Amazon Dish Promotion (Qualification Dispute)

[JamieCTA]

I have a question about an Amazon promotion going on right now. There is a $200 Amazon gift card promotion if you purchase qualifying TVs through Amazon between 1/23/11 and 2/13/11 (so it is ending soon). The other stipulation is that you must activate new Dish service before 3/13/11. I definitely meet the new subscription date requirements (signed up on 1/31/11 and was installed on 2/4/11 so no question there) and have spent the last week since getting the service trying to decide on a TV through Amazon to fulfill the other portion of the deal.

However, today, after deciding on a TV (I have not pulled the trigger yet luckily- but it is in my cart), I went through the reward submission process on the dish site just to familiarize myself with it since I am a new customer. It wasn't until I was late in the process that I was told "DISH Network agents must create the account using offer code 04AMZN or 40AMZN"

I feel that I was somehow duped here. I made doubly sure to read the original promotional rules that were posted online which read (in their entirety):

• Step 1: Purchase any TV, PC, Laptop, Netbook on Amazon.com by 2/13/2011.
• Step 2: Activate DISH Network service* by 3/13/2011.
• Step 3: Go to mydishrewards.com and create a rewards account.
• Step 4: Search for Amazon Rewards Offer and follow the simple instructions. You will need your 17-digit Amazon Order ID (available in the Amazon.com confirmation email) and Dish Network Account Number. Submit by 4/13/2011. DISH Network will fulfill cards 6-8 weeks from service activation under DHA 24 and validation of submission.

*Amazon Gift Card offer requires purchase of TV, PC, laptop, Netbook from Amazon.com between 1/23/2011 and 2/13/2011 and activation of DISH Network service under Digital Home Advantage with a 24-month agreement by 3/13/2011. Purchase must be registered on MyDishRewards.com by 4/13/2011. DISH Network will fulfill cards 6-8 weeks from service activation under DHA 24 and validation of submission

Nowhere there does it tell me that I was supposed to setup anything with a DISH agent relating to this specific promotion. The original rules make it seem very straight-forward and make it appear as though the entire process could be completed on my end until I submit my Amazon order.

Now, before I go and purchase this new TV, I am trying to make sure that I still qualify for this $200 gift card or if the original rules were purposely worded poorly in order to have me submit to this deal only for Dish to later tell me "sorry you don't qualify."

Any insight would be appreciated. I am glad that I did a trial run of the submission before officially buying the $800 TV...but I am very bummed to see that I may not qualify for this promotion now.

 

[Tampa8]

Have you contacted Amazon and asked? Or was that just on the website of Amazon....I am reading it as you submit the info, Dish will validate you subscribed during the alloted time, and Amazon will validate that you bought a qualifying TV in that time.

 

[JamieCTA]

I did but they told me to contact Dish because it was really a Dish promotion that Amazon was just "participating" in. Amazon wasn't sponsoring it. I will be calling Dish today but was hoping someone else might have a similar experience or insight with this before I called just to have some sort of precedent to go on.

 

[ZoomVT]

Im sorry in you are in this position but you should have probably checked before you signed up for DISH. You probably dont want to hear this, but it hink the instructions were worded properly in the sense that the steps are numbered:

Step 1: Purchase any TV, PC, Laptop, Netbook on Amazon.com by 2/13/2011.
Step 2: Activate DISH Network service* by 3/13/2011.
Step 3: Go to mydishrewards.com and create a rewards account.
Step 4: Search for Amazon Rewards Offer and follow the simple instructions. You will need your 17-digit Amazon Order ID (available in the Amazon.com confirmation email) and Dish Network Account Number. Submit by 4/13/2011. DISH Network will fulfill cards 6-8 weeks from service activation under DHA 24 and validation of submission.

There is a reason there is a Step1 and then a Step 2. Right there is saying you first buy the TV, then you signup for DISH.

 

[KAB]

You put step 2 ahead of step 1, there's the problem. Amazon has to confirm to Dish that you purchased TV, which you have not. At least that's the way I read it.

 

[Tampa8]

"There is a reason there is a Step1 and then a Step 2. Right there is saying you first buy the TV, then you signup for DISH."


I don't agree. Very doubtful you have to do the step one or two first or second. But it does point to having to actually buy the TV first. So my advice to the OP, if you can't get an answer, is to buy the TV, then go to step 3 and four. If it does not work out, return the TV if you are only buying for the reward.

 

[JamieCTA]

I appreciate the responses and I could see it being interpreted that way, but with the allowable dates and the submission process it did not seem like you had to do them in that order necessarily (in other words I read it as Tampa8 does).

The submission process allows me to enter a TV purchase date that is after the subscription start date. My question relates to the fact that regardless of whether the TV was purchased before or after, there is more detail at the end of the rewards process (which I am not sure I even had access to before signing up) that says you need to make sure the DISH agent creates your account using the specific code so that you can go back later and enter the amazon order information and that part was never mentioned.

Even if you had already ordered the TV before signing up for the service, you would end up filling the submission information out after you signed up anyway.

At least that is the way I see their process. It is obviously entirely possible that I misinterpreted this and that is my own fault. Just trying to see what other people think here

And yes, I will go ahead and fill out the information anyway probably. I honestly had planned on getting a new TV soon and signing up for DISH (independent plans originally) regardless so it was kind of a "perfect storm" situation I decided to jump on with DISH. I would love to take advantage of this deal but it isn't the end of the world if I have erred in the end.

 

[KAB]

I don't agree. Very doubtful you have to do the step one or two first or second.

Gee, I thought Step 1 usually meant Step 1. Kind of like assembling a bike.

 

[JamieCTA]

Well, I have done numerous things like this over the years with amazon, newegg, tiger direct etc. and as long as you did stuff during the allotted time frames the qualifying purchases/contracts/whatever didn't necessarily have to be done in any particular order. /shrug

However hear me out here:

The thing that I am complaining about really doesn't get affected by step 1 vs step 2 regardless. It is the fact that it never said you had to tell a dish admin to enter that code for you. There was no mention of any code anywhere in the instructions. I signed up online and it never asked about any Amazon order information ever and the rules never mention a promo code needed for this. So, following the instructions located on Dish's site, you would still miss out on this even if you bought the TV first.

Do you see the real issue here KAB? Even the fine print doesn't mention it:

*Amazon Gift Card offer requires purchase of TV, PC, laptop, Netbook from Amazon.com between 1/23/2011 and 2/13/2011 and activation of DISH Network service under Digital Home Advantage with a 24-month agreement by 3/13/2011. Purchase must be registered on MyDishRewards.com by 4/13/2011. DISH Network will fulfill cards 6-8 weeks from service activation under DHA 24 and validation of submission

Maybe this is just how Dish works but I would get hung out to dry at work (mech engineer) if I sent someone instructions like that and then later tried to pull a "hey I hope you did this thing we never told you about during the assembly otherwise your equipment will not function right and it's warranty is now voided!" or something.

 

[KAB]

I see the issue. I don't think you do. You buy the TV, then you receive the code. Like rebates...you have to buy the product first.
"Purchase must be registered on MyDishRewards.com by 4/13/2011"
You have made no purchase...no rebate form, sale confirmation, code, whatever. You put the cart before the horse.

 

[JamieCTA]

No you don't receive the code I am talking about with the purchase. There are two "codes" or things you have to enter for this deal. 1 is your Amazon order number and obviously I won't get that until I order a TV. But that portion is entered after you sign up for service anyway so I am not worried about that (and it is another reason that it seems very obvious you are allowed to purchase the TV after start of service and still get this deal).

The code I am talking about goes in the promo code section in your cart on Dish's site. This is not a code that Amazon gives you. Amazon's end of the deal is the Amazon PO number (which once again gets entered after you sign up for Dish). The new instructions state that the number was required to be entered at time of sign up for Dish service. It is a number that Dish puts out themselves. For example, when I signed up, I entered a code there for a $25 off my first bill (stacked with the other signup offers out there). It was a Dish promo code that came in the mail from Dish that is available to anyone to use. This is the same thing just a different promo, except that the code wasn't up online at the time that they originally posted the deal and when I signed up and it was never mentioned. Now it is mentioned on a pdf in their site under the rewards section I have access to as a member.

Summary: I am fine with the Amazon code. I have not passed the point to be able to enter that. I am past the point in time to enter the Dish code that enables you to complete this deal before 4/13/11 but it was never mentioned in the original rules

 

[patrick80639]

Why not cancel your current order with dish, start over, and just follow the steps like you were supposed to in the first place? It doesn't really seem as complicated as you're making it out to be.

 

[KAB]

Why not cancel your current order with dish, start over,

Because service has been established and he would have to pay almost 24 mos. cancellation charges.

 

[patrick80639]

Because service has been established and he would have to pay almost 24 mos. cancellation charges.

Good point, I overlooked that he already had it installed, thus he is pretty much SOL at this point.

 

[TonyT@DISH Network]

I am going to look into the promotion and see what there is to be done about it. I see what JamieCTA is saying. The instructions at this point are not the problem. The problem is that it is not until you try and redeem the offer that you get a message that says "DISH Network agents must create the account using offer code 04AMZN or 40AMZN". I am going to check into this right now and I will post what I find.

---EDIT--- I found that the offer is on the DISH Network website. Could you PM me your phone number so that I can have a look and see what I can do for you. Its possible I can correct this but I need to see the account.

 

[Lean Pamintuan]

Did you happen to fix the OP's problem? I am a old dish network customer and can you apply the 04AMZN on my dish account too?

I am going to look into the promotion and see what there is to be done about it. I see what JamieCTA is saying. The instructions at this point are not the problem. The problem is that it is not until you try and redeem the offer that you get a message that says "DISH Network agents must create the account using offer code 04AMZN or 40AMZN". I am going to check into this right now and I will post what I find.

---EDIT--- I found that the offer is on the DISH Network website. Could you PM me your phone number so that I can have a look and see what I can do for you. Its possible I can correct this but I need to see the account.

 

[Tampa8]

JamieCTA. I am 100% understanding what you are pointing out. In fact that is why I said after you buy the TV see if you can do it, if not return the TV, because I understand buying the TV may not affect the Dish qualifying portion of the reward.

But I see Tonyt is going to do what my next suggestion was. Do everything you need, if the Dish account needs a special code put on it, I don't see why it can't be added by a rep, who checks to see that you signed up in the alotted time..... Hope it works out for you.

Just for others.... often there are "Steps" to qualify for a reward. Often it is not meant to be done in any certain order, it is just to point out each thing that needs to be done. This isn't instructions to build something. Obviously you can't register first for a reward without fulfilling the requirements, but the actual fulfilling rarely has to be done in any certain order. I think the process described bears this out. Each has it's own time frame for getting Dish and for getting the TV, and each has it's section to fill out. Why would they not allow someone who signed up for Dish on Tuesday, then on Wednesday found the reward on Amazon, not give them the reward?

 

[Tampa8]

Did you happen to fix the OP's problem? I am a old dish network customer and can you apply the 04AMZN on my dish account too?

You mean can you cheat Amazon and Dish?

 

[patrick80639]

You mean can you cheat Amazon and Dish?

Am not surprised by this. That's what happens when people start accommodating to the lowest common denominator, you get more requests to keep lowering the bar.

 

[vaylon]

Amazon is really easy on the returns. So if you buy the TV and something is wrong with the deal?, just return the TV. Sometimes, Amazon can even help speed things along.