What price for an aerial installation?
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV In responses to the guideline I posted about how much having a new aerial fitted should cost, Ian Grice posted: "£40-£50? Every aerial fitter I contacted wants at least £150+VAT considering you can get a class 3 aerial for under £10 and a class 2 for under £15 and cable is 40p a metre why are they charging so much for 30 minutes work?"
OK, for some places putting up a TV aerial is hard work, such as multi-story properties. As many people will simply be exchanging a Group A, B, C/D, E or K aerial for a wideband type, often without changing the supporting pole or cable, a high price cannot be justified.
I am concerned that some companies will exploit vulnerable groups (such as the elderly).
So, I what prices have you been quoted for aerial installations? What price have you paid for installation?
Do you know of any companies to avoid? Do you know of any companies that are good value for money?
Or do you work for a great aerial installation company?
Help with TV/radio stations?
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
M
Mike Dimmick12:32 PM
JB: a loft aerial is unlikely to give the best results, but it may be possible to set it up for reasonable results as the signals from Sandy Heath will be reasonably strong after switchover.
See http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/articles/whatsat-201007.pdf for some advice on siting and setting up the aerial.
To get all the multiplexes, you would need a wideband aerial, which won't perform well at the low frequencies used by the public service multiplexes. If you really want to keep a loft aerial you may have to use a Group A aerial and forego the commercial multiplexes - but if you can get those channels through Sky anyway, that may not be a problem.
If you've never set up for Freeview before, your loft aerial is probably a Group A already. It won't pick up anything until switchover because the Freeview signals are at higher frequencies than this. It might be best to just wait until switchover completes, in about six weeks, and then see. (RG47SH)
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Tuesday, 1 March 2011
J
Jordy4:46 PM
I have just been presented with the IRS install from hell, i can't get over the sheer incompetence of people surely there is no one in this life who deliberately sets out to perform a bad job...
24 lovely newly built flats all pre-sold which was the first miracle considering the economy is f*cked. Second miracle all the cabling is pre-done, labeled and all they needed to provide was a decent rig, 3 multiswitches and drop 4 additional cable runs... Wee buns
What we end up with is 6 zone 2 minidishes with quads and 23 cable runs yes they missed out 1 flat and proceeded to drop all 23 cables over the side of the building in crappy push in a tape plastic conduits. Its black at the top, black half way down and black at the bottom it's a f*cking sight. The cables are then paired and taped together to the downpipe and enter the building at various intervals.
There is a riser were the head end could of happily sat wired all internally to lovely triax modular plates. The job specifies 2 satellite feeds, VHF and IEC with a single return per flat. They get in reality a single satellite feed banged through their wall with the brick blasted right through. Some weren't even terminated just left coiled up in the corner room.
There was a revolt the other day the residents per promised Sky HD boxes and a years free subscription to help the sale progress a bit smoother but the aerial company has done a bunk with the developers money. Is it any wonder the Country's in the state it's in...
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L
liam6:07 PM
Hi Jordy,
Did the company use do a site survey?
I am an IRS engineer myself, so the 1st thing I look at is the building new? if so had the cabling be installed then after that checks on face plates before stating any equipment required, I am currently working in stafford up grading the systems there. All cabling is required, but I find a straight line where I can run the cables, then I wont allow the engineers to put the cables on the wall with twists in, if therer is twists then it comes down a start again.
Cabling is unsightly so the neater the job the happier the residents and clients.
I left a company because there standards were low, they lost a contract when I left, which I have managed to get now being out on my own.
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Hi Jordy,
I can sympathise mate, I went to quote a hotel a couple of weeks ago, looked over the job & it was around £3500 worth, I gave them the rough price & said I would work it out exactly, they showed me a quote for £1200 & I was in shock as £1200 wouldn't even cover the materials, I told them point blank we could not compete with this as this price wouldn't cover the correct materials & suggested they contact the biggest commercial outfit in wales for a realistic quote to compare with ours, The guy who had quoted had been on a g'teed pass course & worked on the dso contract, as far as we know had no system qualification, the only time we had come across his work was to fit the correct type of quad to a sky dish after he had used insulating tape to make the wrong type fit ! While I was quoting I was asking questions relating to the earthing of the system which received the comment "the other guy didnt ask these questions or mention the system has to be earthed !"
As you can guess he got the job & i was out of pocket 3 hours & 60 miles of fuel. Some developers get what they deserve !
Mark Aberfan Aerials
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Sunday, 6 March 2011
Mark Your out of touch mate
For a job of that size and Jordys job I would have insisted on doing a proper survey with written specifications to the client right down to the last nut and bolt, which then theres no argument and the customer knows what he or she is getting for the money.
And because of the time spent doing that I most certainly and always do charge a fee which is returnable if or when i get the job.
By doing that its good for the customer and good for us dealers.
The only advise i can give is always make it clear to the client that there will be a charge, and of course it will vary depending on the size of the job and how far you need to travel.
Far as the run of the mill house I give free bold part quotes over the phone, if they except then the job is booked in, and if i can do it for what i quoted i get on with the job, if its more and they dont want it done which is very rare then of course its free of charge and i walk away,
But to be honest with you, often when i do these jobs they are lower than the phone quote anyway, so the customers are normally very happy.
It works for me and i been on the go since 1982, and my dad did the same which goes back to the mid 50s so its got to be right
All the Best
Dave
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Monday, 7 March 2011
A
Adrian Longwood8:13 PM
Do not use Phoenix aerial services in Greater Middleton. I had two chancers and a boy out from them today and they made a right mess, 3 people turned up in a van that shouldn't be road legal. Proceeded to prop a ladder on the angle of the wall when i mentioned it was dangerous. The man climbed down and sent up the younger boy. They began to open windows and threw an extension lead out of the open window to power a drill and put these huge brackets on the gable wall. Everyone in our street has a small dish on the chimney or on the back wall, i told them to stop drilling and put the dish on the chimney. This went un-heeded and he kept drilling into the wall, the dish was on an enormous mast looking out over the roof and walloping back and forth in the wind. It looks really bad, the tv aerial cable was cut half way up the wall and re-routed to the dish i did not realise this until they were off. Two white cables with black tape come down the wall now, i phoned the boss and he sent them back we argued for a bit and after a stalemate he agreed to reconnect the aerial which was done with more cable and cursing, he was getting very threatening at this point. I got rid of them eventually after paying £185 and another £30 just to see the back of them. I got my own ladder and went up onto the roof and have discovered they have clipped the cables to the base lead and the white cable is terrible looking. I have made 9 attempts to contact the boss of the aerial company i was swore at and called a moaning weasel that is great customer service isn't. Absolutely raging AVOID AVOID AVOID like the plague.
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Adrian Longwood: Why did you hand over any money at all?
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A
Adrian Longwood8:44 PM
Because Briantist they were extremely threatening with a rotten bad attitude. They did not take well to me watching what they were doing. I wrote them a cheque of which i have already canceled so the most the have got is £30 cash, I have now made 12 attempts to phone the companies boss for an explanation and a resolution As yet nothing has been forth coming. Is this what is expected from a so called professional aerial firm?
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Adrian Longwood: Not at all. You should have phoned the police if they were extremely threatening.
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A
Adrian Longwood8:49 PM
I have just in the last few moments discovered the cable from the aerial to the loftbox was bypassed and both cables wrapped together so all 4 television sets in the bedrooms aren't working. The connector pin is still connected to the box, Just great!! Is there anyway to re-connect that with out been electrocuted?
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