Jason_dinAlt Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 Im buying a house in another town and will be moving there. I rang Austar to enquire if there was a moving fee, and the girl insists that I have to pay $149.95 for "reinstallation" I said hang on, the place already has a dish and two outlets, one is a mystar and the vendors have a multi-room account, so why do I have to pay just to plug the boxes in to the sockets that are already there? The girl said hmm let me look, no, it says the address only has standard boxes but is multiroom, and you have a mystar and a standard box, so a tech will have to come and install an extra line and hardware for the mystar, but we have a deal this month where its only $49 if it involves mystar. So i said well thats a lot better, but the wiring and multiswitch is already there (because I know it is, I saw the multiswitch and the mystar) but she says even if it is there you still have to pay the $49.95. So, im going to let the tech come, he will find that the wiring and multiswitch is already there, and let him charge austar for the "installation of extra outlet for mystar and a multiswitch" and I will sign it! And Im taking the multiswitch that is here with me! That'll teach them to have dodgy records and insist on charging when all I am doing is plugging the thing in and also for not listening to the customer!
OzyDave Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 Things have changed a lot over the years. When I moved 8 years ago, I told them I was moving to a house with Austar outlets. The Austar rep asked me how long would I be not using Austar (6 week period between leaving the old house before moving into the new house) and she suspended my account for the full period so I wouldn't be charged. When I moved in, I just plugged the box in and it worked.
viewer1503559544 Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 Things have changed a lot over the years. When I moved 8 years ago, I told them I was moving to a house with Austar outlets. The Austar rep asked me how long would I be not using Austar (6 week period between leaving the old house before moving into the new house) and she suspended my account for the full period so I wouldn't be charged. When I moved in, I just plugged the box in and it worked. That were the days when sense was used....not no longer.
Eddy Current Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 Austar constantly threaten installers with fraud charges if they claim installation costs for equipment and outlets which are already there even if Austar themselves don't have a clue what is in the premises. In this case the installer can legally only claim a reconnect fee They do actually have to check the signal. Could have been a bodgy install in the first place So, im going to let the tech come, he will find that the wiring and multiswitch is already there, and let him charge austar for the "installation of extra outlet for mystar and a multiswitch" and I will sign it! And Im taking the multiswitch that is here with me! That'll teach them to have dodgy records and insist on charging when all I am doing is plugging the thing in and also for not listening to the customer!
austartech Posted October 30, 2008 Posted October 30, 2008 So, im going to let the tech come, he will find that the wiring and multiswitch is already there, and let him charge austar for the "installation of extra outlet for mystar and a multiswitch" and I will sign it! And Im taking the multiswitch that is here with me! That'll teach them to have dodgy records and insist on charging when all I am doing is plugging the thing in and also for not listening to the customer! I know us techs don't get paid nearly enough but what you are suggesting is fraud? Getting caught would probably cost him his/her job!
hazzad Posted November 2, 2008 Posted November 2, 2008 I know us techs don't get paid nearly enough but what you are suggesting is fraud?Getting caught would probably cost him his/her job! What would be considered fraud? Austar has stated that they require a tech to go out and do the job. The customer has stated that a tech isnt required. Whats the tech going to do? Rip out the existing equipment and re-install new gear jsut to satisfy the order? If Austar has a preocess of paying tech's for incorrect/false installs then im sure you techs would know that and would be able to claim on that not requiring any form of "fraud". If anything its theft of equipemnt from his old property but thats not fraud.
Jason_dinAlt Posted November 3, 2008 Author Posted November 3, 2008 Im not sure if its straight down the line theft as the dish and multiswitch may be considered "fixtures and fittings" and hence the property owners. If you look into the contract you sign when the installer installs the dish and cable there is no mention of the dish and accessories belonging to Austar (NOT the box and card), in fact I bet Austar has never sued a single home owner when they have either taken them down or taken them with them on departure. The box and card are an entirely diferent matter, they are mentioned in the contract as being Austar property.
mrfixits Posted November 4, 2008 Posted November 4, 2008 I'm not sure if its straight down the line theft as the dish and multiswitch may be considered "fixtures and fittings" and hence the property owners. If you look into the contract you sign when the installer installs the dish and cable there is no mention of the dish and accessories belonging to Austar (NOT the box and card), in fact I bet Austar has never sued a single home owner when they have either taken them down or taken them with them on departure. The box and card are an entirely diferent matter, they are mentioned in the contract as being Austar property. I was told that the Dish and cable are yours (the home owner) once installed, this is what i was told when i had my dish moved up onto my roof, the guy came out and put a new dish on the roof and ran a few new cables etc and i asked "so what's the go with the old dish" and he said "once we install a dish it belongs to you" and i believe him as i have a friend that moved over to the US and when he called Austar to stop his service, all they wanted back from him was the box. Plus when i was looking at buying another investment property most of them had the dish and cable still there but the owners had moved out, (one house ad even said Austar ready).
Barkri Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 Austar appear to have developed a sleazy new tactic to increase the uptake of mystar. Customers who have a service issue, typically a dead decoder or signal problem are hit with the "why don't you try out a mystar for a free period?" spiel. Often the customer is left without a service or experiencing problems for several weeks which makes them more receptive to the "special offer". Would it be too churlish to suggest this is a deliberate tactic by Austar to move their bug ridden boxes?
DrP Posted February 27, 2009 Posted February 27, 2009 No it wouldn't. Others have commented about the tactic too. About as lame as it gets IMO.
Jason_dinAlt Posted February 27, 2009 Author Posted February 27, 2009 (edited) yes it is very lame, they tried that trick on me when my normal box had a reset issue Just a little update on this, b4 i moved I rang them back and I eventually got offered to move for $49 instead of the $149, mainly because i was in a real bad mood that day and told them basically to stick their service where the sun dont shine. The $49 fee included an extra mystar and outlet and a nice 8 way hills multiswitch, the tech was here for nearly 2 hours as our house is on very low stumps and high ceilings and he decided that running the cables underneath was the easiest option, it was very hot that day lol. When the bill came it said the move/install extra outlet fee was $199!!! But a phone call sorted that out, it went back down to $49 because I mentioned i recorded the conversation that had offered the renegotiated fee of $49, the bastards will try every trick in the book to slip you extra charges, just make sure you either record any conversations or write the facts down Edited February 27, 2009 by Jason_dinAlt
vallatv Posted February 28, 2009 Posted February 28, 2009 i got charged $49.95 for a tech to come out and replace a dead box. I phone call sorted it out quick but the money had already been taken out of my account and i had to wait 2 months for the account to be credited. As i said to the Austar Customer Service rep, if i don't have a box then you can't bill me monthly fees and if you charge me to replace a box that seems to have a fault with power supplies (altas) then you may as well cancel my subscription and get no money from me each month. I was without it for 4 days(blew up Sunday night and got it replaced on Thursday arvo) as it was. At least whe i had Foxtel and it happened i got the box replaced in 2 working days ( box blew up Friday night got it replaced on Tuesday).
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