Parents - aaargh

SexyGreyFox

SexyGreyFox

SexyGreyFox

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My Dad is 75 but sometimes its like talking to a brick wall.
Yesterday I went to sort all his AV equipment out and he wanted a new Freeview box fitting.
I got his aerial cable which was not plugged into anything :confused: and continued to try and get a signal.
After a while I tried to just put the aerial into the TV for an analogue picture but no luck.
He then told me that 3 months earlier he'd cut through the cable with his hedge trimmers and got an aerial man to put a new cable up.
After trying for another 1hr I told him to ring the aerial man to see what he had done with the cable.

Today he rings me back saying the aerial man did exactly what he asked which was 'replace the cable'.
The aerial man admitted that he didn't attach it to the aerial :eek:
Asked why he didn't attach it he just said that since my Dad was getting a digital picture on his TV through Virgin he didn't need to attach it.
My old man accepted his answer and will not accept the aerial man did something wrong.

So viewers - has my Dad been ripped off for £75?
 
well.. was thee £75 for replacing and installation of said aerial cable? If so ..yes you've been ripped off.

Even if you have another service in place providing you with tv ..i.e. virgin.. you still paid him to do a particular job which he didnt do as he deemed it unnecessary.. Talk to the company? Sue? Break his kneecaps?
 
I don't understand what the aerial man did?

He ran a cable up the side of the house to the aerial but didn't connect it?
 
Skyfall said:
I don't understand what the aerial man did?

He ran a cable up the side of the house to the aerial but didn't connect it?
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That's what it sounds like! :p

Cable Guy: "Hey, I'm just going to re-run your aerial as you cut through it"
Daddy: "Okie doke"
Cable Guy: "Hi there, I've run your cable, I just didn't connect it up as you don't actually need the thing....."
Daddy: "Rite......"
Cable Guy: "Well that's £75 please :)"
Daddy: "Okie doke"

:p
 
My mother was ripped off in a similar way. I sent for Virgin to go round her house to fit the cable for their service. It emerged that the only way was to run the cables over the roof, at which she expressed great displeasure. So she instead opted for freeview. She had an aerial man round to fit a new aerial up in the loft for £165. I told her that was awfully dear, but still as long as it works then I'm not going to shout her down like I usually do. But when I went round to inspect the work carried out I found that the man had not fitted a new aerial as he was paid to do, but rather just connected the old aerial that was already in the loft to the TV downstairs using a different cable. I tried to ring him but alas, no answer. Unfortunately she's been well and truly fleeced. I like to be there when she has work done for this very reason so I can sort people like this out but she always goes and does it through the week when I'm at work.

I think they just see people coming.
 
Your old man has been done, but not by that much compaired to what these idiots can charge.

I had to pay a guy £60 to hook a box upto my dish and realign it. £60 for 10 minutes of work! (Cheapest quote I could get as well) :mad:
 
It happens unfortunately, my Granddad has done similar in the past. I would be willing to bet his reaction is the same too, he isn't being stubborn, he's just embarrassed. It's difficult for someone to go from your primary bread winner and educator and then turn into an old man with a failing memory, a target for con men.

I would be willing to bet he knows he's been ripped, but i doubt he'll admit it purely out of pride.
 
My Dad lives and breathes his analogue Teletext so he thought his analogue feed came through the aerial but Virgin still send an analogue signal down the cable which means that through the RF out you can tune those channels into the TV.
When he cut through the cable he obviously thought he needed it replacing.
Rip off man comes round, realises he's getting analogue through his TV and decides to replace cable but not get on the roof and connect it to the aerial.
My Dad is now upset that he can't get analogue teletext because Virgin came out today and replaced his box (I have another thread in the Home Cinema).
I've told him to ring up rip-off man and get him to do the job he paid him for.
My Dad still reckons he did the job which was to replace the cable :(
 
dmpoole said:
My Dad lives and breathes his analogue Teletext so he thought his analogue feed came through the aerial but Virgin still send an analogue signal down the cable which means that through the RF out you can tune those channels into the TV.
When he cut through the cable he obviously thought he needed it replacing.
Rip off man comes round, realises he's getting analogue through his TV and decides to replace cable but not get on the roof and connect it to the aerial.
My Dad is now upset that he can't get analogue teletext because Virgin came out today and replaced his box (I have another thread in the Home Cinema).
I've told him to ring up rip-off man and get him to do the job he paid him for.
My Dad still reckons he did the job which was to replace the cable :(
Click to expand...

It was originally connected to the aerial, he replaced the cable that was connected to the aerial....so he should have connected that cable back up to the aerial.
 
so the old cable was connected between the aerial and the tuner? Some how yourold man managed to cut through it with hedge trimmers ? (was the cable in the hedge??)
Anway an aerial guy 'replaced' the cable. IMO he should have connected each end up exactly where the old one was...
 
dmpoole said:
My Dad lives and breathes his analogue Teletext so he thought his analogue feed came through the aerial but Virgin still send an analogue signal down the cable which means that through the RF out you can tune those channels into the TV.
When he cut through the cable he obviously thought he needed it replacing.
Rip off man comes round, realises he's getting analogue through his TV and decides to replace cable but not get on the roof and connect it to the aerial.
My Dad is now upset that he can't get analogue teletext because Virgin came out today and replaced his box (I have another thread in the Home Cinema).
I've told him to ring up rip-off man and get him to do the job he paid him for.
My Dad still reckons he did the job which was to replace the cable :(
Click to expand...

So where does the aerial cable go? he must have got up on the roof to run the cable up:confused: or did he just put it through the wall leaving a pile of cable on the floor.
 
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Aerial man did as instructed. installed a new cable. ok if it was me I'd have connected it to the aerial. so I think hes in the wrong.

Tradesmen do get this all the time. you go to do a Job. Customer insists that they want it doing this way against what you advise. you do it their way or walk away from the job if its unsafe, but then it doesn't work but its then our fault.

So who's wrong?

Ok Misread OP a little but rest still stands
 
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whitecrook said:
so the old cable was connected between the aerial and the tuner?
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No.

The aerial was not actually connected to a tuner but was loose at the back of the TV.
When NTL first came in they set his NTL box up to deliver both digital & analogue signals so he didn't need the aerial.
When he cut through the aerial he obviously thought he'd broke something.
Aerial man figured out how it was all setup and decided to make the outside cable look nice.
 
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