questionable billing practices

jmpjackflash

New Member
Original poster
May 8, 2005
1
0
I wanted to let everyone know of an issue that I’ve had recently with Dish Network. I understand that some of these issues can be related to stupidity or naivety on my part but I wanted to vent regardless.
About two years ago I decided to upgrade my old 211 dish network receiver for a HD receiver (a VIP 222 I believe). I paid an upgrade fee of $175 at the time. As is the process, I was sent the replacement receiver and I sent the other back via UPS in a box they shipped me.
A few months later I was having an issue with a 522 receiver located in my living room. I placed a call to Dish network and they sent a technician out and he replaced the receiver with a 625 model.
Shortly after the replacement of the 522 model I started to get warnings on my bill informing me that I needed to return two old receivers or I would they would charge my credit card over $500. I called and informed them that I didn’t have either receiver; they were making a mistake because these two receivers were returned to Dish Network. I had the technicians work order where they marked the receiver was returned. I was given an apology and was promised that it would be taken care of.
Well, this went on for over two years. I called probably more than a dozen times to inform Dish Network that I did not have these receivers. Time and time again they assured me it would be removed from my records and it would be taken care of, again, with all the apologies.
Three months ago, I finally decided to drop Dish and went with DirecTV. I returned the two receivers that I had (the upgraded and the replaced receiver). Sent them back in the box they sent me and applied the UPS label and dropped them off at my nearest UPS store within a couple of days. Well, to make a long story short, I got a call from a collection agency last week informing me that I owed the Dish Network a little more than $500 for the two receivers I hadn’t returned. Shocked, I called Dish and at first they were telling me that the two were the most recent receivers plus an LBN, which I returned, after further investigation they discovered that they indeed DID have the two most recent receivers. The $500 was actually for the two old receivers, which as I stated previously, had returned nearly two years prior.
My wife started to pay the balance off by logging into our Dish Network account and paying it on-line. As she was going through this process she decided to cancel the payment and back out of the process. However, she had already entered our credit card information, which they captured and used for the $500 (WE NEVER CONFIRMED OR SUBMITTED THE PAYMENT)
I’m now in the process of trying to convince Dish that I don’t have these receivers. They show that no service call was ever placed in their system for the 522 receiver.
My lesson learned here: Always make sure to note any tracking numbers for boxes supplied and used from Dish. Never use my credit card in upgrading equipment, paying my amount on-line, etc.
 
Did you call the credit card company and dispute the charges?

I'd contact UPS and see if they can track your shipment. It would help to have the exact date you shipped it.
 
Another satisfied DDDCs~ customer!!!!!!!!!!

What do you mean your wife started to pay, who starts to pay $500 for no reason? You entered your CC info and they captured it, once midnight struck the IT dept billing system saw you were overdue and ran a charge, But why oh why did you even enter your CC info in?????????????????

This company gets more criminal by the minute, I thinks its time for a raid.
 
Dish is now Disfunctional....
I am an annual paying customer...
On June 22 Citibank closed my autopay credit number due to suspicious activity...
On June 22 Dish Network tried to use autopay cc number and got a reject.
On June 23 rd. All of my channels were shut off even though I paid for Americas Top 200 Annual in full last January.
On June 23 I contacted dish to see what is wrong. They told me that autopay was rejected so they terminated my service and also my autopay.

Dish Network never contacted me by phone or by email to update my CC information.

I spent nearly 4 hours and 6 CSR's on the phone trying to get each invidual package restored and my annual contract figured out. I had Cinemax for 1c that I paid for in full in January and that was also cancelled. They refused to restore my Cinemax. One of the reps even removed my HD package and paperless billing option after restoring it earlier.

I have to say I was about 2 minutes from calling Time Warner Cable.
 
I hate to say it but I had almost the same experience with Time Warner, even after I went to their local office with a copy of a work order that had serial numbers. Time Warner probably sucks more, call someone else
 
I had Comcast try something similar to me...only thing was I had not been a customer for 7 years and claimed I had equipment I never had. Finally got it rectified (obviously data entry error), but it took a while. So r10fret, go spray some Raid on them while you're at it.
 
Dish is trying the same thing with me. Canceled 6/24. They said I owed them a 622 and 211. Well I bought my 211 and sent the receipt to CEO and they changed the status to owned. They received the 622 on 7/7. Received a confirmation e-mail. Last week they sent out UPS for a pick up. I called them and they said I had returned all of the required equipment (622, 2 remotes, LNB, I even sent all of the cables, manual, etc). Today I receive an automated phone call saying that they are about to charge my card for unreturned equipment. I called again and they say I don't owe them anything and my account was closed in good standing with no balance due. "Just ignore it". Somehow I don't believe them. I called my CC company that I used with autopay and told them to notify me if Dishnetwork tries to make a charge.

S~
 
two years ago when i upgraded a 311 to a 612 the tech took the 311 and i was charged $99 for a unreturned receiver. i called several times and they still charged me. i let it go because about a year before i had deactivated a receiver and they never asked for it back.