Did I get ripped off? Freeview install question

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Lurch

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#736109 21-Dec-2012 17:24

mattwnz:

That is why any quote/contract needs to be put in writing. Really depends whether the OP thinks it is worth fighting, for what is a pretty minimal sum.

When did $250 become a minimal sum... that's a lot of money for most people out there. There's no way I could cough up $250 out of the blue.

If I arranged for something like this to be done I would have to budget for it. I would get a quote from a couple of different installers and then when a total was agreed on I would put the money aside.

I'd be asking him to remove the new aerial and put the old one back but that's just me. Actually I would have put the splitter and cable in myself :-)

gzt

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#736173 21-Dec-2012 22:11

Call him and see what he has to say about it. If I had given him my mobile I would expect him to call me and discuss if the nature of the job changed. Mentioning it to someone who happened to be on the property at the time? I don't know the parameters but that is my first reaction FWIW.

mattwnz

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#736178 21-Dec-2012 22:27

Lurch:

When did $250 become a minimal sum... that's a lot of money for most people out there. There's no way I could cough up $250 out of the blue.

I never said $250 was a small amount, just that the amount is minimal relative to the amount of possible stress and conflict it could cause. Hence, whether it is worth pursing or not. But is sounds like he got permission from the wife to do the work, so that may be considered reasonable permission if they took it to the DT. Really the wife should have said, you will need to contact my husband, as I don't know, as they are in a legal marriage together.

kiwitrc

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#736202 22-Dec-2012 05:41

NonprayingMantis:

she has zero idea about anything.

Harsh :(

Cambo

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#745467 16-Jan-2013 08:36

If the OP didn't specify "Call me if any problems" to the tech, or even to the wife - not much he can do unless the installer is reasonable.
In my line of work, we often have Mrs Wife bring the car in for servicing, we replace brakes & cambelt after getting her permission, then Mr Husband comes in raging the next day.

It's an unfortunate situation, but unless he did put the new cable in as you requested, you effectively replaced your aerial sooner.

lxsw20

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#745481 16-Jan-2013 08:57

BraaiGuy: But that was the OPs wife. She did not make arrangements for the install.

Then she needs to say, sorry don't know about this kind of thing. Please call my Husband.

If the antenna had failed 3 months down the track with a corroded connection or something there would probably be another thread about how the installed hadn't taken a proper look at the antenna and should have replaced it at the time. Can't win.

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jonherries

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#745497 16-Jan-2013 09:27

Interesting that you didn't install a splitter and run the cable yourself, it is what I spent "legitimate" time on in the weekend and other associated cable runs last night in lieu of housework in our new (for us) house. Legitimate is of course according to my wife who sounds like yours.

I am sure a thread entitled "Help me connect a splitter and run some coax" would have got some good responses. This is a geek website after all...

Jon

Jaxson

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#745529 16-Jan-2013 10:30

kiwitrc:
NonprayingMantis:

she has zero idea about anything.

Harsh :(

NonprayingMantis

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#745567 16-Jan-2013 11:07

jonherries: Interesting that you didn't install a splitter and run the cable yourself, it is what I spent "legitimate" time on in the weekend and other associated cable runs last night in lieu of housework in our new (for us) house. Legitimate is of course according to my wife who sounds like yours.

I am sure a thread entitled "Help me connect a splitter and run some coax" would have got some good responses. This is a geek website after all...

Jon

I did have a go, since doing it is fairly simple, but it wouldn't work for some reason beyond my knowledge. It was a major hassle fiddling around under the house in the dark, going upstairs to try and tune the TV in to find zero signal, then going back under the house, lather rinse repeat. After 3 goes and about and hour I gave up and called an installer.

NonprayingMantis

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#745575 16-Jan-2013 11:10

lxsw20:
BraaiGuy: But that was the OPs wife. She did not make arrangements for the install.

Then she needs to say, sorry don't know about this kind of thing. Please call my Husband.

If the antenna had failed 3 months down the track with a corroded connection or something there would probably be another thread about how the installed hadn't taken a proper look at the antenna and should have replaced it at the time. Can't win.

no there wouldn't since that was exactly why I started this thread, asking a question to find out whether replacing a rusty aerial that seemed to work fine was something that genuinely should have been done or whether I just got stung.

thats why the title was "did I get ripped off?" rather than "I got ripped off" and the wording in the OP was
"Have I been ripped off or is a rusty aerial something that is about to fail any day and so he has saved me a second call out in a few months? "

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