Lost absolute now I have to pay to send their equipment back.

[larrylwill]

As most know Dish canceled Dish absolute The Reason I was given was few people subscribed to it. I spent 1/2 hour trying to get a supervisor, the first one hung up or pushed wrong button after a 15 minuet wait, the 2nd try another 10 minuet wait, finally I canceled and was told I have to pay to ship the receiver, remote and LNB back or be charged $450. They will send me a box and charge me $15 + or I can send it back without their label but no guarantee they get it.
I think Dish sucks. Basically they can do anything and we can do nothing but cancel and pay for them to get their equipment back.

 

[bebop]

That stinks. I'm curious about this as well since I'll be in the same or similar boat in a few days.

1. If I cancel my service, do I have to pay to ship the equipment back to Dish?
2. What equipment do they really need sent back (Vip722, 2 remotes, LBN setup, Dish, Coax)?
3. Can't I just drop it off with a local business that installs for Dish even if I didn't signup though them?

I guess $15 isn't that much compared to the price increase for 1 month, but it would be nice to have a heads-up.

Thanks,

 

[dwarren2]

Having a childish fit? What are you going to get instead and what will it cost you? I bet that you will find it more expensive at D*.

 

[Yespage]

Great point. I think it'd be a lot better if Dish didn't charge people who were canceling their service, and then took the cost of having the equipment being shipped back to them and shilled it off on the existing Dish Customers who are still paying for the service. I think it would be much fairer for current subscribers to subsidize costs from those who are leaving Dish Network over whatever.

 

[larrylwill]

I supposed you like the changes the lawyers are doing to consumers, all the right go to the people you buy from and we basically have none?
If nobody complains it gets worse. When the lease on your car runs out do you have to pay to send it back?
When the tell you they only offer the highest tier and you have to pay for it or ship your equipment back at your charge, do not complain.

I canceled because they changed my package and it will cost almost 2x as much and I lost stations in the bargain and I had no say whatsoever.

They want the receiver, remote and LNB, so I have to climb up on the roof and take it off, and no they said I cant give it to an installer or company thats sells it I have to send it back.

 

[MattG@DISH]

That stinks. I'm curious about this as well since I'll be in the same or similar boat in a few days.

1. If I cancel my service, do I have to pay to ship the equipment back to Dish?
2. What equipment do they really need sent back (Vip722, 2 remotes, LBN setup, Dish, Coax)?
3. Can't I just drop it off with a local business that installs for Dish even if I didn't signup though them?

1. Yes, $15 per label that you use
2. The Receivers, remotes, LNB (just LNB, not the dish or coax)
3. It does need to be shipped back to us, can not be dropped off at local retailer's office

 

[bebop]

Having a childish fit? What are you going to get instead and what will it cost you? I bet that you will find it more expensive at D*.

I'm sure glad that most of the posts on this forum are much better quality than this poor example.

 

[bebop]

Thanks Matt. From my experience here I can confidently move thinking your information posted is accurate and not bother calling in to find out the sme.

I guess if I cancel this first week then I'll save $15 this month to pay for the shipping (price raised $20/mo., so 3 weeks early should cover the shipping).

 

[bebop]

1. Yes, $15 per label that you use
2. The Receivers, remotes, LNB (just LNB, not the dish or coax)
3. It does need to be shipped back to us, can not be dropped off at local retailer's office

Matt - do I use my own box or wait for Dish to send me one? If I wait, can 1 receiver, 2 remotes and tri-LBN setup fit in the one box with one label?

 

[HanoverPretzel]

I think it's just basic business etiquette not to charge a consumer to *cancel* something. It's reasonable to expect rented equipment to be returned, but to my way of thinking the box and the shipping labels should be provided by the business at no fee, or a local drop-off point offered.

When I quit Comcast a couple months ago, I was able to drop the rented equipment off at their local office for no charge (Granted, there was a line), and they actually sent *me* a check for the remainder of the month I'd paid for (Granted, the check took a while to arrive). And Comcast isn't exactly known for good customer service.

One thing I'd be considering were I a business executive making a decision like this is that how former customers feel about a service matters. They talk to family and friends who are potential new customers, and they might return themselves later if they try a competitor and find it isn't what they hoped for, or a financial situation that required a switch changes, or whatever. When people get nailed with extra charges on their way out the door, they tend not to come back, and to discourage family and friends from joining in the first place. Making things as smooth as possible on the way out the door can reap dividends down the line, even though the "obvious thing" might be to try to make it difficult to quit and grab any money you can from a customer on his/her way out. In the long run, this kind of stuff backfires.

 

[MattG@DISH]

You'll be sent a box when your account is disconnected. AFAIK, one receiver, remotes and LNB will fit in one box. It does come with the prepaid shipping label, if you use it, you are charged $15, but you do have the option of paying for the shipping yourself.

 

[bebop]

You'll be sent a box when your account is disconnected. AFAIK, one receiver, remotes and LNB will fit in one box. It does come with the prepaid shipping label, if you use it, you are charged $15, but you do have the option of paying for the shipping yourself.

Excellent. I almost want to stay with Dish just because you are on here answering my concerns.

 

[HanoverPretzel]

They want the receiver, remote and LNB, so I have to climb up on the roof and take it off, and no they said I cant give it to an installer or company thats sells it I have to send it back.

They want the actual physical metal dish off the roof itself? Seriously? My installer swore up and down that if I ever canceled service, I'd only have to send back my set top box and remotes and that they don't care about the dish itself. Requiring an average Joe to go up on a roof and retrieve something seems like a recipe for a lawsuit when someone inevitably falls off said roof and breaks his/her back.

 

[bebop]

To clarify for everyone, you just have to get the equipment back to Dish, they don't charge you. But if you don't have a way to do it for no cost, then you can opt to use their pre-paid $15 shipping label. If your cousin owns fedex, then you might not have to pay to get it there. It's like cell phone companies use all the time. They send a pre-paid shipping label with their equipment and if you end up needing it then the shipper activates the label and the charge is sent through. If not, then there is no cost.

 

[bebop]

They want the actual physical metal dish off the roof itself? Seriously? My installer swore up and down that if I ever canceled service, I'd only have to send back my set top box and remotes and that they don't care about the dish itself. Requiring an average Joe to go up on a roof and retrieve something seems like a recipe for a lawsuit when someone inevitably falls off said roof and breaks his/her back.

No, you misunderstood. Here's what is being mentioned:
http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Dishnetwork/Dishes/Dish-13.jpg

 

[ZoomVT]

I supposed you like the changes the lawyers are doing to consumers, all the right go to the people you buy from and we basically have none?
If nobody complains it gets worse. When the lease on your car runs out do you have to pay to send it back?
When the tell you they only offer the highest tier and you have to pay for it or ship your equipment back at your charge, do not complain.

I canceled because they changed my package and it will cost almost 2x as much and I lost stations in the bargain and I had no say whatsoever.

They want the receiver, remote and LNB, so I have to climb up on the roof and take it off, and no they said I cant give it to an installer or company thats sells it I have to send it back.

Im with you, but this is the wrong example. When you return a leased car you do pay to send it back. Its called a lease disposition fee.
However i agree with your point.

Question for others. Is this because you are still under contract? Or is it any time you cancel?
Also, if it had a "voluntary" cancellation I can understand it to an extent, but the fact that they are causing their own churn they should not penalize the customer. They are already penalizing them by taking away their preferred programming option. Some of the decisions they make are really interesting and could be probably compiled in a book to be studied in an MBA class.

 

[bebop]

It's because of the leased equipment. Not because of contract. And the cost of $15 for the prepaid label is consistent with what it would cost on your own through Fedex or similar (~20 lbs and approximate package size).

 

[harshness]

I think it's just basic business etiquette not to charge a consumer to *cancel* something.

Then you had better be sure you avoid subscribing to adult programming. The fee for canceling adult programming is $20 (but you don't have to send anything back).

 

[ZoomVT]

It's because of the leased equipment. Not because of contract. And the cost of $15 for the prepaid label is consistent with what it would cost on your own through Fedex or similar (~20 lbs and approximate package size).

I see. I still think it is silly. I think they made $ on those customers, $15 shouldnt break the bank and possibly fix a relationship. They have to realize that people are leaving because you changed their programming not because they were unhappy with your service (necessarily), so bugging the with a fee leaves a sour taste. Their chances of capturing that customer again is now less likely and the customer acquisition cost just went up again.

I bet D* could easily offer to cover that cost if you sign up now and they could probably save some of their new customer incentives.

 

[osu1991]

Make sure and get and keep a receipt and tracking number for the equipment you send back, as it has been known by Dish to suddenly say it never received the equipment back.