Terrible Service Support

[Gordon Shumway]

I moved over from DISH after ten years to Directv in September because I couldn't get good signal from their satellites for my local channels. We are very rural along the Potomac River at the Chesapeake Bay and can't get locals OTA. I have Directv with HD and Premier package for both receivers.

Tonight I lost my locals and a lot of other stuff is breaking up most likely due to the wind, although it was only 15-20 knots. Most likely blew the dish off the signal, although I never had that problem with DISH and it had blown harder here recently without incident. When I called to troubleshoot it over the phone, I was told it would take a service call. The earliest available service for my area is 4 January. Since it is 13 December now, I think that 3 weeks might not be the best service that one could expect. I will attempt to find a local guy to align the dish. I am starting to think the move to Directv was wrong.

I have one HR24/200 and one H24. No MRV, nothing special, just basic TV.

Just venting, and not happy.

Gordon

 

[raoul5788]

Can you post your signal levels on all of the satellites?

 

[bayoubrut]

Yeah plz post signal strength on all birds plz

 

[Joe Diamond]

Gordon,

I am about fifty miles north of you at Chestertown, MD. There is a major weather system moving up the coast and it is hitting you now. IF your dish has been blown off your roof or otherwise moved you are screwed...a little. We had outages last night here (Sunday) associated with heavy rain in the Baltimore area. Do report signal levels in clear weather.....and try to find contact information for the installer that originally did your installation.

Joe

 

[Gordon Shumway]

Thanks for the responses!

I looked at the signal strengths right after the installation, but I didn't document them. I recall that the 101 bird transponders were all in the high 80s to high 90s.

I can't find anything with the installers contact information on it, just the manuals and the yellow contract agreement. I got the installation through Directv and COSTCO.

Here are the levels I am currently getting:

2010 14 December 0600 EST
Satellite 101
1-8 74 65 80 52 76 84 82 82
9-16 74 72 79 60 74 85 76 85
17-24 66 86 76 0 69 82 74 81
25-32 68 59 76 0 71 80 82 83

Satellite 99(c)
1-8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
9-16 0 0 0 0 0 0 NA NA
17-24 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
25-32 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

Satellite 99(s)
1-8 0 0 0 0 0 0 NA NA
9-16 NA NA NA NA NA NA 21 0
17-24 0 0 0 0 35 0 20 0
25-32 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

Satellite 103(s)
1-8 0 0 0 0 0 0 NA NA
9-16 NA NA NA NA NA NA 0 0
17-24 0 0 39 0 0 0 0 0
25-32 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

Satellite 103(ca)
1-8 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
9-16 36 0 32 0 31 0 24 0
17-24 29 0 23 0 19 0 20 0
25-32 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

Satellite 103(cb)
1-8 31 0 0 0 21 0 0 0
9-16 0 0 0 0 24 0 NA NA
17-24 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
25-32 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA



Satellite SWM
1-8 86 0 83 84 69 68 68 68
9-16 71 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
17-24 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
25-32 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA

I will recall the CS folks and schedule the installer, and I am thinking that I will request a refund for the next three weeks of anticipated outage.

Thanks for your help and support.

 

[stonecold]

I understand your frustrated, this is rough time for Directv as well Christmas is our busy season. Lots and Lots of new installs and Upgrades .
We wont credit the bill till the tech been out to fix the problem once the problem is fixed, we will issue time with out service credit from the time you reported the issue to the time the tech resolved the issue.

 

[Texaslim]

We wont credit the bill till the tech been out to fix the problem once the problem is fixed, we will issue time with out service credit from the time you reported the issue to the time the tech resolved the issue

. Excuse my ignorance but I have been having problems with my Directv service for going on 2-months now. After numerous (6 at least) phone calls to Tech Support, 1 letter to and 1 phone call from Directv's President's office, 2 phone calls to Directv Customer Advocate personnel, I FINALLY got a replacement HR22 DVR. Yesterday, after trying for at least an hour (on phone) with Directv we could not get the replacement DVR to work and now they "think" the problem may be with something on the "dish end" (roof). So, tomorrow (Wed 12/15/2010) morning, hopefully, a Directv serviceman will come out and see if a visit to my roof will solve the problem. Not sure how much that will cost me in addition to the cost for shipping the replacement DVR but no mention has been made for any sort of credit by Directv. Should I expect something? I've paid on time as usual but have not been getting what I paid for. I do have my roof (OTA) antenna for local channels. Just wondering. Maybe I should just call Directv and ASK them that question.

 

[old corps]

I moved over from DISH after ten years to Directv in September because I couldn't get good signal from their satellites for my local channels. We are very rural along the Potomac River at the Chesapeake Bay and can't get locals OTA. I have Directv with HD and Premier package for both receivers.

Tonight I lost my locals and a lot of other stuff is breaking up most likely due to the wind, although it was only 15-20 knots. Most likely blew the dish off the signal, although I never had that problem with DISH and it had blown harder here recently without incident. When I called to troubleshoot it over the phone, I was told it would take a service call. The earliest available service for my area is 4 January. Since it is 13 December now, I think that 3 weeks might not be the best service that one could expect. I will attempt to find a local guy to align the dish. I am starting to think the move to Directv was wrong.

Wow. As a E* customer contemplating jumping ship for D* (primarily to get the 3D offered there) you're post certainly gives me pause.

I have one HR24/200 and one H24. No MRV, nothing special, just basic TV.

Just venting, and not happy.

Gordon

WOW. As a E* customer contemplating jumping ship for D* (primarily because of 3D), your post certainly gives me pause. Three weeks to get a tech out??? Totally unacceptable! Oh, I see--'cause they have a lot of new installs....:rant:

Ed

 

[Joe Diamond]

Gordon,

Those signals suck. You should not have much if any HD service. The weather is clear on the east coast now. Your SD service should be ok but if those numbers change in wind conditions.....(.the intersection of Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay is windy!).....the dish is blowing around. Check for leaks in the area of the dish attachment.

You might try COSTCO where you signed up. They might have a local installer contact.......if you are on the Northern Neck there just are not many folks out there and even fewer DirecTV installers. If one is around they would be glad to add your work while on the trip, you betya!

Joe

 

[Joe Diamond]

Ed,

Gordon is a little out in the boonies....not as bad as upper MI but you get the idea. These little dish solutions were developed to compete with cable and allow more addresses to be served. Where you are in MI there is another issue. There are plenty of customers but the Home Service Provider that does the installations could be busy.
(Stoneman...see how I didn't turn this into a an HSP rant...merry Christmas)

So, Ed, once these things get running they are pretty bullet proof......folks want them and like the product.

Joe

 

[bayoubrut]

Yeah those numbers blow!! You know its bad when even the SWM signals are in the 80's....

 

[Mr Tony]

Yeah those are bad. I just got a SL3 installed and other than spotbeam #'s being low due to barely being in the spotbeam my lowest # on a conus is a 93. MOst are 95-96 and some 100's. SWM is all 100. Pics here
http://www.satelliteguys.us/directv-forum/236028-upgrading-hd-couple-questions.html#post2406919

 

[Gordon Shumway]

Thanks to all who contributed. Several items:
- I don't seem to get SD channels for local like I did with DISH (at least I can't find them in the guide-even on all channels)
- I do live on the Northern Neck (at the end, 4 miles from the Bay) and there aren't many people to call for help
- I don't know what a SWM is, what it does, or why I need one
- I think three weeks is a long time for a service call
- I found a Bubba who says he thinks he can realign the dish and I am hoping that's what it is - tomorrow is the target - I hope he knows what he's doing
- With the bowl games and NFL playoffs coming up, if it is more than the alignment, I am planning to cancel the service, eat the $500 and go back to DISH

I would like to thank all of you once again for your contributions.

 

[Joe Diamond]

I don't seem to get SD channels for local like I did with DISH (at least I can't find them in the guide-even on all channels)
Lack of locals could be an alignment thing or the missing locals could be a spot beam from , again, one of the missing sats.

- I do live on the Northern Neck (at the end, 4 miles from the Bay) and there aren't many people to call for help
This should be a plain vanilla fix...probably pushing the dish back int position will fix all.....making it more stable / stronger is advised

- I don't know what a SWM is, what it does, or why I need one
SWM = Single Wire Multiswitch...makes cabling easier...techi thing but DISH does a similar thing in a different manner
- I think three weeks is a long time for a service call
The Home Service Providers (HSPs are offering $20.00 to drive out and fix your rig...I feel your pain)

- I found a Bubba who says he thinks he can realign the dish and I am hoping that's what it is - tomorrow is the target - I hope he knows what he's doing.
People named Bubba don't mind being called Bubba...all others take umbrage, y'all.

- With the bowl games and NFL playoffs coming up, if it is more than the alignment, I am planning to cancel the service, eat the $500 and go back to DISH
My experience as an installer and customer has been that if you gotta have sports you gotta have DirecTV. That is why folks leave DISH. The rig (dish, cable and boxes) are pretty bullet proof once installed correctly. I have sailed that water and you get above average winds all the time with high gusts + heavy fog. Your dish should have one or more monopoles (struts) installed in addition to being attached to the roof. All bolts should be firmly tightened. There is a chance the wind has just rotated the dish slightly and a very small rotation (one degree + / -) will do it.

Make nice with Bubba...even with the trouser cleavage, he is your link to the rest of the world. DISH has the same issue with sending techs out into the boonies.
Besides, since they closed the herring fishery Northern Neck don't smell bad. There are birds to watch...might as well do it...they are watching you. George Washington and Robert E. Lee wouldn't have left Northern neck if they had access to DirecTV.

Joe

 

[bayoubrut]

Ha ha trouser cleavage? We aren't plumbers

 

[raoul5788]

You wish you got paid like a plumber I'll bet!

 

[bayoubrut]

You wish you got paid like a plumber I'll bet!

I can put up with some stuff working as a tech but the type of stuff plumbers put up with is something altogether diff.

 

[raoul5788]

That's one of the reasons they get the big bucks!

 

[Joe Diamond]

I can put up with some stuff working as a tech but the type of stuff plumbers put up with is something altogether diff.

Rule #1 is the same....................has to do with what runs down hill.

Payday varies.

We are looking at expectations built up by national advertising as opposed to what is possible.

GORDON, report how Bubba does,

Joe

 

[stonecold]

Gordon,

After everything is said and done, just ask us for a time with out service credit .