Sanity check ... can someone confirm what I was told today by Dish rep who called?
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I also rec'd it (I'm sure EVERYONE who Dish has an email address for rec'd it....
Makes you wonder if there was a security "issue" or breach fairly recently that Dish knew about it, but kept quiet, and quietly tried to warn customers with this email ?
The more I think about it I believe it's a retailer. With an account # & last name any retailer can verify quite a bit of info. If it were the originating retailer it would be a slam dunk.
The rumor mill says that some of the biggest retailers are owned by dish execs. That seems completely plausible since so much of this kind of stuff gets swept under the carpet.
The rumor mill says that some of the biggest retailers are owned by dish execs. That seems completely plausible since so much of this kind of stuff gets swept under the carpet.
Well, no update yet ...
PM'd Ray, and he responded at one point that he'd let me know what info he'd been able to find out, but needed me first to confirm some account info ... which message I didn't get because I didn't realized I'd been logged off this site until after he'd signed off for the day ... so I guess I'll find out tomorrow.
Hmmm. Now that I'm being super paranoid, is it safe to confirm my account info for Ray?!?!?!?
(ah, this way lies madness ... no, wait, maybe it's that way over there ...)
It's just so weird. I'd never have given my Social Security number or credit card number or anything like that to someone who called me (and I didn't in this case, either) ... the "receiver card info" request DID bug me a bit, which was when I asked him for some sort of verification that he was from Dish (whereupon he delivered up my last bill amount, final four credit card digits, etc.). Then I thought that the fact that he was asking for the receiver card info wasn't really THAT worrisome and actually sort of POSSIBLY made some kind of sense because I have three 722s and he'd said they could run the test on whichever was most convenient, it didn't matter which, so I assumed he needed the number on the one I was looking at to isolate which of the 3 they were running the test on ... plus, I'm not actually tech-savvy enough about this stuff to know how someone else having my receiver card info could hurt me (can it?). :-(
Also, when he had the info, he said he'd have to call me back in a few minutes after they had run the test, and did. Wonder what he needed that time for?
But I definitely didn't give him anything obviously financially or identity-ish-ly sensistive, which made me feel utterly paranoid and neurotic at the time, but now makes me glad. And I told him I wouldn't be permitting the installation until I'd looked over the contracts I'd be expected to sign and verified that the billing rates and discounts he'd described (including the first-six-month and final 18-month billing rate and reimbursement of the "installation processing fee over a 10-month period) was there in writing (not that these discounts were particularly fabulous, or anything, which frankly only added to this call's overall veneer of veracity).
When I say I've dealt "directly with Dish," I mean that when we order or upgrade Dish, I go to Dish.com, remind myself of the phone number, and call to set up an appointment ... or I just make an appointment right there online. At least, that's how we've done everything Dish-related for the last 13 or 14 years (and absolutely for all of the decade we've spent in this house). I realize I'm now drawing an absolute blank on our very first Dish installation, way the heck back in the dim recesses of time ... obviously, I couldn't have done that through my Dish account, because I didn't have one back then ... I honestly don't remember how I set that up. Found a number and called it, presumably. Could something that far back be biting me now?
Weird, I didn't get that phishing-Dishing email! Now I feel left out ... ;-)
PM'd Ray, and he responded at one point that he'd let me know what info he'd been able to find out, but needed me first to confirm some account info ... which message I didn't get because I didn't realized I'd been logged off this site until after he'd signed off for the day ... so I guess I'll find out tomorrow.
Hmmm. Now that I'm being super paranoid, is it safe to confirm my account info for Ray?!?!?!?
(ah, this way lies madness ... no, wait, maybe it's that way over there ...)
It's just so weird. I'd never have given my Social Security number or credit card number or anything like that to someone who called me (and I didn't in this case, either) ... the "receiver card info" request DID bug me a bit, which was when I asked him for some sort of verification that he was from Dish (whereupon he delivered up my last bill amount, final four credit card digits, etc.). Then I thought that the fact that he was asking for the receiver card info wasn't really THAT worrisome and actually sort of POSSIBLY made some kind of sense because I have three 722s and he'd said they could run the test on whichever was most convenient, it didn't matter which, so I assumed he needed the number on the one I was looking at to isolate which of the 3 they were running the test on ... plus, I'm not actually tech-savvy enough about this stuff to know how someone else having my receiver card info could hurt me (can it?). :-(
Also, when he had the info, he said he'd have to call me back in a few minutes after they had run the test, and did. Wonder what he needed that time for?
But I definitely didn't give him anything obviously financially or identity-ish-ly sensistive, which made me feel utterly paranoid and neurotic at the time, but now makes me glad. And I told him I wouldn't be permitting the installation until I'd looked over the contracts I'd be expected to sign and verified that the billing rates and discounts he'd described (including the first-six-month and final 18-month billing rate and reimbursement of the "installation processing fee over a 10-month period) was there in writing (not that these discounts were particularly fabulous, or anything, which frankly only added to this call's overall veneer of veracity).
When I say I've dealt "directly with Dish," I mean that when we order or upgrade Dish, I go to Dish.com, remind myself of the phone number, and call to set up an appointment ... or I just make an appointment right there online. At least, that's how we've done everything Dish-related for the last 13 or 14 years (and absolutely for all of the decade we've spent in this house). I realize I'm now drawing an absolute blank on our very first Dish installation, way the heck back in the dim recesses of time ... obviously, I couldn't have done that through my Dish account, because I didn't have one back then ... I honestly don't remember how I set that up. Found a number and called it, presumably. Could something that far back be biting me now?
Weird, I didn't get that phishing-Dishing email! Now I feel left out ... ;-)
Wow, you've made me paranoid - Dish called me today & said there was an error message from my receiver & wanted to send out a tech. I had read your message & thought something was going on here, too. Scheduled a (free) tech visit & went to my acct to see if it was legit & the appt was there. Dumb thing was the tech had no idea what the error was so he didn't know what to fix - what a waste of time.
It is definitely safe to give Ray on the dirt team your info. They are definitely legit and on the up and up.
If someone is EVER in doubt, as the Dish letter said, CALL DISH BACK. Tell the person you will do so. Do not call any weird numbers they give you. Call 1-800-333-3474 (800-333-DISH), and ask the CSR about it. I know the Dish CSRs catch an enormous amount of crap here (quite a bit justified), but a CSR can look at the account and see if a legitimate Dish employee left notes. Real Dish employees have a 3 letter/number Operator ID (any combination of letters and numbers), and real Dish employees who do things like this WILL post notes on the account.
(EDIT: And yes, as others have said, you CAN trust the DIRT people here. DIRT=Dish Internet Response Team. Folks like Ray, Matt, etc are legit, and yes, sending them a private message is okay and legit. Many here prefer dealing with them, and I can't argue against that.)
One example is the call you got. We (I work for Dish) do have an outbound STB health team that will call when a customer's receiver has reported back that it has a signal issue. If you worry, and say you'll call Dish, the person will see the note that will say something like ***OB STB HEALTH TEAM*** CUST HAS BEEN OFFERED A FREE TECH DUE TO STB HEALTH, PLEASE SET UP TECH (and a whole bunch of stuff I can't share).
The person calling can only see if the signal is red on the call-in from the receiver. They aren't going to know what error code you saw, but it's a pretty safe bet to be an 015, 002, or 004 message. These folks also call Hopper customers that have receivers that call in with low MOCA strength (which may manifest itself in a 1303, 1305, or similar error)
Again, for everybody...if your receiver is connected by phone or internet, it calls in to give health updates (known as STB health, set-top box health). You may well get a call from Dish about this. And again, if you are worried, you can call in and verify that it's legit. Same also applies if a member of the audit team calls, they DO leave notes on the account, and calling in, the CSR will see them.
When I got the call it was a total surprise as I had no indication of any issues, no error messages, no Moca problems, nothing. I did notice the recordings I have scheduled from 1-3:30 am (to avoid nightly updates) were interrupted for a few minutes last night on both HWS, maybe that triggered the error. Just seems like a waste of a tech visit when there is no error code or message to know what's wrong.
Just to show that I wasn't exaggerating about the ridiculous number of scam threads that are directly related to Dish's poor security.... here's a few...
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/304076-DISH-network-scam-alert!-My-friend-got-duped-of-550!
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads...rk-Loyalty-Dept-quot-for-50-off-Is-this-legit
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads...On-by-company-pretending-to-be-DISH-affiliate
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/306560-Dish-quot-pay-for-6-mo-get-6-mo-free-quot-scam
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads...cam-Phone-calls-from-Google-Chat-760-705-8888
they are all variations of the same scam. I wouldn't even give out the last 4 digits of anything to someone who called me. I would find that company's main official number and call them back (to make sure it was real). You can spoof phone numbers on the caller id. It pays to be a little paranoid with all the ongoing hacking and privacy violations. Especially when someone starts giving you too good to be true information.
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/304076-DISH-network-scam-alert!-My-friend-got-duped-of-550!
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads...rk-Loyalty-Dept-quot-for-50-off-Is-this-legit
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads...On-by-company-pretending-to-be-DISH-affiliate
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/306560-Dish-quot-pay-for-6-mo-get-6-mo-free-quot-scam
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads...cam-Phone-calls-from-Google-Chat-760-705-8888
they are all variations of the same scam. I wouldn't even give out the last 4 digits of anything to someone who called me. I would find that company's main official number and call them back (to make sure it was real). You can spoof phone numbers on the caller id. It pays to be a little paranoid with all the ongoing hacking and privacy violations. Especially when someone starts giving you too good to be true information.
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This last 4 digits thing is scary. When my SS# was issued in 1954 the first 3 digits were the geographic area the card was issued in. If someone can get that info they've got 3. They know the last 4, which only leaves 100 numbers to guess at. Boom, you're on the way to becoming an ID theft victim.
Run the System Info test. You may have an lnb going bad. When the receiver does it's over night reboot and calls home, it sends a health report.
Many others have posted a similar call and needed a service call. Are you getting an intermittent signal loss errors?
We cannot confirm what was said during the call but this was an outbound call from a DISH employee in the Loyalty Department.
DISH does have employees that make outbound calls. These calls can come from many different departments. The mail team sits adjacent to us and makes outbound calls all day. The terminology used is incorrect but we were able to determine that this was call made by the Loyalty Department based on the notes on the account. This is all we would be able to say about this situation but the OP can share what Ray discussed with her if she'd like.
Man talk about an uniformed loyalty rep! With all these scams going on, and dish even alerting the customers, they sure need to do a much better job teaching the folks that make these calls!
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The loyalty group cold calls existing (and happy) customers? Odd...
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Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Well, at least the question was answered.
It does make you wonder if the call center peps are on commission.
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It does make you wonder if the call center peps are on commission.
Sent from my SGH-I337M using SatelliteGuys
Well, PART of my question is answered. 
What I've been told is that the call did indeed come from inside Dish, from the Loyalty Department, so that's good news, I guess, since it means my account hasn't been hacked by some unscrupulous outsider.
However, what no one has yet answered for me -- and I have PMd back to Ray to ask again -- is about the CONTENT of the call I got. Specifically, I was cold-called and told that my 3 existing VIP722DVRs, which are currently all working fine (basically, aside from the occasional expected blip), were somehow incompatible with signal/frequencies put out by a new HD satellite Dish had launched and that they would have to be upgraded or I would stop being able to receive Dish programming imminently -- perhaps as soon as within a month.
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area ... as far as I can see from what everyone here knows, the only "new" satellite is an Eastern Arc satellite ... should that affect me here on the West Coast? And if so, how am I the only one on this board who has gotten a call like this or heard about this potential problem? VIP722DVRs are still offered on the Dish site, so the problem can't be with the equipment in general ... is there something about my specific machines that is incompatible with this satellite?
The bottom line for me continues to be that I don't actually want to have to upgrade to Hoppers if I don't have to do it, because what we have is working well for us, and I have reasons to think Hoppers wouldn't work as well for us, even though I know a lot of people absolutely love them. I'm not bashing Hopper. My life is really complicated right now (taking care of a parent with a progressive dementia in addition to my other full-time jobs) and I don't have the time or bandwidth to try to learn a complicated new TV system. My work schedule is such that we're up til 3 or 4 every night, and the hours between about 1 and 3 are about the only "down time" we get ... so I don't want to be fighting with my TV system wanting to shut itself down and reboot at 1 am or 1:30 if I happen to turn my back on it for a few seconds to grab more ice from the freezer ... and I still have concerns about the readability issues, because I know other people still have problems with this, and my eyes aren't 20 or even 30 anymore even though my TVs are HD.
SO ... before I found this forum 2 nights ago, I emailed Dish directly, explained the strange call I'd gotten, and asked for confirmation IN WRITING that I HAD to accept this unwanted equipment upgrade AND sign a new 2-year contract in order to continue to receive my Dish programming. Last night, they emailed me back to cheerfully confirm my "order" for Hoppers and Joeys and my installation appointment on Saturday and completely ignored the question I had asked.
I've replied to Ray's PM thanking him for looking into the situation and verifying what I could not ... that the call I received DID come from inside Dish ... and for telling me that it came from the "Loyalty Department" ... and for confirming that an appointment shows in the system for a Hopper installation here on Saturday.
I've asked him now to please check and confirm the rest of what I was told. It is interesting to learn that the call came from the Dish Loyalty Department, but this equipment switchover was not positioned to me as some kind of "loyalty reward" for being a long-time customer of Dish. It was positioned as MANDATORY in order for me to continue to get a signal or programming at all within a fairly imminent time frame (possibly a matter of weeks). I want to know if that is actually true, or if I am just being pressured into making a change -- possibly simply in order to lock me into new 2-year service contract (perhaps coincidentally, my existing contracts have just expired on 2 of our DVRs and the remaining one will expire next month).
If it is NOT TRUE that I have to accept this unwanted upgrade in order to keep receiving programming, I do NOT want to switch my equipment at this time ... and Dish should review the tactics its Loyalty Department is using to pressure customers into signing new contracts, if that's what this was about.
On the other hand, if Dish HAS made a change ON ITS END that has caused my just 2-year-old 722s to stop being able to receive programming, but it is still offering and supporting 722s that CAN receive this programming, shouldn't it simply offer to replace my 722s outright without trying to force me into an upgrade or a new contract?
Anyway, sorry. I am projecting, leaping ahead, and jumping to conclusions unfairly here. Too little sleep and too much other stress in my life. I will wait to hear from Ray, who may be able to explain what I was told in a way that makes more sense. But I stress that there was no misunderstanding on my part during that long phone call from "Eric" ... I specifically asked the question, "Let me be sure I understand. Are you telling me that if I do not agree to replace my existing DVRs, I will no longer be able to receive Dish programming when you have completed the switchover to your new satellite?" Answer: "Yes." Me: "And how long is it going to take for this switchover to occur? It sounds like the sort of complicated thing that will probably take months and months." Answer: "Oh, no. We have been working on this for a long time now. We are down to the final 30% or maybe 25% of customers who have to be called and have their systems tested for compatibility. It may be as soon as a month from now that we shut down the old satellite."
My existing VIP722 DVRs were activated in October 2011, December 2011, and February 2012, respectively. They are not ancient machines or technology.
And since I'm feeling really squirrelly about all of this right now, if in fact it is the case that an upgrade is mandatory for me for some reason, I would still like, from Dish, a WRITTEN communication -- email would be fine! -- telling me that I MUST upgrade my equipment -- from DVRs they still seem to be offering to new customers from their site -- AND SIGN A NEW 2-YEAR CONTRACT -- in order to keep receiving my existing monthly programming at all.
What I've been told is that the call did indeed come from inside Dish, from the Loyalty Department, so that's good news, I guess, since it means my account hasn't been hacked by some unscrupulous outsider.
However, what no one has yet answered for me -- and I have PMd back to Ray to ask again -- is about the CONTENT of the call I got. Specifically, I was cold-called and told that my 3 existing VIP722DVRs, which are currently all working fine (basically, aside from the occasional expected blip), were somehow incompatible with signal/frequencies put out by a new HD satellite Dish had launched and that they would have to be upgraded or I would stop being able to receive Dish programming imminently -- perhaps as soon as within a month.
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area ... as far as I can see from what everyone here knows, the only "new" satellite is an Eastern Arc satellite ... should that affect me here on the West Coast? And if so, how am I the only one on this board who has gotten a call like this or heard about this potential problem? VIP722DVRs are still offered on the Dish site, so the problem can't be with the equipment in general ... is there something about my specific machines that is incompatible with this satellite?
The bottom line for me continues to be that I don't actually want to have to upgrade to Hoppers if I don't have to do it, because what we have is working well for us, and I have reasons to think Hoppers wouldn't work as well for us, even though I know a lot of people absolutely love them. I'm not bashing Hopper. My life is really complicated right now (taking care of a parent with a progressive dementia in addition to my other full-time jobs) and I don't have the time or bandwidth to try to learn a complicated new TV system. My work schedule is such that we're up til 3 or 4 every night, and the hours between about 1 and 3 are about the only "down time" we get ... so I don't want to be fighting with my TV system wanting to shut itself down and reboot at 1 am or 1:30 if I happen to turn my back on it for a few seconds to grab more ice from the freezer ... and I still have concerns about the readability issues, because I know other people still have problems with this, and my eyes aren't 20 or even 30 anymore even though my TVs are HD.
SO ... before I found this forum 2 nights ago, I emailed Dish directly, explained the strange call I'd gotten, and asked for confirmation IN WRITING that I HAD to accept this unwanted equipment upgrade AND sign a new 2-year contract in order to continue to receive my Dish programming. Last night, they emailed me back to cheerfully confirm my "order" for Hoppers and Joeys and my installation appointment on Saturday and completely ignored the question I had asked.
I've replied to Ray's PM thanking him for looking into the situation and verifying what I could not ... that the call I received DID come from inside Dish ... and for telling me that it came from the "Loyalty Department" ... and for confirming that an appointment shows in the system for a Hopper installation here on Saturday.
I've asked him now to please check and confirm the rest of what I was told. It is interesting to learn that the call came from the Dish Loyalty Department, but this equipment switchover was not positioned to me as some kind of "loyalty reward" for being a long-time customer of Dish. It was positioned as MANDATORY in order for me to continue to get a signal or programming at all within a fairly imminent time frame (possibly a matter of weeks). I want to know if that is actually true, or if I am just being pressured into making a change -- possibly simply in order to lock me into new 2-year service contract (perhaps coincidentally, my existing contracts have just expired on 2 of our DVRs and the remaining one will expire next month).
If it is NOT TRUE that I have to accept this unwanted upgrade in order to keep receiving programming, I do NOT want to switch my equipment at this time ... and Dish should review the tactics its Loyalty Department is using to pressure customers into signing new contracts, if that's what this was about.
On the other hand, if Dish HAS made a change ON ITS END that has caused my just 2-year-old 722s to stop being able to receive programming, but it is still offering and supporting 722s that CAN receive this programming, shouldn't it simply offer to replace my 722s outright without trying to force me into an upgrade or a new contract?
Anyway, sorry. I am projecting, leaping ahead, and jumping to conclusions unfairly here. Too little sleep and too much other stress in my life. I will wait to hear from Ray, who may be able to explain what I was told in a way that makes more sense. But I stress that there was no misunderstanding on my part during that long phone call from "Eric" ... I specifically asked the question, "Let me be sure I understand. Are you telling me that if I do not agree to replace my existing DVRs, I will no longer be able to receive Dish programming when you have completed the switchover to your new satellite?" Answer: "Yes." Me: "And how long is it going to take for this switchover to occur? It sounds like the sort of complicated thing that will probably take months and months." Answer: "Oh, no. We have been working on this for a long time now. We are down to the final 30% or maybe 25% of customers who have to be called and have their systems tested for compatibility. It may be as soon as a month from now that we shut down the old satellite."
My existing VIP722 DVRs were activated in October 2011, December 2011, and February 2012, respectively. They are not ancient machines or technology.
And since I'm feeling really squirrelly about all of this right now, if in fact it is the case that an upgrade is mandatory for me for some reason, I would still like, from Dish, a WRITTEN communication -- email would be fine! -- telling me that I MUST upgrade my equipment -- from DVRs they still seem to be offering to new customers from their site -- AND SIGN A NEW 2-YEAR CONTRACT -- in order to keep receiving my existing monthly programming at all.
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