I have an install date of the 27th with D* and have been reading here that the tech may not be great etc etc. They are supposed to bring the equipment (sat/receiver and cables) how does it work if you want to hire an installer yourself? Do you just call D* and they will credit the installer the materials? Obviously I can't have someone install nothing and I'm supposed to be leasing the equipment so not sure how this would even work.
Hiring 3rd party installer - how does that work?
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If the DirecTV intaller brings the equipment to you, s/he will do the installation. You won't have a choice.
If you want to do a self install, or hire a 3rd party installer, you need to obtain the equipment on your own, from any of several sources. The dish will almost certainly have to purchased on-line (solid signal, value electronics, etc.). Receivers and DVRs may be able to be obtained locally, or on-line.
With the equipment sitting in your house, your independent installer shows up and does all the work.
End result, you will pay more (much more), first you have to buy the dish and second, the installation labor.
My suggestion is to let the installer come and do the work. What you read in forums are the bad experiences. There are lots of good installers out there and the odds are you will get a good one. When he arrives, first thing to do is walk through the entire installation with him. Make sure you both know, and agree, on exactly what will, and what will not, be done as well as how it will be done. Then monitor the work as it is done, but don't get in the way. Offer to help if it is obvious help would be benevicial. Have a bottle of cold water and/or a soft drink available. If the installer does a great job, consider a gratuity (totally optional).
If it becomes obvious the installer won't be able to do the job to your satisfaction, cancel the job and send him away (he will take the equipment with him).
Carl
If you want to do a self install, or hire a 3rd party installer, you need to obtain the equipment on your own, from any of several sources. The dish will almost certainly have to purchased on-line (solid signal, value electronics, etc.). Receivers and DVRs may be able to be obtained locally, or on-line.
With the equipment sitting in your house, your independent installer shows up and does all the work.
End result, you will pay more (much more), first you have to buy the dish and second, the installation labor.
My suggestion is to let the installer come and do the work. What you read in forums are the bad experiences. There are lots of good installers out there and the odds are you will get a good one. When he arrives, first thing to do is walk through the entire installation with him. Make sure you both know, and agree, on exactly what will, and what will not, be done as well as how it will be done. Then monitor the work as it is done, but don't get in the way. Offer to help if it is obvious help would be benevicial. Have a bottle of cold water and/or a soft drink available. If the installer does a great job, consider a gratuity (totally optional).
If it becomes obvious the installer won't be able to do the job to your satisfaction, cancel the job and send him away (he will take the equipment with him).
Carl
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8,968 Posts
Other helpful hints:
- in most areas, installers are heavily overbooked. AM jobs are generally done first, then PM jobs, then Late jobs. It isn't at all unusual for a tech to get 6 jobs, and be heading to his 3rd AM job at 4pm (obviously the PM jobs get rescheduled). Thus, ask for an AM appointment, but be prepared for the installer to be late. It isn't his fault; there aren't enough installers, and there will never be enough with the low pay rates installers get.
- as Carl said, walk the site survey with the tech, and go over the dish location and wiring plan with him. Have reasonable expectations; most installers are contractors and have to pay for all the cable and supplies. Check up on him every 20-30 minutes, or anytime he's doing something that you want done a certain way.
- Make sure that you have all your TVs and the remotes that came with them, with fresh batteries, etc. If you're getting HD, make sure your HDTV is there ahead of time and has the back accessable or you've run cables (HDMI preferably) to the receiver location already. Have the TVs pulled out from the wall; he will need to access the back of the TVs as well as anywhere the cable comes in the house.
- Make sure that signals on 99(c) and 103(c) are in the high 80s or low 90s. If they are, you should be fine with everything else.
- in most areas, installers are heavily overbooked. AM jobs are generally done first, then PM jobs, then Late jobs. It isn't at all unusual for a tech to get 6 jobs, and be heading to his 3rd AM job at 4pm (obviously the PM jobs get rescheduled). Thus, ask for an AM appointment, but be prepared for the installer to be late. It isn't his fault; there aren't enough installers, and there will never be enough with the low pay rates installers get.
- as Carl said, walk the site survey with the tech, and go over the dish location and wiring plan with him. Have reasonable expectations; most installers are contractors and have to pay for all the cable and supplies. Check up on him every 20-30 minutes, or anytime he's doing something that you want done a certain way.
- Make sure that you have all your TVs and the remotes that came with them, with fresh batteries, etc. If you're getting HD, make sure your HDTV is there ahead of time and has the back accessable or you've run cables (HDMI preferably) to the receiver location already. Have the TVs pulled out from the wall; he will need to access the back of the TVs as well as anywhere the cable comes in the house.
- Make sure that signals on 99(c) and 103(c) are in the high 80s or low 90s. If they are, you should be fine with everything else.
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When I moved to a new house a few years back, I didn't want the standard "free" install tech coming out, drilling holes in from all over the outside of my house and draping coax around like prankster kids TPing the place with licorice... (Which was the quality of the install from my previous move to a rented house where the landlord didn't care about the install quality)
I fortunately had a friend that was a professional AV installer who agreed to come over and pre-wire coax in my house, NEATLY. He wired jacks in the rooms I was putting boxes in, fished/ran the cables through the walls - up to the attic where needed - and all terminated in the basement where the dish cables would come in.
This was a move, so I already had my boxes ready and in place when the DirecTV-hired installer came. I think he was a little pleased when he learned that all he had to do was mount & aim the dish, run coax from the dish down to my basement and hook up a multiswitch. After the dish, cabling and multiswitch were put in place, I went around the house and fired up the boxes, making sure they each "saw" all the satellites. By the time I finished that, he had finished his paperwork and just needed my signature before he was able to leave - several hours sooner than he thought.
So there's another option if you think you might be interested and have the time to locate a reputable pro-AV installer in your area.
- Chip
I fortunately had a friend that was a professional AV installer who agreed to come over and pre-wire coax in my house, NEATLY. He wired jacks in the rooms I was putting boxes in, fished/ran the cables through the walls - up to the attic where needed - and all terminated in the basement where the dish cables would come in.
This was a move, so I already had my boxes ready and in place when the DirecTV-hired installer came. I think he was a little pleased when he learned that all he had to do was mount & aim the dish, run coax from the dish down to my basement and hook up a multiswitch. After the dish, cabling and multiswitch were put in place, I went around the house and fired up the boxes, making sure they each "saw" all the satellites. By the time I finished that, he had finished his paperwork and just needed my signature before he was able to leave - several hours sooner than he thought.
So there's another option if you think you might be interested and have the time to locate a reputable pro-AV installer in your area.
- Chip
Another option is to look for those Dish/Directv stores (maybe in a cell phone store) around your town, go in and ask if they do their own installs or if they send the info off to Corp. and then you get an Hsp.
Reason i say this is like me, Hsp techs get tired of the crap from the HSP and become independant contractors. I personally contract for 2 different retailers and know of other techs in the area that do the same.
The customers that go through our retail stores still get the "4 rooms free" but we are paid better by the retailer, do better installs because WE own our own companys, and thus if we do "extra" or custom work it is fine, we just work out the extra charges with the customer, usually less than the charge sheets that the Hsp's gave us because we don't have to kick anything back to them.
Reason i say this is like me, Hsp techs get tired of the crap from the HSP and become independant contractors. I personally contract for 2 different retailers and know of other techs in the area that do the same.
The customers that go through our retail stores still get the "4 rooms free" but we are paid better by the retailer, do better installs because WE own our own companys, and thus if we do "extra" or custom work it is fine, we just work out the extra charges with the customer, usually less than the charge sheets that the Hsp's gave us because we don't have to kick anything back to them.
Something else to keep in mind. Companies that supply their own materials will sometimes cut corners to save money. For example, I see alot of dishes mounted to a roof with a tiny square of bishop tape (that's what our company calls it, may be called something else in other places) under each lag bolt. By the time the mast is screwed down, the tape is nowhere near the hole to seal it up. They use crimp-on connectors (big no-no, especially with hi-def), they don't put weather boots or caps on the multi-switch, etc.
In short, do your best to make sure they don't do this to you. If it's a roof mount, ask the tech what they use to seal it. Make sure they use compression connectors, and make sure they properly protect the multi-switch if it's installed outside.
In short, do your best to make sure they don't do this to you. If it's a roof mount, ask the tech what they use to seal it. Make sure they use compression connectors, and make sure they properly protect the multi-switch if it's installed outside.
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I used a third party installer but you already have made your bed by calling DirecTV first and scheduling the install. You now have to go with them. I didn't call first, and instead hired a company that was set up to do DirecTV installs but wasn't the one that was contracted by DirecTV to do their installs through the 800 number or directv.com. They were truly independent. I wanted them to do the work because I knew they were good. I got the same deal as if I'd called in for my install, except I paid them $79, which I viewed as a travel free because they were further away. But beyond the $79, the receiver was the same price, the dish was free, the multiswitch was free, everything else was exactly the same price as calling the 800 number.
As I said, the problem is you've already scheduled an install through DirecTV. If you cancel that and then go to a third party, DirecTV won't allow it. Are you married? Could you set up the new install through your wife? You have to do something like that if you want a third party installer and the same deal now.
As I said, the problem is you've already scheduled an install through DirecTV. If you cancel that and then go to a third party, DirecTV won't allow it. Are you married? Could you set up the new install through your wife? You have to do something like that if you want a third party installer and the same deal now.
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Brannayen,Brannayen said:
I like the F connectors......they are .09 cents have a rubber O ring and gel to keep water out unlike compression fittings that cost .26 each. Neither affect the signal even for HD. Tuning & correct procedures make the difference. For example, no compression fitting will work long without a drip loop. Fittings fail when exposed to water, freezing & thawing......cable grease protects against this as does a drip loop and or enclosure.
The boots keep water in near the fittings.
No caps on multiswitch outputs. (no no)
Drop boxes are a great idea but are not offered by DTV. I try to install the multiswitch indoors or offer an enclosure (drop box) but it is not free.
Joe
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Exactly!IIP said:
Joe
I've had a 3rd party installer a few times over the years with the most recent about 7 months ago. It's impossible to get D* to send you any of the equipment to have someone else install. Your best bet is a credit on future bills, which is what they did for me on a couple of occasions when I've bought equipment myself. In my opinion, it's worth having it done correctly. I've never felt very comfortable when D* installers have come out to my house. I don't think it's their fault; but they are so squeezed financially that it seems they'll cut corners to get the job done quickly(in terms of dish location, outside cable, etc.).Jared701 said:
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