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My Genie Upgrade. Not!

6K views 114 replies 17 participants last post by  PDXDirecTVFan 
#1 ·
Been with directv for 10 years and each time I've had to deal with installers it turns out a frustrating experience. A few years back when we upgraded to hd the installer never could figure out how to run a 2nd line to our bedroom So we were left with a dvr that could only watch/record on one channel

Today I was scheduled to upgrade to a genie/mini. Wanted the hr44. No can do. Maybe in 4-5 months. Then I was told I would need a new dish and it would have to be installed on the roof (no). Or on a pole. But I would have to get ms utility to mark the area. Bottom line. No install.


At this rate ill be on rabbit ears before the end of the year. They make it too hard.
 
#27 ·
inkahauts said:
Wait, something is still missing here. It sounds like you have 2 hd dvrs? Or am I just reading that wrong?

And yeah, you need them to upgrade your dish to swim lnb, then pop the genie (dont wait, jump now) in the living room and connect the hr22 you have to your tv upstairs, and set it for both tuners (swim allows one line for both tuners now) and turn on MRV which will allow you to see and play back shows from either dvr to the other. If he didn't know about MRV you just got the newbie that has no clue about anything.

yes...we have 2 hd dvr's
 
#28 ·
VaJim said:
It's on the corner just below the roof line. It has 3 support brackets and that was the problem according to the installer. He said the new dish is larger and I would need it due to my programming. I was going to get the nfl st again this year. But not anymore. Had the genie and st in the order and ended up canceling the whole package

Supposedly the new dish has larger brackets
The above concerns me. The only reason I have seen dishes with 3 or more monopoles is because the are improperly installed so service tech instead of remounting the dish starts adding monopoles
 
#29 ·
When I moved into a new house last year my installer said he had to remove the dish from the eave of the house due to so some new directive, so now it's mounted to the wall below the eave. I can only guess that the eave is no longer deemed strong enough because even though he installed the new SWM dish it was physically the same size as the one he removed.
 
#30 ·
the other part that makes me upset, is that even if I agreed to the hr34 and went with the new dish on the pole, the installer still would have had to come back another day (ugh) because I would have had to call Ms. Utility to mark the ground before he digs. Way to go Directv.
 
#32 ·
VaJim said:
and went with the new dish on the pole, the installer still would have had to come back another day (ugh) because I would have had to call Ms. Utility to mark the ground before he digs. Way to go Directv.
I am still having trouble understanding the above. How is that DirecTV's fault? "call before you dig" appears to be the law where you live
 
#34 ·
Bill Broderick said:
... plus you were the one who wouldn't allow a roof installation. You were given an option that would have allowed for immediate installation and you refused that option.
peds48 said:
I am still having trouble understanding the above. How is that DirecTV's fault? "call before you dig" appears to be the law where you live
I didn't think I said it was Directv's fault. It is true that I was given the onsight install options, it sure would have helped if the CSR (don't they keep track of the dish I have) told me in advance to plan for a possible dish re-location. After 10 years you'd think I would have learned how all this works.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.
 
#35 ·
Bill Broderick said:
... plus you were the one who wouldn't allow a roof installation. You were given an option that would have allowed for immediate installation and you refused that option.
you quoted the wrong person
 
#37 ·
Bill Broderick said:
When you said that the dish has 3 support brackets, were you including the large 2" pipe in that count or were you saying that you have a 2" pipe and 3 additional monopole supports?


A standard Slimline setup should essentially look like this

yes....mine looks like your pics.....2 thin legs/arms and 1 base pipe....just like that.

Thanks for the pics!
 
#41 ·
inkahauts said:
This really is bizzare if he saw that and thought he needed to replace it.
Although to be devil's advocate, if the dish is not "properly" mounted I will understand the reasoning of the installer. Where I live, most fascia boards are only 4 inches wide, not enough "real state" to mount the mast "properly" So until i see the pictures, I am not ready to call this one off
 
#42 ·
well trying to recall the actual conversation, the first thing he said was..."my company no longer supports that type of install". Then when we were in the house talking with my wife about the new install option, the question came up why we need a new dish and the answer was ..."it's because of the programming you have.." What? I've had NFL ST since 2003 and never had a problem. I'm now thinking that if he was to just replace the LNB (?) and in the process he loosened the dish and was unable to tighten it back down.....well that's just a guess. I can tell you my current dish went up about 3-4 years ago and has been rock solid. Here in SE Virginia we get some strong winds and the dish has never moved. The only time we've ever lost signal has been during a serious slow moving thunder storm.

I asked Directv why I had to get a new dish and here's what they said:

"..., I'd like to explain the dish upgrade the technician was referring to. The Genie only works with Single Wire Multi-Switch (SWiM) technology which allows for a single wire from the satellite dish to be able to supply signal to multiple receivers, helping to reduce the number of cables that need to be used. We have satellite dishes that have this feature integrated, and this is why a dish upgrade would have been needed -- since you Genie is not compatible with your current dish."
 
#43 ·
trh said:
VA Jim -- Another user posted earlier this month in the NFL ST pricing thread that she bought her 44 from SolidSignal and DirecTV gave her a $375 credit for the purchase.

http://www.dbstalk.com/topic/202500-sunday-ticket-2013-pricing-announced/?p=3153181

Of course no guarantees you can get the same deal, but you won't know until you ask.
Thanks

I asked about this and here's what Directv said...

"Please know that along with the DIRECTV PROTECTION PLAN changes, we've added additional benefits to the already great equipment coverage the DIRECTV PROTECTION PLAN provides. This includes equipment upgrades every 2 years with no up-front costs. If you take advantage of a special promotional equipment offer through this program, the time period will be reset and you would be eligible for another free equipment upgrade in 2 years. Please keep in mind that currently, only 1 Genie HD DVR per account is possible. As this special equipment offer is provided through the new DIRECTV PROTECTION PLAN, we are unable to reimburse you for outside purchases."
 
#46 ·
VaJim said:
Yes. Sent an email. I need more time to calm down before I maybe call again. I'm afraid if I called right now all I would say is. " shut it down"
keep in mind that your experience with the tech is not the CSR fault. I would schedule another appointment as usual and hopefully you have a better experience
 
#47 ·
peds48 said:
keep in mind that your experience with the tech is not the CSR fault. I would schedule another appointment as usual and hopefully you have a better experience
You're right....actually the CSR and the installer were both nice. What bummed me out was no HR44 and then the confusion on needing a new dish in a different location.
 
#48 ·
All I can make of this is that the installer was as clueless as the author of that response letter.

Where they don't understand the technical distinction between the Dish reflector and arm assembly and the LNBF mounted on it. Even though the expression "the Dish" is loosely used to refer to them all together by many in conversation, particularly in general or non-technical contexts, so I can excuse the letter author for the error on that basis.

But the technician certainly should have known better.
 
#49 ·
One other question. If I decide to keep one of the hr21-100 (wife's programming) the way it sounds is it would be deactivated but plugged into the tv on a separate hdmi input and play the recorded shows from the 'list'. It would not be on the actual satellite. Does that sound right?
 
#50 ·
VaJim said:
You're right....actually the CSR and the installer were both nice. What bummed me out was no HR44 and then the confusion on needing a new dish in a different location.
so all of this because no 44??
 
#51 ·
VaJim said:
One other question. If I decide to keep one of the hr21-100 (wife's programming) the way it sounds is it would be deactivated but plugged into the tv on a separate hdmi input and play the recorded shows from the 'list'. It would not be on the actual satellite. Does that sound right?
depends if the HR21 is recoverable by DirecTV. IIRC the HR2x will go into a reboot loop if not connected to a live satellite feed.
 
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