Dish 3rd Quarter 2014 10Q

[Claude Greiner]

Both Dish and Directv are signing up new customers. The issue is that with a base of 14 or so million customers the average number of subscribers who disconnect are about the same if not more than the number of customers signing up

Back when I started dish only had 1 million customers. It was easy to add more subscribers every month because the customer base was small.

14 million customers, equals 14 more times customer churn.

What the satellite companies need to do is adopt the same business model as the cell phone providers.

They first need to look past this crap that you need to be disconnected for 2 years before you can be considered new again, and give people incentives to sign new agreements.

For example, you want a new receiver upgrade... It's free just sign a new 2 year contract. Or give people the option to take a discount for 2 years for signing a 2 year contract.

When the 2 years is over, they pay regular prices or enter into another contract.

Or do a combination. Take $20 off for 2 years, or $10 off and get free equipment.

The whole problem is after the contract is over with either Dish or Directv there is no incentive to stay. People then switch providers, get the promotion and switch back 2 years later.

This mentality that both Dish and Directv have that a customer will keep the service after 2 years with no incentives to stay is Bullsh!t.

The only people who are paying regular rates with no contract are the customers who don't know any better, or make good money and just don't care to be inconvirnced by switching.

 

[Bob Haller]

I dont believe charlie is running dish anymore. Its being managed by a group of suits. whos only goal is added profit.

as such I feel the future of dish is poor andb will continue to decline.... no doubt in a merger with direct tv.

now take wallmart...... have shopped there for years..

it appears that just over 2 years ago a suit decided our inventory levels are too high, and cut them. but then shoppers cant buy merchandise that doesnt exist and go away mad.

or take mc donalds, suit says lets cut the costs of everything, well yeah it tastes $&)_ but its low pricced, and they are learning customers exit their stores

 

[ChadT41]

Charlie is still the Chairman of Dish. The CEO and President is Joe Clayton. Really, Clayton is like Charlie's puppet, it's kind of funny to watch.

 

[Stargazer]

Several years ago I mentioned that there should be a point system (similar to the cell phone model as Claude mentioned). If you pay your bill on time, get a referral, etc. you get points. You get bonus points if you stay with them for one year and more bonus points for each year thereafter. Perhaps bonus points for paying bill on time for x consecutive months and autopay. You can redeem the points towards free/discounted equipment upgrades, programming credits instead of the free equipment upgrades, etc. This gives more flexibility and encourages people to remain with the company. People can get the discounts instead of equipment upgrade and it costs Dish the same.

 

[ChadT41]

This is a system already internally within place within dish, that customers do not currently see. That's why some customers get free upgrades, and some have to pay, why some get huge discounts, and why some get $5/3

 

[Scherrman]

Well as many of you remember I was a huge dish supporter till they jacked up the extra receiver fees. 5 buck to 17 buck a month extra receiver fee made me leave, and my boxes were owned......

dish is peeing in their own well.

the fee to return leased boxes, is just plain stupid, if they ever want old subs back.

apparently they do want me back, judging by all the promos mailed to me. all sorts of offeres, even after sending them a nice registered letter informing them our business realtionship ended years ago, I would be happy to sue them under the do not call law...

I get on average 2 to 3 mailings from them every week. one day last week I got 2 seperate offerings on the same day. trees are dying to be turned into paper for a service I hate, and will never ever subscribe too again!

Incidentl;y were are on comcast and have been since dish fee jacking occured............

At that time I bout a lifetime TIVO, a series 3 and also a premiere. They work awesome Unlike the bug ridden dish boxes.....

The 4 buck a month cable card fee is a nice bargain in comparison to dishes 17 buck cost.

I do admit we are looking at cutting the cord. The problem is finding a internet provider thats affordable and as reliable as comcast, and no I DONT want FIOS! they were DJ()%&#@!#@%$^&*&(

I know some of those mailers are from Dish asking you to come back which I feel is dumb since they let you go in the first place but you need to realize that more of those mailers are probably from third party retailers and they have no idea if you just quit or not.

 

[KAB]

What's really dumb are the "come back" mailers I get from Directv. I have never been with them, let alone leave.

 

[TheKrell]

Well as many of you remember I was a huge dish supporter till they jacked up the extra receiver fees. 5 buck to 17 buck a month extra receiver fee made me leave, and my boxes were owned...

trees are dying to be turned into paper for a service I hate, and will never ever subscribe too again!

Well, Bob, what if Dish shocked everybody and reduced their receiver fees back down again? Would you then relent and rejoin dish?

 

[Scherrman]

With all these complaints about extra fees has anyone ever looked at what cable companies have for extra fees? I've seen Mediacom's list of fees before and it's ridiculous. I don't know how anyone can put up with that company's crap.

 

[JM42]

I don't get the focus on the fees. The bottom line is all that matters. If price is one's deciding factor, then getting on the provider carousel will always be the best option.

If "fees" go down, then "programming" will go up. Maybe not dollar for dollar, but at the end of the day, if Dish's total operating cost is $X, then they are going to price as well as they can so total revenue is $X + Y%.

 

[Scherrman]

I don't get the focus on the fees. The bottom line is all that matters. If price is one's deciding factor, then getting on the provider carousel will always be the best option.

If "fees" go down, then "programming" will go up. Maybe not dollar for dollar, but at the end of the day, if Dish's total operating cost is $X, then they are going to price as well as they can so total revenue is $X + Y%.

It's hard trying to understand the way people think. Here's a fun example from my business. For about the last two years we went to a pricing structure that included the delivery and installation in a certain radius from our store. Our prices are higher but since customers see the final total right in front of them they were good with it and our new pricing worked awesome.

Now we are having a liquidation sale and everything is priced lower and is u-haul only unless they pay more for delivery and installation. It's amazing how many people have said that the fee was too high and preferred to find someone else to install it for them. I try to make the point that the price is still lower than what it was priced when we included the install. They don't see that though, they just see that they have to pay so much for an install that they feel is overpriced. It all comes down to the final dollar and everyone perceives it differently.

 

[JSheridan]

Liquidation? You're not liquidating are you?

 

[Scherrman]

Liquidation? You're not liquidating are you?

Yes. We are closing at the end of the year. I'm not sure how up to date I will be on all the Dish stuff anymore or even how often I'll be on here to be honest.

 

[Mochuf]

Yes. We are closing at the end of the year. I'm not sure how up to date I will be on all the Dish stuff anymore or even how often I'll be on here to be honest.

Wow, that sucks. I hate to hear it when a small business closes up and I really feel bad for you. I hope you have something good lined-up for the future.

 

[jagowar]

I don't get the focus on the fees. The bottom line is all that matters. If price is one's deciding factor, then getting on the provider carousel will always be the best option.

If "fees" go down, then "programming" will go up. Maybe not dollar for dollar, but at the end of the day, if Dish's total operating cost is $X, then they are going to price as well as they can so total revenue is $X + Y%.

Agreed but right now the bottom line is too high for most and are looking at why.... currently it is because of the tacked on fees and just as big of a deal we have no recourse to get rid of them. I actually think their programming costs are pretty fair but the receiver fees are outrageous and it has caused me to drop to 1h/1j and after the new year I'm dropping it completely. Just can't justify $90 a month for my 2 tv setup so going to give basic cable (and no dvr a try) for $20 through my local cable company.

 

[JSheridan]

Yes. We are closing at the end of the year. I'm not sure how up to date I will be on all the Dish stuff anymore or even how often I'll be on here to be honest.

I'm very sorry to hear that, unless you won the lottery or something like that.

 

[acostapimps]

Charlie is still the Chairman of Dish. The CEO and President is Joe Clayton. Really, Clayton is like Charlie's puppet, it's kind of funny to watch.

More like Charlie is the Hopper and Joe is the Joey

 

[Scherrman]

Wow, that sucks. I hate to hear it when a small business closes up and I really feel bad for you. I hope you have something good lined-up for the future.

We're not closing because we are bankrupt or anything, we just decided it's time to move on. My business is just a small part of a family corporation that sells and services farm equipment. My parents both want to retire, another employee retired earlier this year and I don't have any good help for service and deliveries anymore so I would either have to hire more people and keep putting up with the same thing every day for the same pay or close up. Other than myself I really only have one employee that I want to make sure has a job and he's interested in starting his on business in town doing what we do now, so I'm really happy about that. I myself will still be with my family's business, just on the Implement side.

 

[Scherrman]

I'm very sorry to hear that, unless you won the lottery or something like that.

Oh, you would have known that by now if that were true. LOL

 

[thomasjk]

Throw in a Tailgater with every combine.