Need to move my dish. Do I call D* or do I call installer directly?

[DrummerBoy523]

I've got a couple of trees that have finally caused my 103ca signals to drop into the lower 70s and higher 60s on a good day. It was cloudy & windy yesterday and my signals were in the 50s and 60s. So, I need to get my dish moved.

Question - is it best to just call D* directly, or should I call an installer myself?

If it is allowed on this forum, I could use some installer recommendations in the south Nashville area (Brentwood/Franklin).

Thanks!

[boba]

I've got a couple of trees that have finally caused my 103ca signals to drop into the lower 70s and higher 60s on a good day. It was cloudy & windy yesterday and my signals were in the 50s and 60s. So, I need to get my dish moved.

Question - is it best to just call D* directly, or should I call an installer myself?

If it is allowed on this forum, I could use some installer recommendations in the south Nashville area (Brentwood/Franklin).

Thanks!I'd call D* but there is nothing stopping you from arranging your own service call.

[joe diamond]

I've got a couple of trees that have finally caused my 103ca signals to drop into the lower 70s and higher 60s on a good day. It was cloudy & windy yesterday and my signals were in the 50s and 60s. So, I need to get my dish moved.

Question - is it best to just call D* directly, or should I call an installer myself?

If it is allowed on this forum, I could use some installer recommendations in the south Nashville area (Brentwood/Franklin).

Thanks!

Assuming you have already explored pruning the tree and pulling limbs to improve he signal, you are on your own with moving the dish. Directv will send somebody, charge you and pay them something.

If you an find someone...and installers do read this site...you can deal with them directly.

Joe

[employee3]

I just had one recently moved. It's a $50 + tax service call to move an existing dish through DirecTV.

[DrummerBoy523]

I just had one recently moved. It's a $50 + tax service call to move an existing dish through DirecTV.

Any chance the PP would cut that cost?

[RobertE]

Any chance the PP would cut that cost?

Unlikely. But anything is possible.

[employee3]

Any chance the PP would cut that cost?

Unknown. I wanted my dish moved (not necessary for signal) to a location I preferred. If you are having signal problems, then it probably depends on what CSR you get.

[netraa]

Any chance the PP would cut that cost?

If you call Directv for a dish relocate for anything other than a service impacting problem, and you open a service call, be prepared to also pay the technician $99 for a dish relocate.

Trees are kinda touch and go on a service call. If you planted the tree that is now obstructing your view of the satellites after your dish was installed, prepare yourself to pay the 99 bucks.

If the trees are just trees and they have grown over time, you might get lucky and get a tech to move the dish on a service call, but your safer bet is to call and get a ODU relocate in the first place.

The reason I say this is two fold. One, service calls are designed to fix and repair installs, not completely tear out and reinstall the dish. Secondly, they are not scheduled for amount of time during the day that it requires to properly do the job. If you open a service call and the dish relocate is going to take longer than the tech has slotted for you, you might get rescheduled.

Now, to further explain this let me digress a bit.:soapbox:

There are technicians that are paid hourly in some markets. They will usually do whatever, whenever, on what ever kind of call they are on because they can stroke it, make the hours and get paid. (think of the odd post here where a tech re-ran all the wire in the house, every fitting every wall plate and cooked the customer lunch while they were at it)

Then there are contract technicians that are paid by the piece on the job. They generally will either halfarse it or not do the job because they get paid XX to do a service call and it's going to actually cost them more in materials than they will make on the call. They are not the one you want doing the job because it's either not going to be done right, or you are guaranteed to be rescheduled and they have every right to do so because the work order is actually wrong. (think Joe Diamond here)

and third, there are techs like me that are paid by the piece by the job but all their material is provided to them. These guys are your 50/50 shot. If you have the wrong type of work order opened, but i can get the job done in the time alloted, and it's not going to kill me to make it happen, it happens. If you happen to catch a day where i'm strung out all over the area, have a ton of jobs stacked up, or you are just unlucky to be the 2nd or 3rd person that day with a wrong work order I'm going to pass up on the pay for your job and your not going in.

Yes, Calling D* and ordering an ODU relocate is going to cost you more initially, but your guaranteed to go in with the proper work order and not have to string it out over more than one day. More than a few of the 'horror stories' you read about on here are actually work order problems at the root. Instead of the tech just telling the customer that the work order is wrong and having the customer call and get it fixed the tech decides to just get the work order they have installed, get paid, hope and pray it lasts 7 days before the customer calls in and let the customer deal with the aftermath.

FYI, 99% of the time, if I am running late, it's because I was at someone's house before you with an incorrect work order, either because they are trying to sneak something through the system, or just because of poor training at the call center. I decided to do right by them, and once i got neck deep into the system, discovered it was going to take 2 hours instead of 30 mins. Now that the system is totally torn apart and not working at all any more i am kinda stuck and so is everyone scheduled after that call.

[DrummerBoy523]

If you call Directv for a dish relocate for anything other than a service impacting problem, and you open a service call, be prepared to also pay the technician $99 for a dish relocate.

Trees are kinda touch and go on a service call. If you planted the tree that is now obstructing your view of the satellites after your dish was installed, prepare yourself to pay the 99 bucks.

If the trees are just trees and they have grown over time, you might get lucky and get a tech to move the dish on a service call, but your safer bet is to call and get a ODU relocate in the first place.

The reason I say this is two fold. One, service calls are designed to fix and repair installs, not completely tear out and reinstall the dish. Secondly, they are not scheduled for amount of time during the day that it requires to properly do the job. If you open a service call and the dish relocate is going to take longer than the tech has slotted for you, you might get rescheduled.

Now, to further explain this let me digress a bit.:soapbox:

There are technicians that are paid hourly in some markets. They will usually do whatever, whenever, on what ever kind of call they are on because they can stroke it, make the hours and get paid. (think of the odd post here where a tech re-ran all the wire in the house, every fitting every wall plate and cooked the customer lunch while they were at it)

Then there are contract technicians that are paid by the piece on the job. They generally will either halfarse it or not do the job because they get paid XX to do a service call and it's going to actually cost them more in materials than they will make on the call. They are not the one you want doing the job because it's either not going to be done right, or you are guaranteed to be rescheduled and they have every right to do so because the work order is actually wrong. (think Joe Diamond here)

and third, there are techs like me that are paid by the piece by the job but all their material is provided to them. These guys are your 50/50 shot. If you have the wrong type of work order opened, but i can get the job done in the time alloted, and it's not going to kill me to make it happen, it happens. If you happen to catch a day where i'm strung out all over the area, have a ton of jobs stacked up, or you are just unlucky to be the 2nd or 3rd person that day with a wrong work order I'm going to pass up on the pay for your job and your not going in.

Yes, Calling D* and ordering an ODU relocate is going to cost you more initially, but your guaranteed to go in with the proper work order and not have to string it out over more than one day. More than a few of the 'horror stories' you read about on here are actually work order problems at the root. Instead of the tech just telling the customer that the work order is wrong and having the customer call and get it fixed the tech decides to just get the work order they have installed, get paid, hope and pray it lasts 7 days before the customer calls in and let the customer deal with the aftermath.

FYI, 99% of the time, if I am running late, it's because I was at someone's house before you with an incorrect work order, either because they are trying to sneak something through the system, or just because of poor training at the call center. I decided to do right by them, and once i got neck deep into the system, discovered it was going to take 2 hours instead of 30 mins. Now that the system is totally torn apart and not working at all any more i am kinda stuck and so is everyone scheduled after that call.

Thanks a ton. I think I will just call D*.

What does "ODU" stand for when you mention "ODU relocate"?

[netraa]

Thanks a ton. I think I will just call D*.

What does "ODU" stand for when you mention "ODU relocate"?

sorries...
ODU is Out Door Unit....
IRD is Inside Receiver Decoder

[curt8403]

sorries...
ODU is Out Door Unit....
IRD is Inside Receiver Decoder


actually Integrated Receiver Decoder/
Picky, Picky, Picky. :lol:

[netraa]

actually Integrated Receiver Decoder/
Picky, Picky, Picky. :lol:

:blush:

[DrummerBoy523]

thanks for all the help.

I'm thinking about ordering the MRV package along with an upgrade to an existing SD DVR upstairs to HDDVR, so maybe I can get them to throw in the dish move for a discount or something. We'll see.

Thanks again for the help.