After calling Mike do to a multi point install at a rental house (and stupidly not checking that - I assumed it was ok as the one tenant with a TV said it was working), I got Mike round to do another 5 point install on another house.
At the time, only 1 tenant had a TV, he reported it was fine. Only downside I saw at the time was the mess that hadn't been cleared uo and the holes for the aerial weren't tidied up with caps, just a bare hole drilled through.
Had a new tenant move in with a TV, he couldn't get a picture, we tried with a small TV, same result. Tried all the other points, they were dead too.
Called Mike, he said he would pop round the following day, I spoke to the tenant, told him it was being sorted. Next day, nothing, tried calling Mike, nothing, got through the following day. "I had van problems" he said. What is it with tradesmen who have your number but don't bother letting you know when they won't turn up for an agreed appointment?
So, Mike said he was down the road and would pop over to check. All aerial points not working, has to be external, distribution box probably, right? Chances of all leads being faulty all of a sudden after 3 weeks is pretty slim.
I checked with the tenant the day after Mike was supposed to have been round, still not working. Tried calling Mike, left 3 voice messages over the next few days, nothing. Got through to him, his comment was, I did go round but couldn't get in the house.?? So I arranged to meet him a few days later at 10am. Called at 9.20am that day to make sure he would be round at 10, yes he said, will see you then. From the background noises he was clearly at home, a 10 min max drive to the house in question. I got there at 10, no Mike, 10.15, no Mike, 10.20, no Mike, left at 10.25. No phone call of course to say he'd be late. I had to leave then as I had another appointment. The tenant called that evening to say Mike had put a card through the door at 10.25 saying he'd called but no-one was there. You may think 25 mins isn't too long to go over, but when I'd called him 40 mins before to make sure he'd be there, yet he still couldn't be bothered to turn up on time, I think 25mins is plenty. It's not like he had a 1 hour jounreny to get there.
I was about to find out why Mike was so cagey about fixing the job. Got another company round to fix his mess. We were scratching our heads as to why the install wasn't working and how Mike had actually done it - no box near the aerial with cables running down, just one lead from the aerial, going into the roof. Followed the cable and it went to an old distribution box that was in the house when we bought it. Mike probably thought he was being clever using that rather than having to put a new one in. Would have been even more clever if he'd actually bothered checking it worked once he'd finished, a minor detail with aerial installs.
Other points, apart from the fact it wasn't working, half the old aerial cable was just cut and left dangling off the side of the house, the aerial was fitted completely againstbest practice guildines, on the other house he had not even bothered putting one point in that we'd paid for, just left a hole in the wall, without any cable to be seen.
In hindsight, I should've gone round and checked both installs and that they worked properly. The mess I can live with, even things going wrong, it happens, I accept that, as long as a) it's corrected properly and when it is said it would be, and b) it's not a correction as a result of a bodge.
There are obviously good reviews on here, but in my experience Mike is a bodger. One slightly dodgy install, the other a total mess, which Mike seemed unwilling to resolve by being hard to get hold of or not turning up when he said he would. Amazing how quick he was to return calls with the prospect of some business, how slow when he had to sort out his poor work.
You'll not be surprised to hear I wouldn't recommend Mike, if anyone asks for my recommendation I will make certain they don't call him.
new aerial / repair
Julie P.
Review Date: 20/10/2008
One of the worst installs I've seen
