the Cost of Cable TV Installation

We have had both installation services and repair services done with our cable TV. The installation was done free because we had just signed up with another package deal that the big corporations offer. We received notification that the installation service would occur on a certain day between 9 AM and 1 PM.

On a separate occasion, later in June 2007, we called the cable company to come fix our cable box when it was acting up. They said a repair technician will arrive at our house the next day between 8 AM and 5 PM.

As you all know when waiting for repairmen or technicians, it is truly a hassle when you wait 3 hours just to let the person in the door for a 15 minute installation. The installation service itself for quick and the repairman was nice and answered some questions for us concerning our cable. For spending the whole day around the house waiting for the installation person, it is a very brief interaction you have with the technician. However, he installed the cable, no questions asked, in 10 minutes. He made sure we were up and running before he left which I thought was a nice touch.

For the repair services, there were charges which I found a little extreme. I called and made an appointment for the next day to get our cable box fixed since nothing was coming up on the TV. The repairman actually came fairly early into the day and he ran some diagnostics on the box to make sure it was still in working condition. I told him that we had just got a new one this same month, and he said he didn't know what to do. He called the company and they ran him through the sequence of what to do; turn the box off and then turn it on. Apparently, it just needed an update that can be sent from the company. The repairman essentially did nothing and I was not very happy with his lack of knowledge about the problem. I ended up paying $35 for him having to come to the house, and $15!!!! for him having to call the company and have them run through the steps to fix the cable input. Granted, he fixed the cable, but the service was just non-existent and I came out of it with a $50 bill for services rendered.

The best thing I can say about this service in general is that they get the job done one way or another. But the waiting times, the inexperienced service technicians, and the lack of knowledge of the dispatcher (who should have just told me what to do over the phone and not wasted my time or the technicians time) adds up to a very inadequate service I felt.

One big tip I found is to try and talk to customer service on the phone to see if there is anything you can try at home to fix your cable instead of calling a repairman to your home for a fixed fee before he walks in the door. More times than not, they will tell you to unplug the box from the wall and then plug it back in. When this is done, the box will automatically update itself when it is plugged back into the wall. Just a nice tip that can help you avoid what I had to go through.