I have just enjoyed the most incredibly splendid service from the above company. When we moved to our present address earlier this year, we had a shockingly poor reception from our aerial. As we had Sky TV it didn't seem to matter, other than the fact that we had a perfectly adequate Free-view box for the bedroom that we were unable to use given the weakness of the signal.
Spotting an advert in the local paper, we phoned Mark Smith Aerials up and organised a visit. Within an hour, they had replaced the roof aerial with a new digital version, replaced the leads down the wall, set up free-view in both the lounge and the bedroom and tuned in both televisions. They also explained the technicalities of digital TV in terms I could understand. All for £140!
You know me - I like a moan and a complain. You also know that when I big something up, it must be good. These guys are good - if you live in the Black Country and have any aerial problems you need to contact them now!
Spotting an advert in the local paper, we phoned Mark Smith Aerials up and organised a visit. Within an hour, they had replaced the roof aerial with a new digital version, replaced the leads down the wall, set up free-view in both the lounge and the bedroom and tuned in both televisions. They also explained the technicalities of digital TV in terms I could understand. All for £140!
You know me - I like a moan and a complain. You also know that when I big something up, it must be good. These guys are good - if you live in the Black Country and have any aerial problems you need to contact them now!
I agree - excellent service
ReplyDeleteit was not mark smith it was some brain less kid i bet how can you say 20 years experence and not fit aerials 4 your self no good havin years of experence and and sending any one else wake up idiot over priced clue less a kids a 3 year old can fit a modern day aerial
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. I must say, of all the blogs I’ve ever posted, I had thought this the most un-controversial entry possible, so you’ll forgive me for being slightly taken aback at your viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteHaving deciphered from your rather crude interpretation of the English language and added the necessity of punctuation, I should like to point out that, although it was not Mark Smith himself who fitted it, the two men were certainly not brainless, nor were they kids. I should also add that at no point have I advertised the fact that they have over twenty years experience. It matters little to me if they only had twenty minutes experience as they did the job I required.
Anyway, I can only assume from the nature of your post that you have some personal vendetta against the company. Perhaps Mark Smith out-performed you in class? Still, you are entitled to your view, however peculiar that might be…
This Company rips people off I paid £300.00 and have had nothing but trouble. my roof has leeked since this was fitted all the cables are hanging off the wall - I agree a 3 year old would have done a better job. Unfortunately I know nothing about tuning tv's or aerials but everyone I've spoken to said bloody hell they seen you coming I feel like such a mug I now have no tv in any of the tree rooms I paid to have it. I am going to seek advice from the trading standards Regards Hayley
ReplyDeleteMark smith still knee what was going on. Hes a muppet and whoever sides with him also needs some lessons. Throwing urine at people...why? Because he had been caught. Simple.
DeleteIf 3 year olds are so capable to doing these jobs, why then are you paying a professional company to do them?
ReplyDeleteEveryone I have spoken to has nothing but high regard for them, but if your experience has been so bad then so be it...
(p.s Id love to know what a "tree room" is - sounds very exciting)
All I can say is watch dog tonight
ReplyDeleteMark Smith from Mark Smith aerials are on watchdog tonight! 26th Sept 2012 also on Daily mail website for ripping people off!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/watchdog-presenter-matt-allright-is-left-1342453
Watchdog begs to differ. Surprised they dont arrive on a horse.
ReplyDeleteHaving just watched Watchdog. I think it's pretty clear that these people are crooks! Avoid like the plague!
ReplyDeleteas seen on watchdog
ReplyDeletejust seen Mark Smith on watchdog... what a complete cock he is!!!... seems to enjoy ripping people off. give this company a wide berth if i were you.
ReplyDeleteyou got off lightly with this company according too Watchdog.
ReplyDeleteSeems that watchdog has not got a very high regard for the company!
ReplyDeleteIs this the same Mark Smith that was on watchdog tonight?
ReplyDeleteFantastic Rogue Traders tonight. I hope go to prison that Mark Smith
ReplyDeleteYou'll be glad to hear that your beloved company has now featured on BBC watchdog...worth taking a look on BBC iplayer if you have a bit of time
ReplyDeleteMark smith aerials on watchdog for ripping people off. Nuff said.
ReplyDeleteMark smith aerials on watchdog for ripping people off. Nuff said.
ReplyDeleteSaw Mark Smith on Watchdog (BBC1) tonight.
ReplyDeleteHe poured a bottle of urine over Matt Allwright and was very aggressive - I won't be using his company
Did you see Mark on TV tonight.
ReplyDeleteNow who's the mug.
He and his associates are RIP OFF merchants.
He tried to sell me items I didn't need or wouldn't fit the items I wanted.
You may think they know what they are talking about, but that is the job of a conman.
This company has now appeared on WatchDog under Rogue Trader section. Aired today 26th Sept 2012.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you were lucky.
Having been exposed on this weeks BBC Watchdog as being as corrupt in character as he is in business, I trust Mark Smith will soon find his customer base evaporating.
ReplyDeleteI take it you didn't see Watchdog today then?
ReplyDeleteMark Smith's businesses have been exposed on BBC's Watchdog. Please don't consider using this company.
ReplyDeletePlease refer to BBC 'Rogue Traders' as broadcast on 26th September 2012.
ReplyDeleteHmm this blog post makes me think the author must be friends with Mark Smith or was just very lucky to have had a good experience with his company.
ReplyDeleteThere are many bad reviews of Mark Smith Aerials all over the internet, and Mark Smith was on the BBC Watchdog programme tonight, spraying presenter Matt Allright with urine as he left court - what a charming fellow. His company had been covertly filmed ripping off customers.
More details:
BBC Watchdog
Watchdog presenter Matt Allright is left peed off after aerial firm boss throws urine over him
Wow…what a response. Just to follow some of these comments up – I had no idea that Mark Smith’s company was going to be on Watchdog and unfortunately it wasn’t available on iPlayer as of last night when I tried to access it. Suffice to say that I will try and watch the whole episode over the next week as and when it becomes available - from what I have seen of the reviews it doesn't look very good...
ReplyDeleteTo clarify a couple of issues, however…
Firstly, I have never met Mark Smith; he is not a personal friend, acquaintance of me or any of my family members. A couple of years ago when I originally wrote this post, his company happened to provide me with a very good service (clearly a rare occurrence judging by the comments here, not to mention the Watchdog synopsis). I stand by my original piece, because it represents my appraisal of his company at the time. If I knew Mark, or had a vested interest in his company, then I would not have allowed the comments here to have been published (the only comments I have rejected are those that resort to personal insults, or moronic language – a troll is a troll and if people cannot put a constructive sentence together then they can find some other place to issue their death threats).
Secondly, the internet is a democratic landscape. If Mark Smith ran a review system, such as Feefo, then my comment would be one of many free and open pieces of feedback. I suspect, given the still shots I saw of Mark apparently emptying a bottle of urine over a reporter, that I would represent a very small percentage of positive feedback, verses the negative majority, but still, I can only go on my experience. The fact that BBC have run a negative report on this on nationwide television, along with features in numerous daily newspapers, will carry far more weight against Mark Smith than a single blog piece that I wrote several years ago.
Thanks again for the feedback – but again, if you want your comments to be approved then please try not to resort to idiotic language, insults or vile threats as you’ll just be blocked.
Sorry for suggesting that you were something to do with Mark Smith Aerials. It's now clear that you were just a lucky customer, as you wouldn't have approved the negative comments otherwise. I think it's unfair to chastise you for reviewing YOUR experience with the company. If you had no problems, then why wouldn't you write a good review? I actually wish more people would write reviews about companies they've had good experiences with, rather than just writing reviews for companies they've had problems with.
DeleteFor anyone thinking of using Mark Smith for aerial installations, take a look at this on the BBC Website... Rogue Traders: Mark Smith Aerial Businesses
And if we believe Daniel Cure's statement we'll believe anything! Judging by how rude he was to the previous people who posted of their experiences. He was pathetically correcting their grammar! I bet this won't get through and approved, simply because we know it's true. We're not daft Daniel. Perhaps you should say sorry to them?
ReplyDeleteSo you've had your head in the sand for months then Daniel? Your statement demonstrates that to me. Come on look at the evidence before you judge other customers comments! How much they paying you to praise their efforts? No one says anything good about them. We'll see if you believe in democracy if my post goes up! Doubt it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Daniel - I had great service from this company but was pretty shocked to see the program and wouldn't use them again. But wouldn't begrudge anyone from giving a positive review - you can only give it as you see it
ReplyDeleteDaniel, I myself have worked for Mark Smith, he himself has not been fitting aerials, the people who fit under his company name i.e. With names on van, are in fact self-employed and he gives them leads for jobs, they would then go out and do the assessment and quote the customer, the customer then chooses whether to have the person carry the work out. The engineers were all trained with health and Safety at Heights, paid for by Mark, but whether they carried it out was obviously up to the engineer it was his livelyhood after all. Admittedly when you put your original post I was working there, and the guys working there were a very good bunch of lads, with a possible exception to one or two who messed around alot, which is typical in some work places like this. I did leave however as i felt his prices were a little steep and felt I could offer a cheaper service and set up my own business. All my work is generated through the internet of which I have 100% feedback. A lot of the lads left the company too, leaving Mark with a few engineers. Wayne Tipper (the bloke with 22 years experience) used to work for Mark then returned, he isnt his "Business Partner" as Wayne claimed, but we all knew Wayne was a "bodge it and leg it guy" so Mark must have been desperate to give him work.
ReplyDeleteMy final words are that Watchdog is a TV programme, would you haters have felt so bad if they had done the install in a businessman's house? probably not!!!
But because they use old people who are playing the part, the instant reaction is....arhhh ripping off old people....scum,scum,scum.....
WAKE UP PEOPLE AND SMELL THE COFFEE!!!!!
Nope – I have nothing to apologise for – there is no crime in praising genuinely good service. It isn’t my company so I am not liable for their behaviour, however poor (and I have now seen the program so I can certainly accept that there have been some pretty shocking things happening since my experience with the company). I won’t apologise either for being facetious to people on here who cannot restrain their emotions and are incapable of typing a coherent sentence (like yourself I might add). This is my blog and my rules, end of.
ReplyDeleteThis blog has been very helpful as I was looking for an aerial repair, and type in said felon. Thank God I did. I shall certainly be putting the word about, and thanks for the warnings, This blog has been a great help!
ReplyDeleteRead all that above, watched clip, but Mark Smith, of Mark Smith's Aerials tipped urine all over the watchdog guy. All that waffle means nothing, if that is the best example that a manager can set. I mean come on!!!! The post above Daniel's is amoral in attitude and clearly written by someone who thinks it is acceptable to rip off anyone who is a businessman or woman. Yes, watchdog uses old people, and they were conned, I am not blind to what I saw. The point being made has no logic. It is wrong to con anyone out of money by doing shoddy work. And why employ a bodge it and leg it man? Because Mark felt sorry for him? He was that desperate for staff he'd take on any lowlife he could? That makes no sense, Mark obviously chose to behave without any care for his customers. What is wrong with Mark's judgement and yours? Sorry, Mark and his gang are still dishonest scum. I never drink coffee, gives me migraine. Bet that will please you!
Hello Daniel. You may have had good service long ago. It is your blog, but it does seem that you're more interested in peoples' spelling and sentence structure, than the moral failure of these so called fake engineers. Sorry, my punctuation is also poor, to me a colon is part of the body, I never had a very good education, but I do know right from wrong, I even look a lot like Mark Smith, but a good version. But at least I always relieve myself in the toilet, never in a plastic bottle. Good that you have the principles to allow us, no matter how poor we are at punctuation, to post our views. Thank you for that.
Putting aside the emotive bluster, there cannot be any significant doubt regarding the simple facts i.e. 'Mark Smith' (with or without 'Aerials', 'Digital' or otherwise) has operated in and around North Worcestershire under a number of trading aliases for several years. In what can only be perceived as being a less than transparent way of promoting his 'services', local newspapers were 'carpet-bombed' by multiple advertisements, carried under cover of these aliases to the extent that investigations were undertaken by Worcestershire Trading Standards and subsequently the Advertising Standards Authority. The phrase 'Digital Pass' was used on several occasions; it's open to conjecture as to whether or not this was intended to add either technical merit or pseudo-qualification but it's worth noting that this phrase was already in use by the BBC in their Northern regional offices for a particular form of programme-related media training which had nothing whatsoever to do with the aerial industry.
ReplyDeleteAnother perspective is that in adopting the use of 'sub-contractors' on a sole trader basis ("t/a" - "trading as"), perhaps there was a desire to ease the administrative and logistical overheads associated with full compliance with both the spirit and letter of Health & Safety. The covert camera footage shown by the BBC on 25th September would seem to support such a perspective.
A careful trawl through publicly available records (via Companies House) reveals some interesting chronological links between Mark Smith, Jamie Walton and Wayne Tipper.
Well Mark Smith aerials did an awful job for me
ReplyDeletethe clamps were not secure the aerial spun around in the wind,this marvel did not want to know re-tune your tv every time the aerial moves was the reply. Glad to see the yob exposed
MARK SMITH AND WAYNE TIPPER - AS SEEN ON BBC ROGUE TRADERS. CON MEN
ReplyDeletehttp://insolvency.presscentre.com/Press-Releases/Insolvency-Service-sends-clear-signal-to-aerial-installation-company-68892.aspx
ReplyDeleteWell, he is now out of business and is barred for 3 years from being on the board of a company.
ReplyDeleteI know dozens of people in and around Dudley that had him, himself, fit the aerials over the years with no issues what so ever.
He was pretty much the standard choice for people in the Stourbridge/Dudley area for many years, for the sole reason he turned up/did the job then left and charged a fair price.
I personally believe he got in with a bad crowd via his step father in the late 90s...who is known by basically everyone in the industry, and amongst the building trade in general, for a less than honest approach to business in the Redditch/Worcs area.
It doesnt excuse him, but in a way I think the BBC did him a dis-service by not mentioning this important factor...since they had to know of the man Im referring to that is regularly a silent partner in many building firms that do the same.
Those who have made threats etc, all I'll say is...his step brother is a builder, and hes made it very clear amongst the building/construction community that although they dont really know each other, and people only loosely know theyre related because they look similar, if he suffers because of Marks reputation it'll be 'more than words' they will have.
So Mark may very well end up with a lot more than angry customers to deal with if hes unlucky.
Should also add before anyone dares suggest so, Im not him/never worked for him, Im a brickie who knows of him because he fit aerials all over my area when he did it himself/not paid people, and I know his brother because we both go to the same builders merchant.
Mark Smith is still trading under a new name.
ReplyDeleteYes is, he is trading as Luke's aerials. Beware.
DeleteI too used Mark Smith to set up a home surround TV system. The so-called engineer was pretty useless, and having broken one of the amplifier optical sockets he then said that the breakage was not his fault. On questioning him regarding this, he said "Well as far as I am concerned, you can f**k off", and walked out leaving me with no TV and a broken amplifier that was just 7 days old. I contacted Mark Smith who was not particularly interested and advised that someone would attend to repair the system. No one ever turned up!
ReplyDeleteI don't know Smith or his company. But I do know the BBC are liars. Funny how it is usually white English 'rogues' that nanny beeb finds guilty! Obiously some of the yobs they catch deserve to be exposed.
ReplyDeleteBut let's lay down the law and end on a poignant question. Why do we not here the other side of the story? BBC often edit it out and blame language. Ever heard of a cursing bleep?
In general I would avoid most of these tradesmen, but I don't trust the Beeb either!