The storm that came through Aggieland on Sunday night the 16th blew the small internet dish on my roof
over about 20 degrees. We get our service from a local service provider. From what I understand it is a line of sight service to their tower. When the guys installed it they took great care in pointing- aiming it.
We are still getting service but not as good as it was before the storm.
We where given a good discount for prepaying for a years service.
I just got an email from them telling me that they are trying to schedule getting someone out here to take care of the problem and they want to make sure I am aware of the $95.00 per hour charge for their technician.

Here is the question.

Am I unreasonable when I think that this should be something they should be taking care of in a more timely manner and it is something I should not be paying for?

Did it pull the mounting bracket out of the roof ?
Or the swivel on the dish move where it mounts to the pole ?

Our roof is very steep and I will not get on it. The mount is in a position that it can't be seen from the ground.
If I was guessing it was not very tight and it slid in one of the adjustments.

My suddenlink service goes down at least once a month. If its an issue with their equipment sg my house, they want $65 to come out. I am still required to pay for the month of service, even though there msy be several days i dont get it.

Just the way these things work...

No Sir,
We are not your customer. You are the first ones we called but we did not have access to your towers.
Thanks for your input.

hopeandrealchange said:

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The storm that came through Aggieland on Sunday night the 16th blew the small internet dish on my roof
over about 20 degrees. We get our service from a local service provider. From what I understand it is a line of sight service to their tower. When the guys installed it they took great care in pointing- aiming it.
We are still getting service but not as good as it was before the storm.
We where given a good discount for prepaying for a years service.
I just got an email from them telling me that they are trying to schedule getting someone out here to take care of the problem and they want to make sure I am aware of the $95.00 per hour charge for their technician.

Here is the question.

Am I unreasonable when I think that this should be something they should be taking care of in a more timely manner and it is something I should not be paying for?

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I would argue that what happened wasn't the fault of the provider (assuming it was installed properly, as it would seem given the quote that it was working very well initially and that they took great time in working the installation) and assuming that it has been through other storms without problem.

So, it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect to pay for repairs to a device delivering service that isn't the fault of the provider. Would I feel not great about it, sure. But I would understand the cost.

Now, some providers will cover that cost and that's a great market differentiator and would definitely be something I considered when selecting a provider.

Great input. Thank you.

BrazosWifi said:

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If you are my customer, I need you to e-mail me directly so I can get to the bottom of this.
jim@brazoswifi.com

We don't charge for repairs unless it is negligence on the homeowner part. From what you describe, that antenna pole is something the company installed and should be their responsibility.

If you aren't our customer, good luck with your quest. There are some shady companies out there.

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As small as this receiver is I can't imagine there was enough wind load to move it had it been installed properly. Just my opinion.
Would your company consider coming out to look at the installation and possibly position it?
I would rather pay you double if necessary for an independent opinion of the failure.

I understand the position of not covering damage caused by weather. I might be wrong but I just can not see how this failed due to wind load if it had been installed properly.

A certain company around here uses tall poles in a roof mounted tripod.
Those poles come with "guy rings" so that they can be secured using guy wires and prevent the pole from bending.

The company I refer to does not generally guy their poles and these poles are not designed for freestanding use.
This document outlines proper installation techniques.

As a word of caution, if this is your only option for internet, you may have to pay their fee to get things fixed. If you push too hard, it may not go well.

BrazosWifi said:

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A certain company around here uses tall poles in a roof mounted tripod.
Those poles come with "guy rings" so that they can be secured using guy wires and prevent the pole from bending.

The company I refer to does not generally guy their poles and these poles are not designed for freestanding use.
This document outlines proper installation techniques.

The Specifications section says: "All installations must be guyed or bracketed. Installation of masts should be done by experienced professionals."

The guyed or bracketed part is the important distinction. A tripod is not a bracket.

As a word of caution, if this is your only option for internet, you may have to pay their fee to get things fixed. If you push too hard, it may not go well.

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Thank you all for your input.

Problem solved.
I got up the nerve to climb my very steep roof.
Filled my pockets with tools and up I went.
This receiver is mounted on a pole about three feet tall.
The problem was immediately obvious. The two bolts that swivel with the adjustable bracket where not even hand tight. I am amazed it lasted as long as it did. Stood the pole back up where it was supposed to be and tightened the bolts.
Problem solved.
I am just shocked at the response I got from my provider.
Took a video of what I found when I got up there and sent it to them. Bet the wife I will not get even a text message of apology much less a phone call.

hopeandrealchange said:

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Thank you all for your input.

Problem solved.
I got up the nerve to climb my very steep roof.
Filled my pockets with tools and up I went.
This receiver is mounted on a pole about three feet tall.
The problem was immediately obvious. The two bolts that swivel with the adjustable bracket where not even hand tight. I am amazed it lasted as long as it did. Stood the pole back up where it was supposed to be and tightened the bolts.
Problem solved.
I am just shocked at the response I got from my provider.
Took a video of what I found when I got up there and sent it to them. Bet the wife I will not get even a text message of apology much less a phone call.

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Wow, that's horrible service on that problem! Glad it's working again!

Edit: Given that, I would definitely agree that it was unreasonable should they have charged you to come out and fix that!

hopeandrealchange said:

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Thank you all for your input.

Problem solved.
I got up the nerve to climb my very steep roof.
Filled my pockets with tools and up I went.
This receiver is mounted on a pole about three feet tall.
The problem was immediately obvious. The two bolts that swivel with the adjustable bracket where not even hand tight. I am amazed it lasted as long as it did. Stood the pole back up where it was supposed to be and tightened the bolts.
Problem solved.
I am just shocked at the response I got from my provider.
Took a video of what I found when I got up there and sent it to them. Bet the wife I will not get even a text message of apology much less a phone call.

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Good for you! Sometimes doing it yourself can save you a lot of money. Then again, a man has to know his limitations in that regard. You can end up costing yourself even more. But thankfully, this turned out to be the former!

I hope your wife filmed you going up the roof in case you ended up being Youtube fail fodder.

Always gotta be ready to capitalize on your own foibles.