Dish tech calls, beyond the front line. (equal time)

[TNGTony]

For the most part, all we hear is the bitching and moaning about how terrible this experience was or that experience was and how bad the people were to deal with in these forums. I want give a little equal time here. I actually just had one of the most pleasant tech experiences (after the initial call) than I've had in a long time from any company I work with.

The reason for the call was a power outage in the wee hours Tuesday that included a half dozen flickers, brown-outs and spikes before the power went completely out. All those power spikes and brown-outs blew something out in my Dish set-up. I was unable to receive any signal from any satellite. I suspected it was the built-in switch in the 1000.4 LNB on my dish.

First, let's get the "except" part out of the way. I initially did a chat with Dish support. I went through the hoops of troubleshooting the issue. Once we got to scheduling the call, they offered an upgrade to an "obsolete" receiver which I did not want. After I refused the upgrade, the chat refused to schedule a call. It is one of the most frustrating things out there and it's the reason I seriously consider cancelling service before I try to contact Dish for a service call. I ended the chat physically shaking with anger and frustration. I started looking at my TV provider options.

After I calmed down a bit, I sent Mary from the DIRT team right here on SatelliteGuys a PM (started a conversation). I explained my issue and included the transcript of the chat. In 10 minutes she responded. Two messages later (a few minutes) I had an appointment for this morning.

Today, the tech showed up right on time. I mean exactly on the dot! He treated me with respect and was knowledgeable. He did a quick check on the wiring, then went to work on the dish. He diagnosed the issue, and as I thought, it was the switch inside the LNB housing. The tech replaced the faulty equipment, then replaced the old grounding block and exterior diplexer for good measure. An hour or so later, everything was working again.

Other than having to jump through a damned hoop at the first level EVERY time I call Dish, my experience couldn't have been better.

I just wish the front line service experience would be as good as my general experiences with Dish service. It seems like every time I call Dish for a tech issue the front line policy is to "make the customer mad before you give them what they need." I am not angry with the person who told me I could not get a service call scheduled until I got an upgrade I did not want. That person was just reading his/her computer screen and doing his/her job as they are instructed to do it. I am angry at those that set up the "process" which leads to these idiocies which do nothing but throw barriers up to customer satisfaction and stain what would otherwise have been a pleasant experience.... or as pleasant as an experience like this could be!

Thanks again to Mary from DIRT and my friendly neighborhood dish service tech.

 

[ZachS@DISH]

Thank you for sharing and for the shout out, TNGTony.

 

[Hall]

Sadly, outside of internet forums, 90% of Dish's customers will accept that forced "upgrade" in order to get a service call. You shouldn't have had to resort to having DIRT "fix" this.

DIRT (Dish): What's the deal with that ?

 

[acostapimps]

Wouldn't it be easier for Dish reps to say that they need to schedule a tech for inspection instead of a receiver swap?

That shouldn't even be in the discussion unless they know for sure.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk

 

[TNGTony]

In this case, the front line CSR had the script. I do have a receiver that will eventually be obsoleted in the not too distant future (501). But I do not want to swap out a "free" DVR for a non-DVR HD receiver even if I can add DVR functionality (for a fee) at this time. The reason is irrelevant to the issue. I agree that I shouldn't have had to go to DIRT to fix this, but I am glad they are here and responsive. Issue is fixed and done. I'll worry about the next one next time.

 

[Tampa8]

In my opinion based on all these years being with DISH, and being an active member here, the #1 detriment of DISH to subscribers who do pay their bills, the one thing I feel costs them subs more than anything is the CSR's.
I blame management because they must either 1. Train them to be as bad as they are 2. At the least know how bad they are, or 3. Don't know how bad they are. If they don't know there would be no hope of DISH ever expanding to encompass more subscribers. And if the amount of pay is part of the problem, that means DISH knows how bad it gets and refuses to do what it takes to make it better.

Posts from this site must filter back. Even knowing some posts are bogus, some just to complain and make something small bigger, there are hundreds and hundreds from people over the years that leave little doubt that the CSR's are a weak link, this thread being one of them. Obviously there are exceptions, and some of the more simple problems get taken care of - well sometimes.

 

[MikeD-C05]

You get what you pay for and DISH doesn't pay well for their csrs and call centers. They churn the people there faster than subs who cord cut. It would be like having your Convenience store clerks at the 7/11 run your business. And I 'm only talking about the American csrs, just imagine what you get if you get the foreign call in centers with "Bob" and "Carol".

 

[ChadT41]

I was a dish csr till recently. The pay is not amazing but it's not bad either. In Phoenix the csr's start at $11/hour. Better then most the call centers around here at $9/hour. What their biggest problem is, or atleast in my old center was management. I was a supervisor, and I was told by one of the managers, that I was better than my employees. Not saying it from a management point of view. But a personal point of view. He old me they do not matter as long as they just get their metrics, everything. Was ok. There was no compassion. Another manager told me I was not even allowed to talk with them outside of the office(smoke shack). I explained to both managers, I was not in fact better than any of them, I was only in a different position with different responsibilities. I understand having a professional relationship, but that's not what they were suggesting. It truly was sickening, and that's why I ended up leaving. After I left, multiple people followed, including some that had been there for years. I still get texts from employees asking how to do certain things, because their current leadership doesn't know. They promoted a round of people, that rather than think for themselves(I was in the advanced tech support), they hired those that would just shut up and do as they were told. Almost robotic like. And those robotic like supervisors, cannot handle an issue that isn't clearly spelled out for them. And those are the majority of calls you guys and many others reference. Then there is the phillipines. Minus a handful, they are mostly worthless for in depth knowledge on the system. Some them are crafty and I still have them on my Facebook. But, they even can't stand them. So there is my two cents. I hope that clears the air on some of the problem. Dirt is fantastic by the way. The way dish handles a problem(the process) and the amount of leeway their supervisors give them knowing they are adults and allow them to think for themselves on how to solve a problem or figure one out, is how I ran my team. Make sure to give them all a virtual pat on the back.

 

[jbrelish]

I ended the chat physically shaking with anger and frustration. I started looking at my TV provider options.

After I calmed down a bit, .

Well at least you calmed down faster than I did. It took me many months for me to calm down.

I too have had great experiences with DIRT. I have also had good experiences with the techs. The problem with the techs is they have to deal with the incorrect information given to me by CSR's. They explained to me why my 512 receivers will not work with the HD upgrade to the 1000.4 dish. He laid out all my options and when he left I at least had the system up and running.

But in all fairness I need to inject here, Dish isn't the only ones that seem to have some,not all, rude/uncaring/unknowledgeable on the frontend of CSR contact.

 

[ChadT41]

That's what happens when you hire to fill seats, rather than be picky and higher quality, and then not do anything to improve that relationship.

 

[dishcomm]

For the most part, all we hear is the bitching and moaning about how terrible this experience was or that experience was and how bad the people were to deal with in these forums. I want give a little equal time here. I actually just had one of the most pleasant tech experiences (after the initial call) than I've had in a long time from any company I work with.

The reason for the call was a power outage in the wee hours Tuesday that included a half dozen flickers, brown-outs and spikes before the power went completely out. All those power spikes and brown-outs blew something out in my Dish set-up. I was unable to receive any signal from any satellite. I suspected it was the built-in switch in the 1000.4 LNB on my dish.

First, let's get the "except" part out of the way. I initially did a chat with Dish support. I went through the hoops of troubleshooting the issue. Once we got to scheduling the call, they offered an upgrade to an "obsolete" receiver which I did not want. After I refused the upgrade, the chat refused to schedule a call. It is one of the most frustrating things out there and it's the reason I seriously consider cancelling service before I try to contact Dish for a service call. I ended the chat physically shaking with anger and frustration. I started looking at my TV provider options.

After I calmed down a bit, I sent Mary from the DIRT team right here on SatelliteGuys a PM (started a conversation). I explained my issue and included the transcript of the chat. In 10 minutes she responded. Two messages later (a few minutes) I had an appointment for this morning.

Today, the tech showed up right on time. I mean exactly on the dot! He treated me with respect and was knowledgeable. He did a quick check on the wiring, then went to work on the dish. He diagnosed the issue, and as I thought, it was the switch inside the LNB housing. The tech replaced the faulty equipment, then replaced the old grounding block and exterior diplexer for good measure. An hour or so later, everything was working again.

Other than having to jump through a damned hoop at the first level EVERY time I call Dish, my experience couldn't have been better.

I just wish the front line service experience would be as good as my general experiences with Dish service. It seems like every time I call Dish for a tech issue the front line policy is to "make the customer mad before you give them what they need." I am not angry with the person who told me I could not get a service call scheduled until I got an upgrade I did not want. That person was just reading his/her computer screen and doing his/her job as they are instructed to do it. I am angry at those that set up the "process" which leads to these idiocies which do nothing but throw barriers up to customer satisfaction and stain what would otherwise have been a pleasant experience.... or as pleasant as an experience like this could be!

Thanks again to Mary from DIRT and my friendly neighborhood dish service tech.

I had all my legacy equipment replaced using a DIRT team member right here without having to pick up the phone..Brilliant.
I think the DIRT member was MattG

 

[ChadT41]

Speedy is good!

 

[dvrexpander]

Awesome DIRT guys/gals here ... You sometimes get good CSR's but normally not. I really wish there was a member of their team that had a direct line to whoever is in charge of their tech rules/procedures as in how they grade techs for the installer zone but I'm afraid that will never happen.

 

[harshness]

For those who think the obsolete receiver replacements are a scam, consider that at some point in the not-too-distant future, receivers that can't do 8PSK will need to be retired. To me it makes sense to do this while a technician is present.

Of course if this is the case, the script should include this information so that the customers don't assume it is a scam.

 

[Hall]

For those who think the obsolete receiver replacements are a scam, consider that at some point in the not-too-distant future, receivers that can't do 8PSK will need to be retired. To me it makes sense to do this while a technician is present.

I can accept that - offer to swap it out since this is a good opportunity. Problem is, they seem to have made it a take-it-or-leave-it option (can't blame Dish for trying to avoid a technician visit in the (near) future though).

 

[Grandude]

The reason for the call was a power outage in the wee hours Tuesday that included a half dozen flickers, brown-outs and spikes before the power went completely out. All those power spikes and brown-outs blew something out in my Dish set-up. I was unable to receive any signal from any satellite. I suspected it was the built-in switch in the 1000.4 LNB on my dish.

Aside from all the pros and cons of this discussion, I would like to add something.

For some reason, here at my location in north coastal California, I seem to get a random power drop from the power company. This irritated me so I started adding UPS units wherever I have audio and video receivers and Dish receivers. I may have gone overboard but also have a UPS unit on the wall in the garage for the power supply to my DPP44 switch. Who knows, but this might be the most important part of my protection scheme, along with really good grounding of the dish and the lines from the dish to the switch.

Anyway, I never have any of the problems like all those posted here in the forum, with any of my dish units, currently two Hoppers with sling, a Joey, and a VIP211K. I also have my PCs protected and my AV receiver.

Another aside. A drunk driver knocked down a power pole a few blocks away and we lost power for a few hours here. I was able to continue watching TV for quite some time with no power coming into the house. Allowed me time to properly shut down everything and wait for the lights to come on again. I have my cable modem on one of my UPS units and an internet radio so listened to music in the interim.

PS. I would probably have tried to talk you into upgrading from you old 501 too. My old 501 is probably on a shelf around here somewhere, or was it a 508. Memory fades when you become an old fart like me.

PPS, I appoligize for rambling on.

 

[dare2be]

Back on thread topic, just wanted to post my latest good chat experience. It's a small thing, but every little bit helps. DIRT, can you pass along kudos to the chat rep?

Pamela (ID: BCS): Hi, my name is Pamela (ID: BCS). How may I help you?
me: I heard about a free multi-sports pack promotion. Am I eligible for it?
Pamela (ID: BCS): It will be my pleasure to help you with your issue today.
Pamela (ID: BCS): For security purposes, would you please verify the 4 digit Security Code
on the account?
Pamela (ID: BCS): Perfect! Thank you.
Pamela (ID: BCS): Please give me a minute or two while I check this.
me: ok
Pamela (ID: BCS): Thank you.
Pamela (ID: BCS): We currently have Multi-Sport at $5 off. Would you like to take advantage
of that promo?
Pamela (ID: BCS): I'm sorry. Please disregard,
me: no thank you. is the free offer for new customers only?
Pamela (ID: BCS): No worries. Let me offer you Multi-Sport at no cost for 3 months.
Pamela (ID: BCS): Would that be alright?
me: that would be great. thank you
Pamela (ID: BCS): You have elected to receive Multi-Sport for 3 months at no cost. Once this
promotional period expires, you will continue to receive Multi-Sport at the regular monthly price,
which is $11.00.
me: I could go online and select it to not continue later if I so choose?
Pamela (ID: BCS): That's correct.
me: thank you so much. have a good day.

 

[ChadT41]

Lol. That's exactly how they are trained to do it. Minus, she forgot to offer it at $11 first, but that's not a big deal. Full price, discount prices, and if a qualifying account then as a retention save, or reactive offer, the free offer.

 

[dare2be]

If you look closely...she told me to "please disregard" BEFORE I sent in my "no thank you". I bet that isn't in the script.

 

[ChadT41]

Not really a script. Try drive hard to not sound scripted. But they do have an order of operations to perform certain tasks in. She got you taken care of good. Congrats. Really. Congrats. Enjoy it.