BUNCH of questions before I proceed to modify my Dish subscription/equipment. Help?

[Gaze]

This forum helped me a lot back a couple years ago when I switched from cable to Dish. I’ve been a happy camper with AT200, the Hopper w/Sling and one Joey1.0 setup, especially in the first year when the cost was in the $50s as I recall. But alas that has now crept up over $101/mo.

Currently, I’m beyond my 2-yr contract, now month-to-month and no longer on AutoPay apparently.

I’m looking to make some adjustments, and would appreciate help with any of the following questions. If they’re dumb/basic, feel free to set me straight.

As far as my desired lineup, it would pretty much be covered with: FlexPack+Locals+NationalPack. NFL Network would be a plus, but I could do without it.


Hopper3
My current Hopper does pretty good for us, but we do run into conflicts where more tuners would be handy, such as during the Olympics or during football season. The Joey1.0 is fine for our needs.

1. If I were to upgrade to the Hopper3, would that involve a technician having to do the install or something a customer can DIY? If I upgrade, should I buy the protection plan that I do not have currently?

2. Will I need to change my LNB to upgrade to Hopper3?

3. At this point, is the Hopper3 buggy, as in should I just wait a while to upgrade until bugs are resolved?

4. If I get Hopper3 upgrade, is there a price increase for its lease beyond the $12/mo I pay now for HWS? Will I have to be locked into a new contract in order to get Hopper3?

5. Is there any downside to buying my own Hopper3 (off eBay or other)? Won’t that save me money in the long run, or am I missing something?

6. If I upgrade to Hopper3, what am I required to do with my HWS as far as returning it?


Joey

7. If I buy my own Joey, will my bill simply reduce by $7/mo, or am I missing something? Or will there still be some sort of fee involved in getting a customer-owned Joey in service?


OTA Channels

8. If I were to switch to FlexPack, can I just purchase an OTA device (module or dongle?) to get locals and avoid the cost of the Locals Pack? I’m in a good location for receiving locals OTA.

9. What is the difference between the OTA dongle vs the module?

10. Does the same OTA device that works with the HWS also work with Hopper3? I’m unclear on which OTA device works with what.

11. Would I be better off just paying $10/mo extra for Locals Pack than going OTA, as in would I be losing a lot of convenience? For example, would I still be able to see the locals on the guide and record local programs using OTA?

12. Does Hopper’s (awesome) commercial skip work with OTA?


Programming

13. Can I add the National Pack to Flex Pack only during about 4 months that I would actually use the desired channels: FS1 and ESPN, then drop that pack to lower my bill during non-use months? If so, is there a fee involved to drop a pack?

14. In order to receive NFL Network, will I have to be subscribed to AT200 or higher? Also, is there any way to add NFL Network only during football season?


General

15. How long would a prior customer have to be without a subscription before he’s considered a “new customer”? I’d like to know in case I have to cancel TV in order to be eligible for new customer offers at a future date.

16. If I end up sticking with my current equipment and subscription (AT200) for now, any suggestions or insight whether I can lower my bill down from the $101+/mo I pay now?

17. If I end up making changes to sub/equip, where should I start? Call Dish directly or?


Thanks for suggestions and your help with any of my questions. As you can tell, my head is spinning from all the possibilities.

 

[dare2be]

Forgive the piecemeal responses. Hope others can fill in the gaps.

4. If I get Hopper3 upgrade, is there a price increase for its lease beyond the $12/mo I pay now for HWS? Will I have to be locked into a new contract in order to get Hopper3?

* I believe all Hopper DVR fees are $15. $12 is the grandfathered rate, which I would assume you would lose if you upgrade to the H3.

5. Is there any downside to buying my own Hopper3 (off eBay or other)? Won’t that save me money in the long run, or am I missing something?

* No, there is no money savings in buying. Just the opposite (added upfront purchase cost). Monthly fees are the same whether buying or leasing. You might be locked into a new 2-year contract on a lease upgrade, however.

7. If I buy my own Joey, will my bill simply reduce by $7/mo, or am I missing something? Or will there still be some sort of fee involved in getting a customer-owned Joey in service?

* Think of the receiver fees as outlet fees, not lease fees. They are the same whether leased or purchased.

8. If I were to switch to FlexPack, can I just purchase an OTA device (module or dongle?) to get locals and avoid the cost of the Locals Pack? I’m in a good location for receiving locals OTA.

* The OTA dongle is out of stock, very hard to come by, and presumably a new OTA solution is in the works, according to Scott's hints. Who knows when/if that might be.

9. What is the difference between the OTA dongle vs the module?

* All Hoppers use the dongle. The "module" was for older ViP receivers (722k) that you currently don't have.

10. Does the same OTA device that works with the HWS also work with Hopper3? I’m unclear on which OTA device works with what.

* Yes, all the same. See above.

11. Would I be better off just paying $10/mo extra for Locals Pack than going OTA, as in would I be losing a lot of convenience? For example, would I still be able to see the locals on the guide and record local programs using OTA?

* Without the availability of the dongle at the moment, Locals Pack may just have to suffice for now.

13. Can I add the National Pack to Flex Pack only during about 4 months that I would actually use the desired channels: FS1 and ESPN, then drop that pack to lower my bill during non-use months? If so, is there a fee involved to drop a pack?

* You can add and remove add-ons to the Flex Pack any time you want, without any additional fees. Also, the charges for those add-ons are pro-rated, so if you only use an add-on for a week, you'd only pay about $2.50 for it. I have swapped in and out add-on packs seemingly every other day just to capture events I was interested in on specific channels.

14. In order to receive NFL Network, will I have to be subscribed to AT200 or higher? Also, is there any way to add NFL Network only during football season?

* I may be wrong, but I thought I remember that when NFL Network contract was renewed, it was added to the National Pack? Someone else will have to verify.

15. How long would a prior customer have to be without a subscription before he’s considered a “new customer”? I’d like to know in case I have to cancel TV in order to be eligible for new customer offers at a future date.

* I believe it's 120 days (4 months).

16. If I end up sticking with my current equipment and subscription (AT200) for now, any suggestions or insight whether I can lower my bill down from the $101+/mo I pay now?

* Another offer I believe that is still available is, if you agree to another 2-year commitment, you can get $15 off the AT200 package and lock that price in for the entire 2 years.

 

[ChadT41]

60 days of a closed good standing account will qualify you as a new customer...
The OTA will only allow you to watch/record one local channel at a time, so if you're wanting to have access to more than 1 at a single time, you'd want to have the locals add on. To answer 1,2,3... Upgrade now, or later, it doesn't make a difference. A tech will be required to install the new DPH LNB, but if you wanted to purchase one online and install yourself, you could do that as well. Everything else was pretty well covered that I can see.

 

[PHXHoward]

Interesting to read above that they don't charge a $5 fee for swapping out add on packs within 30 days of adding them.

 

[KAB]

Interesting to read above that they don't charge a $5 fee for swapping out add on packs within 30 days of adding them.

One of the pluses for Flex.

 

[Claude Greiner]

60 days of a closed good standing account will qualify you as a new customer [\QUOTE]

exactly

 

[dare2be]

Interesting to read above that they don't charge a $5 fee for swapping out add on packs within 30 days of adding them.

It's a game changer.

 

[Gaze]

dare2be...thanks for listing all those answers! Helps me immensely. Thanks to other responses as well.

Still digesting the input, but probably leaning towards Flex+Locals and maybe a H3 upgrade at some point in the future.
Can I just make this change via the Dish website...or might there be addl savings making a phone call?

Also, if I switch to Flex, I'll still be on month-to-month status, not a contract?

 

[dare2be]

Go to the My Programming section of your online account and see if Flex is an option you can select. If not, you probably have to call in and request the new G4 Smart Card which is required for the Flex Pack and allows for easy swapping of the add-on packs online without any Dish employee involvement or change fees.

 

[Gaze]

Go to the My Programming section of your online account and see if Flex is an option you can select. If not, you probably have to call in and request the new G4 Smart Card which is required for the Flex Pack and allows for easy swapping of the add-on packs online without any Dish employee involvement or change fees.

I did that a while back via chat and they said my current card is good to go for Flex.

Just checked...Yes, Flex does show up on my online account options at $34.99. Add $10 for Locals = $44.99. Isn't this higher than others are paying for same?

 

[Pepper]

1. It's definitely DYI-able, but the question is whether they will "let" you do it or not. The best you might get is a technician who will stand back and let you do it, providing assistance if necessary.

2. Unless you already have the Hybrid LNBF you'd need a new one. And the Hybrid Solo Hub if you have the older Hub. You'll also need to replace any Joey 1.0 with Joey 2.0 or 4K Joey.

5. and 7. I wish there was any logical explanation for the way they do the fees. If you lease the equipment, there's a $7 lease fee. But if you own it, there's a $7 additional receiver fee. If there were any fairness, at least part of that would be waived when you own the equipment but good luck convincing anybody at dish to do that.

 

[KAB]

Also, if I switch to Flex, I'll still be on month-to-month status, not a contract?

If you want the two year price lock, you will have a contract. Also don't forget you will get a $5 monthly discount if you do autopay. I strongly suggest you go through DIRT, they will steer you in the best direction for your needs/wants!!!!!

 

[dare2be]

If you lease the equipment, there's a $7 lease fee. But if you own it, there's a $7 additional receiver fee.

There's no such thing as a lease fee. It is a receiver fee (for the connection and additional outlet) across the board, leased or owned.

 

[Pepper]

Perhaps they changed the terminology then. In any case whether you own the equipment or not, the fees are the same.

The only advantage these days to owning something is if you aren't under a contract and want to turn something off, you don't have to send it back.

 

[dare2be]

The only advantage these days to owning something is if you aren't under a contract and want to turn something off, you don't have to send it back.

True, but if it's an additional receiver, you can turn it off and keep it even if you are in a commitment. Commitments only tie you to a level of programming and keeping the account active, not how many receivers are active.

 

[ChadT41]

If you disable a leased receiver, you have 30 days to return it.

 

[KAB]

I am getting ready to move to a new home. Will be purchasing a Joey to use as needed. Already upped for a two year with Flex. In my case, it makes sense to own, as cheap as they are now. I think of it as a spare part!

 

[dare2be]

Yes, a seldom used room is the best reason for purchasing a receiver, especially a client box that doesn't cost that much.

 

[pattykay]

Also, if I switch to Flex, I'll still be on month-to-month status, not a contract?

Just checked...Yes, Flex does show up on my online account options at $34.99. Add $10 for Locals = $44.99. Isn't this higher than others are paying for same?

If I remember correctly, the autopay $5 per month credit is available without a contract when you switch to Flex Pack. The two-year contract is only required if you also want the price-lock guarantee.

 

[Gaze]

If I remember correctly, the autopay $5 per month credit is available without a contract when you switch to Flex Pack. The two-year contract is only required if you also want the price-lock guarantee.

I was in process to switch to Flex + Locals via the website...

I encountered these differences with some of the info posted above:
- Flex is $34.99 vs $29.99

- Reinstated AutoPay and re-logged in. Flex still $34.99 (no $5 reduction in price that I was expecting). Is the $5 a credit that I won't see until I receive my next billing?

- As I proceeded further, this warning notice popped up:

A programming change fee of $5 is applied when you remove services within 30 days of adding to your account (waived for new customers who are within their first 60 days of service).

In posts above it was mentioned there wouldn't be change fees like this.

I canceled the changes and decided to ask you guys about what I encountered.
Thoughts?
Think I should call instead for better results?