Dennis K
11-05-02, 03:27 PM
I posted this at "the other place" but thought it might be informative over here as well.
* * * * * * *
I've posted earlier but I thought I'd consolidate my DirecTV Movers Program experience into one thread for archival purposes. This might help someone else down the line. Note -- it's LONG.
** Mid-September, 2002 -- I made a counter-offer on a house and the offer was accepted. We set a closing date of October 25 and plan to move the weekend of October 26-27.
** October 7 -- I called DirecTV Movers Program "hotline" and scheduled an install for October 26 (Saturday) between 1:00 and 5:00 pm. I explained that it would be a difficult job (five DirecTiVos (10 lines) with lines going to three rooms. Brick house. D* rep insisted it was no problem, the installer would fish the wires through the walls and provide a multi-switch. I asked for the installer's phone number so I could confirm the job. D* said I needed to call back in 24 hours and they would have a phone number for me.
** October 8 -- I called D* for the installer's phone number. D* said that because of my location they didn't have a phone number for me. They noted that I was having four DirecTiVos installed. I corrected them and said it was FIVE, not FOUR DirecTivos. They put me on hold for a long time and came back and said they corrected the order to include a 3x8 multi-switch and a 3x4 multi-switch. I asked again about the difficulty of the job and they reiterated that the installer would run ten lines but none of the lines could be more than 125' from the dish. (From reading other threads I think they may have meant 125' total?)
** October 11 -- After reading more threads here and at www.tivocommunity.com I called to confirm that they would be installing an oval multi-satellite dish. D* replied that they already had me down for an oval dish.
** October 24 -- I come home from work and all five DirecTiVos have a message at the bottom of the screen saying "Insert new access card now to continue viewing programming. View channel 222 for help." I call D* and CSR Chris helps me out. He tells me that my new access cards were sent to my new address. I explain that no one is living at my new address and I haven't even closed on the house. Obviously D* Movers Program updated my account with the new address even though I hadn't moved yet. Chris and I play the "please hold" game three or four times and he gets permission from a supervisor to re-activate my old cards temporarily. We agree that I'll check my new address for the cards and he stresses that the old cards are only going to continue to work for a short time.
** October 24 (same night) -- I get a computer-generated call confirming my installation (10/26, between 1 and 5 pm) that includes an 800# to call if I need to reschedule. Plus a disclaimer that if I do reschedule it will probably be 7-10 days later.
** October 25 -- no new access cards at new address.
** October 25 -- closed on new house.
** October 25, evening -- I get a call from the company that contracted my installation (they are in South Dakota, I'm in Nebraska). I can tell the girl is uncomfortable -- she asks me if I really have five receivers. I confirm that I do have five DirecTiVos. She tells me that's a really big job that will take at least a day. I tell her that I called D* three times to confirm that they understood the job. She informs me that they don't print out the work orders until the night before each job. She says there's no way they can do the job in an afternoon and they we need to reschedule. OK, I say, when can you come out? We reschedule for first thing the following Saturday (November 2) at 8:00 am. Then she says, "Well, sometime after 8:00, it might not be right at 8:00, maybe 9:00." OK, whatever, and I thank her for calling.
Note: Earlier I had decided to not reconnect Dish (Superstations) nor put up a rooftop antenna at the new house. I decided to give cable a try for my locals. To get free install I agreed to get all the basic and digital channels plus all HBOs for $29.95/mo for minimum of three months. They also put me at the front of their installation schedule so I had them scheduled to do a (free) two room install on Monday, October 28, between 1 and 5 pm.
October 26-27-28 (it's all a blur but we got moved)
October 28 -- cable guy showed up on time and installed service as promised. Since house was already wired for three rooms he went ahead and reconnected all the outlets.
October 28 -- I call E* and cancel service. I explain that D* is my primary service and I'm trying out cable but I'll be back if cable is a bust. They offer to put me on a seasonal hold ($5/mo) for three months and I decline. They offer to suspend my account for free for three months and I decline. (Even if cable is a bust I'm not going up on the roof until at least April.) They disconnect me (no charge) but remind me that there will be a $25 reconnect fee if I come back to E*. I say that's ok and we're done.
October 28 -- still no new access cards. I call D* to inquire about the access cards. I also asked them to suspend my account for a week since the movers installation was postponed a week. They suspended my account, no problem. But the CSR then told me the cards had been shipped (Fed Ex) to me on October 11. I said I had no idea where the cards went since no one had been living in the house for months prior to my moving in. She said I could hold or they could call me back. I gave them my home and work number and they said they'd call.
November 1 -- no new access cards. No call from D*. I call D* to see what's going on since my install is scheduled for first thing the next day. CSR says cards were shipped and I should call because they are probably holding them for me. I say, call Fed Ex? She says, no UPS -- no, wait, USPS. I say, look, I think this is your problem and either you trace the cards or ship me new ones because the installer will be here tomorrow morning. I'm put on hold. A few minutes later the CSR says they are shipping new cards, Fed Ex overnight. I thank her and hang up.
November 2 -- 8:00 am, 9:00 am, 10:00 am -- here comes a guy in a truck with the bed heaped full of spools of cable, ladder, boxes. Must be him. Go out to meet him in the driveway. Practically the first thing out of his mouth is -- oval dish ain't gonna work. It won't cause problems right away but after I leave it'll start blinking out and you'll be mad and call me to come back.
Out of curiosity I asked him if D* was fairly compensating him for doing a big install and he said, "not really."
I knew it was going to be a long morning. Now I don't claim to know everything, but I've done several installs and try to keep up here at dbsforums.com. I just thought I'd take advantage of the movers program and get the new dish and a professional install for $13. Plus I've never messed with multiple switches and multi-satellite dishes and I didn't feel like arguing.
The installer also didn't think I had a good enough view of the side satellites (and he may be right but I don't think so). He was pretty insistant that we re-use one of my 18" dishes. I finally agreed. He also added that I could keep the new dish and that it was the "new" type that is round, not oval. I looked at the picture on the box and it does have an illustration of the dish with three lnbs so I'm satisfied it is a multi-sat dish, so I don't think he was trying to rip me off. I think he was just trying to simplify the job, especially since locals aren't available in my area.
I asked about options for locating the dish since I'm planning on having the roof replaced next Spring. Maybe an eave install? Nope, gotta be on the roof.
We go in the house. I show him the three rooms I'd like installed. I asked how much trouble it was going to be to run the extra lines. He said he'd do it for $75 an hour and it would take at least an hour per room plus it would leave a helluva mess because he'd have to tear down the basement ceiling and dig through the walls. No, thanks. I really didn't blame him -- I was very skeptical that any installer was really going to do all that D* had promised.
He said, "grab your coat, you can help me," which really didn't bother me but I thought it was a little nervy just the same. Just then his cell phone rang and he excused himself into the front yard -- had to talk to his girlfriend. About ten minutes later he was ready to start.
All through the job there was a lot of chatter. He was a nice kid and all but he had an opinion about everything and (thought he knew) a lot about any subject that came up.
I hate to say too much about the installer, he was nice enough and who knows, he may end up reading this. If he does, the only advice I'd give is to lighten up on the chatter and do the job a little more quickly. There is one more piece of advice I'd give but more on that later.
First thing he did was the paperwork, which there was a couple pages worth since I have five DirecTiVos. Then he went on the roof and installed the (my 18") dish. What do I care, I had four on the side of the old house and three still new in the box from my DirecTiVo/Circuit City $.01 dish deals but I wonder what he would have done if I hadn't had an 18" dish for him to re-use? He ran the cable over the roof and down the side of the house next to the cable line. Fortunately we were able to use the same hole the cable guys drilled. The house is brick and earlier he was telling me it might be a problem drilling into the brick. So, problem averted. But I did note he didn't ground the dish. I also noted he drilled the lag bolts into the roof but didn't do anything to caulk or seal them. I assume that's ok?
We went back out to the truck and he hands me a 3x8 multi-switch, non-powered. Says, take care of that, I only carry one with me. Tells me it runs about $116. We go in the house and he runs the two sat cables and the cable tv cable into the 3x8 switch. Then he says we're going to need to use diplexors and offers to sell me some. No problem, I have at least a half-dozen and hand him two. Then he re-uses the existing cable lines to run to the other two rooms and runs three lines (one each) to the three DirecTiVos in the basement. He wants to know if we can re-use some of my cables. I say that I wasn't very careful when I ripped my stuff out of the old house so I'd prefer new cables. Note that after he left I still had to run three lines from the 3x8 switch to the three downstairs DirecTiVos to connect the second tuner on each.
Fed Ex arrives with the new cards. Installer has to rip up all the paperwork and start over. While he's switching out the cards and doing the paperwork he asks me what I'm going to do with the old cards. I said that I think you are just supposed to throw them away. The installer informs me he has a friend that can change the cards and they'll get everything for free. He says I can get NFL Sunday Ticket for free. I say no thanks. I said, you keep the cards -- call it your bonus. He was thrilled. No less than three more times he asks if I'm sure he doesn't want me to have his buddy hack one of the cards for me. You get everything free. Yes, I'm sure I don't want any hacked cards. So, there's my other piece of advice. I'm not going to turn you in but someday you (the installer) are going to run into somebody who is going to turn you in. You might want to at least be a little more discreet.
Installer calls D* to get the DirecTiVos activated. It takes awhile, as you can imagine if you've every called D* on a weekend. I confirm that all the receivers are good, sign the paperwork and 2.5 hours after he arrived he leaves. Whew! I know if had all the cool toys he had (magnetized level, signal meter, dual RG-6 cable on a spool, drill bit for lag bolts, etc) I could have done the job in a half-hour. But I just had to get that multi-sat dish (which we didn't use) and "professional" installation for $13 and change. Actually, I got just what expected except I thought we'd at least use the new dish.
* * * * * * *
I've posted earlier but I thought I'd consolidate my DirecTV Movers Program experience into one thread for archival purposes. This might help someone else down the line. Note -- it's LONG.
** Mid-September, 2002 -- I made a counter-offer on a house and the offer was accepted. We set a closing date of October 25 and plan to move the weekend of October 26-27.
** October 7 -- I called DirecTV Movers Program "hotline" and scheduled an install for October 26 (Saturday) between 1:00 and 5:00 pm. I explained that it would be a difficult job (five DirecTiVos (10 lines) with lines going to three rooms. Brick house. D* rep insisted it was no problem, the installer would fish the wires through the walls and provide a multi-switch. I asked for the installer's phone number so I could confirm the job. D* said I needed to call back in 24 hours and they would have a phone number for me.
** October 8 -- I called D* for the installer's phone number. D* said that because of my location they didn't have a phone number for me. They noted that I was having four DirecTiVos installed. I corrected them and said it was FIVE, not FOUR DirecTivos. They put me on hold for a long time and came back and said they corrected the order to include a 3x8 multi-switch and a 3x4 multi-switch. I asked again about the difficulty of the job and they reiterated that the installer would run ten lines but none of the lines could be more than 125' from the dish. (From reading other threads I think they may have meant 125' total?)
** October 11 -- After reading more threads here and at www.tivocommunity.com I called to confirm that they would be installing an oval multi-satellite dish. D* replied that they already had me down for an oval dish.
** October 24 -- I come home from work and all five DirecTiVos have a message at the bottom of the screen saying "Insert new access card now to continue viewing programming. View channel 222 for help." I call D* and CSR Chris helps me out. He tells me that my new access cards were sent to my new address. I explain that no one is living at my new address and I haven't even closed on the house. Obviously D* Movers Program updated my account with the new address even though I hadn't moved yet. Chris and I play the "please hold" game three or four times and he gets permission from a supervisor to re-activate my old cards temporarily. We agree that I'll check my new address for the cards and he stresses that the old cards are only going to continue to work for a short time.
** October 24 (same night) -- I get a computer-generated call confirming my installation (10/26, between 1 and 5 pm) that includes an 800# to call if I need to reschedule. Plus a disclaimer that if I do reschedule it will probably be 7-10 days later.
** October 25 -- no new access cards at new address.
** October 25 -- closed on new house.
** October 25, evening -- I get a call from the company that contracted my installation (they are in South Dakota, I'm in Nebraska). I can tell the girl is uncomfortable -- she asks me if I really have five receivers. I confirm that I do have five DirecTiVos. She tells me that's a really big job that will take at least a day. I tell her that I called D* three times to confirm that they understood the job. She informs me that they don't print out the work orders until the night before each job. She says there's no way they can do the job in an afternoon and they we need to reschedule. OK, I say, when can you come out? We reschedule for first thing the following Saturday (November 2) at 8:00 am. Then she says, "Well, sometime after 8:00, it might not be right at 8:00, maybe 9:00." OK, whatever, and I thank her for calling.
Note: Earlier I had decided to not reconnect Dish (Superstations) nor put up a rooftop antenna at the new house. I decided to give cable a try for my locals. To get free install I agreed to get all the basic and digital channels plus all HBOs for $29.95/mo for minimum of three months. They also put me at the front of their installation schedule so I had them scheduled to do a (free) two room install on Monday, October 28, between 1 and 5 pm.
October 26-27-28 (it's all a blur but we got moved)
October 28 -- cable guy showed up on time and installed service as promised. Since house was already wired for three rooms he went ahead and reconnected all the outlets.
October 28 -- I call E* and cancel service. I explain that D* is my primary service and I'm trying out cable but I'll be back if cable is a bust. They offer to put me on a seasonal hold ($5/mo) for three months and I decline. They offer to suspend my account for free for three months and I decline. (Even if cable is a bust I'm not going up on the roof until at least April.) They disconnect me (no charge) but remind me that there will be a $25 reconnect fee if I come back to E*. I say that's ok and we're done.
October 28 -- still no new access cards. I call D* to inquire about the access cards. I also asked them to suspend my account for a week since the movers installation was postponed a week. They suspended my account, no problem. But the CSR then told me the cards had been shipped (Fed Ex) to me on October 11. I said I had no idea where the cards went since no one had been living in the house for months prior to my moving in. She said I could hold or they could call me back. I gave them my home and work number and they said they'd call.
November 1 -- no new access cards. No call from D*. I call D* to see what's going on since my install is scheduled for first thing the next day. CSR says cards were shipped and I should call because they are probably holding them for me. I say, call Fed Ex? She says, no UPS -- no, wait, USPS. I say, look, I think this is your problem and either you trace the cards or ship me new ones because the installer will be here tomorrow morning. I'm put on hold. A few minutes later the CSR says they are shipping new cards, Fed Ex overnight. I thank her and hang up.
November 2 -- 8:00 am, 9:00 am, 10:00 am -- here comes a guy in a truck with the bed heaped full of spools of cable, ladder, boxes. Must be him. Go out to meet him in the driveway. Practically the first thing out of his mouth is -- oval dish ain't gonna work. It won't cause problems right away but after I leave it'll start blinking out and you'll be mad and call me to come back.
Out of curiosity I asked him if D* was fairly compensating him for doing a big install and he said, "not really."
I knew it was going to be a long morning. Now I don't claim to know everything, but I've done several installs and try to keep up here at dbsforums.com. I just thought I'd take advantage of the movers program and get the new dish and a professional install for $13. Plus I've never messed with multiple switches and multi-satellite dishes and I didn't feel like arguing.
The installer also didn't think I had a good enough view of the side satellites (and he may be right but I don't think so). He was pretty insistant that we re-use one of my 18" dishes. I finally agreed. He also added that I could keep the new dish and that it was the "new" type that is round, not oval. I looked at the picture on the box and it does have an illustration of the dish with three lnbs so I'm satisfied it is a multi-sat dish, so I don't think he was trying to rip me off. I think he was just trying to simplify the job, especially since locals aren't available in my area.
I asked about options for locating the dish since I'm planning on having the roof replaced next Spring. Maybe an eave install? Nope, gotta be on the roof.
We go in the house. I show him the three rooms I'd like installed. I asked how much trouble it was going to be to run the extra lines. He said he'd do it for $75 an hour and it would take at least an hour per room plus it would leave a helluva mess because he'd have to tear down the basement ceiling and dig through the walls. No, thanks. I really didn't blame him -- I was very skeptical that any installer was really going to do all that D* had promised.
He said, "grab your coat, you can help me," which really didn't bother me but I thought it was a little nervy just the same. Just then his cell phone rang and he excused himself into the front yard -- had to talk to his girlfriend. About ten minutes later he was ready to start.
All through the job there was a lot of chatter. He was a nice kid and all but he had an opinion about everything and (thought he knew) a lot about any subject that came up.
I hate to say too much about the installer, he was nice enough and who knows, he may end up reading this. If he does, the only advice I'd give is to lighten up on the chatter and do the job a little more quickly. There is one more piece of advice I'd give but more on that later.
First thing he did was the paperwork, which there was a couple pages worth since I have five DirecTiVos. Then he went on the roof and installed the (my 18") dish. What do I care, I had four on the side of the old house and three still new in the box from my DirecTiVo/Circuit City $.01 dish deals but I wonder what he would have done if I hadn't had an 18" dish for him to re-use? He ran the cable over the roof and down the side of the house next to the cable line. Fortunately we were able to use the same hole the cable guys drilled. The house is brick and earlier he was telling me it might be a problem drilling into the brick. So, problem averted. But I did note he didn't ground the dish. I also noted he drilled the lag bolts into the roof but didn't do anything to caulk or seal them. I assume that's ok?
We went back out to the truck and he hands me a 3x8 multi-switch, non-powered. Says, take care of that, I only carry one with me. Tells me it runs about $116. We go in the house and he runs the two sat cables and the cable tv cable into the 3x8 switch. Then he says we're going to need to use diplexors and offers to sell me some. No problem, I have at least a half-dozen and hand him two. Then he re-uses the existing cable lines to run to the other two rooms and runs three lines (one each) to the three DirecTiVos in the basement. He wants to know if we can re-use some of my cables. I say that I wasn't very careful when I ripped my stuff out of the old house so I'd prefer new cables. Note that after he left I still had to run three lines from the 3x8 switch to the three downstairs DirecTiVos to connect the second tuner on each.
Fed Ex arrives with the new cards. Installer has to rip up all the paperwork and start over. While he's switching out the cards and doing the paperwork he asks me what I'm going to do with the old cards. I said that I think you are just supposed to throw them away. The installer informs me he has a friend that can change the cards and they'll get everything for free. He says I can get NFL Sunday Ticket for free. I say no thanks. I said, you keep the cards -- call it your bonus. He was thrilled. No less than three more times he asks if I'm sure he doesn't want me to have his buddy hack one of the cards for me. You get everything free. Yes, I'm sure I don't want any hacked cards. So, there's my other piece of advice. I'm not going to turn you in but someday you (the installer) are going to run into somebody who is going to turn you in. You might want to at least be a little more discreet.
Installer calls D* to get the DirecTiVos activated. It takes awhile, as you can imagine if you've every called D* on a weekend. I confirm that all the receivers are good, sign the paperwork and 2.5 hours after he arrived he leaves. Whew! I know if had all the cool toys he had (magnetized level, signal meter, dual RG-6 cable on a spool, drill bit for lag bolts, etc) I could have done the job in a half-hour. But I just had to get that multi-sat dish (which we didn't use) and "professional" installation for $13 and change. Actually, I got just what expected except I thought we'd at least use the new dish.