Simple request to reaim my dish - BIG PROBLEM

It's so obvious... t'was a d'oh! moment. I'll ask for a pass as I haven't had cable since '97. When I did have it, COX wasn't it nor available in my area.
 
Yeah, but I think the point is that this is type of charge isn't something people are used to. When one has cable TV service, or FIOS, they don't pay for service visits. If you lose reception, have reception issues, a dead DVR, or whatever, you call the cable company and they drive a truck out and fix the problem. For free.

So the whole 'service visit fee' is foreign to some people unless they have had Dish or Direct for a while.

Of course, then you can start arguing about cable being possible more expensive than Dish (or not as good quality) but that isn't the point. The point is that, with cable tv, there is no such thing as a fee for service calls.

PS -- this also explains why some people wonder why they would have to PAY an upfront cost to lease / buy equipment. Dish will happily charge me $200 to get a Hopper and then another per-month rental fee. The cable company would never charge me to collect the receiver -- they will just charge me a fee to use it on a monthly basis (just like Dish does).

And, before anyone says "but the first receiver is free with Dish and not with cable", that isn't true. Both Verizon FIOS and my local cable company are offering a free HD DVR for the first receiver.

Robert

+1

This is where the disconnect happens for most Dish customers. When they complain, a lot of people on the board are quick to jump down their throat for thinking Dish should repair the equipment for free, but they don't stop to understand where the poster's position.
 
And, before anyone says "but the first receiver is free with Dish and not with cable", that isn't true. Both Verizon FIOS and my local cable company are offering a free HD DVR for the first receiver.

Robert

Perhaps there is some temporary promotion, or where you are it is different, but the first DVR is not free in Florida. If you have a link showing that I would apprecite it so my in-laws can get their receiver free. The cost for the first DVR is $16.99 with cable card, $13.99 without. In addition, Charter in Ct does not give you the first DVR either and says so when they give you the new customer price.
 
+1

This is where the disconnect happens for most Dish customers. When they complain, a lot of people on the board are quick to jump down their throat for thinking Dish should repair the equipment for free, but they don't stop to understand where the poster's position.

I had seen many people helped out on this forum. While I don't post (because I haven't had any problems or been able to help), I have been around awhile. Many of you have given helpful advice and some understand my frustration. To you I am grateful. The attacks were unexpected and I probably won't post here again. I mistakenly thought this was a place to get help and vent about poor customer service. It even has a DIRT response team.
 
donsmith1964 said:
I had seen many people helped out on this forum. While I don't post (because I haven't had any problems or been able to help), I have been around awhile. Many of you have given helpful advice and some understand my frustration. To you I am grateful. The attacks were unexpected and I probably won't post here again. I mistakenly thought this was a place to get help and vent about poor customer service. It even has a DIRT response team.

Unless you got private messages sent to you from people calling you names, I really don't understand what you are upset about. I see no attacks. People have given you suggestions to save money. As far as your comment about dish customer service at an all time low, there was a time when a service call was 99 bucks period. At least now you have the option of the protection plan to get a steep discount. Anyway, to say you won't post anymore is just silly. What did you expect, everyone to agree with you and then a DIRT member to give you a free service call? This is in no way meant to be an attack either, just take the advice given and have the tech come out.

Sent from my phone using SatelliteGuys sweet app
 
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There's only two in my general area. Mine, at the time, rhymed with a male appendage. Quite appropriately so. Yes, I'm still peeved at them.

Too many promises that "you'll have digital cable in your area Real Soon Now" and other BS. Wife snapped at a trade show, saw a local dealer (since departed) aimed at the Hispanic market, not us, but with a big sign "Dish for one year for $9.99 per month." That's what we did. Two 301s. Coming up on eleven years now.

The $9.99 mo promo was great. Kept real busy during that period.
 
Sac79348 said:
Sounds like par for the course to me. I haven't found good customer service with any tv provider. They are great when you start up but terrible once you become an existing customer. Dish, DTV, Comcast are all basically the same in my experience.

I still don't see where the "bad" customer service is? This is the business model Dish has used for quite a while...service calls are $95.00 unless you have the protection plan. It is what it is...agree with it or not.
In this case the CSR was correct.

Ross

Sent from my rooted DROID RAZR Maxx using SatelliteGuys
 
I'm sorry but I really get sick of people wanting things for free. When you think about how much it cost to send a tech out between gas, salary for the tech, and whatever cable or parts are used to fix the problem, it easily cost dish around two hundred bucks to send someone out. Second of all as someone else said earlier have your ever called a plumber or electrician? Id love to hear how it turned out when you called the ac repairman and told him since you haven't had any problem for nine years he should come out free of charge. A normal service man charges around seventy bucks just to show up at your door whether he fixes anything or not, and then itemized every thing he does and charges for that also. Sorry for the rant but I'm a dish tech and that free mentality really gets old with me.
 
Of course you deserve to be compinsated for you skills and work. I never attacked techs. I don't feel I am trying to get something for nothing. I lease my equipment, pay my and my salesman assured me of dish's service commitment. You were not attacked or belittled. I can't do what you do or this whole matter would be moot.
 
I don't lease my plumbing, electric, or ac. I lease equipment and pay for a service from dish. I expect it to work. If I knew how to close this thread I would.

Actually, when your leased (and even owned) receivers fail, Dish replaces them for free (minus shipping, unless you have the protection plan, which again, you can add then almost immediately drop after using the discount.) The dish is most likely equipment that you got for free from Dish. Your initial installation was most likely free. The cables that feed your receivers are also not leased. So yeah. Get my gist?
 
When you lease a car and run the tires bald do they replace them for free? Is the gas also free during the lease ? Where can we all get a magic lease?
 

Service calls are not factored in to monthly programming fee. Yes Dish (like all TV providers) make a profit but it still isn't factored in.

Could you imagine the size of your bill if it was.......

Service fee monthly fee: 1 million dollars....

:/
 
I can understand you think the big cable/sat co is raking in cash but the money dish makes over DTV Is night and day. I would have to think thow if your going to get HD from dish and get a new contract they would do it all for free but if you got dish when no social was required the system has issues trying to see if your no risk low or high risk customer.

Even a service call after 9 years should be free unless your calling in every year trying to get a lower bill. What they charge the customer and what they pay the tech or sub should be criminal.
 
I think the main problem here is that we have at one time or another gotten a free cable box and if there was something wrong with the signal, the cable company would send a tech to fix it and all this is without additional charge. After all, if you can't get a signal, you'll stop their service and where does that leave the cable company.

Now shift to the OP's case. He's gone several years and now needs service which using the cable company example should be free. Sure seems that if Dish wants to keep the customer, they'd do it but that's now how they see it.

He could probably ask to terminate service and when put through to the customer retention people just tell them that he can't get a good signal anymore and doesn't think he should have to pay for the service to get their signal. I'd like to think that they'd go ahead and fix it rather than loose a customer but who knows?

Best of luck with this.
 
rocket69 said:
I can understand you think the big cable/sat co is raking in cash but the money dish makes over DTV Is night and day. I would have to think thow if your going to get HD from dish and get a new contract they would do it all for free but if you got dish when no social was required the system has issues trying to see if your no risk low or high risk customer.

Even a service call after 9 years should be free unless your calling in every year trying to get a lower bill. What they charge the customer and what they pay the tech or sub should be criminal.

So how do you draw this arbitrary line in the sand? If I am a customer for 3 years and never made a svc call should it be free? How long is long enough before you should deserve a free call (rhetorical). Point is, everyone at some point will have to have service. It is tough to say some should get for free and others shouldn't. Dish makes an awesome compromise: they don't roll in the cost of svc fees to programming, you can pay a super low monthly fee and get a great discount on service calls or you can gamble and pay the higher rate. Typically what you get compared to what you pay dish is the lowest priced option. I think it is ridiculous to get pissed because they are upfront about service costs and give you the option regarding what you will pay! There is no telling how much of the sub cost for cable accounts for maintenance. If you want to pay for non itemized charges that's your choice, but it is really backwards to get mad because a company is upfront about what they charge you for...
 
The point has been made that I am asking for something most of you feel I should pay for. Enough has been said. I cannot close or delete this thread. Please do not post anymore that I am wrong I get your point.
 
I run a business and I don't think any service call should be free unless it is a warranty issue. You pay for programming not the Dish on the house. If a wind storm moved the Dish or something hit it that is not Dish's fault. It isn't any one's fault but the service needs to be paid for. I see you do not like comparisons but I can't think of any other way to make anyone understand.

Now, if the CSR was rude to you or said that you could not be helped then I would call that poor service. If you are ony upset because you feel you should have the service call for free then I can not help you. You have a few options to get it taken care of.
 

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