Viasat Satellite → [general] Do you need a re-install??

Just got off the phone with WB tech support. I called with the question about re-installation policies and procedures. I asked the nice lady if WB will take responsibility for an improper installation and have someone come out to re-install it for free. This is their(her) answer:

If you have a concern about a WB install, or you think the install was done incorrectly, than it is first step would be to call up to the installer who did the install to verify a bad install was done. (This part doesn't make any sense because he was the one who installed it in the first place, of course he's going to say it's fine!)

The next step would be to get in touch with the installers NOC(DSI in my case), and explain your case to them. It is then their choice to decide if you should get a free re-installation done. More than likely this step will result in "it's been working hasn't it? It's a good install if it works.." I told her that I was not in warranty and that my service did work fine for 5 months straight. She said that it wouldn't matter, like someone else told me in a reply to my install pics: Youre the customer not the *professional*, how are you to know what quality is?

I then asked the nice lady what happens if DSI says it's fine and ignores the pictures that prove a bad install.

REPLY: If you still feel like you need (she should have said deserve) to have the system re-installed properly then you should contact WB and they will 'escalate' the work order up to 'corporate' (whatever that means).

This is about where the conversation ended. She mentioned in conclusion that I should show the forum thread to the installer today when he comes out. She even verified to me that the cable loop on the dish should be present which it is not. see: »[installer] My WB install pics for the install pics.

My thoughts on this are simple really. I have pics and I have other installers telling me it's a bad install. It shouldn't matter if I'm not under warranty and my service has worked reasonably well since install. It also shouldn't matter that I only paid the $299 for equipment and only $100 for an install (promotional install anyone?), If the installation is not right, it needs to be made right!! I am still under my 1 year contract and if they make me live up to their contract, than they should live up to their end of the deal as well. I'm sorry DSI is not paying its installers well, but thats no reason to slack on mine and everyone elses installations from DSI.

If you are one of the lucky customers who had DSI as your NOC/installer, then now is the time to take some pictures and post them here for the whole world to see. I would have my pride hurt if the poor installation I did was being shown to the whole world. Not only is this an eye-opener to the installer but also to the other customers whom the NOC/installer has installed systems for.

People, like me, won't know what a bad install is unless they see some examples. I thought my install was pretty good until yesterday. Lead by example or fail from following...

I would call that installer and ask to talk to a supervisor. If he works for himself, have pictures of quality installs, noting his lack of grounding, poor grounding techniques, service loops, grommets etc...

If he refuses to fix it, i'd get it in writing, and then send your pictures to WB or NRTC.

While ur at it, i'd check what type of cable and grounding blocks he used. Cable should have writing on it somewhere.. take some closeup pics of the grounding blocks.

Think you could post a pic of what the grounding block looks like? I think someone said I didn't even have one judging from what he saw. The installer will be here (I hope) this afternoon and I will presenting all this information to him which I'm sure he isn't going to like. Sorry Jason....(my installer)

After looking at your pictures and reading this thread I don't think your problem is installation related. Could your install have been neater and your dish placement a little better, probably. Is the installation 'bad' or out of 'spec', probably not. As long as the dish is mounted very solid, the correct cable and connectors/groundblock were used, the cabling isn't kinked or damaged, and the system is properly grounded then it's a good install. Could it have been better? yes, is it bad? probably not. Like other professionals here, I wouldn't have left an install looking like your's does and we would have done a much neater and cleaner job, but at the rates DSI pays you really can't expect a custom, super job from every one of their 'installers', especially considering not all their 'installers' have a lot of experience.

As you stated your system worked perfectly until recently, when your beam apparantly got very full, as evidenced by WB suspending all new sales for Beam 37 as of the first part of next month. You are on Beam 37, right?

Yes I am. Informative reply also, Thank You.

As for it being a beam 37 issue, I've seen some speed results of people from the same beam around the same time getting completely different results. It would take a little while to dig through all those speed tests to show you but thats what I've been reading. Been doing a lot of reading of the previous months forum posts waiting for people to reply to this

Also, who and how do installers actually get certified to install systems? Is there any hands on training(I hope), and if so are they 'real world' settings and not just some classroom or table outsidewith a dish mounted to it? Are these things mentioned about the ground block and the cable loop a standard to be taught to these 'installers'? If they are I would seriously reconsider who they hand out these certifications to or change they way they are taught.

You say these are basically minor annoyances that shouldn't effect my connection, but it still brings up another topic of discussion.

Speed tests are sometimes subjective. I've seen some speed tests posted here that you will never see in the real world, at least not on our beam. Sometimes I think that some of the results posted are the highest numbers out of 100 tests.

The DSI training consists of an extensive on-line course that must be taken before the one (very long) day of hands on training and testing. IMHO, if the 'installer' already has a background in satellite dish installation and knows their way around a computer, the training is more than adequate. If the 'trainee' is a computer person with no experience mounting dishes or running wires or if he/she is an experienced dish installer and doesn't know anything about computers, they're gonna be in trouble and their installs will reflect it.

WB/DSI doesn't pay enough for any of these jobs to attract rocket scientists so some folks who just aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer end up as the assigned 'installer'. They generally are well intentioned and try their best, it's just that their 'best' may not be that good. Your best bet is to buy from a local company that you can evaluate before they start drilling holes in the house.

With Testmynet they keep all your test data and you will notice several people post their thirty day average. Those number will take into consideration all the tests one does and give you a pretty good idea of what ones actual overall results are. Such as:

Upload 30 Day Stats (Overall Average = 166 Kbps :: 20 KB/sec)
Download 30 Day Stats (Overall Average = 1003 Kbps :: 122 KB/sec)