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Tipping installer, how much?

21K views 128 replies 66 participants last post by  n3vino 
#1 ·
I have an upgrade for LIL's today. New dish and 2 new HD DVR's.
How much should I tip installer?
Thoughts?
 
#6 ·
Where is your dish? Will he be crawling around your roof, up and down a ladder 6 times? Tip would probably depend on the amount of physical labor that needs to be performed.
 
#8 ·
Last upgrade I had they changed the LNB to SWM, added supported MRV and ICK along with 2 receivers and gave him $20
 
#9 ·
Hard to give you a number, but it will jut remind you that a lot of these guys buy their own tools and supplies and work mug harder than they're required to. The last installer I had, I tipped 60 dollars but there were three guys at the house at one point.
 
#11 ·
The tip is slowly fading away. I was scheduled for a 12- 4 install.
He called here at 1230 and said he would be here at 230.
It is 3:10 now, just got called again. He now say he should be here in 35 mins. If he isn't here by 4 I will cancel the install..
 
#12 ·
willis3 said:
The tip is slowly fading away. I was scheduled for a 12- 4 install.
He called here at 1230 and said he would be here at 230.
It is 3:10 now, just got called again. He now say he should be here in 35 mins. If he isn't here by 4 I will cancel the install..
Slowly? The tip is slim and none, and slim left the building two hours ago.

Here's a tip. Always schedule the earliest time for an install. Put in the remarks that you will tip an extra $20 if installer shows up within 10 minutes of start of opening window.
 
#14 ·
willis3 said:
The tip is slowly fading away. I was scheduled for a 12- 4 install.
He called here at 1230 and said he would be here at 230.
It is 3:10 now, just got called again. He now say he should be here in 35 mins. If he isn't here by 4 I will cancel the install..
Might not be 100% the installer's fault though. Years ago when I upgraded to Slimline and HD my installer called me like 4 times saying he was "on his way". When he got there he apologized up and down that he got held up by a difficult customer before me. He said it as delicately as he could without sounding like he was making excuses. It sounded like a situation where the husband scheduled the install but left the wife home to "handle things". The husband showed up midway through and didnt like anything, basically making the installer spend half of his day on one person. Of course that backed him up for the rest of the day.
 
#16 ·
My install was scheduled on Christmas Eve (December 24) a few years ago in the morning. Being more advanced and critical of things being done right and having as little outside involvement as possible, I had already done over 95% of the install, including all cable runs and even mounting and pointing an AU9S dish (bought my own, as the DirecTV supplied one was going to the summer home for when I'm there to use). When the installer arrived about 9am, he was shocked to hear that all the work was about done (and done right) and all that he had to do was run a ground wire and install the receivers into their locations and verify they were working. He immediately called his wife and told her to hold all plans to work around him not being there because his only job of the day (mine) was going to be wrapped up within a half hour, and he'd be home a lot earlier to spend the rest of the day with his family.

So, although not a monetary tip, I did give my installer a huge break and let him be where he should have been to begin with.
 
#17 ·
Alright here is how my day finished.. the installer pulled in at 3:41.
I met him at the front door and we walk to the back of my house to see the Dish.
I knew I was in trouble when on the way there he said "boy I have a 3 hour trip home still".

We got to the Dish and he said, "That's bad you shouldn't even get signal there."
I said "Well i do, all transporters are high 90's.
He went to his van and brought back a device he looked through like a scope. He stood under the Dish (dish is 12 ft off of the ground) then said "nope.. won't work here".
Then he said roof install the only option.. I asked if we could try another spot on my back wall and if he had a meter.. he said roof or nothing..

I said then nothing .. he then left.. I checked my watch he pulled out at 3:48.
Thats right he spent 7 minutes here... wow
 
#18 ·
willis3 said:
Alright here is how my day finished.. the installer pulled in at 3:41.
I met him at the front door and we walk to the back of my house to see the Dish.
I knew I was in trouble when on the way there he said "boy I have a 3 hour trip home still".

We got to the Dish and he said, "That's bad you shouldn't even get signal there."
I said "Well i do, all transporters are high 90's.
He went to his van and brought back a device he looked through like a scope. He stood under the Dish (dish is 12 ft off of the ground) then said "nope.. won't work here".
Then he said roof install the only option.. I asked if we could try another spot on my back wall and if he had a meter.. he said roof or nothing..

I said then nothing .. he then left.. I checked my watch he pulled out at 3:48.
Thats right he spent 7 minutes here... wow
Clearly this guy never intended to do work when he got to you. Call Dtv, explain the situation, and hint you'd like to be compensated.

When my new house got a new install and the installer had to climb through the attic and spent 3hrs getting wires run and hidden and the dish mounted exactly where I wanted it I gave him $100. Definitely a lot but he did a great job, was friendly, never once complained.
 
#20 ·
SledgeHammer said:
Why would you tip these guys anything? Every time I've had a DirecTV guy over it was a horrible experience.
Well obviously there only going to tip the good techs lol.

Ive tipped them about 20$ in the past as well, though afterwards i sometimes felt like it was to small of a tip considering how much work they actually do lol.
 
#21 ·
marker101 said:
My install was scheduled on Christmas Eve (December 24) a few years ago in the morning. Being more advanced and critical of things being done right and having as little outside involvement as possible, I had already done over 95% of the install, including all cable runs and even mounting and pointing an AU9S dish (bought my own, as the DirecTV supplied one was going to the summer home for when I'm there to use). When the installer arrived about 9am, he was shocked to hear that all the work was about done (and done right) and all that he had to do was run a ground wire and install the receivers into their locations and verify they were working. He immediately called his wife and told her to hold all plans to work around him not being there because his only job of the day (mine) was going to be wrapped up within a half hour, and he'd be home a lot earlier to spend the rest of the day with his family.

So, although not a monetary tip, I did give my installer a huge break and let him be where he should have been to begin with.
He should have tipped you.

SF
 
#22 ·
I've struggled with this most of my life.....and gotten "beat up" over it by lots of my friends.

I tip servers in bars and restaurants, bellmen/porters in hotels, car jockeys in car dealers and valet parking, pizza/food delivery folks......stuff like that.

I don't tip service techs (many of my friends say I should)?? I spent much of my career as a mechanic working for the government, we were paid less than our peers in the private sector and it was illegal for us to accept gratuities.....

I always figured...here's a D* (or whatever) tech, probably making more money than I do.....he's getting paid to do his job, and I'm going to give him more for doing it????

With the D* techs that I've had visit my home over the years, I doubt if any of them expected a tip given the shoddy work they usually do that requires me to spend hours straightening it out.

Of course I could be wrong, wife says I usually am......
 
#25 ·
SledgeHammer said:
Why would you tip these guys anything? Every time I've had a DirecTV guy over it was a horrible experience.
Yes, and it's not just Directv. It's Dish when I had them years ago. It's Comcast as well, although they generally show up - they just are completely incapable of doing anything outside of a routine, even if you agree to pay for a custom installatiion. Years ago my Dish installer was apparently in jail the morning he was supposed to install.

Bottom line I figured out - if you want any of these do a custom install with a local electrician or TV shop. You get what you want. Yes it costs a little more, but you don't get jacked around.
 
#26 ·
Inkosaurus said:
Well obviously there only going to tip the good techs lol.

Ive tipped them about 20$ in the past as well, though afterwards i sometimes felt like it was to small of a tip considering how much work they actually do lol.
That is EXACTLY the problem. The last time I called them in was for a simple dish re-alignment. 5 minute job, tops. Cliffs of my experience:

* first, tech refused to touch the dish because of the location, claimed it wouldn't work. dish was working for 11 yrs same location.
* tech insisted on replacing the mount
* then tech insisted on replacing ALL the cable, ALL the splitters, diplexers, the dish & lnbs, b-band, etc. Keep in mind I built my house with DTV in mind and pre-ran most of the cables IN THE WALL. He wanted to run them all over the outside of the house. I flatly refused on this.
* then tech tried to replace my DVR. I flatly refused on this.
* then tech purposely disconnected my OTA by CUTTING THE FREAKING CABLE SHORT.
* then tech damaged drywall in 2 locations
* 5 minute job turned into 4 HOUR ordeal + 1 hour of my own time to re-wire in the OTA since the tech CONFISCATED some parts. Yeah, he decided my multiplexor was ILLEGAL. WTF??

At the 4hr mark, I was just face palming at pretty much everything he did and just wanted him gone. I wasn't rude or anything, but come on.

Now, you might say... why are you complaining? You got a "brand new" install for free. A 5 kajillion dollar value! You should have tipped the installer a billion dollars! :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Sure, except I was pulling in 90 - 95+ on all transponders before he ever touched the system, so obviously my 10 yr old wiring and equipment was just fine :rolleyes: :rolleyes:. Only thing he should have done was swap out the mount since the old one was not strong enough.
 
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