Aerial Installation in South East - Have we been ripped off?

Morning everyone

Just after some advice as I'm usually more diligent with these things, but unfortunately my work got in the way of this particular job. My partner was therefore at home when the aerial installer arrived.

We've never had a working Freeview aerial, and due to wanting to remove the satellite from the house I thought it was time to get it fixed.

I picked a local company based on recommendations and excellent reviews and feedback. I'd been told that their prices were reasonable and the quality of work was good.

I received a call back following my inquiry and the installer was available on that day, so they came round in the afternoon. Unfortunately I couldn't get away from work on time so my other half was at home.

- They tested the existing cable and found that we had a masthead amp so it needed powering with the relevant power supply, he then did receive a signal although it wasnt 10/10.

- Said that we needed a High Gain aerial installed due to condensation in our existing aerial which was around 20 years old.

- Could do it there and then if agreed by my partner.

My partner agreed as we wanted our reception problem fixed. He installed the new aerial within about 15 minutes, kept it on the same transmitter (ideally I wanted it changed to the local one for news, etc), plugged in a PSU for the masthead amp and tuned in our TV. It probably took 45 minutes start to finish.

However, it turns out that this installer wasn't the business I'd expected, it was actually the brother covering for the chosen installer. He'd only been in business a couple of months and had no reviews or feedback, with a limited profile on CheckaTrade. His brother was apparently on holiday so he took the job on, yet is based 500 miles away so is definitely not 'local'.

He then produced a hand-written invoice at the end of the job and asked that we left a review for his own business and not his brother's, and that we paid the same day via bank transfer.

Now does this seem reasonable:

- Install replacement high gain aerial (existing pole, cable, amp) - £160

- Provide Power Supply for Masthead Amp - £40 for supplying just the PSU 'as a favour', apparently the cost price (the whole kit including amp itself is under £20 trade). We were not left with other parts from this pack.

£200 seems too much? Maybe I shouldn't complain, but the confusion with the business actually completing the work makes it seem worse.

I'm usually careful with these things so I'm frustrated if we've been ripped off.

If not, I'll keep quiet :rotfl:

The Great Declutter Challenge - £876 :)

Comments

  • £200 seems quite reasonable to me, in fact it's the price I had in my head before reading that's what you were charged.
  • retepetsir
    retepetsir Posts: 1,236
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    Thanks for the reply, appreciated. In that case I'll keep quiet but may well change careers, as £200/hour labour is pretty good going :rotfl:

    The Great Declutter Challenge - £876 :)

  • gardner1
    gardner1 Posts: 3,154 Forumite
    Checkatrade is a bit like the Good Garage Scheme........you have to pay to become a member
  • caronoel
    caronoel Posts: 908
    I've been Money Tipped!
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    Checkatrade is a joke. Don't pay any heed to it. Word of mouth is your only way to find a contractor

    £200 is about right for the installation. Mine was similar a couple of years back
  • retepetsir
    retepetsir Posts: 1,236
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    I agreed on CAT, the recommendations I had been given were from friends, but I was just stating that they also had good feedback on the site (900+ reviews).

    My main issue is that the work was then carried out by 'another' company, for which there are no traceable details and the installer's normal location is 500 miles away.

    I can understand £200 for a completely new install, but still don't see how that applies for just a new aerial (under £30) on the original pole and cable.

    The Great Declutter Challenge - £876 :)

  • tacpot12
    tacpot12 Posts: 7,894
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    £200 would still be steep for the work done even if the work comes with a warranty. If you paid the local company and they subbed the work out that's fine, but you seem to have paid the company that is 500 miles away, and they are not going to be keen on providing any sort of warranty (but if they were a good company they would arrange for the local company to deal with any warranty issues).

    Your issue isn't really with the work that has been done, but who has done it. However, you've let the guy onto your roof, and agreed to pay him whatever he asked for, so you'll have to use this as a learning experience to discuss with your partner: 1) identify who has arrived to do the work - if it is not the company you were expecting, check with the company you were expecting whether they have sold your contact on, or the caller is a bona-fide sub-contractor.
    2) have a labour rate in mind and an idea of how long the work should take, but don't forget that this small trader has to spend time buying the parts, travelling to your house, have insurance for working at heights (expensive). The 45 minutes they spend on the roof is the smallest part of the job for them. A fair price for the whole job might have been £150 (£100 for 2.5 hours time including travelling and collecting parts and £50 for the parts). So you not been overcharged massively, and you do have a working aerial.
    The comments I post are my personal opinion. While I try to check everything is correct before posting, I can and do make mistakes, so always try to check official information sources before relying on my posts.
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