Oscaron
First Post
As a former satellite installer, phone tech and customer service guy, my few cents:
1) If your signal breaks up in the rain, and there is nothing in the way of the signal, your dish needs to be fine tuned. It's either gone out of alignment over time or the guy putting it up was filling 'minimum reqs' for installation. If you have a single LNB, go look for a 'satellite finder' or 'satbeeper' at Radio Shack or somewhere. $5-$15 for a perfectly usable tone generator that some of the other the other techs swore by. Multiple LNB can be done as well, you just have to make sure the dish is 'perfectly' level and find the degree settings for tilt from your box.
2) If your signal goes in and out, the meter going from very high to low, then something is in the way. Trees, phone line, whatever...if its worse when the wind is blowing, there you go. Repair fee saved.
3) Do not sign the work order until the installer is 100% done. One guy I trained with had me reload the truck while he handed the paperwork to a guy to sign. He told the customer that he was going to tack up all the wires and clean everything up. Right after the guy signed, the trainer came out to the truck to 'get a tool', hustled me in and we drove off leaving the skirting of the trailer off and cables everywhere. When we got into the shop, our boss confronted him on the mess and the trainer showed him where the customer signed off.
My boss then said 'Oh well, he signed the part where he agreed the work was done."
I kid you not.
4) If you do not want a dish but cannot put up an antenna at your house due to a rental contract or somesuch, there is hope. Check:
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html
It is, in fact, illegal for any body (landlord, local or state) to forbid you the installation of an antenna for television reception. It is also illegal for anyone to require you to wait for approval, pay for studies or surveys, as long as said antenna does not have any parts more than 12 ft above the peak of the roof. You may still have to notify the landlord, etc that you are doing it, but they cannot stop or punish you. And it is THEIR burden to prove their rules are valid.
5) Unless you absolutely HAVE to use satellite internet for broadband. Don't. Seriously.
6) Buy your own poles, concrete, etc. if you need to have it installed in your yard. The price for them putting up a pole for you is criminal.
7) If the guy 'forgot' his ladder or 'thinks it will be better' to put your dish on a tree, he is violating his companies rules, the providers rules and depending on your area, maybe a few rules regarding grounding, etc. The guys job, no matter who he works for, REQUIRES he have at least a 28' ladder on his vehicle to do work. If he doesn't, make sure his boss knows.
8) See if your state has legislation on the deregulation of Cable. Michigan has the Exclusive Franchise BS and it's looking to be overturned very soon. Word has it when the same happened in Texas, the prices dropped to 1/3 in some areas. Right now, my mom pays $19.99/mo for 3mb Internet and Extended Basic. (!!!!)
9) If the work from your satellite installer looks like crap, make him fix it. If he tries to say you 'only paid for basic installation', remind him you get 'free professional installation'. If you can, bury the cable for him, but if you can't or really don't want to....burying cable is part of the job. $1/ft of cable burying is probably his way of scaring you off and a call to his boss will fix it quick.
10) Some states ( check for yours here http://www.rcfp.org/taping/ ) allow you to record conversations you are participating in (like Michigan for example). If you think complaining to the company won't help, put it out there for public opinion. It would truly be a surprise if they ever decided to come after you for that.
See here for things they are supposed to be doing and not doing every time they call you:
http://www.junkbusters.com/script.html
1) If your signal breaks up in the rain, and there is nothing in the way of the signal, your dish needs to be fine tuned. It's either gone out of alignment over time or the guy putting it up was filling 'minimum reqs' for installation. If you have a single LNB, go look for a 'satellite finder' or 'satbeeper' at Radio Shack or somewhere. $5-$15 for a perfectly usable tone generator that some of the other the other techs swore by. Multiple LNB can be done as well, you just have to make sure the dish is 'perfectly' level and find the degree settings for tilt from your box.
2) If your signal goes in and out, the meter going from very high to low, then something is in the way. Trees, phone line, whatever...if its worse when the wind is blowing, there you go. Repair fee saved.
3) Do not sign the work order until the installer is 100% done. One guy I trained with had me reload the truck while he handed the paperwork to a guy to sign. He told the customer that he was going to tack up all the wires and clean everything up. Right after the guy signed, the trainer came out to the truck to 'get a tool', hustled me in and we drove off leaving the skirting of the trailer off and cables everywhere. When we got into the shop, our boss confronted him on the mess and the trainer showed him where the customer signed off.
My boss then said 'Oh well, he signed the part where he agreed the work was done."
I kid you not.
4) If you do not want a dish but cannot put up an antenna at your house due to a rental contract or somesuch, there is hope. Check:
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html
It is, in fact, illegal for any body (landlord, local or state) to forbid you the installation of an antenna for television reception. It is also illegal for anyone to require you to wait for approval, pay for studies or surveys, as long as said antenna does not have any parts more than 12 ft above the peak of the roof. You may still have to notify the landlord, etc that you are doing it, but they cannot stop or punish you. And it is THEIR burden to prove their rules are valid.
5) Unless you absolutely HAVE to use satellite internet for broadband. Don't. Seriously.
6) Buy your own poles, concrete, etc. if you need to have it installed in your yard. The price for them putting up a pole for you is criminal.
7) If the guy 'forgot' his ladder or 'thinks it will be better' to put your dish on a tree, he is violating his companies rules, the providers rules and depending on your area, maybe a few rules regarding grounding, etc. The guys job, no matter who he works for, REQUIRES he have at least a 28' ladder on his vehicle to do work. If he doesn't, make sure his boss knows.
8) See if your state has legislation on the deregulation of Cable. Michigan has the Exclusive Franchise BS and it's looking to be overturned very soon. Word has it when the same happened in Texas, the prices dropped to 1/3 in some areas. Right now, my mom pays $19.99/mo for 3mb Internet and Extended Basic. (!!!!)
9) If the work from your satellite installer looks like crap, make him fix it. If he tries to say you 'only paid for basic installation', remind him you get 'free professional installation'. If you can, bury the cable for him, but if you can't or really don't want to....burying cable is part of the job. $1/ft of cable burying is probably his way of scaring you off and a call to his boss will fix it quick.
10) Some states ( check for yours here http://www.rcfp.org/taping/ ) allow you to record conversations you are participating in (like Michigan for example). If you think complaining to the company won't help, put it out there for public opinion. It would truly be a surprise if they ever decided to come after you for that.
See here for things they are supposed to be doing and not doing every time they call you:
http://www.junkbusters.com/script.html
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