Since there's been a lot of discussion in different threads lately about getting and keeping service with DISH, I thought I'd share my recent experience.
I've had a Wally for several years after using a VIP211K before that. For the past few years, I've been on the Top 200 package. I just went off of a 2 year contract where I was paying $72.99 month plus taxes/fees for the service. No equipment fees. My goal this week was to get as low a monthly rate as possible and upgrade to Hopper 3 in a new 2 year contract. Here was my focus for a new contract. It's the Existing Customer 2 Year Premier Savings Offer.
I called three different numbers which others here said were direct to Loyalty. One was not a working number. The other two took me to a robot. After insisting on "customer representative" a number of times I was eventually transferred to a real person..................who spoke with such a heavy accent I had a hard time understanding them. The number I eventually stuck with was 888-496-1260. Both experiences with foreign CSR's were the same. They would give me the Premier contract, but would raise the monthly package fee to $79.99 from $72.99 and charge me $95 for a service call and $108 for the upgrade. I hung up on both after thanking them multiple times. I had asked to speak to Loyalty with both CSR's, but they both gave me that "deer in the headlights" look (yes, I could see it through the phone).
I decided to try one more time before leaving DISH and calling youtubeTV. I used the same 888-496-1260. This time, the robot did not come on the line. A real, live American human answered the call from Arizona. Long story sorta short: he gave me the 2 year contract with Top 200 for $72.99 month, Hopper 3 for $10 month, one month free Protection Plan so I didn't have to pay the $95 service charge, and after I simply asked him to, he waved the $108 upgrade fee. Installer came out a few days ago and put up a new hybrid dish, solo node, and Hopper 3 receiver. He offered me the 60 remote, but I declined because it was too large, lacked some features of the 54, and the channel and volume buttons were not oriented to my liking. Normally, I would have taken it anyway and offered it to one of SatGuys members, but I felt like I had already gotten a pretty good deal. Basically, I'm paying what I was paying for the past two years plus $10 more for the Hopper 3.
Just a quick review of my experience so far of the Hopper 3. It operates much the same as the Wally, except a little quicker from function to function. It's nice not to have to juggle recording conflicts on the satellite side, although it didn't add any tuners to the OTA so there's still that. I did notice that when advancing 30 seconds during a program (like a ball game), there is about a one second delay before resuming which was not present on the Wally. I really like the Dish Anywhere ability, where I can watch all my programming from other rooms or even when I'm not at home. I'll use that. So far, so good. I'll follow up after more usage if I come across other issues, good or bad.
I've had a Wally for several years after using a VIP211K before that. For the past few years, I've been on the Top 200 package. I just went off of a 2 year contract where I was paying $72.99 month plus taxes/fees for the service. No equipment fees. My goal this week was to get as low a monthly rate as possible and upgrade to Hopper 3 in a new 2 year contract. Here was my focus for a new contract. It's the Existing Customer 2 Year Premier Savings Offer.
I called three different numbers which others here said were direct to Loyalty. One was not a working number. The other two took me to a robot. After insisting on "customer representative" a number of times I was eventually transferred to a real person..................who spoke with such a heavy accent I had a hard time understanding them. The number I eventually stuck with was 888-496-1260. Both experiences with foreign CSR's were the same. They would give me the Premier contract, but would raise the monthly package fee to $79.99 from $72.99 and charge me $95 for a service call and $108 for the upgrade. I hung up on both after thanking them multiple times. I had asked to speak to Loyalty with both CSR's, but they both gave me that "deer in the headlights" look (yes, I could see it through the phone).
I decided to try one more time before leaving DISH and calling youtubeTV. I used the same 888-496-1260. This time, the robot did not come on the line. A real, live American human answered the call from Arizona. Long story sorta short: he gave me the 2 year contract with Top 200 for $72.99 month, Hopper 3 for $10 month, one month free Protection Plan so I didn't have to pay the $95 service charge, and after I simply asked him to, he waved the $108 upgrade fee. Installer came out a few days ago and put up a new hybrid dish, solo node, and Hopper 3 receiver. He offered me the 60 remote, but I declined because it was too large, lacked some features of the 54, and the channel and volume buttons were not oriented to my liking. Normally, I would have taken it anyway and offered it to one of SatGuys members, but I felt like I had already gotten a pretty good deal. Basically, I'm paying what I was paying for the past two years plus $10 more for the Hopper 3.
Just a quick review of my experience so far of the Hopper 3. It operates much the same as the Wally, except a little quicker from function to function. It's nice not to have to juggle recording conflicts on the satellite side, although it didn't add any tuners to the OTA so there's still that. I did notice that when advancing 30 seconds during a program (like a ball game), there is about a one second delay before resuming which was not present on the Wally. I really like the Dish Anywhere ability, where I can watch all my programming from other rooms or even when I'm not at home. I'll use that. So far, so good. I'll follow up after more usage if I come across other issues, good or bad.
