Cheapest way to get Dish installed with no contract?

dare2be

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Jul 15, 2011
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I think that's just giving you more information to weigh contract versus no contract. Save $200 on install + $150 in gift card leaves you with a net of -$130 if you have to pay the full ETF. Break even would be at seven months (not including any promotional pricing savings from being on contract).
Exactly, why censor the information needed to make an informed, fair and balanced decision. :)
 
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robert6715

Well-Known SatelliteGuys Member
Apr 8, 2013
32
7
Afognak island
Wait wait wait...... You don't think mechanics charge outrageous prices? I come to them, sometimes virtually no parts involved? Next time I'll tell the mechanic his $275 just isn't right, I wouldn't feel right charging that, he should be charging $180.

If you can fix your own car, then do it, save yourself the $275.00. Pretty simple.

Rob
 

Tampa8

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You have to be joking?? So for your business/livelihood the answer is if someone doesn't like my prices do it themselves, not maybe I should drop my price by $100. But if you feel another business is charging too much the answer is they should lower their price by $100.
 

Stargazer

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Sep 7, 2003
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I read on Flex24 a deal where you can pay $49 for one or two room install (SD equipment 311 or 322) and get $150 off and the monthly credits on your bill for 12 months. This is with the contract of course for 24 months. You would also be leasing the equipment instead of owning it.
 

dwarren2

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Oct 30, 2003
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Rochester, NY Region
Title of the thread -
Cheapest way to get Dish installed with no contract?

Yes, you have to weigh the options. If the OP plans to stay with Dish for 2 years, why not sign up with a commitment? Unless they are trying to get Dish in a location where it is illegal to get Dish.
 

rvvaquero

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Mar 3, 2012
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Your preaching aside, I understand, but there have been plenty of threads where "the facts" have been all over the place. It's a matter of who to trust and believe.

Didn't intend to preach, just making a suggestion. It's worth what you paid for it.

You do make a good point, however. That's why the more you read, the better you will know who's word can be relied upon for accurate information. If you want to discuss inaccurate advice, we can talk about Dish's CSR's. Their information is all over the place, depending on who answers the phone.

There's 40 or 50 very knowledgeable posters on this website who will give the straight of it. There's also that many posters with high post counts who I wouldn't trust with anything Dish related. For example, there's one guy who's been a member for 6 or 8 months and has like a million posts. He comes across like a real authority on Dish, since he worked there for a few months. Yet, he's made some really ludicrous statements and lacks any credibility with me.
 

matt314159

Active SatelliteGuys Member
Nov 2, 2007
24
9
So you'll all probably laugh at me, after starting a rather wandering four-page thread about how to get a cheap, OFF CONTRACT dish install, but...

Yeah I have the installer coming on Thursday, and I'll do the contract. The free install/activation plus $150 rebate card made me realize the contract route was probably the best scenario. I don't really anticipate dropping them, but as a matter of principle I have always been one to shun and avoid contracts.

But this way, even if I were to keep them a year and drop, the ETF would be $240 minus the $150 card, or only $90 net. And that's if I drop, which I don't plan to at this juncture. And as a bonus, I don't have to worry about whether or not I'm putting the hole in my apartment wall the "right way" or whatever. I'll get the pro install and not have to deal with the hassle even though I thought I could probably do it myself.

I set it up via online chat and I have to say that guy was freaking PUSHY.

I had to tell him two or three times, NO I don't want the hopper, NO I don't want a DVR. I hope it's a standard HD 211/411 type receiver, i'll probably pay to enable an external hard drive, and thereby have a single-tuner ghetto-DVR without monthly fee. Assuming they still do that--my parents still have theirs set up that way.
 

KAB

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i'll probably pay to enable an external hard drive, and thereby have a single-tuner ghetto-DVR without monthly fee. Assuming they still do that--my parents still have theirs set up that way.
Yes, they still do.
 

dangue

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Dec 29, 2007
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So you'll all probably laugh at me, after starting a rather wandering four-page thread about how to get a cheap, OFF CONTRACT dish install, but...

Yeah I have the installer coming on Thursday, and I'll do the contract. The free install/activation plus $150 rebate card made me realize the contract route was probably the best scenario. I don't really anticipate dropping them, but as a matter of principle I have always been one to shun and avoid contracts.

But this way, even if I were to keep them a year and drop, the ETF would be $240 minus the $150 card, or only $90 net. And that's if I drop, which I don't plan to at this juncture. And as a bonus, I don't have to worry about whether or not I'm putting the hole in my apartment wall the "right way" or whatever. I'll get the pro install and not have to deal with the hassle even though I thought I could probably do it myself.

I set it up via online chat and I have to say that guy was freaking PUSHY.

I had to tell him two or three times, NO I don't want the hopper, NO I don't want a DVR. I hope it's a standard HD 211/411 type receiver, i'll probably pay to enable an external hard drive, and thereby have a single-tuner ghetto-DVR without monthly fee. Assuming they still do that--my parents still have theirs set up that way.
No laughing here. I'm just glad you got the information to make the best possible decision for your particular situation.
 

dwarren2

SatelliteGuys Pro
Pub Member / Supporter
Oct 30, 2003
4,076
287
Rochester, NY Region
Enjoy your new system. I'm willing to bet that you will get addicted the the dvr functionality and want more tuners that you will eventually upgrade to a Hopper. If you do, come back to this thread and let us know.
We went from a 722 and a 211 with an ehd to 2 Hoppers and 3 Joey's.
 

KAB

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Sep 20, 2005
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Enjoy your new system. I'm willing to bet that you will get addicted the the dvr functionality and want more tuners that you will eventually upgrade to a Hopper.
If not a Hopper, at least 722K.
 

Scherrman

SatelliteGuys Master
Supporting Founder
Mar 14, 2008
15,555
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Eastern Iowa
As awesome as the Hopper is I'm not a big fan on how pushy Dish can be in trying to get people to sign up for it. No means no!
 

ChadT41

THE BEST THERE HAS EVER BEEN
Apr 20, 2014
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Mesa, Az
Didn't intend to preach, just making a suggestion. It's worth what you paid for it.

You do make a good point, however. That's why the more you read, the better you will know who's word can be relied upon for accurate information. If you want to discuss inaccurate advice, we can talk about Dish's CSR's. Their information is all over the place, depending on who answers the phone.

There's 40 or 50 very knowledgeable posters on this website who will give the straight of it. There's also that many posters with high post counts who I wouldn't trust with anything Dish related. For example, there's one guy who's been a member for 6 or 8 months and has like a million posts. He comes across like a real authority on Dish, since he worked there for a few months. Yet, he's made some really ludicrous statements and lacks any credibility with me.
And we all know who this is in reference to. If you look at my posts, they are not meant to be taken as a real authority. I post based on the support of what Dish offers. I will offer work arounds for some things, but for the most part, what I post is based on historical and accurate, similar to what DIRT will post. Also, if I see things have changed, I will amend and even admit when I am incorrect, as Empire found out, with the discussion on FNC and AT120. That said, i do have to laugh at the few months comment. Try a few years, and although there are folks here from start up, and those I still take advice from, I will still post based on the historical accuracy of what the company would report as it is what I was trained on. Did you ever notice the actual employee from Dish and most others tend to know where I am coming from, as it is what you can usually find in the RSA(When fee or service based)? Or if a service issue, it is usually in-line with what the CSR's ask or do, as it is what is in their Trouble Shooting Portal? And a high post count, is because as a full time student, since leaving Dish, I have plenty of time to spend on the forum, and actually use it as a release from boredom of just sitting around watching TV.
 

SomeDishGuy

SatelliteGuys Pro
Jul 2, 2013
572
104
In a van, down by the river
Your preaching aside, I understand, but there have been plenty of threads where "the facts" have been all over the place. It's a matter of who to trust and believe.

Good example is my own thread - http://www.satelliteguys.us/xen/thr...and-keeping-my-recorded-content.345513/page-8

"No you won't be able to watch your recordings if you cancel" (this "fact" from Dish CSR's too) and then page eight member states "no problem"...... watching recordings on a unit that has long been disconnected. :coco


And people told you there that the official position is no, you can't keep them, but some customers (thought good fortune, sneakiness, etc) have managed to keep them. Nobody can make the guarantee either way, and the guy that said yes told you as much. There's nothing there for you to crow how people don't know. Again, the official language is you can not, but if things are possibly handled certain ways with disconnecting at the right time, you MIGHT be able to watch them. Don't try to twist the words of the people in that thread.

And I can tell you, with zero doubt, there is absolutely,positively, no difference at all in the fees paid for purchased versus leased equipment. No difference at all. And there is no other opinion. Non-Hopper accounts have a service-level $7 DVR fee, whether you have 1 DVR or 7 DVRs. The first receiver is free (the $7 service level DVR fee is not tied to the receiver). The"first" receiver is whichever is the most expensive. Non-Hopper equipment is charged like this: Solo non-DVR receiver, $7/mo (211, 311, 301, etc). Duo non-DVR receiver, $14/mo (222,322). Solo DVR receiver, $10/month (612, 512, etc). Duo DVR receiver, $17/mo (622, 722, 625, 522, etc). Again, you can total up your equipment, the one receiver with the highest fee will be no charge, the remaining will be charged. Any account with a DVR has the $7 service-level DVR fee. And again, none of this matters whether purchased or leased.
 
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SomeDishGuy

SatelliteGuys Pro
Jul 2, 2013
572
104
In a van, down by the river
And we all know who this is in reference to. If you look at my posts, they are not meant to be taken as a real authority. I post based on the support of what Dish offers. I will offer work arounds for some things, but for the most part, what I post is based on historical and accurate, similar to what DIRT will post. Also, if I see things have changed, I will amend and even admit when I am incorrect, as Empire found out, with the discussion on FNC and AT120. That said, i do have to laugh at the few months comment. Try a few years, and although there are folks here from start up, and those I still take advice from, I will still post based on the historical accuracy of what the company would report as it is what I was trained on. Did you ever notice the actual employee from Dish and most others tend to know where I am coming from, as it is what you can usually find in the RSA(When fee or service based)? Or if a service issue, it is usually in-line with what the CSR's ask or do, as it is what is in their Trouble Shooting Portal? And a high post count, is because as a full time student, since leaving Dish, I have plenty of time to spend on the forum, and actually use it as a release from boredom of just sitting around watching TV.

I am currently employed at Dish, and I have seen Chad post correct information on nearly every single subject. There are some minor business rules changes since he left, and I have noted that. Stuff like whether the current special is $5 off Cinemax, or half price. But when it comes to his technical knowledge, I don't doubt any of his information.

Not every agent on the phone at Dish is a genius. Some will give wrong information, I see it every day. Historically, it tends to be offshore agents, and the more green rookie agents in the 11 US call centers. Not rocket science, but a job in CS at Dish can have a higher turnover than most jobs. I have also noted that there is a change in focus in some call centers to not move customer service agents so quickly to advanced positions, that there is a benefit in having veteran agents taking the frontline CS calls.

The DIRT folks here are like the most veteran CS agents out there. They will also advise you that they are limited in some functions, they cannot cancel accounts, for example. But they are, for the most part, flawless when it comes to giving information due to their resources and tenure.
 

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