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Hi, I am a newbei and this is my first post here.

I have had dishnetwork for more than 5 years.

I get international program package, with 2 receivers and pay around $60 a month. As I have mentioned above I am a old customer and have dishnet for 5 years. But I also have comcast for the American channels for the past 5 years.

2 week ago I was thinking about switching to dish for the american channels. So I called dish and talked with their representative. He first told me to try to go to a specific channel, I don't remember which it was. But my dish receiver couldn't go to that channel, It used to go to a blue screen before I could have puched the last number (total 3 numbers) on my remote. I think he asked me that to determine which satalite I am on. but I am really not sure.

So the dish guy starts to tell me about different program packages they have for american channels such as americas top 60s, 120s etc. But he didn't tell me anything about whether I need a another dish or not, so I asked him myself.

He told me that I would need a second dish installed. I asked him how much is it gonna cost me? He asked for my zipcode and than gave me 3 different number of private satalite dish intstallers in my area and told me to call them. He told me that first I would have to buy a new dish and have it installed by a local installer. He told me that local installers might charge me $99 for the dish plus installation, he doesn't know how much total its gonna charge me since each of those instalers might charge me different.

So the next day I called all those 3 numbers. And I foundout that all 3 of them had the same price and I would have to pay $99 dollars for the equipments (only dish) and $99 dollars for the installation, total = almost $200 + tax.

I am totaly surprised by this. I am a long time dish customer. Beside that, I had to buy ALL of my original dish network equipments 5 years ago, I didn't get them free as now days dish is giving away free quipment to all new customers with free installation.

I had to pay $300 dollars for my dish and first receiver when I bought it from sams club and then I paid $60 for it installation. Then I paid $100 dollars extra next year for my second receiver (bought from sams club) plus another $100dollars for installation the second receiver. Both times installation was arranged by dishnetwork, they didn't give me a third party phone number to call like they did this time.

Since my last conversation with the Dishnetwork representative. I am starting to think that the dish had been ripping me. I shouldn't have paid that much for at all. And as for now, I shouldn't have to pay $200 dollars again just for a 2nd dish even after being a LOYAL CUSTOMER for 5 YEARS.

Somehow between all this, I found that comcast gives you a discount if you switch from dish. But dish on the other had been overcharging me and still keep doing it.

I have called dish again second time to see if they would give me any discount at all for switching from comcast. But they said NO! And told me that I would have to buy a second dish froma store and have it installed, than call them back.

So now I am thinking about switching to DirectTV, I called them and they would not even install a New dish form FREE but would also give me a free HD or DVR receiver too. They said that they would install upto 4 rooms with 4 receivers for FREE. I think this is because I am a new customer.

So but the problem is that directtv does not have alot of international programming. And I don't want to have 2 different companies satalite dish on my roof and pay them separately (dishnet for international channels and direct tv for the american channels).

I was also thinking about getting a third receiver from dishnet but now I am scared on what they migh charge me for it. I have bought both of my receivers myself (not leased) but still I pay $5 dolars for the second receiver, plus some Service Access Fee $6. I don't know if they would again charge me again for third receiver even if I buy it.

Also now I know (thanks to this forum) that my dish must be pointing at 61.5 since thats where all the internatinal packages are. I remember 2 years ago receving a unusual high bill from dish network. Upon calling, they told me they charged my extra $50 dollars for the american programing package, but now I know *(again thanks to this forum) that its impossible since I would need a another dish pointing at 110 and 119 to even receive american channels programming. BTW, they took off those charges and right after taking them off the dish guy said "Do you want to have your credit card in the autobilling so they would automatically charge me every month and I wouldn't have to mail them my check" lol

After some research I found this site and learned a few things I didn't know before. I read some old post here and It seems I shouldn't pay that much at all for an upgrade from dish. Since you guys know more about dishnet than I do, please give me your views and any advise would be apprecaited. Do you guys think that I have been ripped in the past by dishnet and still am? Or is thats what they normally charge?