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hotrodbill said:

A CSR told me that the send out updates via the phone line... said that the system is periodically updated via phone and if I didn't have one hooked up then it would cause my system to stop working. HAHA, I don't think so. The phone line charge sucks for those that are 100% cell. My thought is why do i need a hard-line if I currently never use up my cell minutes.. Sounds like a waste to me.

As far as a lawsuit goes... I would think that someone would take the case based on a class action lawsuit. Class action = huge $$$ for the lawyer. My initial thought is, there may not be much of a case or the class action suit would have already been started.

I am relatively new to this whole dish setup. My thought is the charge is two fold. 1) easier access to PPV means more PPV sales which is highly profitable, 2) Prevents neighbors from sharing service. From my understanding, If you have a RV, you can take your receiver with you (or have an additional receiver) and get service anywhere. If this is the case what keeps someone from having multiple homes (e.g. primary home and lake home) and only paying the $5 extra service charge and have access at both homes. Or the same for friends and neighbors ( I am assuming that this is what is referred to as account stacking). Since the dishes do not upload (send signal out) there is no way for Dish to know its physical location unless its hooked up to a phone line.

A agree with others about big brother. Its a way to track your information. I would not be surprised if they are not collecting information on their customers to target advertisements (commercials) to them. Haha, just wait for that day to come. I guess they could put a gps device in the receivers to track them but I doubt its currently cost effective. One of these days it maybe.

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Zero327 said:

Next, some updates are pushed out via phone line (because DISH has decided you do not need to know what does not make the statement any less true.) Not entire software updates, but commands to the receiver, authorization checks, any number of functions can take place via the phone line that would otherwise be inefficient to manage on the satellite uplink. Imagine every CSR sending out commands to receivers and having to funnel that through the satellite. That would bog down the feed, yes? Every activation, every parental lock release, all of it requiring sat bandwidth.

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hall said:

This hogwash is tempting me to lock out my receiver by punching in the wrong PIN a few times requiring me to call Dish to unlock it. I will of course disconnect the phone line before calling. Who thinks they'll be able to unlock my receiver ?? I'm confident it will.

Think about this Zero, to do what you suggest would require the receiver to dial in to Dish. Why would it dial in ?? Is my phone going to ring while I'm on the line with the rep and my receiver will answer the call ?? Don't think so.....

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Zero327 said:

A few clarifications. Account stacking is any instance where multiple parties are serviced in one dwelling at the same address (family w/ renter) or cases where receivers are in multiple physical locations (vacation home/residence) but all appear on the same account. DISH requires a seperate account for each party utilizing the service (otherwise it's reproduction issue, same as copying DVDs to give to friends, even if you don't "sell" them) and a seperate account for each residence a receiver(s) resides in.

Keep in mind, DISH COULD prosecute if you do any of these things, it's a form of commercial fraud. (But then again so is rebroadcasting PPV boxing matches.) It's more lucrative though to correct the issue by forcing the customer to have multiple accounts. Each account allows a recharge of base programming fees and additional receiver fees, versus just charging an additional $5.00.

Next, some updates are pushed out via phone line (because DISH has decided you do not need to know what does not make the statement any less true.) Not entire software updates, but commands to the receiver, authorization checks, any number of functions can take place via the phone line that would otherwise be inefficient to manage on the satellite uplink. Imagine every CSR sending out commands to receivers and having to funnel that through the satellite. That would bog down the feed, yes? Every activation, every parental lock release, all of it requiring sat bandwidth. It would add up quickly to 13 million customers and probably three times that or more in receiver units.

The reality is if people spent as much time playing by the rules as they do trying to find ways around DISH policies, Charlie might be far more lenient with audits and fee policies. But too many people are trying to take advantage at any given point in time between threatening disconnections (I saw a Usenet article the other night where the CSR transferred and shut off someone who did this. A threat to disconnect is the same as a request to.) insisting on free equipment and misuse of resources (you would think the CEO address would be used for only the worst issues of all, uh, but it's not) I'm not surprised. People don't learn. Charlie learns, he's demonstrated that. And Charlie doesn't like being milked, or being threatened. He's demonstrated that too.

As far as the class action concerns...it's a service. Read the fine print, DISH may do as it sees fit with it's own programming and equipment. All they are required to do is let you know what they're doing, when and sometimes why.

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Zero327 said:

Well I would hardly equate CSRs not doing their jobs to DISH breaching its own policies but anyways... Realistically, who here honestly believes a front line CSR, Winback or otherwise is authorized to tell a retailer how they can and can't do a job? What do you want to bet if you get nailed on that basis, DISH will hold you responsible as the party doing the work and not the CSR?

CSRs have issues, noone's disputing that point, LEAST OF ALL me. I'm saying that there's more headaches present from those that usurp the "correct" policy for the "easy" policy. Just because you can find one out of (what was that last estimate?) 22,000 employees working for DISH to say it's ok doesn't mean it won't come back to bite you. Same principle as doing an install correctly, or like a third-party sub (no offense, but most of that classification sucks at installs, and T/C's, and well...anything sat related.)

*shrug* The point is really moot, because at the end of the day anyone that reads this post, this forum, this website or any other source of information is just going to do what they want anyways. And then when they get nailed they're going to call DISH screaming and whining about it, and a retailer will be sent out or take a hit for $100 over it, and it'll be something amounting to a half-assed install or the customer took the batteries out of the remote, or they hotwired their 622 in an attempt to get free TEN, and then whatever unlucky retailer gets stuck with that will be calling into DISH for help, and will be told they're SOL.

Or...everyone could do things correctly from the start. I like my ideal universe in which the latter occurs more often than not. I guess I just need to vent a litte, because it's really amusing but also annoying to see so many customers and retailers shocked and dismayed when they are run through the meat grinder because they not only didn't they play by the rules, but had to question the rules, try and get the rules rewritten, sued DISH over the rules, and end up being force-fed the rules anyhow. Why not just skip to the end of the story? Less headache for everyone involved.

Is plugging in the cord really that difficult? It takes more effort to run some RG.

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