Read your contract, they can change prices and drop channels regardless of your "contract". The contract is for services, not for a guaranteed price or channel line-up.
Fate of HD Absolute
- Thread starter bretc
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Read your contract, they can change prices and drop channels regardless of your "contract". The contract is for services, not for a guaranteed price or channel line-up.
No one "under contract" has HD Absolute. Every commitment I've seen req'd customers to maintain AT100 or higher.
Technically true, unless you told the CSR that HD Absolute was qualified programming and they went ahead and set you up with HD Absolute. All that is water long under the bridge now!
Slightly OT , has anyone with HD Absolute tried to change a premium channel after the package was grandfathered?
I did. As long as you don't change out of the absolute package you are alright. I added cinemax for a penny and the HBO - Starz package free for three months.
yeah, at election time, i called to get FoxNews added, they had to add the AT200 to do it. The CSR said i could change back anytime.....to make a long story short, they wouldn't let me back into the Absolute pack because it is no longer offered, until Feb 09. SInce it was a CSR screw up they gave me the AT250 w/platinum (only way you can get all the HD channels) for the Absolute price until Feb. then I can call and get put back on the ABsolute pack. Account specialist (2 of them) told me they are doing it in order to try and roll out the Turbo packages...in other words, to sucker people into a bunch of SD channels (and price) in order to get HD channels over the holiday season.
Like Powerlineman, I added Cinemax-for-a-year-for-a-penny a couple months after I switched to HD Absolute with no problems.
Wrong! I am under contract and I have HD Absolute that I ordered directly from Dish. I signed up with an 18 month commitment at the beginning of February and switched to HD Absolute shortly after it became available.
Mario
I'll be happy if I'm grandfathered with HD Absolute after Feb., even if I won't get new HD channels after the new year (although I'll be hoping for a few new HD channels for Christmas).
I haven't read my agreement with E*, but I think kicking me off HD Absolute could be a breach of contract. Assuming the contract says E* has discretion to change programming and price, I think it's totally reasonable for E* to reasonably adjust prices and programing. But kicking subscribers off HD Absolute entirely is not reasonable. We will have to pay $20 - $30 more for the same programing. It's the ultimate bait and switch - entice us with the best deal around. Lock us into a long term contract, and then jack up prices materially.
I'd never sue -- too much trouble. And I don't think any court would be sympathitic with me, since I'm a lawyer and should know to read the fine print. At a minimum, we should be able to get out of our contracts, though. Not that I want to -- really enjoy Dish and love my DVR. You can tell I'm conflicted.
Anyway, here's to hoping that they don't kick us off HD Absolue.
I haven't read my agreement with E*, but I think kicking me off HD Absolute could be a breach of contract. Assuming the contract says E* has discretion to change programming and price, I think it's totally reasonable for E* to reasonably adjust prices and programing. But kicking subscribers off HD Absolute entirely is not reasonable. We will have to pay $20 - $30 more for the same programing. It's the ultimate bait and switch - entice us with the best deal around. Lock us into a long term contract, and then jack up prices materially.
I'd never sue -- too much trouble. And I don't think any court would be sympathitic with me, since I'm a lawyer and should know to read the fine print. At a minimum, we should be able to get out of our contracts, though. Not that I want to -- really enjoy Dish and love my DVR. You can tell I'm conflicted.
Anyway, here's to hoping that they don't kick us off HD Absolue.
That was a mistake, I believe. Read your contract. It should state what the minimum level of programming you have to maintain is and it won't be HD Absolute. I don't even think "Dish Family" qualifies.
I too am under contract with Dish, I did a DIU in July of 2007 for my 211 and am under an 18 month contract, I have had HD Absolute since May 2008.
I'm under contract with Absolute also. I did a Dish it up to get a 722 and changed to absolute at the same time. And I do believe Family is availble to meet contract requirements also.
I said that "No new HD would be added to the HD Absolute after dec 31st. Here is the Charlie Chat slide that states any HD added this year (2008) would be included in the HD Absolute Package:
http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=22657&d=1205199945
HD Absolute was originally called the HD standalone package. We were only promised new HD in 2008, which is the same as No new H D after 2008.
It took a lot of searching to find that slide.
In the off chance that after 12/31/08 Dish FINALLY gets MSGHD and any of the other RSN's that they still don't have in HD, will Center Ice subscribers get the hockey games in HD if they are HD Absolute subscribers?
Logically, I expect they would, since under any HD package subs would get MSGHD only if that was their RSN. So the MSGHD broadcasts would then only be available to those that have special packages like the NHL and NBA packages.
But I wouldn't put it past Dish to withhold these HD broadcasts to provide "incentive" for subscribers to "upgrade" their HD package from Absolute...
FYI
Talked to a CSR today about HD locals and asked about HD Absolute. He said I'm grandfathered--I won't get any new channels but will keep the same channels for the same price at lease until the end of my contract (added 24 months today to get 1000.4 installed so that I can get HD locals in my area).
We'll see if he knows what he is talking about. He also said any upcoming new HD will not be added to HD Absolute and that there was no new HD coming at all in 2008. Again, we'll see if he knows what he is talking about.
Talked to a CSR today about HD locals and asked about HD Absolute. He said I'm grandfathered--I won't get any new channels but will keep the same channels for the same price at lease until the end of my contract (added 24 months today to get 1000.4 installed so that I can get HD locals in my area).
We'll see if he knows what he is talking about. He also said any upcoming new HD will not be added to HD Absolute and that there was no new HD coming at all in 2008. Again, we'll see if he knows what he is talking about.
I have HD Absolute and I think I still have about 3-4 months of contract left. A lot of us got in on this eventually even though many CSR's said it couldn't be done.
I do not see any new HD channels that would be worth it to me to give up HD Absolute and I'll hang on to it until they pry it from my fingers one digit at a time!
