Does anyone use their brains anymore!!

[Logansneo]

This afternoon my (2) new VIP612 HD receivers were both finally initialized after one of the most frustrating mornings I have had to endure in recent memory. To say that people, in general, can be f*cking tools when it comes to customer service is a severe understatement in describing E*'s "fine" staff!

Here's my beef: If you run a company as large as Dish Network and you decide to introduce a new programming package, for example the HD stand-alone package, would you still have your staff RAM completely useless HD/SD dual tuners down your customers throats, or educate them on the package differences and encourage some thinking on their behalf!?!

E*'s current policy, I now CLEARLY understand, has been that if you order their HD packages, any of them, and you order more than 1 HD receiver, one of them MUST be dual tuner. GREAT!! "But explain how I can use that dual tuner's SD capabilities with the HD stand-alone package?", I firmly inquired. To which she blindly responded, "That's our policy! You can't have 2 VIP612 units, sir, and the sales rep shouldn't have let you purchase 2 of them!" "Mam, the sales rep is the one that stated how useless a dual tuner receiver would be with this package, and convinced me to go with 2 VIP612 receivers!" How bout them apples bit*h, or something along those lines.

This useless back-and-forth went on, while the rep kept constantly checking with her immovable A* supervisor, muttering crap in the background . After the installer started arguing my point with this witless collection of numbnuts, I realized we had wasted nearly 2 hours, only getting as far 3 months free HBO and Showtime, them offering to allow me a 6 month grace period to have a phone line installed, but sorry, you MUST buy either a 622 or 722 along with one 612. It was then that I asked for her department supervisor, which she gladly put me through to! When I laid it all out for him I was shocked when he said "I don't see the problem. Of course you don't need a dual tuner unit, you have the HD stand-alone package! I'll activate your 612 receivers right now." Holy Sh*t! Where was THIS guy earlier!

I understand people running on auto-pilot, but this was ridiculous! Anyway, I finally got both 612's up and running and will post some thoughts on how they and the stand-alone pack works for me, if you'all would like.

 

[KE4EST]

You are p*ssed at dish at the moment, but if you deal with most any support with any service be it tv or computer you get the same stuff. Hired on people in a call center who know beans about what they are doing just reading script. It even happens to me sometimes when I call them to activate a system or whatever, and I have been in retail and have been installing for a few years now. A bit of advice if you don't know you don't know, but if you do know or think you do always ask for a supervisor.

 

[Logansneo]

Yeah, no frikin' kidding! I languished so long in customer Service limbo because between every exchange, she said she would chech with her super, until I overheard the prick in the background tell her to make clear they were not going to activate both 612's! That's when I went super-F-ing-Nova! Then I got her manager's manager. I swear the installer would have crawled up his own a$$ if he could out of embarisment. Poor guy is a E* employee!

 

[edpkp81]

"But explain how I can use that dual tuner's SD capabilities with the HD stand-alone package?"

The receiver will downconvert the HD to SD for output to a second TV.

 

[Claude Greiner]

This post makes no sense!

Why would you buy (2) 612's when the 722 is FREE?

Why not go with a 612 and a 722 combo and just do not hook up the SD feed on the 722?

 

[zenithtv]

Newbe know it all!!!

 

[DTVTech50051]

bc of the phone line fee which the 612 isent subjected to

 

[Logansneo]

This post makes no sense!

Why would you buy (2) 612's when the 722 is FREE?

Why not go with a 612 and a 722 combo and just do not hook up the SD feed on the 722?

Because I'm a current E* customer! We don't get fringe benefits. They wanted to charge me $140 for the 722 (as it is my 612's cost $75 ea), and my installer said his boss told him the 612 is replacing the 622, and he hasn't seen 622's in the field being installed for over two weeks! Reason enough for me to squeal in my opinion!

 

[vegassatellite]

612 isn't replacing 622. In fact, new promotions include a 722 + 622 config for an upgrade price of $149.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Ok, that makes sense your an existing customer. I still don't get why they would not allow you to subscribe to the HD pack with (2) 612's

 

[jacmyoung]

612 isn't replacing 622. In fact, new promotions include a 722 + 622 config for an upgrade price of $149.

Do they still insist that stinky "no more than 4 tuners" lease?

 

[Super Dave]

Do they still insist that stinky "no more than 4 tuners" lease?

Yes, but there are ways around it. I have 6 tuners leased.

 

[Andyjunction]

The dual tuner is great even if you only use it on one HDTV. It can buffer two channels at the same time. You can record one show while you watch another live or record two shows while you watch a third that you've pre-recorded. And you can switch between channels with the push of a button without losing the buffer or see both tuner channels at once with PiP. I couldn't live without my 622.

Sorry if this is irrelevant somehow.

 

[nmfiredawg]

If I was you I would have asked for two 811's to activate for the new HD package only program. Or just ask for two 2000's and see what they do. (The problem is they would have probably done it)

Sometimes I wonder why they act the way they do. I love my 622, but still might look at a 211 or 612 for the bedroom since I have a HDTV there now.

When I first started with them they never had a problem with activation and getting my money. The only one I kind of had a "huh" on was the JVC DHS100 that not many people had

 

[Van]

Regardless of what receiver he got it comes down to the fact that dish networks customer service representitives and their supervisors arent being trained properly on new promotions, what equipment can be combined with other equipment, what equipment can do and cant do, and how to talk with a customer and investigate an issue outside of their imediate supervisor.

Oh and calling the customer a newbe was really stupid, he knew more than the csr and her supervisor did, that would make those two the newbe's.

 

[jacmyoung]

Yes, but there are ways around it. I have 6 tuners leased.

Yes yes Dave I knew you and one other person had more than 4 leased tuners, but I tried for more than two months without success, even talked to the CEO office. I finally said hell with that I am looking into DirecTV. I ended up discovering an unbelievable D* deal and brought with me at least 20 people over to D*.

Of course E* finally will offer one 722 and two 612's (is this 6 tuners or just 4?), but it is a little too late for me.

 

[Logansneo]

Regardless of what receiver he got it comes down to the fact that dish networks customer service representitives and their supervisors arent being trained properly on new promotions, what equipment can be combined with other equipment, what equipment can do and cant do, and how to talk with a customer and investigate an issue outside of their imediate supervisor.

Oh and calling the customer a newbe was really stupid, he knew more than the csr and her supervisor did, that would make those two the newbe's.

Most appreciated! And to answer Claude Greiner's question of why they didn't want to activate (2) VIP612's is that they have had an existing policy, predating the HD stand-alone package, that anyone wanting (2) HD receivers MUST ensure that one of them is a dual-tuner DVR, connected to a phone line. And I understand that most of you who currently own 622 and 722's are quite happy with them and I couldn't be happier for you. My problem lied with the fact that I ordered an HD stand-alone package! Though standard def broadcasts are still combined in this they amount to around 18 of the 60 channels I am getting (not counting QVC, replicated channels as in no less than 3 accessible channels per channel that I get, some SD and HD, plus the endless PPV, NBA, NFL, NHL channels that aren't accessible or are otherwise generally useless). And for those still in question of my experience with Dish, I have been subscribing to E* for the last 12 years, as a matter of fact I installed my first Dish myself from a package purchased from Costco, so I've had my fair share of mostly ups and some downs over the years with E*!

So in my situation, even with the added benefit of having a dual tuner unit, my 612 still allows me to watch live broadcast while recording another one at the same time. This and I wanted individual units for living room and bedroom because if one unit dies, I still have my other unit to rely on. Oh and I think I already mention the slight price differences. This was the best package for my budget, and the frickin' sales rep was the one to suggest 2 612's in the first place. They need to work on inter-office communications!

I will be posting my complete thoughts on the 612's after some more time with them but as of right now I have noticed that there's a problem with the UHF remotes and was forced to switch them to IR to get ANY functionality out of them at all! That and my Living Room 612 has had quite a few freezing-up issues already, when recording a program and trying to watch one at the same time on my DVR, or even when accessing the Guide and selecting a show, the info bar sometimes stays locked on-screen and the remote ceases to function, then the 612 must be reset from the face panel! A bit frustrating but I'm optimistic and if need be I can get it replaced.