49.95. However, they were exactly the same set of cables - except that RS put little colored rings around the ends and the A/V set had one red, one white, and one yellow, the other set used one green, one red, and one blue.
So the rings were colored differently to aid in connecting them, but the cables and connectors were identical.
However some audio cables use 50 ohm connectors, which are not ideal for video.
So the rings were colored differently to aid in connecting them, but the cables and connectors were identical.
However some audio cables use 50 ohm connectors, which are not ideal for video.
I was talking to a HDTV tech person (supposedly) in the beginning of 129 before we found out all the now KNOWN problems that it has. I was quite upset that UHD has so many errors when the signal goes all over the place and that the only reason I purchased a Vip211 was to get that off 129. I also made the comment about Universal HD actually being in MPEG2 but set up as MPEG4 so we could not use older STBs.
This person went into barrage of denials and was adamant about the fact that it was MPEG4.
Finally I told him he had destroyed all credibility with me if he believed that as he was too far down the food chain to know what was really going on and asked to speak to another tech before asking them to write up an anomaly report to be submitted.
I am amazed that they would try to defend the fact that UHD and ESPN2 is in MPEG4, even if it's the company line, to people that know better.
This person went into barrage of denials and was adamant about the fact that it was MPEG4.
Finally I told him he had destroyed all credibility with me if he believed that as he was too far down the food chain to know what was really going on and asked to speak to another tech before asking them to write up an anomaly report to be submitted.
I am amazed that they would try to defend the fact that UHD and ESPN2 is in MPEG4, even if it's the company line, to people that know better.
