Call from Dish (or someone) regarding 015 error

[jrfuda]

I'm currently in Afghanistan and today, while talking to my wife on the phone, she told me that Dish (or someone saying they were Dish) called the house and told her that they we had a 015 error and that a tech could come out and resolve the issue for us for free "if we act now." They said there'd be a charge involved if we waited until later. My wife did not bite (smart girl, IMHO). Of course, after we talked this morning I combed the forums to refresh my memory on what a 015 error is.

We have a 622 and a 311 (I think 311, or some SD 3xx series box), both have phone line connections and the 622 is additionally connected to our home network. Can dish diagnose connection issues (hence a 015 error) remotely over the phone line/internet connections? If so, then this may lend some legitimacy to whomever called my wife.

Based on my conversations with my wife, I do not think we are currently experiencing a 015 error. About 6-8 weeks ago she was having some serious signal drop out. She eventually realized the signal loss was due to the neighbor's banana trees blocking the dish. We have an arrangement with our neighbor that allows us to trim the overhanging fronds whenever we need, so she trimmed them back and quickly resolved the signal loss issue. She hasn't since mentioned any signal issues. Could it be that Dish is just now getting around to offering to fix the signal loss issue from 6-8 weeks ago?

I'm going to be home in 6 weeks. If she's not complaining about signal loss, then it's probably not an issue (or at least not severe enough a loss for it to effect my wife's current viewing - the picture's fine). If there is a minor signal degradation that is not effecting picture quality, I'll be able to re-aim the dish when I get home to ensure the signal is maxed-out.

My bottom-line question is: Was the caller on the up-and-up, or was he someone trying to get an "in" to try and sell us something or do lord knows what?

 

[loves2watch]

Sounds like one of the many SCAMS currently being used on the uninformed customer. I commend your wife for her intelligent decision.

 

[ddgtomahawk]

No actually prolly not! I am guessing you have a dual tuner receiver hooked to a phoneline? Dish can actually check yous signal in fact I have had a couple of customers calling in asking if it is really dish this is the update regarding it you can PM me your account number i can verify its not a scam.

STBHealth Service Calls
Tech: 12/14/2007 7:54 PM
Some customers that have been identified by STBHealth as having multiple, consecutive weeks of bad signal are being outbounded and offered free service calls. If a customer returns our call indicating they were offered a free service call, check the account notes. If there is a note from the outbound agent, please set up the free service call.</B></I>

 

[jrfuda]

Thanks ddg...

My wife said the tech did make the note on the account - so it's possible if the signal degrades to the point where it's interfering with her watching, she can call them and still get the free service call. She said they gave her a toll-free number. When I talk to her tomorrow, I'll get the number from her and check it against legit dish numbers to ensure these folks are 100% the real deal.

Our dish is on one of those extend-arm things that allows it to face south without being up against the side of the house. Once in the past, the set screw that keeps the arm from rotating came loose and I had to re-aim it and tighten the screw (I tightened the living poop out of that screw, which fortunately is an allen-head). There's a chance that's come loose again in the year since I made the adjustment - or that wood it's mounted to has sagged enough since then to throw the aim off a wee bit (I doubled the number of lag bolts the installer used after noticing some sagging before). I've considered getting the thing aimed right, drilling a hole through the "extendo-arm" and sticking some sort of pin in it to ensure it never rotates again, even if the set screw get loose... Won't help with the wall sagging, though (I've considered some sort of mini-guy lines system to stabilize the arm before)... darn cheaply constructed house!

And yes, both of my boxes are dual-tuner models and connected via phone line/network, so - as you stated - that means Dish gets performance reports from them. I did not know that Dish could monitor our boxes like that.

 

[old corps]

I frankly have no idea if that call was legit or not. I've been with 'em over 10 years & never experienced anything like that. In any event, glad your wife was suspicious. If she's not having a problem I'd decline.

I just wanted to express my appreciation for your service to our country. THANK YOU SIR! God bless ya and I hope the next 6 weeks fly by.:up

Ed

 

[ddgtomahawk]

Also you could just have her call 1-800-333-dish(3474) and just go to tech support we will see the notes and can set it up then you know its us for sure.

 

[jrp]

I just wanted to express my appreciation for your service to our country. THANK YOU SIR! God bless ya and I hope the next 6 weeks fly by.:up

Ditto

 

[bspei]

Thanks ddg...

She said they gave her a toll-free number.

Google the 800 number. If it is a scam it might be in the serrch engin.

 

[Sammy033]

The first simple answer is that unless you actually got an error message on the screen dont worry about it. The second is to never accept service calls unless you call the company tech support number yourself first (like for heavy signal loss as you said). Anyone calling you first does so to make money, including legit calls. This goes for every company out there.

 

[RichBrubaker]

jrfuda

Senior Member
John - thank you for your service to the country.

 

[havana]

Jrfuda,
from an old VN grunt, I too want to thank and salute you for your service!:up:

 

[Cincyray]

I to would like to thank you and your family for the sacrifices you are doing to help protec not only your country and family but my family also. God Bless you and your family.

 

[jrfuda]

Thanks everyone for all the support.

It's not the safest place out here, but we sure do have it better than the vets among y'all had in previous wars. Heck, we have heat/AC, good food, 6 glorious channels of Armed Forces Network via satellite (sent all over the base via some a home-brew CATV system our commo guys assembled using a bunch of channel modulators), blazing "fast" ~12kbps internet (when we're lucky), a rec room, a gym and telephones (even cellphones). And my base is one of the more remote, more primitive ones - the guys at the big bases have espresso shops, pizza hut, subway and burger king to boot!

I cannot imagine how hard it was for troops in the past to be cut off from civilization and their loved ones for weeks, months and maybe years at a time (aside from an occasional letter) and to come home to lukewarm or cold receptions. Thanks should go to them - and to all you folks supporting all of us.

 

[old corps]

Jeezuz John, This old jarhead wuz in the wrong damn war! Sounds like a good time, LOL. I'm happy for ya man and I STILL thank you for your service! Get home soon!

Ed

 

[Poke]

Yeah I use to be in the Navy and thanks for your service to our country.

 

[havana]

John,

Incoming, is incoming and that never changes...having said that, being in the zone is nothing unless you’ve experienced chugging a hot beer in a rusty tin can and thinking it was the best brew you had since R&R. :


Miss the smell of cordite in the morning.....:

 

[UGAChance]

The newer receivers have STB Set-top Box Health. They report back data on the health of the receiver. So they can be pro-active on fixing customer's issues if there are going to be other truck rolls in the area.

 

[jrfuda]

Thanks for all the feedback.

Turns out the call was legit. My wife went out and looked at the Dish - and sure enough - the neighbor's bananas trees had grown to block the dish again (she said it was only 1-2 fronds and that there HAD been some intermittent signal loss). So she's trimmed them back again (man, those things grow fast - we're talking 3-5 feet in 6-8 weeks!). That should fix the problem - and is not a service I think a tech would haver performed, especially since the tree's in a neighbor's yard (though maybe he could have moved the dish a few feet up and/or to the right and completely avoided the trees for the foreseeable future). The trees were much smaller and barely over the fence when the dish was first installed and were probably completely unnoticed by the tech (BTW, the tech that did our install - about 2 years ago, was the most thorough and professional tech of any type that we've ever had come out to the house). Now they routinely grow to over 15 feet. Fortunately they're easy to trim and we have an understanding neighbor who lets us trim hem when they cross into our yard.

 

[wmi]

The first simple answer is that unless you actually got an error message on the screen dont worry about it. The second is to never accept service calls unless you call the company tech support number yourself first (like for heavy signal loss as you said). Anyone calling you first does so to make money, including legit calls. This goes for every company out there.

This is something that Dish has just started recently. By being proactive and initiating the service call, they feel they can save money instead of waiting for the customer to call in when the system has degraded even further, which could cost more to fix, or even frustrate the customer into cancelling his service.

 

[jrfuda]

Looks like someone else recently got the same offer: http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/118395-dish-courtesy-call-2.html

Has several of you have pointed out - it's legit. If you want to be cautious - have them make a note on your account and call them back to confirm it was really them (as suggested by several others).