Dish Network directly or from local retailer??

[BigShowJoe]

Is it better to get Dish directly from them or from a local retailer? Please post any experiences, facts, or opinions.

 

[boba]

If you want someone who can be looked in the eye go with a local dealer. If you want to roll the dice and take what you get call DISH and take what comes.

 

[cebps1]

Go with your local guy! I waited 8 weeks to get an install, after I found out I could get a local guy to install he said he could have installed it next day if I had called him first. The installers Dish sent came from 50 mile away and were 4 hours late. Now they have to come back to fix the week 119 signal and that will take a week.

 

[SummitAdvantageRetailer]

Generally the local retailer as you get better customer service. But there are bad retailers out there too that close up shop in less than a year. You know, retailers with "offices" in their vans. Good retailers are generally better than DNSC or RSP's.

But there's an exception to that rule. If your install is very difficult, you're better off calling DISH Network to do the install. Retailers get less allowances to do an install but have better techs, which may result in custom installation charges. So if your install is difficult, it's harder for DISH Network to charge you for custom installs because they get greater allowances to do for free when it comes to installations.

 

[GaryPen]

Joe - The local retailer I used for my most recent residential account with Dish was terrible. I had to re-do the installation myself. The only reason I went with them in the first place, instead of going directly with Dish, is that they had the 811 in stock back when it was in demand. (Before everyone found out it was a pile of crap.)

Another thing to be wary of with retailers is that many of them have their own term commitment. Even though Dish's current DHA plan has no commitment, you could still be locked into a contract with hefty early termination fees from your retailer.

I really don't think you wanna be locked into Dish (or any service provider for that matter) for two years.

 

[rowemance]

Go to your Local Retailer. Here are some questions to ask.
Do you do your own installs or do you sub contract them out?
How long do you warranty the install?
How long will the install take?
Is your installer SBCA Certified?
How long has you installer worked for your company and how long has he been installing satellite dishes?
If available ask to meet your installer when you sign up?
is this a person you would let in your house?
Ask your neighbors who they used and if they are happy with the installer.
Look at your neighbors house and make sure all the wiring is neat and clean.

I am an installer for a company in Cleveland, Ohio and I do 99% of all the installs. We warranty our install for 1 year but if you have a problem I want to know about it, I have been known to repair a system 3 years later for free if I find a defective part of ours. Also by asking your neighbor they might have a club dish card saving you $50.00.
Remember all Satellite equipment and programing is the same the only difference is the installer.

 

[Walter L.]

I ordered directly from Dish over the phone and everything went perfectly. The 942 was shipped directly to my home and arrived on time for the scheduled installation.

 

[CDH]

I had problems with a Dishnetwork install due to a very inexperienced installer.

I had no problems whatsoever with an install done by a very competant local retailer.

YMMV.

CDH.

 

[Rick214]

Another thing to be wary of with retailers is that many of them have their own term commitment. Even though Dish's current DHA plan has no commitment, you could still be locked into a contract with hefty early termination fees from your retailer.

I went with a local dealer because they had a 942 in stock and would install the next day. Only AFTER the system was installed did they present me with THEIR contract - in addition to E*'s standard contract. Their contract stipulates that if I cancel even ONE DAY shy of a year then I owe the dealer a $500 fee + $750 fee for the 942 + a $200 de-installation fee!

I should have had them take it out right then and dealt directly with E* but my HDTV RPTV was due to get professionally calibrated the next day and I didn't want to move it again.

With E* I would have only been subject to their reasonable prorated cancellation fee. I had no idea they had their own contract I thought (ignorantly) all the terms would be what I was reading on E*'s website.

Learn from my mistake: Read all contracts BEFORE they start the install.

 

[Walter L.]

I went with a local dealer because they had a 942 in stock and would install the next day. Only AFTER the system was installed did they present me with THEIR contract - in addition to E*'s standard contract. Their contract stipulates that if I cancel even ONE DAY shy of a year then I owe the dealer a $500 fee + $750 fee for the 942 + a $200 de-installation fee!

I should have had them take it out right then and dealt directly with E* but my HDTV RPTV was due to get professionally calibrated the next day and I didn't want to move it again.

With E* I would have only been subject to their reasonable prorated cancellation fee. I had no idea they had their own contract I thought (ignorantly) all the terms would be what I was reading on E*'s website.

Learn from my mistake: Read all contracts BEFORE they start the install.

Good point. The main reason I ordered directly from E* was because I wanted NO commitment - and I got it right.

 

[Liquidforce88]

Were you order really depends on how you feel. I work for the Dish RSP in our area. I feel you would get as good if not a better install then you would get from any of the retailers in the area.

 

[rsprec1]

I got my system installed thru SBC and had no problems at all. They hire local contractors and was out to install in a couple of days. Then a month after my dish was installed, we got local channels so I called the first day they were available and they were out the next day and installed another dish for my locals. I have no annual commitments thru SBC. Most local dealers make you get annual commitments which I didn't want.

 

[mudder1310]

It's pretty obvious from the answers here who is a retailer and who isn't.

 

[DWS44]

Here is an interesting perspective for you all on buying from local retailer or from Dish directly.

When I was originally signing up, I went and spoke to a local retailer, since I was considering getting outside OTA antenna installed at same time. They were nice and seemed to be very knowledgeable, but required that I would have to sign a 1-year contract...something I wasnt sure I wanted to do having never had satellite before....so I passed for the time being.

The next day, I decided to call Dish with some questions about the service. While on the phone, they introduced me to the DHA plan, which didnt require a committment, so I signed up. I was nervous who would end up installing it, but in the end I got a VERY competent installer who did a beautiful job. When I later added the 61.5 dish, I manager to get the same installer, who again did a very neat, clean install.

Fast forward about 6 months...I finally got my brother to dump the local cable crooks and switch to Dish. He called Dish directly and ordered his. Turns out that by then, the local outfit I originally spoke to, was now doing DHA installs for Dish...and they were the one assigned to his install. Quite honestly, the install they did for his house, which was a package very similar to mine, was not done NEARLY as well or as neat as mine had. In fact, they spent 5 hours just trying to figure out the install of a dual-tuner receiver, and left it just barely working (telling him he needed to buy a new TV and VCR for it to work properly ). That night I went to his house and was able to fix it myself in about 10 minutes.

Needless to say...in this case...I was taken care of MUCH BETTER by ordering directly thru Dish, than if I had ordered from the local retailer. If anything, though, this shows that it is still luck of the draw...either way could net you good or bad results!

 

[GaryPen]

It's pretty obvious from the answers here who is a retailer and who isn't.

Ya think?

 

[bhchan]

my install went flawlessly. When I talked to the installer, he said that dish uses their own people (well, the three vans that came by to do my install all had DishNetwork emblazoned on their sides) One of the "QA" supervisors came by to install my superdish while my primary installer went about hooking things up inside the attic. Then a third guy showed up when my primary ran out of 511's.
Everything took about 3hrs.

Was he wrong when he said that dishnetwork use their own people when doing installations?

 

[bookwalk]

I went with a Local Installer who also does the Regional Installs for DISH. He did mess up the activation--by not activating me for the $19.99/month special for 3 months and I am still battling with Dish about that, but he did help out with the Local extra dish for the VOOM channels at 61.5. I think the dish still needs tweaking, but he's so busy doing Installs for Dish, he has not had time to come out and repeak the dish.

Thus, I get a lot of rain fade. But at least he has helped try to get my bill straightened out.

 

[Foxbat]

My first Dish system was a 2000 that I bought from a local Dealer and installed myself. Ever since then, I've been buying from the Internet, shopping for the best deals at the time. The exception was getting my 811 from Dish during their promotion last year.

 

[allenone973]

Retail techs USUALLY better

I install for a tampa area retailer and we take great pride in what we do and since we now are doing DNS installs we are randomly inspected. i believe that every tech may take occasional shortcuts and i myself have done more than one questionable install (and paid for it later), but you will find that retail techs make better money than their DNS counterparts and therfore hold to a higher standard. I am of course, biased!! i say three keys to a good tech are a ground block, neat wiring and above all, compression fittings. oversimplfied of course, but the easiest to identify visually. my 2cents. allen in tampa

 

[Need]

I called up DISH, checked pricing on a few internet dealers, and then call up one of my local retailer listed on Dish's website. They all ended up having the exact same price for the system I wanted. So I went with the local installer, because they have next day installation service.

Two guys showed up and started the 4 room installation. About 2 hours later, 2 more guys showed up. I think they just finished another job close by. So now I have 4 guys working on my installation. I think it took about 3 or 4 hours total. Everything seems to work fine and they left. A few hours later, I found out there was a problem with one of the receiver. I call the retailer and he called the installer. The installer came back on the same day to fix it and gave me his private cell phone number to call if there is any more problem. I don't think I could get the same level of service if I went thru internet or Dish directly. And I probably would not have gotten a next day installation.