DISH is having a banner week.

[M Sparks]

Let's sum up... this week DISH managed to...

...drop a channel from their most overpriced package.

...Roll out Turbo HD packages to existing subscribers, giving HD Absolute subscribers the opportunity to pay much more for the same thing they already get, and giving the rest of us the opportunity to cut our programming choices in half for an 11% savings.

...Increase the cost of Turbo HD...packages that have only been around for about 6 months...by as much as 25%.

...Adding 3 HD channels, BUT NOT TO ANY OF THE HD PACKAGES THAT INCREASED IN PRICE!

...Despite the fact that they have been saying that Ciel-2 has been the holdup to new HD channels, they are now promising LESS additions than were previously "announced." (And they've offered no indication that those additions will be rolled out to those Turbo subscribers.)

..and while, yes, they did confirm their intention to add many local HD markets, they seem to be starting at the bottom of the DMA list and working their way to the middle, adding markets that are 5% of the size as other markets that have been skipped.

:

EDIT- Oh, and now they want to buy XM. When you've bumbled your own previously thriving business, the best thing to do is buy a company that has even more problems.

 

[Juan]

Disinformation such as this should either be corrected by a moderator or deleted!!! baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah I can't get foxnews HD baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Where is the disinformation?

About the only thing thats wrong is the new HD channels not being available in the HD only packages. Some folks are getting them, while others are not. I am told that it is a glitch in the system that they are working to repair.

 

[M Sparks]

Where is the disinformation?

About the only thing thats wrong is the new HD channels not being available in the HD only packages. Some folks are getting them, while others are not. I am told that it is a glitch in the system that they are working to repair.

Scott, last night I was saying the same thing...probbaly a glitch in the system on Fox. Those channels did not go through the usual uplink changes. Obviously, you know more than I do.

But why aren't they telling people that? They are telling people it's not available and that they need to switch back to a Classic package. There's one guy (and this is his own fault for not reading the fine print) who was told he needed to upgrade from HD Absolute to Turbo HD to get Fox News. When he did so, he lost a bunch of his absolute channels, AND failed to get Fox News. Called back again, and was told he needed to move to Classic Gold + HD + Platinum to get back everything he had before. That's $78 versus $30...just because he wanted Fox News.

Whether it's a glitch or a contract issue, they screwed up. I think lying to people is even worse than withholding those channels.

 

[Juan]

Scott, last night I was saying the same thing...probbaly a glitch in the system on Fox. Those channels did not go through the usual uplink changes. Obviously, you know more than I do.

But why aren't they telling people that? They are telling people it's not available and that they need to switch back to a Classic package. There's one guy (and this is his own fault for not reading the fine print) who was told he needed to upgrade from HD Absolute to Turbo HD to get Fox News. When he did so, he lost a bunch of his absolute channels, AND failed to get Fox News. Called back again, and was told he needed to move to Classic Gold + HD + Platinum to get back everything he had before. That's $78 versus $30...just because he wanted Fox News.

Whether it's a glitch or a contract issue, they screwed up. I think lying to people is even worse than withholding those channels.

My apologies you have a right to complain

 

[madailey]

Well, the way this week has added up it seems that the MAJOR glitch was my decision to choose Dish over Direct. Or maybe I should just go back to my local cable company...I mean they rape you as well but at least they are blatant about it and don't sneak up on you and keep your hopes out on a string. I'm still pissed about the Dish 150 National HD lie from last year, much less the major price jump one month after NOT meeting that statement.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Whether it's a glitch or a contract issue, they screwed up. I think lying to people is even worse than withholding those channels.

Honestly I think the CSR's are misinformed. Looking at the various posts from the last 48 hours shows this, we even have people calling and being told that Fox News is not included in gold hanging up calling back in and having the channel activated for them.

I said this before but I will say it again Dish Network is a communications company that does not know how to communicate.

 

[jdmacor]

Do some Turbo subs really have it already? I haven't found one yet. Everyone I asked has been confused, because they have gold hd with some classic pack, not turbo.

 

[jdmacor]

Oh yeah, and I have been told that I need to switch to a classic package with hd addon in order to get this channel; this comes from phone support, online chat, and the ceo email.

 

[jeffdan]

i guess scott was misinformed.

ihave been reading all this crap for the last several years. bottom line. scott is good at one thing. rumors. bottom line, that's all they are. i don't care if i get kicked off the forum. i'm sick and tired of scott and all these other idiots thinking they know what they are talking about. when really, all they have is misinformation. i went with dish hd turbo gold and guess what. i pay more for half as many channels. the promise that new channels coming to hd turbo. now that isn't happening. how do we know dish won't do this with the other channels(comedy central, spike, bet, fx, speed,etc...

 

[Laddyboy]

Where is the disinformation?

About the only thing thats wrong is the new HD channels not being available in the HD only packages. Some folks are getting them, while others are not. I am told that it is a glitch in the system that they are working to repair.

Then why aren't the CSRs telling callers this instead of the other stuff they've been instructed to say. Is there no one in the executive offices that reads this board to see what's going on and fix it instead of letting their customer service reputation sink even lower. The lack of HD additions with the price increases is just plain dumb on their part. They've become a joke of a company and used to be about the best around. I had DHPP and was told my Dishmover would be free. It wasn't even though it said so on the web site. They just don't care anymore about being a good company.

 

[jeffdan]

Then why aren't the CSRs telling callers this instead of the other stuff they've been instructed to say. Is there no one in the executive offices that reads this board to see what's going on and fix it instead of letting their customer service reputation sink even lower. The lack of HD additions with the price increases is just plain dumb on their part. They've become a joke of a company and used to be about the best around. I had DHPP and was told my Dishmover would be free. It wasn't even though it said so on the web site. They just don't care anymore about being a good company.

well i guess that is a pretty big proble , when hd turbo gold subscribers are promisedfuture channels and they don't come thru.

 

[smackman1]

Scott, last night I was saying the same thing...probbaly a glitch in the system on Fox. Those channels did not go through the usual uplink changes. Obviously, you know more than I do.

But why aren't they telling people that? They are telling people it's not available and that they need to switch back to a Classic package. There's one guy (and this is his own fault for not reading the fine print) who was told he needed to upgrade from HD Absolute to Turbo HD to get Fox News. When he did so, he lost a bunch of his absolute channels, AND failed to get Fox News. Called back again, and was told he needed to move to Classic Gold + HD + Platinum to get back everything he had before. That's $78 versus $30...just because he wanted Fox News.

Whether it's a glitch or a contract issue, they screwed up. I think lying to people is even worse than withholding those channels.

If this happened to me, I would be gone!
I have been with Dish 9 years.
This type of BS has been going on with me for approx. 6 months. I was a Dish Absolute Subscriber who was told 150 channels by the end of the year(2008). Yeah, I was told that and read that. Liars! Bottom Line!
I have went thru 4 Receivers in a year. Before that, I had the same Receiver over 6 years.
They have stuck a pacifier in my mouth by "upgrading me" to a 722; Gave me a $150 refund for falsely charging me a lease Receiver fee when I only have one Receiver after a 3 day fight and many "escalations"..
Heck, I would have never known any different if I was a normal consumer who does not "trool" sites like this for info.
Dish needs to get there act together. I am not under contract.
One more "blip" and I will have to try Direct.
I have read that Direct's DVR's are inferior to the Dish 622/722.
I think I am about ready to challenge this thought very soon.

 

[HDRoberts]

Honestly I think the CSR's are misinformed. Looking at the various posts from the last 48 hours shows this, we even have people calling and being told that Fox News is not included in gold hanging up calling back in and having the channel activated for them.

I said this before but I will say it again Dish Network is a communications company that does not know how to communicate.

They may be misinformed, but that is Dish's fault. They aren't just repeating call center rumors. They have been repeating/copying and pasting the same exact statement to everyone, which is either a blatant lie to cover for their own incompetence, or a terrible truth to HD Only subs. That is inexcusable.

 

[Laddyboy]

They may be misinformed, but that is Dish's fault. They aren't just repeating call center rumors. They have been repeating/copying and pasting the same exact statement to everyone, which is either a blatant lie to cover for their own incompetence, or a terrible truth to HD Only subs. That is inexcusable.

No doubt there's a lawyer involved somewhere re the wording they're using.

 

[M Sparks]

Honestly I think the CSR's are misinformed.

It's DISH's job to inform them. They work off scripts. Someone has to write them.

 

[8bitbytes]

Honestly I think the CSR's are misinformed. Looking at the various posts from the last 48 hours shows this, we even have people calling and being told that Fox News is not included in gold hanging up calling back in and having the channel activated for them.

I said this before but I will say it again Dish Network is a communications company that does not know how to communicate.

Scott, if Dish CSRs are misinformed, the CEO office is doing it:

Mr. XXXXXXX,

We appreciate your email. I was just advised that our website was wrong concerning the access to our new Fox channels. The website has been corrected. The agent in your chat was correct as the only way to currently subscribe to our Fox channels is to subscribe to our Classic 250 package and than add on the HD Gold package. From my understanding this may be changing shortly. Please contact me with concerns.


Thank you,
Brian Dansby
Executive Communications
EchoStar Satellite LLC
dba DISH Network​

 

[tigerfan33]

It's DISH's job to inform them. They work off scripts. Someone has to write them.

Yes. But it is obvious that not all csr get the same script.

Not even the people that run the website at Dish got the info right.

Two days ago when the Fox News Channel hd and Fox Business Channel hd was on the website, I change from hd absolute to Turbo hd Gold. I got back online when I could not get these channels and the csr did the same song and dance on how they are not available in the Turbo hd packages. I told her they are on the website as in these packages. She told me it will take a few minutes to evaluate the situation and came back and allowed me to go back to hd absolute. I checked my account and indeed it is back to hd absolute. I even have my 2 rsn that was in the Turbo Gold.

 

[8bitbytes]

... I checked my account and indeed it is back to hd absolute. I even have my 2 rsn that was in the Turbo Gold.

If you have your RSNs, you are not back to Absolute - better watch your bill.

 

[AdamJonny]

Yes. But it is obvious that not all csr get the same script.

Not even the people that run the website at Dish got the info right.

Two days ago when the Fox News Channel hd and Fox Business Channel hd was on the website, I change from hd absolute to Turbo hd Gold. I got back online when I could not get these channels and the csr did the same song and dance on how they are not available in the Turbo hd packages. I told her they are on the website as in these packages. She told me it will take a few minutes to evaluate the situation and came back and allowed me to go back to hd absolute. I checked my account and indeed it is back to hd absolute. I even have my 2 rsn that was in the Turbo Gold.

Same for me - RSN's.