Dtv Phone Lines

[cparra84]

Does anyone know how to "beat the system" when it comes to hooking up the receiver to a land line from a tech's point of view. Those charge backs are starting to hurt.

 

[jdspencer]

I think that installers need to take a stand against that requirement.
In the day of cell phones and the internet it's a dinosaur.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Does anyone know how to "beat the system" when it comes to hooking up the receiver to a land line from a tech's point of view. Those charge backs are starting to hurt.

Start taking time off. When you think you have as much payroll money as you can get quit. Try not to leave much of your money in their hands. Keep records of money owed and go immediately to your state wage and hour board. Let the HSP explain to the government about the phone thing.

Theft of services is a crime in most states.
Just walk away.

Joe

 

[cparra84]

Well I'm getting charged even when there is no land line...so i believe that it isn't fair to be penalized if the customer does not wish to have a land line and plus some dsl modems don't have a dail tone.

 

[fleetfarmer]

I know this doesn't help but I think it really sucks that DIRECTV charges the installer because a homeowner doesn't have a landline phone.

Is the installer actually "charged" money or does "chargeback" mean the installer gets some kind of bad comment written up about the install job or something like that ?

There should be something on the DIRECTV contract that says something like -
The customer hereby states they do not have a landline phone in their home and this is not the installers fault. and the customer signs and dates right next to the statement. The customer not having a landline phone has nothing to do with the installer.

 

[Joe Diamond]

I know this doesn't help but I think it really sucks that DIRECTV charges the installer because a homeowner doesn't have a landline phone.

Is the installer actually "charged" money or does "chargeback" mean the installer gets some kind of bad comment written up about the install job or something like that ?

There should be something on the DIRECTV contract that says something like -
The customer hereby states they do not have a landline phone in their home and this is not the installers fault. and the customer signs and dates right next to the statement. The customer not having a landline phone has nothing to do with the installer.

It is much more subtle than that,

As part of accepting the new installation Directv has the capability of calling each receiver they activate over a land line phone connection. The receiver rings back and they can note what phone number / customer has a specific receiver. No phone; no ring back! The customer is not aware of this...no bell rings. This is also how Pay Per View Movies (PPV) are billed.

So Directv sends the Home Service Provider (HSP) a list of nonresponders. These nonresponder customers eventually receive and pay a first bill thus establishing that they do have working receivers on their account. The lack of a phone line is also reported by the installer during activation.

It is the lower level subcontractors who come up with "tiers" of payment based on a percentage of receivers that do or do not ring back.

The installer is asked to be responsible for an aspect of the installation he cannot control. Each receiver is shipped with twenty five feet of phone patch cord. If there is nothing to connect that cord to....the installer is asked to accept less money. Since this is less than the offered amount for the installation some would consider the practice theft of services.
Even doing the task of running phone lines to wire a new phone jack without compensation seems to be the same theft of services

Joe

 

[FEDUPTECH]

I have been dealing with this for over 7 years. I am a contractor for Directv and I am backcharged $15 per non responder!!if the cust. DOES have land line service but no jacks nearby then I am expected to install one(a service that local phone companies charge $120 for per jack) and if they DON'T have a land line then I am STILL charged the same $15 per box. most of my work is in the inner city area of Buffalo NY now how many people there do you think have a phone line? well if you ask my contracting company then it is around %80 when in all actuality it is %30 NOW I ASK YOU IS WITH ALL THE OTHER PROBLEMS WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH IN THE FIELD IS THIS FAIR?!!!!