njdboy said:
I just had an install for three rooms this past week. Installer said because he has to go under the house and then do wallplates it's $37.50 per half hour, per wallplate, with a $75 max per wallplate. I called Direct to complain since I thought it would be a free install. They ended up giving me $150 in credits and I ended up charged $187.50 for the job. I realize it was a pain to go under the house and all, but isn't that part of their job? It seemed odd to me going under the house is a "custom" install. I would think that would come up more often.
STANDARD INSTALLATION= (*this is from "their" preferred independent retailers and IS the same EXCEPT 25 ft ph lines which ARE free w/ HSP installs even when the distance EXcedes 25Ft)
* Mounting and grounding your satellite dish on an exterior vertical wall of a single family dwelling
* Every aspect of the installation is in full compliance with the National Electric Code.
* Installing up to 125 feet of RG-6 cable to one (1) DIRECTV® System receiver ("the Primary DIRECTV Receiver") through one exterior and one interior wall
* Routing of cable through a standard wood frame structure or a single layer of masonry
* All structural cable penetrations are weather sealed with UV resistant RTV silicone.
* Connection of the Primary DIRECTV Receiver
* Connecting Primary DIRECTV Receiver to phone jack, if receiver is within 25 feet of phone jack**
* The satellite receiver's remote has been programmed to work with the customer's equipment (i.e. TV, VCR).
* Maximizing signal strength and activating the account for DIRECTV® programming.
* At least 20 minutes of customer training on the operation of their system
* For DIRECTV DVR or HD DVR orders, a dual run of up to one hundred twenty-five feet of swept tested RG-6 between the LNB and primary TV is supplied by the installer.
----------------------------------
You guys mention "wall plates" i see. Well if the cble exits a flush wall through a wall plate how is it NOT a wall fish?. It had to get in the wall some way > either from underneath or above. Thus fisched in some manner.
Wall fishes ARE not part of standard installs . (The rates vary DMA/retailer/hsp/ private retailers/ techs nation wide. >Usually anywhere from 35-75 per wall.)
Hard to tell here how much is legit from the post details BUT i do tend to lean toward the word "rip off" especially from the orig. Poster in a great big way.
I would be interested to know if this was HSP techs/companies or private IC's that came up with these numbers for this 2 posts i read here.
As many know these tactics/ charges ARE part of the HSP racket (with proof> See Mastec lies threads here in this site as a fact) is to encourage sales to the cust for services AFTER arriving on cust site for things the cust was lead to believe was TOTALLY FREE.. (Which include phone line installation at ALL costs. {over priced wireless ph jacks sales if ness}) For instance The HSP's get paid for Phone lines from DTV per their contracts and then they Back charge the techs for Not hooking them up EVEN when the Cust has No land based phone service at the residence.= Fraudulant RAPE & illegal & it ALSO encourages techs to lie in this process to the cust for money to provide for their families to escape the charge backs. Actions concerning these practices have resulted in many Cust retention calls, reports to NLRB offices And filings with the IRS and ALSO have lead wide spread national UNION talk throughout the DTv HSP programs as A FACT.> (see mastec and Bruister which both have Now a union shop to stop the employee rape and a watch dog to detour the blatant illegal activity and cust deception ).
So with this said.. there IS no telling what in the world the posters are victum of here except... well EXcept..victums of the install racket APPROVED by D* the nations Number one programing provider.