Activation Fee Nightmare

[Smarterthanthat]

I'm new to the forum and I am posting in hopes of getting a straight answer - which I haven't been able to get by calling or emailing Dish Network.

I had Dish Network service installed on May 29, 2007 and after the initial installer left the service worked for 10 mins. This prompted a next day service call which lasted hours and hours with no results. The head service guy came out two days later - still no results! This went on until I got fed up and canceled the madness on June 9, 2007.

Dish Network said once I sent back the receiver they would refund my activation fee. They sent me a box to return the receiver, which I did. Now they say the $49.99 activation fee is non-refundable. I was told that my account had been de-activated not canceled and I now have a credit of $53.96 to use when I re-activate my service! What?

Why does Dish Network think they can keep my money?

 

[bhelms]

I think it is non-redundable, but you might have a case. How far did you try to elevate it within the CSR organization? As a last resort, plead it to ceo@echostar.com

Welcome, BTW, but it's a shame you have to start out on such a negative note. Hopefully you'll have some good news to report...

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Did you pay by credit card?

If yes then call your credit card company.

 

[Smarterthanthat]

Thanks for the welcome!

I basically tried to resolve this over the phone with customer service. I was put on hold then disconnected. Disgusted, I fired off an email message to which I got an autoresponser which said (no kidding) "Due to the high email volume - we are out of the office."

I will call my credit card company and hopefully be able to post some good news!

 

[chaddux]

Did you pay by credit card?

If yes then call your credit card company.

By now even if he did pay by credit card, the credit card bill has been paid. A general rule with the credit card companies is that if you don't agree with a charge, don't pay it (even if you paid it assuming it would be refunded by the company). Once paid, you usually lose your right to chargeback. But it's worth a shot.

 

[Smarterthanthat]

By now even if he did pay by credit card, the credit card bill has been paid. A general rule with the credit card companies is that if you don't agree with a charge, don't pay it (even if you paid it assuming it would be refunded by the company). Once paid, you usually lose your right to chargeback. But it's worth a shot.

My credit card company has this statement in their FAQ -

"[FONT=verdana, arial]A cardholder may dispute a credit card charge for many reasons, and when they do it is "charged back" to the merchant by the cardholder's bank. The cardholder is within his/her legal rights to begin procedures to dispute the charge up to six months after the date of sale, although in some cases the charge may be disputed up to 3 years after."

I have disputed the $49.99 charge and should see it reflected in my account or not in about 5 business days.

I'll keep you posted!
[/FONT]

 

[skyviewmark]

Hope you get your money back. I can't help but wonder why it is that no one could make your system work. Since you said it was working for 10 minutes after the installer left. Did you get any kind of explanation on what was the cause of the problem. And why no one could fix it.. I guess I just find it hard to understand since I have been doing the kind of work for almost 20 years now and I have never not been able to fix something. It may have taken a chainsaw.. But I have always fixed it.. Sounds like you got a really bad deal or a really bad installation company. Nothing is just unfixable.. It may be that the fix isn't cost effective. But anything can be fixed.. I was just curious what it was that caused your problem.

 

[chaddux]

My credit card company has this statement in their FAQ -

"[FONT=verdana, arial]A cardholder may dispute a credit card charge for many reasons, and when they do it is "charged back" to the merchant by the cardholder's bank. The cardholder is within his/her legal rights to begin procedures to dispute the charge up to six months after the date of sale, although in some cases the charge may be disputed up to 3 years after."

I have disputed the $49.99 charge and should see it reflected in my account or not in about 5 business days.

I'll keep you posted!
[/FONT]

Excellent! Perhaps they've started changing things.

 

[Poke]

E-mail them see what they say.

 

[Claude Greiner]

As a dealer here is how this works...

If they had installed the system and 5 minutes later for some dumb reason like you didn't like the color of the remote or got a better deal from a different company and you decide to disconnect then technically the $49.99 activation fee is non-refundable.

Since this looks like an installation related issue, then I would agree we would then need to make an exception in your case and refund your money.

Try calling 866-319-4564 and speak with executive resolutions, and if you get no satisfaction there call your credit card company.

I remember about 6 months ago I had a lady who called me locally and we installed a 625 and a 322, and after reading the contract refused to pay with a credit card because it states that if you cancel DISH Network will charge the cancellation fee to the credit card used to sign up. So she paid me $49.99 in CASH

The next day, she calls comcast to cancel her service and they offer her the world to stay, and inturn she calls me and cancels her DISH account.

So I end up loosing money on the deal and have to pay to send my technician back out the pick up the equipment, and the next day she has the nerve to call and ask for her $49.99 back.

I couldn't help to laugh after I got off the phone with her, because if she would have paid with a credit card she might have been able to get the credit card company to side with her if she would have disputed the charges.

Moral of the story is that you cannot dispute cash payments!

 

[Smarterthanthat]

Hope you get your money back. I can't help but wonder why it is that no one could make your system work. Since you said it was working for 10 minutes after the installer left. Did you get any kind of explanation on what was the cause of the problem. And why no one could fix it.. I guess I just find it hard to understand since I have been doing the kind of work for almost 20 years now and I have never not been able to fix something. It may have taken a chainsaw.. But I have always fixed it.. Sounds like you got a really bad deal or a really bad installation company. Nothing is just unfixable.. It may be that the fix isn't cost effective. But anything can be fixed.. I was just curious what it was that caused your problem.

The initial installer came back the next day who said he couldn't figure out why the signal wasn't getting through. Two days later the supervisor said he used the wrong cable, they switch out the cable and it still didn't work. Next they sent a guy to move the dish to another location (tried 3 that day) - still nothing. The final straw - I had to run an errand and left the guy fooling around with the dish. To my surprise upon my return the dish is mounted to the roof over my front door (eyesore) and the guy is sitting on the curb waiting for me. We turned on the TV and the receiver and nothing. I simply didn't want to hear another excuse and told the guy to get the thing off my roof and go! BTW - I was hit with a $100 fine from my condo association because the guy left the dish mount on the roof and the cable flung across the roof down the back of the building. 10 mins of programming is not worth $149.99!!!!!!!

 

[skyviewmark]

OK.. You answered my question.. CRAPPY INSTALLATION COMPANY..

I am sorry that you had to go through that.. And I feel bad that you are going to miss out on the wonderful world of Satellite TV.. But given what you went through, I would have kicked them out too.. Sometimes some of these folks out there that call themselves installers give us that are a bad name.. If you ever feel like trying again, just make sure it's not the same people that come out again..

 

[Smarterthanthat]

I called DirectTV, they came out the next day put the dish up showed me how everything worked and I haven't looked back. Well that is until I realized that I still hadn't got my DN promised refund..........

 

[Smarterthanthat]

Today my credit card company gave me a "PROVISIONAL CREDIT" for the $49.99. Hopefully E* won't protest (yeah I know - fat chance!) and I can keep the $$$!!!!

 

[technoguy]

One thing I don't understand is why on the Earth they activated your account if they knew it wasn't complete?If the couldn't start the job correctly starting with the correct alignment of your dish, why just not close the job order until everything was done? Recipe for a disaster ,Sorry ended that way, at least you found somebody who's capable to get it right

 

[Zero327]

Today my credit card company gave me a "PROVISIONAL CREDIT" for the $49.99. Hopefully E* won't protest (yeah I know - fat chance!) and I can keep the $$$!!!!

You're REALLY going to wish you hadn't done that in about two weeks... E* doesn't like having credit card charges disputed. Especially legitimate ones. Did you know there's a charge for that?

 

[Smarterthanthat]

You're REALLY going to wish you hadn't done that in about two weeks... E* doesn't like having credit card charges disputed. Especially legitimate ones. Did you know there's a charge for that?

A fee for the chargeback from E*? Are they gonna send another charge to my credit card for it?

 

[brentp]

You're REALLY going to wish you hadn't done that in about two weeks... E* doesn't like having credit card charges disputed. Especially legitimate ones. Did you know there's a charge for that?

I seriously doubt the CC company would allow for an additional charge for disputing a charge - especially one where DN failed to deliver on the service promised. If they do add another charge - dispute that one too.

FWIW - I have had very good success with the few disputed charges I have ever had to go through (not DN), and found the CC company to be very helpful and fair in the resolutions. Keep all your records in the event it goes any further, . . . but it sounds to me like you should be OK.

 

[Smarterthanthat]

My credit card company asked that I make one last attempt to resolve this issue so I phoned the E* Ex. Resolution # given by "Claude Greiner" and I had an extremely nice conversation with a gentlemen who explained to me that the Cust. Service people did not have the "juice" to refund my money. And that he would make an exception to the no refund policy based on our conversation and the notes in my account.

My credit card company is taking a wait and see approach. I really hope this is the end of this saga.

 

[jacmyoung]

I have a question, I kept hearing that you can refuse to sign the 18-mo contract when the installer ask you to, and still get E* and all the benefit as a new sub, only that the $49 activation fee will not be credited back to you on your first bill.

Is this correct? Would the installer still install for you if he knows you will not sign the 18-mo contract?