Thanks for the advice. I'll call dish, don't mind paying $15 bucks.
My parents 10 year old receiver could not pick up a signal last fall. Called dish if they would send out a new receiver. It though would power up unlike my current receiver. Dish said they could not send a different receiver until a tech check it out. Ended up being something with the ODU and Dish billed by parents $150 for a service call. If it anything other than the receiver fails, the protection plan probably the way to go.
You sure about that $150? Tech visit fees from Dish are $95 without the protection plan and $15 (or zero for some customers) with the protection plan. That said, something known as "custom work" kicks in for things like relocating the dish antenna, relocating a receiver, or relocating a television.
Also, in regard to replacing a receiver versus having a tech out, they can replace a receiver for an obvious flaw with the receiver, like where it's dead and will not power on, or keeps rebooting, or hard drive failure. Most other reasons can't be 100% sure to be the receiver, so that needs a tech.
As others have said, if you have to just replace the receiver, and it's leased, there is no cost, other than the shipping fee of $15. Customers with the protection plan do not pay the shipping fee, it is covered. The protection plan is $7/month, and needs to be kept for 120 days in order to cancel without the $25 termination fee on it.
(standard disclaimer, since I can't do a signature any more...grrr....my views are my own, and not those of my employer)