Disputing Charge for Alleged Damage to Returned Receiver

tpaine2076

New Member
Original poster
Sep 28, 2011
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colorado
I was wondering whether anyone had the following problem with Dish and, if so, how you went about addressing it:

Last month, I arranged to exchange a receiver with Dish and returned the original one in the box provided to me by Dish, using the packaging material and the labels. The original receiver was not damaged in any way and had not been dropped. When I looked at my bill online, I saw a $200 charge and was told it was because the returned receiver was damaged. I was told that the damage was to the external metal chassis, which was dented in some unspecified way. The Dish phone representatives said that the receiver was destroyed and no photos taken of it and that this was the entire information that they had about the damage. I was told that Dish's only record of this information was in the form of some electronic entry and that I could not be provided a hard copy of it.

The phone representatives, who ultimately included representatives from Dish's ERT team, said that the charge was valid and could not be disputed further but that I could get a $100 credit against it. I asked whether I could speak to their legal department and they said that they did not know how to contact them and that I could hire a lawyer to contact them and dispute the charge. (One of the phone reps suggested that I make a claim with UPS but this does not seem right, as UPS is the common carrier that was arranged by Dish.)

Does anyone know a way to dispute this charge short of not paying it? (Cancelling the service won't work; the charge will still be there.) I am afraid that, if I do not pay it, the charge will ultimately be referred to a collection agency and reported to credit bureaus and that my credit will be adversely effected. I am also concerned that if this small matter goes to some type of arbitration or small claims court, it will be my word against the computer entry in Dish's system, and if I lose, then I will be saddled with litigation/arbitration costs, etc. (I have not taken the time to pull and review the customer agreements.)

Is there anyone else in Dish to turn to or do I simply not pay ... and wait ... or suck it up and take the $100 credit.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

P.S. It looks like others may have had similar problems but I did not see from their posts how the problems were addressed.
 
#1 If they are going to charge you for damages, I think they are obligated to provide some type of proof such as a picture.

#2 This is covered under insurance from UPS, and since it was their shipping label that was used, they are the ones who need to start the claims process with UPS.

The only problem with not paying the charges, is that they will still bill you for it, and eventually if you don't pay they will shut off your service.

I would probably suggest contacting a member of DISH Networks Internet support team which are on this board and they can probably help you.
 
Tpaine2076,
Sad to read about your return problem. Hope you get it resolved to your favor.
This brings up a thought for others. Take 6 pictures of the six sides of any receiver you send back to dish. Make sure the back one with the serial number shows. Just may help if this happens to you.

RT.
 
Tpaine2076,
Sad to read about your return problem. Hope you get it resolved to your favor.
This brings up a thought for others. Take 6 pictures of the six sides of any receiver you send back to dish. Make sure the back one with the serial number shows. Just may help if this happens to you.

RT.

Great idea! I never thought of doing this but will in the future.
 
The first reply suggested contacting a member of DISH Networks Internet support team on this board. Can someone let me know how you do this? Thanks again for all of your input.
 
The first reply suggested contacting a member of DISH Networks Internet support team on this board. Can someone let me know how you do this? Thanks again for all of your input.

Any of the DISH Internet Response Team (DIRT you will see us referred to as well) will have their names in red. If you want to PM me your account information I can take a look at what is going on.
 
Well at least your receiver wasn't bug infested like Dish usually claims. :(

Back when I worked @ Dish they had a page on their internal site that showed pictures of returned receivers and some strange things found inside. A few I definitely remember included a shedded snakeskin, one w/ a dead mouse, one w/ tens of dead roaches or other type of bug. One I think I remember seeing included an overgrowth of mushrooms sprouting from the motherboard.
 
We've read it before on here where Dish claimed a receiver was damaged and "no pictures are available". That's bull.... For Dish's own records, you know perfectly well that they document things like this !
 
Tpaine2076,
If you used Dish's box and their prepaid label, then Dish is the legal "shipper" and according to UPS regulations only Dish can file a damage claim with UPS.

It is the package recipient (Dish) responsibility to report to UPS any visible external damage to the shipping box. UPS would be the only one to determine if the damage is their responsibility before anyone can file a damage claim. If the receiver case was damaged as Dish claims, there had to be extensive visible damage to the box.

Every UPS package is automatically insured for $100 (at no extra charge), any declared value above $100, the shipper (Dish) must pay for additional insurance. If Dish did not pay for additional insurance, then it is their fault not yours. Maybe that is the reason they were willing to give you only $100 credit, which is what they would receive from UPS if the damage was their fault.

In any case, the story of Dish destroying the receiver without recording any damage evidence is very fishy.
 
Last edited:
Tpaine2076,
If you used Dish's box and their prepaid label, then Dish is the legal "shipper" and according to UPS regulations only Dish can file a damage claim with UPS.

It is the package recipient (Dish) responsibility to report to UPS any visible external damage to the shipping box. UPS would be the only one to determine if the damage is their responsibility before anyone can file a damage claim. If the receiver case was damaged as Dish claims, there had to be extensive visible damage to the box.

Every UPS package is automatically insured for $100 (at no extra charge), any declared value above $100, the shipper (Dish) must pay for additional insurance. If Dish did not pay for additional insurance, then it is their fault not yours. Maybe that is the reason they were willing to give you only $100 credit, which is what they would receive from UPS if the damage was their fault.

In any case, the story of Dish destroying the receiver without recording any damage evidence is very fishy.

But on the other side, a receiver that is cosmetically dented or damaged is NOT a complete loss.

Broken Bezels and covers are litterally a dime a dozen, as they receive thousands of receivers that are truely DOA and cannot be repaired or redeployed.

I remember several years ago I asked them why they can't sell me Bezels and covers so I can redeploy damaged equipment I got back from customers. They could never give me an ansewer and I was told to just RA the receiver and notate that its going back for cosmetic reasons.
 
If you used Dish's box and their prepaid label, then Dish is the legal "shipper" and according to UPS regulations only Dish can file a damage claim with UPS.
(snip)
Everything you say regarding UPS is true, but it doesn't apply... (or I'll bet it doesn't in this case). Odds are, Dish did NOT file a claim with UPS. If they did, there's pictures ! Better yet, UPS will send a rep to Dish's location to visually inspect the box, packaging, and the item itself. If these aren't available, UPS won't pay. With all this though, I could beat a receiver with a hammer, package it up nicely and ship it. Neither the shipper nor the recipient (at least until they open the box) will presume there's any damage. That's one thing Dish could claim - that it wasn't damaged in transit.

One thing the OP could try, assuming he has the UPS tracking #, is to call UPS and inquire about "the damage claim" on the shipment.
 
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