Why do we stay with Dishnetwork????

AJF said:
I agree with the underdog analogy... QUOTE]

I have no problem going with an underdog, as long as they are trying to improve themselves so they can tie or become #1. That's why I moved from D* to E* in the first place, here's this smaller company that has a CEO that goes on TV every month or so and answers questions from his customers. He's also has more bandwidth then D* and is saying that his company will become the HD leader. which makes that believable. They go to trade shows and show off this great HD DVR that will be coming out that nobody else has.

Well, the Charlie Chats have become a joke, the online chats here and on DBSTalk are better. They lost their HD leader position when D* came out with their HD package, E*'s been playing catchup every since. And compare the E* 921 to the D* HDTivo, there is no comparison.

E* is nolonger an underdog, they're just a dog.
 
Well, I am waiting for my 811.. Hope my luck is better. :)

I have been with E* simply because they have never failed to address my problems. I had a 501 that had problems (actually 2). My 4000 was a great reciever. I have had a bunch. The prices are reasonable. Every once in a while I get the itch to switch. But, VOOM is too expensive, USDTV doesn't have enough channels (but it is only $20/mo, but no movie channels) and cable... well, they suck and don't have HDTV in my area.

So, in some ways, it is the lesser of many evils...
 
bcshields said:
But I'm always very brand loyal... I drink Pepsi, and Coke isn't allowed in my fridge.

So, generic Cola is right out, eh?

What would you do if Pepsi started tasting like crap, and now the cans leaked, and in recent months they were always out of stock? Would you stay loyal, or consider a brand of cola that tasted better, had better cans, and was available?
 
I think they should pay us for all this free marketing research that they're getting from this thread alone. :)

Well, I also think that there has been a big change in Charley's attitude since the merger fell through. Some of what he's doing makes me think that he's (trying) to bolster his company's image and financial position just so he can sell it off. There were rumors that he would do so if the merger fell through.
 
GaryPen said:
So, generic Cola is right out, eh?

What would you do if Pepsi started tasting like crap, and now the cans leaked, and in recent months they were always out of stock? Would you stay loyal, or consider a brand of cola that tasted better, had better cans, and was available?

LOL.. well, I might just make some iced tea... but that falls out of the analogy.

I do agree.. Dish is making some mistakes that are causing concerns... it seems like they don't have any money, or they're being tight with their wallet in preparation to sell out. Notice their stock is dropping enough to look like a takeover is possible?

Lately I've been seeing signs of improvement, though. So you never know. I'm alot less nervous now than I was 6 months ago.
 
I went from Time Warner, to DirecTV, and now have Dish. This isn't really a "why do I stay with Dish" post, but a "why did I switch to Dish" post.

At the time I had TW, a friend was getting rid of his DTV equipment and offered it to me for free. I figured I'd give it a try... The improvement in picture quality alone did it for me. No locals though... but they were promising them for a long time. I waited, and waited, and waited. Started itching for a TiVo but couldn't without a new contract. I HATE contracts, by the way. :)

Looked into Dish and liked what I saw: local channels available NOW, "free" DVR (never had a TiVo so I don't know what I'm missing), NO CONTRACT, and lower monthly cost than switching back to cable. The locals had now become an issue. We got tired of adjusting the antenna bullsh*t for each local.

Why not cable ?? Well, like most people, their yearly rate increases leave a bad taste in my mouth. Two, $$$. For a similar setup, it would cost me upwards of $60/month with TW vs the $40 I'm paying Dish currently. I might park my butt in front of a PC a lot, but I/we sure don't do the same in front of a TV. Pay $100+ a month for TV.... Sorry, I have a life....
 
An optomist would state here that Dish Network and the 921 are the best they could possible be.
As a pessimist I fear this could be true.
 
I signed up for a year to get the 510 deal and I'm on the list for the 921. So I'll see how it goes for a while.
BUT, if I get calls at work from my wife saying that she can't get the 921 to do anything, I'll jump ship in spite of having to pay a cancellation fee.
 
bcshields said:
Lately I've been seeing signs of improvement, though. So you never know. I'm alot less nervous now than I was 6 months ago.

I hope so. I'd like nothing better than Dish cleaning up their act. It would be nice to be able recommend Dish to friends and colleagues, and actually use those Club Dish cards. Right now, I wouldn't do that to another human being.

The only thing keeping me with Dish is WPIX and the ETF. If DirecTV had WPIX, I'd pay the ETF, sell the stuff to pay for it, and using my two-tuner DirecTivo and Hughes HD boxes.

On the bright side, by the time I get close to the end of my Dish commitment, the Direct HD Tivos will be much more affordable.
 
The impression I get is the people who are the most dissatisfied with Dish are the ones who live on the cutting edge. Those who want HD and buy new receivers as soon as they are released are the ones who are always complaining. Those of us who are happy with our "old" SD TVs are quite happy with the picture quality. Not to mention that we don't care what Charlie says about being the "HD leader." And when you give receivers a chance to mature before buying them, you don't have to call CSRs very often. I have had Dish for 4 years now and I've called for support maybe 5 times, and I've been very satisfied with how my problems were handled.
 
Your points are well taken. However, when you lay out $1k for the box, they should at least have a couple of CSRs that like know how to spell 921. Even when getting transferred to 'Advanced', those of us on these boards know more about what's what than they do (I have seen an exception - maybe it was a developer just putting in some time).

WORST OF ALL is the dishonesty and such regarding things like DishWire. Simply unacceptable.
 
Unfortunately, it's time that we appreciate our place in the satellite world. "We" scream over minute details. "We" demand exorbitant freebies, or we'll "walk". "We" scream that "we" want what "WE" want (and we get cranky about paying for what we DON'T want).

Please..... E* has a PR nightmare with Viacom and it doesn't raise a blip in the churn numbers. In the grand scheme of things the vast moajority of viewers are lemmings who will take what they are given. And those who ARE miffed enough to leave wind up becoming their competitor's new nightmare customers.

At best we are a bunch of unpaid beta testers who get to give them a wider base of user data to tinker with.

Evaluate Bundles E, V, and D and decide which one best fits your needs and wants. Use the resources here so you make the most informed decision. Then watch some TV. That's it. We're not talking life and death here folks.....

Charlie's got more money than all but a couple of dozen people in the country. Do you REALLY think he cares whether some whiner bails?

Sorry, I'm feeling cranky today for some reason..... Don't mind me... time to take my meds.....
 
don't leave because content is what I am looking for, price is right, and receiver problems are, for the most part, not that bothersome (for me anyway). Plus, since you only get to be a new customer once, I would rather make sure things are going really bad before switching to D, or heck, cable.
 
My available provider options are Dish, Pegasus, Podunk POS cable company. Dish is by far the lesser evil of the three. :D

NightRyder
 
I will never go back to cable--never. The almost monthly price increases we endured a few years ago left a very bitter taste!

Tried to switch to DirecTV then, because it was really all I knew. Installer did both, and I assume got better credit at the time for Dish Network, so he convinced me to go with E*. I liked E* much better than D* at the time and am still very happy.

Upgraded receivers a couple of times with absolutely no problems, love my 508, just received locals (I called so soon after it was announced that their computers weren't updated yet, so had 2 45 minute calls with CSRs and their managers, but everyone was very pleasant and we got my install set). Installer was very nice, added Superdish, and I have much better pq than I had OTA, so no complaints. I got HD-ready TV in January but am willing to wait for 921 until bug issues resolved and a current customer discount is available.

Only question is whether I should jump on a 721 before they are gone.

Charise
 
I signed on with Dish in July 2000 right around the time that Primestar was going down. My reasoning in signing up with Dish was simple - Dish uses industry standard DVB technology and DirecTV doesn't. In the event that Dish were to go out of business I wouldn't necessarily be left holding a useless receiver. There was also the added bonus of SkyAngel service which I was interested in. Now four years down the road I am still with Dish largely due to inertia. I have upgraded my programming (AT180 up from AT50) and have three more or less current model receivers (2 301s and a 508) in addition to my original 3800. Dish still offers a good value for the programming my family is interested in. Perhaps DirecTV is a little cheaper right now, maybe their receivers are a little better. In spite of that I will stay with Dish until there is a VERY good reason to leave - like permanently dropping channels my family watches. And I still don't have SkyAngel. I just never really got excited about their programming. I do wish I would have waited just a couple more months on that DVR. I would have gotten a 721 instead of the 508. If I can find where I can order one at the promotional price I still might do it, then sell the 508 to my brother who doesn't know what a 721 is yet!
 
www.dishdepot.com has them for 329.00 and Mark will give you 100.00 for the 508 dvr as a trade in on the 721. No tax on out of state of Florida residents and no commitment with Dish . You can get 25.00 for each 301 you trade in towards your 721 as a trade in also. The only other site I know is www.dishstore.net. They have the 721 for 397.00 . I don't know if they do any trade ins or not, but you could call and ask.
 

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