I had this happen to me as well. Installation just means strapping the dish up somewhere, drilling a couple holes to run the cables to your existing junction, and pluging it in. If you don't have cable in the room, it's a new drop point fee. Some extra stuff if they have to run new cables, etc etc etc.

It sucks the way they word shit, but everyone does it.

Hmm I was thinking of signing up for Direct TV...but after a friend of mine told me about all the fees and charges and contracts, decided against it.

Oohhh Comcast, why the hell can't you just get Boomerang so I can be content with life?????

And now Dimitriy will get junk mail from DirecTV roughly once a week, promising him the same deals they just refused to give him.

I wonder if they like to give the apartment people more of a runaround than those in houses?

We got DirecTV this fall and didn't incur any of those extra fees. Hmmmmm.

I had DirecTV for over 10 years now.. starting when it was DirecTV and USSB. Anyway, I got a HD DVR for DirecTV, but my HD channels don't come in, but I can't cancel without paying $20/mo for every month left in my two year contract I had to get to buy a DirecTV HD DVR because I get regular service, even if my HD channels don't work.

So.. after 10 years, I'm screwed but I'm still cancelling directv.

I don't want to but I feel like I have to somewhat side with DirecTV on this one. There is standard installation and there is extra installation. Working within the confines of a single-family home is pretty standard. Working within the expansive space of an apartment building is more involved.

If you live on the north side of a mountain and the only way to get direcTV signal is to route a line all the way to the top of the mountain and then erect a 40' pole to get your dish above the treeline would you expect that to be included too?

Sometimes your life just isn't standard. Unfortunately thats why fine-print exists. At least they didn't hold you to the contract you committed to.

Sorry, I'm "that guy" today.

It should read "Free half-ass installation." Even when you do qualify for the free installation, IIRC they do up to 4 rooms free, they run all the cables on the outside of the house unless you want to pay extra to have them fish the walls, i.e. do it correctly.

Sounds like when they say "Free Installation" for car radios - but yet, you end up paying for all the additional "extras" that you need - ie - antenna connection, wiring harness, etc...

@shoelace414: Didn't they install the big slimline dish when they installed your HD DVR? Was it working then?

not to mention it only takes a little rain to lose your signal.

Just goes to show you, the old saying is true. Nothing is ever free. :/

I tried getting DirecTV once, and in doing so learned that they had allowed someone to commit identity fraud with my name/address. They cancelled my order while I worked at absolving myself from the $1600 I supposedly owed them. Once cleared, I never reordered their service. I decided it was best to steer clear of them after that.

I actually wanted to do the installation myself but they wouldn't let me! I used nylon rope to "pre-wire" before they got here so I could just pull whatever cable they provided. At first the guy was dumbfounded and didn't understand what it was there for. Then when he saw me tape his wire and pull the cord did he get his "Ah ha". I wanted the wires hidden and with wall plates so I had everything ready to go. His helper was even dumber, he cut the cables before dropping them so in one instance, he fell about a foot short.

@homerjay wants Boston Legal back!: Yes, they did install a new 5 LNB dish and it has never worked right. my local HD channel work about 5% of the time and my national HD channels work about 50% of the time.

I'm cancelling Directv this week. We never used to have problems with them, but in the last four months all of the following has happened:
1. We lost our Sunday Ticket HD
2. When we followed their instructions to fix our Sunday Ticket HD, we lost all our other HD channels.
3. They continued to charge us for Sunday Ticket HD and regular HD.
4. They sent us a new box which they assured us should fix the problem. It didn't.
5. They never sent the box for the return shipment of the old satellite box. They then proceeded to charge me $250 for it ("loss of equipment").
6. After seeing that charge on my account, I tried to remove the auto-pay from my account. It would not allow it, nor would it allow me to change a single setting for the auto-pay.

All of this, of course, while having to go through a 45-minute phone menu everytime you have to talk to someone, followed, about 60% of the time, by being hung up on as soon as you're transferred to the correct department. I have only actually spoken to the "tech department" once because every other time I was transferred there, I got hung up on.

i'm thinking that b/c the OP has a "flat roof", they probably need to drill into cement/brick & install anchors to hold the dish in place. i don't think that is "standard installation".

sometimes the installer might work a side deal with you - pay them in cash & they won't charge the pre-set installation fees.

@Darascon: My installation was free... they reused all the old Dish Network lines, and put the dish facing right into the treeline. It was late November, no leaves on the trees. I remember the installer going "It's OK now, but I don't know what it'll do in the spring..." Had not a clue what he was talking about.

Until Spring. And the leaves returned. Our signal went from OK to NOTHING. I crawled up on the roof and realized what they had done. I called Directv's idiot parade in customer support- They wanted me to pay $90 for Directv to come out and move the dish they improperly placed to begin with since it was over 30 days since the installation. I wrote an email to Chase Carey, within 24 hours I had a phone call saying "So Sorry, we'll be out in 2 days to fix this completely for free".

What a joke, some of these installers are.

@homerjay wants Boston Legal back!: I'm gonna have to somewhat disagree then. Extra hidden costs are sleazy and dishonest, and just because "everyone does them" does not make them less sleazy nor less dishonest.

Yes extra work should be charged. But don't offer "free" installation if its not free.

Never, never, never, never, never sign up for DirecTV. That is all.

@homerjay wants Boston Legal back!: I concur... as long as they aren't charging people extra ON the standard installations, which they have been known to do. They could be taking advantage of little old ladies... "We used an extra 2 ft of cord, that will be $25. Then standard installation takes 45 minutes, this took 50 so I get a prorated fee of $20...."

@JohnDeere: I haven't lost signal during a rainstorm or snowstorm yet.

Wow. When we had DirectTV installed, our installer went above and beyond to run a new line and drill an outlet without charging extra. He was super professional but friendly, and even helped my boyfriend move some furniture around.

The only bad part of it all is that the dish is on the porch roof right under the overhang from the top of the house. When the snow melts and then the temperature drops a lot, ice freezes on the dish.

I just want to say that I find Dimitriy's slightly ideosyncratic English rather charming. I find it rather surprising that directv would not comp this Install in order to sign a customer who is getting a premium package with some costly extras, but I certainly don't understand their business either.

@nicemarmot617: Couldn't you cancel your credit/debit card to keep them from charging you, report to your bank or whoever you had autopay thru that they were charging you for services not rendered?

@ludwigk: The installers are independent contractors, not DirecTV employees. If they comped stuff like that they would be getting ripped off every install by their own contractors.

I had DirecTV with one input from the wall and cancelled it for a while, then signed up again with 2 DVRs with 2 inputs each. I knew the "free" installation didn't include the extra 3 drops. It's free assuming they don't have to run any drops, but if your house isn't already wired then the wiring isn't free. I think I was charged $100.

@verucalise: I have done that. Still waiting for the final decision from my bank.

Dimitriy didn't read the fine print. DirecTV's free installation is a simple basic installation. Additional wiring, long cable lengths, additional rooms and receivers, all cost extra. This is all disclosed in the accompanying materials he signed when buying the service.

@ElizabethD: You probably had a normal installation. I don't get why Mr. D is whining...if he'd just read the contract he signed, it clearly stated all of this.

Consumerist, honestly, are we now complaining about policies that are clearly documented, stated in advance, and signed off on by the customer? Seriously?

@Beerad:

NFL has me (and many others) by the balls.

@mac-phisto: Nope - they tell you that they need to install a "non-penetrating roof mount". To you and me, that's a 1/4 sheet of construction grade plywood that they mount your dish to. They might weigh it down with some bricks if you're lucky.

I don't have DTV anymore, but thinking of going back. I had it for over 9 years and never had a problem with their installers. I was never charged for any boxes or extra lines. You just have to bitch enough to get free stuff from them.

All "installers" are just contractors. There are good ones and bad ones. If you get a bad one - call Directv and tell them to send you a different installer.

One may try to rip you off or look like he is casing your house. The should be able to escalate your install to a level 2 installer. Directv is usually pretty good because they know some installers are sleazy.

I have been lucky and gotten good guys. I even slipped a guy a $20 and he ran some home theater cables for me at the same time and then gave me an extra remote.

A friend of mine got a guy that looked like he was just released from prison. He had a bad attitude, so my buddy told the guy to leave before he even got thru his stuff in the door. Directv sent out a differnt installer the next day.

Rook

I did my own install.

If you look at how some of those antennas are mounted, and I mean really LOOK, they're really crappily done. The installer sets paid by the job, so they try to get in and get it done as fast as possible.

So you get things like antennas mounted directly on the roof, THROUGH THE SHINGLES.

Yeah, it took me a few hours, but it's a nice solid job, mounted on the back side of my chimney, and not visible from the front of the house.

@Saboth: I'm sure you can rent Boomerang from your local Blockbuster. I was always a big Eddie Murphy fan.

@shoelace414: So why didn't you have them take care of it when they installed it or shortly thereafter?

@Scuba Steve: I'd be curious to see what the contract looks like these days. My guess is it DOES reference standard installation. They didn't nickel and dime him. They charged him for a much bigger installation than what is 'standard.'

@JohnDeere: That simply isn't true. It's mostly cable companies trying to trash satellite tv.

I had DirecTV from 1996 until earlier this year and never had major issues. The only times I ever lost my signal was when snow stuck to the dish (Michigan) or when their was severe solar activity -- although, this seemed to only happen in the first few years. All-in-all, this only happened at most five times a year for no more than an hour at any one time.

(I am now a happy DishNetwork subscriber -- time came to upgrade to HD and their offerings were much better.)

A few years ago when I lived in NYC, I had RCN cable/internet/phone.

When I got a roommate, I called in to ask about putting cable in the other room and they said that was a free service.

The guy came and was able to do it using just spliters and snaking a cord to the other room. He told my roommate that it was going to be free and didn't have to charge us.

The next month, I get an invoice charging for the installation of 2 outlets!!!

When I called to ask WTF, the rep actually told me the the splitter was 1 outlet and the cord was the 2nd outlet!!!! I asked then why was the 2nd outlet charged 5 days after the guy was there? Also explained that the he told me there was no fee because he didn't need to install an outlet. After speaking to a supervisor, they took all the extra charges off.

@InfiniTrent: The question is, what do they state is included in their "standard" installation. Methinks there is rarely a standard installation and it's a convenient way for DirectTV (or the contractor) to get more fees from you. What would solve this is a description of what a standard installation is and the rates for common "extras."

@Eldritch: Nothing is free.
Something, however, costs extra.

@shoelace414: The DirecTV HD box only functions as a receiver for local HD channels (not as an antenna). If you want local HD, you need to have your own antenna.

Have had DT for many years. Only has gone up in price (besides me adding channels) twice in that time. I have moved twice (wasn't charged for getting set up at new houses) the guy even crawled through my crawl attic to set me up. No extra charge. I did have problems with hdtv channels, but they changed my reciever (for free) and now I don't have problems. Something about the new digital signal screws up older units. also with my newer oval shaped dish (required for new digital signal and it is twice the size of old) I don't lose signal unless we get a major downpour. I, for one am happy

@shoelace414: You need to re-aim the dish.

The standard def stuff has a really wide sweet spot, but the new MPEG4 HD satellites have about a 80% smaller target. What results in 100% signal on SD may mean 0% signal on HD.

@beyondthetech: I think he means this:
[www.cartoonnetwork.com]

I'd love to get a dish solution, as its cheaper and much less hassle free than my current cable company - but my apartment doesn't face south. What's a girl to do?

@JohnDeere: I had directv and only lost signal when it was a serious downpour, i.e. you can barely see the house across the street.
Since having CABLE, my tv goes out for absolutely NO reason and quite often.
This didn't happen with DirecTv.

@Beerad: "That is all" is right. Zero, zip, zilch. Useless.

@Pasketti:

The house that I just purchased had a leaking front porch roof, and a directTV mast anchored to the roof.

I looked to the other side of the roof, there was another mast, this one with a dishnetwork dish on it.

They had installed large anchors to mount the mast to the top of the roof, right through the shingles.

It was leaking at both masts onto the porch.

I ended up installing a new roof, and now my tenants agree to use Cable or Fios for their Television service, I don't want a dish on my property again.