Did I get ripped off? Freeview install question

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NonprayingMantis

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#112803 20-Dec-2012 21:12

I currently have freeview hd reception, very good picture quality, central auckland.

I wanted to add an extra aerial point in another room and so called up a freeview installer to come and add a splitter and run the cable to the room where I wanted the new point (not install the point itself, just run the cable and I would put the point on when we redecorated after Xmas) Pretty simple job, plenty of room to run the cable under the house. No more than an hours work and I supplied all the cable. I figure definitely under 100 bucks, probably more like 50.

I get home from work and find that he has told my wife that the aerial needed to be replaced because it was too rusty, so he has done a full aerial install and charged me 250 bucks. It is quite rusty, but was working absolutely fine. Very strong signal, never had any issues.

To me, this seems unnecessary. Why replace an aerial that is working absolutely perfectly?
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?

Also, he mentioned that he had never seen or heard of a TiVo before. I know not all that many were sold but that seems pretty unlikely, right?

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#735746 20-Dec-2012 21:38

Corroded antenna wouldn't perform as well as it could....particularly in damp (salty) air. Also remember if you want signal from both outlets what you had may not have been sufficient in marginal conditions.

But to answer your question.... If you feel ripped off it's really because of the bill shock, not necessarily because of the job that was done.

mjb

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#735748 20-Dec-2012 21:43

I'd be annoyed if you specifically said you just wanted some cable run, and he went and found something else to do, and went ahead and did it without your permission... unless your wife gave permission?

contentsofsignaturemaysettleduringshipping

Bung

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#735751 20-Dec-2012 21:43

I don't know whether you got ripped but I'm in Wellington with a good view of the transmitter, my aerial is the original minimalist Sky one that looks like a bow tie with a bent cake rack behind it and signal strength is almost off scale. My neighbour has just had an aerial install and they've sold him a large aerial that looks suited to poor reception areas and a mast with three bracing struts on his new roof. Maybe there's a competition running for installers in Dec.

mattwnz

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#735759 20-Dec-2012 21:58

If he did something you didn't ask, just ask him to remove it, and only perform the work you asked him to do. But $250 doesn't sound bad in terms of the work done, but it is pretty basic stuff. You would definitely expect him to heard of tivos, if he works in the industry. It's an iconic brand that has become a verb for recording.

Jaxson

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#735777 20-Dec-2012 22:39

Bung: my aerial is the original minimalist Sky one that looks like a bow tie with a bent cake rack behind it

Nice!

NonprayingMantis

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#735784 20-Dec-2012 22:49

mjb: I'd be annoyed if you specifically said you just wanted some cable run, and he went and found something else to do, and went ahead and did it without your permission... unless your wife gave permission?

She gave permission, but she has zero idea about anything. He could have told her we needed new widgets and she would have the along with it.

If the rusty aerial really needs replacing, then I'm ok with it, but it absolutely worked fine, and the way my wife relayed what he said made it sound like he told her the aerial was only analogue, which is obviously not true. Of course, she might have just misunderstood what he was saying....

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ajw

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#735788 20-Dec-2012 23:12

NonprayingMantis:
mjb: I'd be annoyed if you specifically said you just wanted some cable run, and he went and found something else to do, and went ahead and did it without your permission... unless your wife gave permission?

She gave permission, but she has zero idea about anything. He could have told her we needed new widgets and she would have the along with it.

If the rusty aerial really needs replacing, then I'm ok with it, but it absolutely worked fine, and the way my wife relayed what he said made it sound like he told her the aerial was only analogue, which is obviously not true. Of course, she might have just misunderstood what he was saying....

Was a pity that you did not talk to the aerial installer before he commenced the job.

NonprayingMantis

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#735791 20-Dec-2012 23:28

ajw:
NonprayingMantis:
mjb: I'd be annoyed if you specifically said you just wanted some cable run, and he went and found something else to do, and went ahead and did it without your permission... unless your wife gave permission?

She gave permission, but she has zero idea about anything. He could have told her we needed new widgets and she would have the along with it.

If the rusty aerial really needs replacing, then I'm ok with it, but it absolutely worked fine, and the way my wife relayed what he said made it sound like he told her the aerial was only analogue, which is obviously not true. Of course, she might have just misunderstood what he was saying....

Was a pity that you did not talk to the aerial installer before he commenced the job.

Yeah, I spoke to him on the phone when I booked him and told him what I wanted, and also told my wife what he was supposed to be doing, but she has no idea what anything like that means unfortunately.

bfginger

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#735794 20-Dec-2012 23:37

"Very strong signal" from a good tuner from one outlet is not the same as "very strong signal" from two outlets, a bad tuner and two more years of water damage. I doubt they were trying to rip you off.

NonprayingMantis

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#735802 20-Dec-2012 23:45

bfginger: "Very strong signal" from a good tuner from one outlet is not the same as "very strong signal" from two outlets, a bad tuner and two more years of water damage. I doubt they were trying to rip you off.

Cool. That makes me feel better.

PimpMyMagic

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#735928 21-Dec-2012 10:49

Usually the only ferrous bits on an aerial installation are the mounting hardware which shouldn't have any bearing on the performance, barring imminent structure collapse.

I'd be concerned that the installer was just after upsizing the job. But then I'd never leave overseeing him in anyone else's hands. There's too many rip-off merchants operating in tradesman areas.

If you are in the central city you might do even better pointing at sky tower, if you were putting up a new aerial.

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Klipspringer

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#735936 21-Dec-2012 11:08

I recon that if you specifically asked for just the new cabling to a new room, with splitter etc, and the installer came around and installed a complete new aerial then yes you got ripped off.

He should have asked you before proceeding with further work.

But in the installers defence, maybe the signal from the existing aerial was not strong enough (due to the rust etc ..) for a new split. I have had a similar problem before where the signal to a single TV was working perfectly, but as soon as we added a split the signal was degraded. But then he could have just added a master head amplifier. Either way, he should have confirmed with you before just proceeding with new work. But in the end its $250 which sounds fair for the amount of work he did (including a new aerial).

Deev8

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#736055 21-Dec-2012 15:08

BraaiGuy: He should have asked you before proceeding with further work.

But it seems that the installer did ask the only person who was there, and was given the go ahead to replace the aerial.

Klipspringer

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#736057 21-Dec-2012 15:17

Deev8:
BraaiGuy: He should have asked you before proceeding with further work.

But it seems that the installer did ask the only person who was there, and was given the go ahead to replace the aerial.

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

mattwnz

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#736067 21-Dec-2012 15:35

BraaiGuy:
Deev8:
BraaiGuy: He should have asked you before proceeding with further work.

But it seems that the installer did ask the only person who was there, and was given the go ahead to replace the aerial.

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

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.

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