On 1/13/06 I responded to an add to get Direct TV installed in place of Dish Network. I called BCK Communications and spoke with Brandy at ext. 5124. She was extremely helpful and I ordered Direct TV. She set up the installation for 1/14/06 between 8AM and noon. On 1/14, I waited and waited. At 11AM I called BCK and they said the installer was on his way. I called back at 12:30 and they said he would be there in an hour. He arrived at 2:30. He indicated that he had been assigned four installations for that morning. Even though I had spent most of the day waiting for him to show up, I decided not to make it an issue. The installer then proceeded to inform me of all of the problems with my installation. My basement was finished too completely. There was no way to get an additional feed to my family room. Cabling into the house would be difficult. We worked through these issues and he started the installation. At that point he confided that he had brought the wrong dish. He said he would install the one he had and return on 1/15 at 9AM to switch it with the right one. Then when he got to the installation in my family room, he asked where my phone line for my DVR box was. I indicated that I didn't have a phone line where the cable enters my family room. He then told me that the DVR would not work without a phone line. I told him that I had DVR with Dish Network for over 2 years without a phone line and it worked fine. He called tech support and they indicated that it would work for awhile and then stop working. Finally someone figured out that the model he was installing at my house did not need a phone line.
He finished the installation with the exception of the correct dish and a bad receiver at 6:30.
The next morning 9AM came and went with him not showing up. I called at 10AM and they told me he was on his way. I called at 11 and they said they left him a message. I asked to speak to a manager and was transferred to a man named Jerry. He did not give me his last name.By this point, I admit that I was frustrated and angry. I told Jerry that this situation was getting intolerable and that I wanted to know where the installer was and when he was going to show up. Jerry told me to adjust my tone. I am the Director of Sales for a Software Company in Atlanta and if anyone that worked for me ever told an angry customer to adjust their tone, he would be dismissed immediately. Jerry was sarcastic and condescending in both what he said and how he said it. He did nothing to apologize for what I had been through or to diffuse the situation. He agreed to set up an installer to come out on the 16th. I agreed, at this point I had no choice. Jerry was rude and not at all what I would want in my customer service and support personnel.
The installers finally showed up at 12:30 and I had to leave them at my house unsupervised because I had other commitments that I could not change.
I do not have enough experience with Direct TV at this point to determine if it is better than Dish Network. I can say that my installation experience with BCK Communications was a complete nightmare and I will strongly recommend anyone who asks, to use a different company when getting Direct TV. I can't imagine that they treat all of their customers the way they treated me, but by the same token I am sure I am not alone.
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