Contributor
Can AT&T technicians climb to the roof to fix a dish
After 18 yrs of positive service, this last quarter has been horrible. Our 2 TV’s have been malfunctioning for a few months, needing replacement of 2 Dish modulars and 2 new HD Boxes. In the last 2 weeks, AT&T-DIRECTV has been to our home 4X, along with 2 no-shows, and 3X failed to call us back as they said they would... including 2 home visits by this RUDE technician in the video, who advised us to “cancel our subscription” because AT&T no longer allows its technicians to climb the 20 foot ladder to homes in Anaheim Hills, including our roof... And, AT&T will be canceling all such complaining subscribers. Well, after he refused to let me speak to his supervisor, I pulled out my phone record his rudeness and his claims (BTW: his claims were strongly denied by AT&T’s call-in customer service reps on a couple conversations), and he immediately packed up without fixing anything, and then refuse to admit this new AT&T rule...this is beyond crazy. So, what is the truth, and why has AT&T been so internally messed up this passed quarter?
mdram4x4
ACE - Master
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6.5K Messages
5 years ago
techs cannot leave the ladder
osha regs require fall protection if they do
they do not carry or use the fall protection
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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22.9K Messages
5 years ago
@CraigTF
Federal regulations (OSHA) updated a few years ago. Techs are not allowed to leave the ladder without additional safety equipment and training that is in compliance with the regulation.
Directv/AT&T stays in compliance by not letting their techs leave the ladder.
The option would be having a new dish installed, or removing dish (yourself or some other contractor) and then call DirecTV for a dish relocate so they can put it in a spot that is serviceable by the current rules. People are not canceled simply because they complain. But if the options are not acceptable then the customer can choose to cancel.
So tech was staying in compliance, but seemed quite unpleasant about the situation. You can call DirecTV and submit a complaint on the appointment regarding the tech's conduct.
As for the technical issues: What are the models of each box you have now? What do you mean by dish "modulars"? Is there something custom about your setup?
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CraigTF
Contributor
5 years ago
However, I’m extremely disappointed that AT&T DIRECTV chooses to remain in compliance with OSHA regs by disallowing their technicians the ability to properly repair their equipment, rather than through safety training. OSHA should never be the motivation to perform services in a safe manner and in the best of interest of employees.
Re: my situation, there is nothing custom about our set up or boxes. We’re in a 2 story house in a track of thousands of similar homes build in 1992. I not exactly sure what “modular” means, but, a technician held a couple of them in his hand and said these needed to replace the defective ones on the dish (also told to us by a number of AT&T phone technicians), but, wasn’t authorized to climb the ladder to replace them. And again, as of yesterday AT&T again failed to return a call that they promised they would... it is a continuous problem. There is obviously something much deeper and much more disconnected with AT&T than simply my issues, although spending nearly $500 a month for TV and Wi-Fi, makes this is contract extremely untenable.
It is a poor business decision to address (or not address an OSHA reg) this issue.
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mdram4x4
ACE - Master
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6.5K Messages
5 years ago
the problem is with the fall protection
if they did it it would take a couple of hours to install, and uninstall
and could possibly damage the roof, as its anchored to the roof
https://www.foxnews.com/media/howard-kurtz-abc-news-robach-giuffre-epstein-story
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CraigTF
Contributor
5 years ago
What appears to be obvious is that AT&T doesn't want their customers, let alone their customer service employees, being fully aware of this "new" policy because of the fallout from marketing a product that holds the customer responsible for such ladder/roof repairs.
How reasonable is it for a customer to spend $500 per month on cable and WiFi and also be responsible for repairs to a defective dish because it was INSTALLED ON THE ROOF?
Please provide a reasonable solution.
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mdram4x4
ACE - Master
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6.5K Messages
5 years ago
i am not an employee, but a customer like you.
i always have my dish on the ground. its easier to remove snow that way.
and to service if ever needed
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21K Messages
5 years ago
As stated before the only fix is for them to mount a dish where they can service it without leaving the ladder.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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22.9K Messages
5 years ago
Sorry, you do not understand. Not our job at all, we are customers like yourself. Just letting you know the reality of how it works.
DirecTV, like other satellite companies only cover what is still theirs after install. So if you need a replacement box, instead of paying $499 for another HDDVR, the box itself is covered under warranty and you just pay $19.95 delivery. Cabling, dish and everything else you own upon install and are responsible for paying service calls or maintenance that DirecTV doesn't cover, per the Terms of Service.
You may personally find it unreasonable and unrealistic, but that is how the Terms of Service work since before you started DirecTV.
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