211 lease w/out 18 month commitment?

[Turboff]

I'm in a bit of a dilemma at the moment. I currently have an 811 with the HD Pak plus Voom, and wasn't very interested in upgrading to MPEG-4 until I just saw the tv schedule for the World Cup. It turns out that a bunch of the games are going to be on ESPN2 HD, so unless I upgrade to MPEG 4, I won't be able to watch a lot of the games (I'd rather eat dung than watch ESPN2 SD).

The $49 upgrade fee I can swallow, but it seems a bit ridiculous to me to lay on the 18-month commitment. For most people, this probably isn't an issue, but my company transfers me quite frequently, so I really can't take on the risk of an 18 month commitment, and paying $249 for a 211 isn't appealing either.

Anybody know if there's any way of getting around or reducing the commitment? The help is much appreciated.

 

[curtishd]

I am in a similar situation. I want the other HD channel but I am moving soon and the cable company may have different or more desirable channels for my taste and I do not want to be locked into a contract. Any way to get around w/o buying a 211.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

If you purchase a 211, chances are that you could sell it later on eBay for only a modest loss, maybe around $50-$75.

 

[Foxbat]

Or, there's always DishMover...

 

[Turboff]

Or, there's always DishMover...

Well, sometimes the transfer is to a different country, so no luck there.

I wish Dish would just turn on ESPN2 HD during the games as a show of good will. Small chance there, huh? I guess I'll have to go the ebay route or give up the games. Unless maybe my company would pay for the breach of contract. Does anybody know how much Dish charges for that?

 

[bhelms]

You might be able to suspend the commitment while you're out of the country. I believe there is still a minimal monthly fee and you are still liable for the balance of the commitment and the equipment whether you ever reactivate or not, but that could help you weather the commitment.

Another possible issue for you, not sure you factored this in: I also have the HD Pack/voom and wanted the M-4 channels with my purchased 622 upgrade. No dice unless I also upgrade the programming package to HD Bronze minimum which in my case would have added another $20 to the $18 I just incurred in the equipment upgrade. And once you let go of the grandfathered HD Pack/voom it's lost forever. Of course if you lease to M-4 you don't have an option, you have to take one of the metallic packages...