DISH says can't change

umass03

Well-Known SatelliteGuys Member
Original poster
Apr 1, 2008
33
0
I currently have the platinum HD with Top 100 and would rather get HD only plus locals.

I spoke with a rep and they said I cannot change my programming package and Turbo HD is for new customers. Said even if I canceled my service with them and then signed back up I would not be considered a new customer and still couldn't get the HD only package.

Is this correct? anyone else had a similar experience?
 
I currently have the platinum HD with Top 100 and would rather get HD only plus locals.

I spoke with a rep and they said I cannot change my programming package and Turbo HD is for new customers. Said even if I canceled my service with them and then signed back up I would not be considered a new customer and still couldn't get the HD only package.

Is this correct? anyone else had a similar experience?

Yes, we get screwed as usual.
There is another link to that effect:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/dish-network-forum/144008-denied-turbo.html
 
I'm sure in time they will offer it to everyone who wants it... for a price of course. At the moment they are probably much more interested in getting new customers than keeping existing ones. Go figure. In any case my contract will be up in a couple months also and I am considering HD-only if I can get it. Otherwise if the price is too high (its a bad economy after all) its back to basics and upping Netflix a notch. Also, since its close to Christmas it might be about time to get bluray when the stores do their holiday price slashing.
 
HD Only (HD Absolute) had to subscribed to by 7/31/08 and will disappear on 2/01/09.

The metal turbo-charged packages will be available on 2/01/09.
 
HD Only (HD Absolute) had to subscribed to by 7/31/08 and will disappear on 2/01/09.

The metal turbo-charged packages will be available on 2/01/09.

What I want to know is how bad we (the absolute hd customers) are going to get screwed on 2/1?

I guess we essentially get the plat.hd right now, so it looks like my bill will jump $20?
 
HD Only (HD Absolute) had to subscribed to by 7/31/08 and will disappear on 2/01/09.

The metal turbo-charged packages will be available on 2/01/09.


Everyone I have talked too including the Dish sales, retention department, regular CSR have claimed once you are grandfathered into HD absolute you can continue to keep it forever. The only catch will be that after 2/1/09 there is no guarantee that any new HD channels will be added to that tier.

Everyone I talked to pointed out there are people still on the old America Top packages and old HD add on package who were grandfathered and not forced to switch to current packages. They have been able to keep there old grandfather packages except they have not gotten any of the new channels added to dish unless they update there packages from the time they got grandfathered into there packages.

I got a fax from E* own sales department to this effect. I do not think E* wants to have a major problem with many state attorney offices come Feb 1 2009 either as I am sure some state would sue E* for bait switch considering they require 2 year contract. And it is one thing to increase the price by a couple of bucks but a totally different story to try and get people to sign up for 1 package and then try and get those people to pay almost double the price for the same thing.

If E* wanted to increase the price by that much they would have been better off advertising the package as $29.99 having it bill on people bill like D* does on current promo's at full price and then issue a credit for $18 each month so people can not complain they did not know there was going to be a huge price increase.

Btw the reason D* does it that way is because CA attorney general office sued D* and many of cellphone companies in the past over what they considered ridiculous price increases for people under contract. And the court ruled that you can not have a legally binding contract if 1 party is allowed to radically change the terms thus the contract is invalid. That is the reason all cellphone plan get grandfathered now. Not sure about E* but D* does the same thing. I signed up D* originally 6 years ago my rate was grandfathered and the price never increased except when I changed plan. I was paying $8 for HBO, $7 for Showtime, $6 for Cinemax when I canceled my service with D* those were prices when I signed up D* as I never canceled them or changed I was able to keep the old price always.
 
I forgot about the CA court ruling. As always the devil is in the details but I suppose it would mean those clauses about reserving the right to changing programming and/or price increases would have to be more specific about any limitations and not so open ended. Would be nice.
 
:D
I forgot about the CA court ruling. As always the devil is in the details but I suppose it would mean those clauses about reserving the right to changing programming and/or price increases would have to be more specific about any limitations and not so open ended. Would be nice.

Not really it could be like the Cellphones companies do. At least in CA that is. If they change the price of an a la cart feature you have and use like txt message they have to give you 30 day notice and durning that 30 days notice they have to offer you the option to break your contract without the ETF which is main reason cellphone companies stopped raising the prices of features in CA for existing customers. Sure they can raise the price for people who do not have a feature or for new customers but not for existing customers without allowing them to break there contract without paying an ETF.

Normally if you read those notices on your bill it states anyone with a current feature will grandfathered at their current price as long as they make no changes. The thing cellphone companies are doing is raising the price a lot new customers txt message and data plans, new customers early night and weekend and even reducing the amount of included anytime minutes for new customers. But they do allow old customers to keep there old plans indefinitely as long as no changes are made.

So I personally see Dish doing something similar sure HD Absolute customers might not get anymore channels added to there package meaning if they want the new channels they will have switch packages but I do not think they going to be willing to allow all the HD Absolute customers out of there contracts for free and risk a mass exudes of customers. As that will accomplish nothing for Dish as there fixed cost to provide service has not raised and they are still making some money off Dish Absolute customers just not as much as the HD Turbo customers.


The reason they have the claus about about reserving the right to changing programming is E* can not control is channel will be around in 6 months or 2 years. So it channel goes broke you can not hold E* responsible and break your contract. On the other hand I think if E* removed 1/2 of the channels from your package that would be another story.
 
I'm sure in time they will offer it to everyone who wants it... for a price of course. At the moment they are probably much more interested in getting new customers than keeping existing ones. Go figure. In any case my contract will be up in a couple months also and I am considering HD-only if I can get it. Otherwise if the price is too high (its a bad economy after all) its back to basics and upping Netflix a notch. Also, since its close to Christmas it might be about time to get bluray when the stores do their holiday price slashing.

I'm not under contract and don't have HD yet, will I be able to get Turbo or will I be force to switch to DirecTV?
 
Everyone I talked to pointed out there are people still on the old America Top packages and old HD add on package who were grandfathered and not forced to switch to current packages. They have been able to keep there old grandfather packages except they have not gotten any of the new channels added to dish unless they update there packages from the time they got grandfathered into there packages.
I'm not sure how true some of that is.... I used to have AT250+HD pack, which was $x/mo for AT200 + $20 for the HD add-on. Later Dish added their Silver, Gold, Platinum packages which were effectively the same as AT100+HD, AT200+HD, and AT250+HD, and so on. I was switched to to PlatinumHD. It was the same channels and same price, so I didn't care.
 
I'm not sure how true some of that is.... I used to have AT250+HD pack, which was $x/mo for AT200 + $20 for the HD add-on. Later Dish added their Silver, Gold, Platinum packages which were effectively the same as AT100+HD, AT200+HD, and AT250+HD, and so on. I was switched to to PlatinumHD. It was the same channels and same price, so I didn't care.

The rep was talking about AT 60, AT 120 and AT 180. He said there are plenty of people still on those old grandfather packages which cost less than current AT 100, AT 200 and AT 250. Many people stayed on the old packages because they included difference channel line ups. And old HD add-on package game them there HD channels included in those old AT 60,AT 120 and AT 180 base tier. And that package was $10 add-on. Sure those old AT tier can not add the channels offered by dishHD Ultimate AKA Platinum but they have been allowed to keep there old plans without any problem tho.

You are mistaken 100% on the current and old HD package too. Bronze, Gold, Platinum and Silver only refer to standalone packages. Only thing you might be correct on is that Tubro HD bronze has the same HD as AT 100+HD and Turbo HD Silver has same HD channel as AT 200 +HD and Turbo HD Gold has same HD channels as AT250+HD. That is only if that was what you meant which I am not sure either. And the Platinum add on can be added to any package to get the extra 7 HD channels that have no SD equivalent channel.

Dish never allowed you to get HD channels not included in your AT package except for the channels offered in the HD platinum add on. Even old HD package which was called dishHD Essential gave you only your HD channels based on your AT package. And it was a $10 add on no matter which AT tier you had. Old dishHD Ultimate for $20 gave you extra channel now offered in the HD platinum add-on. The difference was higher AT package you had the more HD channels you got. Under the new packages it still works 100% the same way. E* offers 2 add-on HD add-on + Platinum add-on and both add-on includes the same channels that old add-on included under the name dishHD Essential which was $10 and dishHD Ultimate which was $20 and included all the channels in dishHD Essential + current platinum add-on channels.
 
OK, I'm confused. Turbo HD is basically HD in 1080p right?

OK, I'm confused. Turbo HD is basically HD in 1080p right? I have normal SD and a 625 receiver but I'm not under contract any longer. When I get an HD TV I'll still have a standard definition TV in the bed room. So what do I need for 1080p HD? I mean yes, the Dish 722VIP but I've heard that the Turbo HD is 100% HD which makes the Dish 722 redundant for the SD TV right? Will the Dish 722 supporttwo HD TV's now?
 
OK, I'm confused. Turbo HD is basically HD in 1080p right? I have normal SD and a 625 receiver but I'm not under contract any longer. When I get an HD TV I'll still have a standard definition TV in the bed room. So what do I need for 1080p HD? I mean yes, the Dish 722VIP but I've heard that the Turbo HD is 100% HD which makes the Dish 722 redundant for the SD TV right? Will the Dish 722 supporttwo HD TV's now?

E* is using Turbo HD in 2 ways. Turbo HD refers to new software sent out to Vip722 and Vip622 which allow them to display 1080P VOD movies. There is no HD channel broadcasting in 1080p nor will there be any time soon as 1080p is not officially an HD broadcast standard but a standard created by Sony for Blue-Ray. Then there are Turbo HD packages which are 100% HD only packages which include no SD channels what so ever.

Vip722 support 1 HD tv and 1 SD tv only officially. Both the HDMI and component connections on the back of the box are active so in theory you can run Vip722 in single mode and as long as you don't mind having both TV watching the same programing and you are able to run component cable to the 2nd HD set.
 
OK, this is bothersome. About 4 months ago I quit Dush because I couldn't afford it. (Ironically I'm a Dish installer)

Now I'd like to sign up again, but I am hearing there is punishment for those who come back anywhere from six months to 1.5 years. What is the timeframe, and what is the punishment? I'll want the same AT100, but rather than the paltry 4 mpeg2 HD channels I'll want Bronze. I'd like to get HBO, etc free for a while too.
 
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