[ttubbiola]

I am going to be house sitting for a month right in the middle of football season. I am thinking of having a dish installed there so I can bring my receiver with me. I've had a few bad experiences with DIRECTV installers over the years (like the guy who drilled 4 holes in my closet shelf instead of running the wires through the preinstalled conduit).

I figure any installers that would be recommended by the members here would:
1. Not be idiots.
2. Know about the newest hardware.
3. "Get it"

So, is there such a list or a sticky post that I am missing? Any installers in Orange County, CA reading this????

Tom

 

[kiljoy]

If there was something like this, it'd be a godsend. I think the problem is that even if one person has a good install, the next person might not. I've been really dreading making the call to upgrade to HD just because I know Bluegrass Satellite here in northern Kentucky has done a truly awful job every time I've seen their work.

Years ago I had the Cincinnati company Shooting Star fix Bluegrass' install job on my house, but I think they're out of the DirecTV game. It'd be nice to find a good installer nearby who could do work I'd trust but I've had no luck in tracking one down.

Tony

 

[Scott J]

There is a definite need for this type of list. I am moving soon as well and dread what may happen.

My HD upgrade took 7 technical appointments which consisted of the installer:

1. Not having a replacement part even though it was requested (multiple times)
2. Not having a high enough ladder- 2 story house with a relatively flat roof
3. Not sealing the holes drilled into the roof
4. Not grounding the connections
5. The CSR threating me with an early termination fee, when i called to cancel, since I was not honoring my commitment. My reply was that DTV was not honoring its commitment since I had no programming.
6. I'm sure that there are a couple more things that I can't remember.

Things were finally resolved when a Manager from Chicago, that was sent out to the Philly area to clean things up, corrected the issues. His words, not mine.

 

[rahlquist]

The only problem with these kind of lists is maintenance and liability. Keeping a list like this up to date is difficult to impossible with the revolving door that is the US workplace. Secondly almost every time a list like this gets made online and someone gets their nose tweaked, there is a lawsuit born.

 

[Mertzen]

Yeah, could be a good or bad thing. Plus who would vouch for them? I've helped a few people here but who's going to take my or their word?

 

[spartanstew]

I recommend Frank.

 

[TigersFanJJ]

I recommend TigersFanJJ but it would take a LOT of money to get him to Cali.

 

[BNUMM]

If you had such a list would you be willing to pay them? Most people want a free install so D* and E* get people that will work cheap.

 

[ttubbiola]

I recommend TigersFanJJ but it would take a LOT of money to get him to Cali.

Unless I got lucky and he was vacationing at Disneyland and happened to bring his tools.

 

[ttubbiola]

If you had such a list would you be willing to pay them? Most people want a free install so D* and E* get people that will work cheap.

I would absolutely expect to pay. I'm thinking of this for things like custom installations or maybe expansion of a current setup without involving D* at all.

 

[joe diamond]

That is some catch, that catch 22!

Anyone with enough experience to do a good job has also been abused and underpaid enough to walk away from the field as a point of honor. Anyone willing to run around and attempt an installation just hasn't been abused enough to have the experience he needs to quit or do a good job every time.

Maybe things are not that bad but it is a direction.

Let Labor Day Weekend begin!

Joe

 

[houskamp]

Throw in air fare and I bet we can find all kinds of them for ya :grin:

 

[bjamin82]

IMHO... if you are the least bit technical, do not hesitate to tell the installer what you want and look over their shoulder. Don't forget your the customer... tell them you want the wires there.. ect

Make sure your there, and don't let them leave until you test everything. One installer tried to leave me with a bad BBC once because they didn't test both tuners, but I caught it.

 

[rahlquist]

IMHO... if you are the least bit technical, do not hesitate to tell the installer what you want and look over their shoulder. Don't forget your the customer... tell them you want the wires there.. ect

Make sure your there, and don't let them leave until you test everything. One installer tried to leave me with a bad BBC once because they didn't test both tuners, but I caught it.

+1
I have always done this. The last installer was even nice enough to leave enough slack in the new cable routed to my dish(through the rain gutter downspout) so I can put the part that parallels the ground into some counduit when I get a 'round tuit'.

 

[Johnnie5000]

IMHO... if you are the least bit technical, do not hesitate to tell the installer what you want and look over their shoulder.

Any idea how incredibly annoying that is?

Don't forget your the customer... tell them you want the wires there.. ect.

Don't be a dick about it though. And if you're going to be that picky, be willing to help.

Make sure your there, and don't let them leave until you test everything. One installer tried to leave me with a bad BBC once because they didn't test both tuners, but I caught it.

Good for you, want a cookie?

Anyone with enough experience to do a good job has also been abused and underpaid enough to walk away from the field as a point of honor. Anyone willing to run around and attempt an installation just hasn't been abused enough to have the experience he needs to quit or do a good job every time.

Maybe things are not that bad but it is a direction.

Let Labor Day Weekend begin!

Joe

+1

 

[ttubbiola]

IMHO... if you are the least bit technical, do not hesitate to tell the installer what you want and look over their shoulder. Don't forget your the customer... tell them you want the wires there.. ect

The whole reason I would want to hire an installer from this list is to not have to do exactly that. I would imagine that anyone good enough to be approved by this crowd would not need to be scrutinized in that way.

 

[BNUMM]

I prefer having the customer watch me. Time seems to go faster and if they have any preferences i like to know about them as soon as possible so that I can accommodate their wishes or explain why I can't.

 

[bjamin82]

Any idea how incredibly annoying that is?

I agree it would be anoying, however I am paying for a service and there for I will make sure I get that service.

Don't be a dick about it though. And if you're going to be that picky, be willing to help.

The first install I had, I ended up doing most of it, the installer refused to go into the crawl space to run the wire properly... sorry I didn't want the wires running across my base board.

Good for you, want a cookie?

Yes, give me a cookie... For the amount of money I spend, I want it done right and not have to wait for another tech to come back out when one just left. There is no excuse for laziness.

 

[Johnnie5000]

Yes, give me a cookie... For the amount of money I spend, I want it done right and not have to wait for another tech to come back out when one just left. There is no excuse for laziness.

Oh yes, the free installs are sooooo expensive. Heaven forbid you not get what you pay for, what with that incredibly large sum of $0 you're spending on us coming out there. And not giving customers free parts when its time to go, oh yes that is just so lazy. :nono:

Most good techs can tolerate someone watching them for a few minutes as long as they're not being a jackass and talking about religion or politics. But once the cust sees that the tech is doing a proper job, then let him work.
And most good techs catch little things like bad b-bands. Can't help that one doesn't.

Also keep in mind that no technician has the slightest involvement in manufacturing process of receivers, bbc's, lnb's or multiswitchs. If they go bad, people always want to cry about it.

 

[randyk47]

I did use a private installer here in San Antonio. Mastec would not install my Slimline as the location was too high and too steep for them. Took a couple of weeks but I found an private installer through a local home theater installation company. Tom did a great job but he admitted that it was different to have the customer around "helping" him....I think it actually bugged him a bit. I didn't offer advice or comments about what or how he was doing the install though and mostly held ladders, helped pull cable, etc. I'd certainly recommend him but not sure there's much value by putting together a list here. One bad install and I can just imagine the comments.