Dish sounds a little desperate for Customers

[andrewj0781]

I received this email yesterday few hours after canceling my service.

[We’re willing to do ALMOST ANYTHING to get you back.

We belong together, and we want to prove our commitment to you. We’ve had a lot of great times and we want to continue to show you how much you mean to DISH Network.

We'll welcome you back with savings of over $370 while you still have your DISH Network equipment:
$120 off your programming
HD programming FREE for life
Cinemax® at no cost to you for 1 month
Everyday Price Guarantee until 2013
Valid on select programming package.

Note: Offer requires 24-month Agreement and AutoPay with Paperless Billing.
We’ve been through a lot together and you deserve it.

We’re committed to ensuring that you continue to receive the best value in TV. Give us a call and we’ll be happy to answer any questions about your DISH Network service.]

Just seems like the wording makes them seem desperate for customers. I understand it was probably auto sent. I told them what my problems was and it's lack of support for sports fans and told them you get MLB network and 24/7 HD RSN and in 2 years I'd return.

Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[WALLYWOMBAT]

I recieved a similar letter from D* a couple years ago... they even offered to pay my early termination fees if I would go back.

 

[Hall]

$120 off your programming
HD programming FREE for life
Cinemax® at no cost to you for 1 month
Everyday Price Guarantee until 2013

I think ALL companies will make 'offers' to gain someone back. Thing is, this so-called offer doesn't amount to much....

$5/off per month (over a 2-year period)
"HD programming FREE for life" = I suspect there's an "*" associated with that !!
"Cinemax® at no cost to you for 1 month" = Just (1) month ? Cinemax probably gives providers this option all the time, in fact, I think (3) months is more common.
"Everyday Price Guarantee until 2013" = EVERYONE already gets this, do they not ??

 

[navychop]

I suspect in a couple years or so, when some of Dish's plans come to fruition, and the economy improves, they'll be getting a lot of new customers.

 

[KAB]

A few years ago I cancelled a Directv install, and got something similar. As Hall said, they all do it.

 

[Hall]

Maybe this thread belongs in the D* forum ? Might get the responses the OP is thinking of !!

 

[Tampa8]

Nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[Mr Tony]

I get those all the time....even before I came back

 

[HanoverPretzel]

I'll bet if I cancelled and then took them up on an e-mail like that, they'd respond that I still don't qualify for free HD for life.

I wonder if they realize how much it annoys customers and creates long-term dissatisfaction when people who are told they don't qualify for those type of offers have to sit there and watch those offers advertised on their televisions and via direct mail all the time. And my guess would be that they didn't check first to make sure you qualify before sending you that retention offer...

"Hi, I'm calling up to cancel my cancellation and take you up on that offer you sent to me personally via e-mail when I quit."

"I'm sorry sir, you don't qualify. If you want HD, you'll have to pay for it."

"But you sent-"

"No, doesn't count. $200 please."

"F-you."

Advertised offers should be for everyone IMO. There shouldn't be second-class customers who have to pay more for less.

I actually had to pay for installation way back when, for example, and didn't get HD. Someone else could have called the same day and gotten free installation and free HD for the same monthly rate-- probably someone in better financial circumstances, too.

I really hate corporations sometimes.

Granted, the fiasco I went through going back to Comcast for Internet makes Dish Network look great in comparison -- but only in comparison.

None of these corporations seem to really do things the right way anymore, if they ever did in the first place.

 

[yaz96]

Not really any big discounts....where's the desperation?

 

[navychop]

Some customers are a higher payment risk, and that is why they might not get some of the offers. In effect, they are paying for their higher risk category v

 

[MaryB@SlingTV]

HD free for Life is a Programming Promotion that is available to every customer and has been for a long time. You do need Credit card auto pay with paperless billing, HD equipment & satellite orbitals, and a 24 month commitment. It is signed up for right on your dishnetwork.com account.

 

[HanoverPretzel]

Some customers are a higher payment risk, and that is why they might not get some of the offers. In effect, they are paying for their higher risk category v

I think that's a systematic issue with the way some companies are allowed to conduct business these days. People who have some financial issues wind up with some degree of credit trouble and then are forced to pay more for things thereby generating more financial issues. It's just another way for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. Honestly, I very strongly believe it should be legislated against -- especially for fairly "small time" things like cell phones or television service providers. It might be a different story if people are buying a house or a car. But in the old days, you didn't need an awesome credit score for every little thing -- and it was an easier world to live in.

HD free for Life is a Programming Promotion that is available to every customer and has been for a long time. You do need Credit card auto pay with paperless billing, HD equipment & satellite orbitals, and a 24 month commitment. It is signed up for right on your dishnetwork.com account.

I was told specifically on the phone when I signed up and here via private message a couple months afterwards by one of the CSRs that I'd need to pay for extra equipment to qualify for the promotion. So, it's "free" for "everyone"-- but some people have to pay for a couple hundred dollars worth of equipment to qualify. That's a pretty big catch. I know that's all spelled out in the fine print, but it's a little misleading, and it does create an advantaged tier of customers and a disadvantaged tier of customers...

Unless Dish Network has changed their policies on some people having to purchase equipment in the last 6 months or so?

 

[Laddyboy]

I think that's a systematic issue with the way some companies are allowed to conduct business these days. People who have some financial issues wind up with some degree of credit trouble and then are forced to pay more for things thereby generating more financial issues. It's just another way for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. Honestly, I very strongly believe it should be legislated against -- especially for fairly "small time" things like cell phones or television service providers. It might be a different story if people are buying a house or a car. But in the old days, you didn't need an awesome credit score for every little thing -- and it was an easier world to live in.

Customers that don't pay can ruin a business in record time. It costs more money to collect from them. Customers end up footing the bill because of the higher costs. I'm all for exacting penalties on people and business with questionable credit. Why should people who manage to keep themselves out of trouble have to pay for people who get into trouble? I know things like illnesses and recessions can make it difficult to pay bills, but I see too many people I know who don't even bother to cut the luxuries out of their lives to make things better. I lose a lot of respect for them when I see them out drinking and smoking and partying while unemployed and owing money.

 

[inazsully]

Not really any big discounts....where's the desperation?

Hardly desperation, more like ambivalence.

 

[HanoverPretzel]

Customers that don't pay can ruin a business in record time. It costs more money to collect from them. Customers end up footing the bill because of the higher costs. I'm all for exacting penalties on people and business with questionable credit. Why should people who manage to keep themselves out of trouble have to pay for people who get into trouble? I know things like illnesses and recessions can make it difficult to pay bills, but I see too many people I know who don't even bother to cut the luxuries out of their lives to make things better. I lose a lot of respect for them when I see them out drinking and smoking and partying while unemployed and owing money.

One of the things that's worth keeping in mind when one sees people without money seeming to spend that money on luxuries is that it isn't always necessarily what it appears to be. For example, I'm poor, but I have a relative who sometimes takes me along to sporting events -- I don't pay for that ticket, I couldn't sell that ticket if I wanted to (i.e. it's not mine to sell, he'd take someone else if I didn't go)-- but if someone saw me at a game and didn't know better, he might think I'm blowing money I don't have, even though the cost is $0 to me.

It's also worth noting that when people are down and out over the long-haul -- sometimes due to health issues, sometimes due to a really bad job market, sometimes due to being old and having no real skills, sometimes due to whatever, lots of scenarios -- that they are sometimes going to want to have a beer or some small luxury just to try to keep potential severe depression over their situation at bay if they can find a way to swing it.

I don't think people who generally have it good always realize that people who are in bad situations long-term sometimes need to live for the small things. They don't understand what it's like to be down to the last dollar in your pocket constantly and not have much hope of digging out of that. Every day is a struggle financially, sometimes just to have food on the table (Sometimes low-quality food like ramen that can cause health issues), and you tend to lose prospects of ever being able to get married and start a family, live in a house in a decent area, etc.. You're often stuck in a ghetto somewhere by yourself or with roommates you don't care for just growing older day to day, with the things people generally derive meaning or a peaceful feeling from not there and the constant drone of the city around you and a not-great general environment (Try to get a landlord in a slum to fix basic maintenance stuff in a timely manner, for example). Sometimes that party you might see that guy going to might be what he does to give himself something to live for day to day or week to week, in a way (I personally don't generally like parties, I'm just going with your example).

If you're in a bad situation and can dig yourself out -- you might go totally without everything for a while. If you're going to be in the rest of your life, though, yeah, every once in a while, if you can manage to after you pay for the rent and the groceries and such, you might try to obtain a small luxury. Otherwise, your miserable life is going to get unbearable over the long haul.

And, no, I really don't think big corporations should be able to charge higher fees to people in dire straights. Just set a price for everyone that will make a small profit overall and offer that without conditions. It's the right thing to do. We give these corporations all sorts of special rights and limited liability under the law -- in exchange for that, we should make sure they treat everyone equally and work for the public good in at least a limited way IMO. It's the least they can do.

 

[R0ss]

One of the things that's worth keeping in mind when one sees people without money seeming to spend that money on luxuries is that it isn't always necessarily what it appears to be. For example, I'm poor, but I have a relative who sometimes takes me along to sporting events -- I don't pay for that ticket, I couldn't sell that ticket if I wanted to (i.e. it's not mine to sell, he'd take someone else if I didn't go)-- but if someone saw me at a game and didn't know better, he might think I'm blowing money I don't have, even though the cost is $0 to me.

It's also worth noting that when people are down and out over the long-haul -- sometimes due to health issues, sometimes due to a really bad job market, sometimes due to being old and having no real skills, sometimes due to whatever, lots of scenarios -- that they are sometimes going to want to have a beer or some small luxury just to try to keep potential severe depression over their situation at bay if they can find a way to swing it.

I don't think people who generally have it good always realize that people who are in bad situations long-term sometimes need to live for the small things. They don't understand what it's like to be down to the last dollar in your pocket constantly and not have much hope of digging out of that. Every day is a struggle financially, sometimes just to have food on the table (Sometimes low-quality food like ramen that can cause health issues), and you tend to lose prospects of ever being able to get married and start a family, live in a house in a decent area, etc.. You're often stuck in a ghetto somewhere by yourself or with roommates you don't care for just growing older day to day, with the things people generally derive meaning or a peaceful feeling from not there and the constant drone of the city around you and a not-great general environment (Try to get a landlord in a slum to fix basic maintenance stuff in a timely manner, for example). Sometimes that party you might see that guy going to might be what he does to give himself something to live for day to day or week to week, in a way (I personally don't generally like parties, I'm just going with your example).

If you're in a bad situation and can dig yourself out -- you might go totally without everything for a while. If you're going to be in the rest of your life, though, yeah, every once in a while, if you can manage to after you pay for the rent and the groceries and such, you might try to obtain a small luxury. Otherwise, your miserable life is going to get unbearable over the long haul.

And, no, I really don't think big corporations should be able to charge higher fees to people in dire straights. Just set a price for everyone that will make a small profit overall and offer that without conditions. It's the right thing to do. We give these corporations all sorts of special rights and limited liability under the law -- in exchange for that, we should make sure they treat everyone equally and work for the public good in at least a limited way IMO. It's the least they can do.

!

Ross

Sent from my DROIDX using SatelliteGuys

 

[n0aaa]

I switched from DirectTV several years ago and I have been getting offers like this from them ever since (about once a month). -n0aaa