I've had Dish Network for almost 4 years. We decided to add HD. The installation was set up for yesterday, 5/15/09 between 8 and noon. I moved all appointments to the afternoon to accomodate and be here. The installer phoned at 10 ish to say he'd be an hour late. He was two hours late. I then had to change some on-site appointments to phone work. He arrived and I was swamped on the phone and computer and unable to monitor him. It's a shame I must monitor a so-called 'professional' installer. He first began to gloat that the original installer was no longer working for Dish. (I thought that guy did a good job.) Then he proceeded to install.
While I was on the phone, he shoved a contract under my nose to sign. He never left a copy. When he removed the old receiver, he pulled the face off it and said it was crap and threw it in the box that the new receiver came in. After he left and after I finished with customers, I turned on the TV and saw that it was NOT HD. I looked in my back yard and the old dish was in pieces on the ground in the corner of my yard. I phoned Dish and after three tries, got a good AMERICAN tech. He began walking me through the process to trouble shoot. In looking behind the unit the installer installed, I found that instead of plugging it into an available 3 prong outlet, he bent the grounding plug back and plugged it into a white extension cord that had been used for another piece of equipment some time ago. Then we found that he had connected a HD TV to a HD receiver with a HD Dish with an analog line. He didn't use a HD connection at all. The tech on the phone was disturbed by all of this and said he'd have someone come fix it. I told him DO NOT have the same guy come here. He said he'd make sure of it. The installation was set for today between 8 and 12.
Again I cancelled morning appointments. (This is costing my business a LOT). I gave a contact phone to use since I could have it with me as I do other things. Well, guess what? The SAME installer who I clearly said I didn't want, phoned the WRONG NUMBER (the one I didn't have access to) and left a message, saying he'd be here at 3 or 4 PM. No what about reading and comprehending does this guy not get? I'm furious! I've talked to Dish Network again today. This time I got a rep who sounds as if she's in the Philipines. She said to call if the guy hasn't shown by noon and they'll handle it. (What does that mean exactly?) She offered me a $10 credit for my trouble? How insulting! LIke two mornings of my time is worth $10? Pathetic. These people continue to waste my valuable time and I'm truly sick of it.
Does anyone have a contact number to go higher with the company, to get this taken care of once and for all? Do they have a quality control team? Executive problem solving team?
Also, I have the option of getting Direct TV. Does anyone have any history with them? Do they have the same team of incompetants doing their installation?
Roberta
Florida Keys, Florida