At one time, if you were into quality HDTV, Dish was the only option. Sadly, Dish is now more about quantity than quality.
My 622 has been a PITA since day one - actually, make that day 24, when the HDMI connection broke. I contacted Dish a couple of times and got nothing but grief. Folks here say you may have to call numerous times to get the 'right' person who has some understanding of the issue-
I SAY THAT'S BULLSH_T. As a customer who shells out over $100 a month, I should not have to go hunting for a 'knowledgeable' Dish representative -
I should a get satisfactory response on my first call. Anything less is unacceptable.
Now, every time I turn on the 622, I get a check switch screen. I run through the process, and no problem. THEN WHY DO I KEEP GETTING A CHECK SWITCH? And then there are the dropouts - both video and audio - whether watching live or recorded. And the timers that fire off incorrectly, if at all. And on and on, as it all is well documented here.
Isn't everyone tired of paying Dish to be a BETA tester?
In addition to the ongoing technical issues, then there is the
value factor. Right now, Verizon's FIOS Premium beats Dish's Top 200 in many ways, including extended History/Discovery channels that are only available with Dish's Top 250 package, PLUS A TON OF HD CHANNELS AT NO EXTRA CHARGE. Frankly I won't miss the VOOM channels that come with the Dish $20 HD surcharge - most are crap in my humble opinion, both technically (compression) and content-wise.
Dish loves its little extra fees, such as DVR service fee - won't see that with FIOS. Also, I now get SHO/HBO for $22 a month - with FIOS, I'll get SHO/HBO/CINEMAX/STARZ/ENCORE/FLIX/TMC/SUNDANCE for $23.98.
Does anyone here need a definition of the word VALUE? Didn't think so. BTW, this includes the corresponding HD channels as well.
Along with 2 HD PVRs (right now I've got the 501 and 622), my monthly bill with FIOS would be a few dollars less that my current setup with Dish.
Two words: NO BRAINER.
But there is a catch. See, I'm still committed (hate that word) to Dish until mid-October. And if I break the contact, well that pisses ol' Charlie off, because he's counting on that steady income, so I'll get penalized. OK, so I call up Dish today, and talk to Tim - account specialist. Tim has great people skills, because he acknowledged all the points I've brought up in this thread. He made a feeble attempt to sweeten my current package deal, but I told him throwing more channels in the mix for the next 10 months is not added VALUE - it's a carrot, and there is a BIG DIFFERENCE.
As for the ongoing technical issues, he has agreed to sending out a technician at no cost to review my setup (I can't wait
), and if he cannot permanently fix my ongoing technical problems, Dish will cancel the contract. I'm OK with this, because here is the expected scenario:
The clown - oops, I mean technician - comes out, checks everything, and says it all meet specs. Fine. The next moment I experience a dropout/reboot/glitch, I'm on the phone to Tim. Maybe he will keep sending folks out to my house until the day my contract is up - fine with me - it will cost me nothing. In fact, I will greatly enjoy burning through Charlie's bonus, because the day my contract is up is the day I drop Dish.
Now I expect the Dish fanbois to point out the problems they've heard about FIOS - fine, I give you permission to gloat if you wish. But my gut instincts tell me that FIOS is the promised land, as Dish continues to compromise it's once significant lead in quality and service.
Bu-Bye