current customer incentive

[kb3awq]

I understand I received a promotion when I signed up 4 years ago but things have went up almost $20 from a year in a half ago. I have 2 boxes which allows 2 TVs on each, one of them is HD and has DVR, I think its the 722 and then some lower model for the regular box. I have the sling adapter and I added the over the air tuner so the locals would be part of the guide. Its the 120 channel plan = $89 total.

We probably watch a handful of the channels at most. So far I have been offered $5 off for 3 months. Is this the best Dish will do? When I switched to Dish from DirecTV they gave me 3 months FREE which I canceled anyway since Dish was hooked up a couple days later.

Its not costing anymore to bring it to my house than it did when I signed up and the price has went up a few times. I am not sure 3 months free would do a lot as I think its too much anyway so I would only be happy for 3 months.

So I'm trying to figure how it is better business to have me cancel and go to another company and use up their terms of contract and then come back 2 years later and sign back up to get 12 months at a low price when they could just lower the price and keep me for them 2 years at a much lower price.

Thank you for anyone who has some answers.

 

[boba]

It is what it is. If you don't like the price switch providers or if possible drop to a lower cost package.

 

[andrewe]

Hi kb3awq. I would be happy to take a look into this for you. Please PM my with your account or phone number and your 4 digit PIN number.

 

[dare2be]

Keep in mind it IS costing more to bring service to your house since you had it installed. Channel owners raise their rates all the time when contracts come up for renewal.

Anyway, your best bet for getting a good discount is to call and schedule a future date to cancel your service. Tell them you have DirecTV scheduled for an install next week and you'd like to cancel your service starting this weekend. If they don't offer deep discounts you can always change your mind and stop the cancel appointment before the scheduled date.

 

[Skytrooper]

It's funny how you have to play games to get discounts. They should just offer them to you to keep your business. I just did this with Sirrius XM.

 

[dvrexpander]

People jumping from Direct to Dish just amaze me... as a ex-tech I can say that I really wish they would all use the same install requirements to avoid issues since there are a ton of people that do the "Promo Jumping" they just are in it to ride the promo's to get the cheaper monthly costs and when one contract expires they leave and go to the next regardless of any type of retention amounts tossed at them. Customers that use it as a lame attempt to scare the provider should really think about what they are doing and why they are doing it when this is one of the reasons why everyone's fee's are as high as they normally are...ya gotta make up that money some where.

I've raised hell about issues before and gotten a cut off the top but that is pretty normal..rather have the issue resolved but whatever.

 

[Scherrman]

I wish the pay TV providers would just get rid of the promotions altogether and just offer a lower everyday price. Just lower it $5 a month and no price discounts for new customers. It will never happen though because their upfront price would look so much higher compared to the competition. Most people just get caught up with that promo price and forget about the real price.

 

[harshness]

It's funny how you have to play games to get discounts.

The pricing model probably wasn't designed around giving everyone discounts in perpetuity.

That's likely one of the reasons why DISH's ARPU is around $20 less than DIRECTV's.

 

[kb3awq]

Andrew I just PMed you.

I am sure I have paid over and over for my setup in the over priced bill. Greedy businesses are not what people are looking for so the business should be happy to have customers. If channel owners raise their rates then maybe the sat company should negotiate or drop the channel that will wake them up. Advertising and the customer base pay for things just fine with tons left over or they wouldnt be in business. The promos of people switching every 2 years is the fault of the companies period. This costs them money by having people switch and they drive people to do it so they should blame themselves and prices for their losses. It like having a house phone line, something that was ran years ago that they collect off each month and unless the line has a problem, its all profit.

A friend of mine just opened a internet connection business locally for the same reasons of the costs of Verizon and Comcast. I am paying half of what I was paying and have Comcast speeds instead of the DSL speeds I was getting that was a far cry from the speeds I was paying for. He has had no problems getting the business from the other companies locally and will continue to grow and continue to take their business away.

 

[dare2be]

If channel owners raise their rates then maybe the sat company should negotiate or drop the channel that will wake them up.

Dish has more of a history doing that more than any other provider. All it does is wake up the customer base that their favorite channels are gone and they blame the provider and leave to go to another provider to get their channel, or demand deep discounts from the provider. The channel owners are usually insulated from any blame or negative side effects.

The only way to wake up the channel owners by dropping channels is for more providers to drop them simultaneously, but that can't happen since contract expiration dates are staggered such that not many providers would be in a position to "negotiate or drop" at the same time.

The best way to wake up the channel owners would be customers cutting the cord in large numbers, or severely cutting back on programming package levels. It will be a slow and painful process, but I believe it will eventually happen. Eventually we all will have to say "enough is enough."

 

[kb3awq]

Not sure what happened to Andrew. I sent a message to him but have not heard anything

 

[ChadT41]

Try another mod. He may not have seen it

 

[bigjohnok]

Keep in mind it IS costing more to bring service to your house since you had it installed. Channel owners raise their rates all the time when contracts come up for renewal.

Anyway, your best bet for getting a good discount is to call and schedule a future date to cancel your service. Tell them you have DirecTV scheduled for an install next week and you'd like to cancel your service starting this weekend. If they don't offer deep discounts you can always change your mind and stop the cancel appointment before the scheduled date.

networks raise their rates to cover overhead and make a profit.
then there are the providers whether its dish direct or a cable company they have to make a profit to stay in business and keep their stockholders happy, any entity that is involved in the delivery of service all have overhead which includes cost of equipment to be manufactured, logistics, employee pay and benefits.......etc

I am going to say the low starting pay is a big reason why there is such a high turnover rate in all of the pay for tv service providers, because customers are constantly wanting a service or product for free.

I have been an electronic/communication/electrician for 15+ years and dish does not pay for experience.......I know in my case being a dish tech is just a place holder on my resume until I move on to greener pastures. Which is going to be coming soon because companies are contracting headhunters to seek out people with my skill set and work history.

I know in my region its mostly "kids" right out of high school end up hired as techs but in reality they are nothing more than installers.

 

[Tampa8]

If channel owners raise their rates then maybe the sat company should negotiate or drop the channel that will wake them up.......
It like having a house phone line, something that was ran years ago that they collect off each month and unless the line has a problem, its all profit.

Have you literally been living in a cave with no outside communications?
Dish is known for dropping channels and tough negotiations, so much so that your complaint is the opposite of some others - they want DISH to stop dropping channels because of cost.

Two things about the landline. It isn't the same as getting Satellite TV, and it isn't all profit. Cost of doing business has dramatically risen over the last few years. Labor costs, fuel, transportation, material goods, etc etc are increasing costs to provide services.
Unlike a landline which is a dying product, Satellite TV is technically advancing all the time. New satellites have to be launched, new codecs employed, demand for better and better receivers are huge costs of doing business. And unless Dish and Direct want to go out of business, paying more and more for programming is a reality. Add to that all the other things mentioned for all businesses and households that have dramatically increased.

All that is why the industry is losing subs overall, though DISH and Direct are doing better than Cable.

 

[kb3awq]

I don't keep track of what the companies do with negotiations etc. Although trying to make sense of it is difficult. I am trying to be realistic and have common sense. Although there have been some points, there are some that I see it still being because of their business practices like equipment and installs etc. Costs in some of them depts could be saved if people wasn't driven away. Although most of the channels do not interest me (and that doesnt matter if its cable or sat.) I would rather pay $10 a month and pick the 6 channels that I actually want instead of $90 for 114 channels I don't want. That option is where things should be. If people want all the channels so be it, pay for them.

 

[ChadT41]

Dish used to have a pick em package. Unfortunately, the broadcasters didn't like this. They sell channels in groups and force dish to offer them in packages(this goes for all providers), to maximize the broadcasters revenue stream. Think, if Viacom(has a whole butt load of channels) offered a pick em, they would lose significant resume, since they sell them price per channel. Same with Disney. If you want Disney Jr, you have to get abc family and espn also. It works out, cause Disney charges dish a prover per sub on each of these channels. Whether you watch them or not, it's still charged. That's why you don't see a pick em anymore. That's where cord cutting is getting popular.

 

[bigjohnok]

Dish used to have a pick em package. Unfortunately, the broadcasters didn't like this. They sell channels in groups and force dish to offer them in packages(this goes for all providers), to maximize the broadcasters revenue stream. Think, if Viacom(has a whole butt load of channels) offered a pick em, they would lose significant resume, since they sell them price per channel. Same with Disney. If you want Disney Jr, you have to get abc family and espn also. It works out, cause Disney charges dish a prover per sub on each of these channels. Whether you watch them or not, it's still charged. That's why you don't see a pick em anymore. That's where cord cutting is getting popular.

also dont forget about all those religious channels

 

[ChadT41]

Those pay to be broadcast if I'm not mistaken.

 

[bigjohnok]

Those pay to be broadcast if I'm not mistaken.

Televangelist Jerry Fallwell opposed a la carte pricing for similar reasons, fearing that the pricing model would force Christian broadcasters off the air, although not all religious broadcasters agreed.

its wiki so take it with a grain of salt

 

[ChadT41]

I know the shopping ones pay to be aired. Was under the impression the religious ones are. But this one, I'll take your word for. Either way, those fees cannot be high at all. Extremely minimal.