Some Friendly Customer Service Advise for Dish Net.

[kokomogator]

I cancelled my service with Dish last week and switched to Direct Tv because I felt it better met my needs; more HD, less fees, & better HD PQ.* Anyway, the parting was amicable and the retention people really did offer me a good deal to stay but again felt it was time to go....Yesterday I got a call from Dish Retention department asking me why I left and I stated the above reasons and they proceded to start trying to argue with me that I was wrong about the number of channels, and fees...etc.* After I very politely told the person that I had done my research and I had compared both, she basically started telling me that I was totally wrong and I would be sorry I had switched

My advise to Dish is this....

first of all, if you want to keep your customers, find out what they really want and provide it for a fair and reasonable price.*

Secondly, change your direction in regards to what you think is real customer service.* Clue: it's not some guy named Russssssssssssteeee that doesn't speak english much less understand what you need unless it's from a script they are reading and a part of a prescribed program.*

Thirdly, if you do lose your customer to a competitor and you really want to know why; don't argue and berate them for their decision, try to learn from them in order to improve.* You will have a much better chance of that customer returning to you one day if you improve.

You may question why I am posting in the Dish forum but I understand that Dish does review this forum and maybe it will help an existing Dish Customer to get better service.

 

[Rlanham]

That doesn't surprise me about the customer No service call.
Since you have had both services to compare, I am glad you like DirecTV better. I have not found that to be the case. My experience with DirecTV albeit it through my dad's DirecTV service is that Dish has a better HD picture, and I like my Dish DVR 621 much better than DirecTV's. No HD locals on any service, but my Dish DVR lets me get all 4 networks OTA in HD.

 

[kokomogator]

That doesn't surprise me about the customer No service call.
Since you have had both services to compare, I am glad you like DirecTV better. I have not found that to be the case. My experience with DirecTV albeit it through my dad's DirecTV service is that Dish has a better HD picture, and I like my Dish DVR 621 much better than DirecTV's. No HD locals on any service, but my Dish DVR lets me get all 4 networks OTA in HD.

Really I do like it better (so far). As to PQ, I think it depends on your TV and settings. Using the same settings and TV, the picture appears much clearer and sharper. Hopefully, I will get HD locals soon as I live in the sticks and there are no towers nearby...I used to get CBS in HD through my 622 OTA tuner but that was it. Next month Direct is suppose to have an add on OTA tuner available so if they haven't added HD locals yet, I can get that and at least see the CBS channel.

 

[mdonnelly]

Good post, gator. If you lose a customer, try to get feedback, but don't argue over the reasons. Take the info, and use that for process improvement.

 

[wetz73]

Great post! It goes both ways, BTW. A buddy of mine left E* for D* for more HD in the middle of January. Had a 622 with E* and used the OTA hookup to DVR locals as they are not available through E* in this area. He was told by D* that our locals are available through D* (they aren't), when the installers called they said locals are not available but they would install a DVR receiver that has OTA hookup capability (I'm sorry, I don't know the names of the receivers--he did). When the installer showed up, he, of course, did not have the correct receiver, so my buddy told him to beat it. The installer placed a call to D* (supposedly) and came back with, "Your HD locals are going to be available the last week of January and the receiver you want is no longer available." So my buddy lets him do the install. Come the first of February, no local HD available through D*, so he calls. He is then told there is no time-table to add our locals to D*, so he goes off on what he was told. The CSR (an Indian, by his description) basically tells him that's too bad. My buddy asks if he can get the receiver he asked for and is told that he is stuck with the receiver that was installed for the length of his contract (2 years) barring equipment failure. He asks to speak to someone higher up and is pretty much told the same thing. He immediately fires off a complaint to the State's Attorney General's office and the BBB and contemplated shorting out the receiver out of spite. Two days ago he receives a copy of the letter sent to D* from the AG's office and yesterday, D* calls to say his service is being cancelled without any penalty to him. He asks if he can just have the receiver he wanted in the first place and they told him no, your service is being cancelled and your name is being flagged for refusal of future installs. By then he's just fed up and cancels. He called E* back, they give him a nice deal, and they are delivering a 722 today. Sorry for the long post!

 

[8bitbytes]

Good post/title. It's too bad that these days the service you get anymore is the kind that puts the cuss in customer service.

I had a Comcast callback when I left them and the guy wanted to argue and tell me I was wrong so I just hung up on him. He promptly called me back to yell at me for hanging up. I hung up again and refused to answer when he called yet again.

What did you use for your OTA setup?

 

[nmfiredawg]

You got to love both of them. I feel for both of you, but customer serice is not what it use to be. I have friends that say they got a heck of deal through D when they said they were leaving. I think he said everything for like 85 or so instead of the 130. They wanted to keep them I guess. The problem with over seas help is they don't have the authority or knowledge to deal with these kind of issues. They are told things fro corp, and will try and say anythin to get you and anything to stick it to you afer wards.

 

[tigerfan33]

Just wondering. Did they try to tell you that Dish has as many hd channels as Direct?

Next time just start naming hd channels Direct has and see how they counter.

Probably will say Dish has that channel or it does not even exist.

My beef with Dish isn't really the non addition of hd channels. It is stupid things like this. The pr dept. there needs a complete overhaul!!

Communicate Dish communicate.

 

[skyviewmark]

Good post/title. It's too bad that these days the service you get anymore is the kind that puts the cuss in customer service.

I had a Comcast callback when I left them and the guy wanted to argue and tell me I was wrong so I just hung up on him. He promptly called me back to yell at me for hanging up. I hung up again and refused to answer when he called yet again.

What did you use for your OTA setup?

No, what really is bad about both companies is that until you actually cut off neither company could give a rat's a*s about you. But as soon as you cut off they both will call and beg you to come back.. Here's a hint to both D* and E*. Treat your paying customers right, before they reach the point of cutting off..

 

[Max Wright]

Communicate Dish communicate.

I agree entirely tigerfan. The amazing thing is that these things don't cost money. Send out an email with an update to where you stand to your CSR. Embrace the forum culture and the wealth of knowledge they can distribute.

Heck, this is stuff an intern who talks to the higher ups could do.

 

[dishcomm]

Good post/title. It's too bad that these days the service you get anymore is the kind that puts the cuss in customer service.

I had a Comcast callback when I left them and the guy wanted to argue and tell me I was wrong so I just hung up on him. He promptly called me back to yell at me for hanging up. I hung up again and refused to answer when he called yet again.

What did you use for your OTA setup?

My reation to the repeat call would have been, "if you dial my number again, I will find where you live and blow up your house"...LOL!!!!!

 

[Van]

Some very good posts in here about what Im doing right now with Charter cable and Bellsouth/Directv bundling, in my instance I wont be bothered by Charter as I am no porting my voip phone number over to Bellsouth service. I took my cable and phone modems intoday and cancelled those services out, explained that I have had enough of the service problems with my semi digital cable, the recent audio problems with the voip service, the internet slowing down from the 5 megs to 2 megs lately, I also said that with my bill going from $119 to $177 that was also an issue. The counter rep whom I have delt with ove my issues since nov 06 said that I could have haggled my fee's back down to what they were but the issue was reliability or rather a lack of it.

 

[AriesGodofWar]

The counter rep whom I have delt with ove my issues since nov 06 said that I could have haggled my fee's back down to what they were but the issue was reliability or rather a lack of it.

Just did that very thing tonight with Charter. Took 1 On-line chat and 3 calls to get my bill which jumped from $66 to $100 for phone and internet, back to $66. The Indians were no help and kept asking to upgrade me, in spite of the fact I kept telling them that at the moment, the last thing I wanted to do was expand my relationship with them. I was on the verge of telling them to shove off. Needless to say, I had to hit the Spanish Extension and ask to speak with someone in Customer Retention. As soon as I did, I got an American on the phone, from there it was gravy and they took care of me. It is amazing that just the mere fact I could easily understand and communicate with the rep, left me with a positive impression. I wish all of these companies would take a lesson and bring their calls centers back to the US. I am hopeful Charlie will stick by his word and bring the CSRs back on shore.

 

[kokomogator]

Good post/title. It's too bad that these days the service you get anymore is the kind that puts the cuss in customer service.

I had a Comcast callback when I left them and the guy wanted to argue and tell me I was wrong so I just hung up on him. He promptly called me back to yell at me for hanging up. I hung up again and refused to answer when he called yet again.

What did you use for your OTA setup?

I am getting locals (not HD) from D....I won't go into the long trials of being promised a HR20 and not getting it....D has CS issues also but at least did speak english when they lied I will get the OTA tuner that is supposed to come out next month to receive the one station CBS in HD until D gets HD locals set up in my area.

 

[kokomogator]

I agree entirely tigerfan. The amazing thing is that these things don't cost money. Send out an email with an update to where you stand to your CSR. Embrace the forum culture and the wealth of knowledge they can distribute.

Heck, this is stuff an intern who talks to the higher ups could do.

Haven't you heard the recorded messages about how Dish has "Award Winning Customer Service"? I have

 

[downriver]

Dish's 1st tier customer service has become abysmal. Extended hold times + unknowledgable CSR's = disaster for Dish.