Unhappy cable customer

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I'm not going to go into why the professional thing to do is to tell the customer to call the cable company. I think I've said enough about that previously in other threads on this board.

My point here is that for some reason the customer didn't want to deal with the cable company. I mentioned two possible reasons previously, a third and most plausible is that if they had to pay the cable company to fix their mess their cable would be shut down if they didn't pay. I really feel they had no intention of paying and the OP was too eager to offer his services without thinking- most people would call the cable company if their cable had a problem, why are they calling me?

-Hal
 
hbiss said:
I'm not going to go into why the professional thing to do is to tell the customer to call the cable company. I think I've said enough about that previously in other threads on this board.

My point here is that for some reason the customer didn't want to deal with the cable company. I mentioned two possible reasons previously, a third and most plausible is that if they had to pay the cable company to fix their mess their cable would be shut down if they didn't pay. I really feel they had no intention of paying and the OP was too eager to offer his services without thinking- most people would call the cable company if their cable had a problem, why are they calling me?

-Hal
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thats a good point. i never thought of that. why would they call an electrician and not call the cable company. maybe the OP has more to add?
 
I wouldn't call the cable company either, bunch of I just finished high school kids without a clue running around your house. The best part is they are now called techs... :roll:
 
hbiss said:
I'm not going to go into why the professional thing to do is to tell the customer to call the cable company. I think I've said enough about that previously in other threads on this board.

My point here is that for some reason the customer didn't want to deal with the cable company. I mentioned two possible reasons previously, a third and most plausible is that if they had to pay the cable company to fix their mess their cable would be shut down if they didn't pay. I really feel they had no intention of paying and the OP was too eager to offer his services without thinking- most people would call the cable company if their cable had a problem, why are they calling me?

-Hal
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do you tell your customers to call the power company when they have problems with their light fixtures or if a GFCI is tripping? would you call the water company when you have a leaky faucet or clogged drain?
 
ultramegabob said:
do you tell your customers to call the power company when they have problems with their light fixtures or if a GFCI is tripping? would you call the water company when you have a leaky faucet or clogged drain?
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you've just got to understand that you can't listen to hal. i think he's an end-timer.
 
Actually Hal has a valid point. While electricians can run coax and put on ends, they need to leave the hookup part to the cable company. Anyone can throw in a splitter, but with digital tv, internet, and phone on it you will need the proper test equipment and training if you want these things to work. As far as the quote "do you tell your customers to call the power company when they have problems with their light fixtures or if a GFCI is tripping?" No, but I don't call a cable guy who is pretending to be an electrician either.
 
glacier37 said:
Actually Hal has a valid point.
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No, actually Hal has an opinion that is highly biased. :smile:


Electricians can and do run cable phone and data. The company I work for is a one stop shop, we do whatever the customer wants us to do. And as hard as this will be for Hal to believe our customers seem to be happy with our service. :cool:
 
Who in their right mind would call the cable company first? I would think calling the cable company would be a last resort, after troubleshootiing and dertimining that it in fact is a reception issue. Have you seen the installs that these guys perform? "Oh, you wanted that cable fished and not stapled to the baseboard in your brand new house, or you wanted a cut-in box with a faceplate installed- you will have to call in a new a work order for that and reschedule."
 
Hal has an opinion that is highly biased.

Biased because I have actual experience working for a cable company and try to keep up with the current technology. I say "try" because without ongoing training and current test equipment even someone like myself (I haven't worked for cable in some years) with experience is going to fall behind. When I talk shop with the guys who work for cable now I realize how much I don't know. My bias is based on knowing that you guys have virtually no training in CATV which is to be expected because CATV is not part of electrical work. The suggestion of troubleshooting with a TV clinches it.

As to who should run and fish wire, I absolutely would recommend an electrician over the cable company. But that is where it stops.

As for calling the power or water company for inside problems, that's a pretty poor analogy. Power and water won't handle inside problems. A cable company is responsible for inside wiring in areas of leakage and ingress regardless of who installed it and will handle trouble calls otherwise. That's why they actually have a phone number for subscribers to call for repair.

-Hal
 
hbiss said:
My bias is based on knowing that you guys have virtually no training in CATV which is to be expected because CATV is not part of electrical work.
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Your right many of us don't and still do just fine. :wink:
 
hbiss said:
Isn't that what they say over at the DIY forum when we tell them that they don't know what they are doing?
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Yes I am sure it is, but a DIY cable job has rarely killed anyone.:wink:

I have no doubt my LV installations will never live up to your expectations, I really don't care. If it's legal, it works and the customer is happy with me then I am satisfied I did the job I was paid for. It is that simple for me.

Don't forget there are all types of customers, a place like Fidelity Investments would never hire the division of the company I work for to do their data installation on the other hand many big box stores are more then happy for us to do that type of work. Money has a lot to do with it as it always does.

Hal obviously your entitled to your opinion as I am mine. :smile:
 
"If it's legal, it works and the customer is happy with me then I am satisfied I did the job I was paid for. It is that simple for me."

I am sorry I-wire, but that statement is a pretty poor business philosophy in my book. CUstomer service is what most people strive for. Their is a difference in doing something and doing it right. As a cable tv installer myself, I cannot tell you how many electricians messes I have cleaned up. We actually have trained a few of them to do good work, but we still have a few that pull in the RG-6 cable and run it 400 feet and blame us because the picture is poor. Like it or not, a little bit of training and playing nice with other industries (cable companies, and yes even people like Hal) we could all get along just fine. Its a fact of life, some people are just in it for the money and others actually care about their customers.
 
glacier37 said:
It is possible to leave a customer happy AND do the job right.
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Never said or implied it was not.

If they are paying for Kia then that is what they get, and that is the 'right way.'
 
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