The Dish Network User's Resource
The Dish Network User's Resource
I knew when he pulled up this was going to be an adventure. He drives a 2 door car (I wondered where the ladder was hiding). Well it started with the fact he had never seen a 7100 and didn't have a clue how it worked to get the signal strength so after that he got the equipment out and never saw a SW-64 before (he called the office to ask how to hook it up, they told him to read the directions) good thing I have had several days to read those directions I think he's going to need some help. Well to make a really long story kind of short....he ends up hooking up the power to the SW-64 backwards and installs the SW-64 before he gets signal from 119 and then some how blows up my 7100....I was in the house and all of a sudden the screen goes black and I see smoke from my 7100 and it is squealing real bad. That smell of fried electronics fills the house and the tech comes in and ask me if we got a signal yet (ROFL). So he calls the shop again and tells them what he did, this is when I find out he's from labor ready and been on the job for five days. I check my other receiver and they are still OK (damn would have loved to get rid of those 3000s...lol) So they are bringing out a new 7100 and another tech to help. Super tech goes back to finish the install using my 3000 to get the signal. After about two hours I suggest he "barrel" through the SW-64 and the power adapter to get the signal...oh it worked!....anyways....after 5.5 hours and one fried 7100 I have my Dish 500 with no grounding and the switch sits on my attic floor.
My installer had never hooked up a dish500 before. He had installed one 7100 before. He borrowed our ladder, our bathroom, a drink of water, and a phillips screwdriver (which he would not have returned if I hadn't asked him for it three times). He dropped the LNB from 30 feet onto the concrete driveway. He told me that in order to watch stations on the 110° satellite I had to go to the point dish screen and select it from the menu....then change it back to watch the other satellite. He assured me I qualify for Dallas locals. And he threw all of his trash in the driveway.
BUT.......after all the hassle the 500 works okay. I get signals ranging from 79%-94% on 110, and 75%-90% on 119. It convinced me that anyone can install a dish500.
To say this Miami company is incompetent is an understatement.
Fort Lauderdale, FL
January 16, 2000 Ordered Dish 500 with local, under the "Local Upgrade: Free 20" Dish, Dual LNB, Professional Installation. With contract of $39.99 for one year and $24.95 SHIPPING AND HANDLING.
Arranged for installation on January 29 between 8AM and 12 Noon.
January 28, 2000 Call from PROSAT of Miami, installation will occur between 8AM-4PM. 8-12 is not possible but I am "first on list". They asked for complete directions to my house. (Don't service people use MapQuest?)
January 29, 2000 2:00 PM Called their office. Person said, "I am sorry, I am not able to see your information, everything is locked in the supervisor's office and he and the technicians have left for the day." I said, well someone had better be here before 4. She offered to reschedule, I said there will be NO rescheduling.
2:30 PM Two men in a "Prosat White Van" and Cable T.V. shirts arrive. They ask what do I want done, I said "Upgrade the dish to Dish 500 and gave them the box marked the same" Their English is VERY limited and communicate with each other in Spanish, and have trouble understanding me as well...
2:45 PM Speak to DishNetwork customer service, she activated local Miami stations, I said to her, shouldn't they be putting on the old Dual LNB along with the new one, she said yes, they point to different satellites.
2:55 PM Men come off the roof, only one LNB is installed. They come in and get a 85% signal. I told them that I called and local channels should be working, they are not. I also show them the old dish and LNBF and tell them that the person on the phone said that it should be installed. They said "they are phone people and do not know what they are talking about." They said to call DishNetwork back and they will resend the signal. They had me sign their contract "satisfactory completion of above work" Then I sign the following on the DishNetwork Service agreement "I have been presented and understand the benefits of surge protection" they never said anything (I already have it for both coax and ac power.
I also signed at their request, both work could not be completed and the acknowledgement that work was completed. !!!
After they left, I spoke to tech support, we uncovered that these men were clueless after we tried everything to get it to work, when we checked the "SW42" switch in the system set-up, I went into the box and said they left the switch in the box, and of course the other dual LNB!. Also noticed they did not replace the mounting foot (bigger dish new foot?) and they just cut the wires coming from the old DUAL LNB.
Needless to say, DishNetwork will work with me to put things right this week, hopefully make a 1 hour appointment window for me next Saturday, with a different contractor, and give me at least a month's credit or something.
As for PROSAT Communications Inc, 2400 West 84 Street, Suite 8, Hialeah, FL 33016 (305)828-1958(Voice) (305)828-0865, FLA Watts: 1-800-833-4385, service@prosat.com . They should lose their DishNetwork contract, and change their name, there is nothing "Pro" about Prosat.