Voom, CVC, FCC, and Installs, Inc. - What Now And Why?

bradley

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Jun 9, 2004
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If there was any one thing besides Wall Street's gloom and doom projected onto Voom that drove it to its present situation it was their relationship with Install's, Inc.; the most decisive factor in the equation.

Install's, Inc. was and is the outsourced contractor for Voom's installations nationally. They subsequently scheduled and distributed actual installation assignments to yet other groups who are established regionally who acted as go betweens in the process. Eventually the installation process would assign an independent contractor servicing a small geographical area to do the actual installation. And, unfortunately that independent contractor had little training and experience, especially when it came to capturing OTA (over-the-air) signals.

Another factor was Install’s, Inc. lack of overall supervision, training, and monitoring of the installation process. There was little on going in regards to Q and A (quality assurance). For a company who’s sole existence is dependent on servicing providers by facilitating the actual installation process to Voom and many other clients, it would appear Installs, Inc. was seemingly only interested in the revenues it could generate but failed to satisfy both client and end-user. Again, seriously alarming when you consider their sole existence is predicated on the aforementioned.

Hence, dissatisfied customers churn and abuse from primary all the way down to independent contractors.

Who really made money off this Voom venture? Well, Install's, Inc. and those that have or had relationships with them seem to have faired pretty damn well.

How?

My personal experience with the installation process finally ended a week ago, successfully I might add, after 11 (eleven) installation visits. Eleven! Eleven intrusions into my life, eleven schedule changes, eleven inconveniences, and countless phone calls to both Voom and Install’s, Inc. Eleven times Install's, Inc. went back to Voom and billed them for absolutely incompetent and unjustifiable services. This process initiated in March of 2004 ending in January of 2005; eleven months later.

If it were not for the fact I was relentless in asserting as to making damn sure I got what I had paid for I would have canceled long, long ago. Just as those other Voom subscribers did.

In the process I made absolutely clear to Install's, Inc. what they were doing to Voom and end users was a crime and that they would ultimately be responsible as to the demise of Voom.

But, let’s be real here. The buck doesn’t stop there. What the most the painful aspect about all of this is that Chuck Dolan and the board at CVC had no one, and I mean absolutely no one at the helm that was qualified to see this venture through.

When CVC issued IPOs in an attempt to spin off Voom as an independent entity it read as a suicide note.

As of this writing, Voom is still viable and operating yet, the CVC board met Monday, January 31, 2005 suposidly to put end to Voom’s fate and ultimately the bleeding of assets from CVC’s vault. Indecisively, they now intend to meet tomorrow, Friday, February 3, 2005, which in turn, may seal the fait of Voom once and for all.

How will the FCC handle the sale to Echostar of Voom's physical assets such as the satellite, Rainbow 1, its orbital location, uplink facilities in South Dakota as well as the 11 frequencies? It’s anyone’s guess at this juncture.

Echostar’s past attempts to acquire DirecTV and other frequencies have fallen on deaf ears at the Commission. What would make this attempt any different?

No one has a crystal ball that can predict the future, but I will say this… if Voom is taken down, its assets dispersed, no one person or entity in there right mind will enter this arena again without Walls Street’s screws saying, remember, I told you so.

Need I remind you, Wall Street made the same assertions as to viability when Chuck Dolan began HBO and Ted Turner with CNN, and in the end, who prevailed?

Voom, for all its worth, is stunning, in both concept and presentation. With 39 HD channels including specialty programming of the likes of, but not limited to GalleryHD, EquatorHD, UltraHD, RaveHD, and the scheduled expansion in March’05 to over 70 HD as well as hundreds of SD channels, was without exception an exciting and a much needed option, not only to the HD market but SD as well. Voom is a real addition in an extremely limited marketplace. It brought jobs, tax revenues, stimulated growth, technology and ingenuity. It could have even helped stifle inflation in regards to fees and kept the DBS and cable industries in check. The benefits are countless.

What a very bitter pill.
 
I agree 100% with you on the bit about Installs Inc. There's no telling how much money, possibly millions of dollars, that Installs Inc bilked Voom for. I honestly do not think the installers are not that ignorant. They purposely did shoddy installs so they could come back out and make more money from Voom. Voom should have switched to another company when all these problem kept coming up over and over again. Voom also should have let us do self installs.
My installer didn't want to take the time to do the installation. He told me up front that Voom pays him $25 whether or not he installs. He went on to say that if he completed my install and he couldn't get the system working, I would have to pay him $85 on the spot. I convinced him to do the install and stood over him watching what he did the whole time. Finally after he acted too much like one of the 3 stooges, I told him to leave and that I would finish. He had peaked the dish to a signal in the mid 60's then tried to take the equipment down and charge me the $85. That's when I went right to the dish, aligned it properly and got a 95 signal. That's when I told him to leave.
I really did love the HD on Voom. But the company was run by the other 2 stooges and I finally had enough the other night. If Dolan is able to continue Voom somehow I sure hope he changes a lot of the ways they currently do business.
For now I'm going with free OTA HD and I'm upping my Netflix subscription. When Dish finally wakes up and adds more HD I'll probably go with them. DirecTV doesn't believe in real HD anymore so they're not an option.
 
You've brought up a valid point regarding NetFlix. One could be quite happy with their service and OTA. But, I am hooked on Carnival, Six Feet, and Sopranos. Now that Huff is over it isn't such a priority, but SHO is launching some more new projects this year. I won't run out and purchase anything now due to the impending MPEG4 switch over.

DishNetwork responded to one of my e-mails today and confirmed the are examining MPEG4 with no commitment date, confirmed the limitations placed upon the 921 HD DVR and MPEG2 non-compliance but reserved committing to the forthcoming 942 HD DVR and MPEG4 compliance.

DirecTV's commitment to MPEG4 comes this summer with hardware following shortly behind in direct e-mail correspondence and advised to hold off from equipment purchases due to lack of future compatibility.
 
My installer, who was excellent, also installs for D* and E* thru Install's Inc. Doesn't D* and E* have similar problems? Bradley...that is some story. I hope you shared that with VOOM in writing as well. My installer said he got more than $25. That guy was really doing a number on you.
 
This whole experience has been and is surreal.

I don't know if Voom really cared. CSRs for Voom are contract employees. Voom CSRs established conference calls as well as Install's, Inc. I politely discussed issues at hand and when someone would become defensive and began to be in denial of the issues I would kindly remind them denial was one of the key problems.

It appeared ongoing and repetitive issues were to be resolved but continued for months.

I wrote Cablevision on countless occasions and received one reply and a call from corporate long, long ago. The ball was dropped at that point.

Hence, my assertion; no one was really at the helm.

I was told by multiple installers they were paid $125 p/call. Who knows what the fees were invoiced by Install's, Inc. to Voom since everyone in the chain was entitled to compensation.
 
Once again as an installer for Installs Inc, they do what Voom tells them. The reason they don't have the problems with D and E is because they both NORMALLY have the equipment at the customers home before setting up an appointment. With Voom it was shipped (sometimes to the wrong) installer and scheduled before the equipment was shipped. Hence if the equipment was slow in getting out from VOOM then how could we as installers meet an install date? In Installs defense they never seem to have the problems with D they have with voom. Is this Installs fault? NO! Voom promised things and times they couldnt deliver. Example, today we had a service call that was to find out why a customer of voom could not get ANALOG channels through his voom box. He was told by VOOM that he could. Hence they told Installs to send out a tech to fix the problem?????? I've also gone to homes for voom that the customer was never informed they wouldnt be getting their locals from an antenna, most of these were in fringe areas where no matter what you used antenna wise you couldnt get all locals. The customers where under the understanding they were broadcast over satellite. It always seems that the know it alls blame everyone but the source. Installers always take the blame being the bottom of the food chain. I agree there are piss poor installers out there just like any job. Don't blame the messanger, blame the people who jumped into this venture without any clear direction other than "lets wow em' with lots of high def"!
 
SatinstallerhatesVOOM said:
Once again as an installer for Installs Inc, they do what Voom tells them. The reason they don't have the problems with D and E is because they both NORMALLY have the equipment at the customers home before setting up an appointment. With Voom it was shipped (sometimes to the wrong) installer and scheduled before the equipment was shipped. Hence if the equipment was slow in getting out from VOOM then how could we as installers meet an install date? In Installs defense they never seem to have the problems with D they have with voom. Is this Installs fault? NO! Voom promised things and times they couldnt deliver. Example, today we had a service call that was to find out why a customer of voom could not get ANALOG channels through his voom box. He was told by VOOM that he could. Hence they told Installs to send out a tech to fix the problem?????? I've also gone to homes for voom that the customer was never informed they wouldnt be getting their locals from an antenna, most of these were in fringe areas where no matter what you used antenna wise you couldnt get all locals. The customers where under the understanding they were broadcast over satellite. It always seems that the know it alls blame everyone but the source. Installers always take the blame being the bottom of the food chain. I agree there are piss poor installers out there just like any job. Don't blame the messanger, blame the people who jumped into this venture without any clear direction other than "lets wow em' with lots of high def"!

Installs Inc - or whoever served under its name us few times - was the most unprofessional folks I have ever seen. Sent out two 'rapper' who didn't show up in time but called 3 hours later and tried to convince us to move oour appointment to another date because he's already on the way home, far in Queens. When we refused this, he arrived another 3 and a half hour later, late PM.

By the way when I got some better, older folks from upstate, they actively tried to convince me to buy DirecTV, drop Voom because it's sux amateur etc - I couldn't believe to my ears...

Half of Voom's problems come from its installers - 4 out of 6 were clueless on what to do, negligent or incapable.
 
SatinstallerhatesVOOM said:
Once again as an installer for Installs Inc, they do what Voom tells them. The reason they don't have the problems with D and E is because they both NORMALLY have the equipment at the customers home before setting up an appointment. With Voom it was shipped (sometimes to the wrong) installer and scheduled before the equipment was shipped. Hence if the equipment was slow in getting out from VOOM then how could we as installers meet an install date? In Installs defense they never seem to have the problems with D they have with voom. Is this Installs fault? NO! Voom promised things and times they couldnt deliver. Example, today we had a service call that was to find out why a customer of voom could not get ANALOG channels through his voom box. He was told by VOOM that he could. Hence they told Installs to send out a tech to fix the problem?????? I've also gone to homes for voom that the customer was never informed they wouldnt be getting their locals from an antenna, most of these were in fringe areas where no matter what you used antenna wise you couldnt get all locals. The customers where under the understanding they were broadcast over satellite. It always seems that the know it alls blame everyone but the source. Installers always take the blame being the bottom of the food chain. I agree there are piss poor installers out there just like any job. Don't blame the messanger, blame the people who jumped into this venture without any clear direction other than "lets wow em' with lots of high def"!


I have to agree with you on this for the most part.

Bradley I am not sure where you live but here in Indy we have Quality Assurance cause i am the one that goes out 3 day a week and take picture of install all over the state. And i can tell you that in the begin there was some issues with some company's and contractor but for the most part i now have this under control in the Indiana area.
also i can tell you that if the same installer came to home 11 times he was coming for free cause if you go to a service call of your own than you don't get paid for it unless the customer has done something to your install. and if another tech goes then you will be back charges to pay the other tech for what he done that you didn't do .

The main thing that is kill VOOM is the OTA that is what 99.9% of the service call are for and the installer can only do so much with the antenna that is provided. But for the must part the antenna provided do a pretty good job.
 
Sure wish you were in California...

...TYORK...a long delayed thank you for the work you have been doing on this forum. :clap :bow Thanks for taking your time to keep us updated and offer advice! :D :bow

I've long been impressed by your objectivity and "straight shooting". Sure wish you were in my neck of the woods, having already experienced the poor coordination (or whatever you want to call it) between VOOM and Installs, Inc. :( And I even had what I consider really concerned people (Wilt Hildebrand of VOOM and John Wruck of Installs, Inc.) involved in my install at one point, and it still didn't end well! :(

After Wilt and John got involved, I was approved by VOOM for an upgraded antenna. a Weingard, I think. It didn't work at all. The original Stealth could get all the channels, but they broke up frequently. Got approved for a further upgrade, and don't recall for sure whether it was a Channel Master 4228 (which is the one that sticks in my mind) or a DB-8. In any event, the installers that came (or tried to come) never brought the antenna that VOOM had authorized. After the first installer without the right antenna showed up and I wouldn't let him install his "substitute", I always asked if they had the right antenna when they called, and did not let them come if they didn't. That happened twice or maybe three times. Eventually, I cancelled because after a couple of months of trying to get it right, it still wasn't. I was going to be gone for a month, and did not want the person taking care of my house and dog to have to be without local channels.

Bottom line is that in my area, I think VOOM and Installs, Inc. are to pretty much equally to blame. Neither of them exercised acceptable quality control measures, and all of the installers that came to my house complained about VOOM and said how the installations for E* and D* were sooooo much easier! Each one of them also disagreed with the last one and info I had gotten off this formum about diplexors and amps, needed or not needed. Not too professional...

I just wish I could afford to buy you a plane ticket to California. :) It would sure be worth it to have someone as conscientious and knowledgeable as you to do my next insall. :D

I'm jumping back aboard the VOOM ship, and hoping for the best, because despite the problems I experienced before I cancelled, VOOM has it hands down against my cable company, which is the only other HD I have experienced! :D Thanks again, Vicki
 
Vicki,
Thanks I try to help if i can I just fill it is part of my job to a certain point a the Quality Control Tech in Indiana so i can get access to alot of the Field Managers or even the Regional Managers and if I am not sure who is in that area I have the BEST
FIELD MANAGER in the world and a good Regional Manager so they can alway foward to the right person if someone is have big issues.

By the way i sorry that you have had bad issues with your installs.(I wish you had the money to fly me CA to i have never been there )LOL . Hope your next install is better than the last.

again your WELCOME

TYORK
 
It took 7 separate attempts for Installs, Inc. to REMOVE my VOOM! I lost 7 half days of work, missed waiting for them to never come, during which I called numerous CSRs, put up with all kinds of insulting comments about how I need to wait until 12 as the appointment is from 8 to 12 am, and they still did not come. One time the guy said his car broke down. Two times he said because of the major snow storm, yet I told the csr it was completely sunny outside, check your weather map. One time the guy was on the other side of the state, and couldn't get there, etc.

I posted 6 chapters of the install fiasco that I went through in November and December of 03 but do not want to relive that nightmare.

And then the credit card problems, over charging, never refunding, charging full price for equipment because "you did not return the box"!

Yes the HD was great, Installs Inc and the billing department ruined the company.
 
Perhaps your geographical location has their organization operating in a way it should. But, that was not my experience. I'm sorry, I just don't buy it. I am 63 miles from the transmission farm. To show up at my residence with a Stealth that's rated approximately 13-17 miles for metro use is an insult and a waste of my time.

This is my absolute unforgivable personal experience and I have little patience for those who continue to deny there was and is a problem. Fringe installations were an issue. No excuses.

Many of us are informed customers. It's pretty pathetic when you have to explain the difference between a pre-amp and a line amp to a qualified technician and Install's, Inc, Dish Connect, etc.

It's even more pathetic when the show up twice with a line amp.

These people only knew satellite installation. Not OTA capture.

How much does Install's, Inc. invoice Voom p/visit?

How much has Install's, Inc. invoiced Voom for?

How much is a customer's time worth?

How many jobs were completed in:

1 Visit
2 Visits
3 Visits
4 Visits
5 or more Visits

How many canceled due to lack of OTA capture?

Hardware costs for final functional OTA capture was less than $100 + countless hours, ruined days , arriving w/o parts, unneeded box swaps, and no shows, different techs.

If Voom had compiled exit poles and QA poles, and if Install's, Inc. had done the same, I assure you we would not be in our present state.
 
Install Inc

I call Voom to talk to a Sales lady Yesterday and they said Install Inc will hook you up and i should be able to get at least 8 Local station and i should be hooked up Feb 14Th. Today i got a phone call and it was Install Inc and they were going to send a guy over today i said WOW that was fast i said sure he came over within a hour we were talking about technology he told me get these he never installed Voom to a Projector and he said why don't you set up both of your Voom Boxes you seem you know allot about technology so i set my Boxes up while he was outside installing my dish. He came inside and i told him WOW these Voom Boxes were huge and he said it would take a hour to download before you get a signal and then he said make sure to keep it at channel 100 for a extra 30 minuets then he told me to sign some paper work and in find print it said Voom will charge your Credit Card for your first month of programming and you had to sign it, i told him i want Voom that i wanted a paper bill i don't want to pay with a credit card and he said if you don't sign it i must take the Equipment down and you don't want that so i said okay let me sign it. Then after i sign it he told me the Shockng News by the Way you could get only 2 Locals Channels CBS and ABC i said Damn and he said i know they tried calling Voom tech support to figure out why we could only get 2 Locals and Voom has not done nothing about it.

I called Voom up about why i had to sign that last Signature and she said don't worry we won't charge your Credit Card we will send you a Paper Bill i was Happy.

I have to say i am sort of Dissapointed about the locals but then again my Friends and Family said WOW great Picture they all liked all the HD Channels.

:D
 
First of all, welcome to the Voom family. We are here to assist you with problems you may experience.

I will contact you via private message regarding re-scan and viewing signal strength.
 
Thanks for you help

WOW i am glad i found these Fourms if only if Bradly will email maybe i might get my Locals. :D
 
SonicRob said:
I call Voom to talk to a Sales lady Yesterday and they said Install Inc will hook you up and i should be able to get at least 8 Local station and i should be hooked up Feb 14Th. Today i got a phone call and it was Install Inc and they were going to send a guy over today i said WOW that was fast i said sure he came over within a hour we were talking about technology he told me get these he never installed Voom to a Projector and he said why don't you set up both of your Voom Boxes you seem you know allot about technology so i set my Boxes up while he was outside installing my dish. He came inside and i told him WOW these Voom Boxes were huge and he said it would take a hour to download before you get a signal and then he said make sure to keep it at channel 100 for a extra 30 minuets then he told me to sign some paper work and in find print it said Voom will charge your Credit Card for your first month of programming and you had to sign it, i told him i want Voom that i wanted a paper bill i don't want to pay with a credit card and he said if you don't sign it i must take the Equipment down and you don't want that so i said okay let me sign it. Then after i sign it he told me the Shockng News by the Way you could get only 2 Locals Channels CBS and ABC i said Damn and he said i know they tried calling Voom tech support to figure out why we could only get 2 Locals and Voom has not done nothing about it.

I called Voom up about why i had to sign that last Signature and she said don't worry we won't charge your Credit Card we will send you a Paper Bill i was Happy.

I have to say i am sort of Dissapointed about the locals but then again my Friends and Family said WOW great Picture they all liked all the HD Channels.

:D

go to WWW.antennaweb.org and see what it says you will get then keep in mind that the antenna is a directional antenna so if all of you station pretty close to each other you need you antenna adjusted. or maybe even a upgrade antenna then call voom and tell them you are having ota problems and you need a upgraded antenna. if you are with in 25 to 30 miles you should be ok with the sensor II if that is what they installed. or send me your zip code and i will look it up for you.
 
SonicRob said:
WOW i am glad i found these Fourms if only if Bradly will email maybe i might get my Locals. :D


did you get you sat signal yet?
 
Yes

I got my Satellite Signal and Wow the HD Channels are Awesome only 2 Locals though my Zip Code is 78577. :D
 
SonicRob said:
I got my Satellite Signal and Wow the HD Channels are Awesome only 2 Locals though my Zip Code is 78577. :D

From what i can see if you are getting ABC you should be getting NBC they are in the same location at 99* CBS is at 91* but to get the other like
PBS is 95*
TEL is 116*
UNI is 125*
the only way you will get this is to get a multi directional antenna or a rotor .
if you want them also i would call and tell them you need a upgraded multi directional antenna. but if you just want NBC you may just need it adjusted just a little bit. Are you getting any break ups on either of these channel you are getting?
 
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