Pay in Advance problem

[Mazar]

I thought I had a FlexTV account - but today when I checked with a CSR I think it is now just called a Pay in Advance account.
I purchased my own receiver and card and installed my own purchased dish - so I don't have any leased equipment or term commitment. I also don't have any discounted packages on my account - I pay full price.

I had paid my bill of $89.98 for the period Sept. 13 to Oct. 12 - so since I am Pay in Advance they suspended my account on Oct. 13. That was fine and what I wanted as I was going to be away on vacation for two weeks.
When I returned on Oct. 25 I chatted with a CSR to restore my service - she confirmed to me that I would obtain 30 days of service starting Oct. 25 if I paid my bill.
I agreed and paid $89.98 by credit card - I asked the CSR to confirm to me that I would obtain 30 days of service starting from Oct. 25 and she confirmed (I have a copy and paste of the entire chat session).

So I am thinking I would be good until Nov. 24. They suspended my service on Nov. 13 - so I only obtained 19 days of TV for my payment in full.
I just returned home today and find out it is disconnected - so I thought they just made a mistake - so I chat with them.
They said no - the payment I made was for the period Oct. 13 to Nov. 12 - even though I did not have service for 12 of those days. Apparently if I would have waited until Oct. 28 - they would have disconnected my service and all fees would have been deleted from the account so I would have been starting with a zero balance and would have obtained 30 days of service from Oct. 28. So by not waiting an extra 3 days to start my service I lost 12 days.

They now want me to pay $101.27 for the period Nov. 13 to Dec. 12 - even though I have been without TV for the past 8 days.
This does not make any sense to me. I thought the whole idea of FlexTV was to allow you to start and stop whenever you wanted without any penalties? Why should I have to pay for the days I can not watch TV because it is suspended - this is crazy.

I have tried to find a copy of any agreement or contract that explains how this type of billing works for a PIA account but none apparently exist.
One CSR said I could read their Flex24 Agreement that is online in their legal section - but it does not apply because I own my own equipment.

I could not find any mention of the way billing charges work in their Residential Customer Agreement either.
These CSRs must be getting their information from somewhere - why isn't it available to us the customer that has to pay the bill.

OK rant over

 

[JasonSu]

If you would like to send me a private message I can look into this for you. What should have happened is when you started service back up the first time it should have had a prorated charge to get you up tot he billing cycle, then the month ahead. I will be able to tell more once i have access tot he account though.

 

[Mazar]

Thanks Jason,
I will send you a PM with my info.
I tried to be polite and courteous during my chat sessions - but I am sure some of them must have been as frustrated as I was with all the questions I was asking LOL.....
You will probably find a BIG black X next to my account as I'm sure they must have left some notes saying to be aware of this dude......... LOL
I appreciate your offer of help.
I'm just trying to get something in writing that explains how the billing works so that I do not make the same mistake twice.

 

[Claude Greiner]

They are charging you for time without service.

Basically they say that you agreed to keep the service for 24 months, and therefore must pay for the entire 24 consecutive months of service even when its disconnected for non-payment. Its Dish Networks way of saying F-U to you because you let your account go into non-pay disconnect and didn't pay your bill.

Only time this does not apply is when there is no contract and your on a true pay in advance account.

The question are you on a Flex account, or a Flex 24 account? If you paid $99 upfront plus the first month then its likely a Flex24 account. If you paid for the equipment, a $99 activation Fee, plus the first month then your under a flex account.

If Dish refuses to help you, write your attorney general. Dish will listen to them and issue you a credit.

 

[Tampa8]

No need to for the "Rant over"... that's not a rant but a genuine concern/complaint. I hope Jason gets this straightened out for you.

 

[Mazar]

I've been away for a few days and I had a couple of PMs from Jason while I was gone - and he is getting to the bottom of this for me - thanks so much Jason.

I bought my own receivers and dish and paid to have it installed. I did not receive any promotional deals and have no term commitment with Dishnet.

Jason is arranging a credit for me for the period Oct 13 to Oct 25 - that I did not have TV. It appears there was a glitch in the system and I when I restarted my service on Oct. 25 a credit was not automatically issued to my account for the down time.

I still have not been able to find anything in writing that explains the terms and conditions of a Pay in Advance account - is it eligible for Dish Pause, is there a charge for programming changes, are there any late payment fees, does billing stop when the account is suspended, are there any restart fees ...................?
You would think these terms and conditions would be available somewhere on line for consumers to read.

Thanks for all the input guys.

 

[Tampa8]

Glad it appears to be working out!