Cable TV & Satellite
Having been involved in the design, installation and servicing of Cable TV and later Satellite Systems since 1975 in South Africa, I have observed a recurring problem over the years.
This problem was once again highlighted recently when we asked to look at an existing system that was not delivering high quality pictures.
The original design and the equipment supplied were of excellent quality and we could only complement the designer and contractor.
The age old problem has occurred yet again which is not unique to Cable TV, and in fact occurs across all the electronic systems that we install and service.
The seeds of the problem are laid at the commencement of the contract with the appointment of an incompetent contractor.
This occurs as a result of the contractor relying largely on the supplier of the equipment to design and commission the system.
One's first reaction and criticism is that the distributor of the equipment who jealously guards all their knowledge, does not educate their contractors.
Can one blame the distributor for this approach, not at all? They took the trouble to educate themselves and they want to "lock in" contractors.
What better way than making the contractor dependent upon them.
The contractor is either just not interested in the service they deliver, or they don't want to incur the expense of educating themselves or having to pay the salaries for well qualified and experienced technicians.
These contractors are at a competitive advantage compared to the companies that choose to employ the correctly skilled staff.
What usually occurs following the end of the warranty period on contracts is that the Client often employ the services of an even more poorly qualified, but cheaper service contractors.
The real loser is the Client, as the contractor services and reconfigures the network, not understanding what they are really doing and the picture quality gradually degrades.
This particular prospective Client is now looking at replacing the network, having been told that as it is 10 years old, "it really needs replacing".
Nothing could be further from the truth if the network had been looked after.
The old adage "goedkoop is deurkoop" once again applies.
John Meyer - June 2011