tonyp56 said:
Folks, haven't you all learned yet? Don't listen to ANYTHING that Charlie says, the Charlie Chat shows are about as worthless as a bug on our windshields! I've got to ask, how many things has Charlie said in the past that ended up not being the way it was? By Feb. 1st things will change again, I wouldn't even worry about it all until then.
I have taken advantage of 2 specials that Charlie has offered in the past on the Chat, but had to have long talks with the CSR's before I obtained them. However, it really appears that E* is completely out of sync with the MPEG4 changeover. On the Dish Network web site, my HD equipment upgrade options today are to lease a 811 or purchase a 942 for $699 plus $99 installation ($798 total). This is completely unethical on the part of E*. Most people are not aware of the MPEG4 changeover and are being taken advantage of now. According to the news from the Retailer Chat, E* will not activate a MPEG2 HD receiver after Feb. 1, 2006. I responded to a thread about this several weeks ago and said that this was false because I can not believe that E* would (could) essentially declare our MPEG2 equipment worthless, except for a $50 rebate for 6000's and 811's and a $200 rebate for 921's and 942's to trade them in for a lease deal, but only 1 receiver per year!!!
I felt good after the Charlie Chat because they said that we could get the lease upgrade deal on the ViP 211 and 622 both. I was going to lease both as soon as they were available. My expectations were in the next 2 weeks for the ViP 211 and 1 to 6 months for the 622. Now I have to wait until the 622 is available, as I really want a HD DVR. I was very pleased after the Charlie Chat, but am completely disgusted now. The announcements of only 1 MPEG4 lease upgrade per year and that E* will not activate a MPEG2 HD receiver after Feb 1, 2006 has completely changed my mood. However, if my 6000 craps out after Feb 1, E* will have to replace it with a VIP211 or 411, since a replacement 6000 or 811 could not be activated. Interesting.