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What price for an aerial installation?

What prices have you been quoted and paid for an aerial installation?

What prices have you been quoted and paid for an aerial install
Published on by on UK Free TV
In responses to the guideline I posted about how much having a new aerial fitted should cost, Ian Grice posted: "£40-£50? Every aerial fitter I contacted wants at least £150+VAT considering you can get a class 3 aerial for under £10 and a class 2 for under £15 and cable is 40p a metre why are they charging so much for 30 minutes work?"

OK, for some places putting up a TV aerial is hard work, such as multi-story properties. As many people will simply be exchanging a Group A, B, C/D, E or K aerial for a wideband type, often without changing the supporting pole or cable, a high price cannot be justified.

I am concerned that some companies will exploit vulnerable groups (such as the elderly).

So, I what prices have you been quoted for aerial installations? What price have you paid for installation?

Do you know of any companies to avoid? Do you know of any companies that are good value for money?

Or do you work for a great aerial installation company?





Your comments: most recent posts are at the bottom

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Mazbar
Monday 5 September 2011 6:26PM Ormskirk
Thats good im going back to my copy of the daily mail
Tom Fletcher
Tuesday 6 September 2011 7:35PM
I saw 3 of them today on lindsey ave parson cross they fitted a 15 foot pole a massiv blakes jbx aerial and a vision mast amp at the bottom of the pole""" mad absolutely mad we fitted a log pro aerial down the road a few weeks ago and got every channel spot on, you can see the dam sheffield mast from there,absolute nob heads if they came to my house I would have booted them out,I mean 3 of them to do an aerial,yes and 3 tranny vans parked on the road as well.
Tom Fletcher
Tuesday 6 September 2011 7:53PM
One more point this AVC contract reminds me of the sky contract they handed to another bunch of idiots called cobra,all sorts of things went of there,they even set someone on who I sacked for trying it on with female customers,they did not last long,we were subbies to sky and cobra wanted us to do sky fits for less than half the money sky gave us.
Mazbar
Tuesday 6 September 2011 8:39PM Ormskirk
one question why do they have cat ladders yet never use them ?
Briantist
Tuesday 6 September 2011 9:05PM
kB Aerials Sheffield : To answer a question from up the page - I have no idea if I have ever received any money from any advertiser, not how much they have paid, this information is not provided.

Google Adsense is like Fight Club (the first rule of Fight Club is you don't talk about Fight Club).
Briantist
Tuesday 6 September 2011 9:11PM
Mazbar: As I say, I have banned them from advertising on the site.
kB Aerials Sheffield
Tuesday 6 September 2011 11:27PM
Brian

Keep up the good work - there is some drivel on here but pick through and there is some good stuff and I think you (we) genuinely help people who are willing to search and ask pertinent questions

Keith
Briantist
Wednesday 7 September 2011 7:45AM
kB Aerials Sheffield : Thanks very much.

Interestingly when I speak to "industry people" they often make exactly the same point.

You certainly assist with the balance away from "drivel", which I very much appreciate.
Mazbar
Wednesday 7 September 2011 3:26PM Ormskirk
Brian what a superstar you are now all we need are some 110 mph winds at night and calm days and all will be right in our little worlds
steve h
Wednesday 7 September 2011 5:51PM
dont think even that would help mazbar, its not like the good old days now with so many people having sky, often people just leave their aerial dangling for six months before getting someone round to remove it! years ago a good storm would keep us going for a fortnight. on the subject of the helpscheme we went out to a job yesterday where they connected a freeview box and tried tuning it in to a transmitter that isnt even digital yet!
steve h
Wednesday 7 September 2011 5:51PM
dont think even that would help mazbar, its not like the good old days now with so many people having sky, often people just leave their aerial dangling for six months before getting someone round to remove it! years ago a good storm would keep us going for a fortnight. on the subject of the helpscheme we went out to a job yesterday where they connected a freeview box and tried tuning it in to a transmitter that isnt even digital yet!
Mazbar
Wednesday 7 September 2011 7:01PM Ormskirk
Steve keep your head up i went to a house today they used to save sky but have now gone in to bt vision they lived in a half million pound house the only problem was the sky box was powering a compact amp, this is not the first time this has happend and wont be the last. As the ression rearly starts to bite more people might ditch sky and just have freeview we can all live in hope.
Mazbar
Wednesday 7 September 2011 7:18PM Ormskirk
Brian the advantage bt vision has over freesat is sky sports 1 & 2 plus some other premium channels personaly i have had nothing but problems with bt vision boxes. Ps brian is my apology accepted from above i didnt want to show any disrespect.
Briantist
Wednesday 7 September 2011 7:34PM
Mazbar: I was just pointing out the article says "a record 47% of its customers have come from Sky households so far in 2011".

And yes, of course.
KB Aerials Sheffield
Wednesday 7 September 2011 8:57PM
I remember the last big storm I think it was Feb 2008 - yep was like god playing skittles with the aerials - I know people not in the trade don't want hear it - But it is our jobs and its what puts food on the table!

So yes please a Good ol storm at night and calm days!

Incidentally I bought a new van 2 weeks back - bit apprehensive as its a 5 seater thought id get rid of the car hence 5 seats with glass all the way round (Vito Traveliner) (oh go on --- its in Jasper blue)

It has a Tail gate rather than 2 Barn doors like previous vans - well---- built an aerial up today in the P'ing down rain - it was like being under a Giant umbrella - Was very nice!

Brian - I hope do help with the None Drivel related stuff!

Keith KB Aerials Sheffield 07946481125

quick question - I have had magnetic signs made up rather than a full Sign write ( as I intend to drive it through france on mini breaks ) - but ive only put my mobile number on it rather that and my land line - the reason for this is that diverting a call from my land line to my mobile which is on permanently isn't exactly cheap

Would this put potential customers off not seeing a land line on the side of a trades persons vehicle

or would they not pay it any thought and just call the number if they needed that line of work?

Briantist
Wednesday 7 September 2011 9:00PM
KB Aerials Sheffield : I believe the appropriate aphorism is:

"It is an ill wind that blows no one any good".
KB Aerials Sheffield
Wednesday 7 September 2011 9:02PM
mazbar
Doing a BT vision job tomoz - customer moved from SKY - checked the BT box out other day - has no RF output - says something about it in the menu but no way of enabling it
She also wants to control it from her bedroom like she did with sky
So having to go to the expense of installing an RF modulator and a a Tv Link Plus (http://www.tvlink.co.uk/tvlinkplus.htm so she can control BT vision from bed
bit of a Palaver don't you think
Keith
KB Aerials Sheffield
Wednesday 7 September 2011 9:03PM
Yes Brian - very appropriate!

steve h
Thursday 8 September 2011 5:01PM
kb i think people who see your van wouldnt care these days as mobiles are now accepted as the norm. sounds like a nice van but i would be careful with the magnetic signs i have lost a few over the years! and they can cause rust spots underneath when its wet
KB Aerials Sheffield
Thursday 8 September 2011 7:20PM
Steve - My last vito had problem with rust (and jumps out of first gear occasionally - hence the change )

(still got it 53 plate 150BHP extra long Vito in white if any one wants it Drives like a saloon car on rails)

Apparently the new Vito's are Galvanised against rust so hopefully rust wont be an issue - was a real disappointment on the other Vito

Just got to de sticker it and get it on auto trader (the white one ) -- when I have the time to get round to it!
Mazbar
Friday 9 September 2011 11:14AM Ormskirk
Kb it migth have been cheaper to stay with sky. Peed off just spent two days in hospital with kidney stones luckly most of my arranged jobs have let me arrange for different days
KB Aerials Sheffield
Friday 9 September 2011 2:29PM
Mazbar


OOOOPS - hope your feeling ok

She claims she is saving £30 a month by moving to bt vision

Keith
Mazbar
Friday 9 September 2011 3:34PM Ormskirk
thats a big saving but there is still far fewer channels but each to there own and thanks i am feeling a lot better
KB Aerials Sheffield
Friday 9 September 2011 8:38PM Sheffield
I have sky TV - kids use it - mostly cartoon stuff

I don't watch a vast deal on tv - As my girlfriend puts it i "pat away on the laptop" instead of watching tv
Tom Fletcher
Friday 9 September 2011 9:06PM
My old van has gone to the Congo to be a taxi,
I bought that van in 1992 a Mitsubishi L30 when it was just 2 years old for £1'200 and I have had it ever since the old thing gave me over 20 years of service with out any major problems at all it was a heart wrenching site to see it go on the back of the pick up truck apparently they are sort after in Congo for taxis I put it on Ebay and it was sold with in 5 minutes the buyer coming from London and paying cash the same night I wish I could have installed a camera in the van to see what happens. Tom Fletcher Alpha Aerials ,
Briantist
Saturday 10 September 2011 9:54AM
KB Aerials Sheffield : I have to admit that I don't really watch much TV either, and the stuff I do watch usually comes from the iPlayer or torrents for things like Torchwood...
Janette
Saturday 10 September 2011 10:12AM Matlock
Why can't things be left alone, I have had no channels or signal at all since the switchover. The HELP LINE, rung 5 times, not helpful all they keep saying is it must be your arial ( new last year ready for switchover). 4 neighbours have since lost their signal (stanton Moor) also now lost signal on mobile, could that need a new arial too?? Hope it's not too big/heavey or it won't fit in my handbag!!so any ideas anyone.
Briantist
Saturday 10 September 2011 10:39AM
Janette: I'm suspicious about your "aerial (new last year ready for switchover)" statement.

Your *ONLY* transmitter that you can use is Stanton Moor, and you did not need anything other than a standard aerial as you have a high power signal from it.

It might be that someone has sold you a booster, masthead amplifier or similar when you got your "new aerial".

If they did, you now need to remove it from your system as this would cause a signal overload and stop your equipment from working.

If you can't find such a device to disconnect, you might have to fit an attenuator - they cost about five pounds.




steve h
Saturday 10 September 2011 7:29PM
tom i think that was a popular van for aerial fitters as it wasnt too high to get the ladders on and i think a sliding door on each side? by coincidence i had an old toyota van that also went to africa apparently. i once bought an old van from someone in the local paper . it seems the m o t was a bit dodgy as the police condemned it at the roadside and said i couldnt drive it any further. we still made it to the job carrying all the ladders and kit!
clare
Sunday 11 September 2011 8:04PM
Whats the average price of having a new ariel fitted?
kB Aerials Sheffield
Monday 12 September 2011 8:20AM
claire - I charge around £120 for an aerial on a 6' mast
that includes a decent chimney or wall bracket which are galvanised (make sure your aerial installer uses galvanised as it will not rust)
the mast is at least 1 1/4" again - make sure its alloy not steel - (steel rusts)

new cable and of course an aerial suitable for the job

the likly hood of needing an amplifier if for 1 point is slim so if an aerial rigger says you need an amplifier look into it - check with neighbours

incidentally if you live around sheffield area (rotherham doncaster barnsley chesterfield etc give me a call )

Keith KB Aerials Sheffield 07946481125
Ian
Monday 12 September 2011 8:24AM
Clare, it depends on where you live. If you can buy a 3 bedroom house for £90k then I guess about £85, but if the cost of a 3 bedroom house is £260k, then about £165

The cost of living based on your area would normally dictate the price.

Best thing to do is call 3 'local' installers for an estimate.

When I say 'local' I mean 'local', and not a national company with a local or 0800 telephone number.

Be wary of the ones which advertise claiming to live in 'High Street, Anywhere' without putting the actual number of the property, because chances are, they are not there anyway.
kB Aerials Sheffield
Monday 12 September 2011 2:19PM
Ian
that almost sounds like you price an aerial by seeing what cars on the drive when you arrive i cover Sheffield which is a huge area and I don't arrive at a millionaires house and expect them to pay more because they live in an expensive house than someone who lives in a terrace - the cost of materials doesn't change and the amount of labour would be about the same


Keith KB aerials

and yes I know aerial riggers who charge like that - yes they earn more but aren't likely to be recommended
Ian
Tuesday 13 September 2011 12:22AM
No not so Keith, materials mat be about the same, time taken may be about the same but the actual cost of buying a home is miles apart.

There used to be a guy on here from Aberfan in Wales, he was doing installs for about £75 but the mortgage on a house in Aberfan was meagre compared to where I live in the South East.

He can afford to do them ‘at his price’ because the price he charged covered his overheads and take home pay.

If I were to charge the same £75 I’d have probably been repossessed by now because I wouldn’t have been able to cover the ‘inflated’ cost of living in the South East.

It would seem that a property purchased in your road today would be worth about £140K, that is for a Terraced, Freehold, 4 Beds, 2 Baths, 2 Receps, does this sound familiar?

In 1999 when it was last purchased, it sold for £57K

You would struggle to get a Studio Flat down here for £140K

You would not survive down here charging your prices but having to pay our cost of living.

Far worse in Liverpool where I understand that you can get a full rig for £55
KB Aerials Sheffield
Tuesday 13 September 2011 7:10AM Sheffield
so what your saying is not the price of property the customer lives in but the property you live in dictates the price the customer pays ?


Ian
Tuesday 13 September 2011 8:43AM
Yes to an extent.

It does not matter if you are an aerial rigger or a suit in an office, if you have a wife and 3 children in a 3 bedroom house and your monthly mortgage repayments are close to £800 per month, you need to find a job which can fund your outgoings.

If you buy a £140k house in Sheffield, put down a 20% deposit you'll have a mortgage of £112k.

Now down south where I live the same house would be £340k, with a 20% deposit the mortgage would be £272k.

(I've just seen on the web a 3 bed ex-council house for £299,950 just to give you an idea)

Those down South have to pay over £160k for the same thing, a 3 bed house.

How do we pay these extra cost? By charging more for the service we provide. There is no other method.

There is a North / South divide when I dome to property prices.

However, should I move to Sheffield I would be able to purchase a property outright and charge a lot less than you because as such, I'd have no overheads as in a mortgage to pay.

£90 a rig, less material would give me £70 gross, 3 jobs a day = £210, 5 days a week, and I'd gross £1050.00

I could live off that, £54,600 p.a.

steve h
Tuesday 13 September 2011 3:21PM
to be fair kb what ian is saying is that the average price of a house in an area is a good indicator of an average price of an aerial install. there are always installers who will try to be the cheapest in their area but in a place like london where the cost of living is higher there is only so low you can go and stay in business. there is a north south divide on aerial prices for that reason
KB Aerials Sheffield
Tuesday 13 September 2011 3:56PM Sheffield
Ok
fair enough

I was just a bit stunned by the comment that a customers house would dictate the price of an aerial

I understand now - I take it you cant live on £54,600 a year down south

mortgage payments of £9600 yes I can see that £45000 wouldn't cover gas and electricity would it

where as you charge say £160 per rig giving you £140 gross 3 jobs a day would only give you 420 a day £2100 a week and that would be £109,200 a year (on your calculations you don't take holidays btw)

Yes after your 9600 mortgage payments come off i can see that you only have a meagre £99, 600 to live off a year

Is it really nearly 55 grand a year more expensive to live down south

How do dustbin men cope down there do they live in sheds ?


Ian
Tuesday 13 September 2011 9:31PM
All I can say Keith is move to Guildford from Sheffield, maintain your prices and you will be repossessed or out of business, or both within 24 months.

I couldn't come to Sheffield and charge my prices, because up there the cost of living is cheaper, maybe not bread, butter and a pint of milk but the roof over your head certainly is.

You need to remember that it is not only riggers on higher money, everybody is, plumbers, roofers, chippy’s, brickies and office workers.

A secretary down here can earn £55K p.a. just for picking up a pen and doing a bit of typing.

I know some riggers who don’t earn that.

I learnt today that a local plumber’s day rate is £360, and the guy in question always has work.

I was told years ago, go in cheap and people will think that you don’t have the knowledge, go in expensive and people think that they are paying for the knowledge.

Guildford and Sheffield are worlds apart.

KB Aerials Sheffield
Tuesday 13 September 2011 10:20PM Sheffield
Ok Ian
KB Aerials Sheffield
Tuesday 13 September 2011 10:29PM
This is quite amusing
this company offer a choice of
Analogue aerial or
Digital Aerial

mmmm whats the difference seen as there is no such thing as a digital aerial
www.guildford-aerials.co.uk link icon Guildford Aerials & Satellites Installers (S201EG)
Briantist
Tuesday 13 September 2011 10:58PM
KB Aerials Sheffield : That always makes me cross.

Still someone was trying to tell me the other day that because Freeview uses radio waves, it is still actually basically analogue.
Robert Oliver
Tuesday 13 September 2011 11:02PM
Best check out fixmyaerial.com I booked a guy from there for my install.He did a very good job ata fair price
KB Aerials sheffield
Tuesday 13 September 2011 11:03PM
Apart from the fact its a digital transmission

Whats dab then is that analogue too

Smiley

Keith
KB Aerials sheffield
Tuesday 13 September 2011 11:07PM
Its just a list of aerial installers robert

Probably pay a fee to advertise on
Ian
Tuesday 13 September 2011 11:09PM
Well if that is the 'real' Guildford Aerials, it is/was a 'one man band' run by Neil Knackervitch.

Not sure on how to spell the surname, but as far as I know, he is English.

Doesn't surprise me seeing some of his work that he claims here are differences.
shaun
Tuesday 13 September 2011 11:14PM
Fixmyaerial.com is a group of aerial installers that are listed free of charge and is only listed by invitation only - we pay nothing to advertise on there and we all belong to an exclusive forum where we exchange ideas, stories etc etc
Robert Oliver
Tuesday 13 September 2011 11:33PM
Dont think its a fee paying list to be fair.It seemed a good site and the lad that attended my erection seemed very experienced and knew what to do.
shaun
Tuesday 13 September 2011 11:37PM
LOL @ robert - sorry for LOL but the wording looks really funny if you dont know what your talking about - and correct fixmyaerial isnt fee paying - who did you use
Robert Oliver
Tuesday 13 September 2011 11:53PM
No worries Shaun. Its refreshing to have an expert arrive at the agreed time and all in all a good experience. I always speak well for good service and rant at bad service.The fix my aerial chap gave me quite possibly the best erection you could ask for.It all looks good and in fact my neighbour commented on it earlier today.
KB Aerials sheffield
Wednesday 14 September 2011 7:08AM
The aerial installer listed in sheffield on there is a reputable installer from what i have seen of his work never had any one whinge about him



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