New Locals/Distants Pricing Question

[roadrhino]

I read recently (in a newspaper advert, I believe) that Dish Network was now including locals for free with AT60 or higher. I just got my bill yesterday and this seems to have been confirmed. The way my bill now reads is:

AT120: 34.99
Dist Nets: 8.99
-------------------
Total 43.98

However, I do need to say that I changed my programming during (by adding distants) the last billing cycle and the format of the bills has changed, so I am not too sure about this all. My old bill read:

AT120+Locals: 39.99
-------------------------
Total 39.99

When I called to add the distant networks it seemed as thought the cost was only $4/month. Not too bad. Now, I am wondering whether if I were to drop the distants if I could save $9/month of what I am now paying. The new bill would certainly suggest so. While at $4/month, the distants are worth it, but at $9/month, I see this as an opportunity to save a bit of money. (Honestly, I watch NYC stations maybe five times per month.)

On the other hand, the dishnetwork.com website still has the old pricing listed. I am confused.

Do any of you know better than I do?

Roadrhino

 

[NightRyder]

I read recently (in a newspaper advert, I believe) that Dish Network was now including locals for free with AT60 or higher. I just got my bill yesterday and this seems to have been confirmed. The way my bill now reads is:

AT120: 34.99
Dist Nets: 8.99
-------------------
Total 43.98

However, I do need to say that I changed my programming during (by adding distants) the last billing cycle and the format of the bills has changed, so I am not too sure about this all. My old bill read:

AT120+Locals: 39.99
-------------------------
Total 39.99

When I called to add the distant networks it seemed as thought the cost was only $4/month. Not too bad. Now, I am wondering whether if I were to drop the distants if I could save $9/month of what I am now paying. The new bill would certainly suggest so. While at $4/month, the distants are worth it, but at $9/month, I see this as an opportunity to save a bit of money. (Honestly, I watch NYC stations maybe five times per month.)

On the other hand, the dishnetwork.com website still has the old pricing listed. I am confused.

Do any of you know better than I do?

Roadrhino

Congrats you got a CSR that knew what they were doing. Dish doesn't really give you locals for free, they just increased the package price $5 (ok you save a buck). When you add distants they are normally $5.99 extra but they gave you the old combination price of distants + locals for $8.99 (I had heard this discount went away!). If you drop distants your AT 120 + locals will go back to $39.99. If you dropped both distants and locals your AT 120 would be $34.99.


NightRyder

 

[Tony S]

NightRyder is correct. I already had the superstation package and I was paying $5.99/month. When I added the Hartford locals, the CSR that I talked to was aware of the combo pricing and gave me both the superstations and the locals for $8.99/month (it only cost $3.00/month more for the locals). The problem is that not all of the CSRs are aware of the combo pricing, so if you do not know about it beforehand, you may pay too much.

Dish considers Locals, Distant Nets East, Distant Nets West, and Superstations as "packages". It is $5.99 for one, 8.99 for two, or 11.99 for three "packages". (I don't think that they have a special deal for all 4, but I am not really sure).

 

[Mr Tony]

Not necessarily true
As of around Feb 1, the Supers/locals combo isn't available

Locals/Distants are still 5.99/8.99/11.99, but Supers are 5.99 now when added with locals

There's a rumor that if your locals dont have WB or UPN, you can get the 8.99 locals/supers..but I don;t know if its been proven yet

 

[Tony S]

Iceberg, my personal experience with E* does not agree with what you just posted.

I did not add the Hartford locals until the middle of April. As I stated in my post above, the CSR that I talked to was aware of the combo pricing and gave me both the superstations and the locals for $8.99/month. The Hartford locals include both WB and UPN and I still got the locals/superstations for 8.99.

It is possible that the CSR that I dealt with gave me the combo pricing in error, but I have seen other posts where customers got the same combo pricing that I did.

 

[NightRyder]

Typical E* CSR roulette. Never the same answer twice.


NightRyder

 

[jrbdmb]

E* used to advertise pricing of $5.99/$8.99/$11.99 for up to three pacakges of locals, distant NETs, or Supers. In 2004 they quit advertising this, and since then I have seen no definitive answer on whether you should be able to get the "Network Package" pricing or not. Some get it (by mistake?), some don't.

 

[Mr Tony]

Just tried twice...
1st one said it was 5.99
2nd one put me on hold and checked "with a supervisor"....still 5.99

i guess you got lucky