Potential 922 upgrade but potentially loosing HD networks is a deal breaker.....

[jmsta]

I'll try to make a long story short.


There is a bit of ethical grayness in the post below of which I am not particularly proud. If you feel the way I handled the situation was wrong please let me know and please let me know what you would have done if you were in my shoes.


The background:

In 2006 I built a new house which is only 15 miles south of my old house but in a different zip code. I had Comcast at the old house and cable wasn't an option at the new house. I signed up with Dish and our locals were not available in HD and our locals do not have an ABC affiliate. So I started out with local PBS NBC FOX and CBS. The quality of the channels was poor they were painful to watch much worse than the other SD channels that dish offered. I am at the edge of our market and even with an antenna cant get the locals. I had Dish way back in 97 when they didn't have any locals and for $5.00 per month I got the east and west coast feeds of one of each network's affiliates which was fine by me. So i called up dish to see what my options where. I knew about the changes in the law since then and that I likely wouldn't be able to get the adjacent market's affiliates added to my account but thought I'd be able to get the adjacent markets ABC since there was not an ABC affiliate in my current market apparently that's against the law now too. So, frustrated that the channels that I watch 90% of the time look like crap and missing a network. I called Dish up and told them they had the wrong address and gave them the address of my old house which at the time I still owned and mail was getting forwarded to me from that address. A few days later I called them up and asked why I wasn't getting my networks in HD and why I was missing ABC. A few minutes later I had the adjacent market's networks in HD. These were the same channels I was getting on Comcast at the old house but I was stunned at how much better they looked. FastForward to 2011 I still have the same networks and same equipment from Dish. My address on file with Dish has been switched to my current address.

My #FirstWorldProblem:
I'm constantly in fear of loosing my HD networks. Dish still doesn't carry our locals in HD we still do not have an ABC affiliate in our market. I want to upgrade to a new DVR but the best deals require a 2yr contract and the VIP 922 requires a service call. I feel like doing the upgrade.. especially an upgrade that requires a service call will trigger something on my account and I'll end up with the crap locals again then be stuck in a 2yr contract. That wouldn't necessarily be the worst of it. Even if I got out of the contract I'm still stuck with out any access to HD networks even if I switched providers, DirecTV doesn't carry our locals at all.

Is it likely I will lose my HD networks + ABC? Does this ridiculous legislation frustrate Dish as much as it does the customer? What would you do in my situation?

 

[Tyedied52]

Well right now all 922 s are on hold by dish due to a software problem. Some as of today it is likely not and option. Dish should be able to get you locals as they are now spotbeamed in to the sat feed. Some if uhave a k2 dish ur are pointing at three orbitals one of which is spotbeaming locals. If ur dont have the k2 you will need it. As farlin as triggering something on ur account dont mention it to customer service the tech will have more knowledge of how to fix u up

 

[angiodan]

I would purchase a 622 or 722 and install it myself. No contract, no hassle.

 

[dangue]

What you've done is called "moving" and occupies a grey area that a fair number of people take advantage of. I wouldn't say it is common, but it is done.

That being said, if you need a service call, you'll have to update your address or the tech will go to the wrong location. Based on what you've said this will cause you to lose the locals you are currently getting and switch you to the ones that are in actuality yours. But, once the tech has come out and done his thing, you should be able to "move" again and get those other locals back.

Please note, I'm not a mover so I'm speaking only based on what others have mentioned here previously.

As a previous poster noted, Dish has suspended upgrades to 922s. So if you really want a 922, you can either wait until you can lease one from Dish or you can buy one from a retailer yourself (it might be best to check with a DIRT rep to make sure they can activate an owned 922 right now and if they can do it without sending an installer to your home since you already own it- then you could avoid switching addresses for the tech visit and the delay since Dish I'd not offering 922s directly). Buying one would cost you more, but you would avoid a new two year commitment.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[jmsta]

Thanks For the info!

 

[holy_devil]

What you are saying is that you have your current address on file, but still have your locals from your old address. The csr mess up in your favor. The same thing happen to me, but I was so stupid that added the superstations and lost my old locals. So whatever you do, don't trigger any change in your account. You will regretfully lose your locals.

 

[Tampa8]

Dish should be able to get you locals as they are now spotbeamed in to the sat feed. Some if uhave a k2 dish ur are pointing at three orbitals one of which is spotbeaming locals. If ur dont have the k2 you will need it. As farlin as triggering something on ur account dont mention it to customer service the tech will have more knowledge of how to fix u up

Bad advice, not how it works.

 

[Tampa8]

As mentioned if you really want the 922, you have to wait for awhile till the software can be updated to include streaming movies using the new Blockbuster package.
At the point it becomes available, you can decide, is it worth the $200 to buy outright and install yourself and then be able to keep your present locals? Or at worst, call a local installer yourself, pay for the receiver and for the instillation.