Dish makes it hard to downgrade: advice sought

[DaNutz]

I find some of DISH's pricing quite ridiculous...Unfortunately I already cancelled
my DIRECT account, because they made me so angry and would hate
to go back.

Was paying around $119.00 a month for:

America's Everthing pack: $89.99
HD: $20
+locals and DVR fees, etc.....


I then decide to downgrade, and have the HD removed and downgrade
to America's Top 200:

America's Top 200: $42.99 (Wow, I should save a bundle between this
and removing HD right?)
Added HBO/SHO: $22
Locals + DVR fees.
(have 2 receivers...1 SD, 1 HD controlling 4 tv's total)

Should be paying around $75 right?

Actually paying $92 NOW!

They told me I have to pay an extra $5.98 because my DVR is HD, and
I have to pay a HD leaving fee? Add on another 5.98 for a receiver
that I previosly wasnt paying for because I had the better package before.
And god knows what else.


From $119 to $92, and I lose my HD and 3/4 of my movie channels and
some other misc channels.

Unbelievable.

I almost told them to f-off on the spot, but managed to tell them I was
going to wait till I received my bill and understood the charges better.

Im a great customer...My bill probably averaged close to $200 a month
for ppv, etc....Should I threaten them to remove most of these items
or Ill leave?

I actually think I can still use the HD receiver, because I order the UFC
fights in HD, so not sure I want to trade it back.

 

[Fredinva]

Maybe you should downgrade your HDTV for a 13" B & W???

Just kidding, maybe?

The AEP is a great Buy, but now you're gonna pay dearly for a couple SD Movie channels??

still wondering why,
fred

 

[jokeworm]

Do they make it hard to downgrade - or do they make it easy to upgrade ...

 

[Zero327]

I find some of DISH's pricing quite ridiculous...Unfortunately I already cancelled
my DIRECT account, because they made me so angry and would hate
to go back.

Was paying around $119.00 a month for:

America's Everthing pack: $89.99
HD: $20
+locals and DVR fees, etc.....


I then decide to downgrade, and have the HD removed and downgrade
to America's Top 200:

America's Top 200: $42.99 (Wow, I should save a bundle between this
and removing HD right?)
Added HBO/SHO: $22
Locals + DVR fees.
(have 2 receivers...1 SD, 1 HD controlling 4 tv's total)

Should be paying around $75 right?

Actually paying $92 NOW!

They told me I have to pay an extra $5.98 because my DVR is HD, and
I have to pay a HD leaving fee? Add on another 5.98 for a receiver
that I previosly wasnt paying for because I had the better package before.
And god knows what else.


From $119 to $92, and I lose my HD and 3/4 of my movie channels and
some other misc channels.

Unbelievable.

I almost told them to f-off on the spot, but managed to tell them I was
going to wait till I received my bill and understood the charges better.

Im a great customer...My bill probably averaged close to $200 a month
for ppv, etc....Should I threaten them to remove most of these items
or Ill leave?

I actually think I can still use the HD receiver, because I order the UFC
fights in HD, so not sure I want to trade it back.

Threatening them won't get you anywhere. They don't have the ability to change long-term programming costs. A credit or two maybe, but not in the amounts you want or a regular waiver on your billing. The AEP waive is well-known so that I'm not surprised about which would increase your bill. There's just perks to joining the highest programming tiers, same for D* as well. If you want to downgrade, they lose that long-term income even if you remain a customer, so they naturally reduce your discounts.

 

[ehren]

they make it hard to downgrade on the phone there isn't even an option to select to downgrade!

 

[Yragha]

I still don't understand the $5.00 downgrade fee. I prefer Dish over Cable which isn't saying much but the downgrade fee is annoying.

 

[chadzx11]

I find some of DISH's pricing quite ridiculous...Unfortunately I already cancelled
my DIRECT account, because they made me so angry and would hate
to go back.

Was paying around $119.00 a month for:

America's Everthing pack: $89.99
HD: $20
+locals and DVR fees, etc.....

!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't see paying $100+/mo for TV.

I know its only money, but I was born poor, and I suppose I will always have that mindset.

Even my wife.....We could afford a more expensive house, but she balked at paying more than $125,000. I tried to talk her into moving to memphis, where we could buy two houses for that. (we actually live in Tunica "Resorts")

Let me ask you this......can you just get the HD content for $20 +locals? : I don't watch most of the crap I have now!

 

[rnesky]

HD downgrade

With the everything pac you were getting the DVR fee waived, when you downgrade you now have to pay for that, also you must have a model 622 which is s mpeg4 receiver. When you cancel the hd pac you will be charged a $5.99 fee for not receiving any HD Programming which is why they leased you the 622 in the first place. Customers need to get there system set up correctly when it is first installed, not weeks or months later.

 

[Van]

With the everything pac you were getting the DVR fee waived, when you downgrade you now have to pay for that, also you must have a model 622 which is s mpeg4 receiver. When you cancel the hd pac you will be charged a $5.99 fee for not receiving any HD Programming which is why they leased you the 622 in the first place. Customers need to get there system set up correctly when it is first installed, not weeks or months later.

Agread and if people dont know what he means its called research. You cant expect dish to know what you "really" want, even the installer cant know so its up to you as the customer to tell dish what you want and for you to research all the fee's applicable to your wants and needs, and I guess it takes a special kind of person to find enjoyment in watching HD fights with blood and sweat and bruises in clarity.

 

[taylor2767]

I find some of DISH's pricing quite ridiculous...Unfortunately I already cancelled
my DIRECT account, because they made me so angry and would hate
to go back.

Was paying around $119.00 a month for:

America's Everthing pack: $89.99
HD: $20
+locals and DVR fees, etc.....


I then decide to downgrade, and have the HD removed and downgrade
to America's Top 200:

America's Top 200: $42.99 (Wow, I should save a bundle between this
and removing HD right?)
Added HBO/SHO: $22
Locals + DVR fees.
(have 2 receivers...1 SD, 1 HD controlling 4 tv's total)

Should be paying around $75 right?

Actually paying $92 NOW!

They told me I have to pay an extra $5.98 because my DVR is HD, and
I have to pay a HD leaving fee? Add on another 5.98 for a receiver
that I previosly wasnt paying for because I had the better package before.
And god knows what else.


From $119 to $92, and I lose my HD and 3/4 of my movie channels and
some other misc channels.

Unbelievable.

I almost told them to f-off on the spot, but managed to tell them I was
going to wait till I received my bill and understood the charges better.

Im a great customer...My bill probably averaged close to $200 a month
for ppv, etc....Should I threaten them to remove most of these items
or Ill leave?

I actually think I can still use the HD receiver, because I order the UFC
fights in HD, so not sure I want to trade it back.

You might try the DVR advantage which has the top200 w/locals for $49.99 I believe and no DVR fee. Then you could and the HD pak for $20.

 

[moltomateo]

they make it hard to downgrade on the phone there isn't even an option to select to downgrade!

Every company is like that, sorry.

 

[Tampa8]

This post smells to me - how can you be a "great customer" when you have only had Dish a short time ("I already cancelled Direct TV") , then downgrade in even that short amount of time? And you could not get along with Direct TV, now you have problem with Dish - sounds like you may be the problem.

 

[moltomateo]

I find some of DISH's pricing quite ridiculous...Unfortunately I already cancelled
my DIRECT account, because they made me so angry and would hate
to go back.

Was paying around $119.00 a month for:

America's Everthing pack: $89.99
HD: $20
+locals and DVR fees, etc.....


I then decide to downgrade, and have the HD removed and downgrade
to America's Top 200:

America's Top 200: $42.99 (Wow, I should save a bundle between this
and removing HD right?)
Added HBO/SHO: $22
Locals + DVR fees.
(have 2 receivers...1 SD, 1 HD controlling 4 tv's total)

Should be paying around $75 right?

Actually paying $92 NOW!

They told me I have to pay an extra $5.98 because my DVR is HD, and
I have to pay a HD leaving fee? Add on another 5.98 for a receiver
that I previosly wasnt paying for because I had the better package before.
And god knows what else.


From $119 to $92, and I lose my HD and 3/4 of my movie channels and
some other misc channels.

Unbelievable.

I almost told them to f-off on the spot, but managed to tell them I was
going to wait till I received my bill and understood the charges better.

Im a great customer...My bill probably averaged close to $200 a month
for ppv, etc....Should I threaten them to remove most of these items
or Ill leave?

I actually think I can still use the HD receiver, because I order the UFC
fights in HD, so not sure I want to trade it back.

I will clarify some of your misconceptions and encounter with misinformation:

5.98$ is the dvr service fee, nothing more. There is no fancy explanation. Regardless if you have HD or not, the dvr service on the 510, 625, 522, 622 is 5.98. Every company has it. The lease fees you have you have always had, you just never looked. AEP waives dvr service fees. And when you have that much shi.. you get a nice discount. When you take things away, you lose that discount.

Threatening will get you no where. You are 1 in 13million, you don't have much pull. Furthermore, you are asking for a discount cause you want everything for cheaper, so does everybody else. People that threaten annoy me. Niceness gets you so much further.

You could always go back to directv where it costs more. But they already made you angry. Now dish made you angry, who's next?

 

[Zero327]

Was that a customer save or a customer disconnect?