Got Dish Yesterday. Can I cancel?

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John Bennett

New Member
Original poster
Jul 19, 2009
3
0
Lufkin, Texas
I got Dish yesterday and I hate it.

Do you guys know if there is a clause in the contract that lets a person cancel in the first 48 hours? You have three days to return a car if you don't like it.

* We had no TV for an hour yesterday because it was raining
* The DVR interface is awful compared to Tivo.
* Last night the 722 receiver started rebooting every two minutes. It did this all night. It's still doing it.
* Our "local channels" (extra charge) are from cities 100 miles away.
* Dish said they could mail me a new receiver in 3-5 days.

My wife is mad at me. The prospect of 5 days with no TV has upset her. I need to correct this mistake ASAP. My wife is forgiving, but I am embarrassed by my decision to go satellite.

Any help appreciated.
 
Service rarely goes out if your dish is properly aligned. We got the same rain system y'all did and we only lost our satellite signal for about 30 minutes. This was the first time we had a service outage in about 3 months. So, it was a coincidence that it was raining so hard the first day you had Dish.

As far as the receiver, Dish should send out a tech to replace it for free. I find the 722 interface to be much better than Tivo's once you get used to it.

And if you don't like your locals you can "move" to a different city such as Dallas or Houston.
 
Sounds like a bad install and receiver at the same time. Sorry you had this problem!

You should never lose signal because it's raining. If it's storming with thick, dark clouds, then yes, you will lose signal. Last time I lost signal was for 10 minutes last February during a storm that knocked out cable in my area for two days.

The DVR interface is a matter of taste and what you are used to. I personally prefer the 622's interface. But that is what I got used to first.

Locals are extra because you have the option NOT to pay for them if you don't want them. Cable doesn't (and cant) give you that option. Where your locals are coming from is not up to Dish. See (http://echostaruser.com/TVMarkets)

Can you cancel? I don't know. I would think the FTC 3 day rule would apply since it was a purchase of more than $25 and it was done at your home.

---Off topic but to save some people some embarrassment and a lot of money, unless a car salesman visits your home or place of business and sells you a car there and you close the deal there, you CANNOT return a car within 3 days unless it is included in the contract. The FTC rule/regulation does not apply to sales made when the buyer goes to a store or any place of business including conventions or shows at any location and buys the product or service.

See ya
Tony
 
I did some reading on the 3 day rule and it is much more limited than I first understood. It looks to me like you can cancel the service, but you will have to pay for the installation under the "repair/maintenance" exemption.

The entire FTC ruling is listed below!


http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro03.shtm
The Cooling-Off Rule:
When and How to Cancel a Sale
If you buy something at a store and later change your mind, you may not be able to return the merchandise. But if you buy an item in your home or at a location that is not the seller’s permanent place of business, you may have the option. The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) Cooling-Off Rule gives you three days to cancel purchases of $25 or more. Under the Cooling-Off Rule, your right to cancel for a full refund extends until midnight of the third business day after the sale.
The Cooling-Off Rule applies to sales at the buyer’s home, workplace or dormitory, or at facilities rented by the seller on a temporary or short-term basis, such as hotel or motel rooms, convention centers, fairgrounds and restaurants. The Cooling-Off Rule applies even when you invite the salesperson to make a presentation in your home.

Under the Cooling-Off Rule, the salesperson must tell you about your cancellation rights at the time of sale. The salesperson also must give you two copies of a cancellation form (one to keep and one to send) and a copy of your contract or receipt. The contract or receipt should be dated, show the name and address of the seller, and explain your right to cancel. The contract or receipt must be in the same language that’s used in the sales presentation.

Facts for Consumers
Some Exceptions
Some types of sales cannot be canceled even if they do occur in locations normally covered by the Rule. The Cooling-Off Rule does not cover sales that:
• are under $25;
• are for goods or services not primarily intended for personal, family or household purposes. (The Rule applies to courses of instruction or training.);
• are made entirely by mail or telephone;
• are the result of prior negotiations at the seller’s permanent business location where the goods are sold regularly;
• are needed to meet an emergency. Suppose insects suddenly appear in your home, and you waive your right to cancel;
• are made as part of your request for the seller to do repairs or maintenance on your personal property (purchases made beyond the maintenance or repair request are covered).

Also exempt from the Cooling-Off Rule are sales that involve:
• real estate, insurance, or securities;
• automobiles, vans, trucks, or other motor vehicles sold at temporary locations, provided the seller has at least one permanent place of business;
• arts or crafts sold at fairs or locations such as shopping malls, civic centers, and schools.

How to Cancel
To cancel a sale, sign and date one copy of the cancellation form. Mail it to the address given for cancellation, making sure the envelope is post-marked before midnight of the third business day after the contract date. (Saturday is considered a business day; Sundays and federal holidays are not.) Because proof of the mailing date and proof of receipt are important, consider sending the cancellation form by certified mail so you can get a return receipt. Or, consider hand delivering the cancellation notice before midnight of the third business day. Keep the other copy of the cancellation form for your records.
If the seller did not give cancellation forms, you can write your own cancellation letter. It must be post-marked within three business days of the sale.
You do not have to give a reason for canceling your purchase. You have a right to change your mind.

If You Cancel
If you cancel your purchase, the seller has 10 days to:
• cancel and return any promissory note or other negotiable instrument you signed;
• refund all your money and tell you whether any product you still have will be picked up; and
• return any trade-in.
Within 20 days, the seller must either pick up the items left with you, or reimburse you for mailing expenses, if you agree to send back the items.
If you received any goods from the seller, you must make them available to the seller in as good condition as when you received them. If you do not make the items available to the seller — or if you agree to return the items but fail to — you remain obligated under the contract.


Problems
If you have a complaint about sales practices that involve the Cooling-Off Rule, write: Consumer Response Center, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580. The Rule’s complete name and citation are: Rule Concerning Cooling-Off Period for Sales Made at Homes or at Certain Other Locations; 16 CFR Part 429.
You also may wish to contact a consumer protection office in your city, county, or state.
Facts for Consumers

Some state laws give you even more rights than the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule, and some local consumer offices can help you resolve your complaint.
In addition, if you paid for your purchase with a credit card and a billing dispute arises about the purchase (for example, if the merchandise shipped was not what you ordered), you can notify the credit card company that you want to dispute the purchase. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, the credit card company must acknowledge your dispute in writing and conduct a reasonable investigation of your problem. You may withhold payment of the amount in dispute, until the dispute is resolved. (You are still required to pay any part of your bill that is not in dispute.) To protect your rights under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you must send a written notice about the problem to the credit card company at the address for billing disputes specified on your billing statement within 60 days after the first bill containing the disputed amount is mailed to you.

If the 60-day period has expired or if your dispute concerns the quality of the merchandise purchased, you may have other rights under the Act. If you have questions about the Fair Credit Billing Act, visit ftc.gov for the FTC’s brochure, Fair Credit Billing, or order a free copy by writing to: Consumer Response Center, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580.

For More Information
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP
(1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad

See ya
Tony
 
I think you need to calmly call dish and tell them you need a different tech with a new receiver to come out. I believe your dish is misaligned and your box is possibly bad, or the box is searching for the signal but your dish is out of alignment so it may never find it. Did you try to unplug the box for 2 mins and then plug it back in? That might help for now.
 
I got Dish yesterday and I hate it.

Do you guys know if there is a clause in the contract that lets a person cancel in the first 48 hours? You have three days to return a car if you don't like it.

* We had no TV for an hour yesterday because it was raining
* The DVR interface is awful compared to Tivo.
* Last night the 722 receiver started rebooting every two minutes. It did this all night. It's still doing it.
* Our "local channels" (extra charge) are from cities 100 miles away.
* Dish said they could mail me a new receiver in 3-5 days.

My wife is mad at me. The prospect of 5 days with no TV has upset her. I need to correct this mistake ASAP. My wife is forgiving, but I am embarrassed by my decision to go satellite.

Any help appreciated.

First, rain fade is a fact of life with satellite TV. At least in my case, the total amount of time that the satellite signal is down per year is way less than the amount of time that cable is unavailable. With satellite, it will probably be down a handful of times per year for a short period of time, but all it takes is one monster 3 day cable outage when a construction crew cuts through a line, or when a thunderstorm zaps an outdoor cable box, for satellite reliability to outshine cable.

Since you have a 722, you can plug in an antenna and get your local channels OTA. This is a nice feature to have when you experience rain fade - you'll at least have something to watch, like the severe weather alerts.

You should also check your signal strengths and make sure for yourself that they are good. There are lots of threads on what a good signal strength is for different satellites and dish types, but all satellites should be above 50. Satellite 110 should be in the high 50s or low 60s, satellite 119 should be in the 60s, and 129 should be in the 50s. If you use 61.5 you should see high 50s to mid 60s. I'm not sure what 72 and 77 are like.

For the DVR interface, I'd say your impression matches my first impression as well, but it grows on you as you learn the capabilities of the box. The fonts and buttons may look like something straight out of 1992, but it really is a powerful DVR underneath. The guide is much faster and more useful (it actually shows what you've set to record in the guide, unlike TiVO; and you can set it to use your full 16x9 HD screen with the three hour guide option), and if you have an antenna connected you can record three things at once (four at once if you have a 722K with the OTA module). Give it a few weeks before you pronounce TiVO superior. I think you'll change your mind.

As for the rebooting receiver, that's a bummer. I'd be pissed off too. It sounds like you got a lemon. As others have said, try unplugging it for awhile and see if that corrects things.

I'm not a Dish "fanboy" per se, but it really is a good TV solution. No system out there is perfect, but it does sound like you've experienced a perfect storm of bad luck on your first day.

Hope this helps,

Jeff
 
I think you need to calmly call dish and tell them you need a different tech with a new receiver to come out. I believe your dish is misaligned and your box is possibly bad, or the box is searching for the signal but your dish is out of alignment so it may never find it. Did you try to unplug the box for 2 mins and then plug it back in? That might help for now.
:up
+1

Try this indeed!
 
Call dish and let them know thry shuld be out next day . You need to talk to customer retension not csr. Tell the csr u need customer retrnsion they will ask why and tell them the probems and that they just instaleed yesterday. If you keep your kool you might beable to get a 722k with the ota modual for digital ota that will get your locals onn bolth tvs. And a free ota square shooter ant to get your locals ($200) combined. Just go to tvfool.com and punch you adress to make sure your locals say los and not edge1,2 that will insure you get locals from your market not 100miles away.

Good luck. If you do dicide to go this rout post back if your house is prewired as itls going to take some work geting all that signal going down the same line
 
Sorry but one post from this guy makes me believe he just another satellite TV hater.
I've see alot of the 1 post comments on the E* and D* forums, and then you never hear a peep from them again. Must be Tivo fans trying to convince people that their stuff is better then E*. Yea Right!! The only Tivo I would touch , Is the ones D* helped make.
 
maybe his wife is so mad that she won't let him back on the computer because it's too much like tv!
 
Sorry but one post from this guy makes me believe he just another satellite TV hater.
I've see alot of the 1 post comments on the E* and D* forums, and then you never hear a peep from them again. Must be Tivo fans trying to convince people that their stuff is better then E*. Yea Right!! The only Tivo I would touch , Is the ones D* helped make.
you may be right but if you're not then we're just being rude to a person that was looking for help. i'll admit the post was a bit suspicious to me but i decided not to respond. if it is a troll, they get a kick out of certain responses so it's best not to give them the satisfaction. ;)
 
you may be right but if you're not then we're just being rude to a person that was looking for help. i'll admit the post was a bit suspicious to me but i decided not to respond. if it is a troll, they get a kick out of certain responses so it's best not to give them the satisfaction. ;)
:up right with ya rey!
 

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