The Satellite Guy

A few years ago, Jim Carrey starred in a movie called “The Cable Guy” in which he played a deranged technician for a cable company who ended up stalking a customer. It was a dark comedy. In any case, we had a similar situation on Friday when a guy for Bell Canada came to install a satellite dish on our house. My wife was out at the time the doorbell rang. I went to answer the door and a young man in his late 20’s/early thirties was peering in the front door, which I found odd. He had a knit cap on pulled low over his eyes. I answered the door and he indicated that he was there to install the satellite dish. He was very flat and sullen. He went into the basement to do the necessary technical installation. After coming back up, he indicated that he would install the dish at the southwest side of the house. He first tried to install the dish at the back of the house next to the windows of the family room. The dish would have been only head high. Not exactly an optimal position to be getting a satellite signal. After not getting any signal (according to him), he then tried the southwest corner and drilled holes. Again no signal (which he later informed us). He then proceeded to the front of the house, where he began drilling holes on the northwest corner of the house at head height.

By then, it was evident that the guy was not doing his best to do his job. At that point, my wife came home and was not happy with what she saw. Neither was I. So a call was made to Bell Canada where she was able to reach a customer service representative, who asked to speak to the Satellite Guy (who, all this time, maintained a flat, sullen, assholish attitude) and instructed him to get up on a ladder and install the dish at an acceptable height. When she handed him her cell phone so that the Bell Canada customer service rep could speak to him, it was a very awkward moment. He listened with his back turned to us, and then handed the cell phone back to my wife with a semi dirty look on his face. By this time, we just wanted that guy to get the job over with and get the hell out. He did install the dish at an acceptable height and hooked up the tv. We were glad when he got out. It was obvious that the guy didn’t care about doing his best and didn’t know anything about customer service. It was one very unpleasant moment during a fun time moving into this beautiful house.