12/08/08 Charlie Chat Will be Deal Breaker !

[kstuart]

and you know this how???

- Dish did focus groups and found that only 1 out of 20 Dish subscribers had even heard of Voom when it was available.

- If you divide the Voom thread views by the number of posts in the thread, you'll find that only a handful of the same people are reading it.

- When Dish canceled Voom, they were privately suprised at how few people called to complain.

 

[kstuart]

I cancelled right after Charlie Chat !

I am happy that someone actually did what they said they would do - so good for you, for keeping your word. I hope your other TV service works out for you.

 

[dslate69]

I am happy that someone actually did what they said they would do - so good for you, for keeping your word. I hope your other TV service works out for you.

If and when I leave I will have a D* dish installed before I make that call.
I find it hard to believe anyone would cancel before they get their new service hooked up. But I guess I am just a skeptic.

 

[mhowie]

As my original reply said, I will consider my options in Feb. I want to know more about what happens to my HD Absolute and what DirecTV adds in the meantime. Price will also be a huge factor.

Glad the OP took action. I hope you made it clear to Dish why you were leaving.

Agree with the Feb. assessment and if DirecTV offers a receiver which provides TV2 output capability... bye bye.

 

[rad]

Agree with the Feb. assessment and if DirecTV offers a receiver which provides TV2 output capability... bye bye.

All signs point to that not happening. However, they have said they plan to have a whole home solution for DVR's so something recorder on one DVR can be viewed on a remote set top box via your home ethernet network.

 

[andyin137]

I can do without for a few days.

If and when I leave I will have a D* dish installed before I make that call.
I find it hard to believe anyone would cancel before they get their new service hooked up. But I guess I am just a skeptic.

I was so mad at Dish that being without TV service for a few day is a small price to pay.New service will be hooked up tommorrow and I got a great deal with more channels for a set price for 2 years 49.95(including DVR service,and all the channels I need(or watch)plus they thru in all their HD channels for free,this service has my locals in HD(who knew when Dish would get up)Its with a cable company(Comcast)I know they have their problems too but since I have been happy with their internet it was a no brainer.No more Dish for me and no more worries of having to pay to have service fixed if Dish or receivers go down,also Comcast has local office in my town.Try that with Dish.

 

[whatchel1]

That's so Comcastic or is that Comcraptic. Your stuck on Comcast cable. It's got 1 of the most fun DVR'S otherwise know as a POS. I've worked w/ an eng that had it and wound up taking it back and doing a PC PVR.

 

[scsa]

doesn't comcast not make you sign any deals or contracts I know they don't where I live so why do they give you a set price for 2 years. I mean just say for every month since its month by month not yearly.

 

[jdmacor]

doesn't comcast not make you sign any deals or contracts I know they don't where I live so why do they give you a set price for 2 years. I mean just say for every month since its month by month not yearly.

Yeah, I had Comcast and they don't do contracts, per se, but I believe you can pay some amount and get a price guarantee for some time period. Maybe that's what happened...

 

[dishcomm]

Ive been with Dish for 8 years now so I am not under any contract to stay .I have been thinking of leaving Dish Especially after this VOOM fiasco last Summer.I just bought a new HD TV upgraded to get VOOM and then was left with a sad selection of HD Channels (On the National Level).
If Monday nights chat is full of excuses about why new HD Nationals are Not coming by end of year,I am gone.Anyone else feel this way.But I am hoping for a good Charlie chat that will give us more HD channels that we auctually watch.
I would like to add ,it isnt that I dislike Dishnetwork per say,its just the broken promises that seem to be made or just a play on words like "Up to 150 New HD by End of Year".If you dont think its possible to do dont promise.So I certainly hope Charlie Chat fullfill its promises and has some New National HD this month.No more PPV should be added as counted HD.
Well I watched Charlie Chat Tonight and I am very Dispaointed.Not much mention of 150 national HD channels by end of year.Just the possibilities by February.Unfortunately that does not cut it for me ,I along with many Dishnetwork Customers have waited quite awhile,while listening to their "150 HD by end of year'.
I personally will be looking for another carrier starting tommorow,Yes I will miss the good DVR,but I can live without.I want a company that has some honesty and straightforwardness,instead of what I consider lying to the Customers and keeping them in the dark.

You've been with DN for 8 yrs and you choose this particular month to throw doenw the gauntlet? Why?
Do you not think that if Dish could add the addtional HD feeds, they would?
Please do not say you believe Dish is capable of providing those HD channels now but are holding them out of their lineup.
I am a Dish contractor tech and I see pleanty of new systems. I keep up with the latest stuff including promotions. And I have to be honest, I knwo of no such promise of "up to 150 HD channels by the end of the year. Besides "up to" means just that. Not the amount. So there was never any promise to have 150 hd chs by year's end.
Which services are you looking for that are not now in HD?

 

[HDRoberts]

You've been with DN for 8 yrs and you choose this particular month to throw doenw the gauntlet? Why?
Do you not think that if Dish could add the addtional HD feeds, they would?
Please do not say you believe Dish is capable of providing those HD channels now but are holding them out of their lineup.
I am a Dish contractor tech and I see pleanty of new systems. I keep up with the latest stuff including promotions. And I have to be honest, I knwo of no such promise of "up to 150 HD channels by the end of the year. Besides "up to" means just that. Not the amount. So there was never any promise to have 150 hd chs by year's end.
Which services are you looking for that are not now in HD?

Don't try and tell me there are huge technical restrictions preventing the launch of a few more networks. That's bull.

Here's just a few of what I want, all of which exist:
American Movie Classics HD
FOX News Channel HD
FX HD
Independent Film Channel HD
Nickelodeon HD
Outdoor Channel HD
Spike TV HD
VH1 HD

Here are some others that I'm sure some people want (just not me):
Country Music TV HD
Crime & Investigation Network
ESPNU HD
FOX Business Network HD
Fuel HD
Fuse HD
MavTV HD
MTV HD
Rural Farm Development TV HD
Speed TV HD
Women's Entertainment HD
Wealth TV HD

And that doesn't even include all the HD premiums out there, like MoreMax and the Showtimes

 

[dishcomm]

OMG! PLEASE NOT ANOTHER VOOM THREAD!

They are gone, people. The last time I checked, they've been gone for a while. I think people are sometimes too informed on here (not a bash to this site, because I love this place)... Let me explain. 75% of the people on here probably would not have even noticed Voom was gone unless it wasn't posted 50,000 times. There was VERY little I watched on Voom because of all the freakin' repeats.

Yes, E*'s CSR suck.... Yes, the prices are a little high, but what isn't nowadays... And their DVRs are awesome... That is good enough for me given the choices between providers.

Do us all a favor and stop hoping complaining about channels, lame ones might I add, that have been gone for awhile. And if you feel you must fuel the fire, there is already a thread that I think is 140,000 pages long, and those guys will surely accept you into their pity party with arms wide open.

::climbs off soapbox::

what I find silly is that there are people non here who for example miss "Monsters" terribly. Those movies while I view as classic silliness were part of my childhood. I loved watching Godzilla rip Tokyo to shreds....But like anythign else, if one cannopt get them here, they get them elsewhere. No big deal.
Voom channel swere niche channels that took up valuable space that could be filled with more popular channels. That is the way it is. Ratings...Revenue.

 

[dishcomm]

Do you get tired of people saying, "just move"? I live in Arkansas. Though our economy has been growing well ever since 2000, that wasn't always the case. I got tired of people saying, "just move away... move to California or Florida where all the jobs are!" This is my home. My family is here. My business contacts are here. I'd rather be middle class here than upper class in California. Nothing against California... it just isn't home.

Nowadays I know exactly how folks in the rust belt and the Great Lakes region feel... they're going through the same thing we went through in the South several years ago.

Hope things pick up for you guys soon, I really do. Hang in there! :up

I find it admirable that people hold their roots and stick it out through hard times. But when push comes to shove and the bills mount, one must do the the responsible thing. And that includes moving to an area where the economy and therefore job opps are greater then so be it.
I am a translplant living amongst many other transplants. I do not consider this place to be my home even though I have been here for 16 years. My goal is to move back to Upstate NY where I belong. But this is where the oportunities are right now and here is where I'll stay.

 

[dishcomm]

Price cut is doubtful, the pay tv industry thinks the recession will benefit them because they think people will stay home more and watch more tv.

Correct. People are spending more time at home . Tv becomes a higher priority

 

[scsa]

I was wondering did the satellite go up today with out problems?

 

[HDRoberts]

I was wondering did the satellite go up today with out problems?

So far so good. One more burn to go. Check back a little after 6 EST.

 

[8bitbytes]

- Dish did focus groups and found that only 1 out of 20 Dish subscribers had even heard of Voom when it was available.

- If you divide the Voom thread views by the number of posts in the thread, you'll find that only a handful of the same people are reading it.

- When Dish canceled Voom, they were privately suprised at how few people called to complain.

According to Charlie, of course.

Ask how many know about the Charlie Chat. I guarantee it's even less than 1 in 20.

It was about money - nothing else.

 

[dishcomm]

Don't try and tell me there are huge technical restrictions preventing the launch of a few more networks. That's bull.

Here's just a few of what I want, all of which exist:
American Movie Classics HD
FOX News Channel HD
FX HD
Independent Film Channel HD
Nickelodeon HD
Outdoor Channel HD
Spike TV HD
VH1 HD

Here are some others that I'm sure some people want (just not me):
Country Music TV HD
Crime & Investigation Network
ESPNU HD
FOX Business Network HD
Fuel HD
Fuse HD
MavTV HD
MTV HD
Rural Farm Development TV HD
Speed TV HD
Women's Entertainment HD
Wealth TV HD

And that doesn't even include all the HD premiums out there, like MoreMax and the Showtimes

"Don't try and tell me there are huge technical restrictions preventing the launch of a few more networks. That's bull. "
So I can assume you think Dish is deliberately keeping these channels from their subs? Dish can simply flip a switch and everyone is happy....Question.....Are you willing to pay full price for these services?...I don't sub to HD because I have two perfectly good working CRT tvs that I no intention of replacing. So I don't have a dog in this fight. And I don't want to absorb additional costs for programming I don't sub to. I sell plenty of systems. So HD is one of my pitches. But the channels you metioned are not metnoned a whole lot. In fact most prospects just ask if HD is available..One thing though. If a prospect inquires about Dish and satrts telling me about their super duper home thatre ssytem adn their 5 120mhz tv's and the theatre room I tell them to move on. I can't help or I should say don't want their business. Not because I don't need the money. It's that i am not qualified to deal with these issues. And becaus eI know these people are going to be expecting an absolutely flawless picture on every channel. They expect to get the wow factor every time they turn on their tv. Dish cannot deliver an absolutely flawless picture on every channel. But here's the rub. These very same people are watching cable....

 

[kstuart]

According to Charlie, of course.

Ask how many know about the Charlie Chat. I guarantee it's even less than 1 in 20.

It was about money - nothing else.

It is inappropriate to go through this ancient argument for the 1000th time, but Charlie had millions invested in Voom, so he had a significant financial investment for it to succeed.

(BTW, the original question was "How do you know that only a tiny fraction of subscribers cared about Voom?", not "Why was Voom discontinued on Dish?")

 

[kstuart]

You've been with DN for 8 yrs and you choose this particular month to throw down the gauntlet? Why?
Do you not think that if Dish could add the addtional HD feeds, they would?

Having said that it was nice to see someone actually follow through on their vow, I also have to agree that this was the stupidest possible time to "draw a line in the sand".

In 5 hours, Dish Network will actually, for the first time, be free to add a bunch of new channels, because their desperately needed replacement satellite will be (hopefully) successfully launched into the correct orbit (removing the possibilty of having to cram 110 and 119 with channels carried by the dying EchoStar 5).

The satellite wlil be online in January, and Dish usually sets new pricing in February, so the obvious time to draw a line in the sand would be mid-February.

But it's just TV, everyone should sign up with whatever service they like...