[Justinto]

After talking with 19 D* employees and 6 Ironwood service calls and 4 HR20s and 2 H10-250s, and the problems are still not fixed, I decided to write to the president of D* and put them on notice of contract default. If the problem is not fixed in 30 days, D* has failed to provide proper service and my 2 years extension is null and void.

What is amazing is that second level techs from D* wrote out work orders to replace the dish (or LNB / multiswitch) and re-cable but Ironwood refuses to do this, so I am caught in the middle. Not only that but the service calls requested supervisory or advanced techs - who showed up (both times) the original installer. What they do not understand is that in the original installation, Ironwood installers chose to use existing cable in places.

So what is it - the installation or the equipment? This has been going on since July

 

[PoitNarf]

What problems are you experiencing that D* is recommending to redo your entire installation?

 

[Dave_S]

After talking with 19 D* employees and 6 Ironwood service calls and 4 HR20s and 2 H10-250s, and the problems are still not fixed, I decided to write to the president of D* and put them on notice of contract default. If the problem is not fixed in 30 days, D* has failed to provide proper service and my 2 years extension is null and void.

What is amazing is that second level techs from D* wrote out work orders to replace the dish (or LNB / multiswitch) and re-cable but Ironwood refuses to do this, so I am caught in the middle. Not only that but the service calls requested supervisory or advanced techs - who showed up (both times) the original installer. What they do not understand is that in the original installation, Ironwood installers chose to use existing cable in places.

So what is it - the installation or the equipment? This has been going on since July

It is amazing that the installer refuses to complete the work order. This is one area I think that DTV needs to focus on. I know a couple of folks that do installs, and their benefits and pay have seriously eroded under Murdoch, and they have lost a lot of good techs because of it. Their level 1 phone support is a joke (in a lot of cases), and there have been quite a few horror stories involving installers. Now couple that together with a product that was released too early and there are a lot of PO'd people. I don't really care about the 2 year commitment deal when DTV gives upgrades etc, because I have been with them for 8+ years and the cable service in my area is not an option (charter). That being said, if they are not meeting their end of the deal or problems cannot be resolved in a timely fashion, they should let folks out of the contract if they return the gear etc. Justin, keep us updated on your situation.

 

[Neil Derryberry]

Sounds like you need to call either the retention department or the ceo's office if you haven't done so already.

 

[Justinto]

What problems are you experiencing that D* is recommending to redo your entire installation?

Constant "771 Searching for Signal" in the evenings and on Sundays on satellite 101 and erratic pixiliation on Satellite 110. Transponders on 101 - tuner 1 - vary in signal. Sometimes they are fine (when the techs are there) and in the evenings they show zero. This means that I get every other channel because of this. It did not matter that they replaced the units. All units had the same problems. what are the odds of this?

 

[jerkieman]

I had the same horrible install problems with the DirecTV installers, I had 5 service visits, and was also promised an "advanced tech" and they sent out the same guy who admitted he never installed a KaKU dish, so I'm not sure how he is advanced. They basically just lie to you. I called them and told them that I was hiring a professional installer and was sending them the bill. I had the guy come in, he mounted the dish correctly, no more wobbling, and it has been fine ever since. I fax'ed them the bill, and supposedly they going to credit my account, we shall see.

I have had DirecTV for 10 years, and they have really gone downhill. It's really bad when the customer knows more about their technology then customer support or installers.

 

[bonscott87]

Try and talk with DirecTV to allow you to hire a private installer vs. Ironwood and they should pay for it (i.e. give you credits on your account toward the cost).

 

[HockeyKat]

Constant "771 Searching for Signal" in the evenings and on Sundays on satellite 101 and erratic pixiliation on Satellite 110. Transponders on 101 - tuner 1 - vary in signal. Sometimes they are fine (when the techs are there) and in the evenings they show zero. This means that I get every other channel because of this. It did not matter that they replaced the units. All units had the same problems. what are the odds of this?

Does any of the wierdness happen when the weather is bad or anything? Since all the indoor equipment has been replaced, it makes sense that the outside equipment should be replaced (dish, maybe multiswitch). I don't understand why the installer refuses, even when DTV says that they should do it. Very not cool.

 

[Carbon]

Constant "771 Searching for Signal" in the evenings and on Sundays on satellite 101 and erratic pixiliation on Satellite 110. Transponders on 101 - tuner 1 - vary in signal. Sometimes they are fine (when the techs are there) and in the evenings they show zero. This means that I get every other channel because of this. It did not matter that they replaced the units. All units had the same problems. what are the odds of this?

What is your current set-up

AT9
|||| <Coax Lines
||||
[Zinwell WB68] <Multi Switch
||
|| <Coax Lines
HR20

Like that?

 

[Justinto]

Does any of the wierdness happen when the weather is bad or anything? Since all the indoor equipment has been replaced, it makes sense that the outside equipment should be replaced (dish, maybe multiswitch). I don't understand why the installer refuses, even when DTV says that they should do it. Very not cool.

This occurs on cloudless days - weather is not the issue

 

[Justinto]

What is your current set-up

AT9
|||| <Coax Lines
||||
[Zinwell WB68] <Multi Switch
||
|| <Coax Lines
HR20

Like that?

I think this is the setup except there are barrell adapters (extenders of the cable) at one point before it goes into the house.

 

[PoitNarf]

I think this is the setup except there are barrell adapters (extenders of the cable) at one point before it goes into the house.

Sounds like a definite possible source for a point of failure to me.

 

[carl6]

Might be a ground block, which is required by electrical code.

Carl

 

[Carbon]

Justinto-

Check all of you connections, I would disconnect all of the coax connectors one at a time and visually look at the copper cable in the middle of the coax just to make sure that it is not broken or corroded in any way. When I setup my AT9 I had one connector that was bent from a previous installation.

 

[Justinto]

Justinto-

Check all of you connections, I would disconnect all of the coax connectors one at a time and visually look at the copper cable in the middle of the coax just to make sure that it is not broken or corroded in any way. When I setup my AT9 I had one connector that was bent from a previous installation.

All connections were replaced by Ironwood and all were examined

 

[Justinto]

Might be a ground block, which is required by electrical code.

Carl

There is a ground block installed prior to the barrell extenders.

 

[Earl Bonovich]

How long are your runs:

Between your HR20's (and other receivers), and that multiswitch.
And the multiswitch to the dish.

 

[bonscott87]

Sounds like maybe that power/amp from Sonota might be useful here.

 

[ouijal]

It is amazing that the installer refuses to complete the work order. This is one area I think that DTV needs to focus on. I know a couple of folks that do installs, and their benefits and pay have seriously eroded under Murdoch, and they have lost a lot of good techs because of it. Their level 1 phone support is a joke (in a lot of cases), and there have been quite a few horror stories involving installers. Now couple that together with a product that was released too early and there are a lot of PO'd people. I don't really care about the 2 year commitment deal when DTV gives upgrades etc, because I have been with them for 8+ years and the cable service in my area is not an option (charter). That being said, if they are not meeting their end of the deal or problems cannot be resolved in a timely fashion, they should let folks out of the contract if they return the gear etc. Justin, keep us updated on your situation.

These sorts of things are why I don't put a lot of creedence in arguments saying "its not the HR20 its the environment you have it in". At the end of the day, what difference does that make to the average end user? DirectV created the environment and they send out untrained, underpaid installers to set up the environment in their name. I hold them more responsible for that than I even do what is the undeniably buggy code in the HR20.

 

[Justinto]

How long are your runs:

Between your HR20's (and other receivers), and that multiswitch.
And the multiswitch to the dish.

Runs to this unit are 50 feet from the dish to the unit