[wxx]

When I signed up with DirecTV, I was promised Free Professional Installation. I arranged the install thru DirecTV.

When the tech arrived, about a week ago, he said that he would have to fish two cables thru the wall and the charge would be $55-- for each, or $110-- total, even though the cables were taped together.

He waved a Mastec price list under my nose, showing various extra charges. The pickup truck he arrived in had no Mastec markings.

He said, however, that since the dish was going on the roof, which was near the TV, there wasn't much wall fish needed. So he would do both wires for $80--.

I asked him if I should make the check to Mastec.

He said no, make it out to him.

I did and he cashed it the same day.

After the tech left, I saw that the dish had been mounted on the roof shingles without any roof caulk or sealant applied.

I also saw that the unit was totally not grounded, no grounding block just a green wire attached to the dish, but then hanging loose.

This if FLORIDA!

Seeking ideas on how to proceed.

Don't like to waste time with low level phone CSRs.

Should I first email DirecTV, requesting they said someone out to complete the install properly?

Or should I right off email the same to [email protected]?

 

[davring]

Wall fishes are not considered part of the free installation. You really shouldn't have made your check out to the installer as I'm sure he pocketed that. Not that he didn't deserve it. I personally would not let anyone drill holes in my roof, especially in Florida, the sun is damaging enough, but it should have been sealed properly. It definitely should be grounded, but that, in itself, is NO protection from lightning. I would use the e-mail address as I think most people get the best results. The dish does need to be mounted correctly with both monopoles. I hope you get this resolved. Enjoy your new system and Welcome to DBSTalk!

 

[mx6bfast]

Don't like to waste time with low level phone CSRs.

Should I first email DirecTV, requesting they said someone out to complete the install properly?

Or should I right off email the same to [email protected]?

Not all of us like to deal with lower level csr's but there are going to be times when you have to. I don't think you should fire off an email to her yet, you should call D* to have them send out someone first. More than likely you will get someone out quicker if you call D* first as they can get you in touch with the local installers while on the phone with them. If you email Ellen she will farm the email to a lower level person and then they will call you back.

 

[hdtvfan0001]

I would call DirecTV and "report" the installation experience.

This is neither the right nor approriate way an install should be conducted. The specific installer (hope you got his name) should also be reported.

Shame on the Mastec installer.

 

[mjtville]

A wall fish is not part of a standard installation. DirecTV has pricing guidelines(not set prices) to go by for all custom work and additional parts that are not part of the Standard Professional Installation. I would assume that Mastec is aware of DTV price guidelines and provide this information to their techs/contractors.

If the installer was a contractor, yes he would get paid for any work not covered by the standard installation. And the fact that the check was cashed that same day, not a big deal really. $80 for a wall fish, not bad if it was done right (clean).

As for the ground wire, doesn't really help with lightning protection, just static discharge. And it is part of the standard installation.

Call Mastec ASAP (Monday). You want to speak to the operations manager to voice your concerns about dish mounting, lack of monopoles?, cables not tied down, and most certainly the lack of ground. You should have signed some paperwork after the install and be sure to keep it handy for reference when you call. They should send someone out right away.

IMO, Too many people are suggesting an email to Ellen when there is a chain of command and it starts with the installer and who he is working for. Once again, my opinion.

POST PICS PLEASE; I'd like to see lack of sealing the dish, where the cables were fished, lack of ground, etc.

 

[curt8403]

A wall fish is not part of a standard installation. DirecTV has pricing guidelines(not set prices) to go by for all custom work and additional parts that are not part of the Standard Professional Installation. I would assume that Mastec is aware of DTV price guidelines and provide this information to their techs/contractors.

If the installer was a contractor, yes he would get paid for any work not covered by the standard installation. And the fact that the check was cashed that same day, not a big deal really. $80 for a wall fish, not bad if it was done right (clean).

As for the ground wire, doesn't really help with lightning protection, just static discharge. And it is part of the standard installation.

Call Mastec ASAP (Monday). You want to speak to the operations manager to voice your concerns about dish mounting, lack of monopoles?, cables not tied down, and most certainly the lack of ground. You should have signed some paperwork after the install and be sure to keep it handy for reference when you call. They should send someone out right away.

IMO, Too many people are suggesting an email to Ellen when there is a chain of command and it starts with the installer and who he is working for. Once again, my opinion.

POST PICS PLEASE; I'd like to see lack of sealing the dish, where the cables were fished, lack of ground, etc.

pictures are priceless

 

[MIAMI1683]

When I signed up with DirecTV, I was promised Free Professional Installation. I arranged the install thru DirecTV.

When the tech arrived, about a week ago, he said that he would have to fish two cables thru the wall and the charge would be $55-- for each, or $110-- total, even though the cables were taped together.

He waved a Mastec price list under my nose, showing various extra charges. The pickup truck he arrived in had no Mastec markings.

He said, however, that since the dish was going on the roof, which was near the TV, there wasn't much wall fish needed. So he would do both wires for $80--.

I asked him if I should make the check to Mastec.

He said no, make it out to him.

I did and he cashed it the same day.

After the tech left, I saw that the dish had been mounted on the roof shingles without any roof caulk or sealant applied.

I also saw that the unit was totally not grounded, no grounding block just a green wire attached to the dish, but then hanging loose.

This if FLORIDA!

Seeking ideas on how to proceed.

Don't like to waste time with low level phone CSRs.

Should I first email DirecTV, requesting they said someone out to complete the install properly?

Or should I right off email the same to [email protected]?

First I would call D*. Also what part of Florida are you in? After you get a "new' appointement Mastec has numbers you can call. You can do this to make sure it is a Mastec installer. If you are in the Central florida area. PM me i have a few numbers that may help. Keep in mind this is for after you get a new "appointment" only. Since they didn't do your install they can't fix it without a workorder.

 

[BattleZone]

A wall fish is not part of a standard installation. DirecTV has pricing guidelines(not set prices) to go by for all custom work and additional parts that are not part of the Standard Professional Installation. I would assume that Mastec is aware of DTV price guidelines and provide this information to their techs/contractors.

If the installer was a contractor, yes he would get paid for any work not covered by the standard installation. And the fact that the check was cashed that same day, not a big deal really. $80 for a wall fish, not bad if it was done right (clean).

As for the ground wire, doesn't really help with lightning protection, just static discharge. And it is part of the standard installation.

Call Mastec ASAP (Monday). You want to speak to the operations manager to voice your concerns about dish mounting, lack of monopoles?, cables not tied down, and most certainly the lack of ground. You should have signed some paperwork after the install and be sure to keep it handy for reference when you call. They should send someone out right away.

IMO, Too many people are suggesting an email to Ellen when there is a chain of command and it starts with the installer and who he is working for. Once again, my opinion.

POST PICS PLEASE; I'd like to see lack of sealing the dish, where the cables were fished, lack of ground, etc.

I completely agree with all points here.

Subcontractors absolutely get paid directly for their custom work, and wall fishes are NOT standard. If he did the wall fish, and it sounds like he did, then everything is as it should be there.

BUT... that dish needs some asphalt-based sealant (Bishop tape or Henry's roof tar) and should be properly grounded. A call to Mastec is totally appropriate; they should have it fixed in the next few days. If not, THEN start going up the tree at DirecTV.

 

[David MacLeod]

the original post sounded to me like the installer said wall fish had to be done and no other option was offered.
what does the standard professional dvr install include? if the installer could drill straight through but did not tell the customer he could isn't that misleading.

 

[scootergirl863]

send a letter or email to D* about the installation. you're not the only person in florida that's experienced this. the more people that make noise about mastec in florida, D* will eventually have to do something about it.

 

[rahlquist]

My 2 cents. Call D* try to correct it through them, if you call Mastec first you may get a run around. At any length if you get pictures I would send a copy and explanation of the situation and resolution or lack thereof to the ellen address in 1 week.

 

[mjtville]

the original post sounded to me like the installer said wall fish had to be done and no other option was offered.
what does the standard professional dvr install include? if the installer could drill straight through but did not tell the customer he could isn't that misleading.

MMMMMMMM after reading the original post again, it does sound funny, "two lines taped together through the wall". I think that we need some clarification on that from the OP (or pictures!)

Ladies and Gentlemen I am voting that when a poster has a question as to the quality of their install, said poster shall be required to post pictures :joy:

Standard installation of a DVR: 2 lines run through an exterior wall or up through the floor. On DirecTV's home page there is a link at the bottom (Installation) that gives you the basics on what is included and what is considered custom.

 

[mjtville]

My 2 cents. Call D* try to correct it through them, if you call Mastec first you may get a run around. At any length if you get pictures I would send a copy and explanation of the situation and resolution or lack thereof to the ellen address in 1 week.

I disagree, Mastec first, then if you get the run around, contact DTV and don't wait a week. If you get no action from Mastec on Monday, call DTV on Monday. Time is not your friend with this, you need first of all to get these things fixed. If that dish is not mounted correctly, you need it done right before it rains or any severe weather hits you.

 

[rahlquist]

I disagree, Mastec first, then if you get the run around, contact DTV and don't wait a week. If you get no action from Mastec on Monday, call DTV on Monday. Time is not your friend with this, you need first of all to get these things fixed. If that dish is not mounted correctly, you need it done right before it rains or any severe weather hits you.

The reason I disagree with this is that D* should be aware of the issue. If consistently customers are having to call Mastec back on this installer its creating a bad customer experience and if nobody complains to D* it may not get rectified. Thats also why I suggested OP send the entire experience to the vp of cust service after 1 week regardless of outcome and/or satisfaction.

 

[curt8403]

The reason I disagree with this is that D* should be aware of the issue. If consistently customers are having to call Mastec back on this installer its creating a bad customer experience and if nobody complains to D* it may not get rectified. Thats also why I suggested OP send the entire experience to the vp of cust service after 1 week regardless of outcome and/or satisfaction.

yes the more that directv knows, the more likely they are to fire mastec

 

[joe diamond]

The deal with HSPs( like MASTEC) is that they want a piece of the custom work. They tell you to have the cjecks made out to MASTEC and they will kick back a commission to the tech.

NFW

But the crappy install needs fixing at the contractor's expense. There are folks who used to do DTV work who did the basic installation well. Then they presented an estimate for the custom work. This was on a "you do it....hire someone else.....and here is my price."

They don't do DTV work anymore.

Joe

 

[rahlquist]

yes the more that directv knows, the more likely they are to fire mastec

And if the experience Mastec provides is consistently sub par would that be a bad thing? I can tell you the one time we have had a Mastec installer he did nothing but bad mouth the HDDVR he was installing. He did get the job done, new dish and all, considering it was 89 out that day and 85% humidty, and the stench of rotting deer was in the air (from the woods next to our house) he did a fair job(though we had to have someone come redo the cable ends shortly after due to flaky signals).

 

[curt8403]

And if the experience Mastec provides is consistently sub par would that be a bad thing? I can tell you the one time we have had a Mastec installer he did nothing but bad mouth the HDDVR he was installing. He did get the job done, new dish and all, considering it was 89 out that day and 85% humidty, and the stench of rotting deer was in the air (from the woods next to our house) he did a fair job(though we had to have someone come redo the cable ends shortly after due to flaky signals).

rotting Deer? was that after Godzilla Vs Bambi?

 

[mjtville]

I will bet that this installer works for an AFS under Mastec. This is why I think that Mastec should be the first call made on Monday. If it was one of their own installers well, that boy either needs more training or a new career and I think that Mastec will handle the situation promptly. If it was an AFS installer then Mastec needs to see what is being done wrong by these subcontractors. Once again, I believe that it will be handle promptly. Customer needs to document everything and forward to DTV. BTW, I'm not a Mastec employee or a fan of the AFS setup.

"And if the experience Mastec provides is consistently sub par would that be a bad thing? I can tell you the one time we have had a Mastec installer he did nothing but bad mouth the HDDVR he was installing. He did get the job done, new dish and all, considering it was 89 out that day and 85% humidty, and the stench of rotting deer was in the air (from the woods next to our house) he did a fair job(though we had to have someone come redo the cable ends shortly after due to flaky signals)."

When you are signing a 24 month contract for a product "a fair installation" cannot be acceptable. I believe that DirecTV is the best product out there and we should not settle for fair (that's what you get from the cable co.)

PS: redo the cable ends, tsk,tsk,tsk that is what I'm talking about.

 

[hdtvfan0001]

yes the more that directv knows, the more likely they are to fire mastec

That's true...but the most concering aspect of the first post (in addition to the work itself) was how payment was required to the installer, and not DirecTV or Mastec. There's a big red flag.