What is done in an audit?

[bertbarndoor]

What would happen- Audit in Canada - best guess?

I'm curious about this hypothetical situation.

-Mailing address in upstate New York
-Service Address in Manhattan
-Telephone number in Manhattan that works (Manhattan Area Code -cellular)
-2 ViP622s
-1 ViP211
-Receivers never connected to phone line (because I only have a cell )

So, first off I am wondering if they will even bother to audit. If they call and ask, my receivers aren't plugged in because I don't have a land line. Does that wash? Will they just accept that? What might they do? Opinons? Should I even bother with this or is it doomed for failure. I'd hate to buy all that equipment.

 

[bertbarndoor]

Just wondering what they do. I've read that they ask for the numbers on your receivers? Is that all? Will they call and leave a message? If you read out your serial numbers, are you good? I'm just wondering as I won't be able to plug any of them (3) into a receiver. Thanks,

Rob

 

[dfergie]

Here is the latest Audit thread http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=66324&highlight=Auditd...

 

[Derwin0]

Tell them that you are Cell only, therefore you can't hook in the phone line.
Then give them the location ID's from the recievers, and you're all set.

 

[Mr Tony]

merged threads

 

[bertbarndoor]

Tell them that you are Cell only, therefore you can't hook in the phone line.
Then give them the location ID's from the recievers, and you're all set.

Forgive my ignorance-- what is a location id?

 

[bertbarndoor]

Here is the latest Audit thread http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=66324&highlight=Auditd...

Thanks for pointing that out dfergie, that is actually where I started. I only recall seeing that they asked your to read out your receiver ids for each receiver while staying on the phone>???

 

[stone phillips420]

a set of numbers in the ird which are said to change from every 10- 1 hour, plus i m sure diffrent areas of the counntry have diffrent numbers at same time
to prevent account share i think so you have a box in ny and your buddy has box #2 on your account in cali
a big nono

 

[bertbarndoor]

Tell them that you are Cell only, therefore you can't hook in the phone line.
Then give them the location ID's from the recievers, and you're all set.

And then they just say, "ummm ok, thanks for that, enjoy the programming?" Sounds fairly painless.

 

[vurbano]

And then they just say, "ummm ok, thanks for that, enjoy the programming?" Sounds fairly painless.

Just dont answer the phone.

 

[bertbarndoor]

Just dont answer the phone.

I'm just thinking that if I don't want the hassle can't I just say that I'm not at home and they've called my cell?

 

[osu1991]

They will tell you, that you have a certain amount of time to call them back before your receivers will be shut off. I think they told my step mom they had two weeks to call back even though my dad was in the hospital have part of his kidneys removed. My whole family got audit calls on 4 seperate accounts the same week.

 

[SmityWhity]

My whole family got audit calls on 4 seperate accounts the same week.

Ahhhh - Alphabetical Order!

 

[kaman]

DISH had my phone number wrong by one digit, so I never got their messages to call back. And, yup, I came home and service was disconnected. I had no clue what was going on, so I called the regular customer service # and waited forever, and then they gave me another number to call, which I had to hold as well. Had to do all three TVs without hanging up or picking up another phone. My stepson wasn't allowed to help and pick up the other phone and tell the guy the numbers either. Since I was tethered to the wall with an old fashioned phone, I yelled upstairs for my stepson to yell back the numbers so I could tell the guy. Nope couldn't do that either. I was stuck. I had to friggin' call them back on my cordless phone. Needless to say I was really pissed off over the whole ordeal.

 

[stone phillips420]

And then they just say, "ummm ok, thanks for that, enjoy the programming?" Sounds fairly painless.

no ive been through many audits and i wouldnt call it painless pretty much they imply theft and arent too friendly at least that was my experience

 

[yooper.mi]

DISH had my phone number wrong by one digit, so I never got their messages to call back. And, yup, I came home and service was disconnected. I had no clue what was going on, so I called the regular customer service # and waited forever, and then they gave me another number to call, which I had to hold as well. Had to do all three TVs without hanging up or picking up another phone. My stepson wasn't allowed to help and pick up the other phone and tell the guy the numbers either. Since I was tethered to the wall with an old fashioned phone, I yelled upstairs for my stepson to yell back the numbers so I could tell the guy. Nope couldn't do that either. I was stuck. I had to friggin' call them back on my cordless phone. Needless to say I was really pissed off over the whole ordeal.

So this means we have to have a cordless phone or a 75' corded phone?

 

[kaman]

Both...an old fashioned normally-lengthed corded phone (in case of power outages, etc) and well as cordless phones. I just happened to make the first call on the corded phone downstairs in the basement because it was handy at the time.

I misread your question...yes you need a phone that will allow uninterrupted viewing of all receivers.

 

[HDTVFanAtic]

I was audited with 3 units only 1 of which was a ViP211 and the other 2 6000s. If you think you can just tell them you have a cellular and hang up, you can forget about that. You will go through the entire audit and will be charged $5 a month for not having the units plugged in. You will also go through the audit probably every few months as well.

To begin with, they send out a number that is displayed on your system info screen.

You cannot have all the screens set and walk from room to room because as soon as you give them the number for one 1 stb, they hit a button to change it on the other units on your account. Thus you have to go to that stb and then go to sys info at that point, as the numbers would all be the same if you went to sysinfo before they asked you to.

Furthermore, they have a very clever checksum encoded into the number that further makes it harder to give them the number from the screen of a unit not at your location that is quite simply, very smart.

If you talk to anyone during the test, you fail and all but 1 unit will be taken off your account - to keep you from getting out of your contract.

If you take to long or put the phone down you fail....same thing.

They also have amplified headsets they turn up to hear background noise and try to hear you typing via IM.

About the only way to do it remotely would be with a slingbox, but the checksum would most likely catch that.

 

[Derwin0]

I was audited with 3 units only 1 of which was a ViP211 and the other 2 6000s. If you think you can just tell them you have a cellular and hang up, you can forget about that. You will go through the entire audit and will be charged $5 a month for not having the units plugged in.

The $5 month charge (for not being hooked to a phone line) is only applicable to the dual tuner/dual output recievers (322, 522, 625, 942, and 622).

 

[vurbano]

If you talk to anyone during the test, you fail and all but 1 unit will be taken off your account - to keep you from getting out of your contract.

If you take to long or put the phone down you fail....same thing.

They also have amplified headsets they turn up to hear background noise and try to hear you typing via IM.

LMAO they sound like NAZI's. I suppose you have to hold a towel over the mic part of the phone or use a headset with a mute button. What if you tell them you dont have a cordless phone? You fail for not having one when you have to put the corded phone down? Absurd