Many people struggle to gain confidence with the ever lasting story of rogue aerial installers, this is widely highlighted on the television on a regular basis. As the digital switch-over is dawning many people will begin to panic even more at the prospect of whether their current equipment will meet the requirements when the switch-over finally happens. By following these simple top ten tips, you will be able to shortlist reliable, cost effective methods of making sure you are not left behind when we say goodbye to analogue signals.
10. When selecting a company to assess your current circumstances, this is what they should do. Many aerial installers like to jump straight to the selling point, "We can just install you a new aerial". If your current aerial is just outside the threshold for receiving digital signals, there may be options to bring your current equipment up to the required standard. If you believe your current aerial is not that old and that it may support digital signals then you should feel confident enough to say this to an aerial installer. The base-line to this tip...never rule out your existing equipment.
9. Make sure you fully understand what services you will be receiving and they are the services you want or expect to get at the end of the install. Freeview and Freesat at present will not transmit all the array of a subscription television package like Sky, Virgin or BT.
8. Make sure the aerial installers are insured to carry out the work. Any damage to your property will be your responsibility if you employ a rogue company who you can not relate to the work being done.
7. Make sure the aerial installers are qualified to carry out the work. Aerial Installation is not just about installing the hardware, there are signal measurements that require a knowledgeable engineer to assess, if they are not qualified then it is quite likely that they do not know the full requirement of digital signal reception. Although it is advisable to employ someone who is part of a regulated company such as RDI or CAI, there are still plenty of companies who are fully qualified who choose to run from word of mouth. It is only subscription costs stopping these companies joining up. If a company claims to be part of a regulating body, always check them out from the regulating bodies website. RDI and CAI being the two main bodies for the aerial industry.
6. Always ask the installer if the products they use are of a benchmark standard or approved. By using inferior products you are taking the chance that your services will be short lived or will fail at some point in the near future. Using properly approved products will enable your services to have a long life.
5. Always ask the installers to provide I.D. A properly maintained company will have also have taken CRB criminal checks. In today's society we can never be sure who we are dealing with so always look to employ trustworthy aerial installers.
4. Do your research online and check if the company has a website. Then look around on the web for relating testimonials and reviews on this company. It's all too easy to fall foul to a well designed website for the company to be rogue traders. To be clear about this, try to find 3rd party testimonials to clarify the companies customer confidence.
3. Time being spent on the job is a cloudy area of aerial installation. Any company spending less than one hour could have rushed the job and therefore left future problems to occur, it could also mean they are not following the correct health and safety procedures. A decent aerial installation company always spends time to ensure they have followed the correct procedures outlined by their training. An average install will take over 1.5 hours. Leave plenty of time for the installation to make sure they get the job done correctly first time around.
2. Never select an aerial installer because there prices are extraordinarily low. There are a selection of what can only be considered "Cowboy Companies", who will install aerials for 59.99 inc VAT for the aerial to not provide a full array of digital freeview channels. By installing inferior hardware and cables you are leaving yourself open to future problems and thus additional charges, it actually saves to have the job done correctly from the start. A proven Aerial Installer will always install equipment that is fit for it's purpose.
1. NEVER select a company who is willing to climb on your roof without the correct health and safety equipment. As a paying customer, you should be paying a fully qualified trained engineer to set up their harness equipment before going on your roof. Ultimately, if an engineer falls off the roof, they are putting not just their own life at risk but also leaving the customer liable. I would never climb on a roof without the correct safety equipment and the best aerial installers always follow the correct procedures.
So to summarise these points, if you are unsure about your ability to receive the services for a long period of time, before you employ anyone, do your home work.
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