Updated DECEMBER 2006!

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1. "Advanced Cable did not know what they were doing." Response from a Dish Network employee and or tech.
2. "The cable is no good and needs to be replaced. The cost would be $125.00 for labor and in addition I would have to pay for the cable they used to get the system working properly. I pointed out that I had a contract with a year of parts and labor coverage and expressed the fact that this system never did function properly. Their excuse is…the contract was signed with Advanced Cable, Advanced Cable bought the equipment from Dish Network, therefore they can not be held to one year of contracted parts and labor coverage.
3. "Fix it yourself" Response from a Dish Network employee and or tech.
4. On November 6^th, 2000 I contacted Dish Network again. I talked to a tech and asked him, "If you were me, and you did not received regular programs that broke up every two or three minutes and your paying for HBO and SHOWTIME and not getting what you are being billed for what would you do?" His response was, "I would cancel HBO and SHOWTIME". I said fine. Do that…cancel HBO and SHOWTIME. On the morning of November 8^th, 2000 I woke up to no services at all.
5. I contacted Dish Network again asking why I had service completely turned off when they had one year of payment in advance for America’s Top (40) and Chicago Local and why have they been charging me monthly for Chicago Local when this was included on my contract. And why do you charge me for hook up of four receivers? The answer was, "Dish Network does not allow Chicago Local to be paid for in advance (their company policy), and if you do not pay for HBO and SHOWTIME than you just loose all programming. That’s how it works."
6. Just prior to my contact with Dish Network after I was shut down completely; the advice I received from a tech....one of Dish Network employees....said, "Sell the systems to someone else and than give us the money". They got their money, and so did Advanced Cable. The people that are out on a limb are Franklin Capital and I. I would NEVER sell a system to someone knowing that it never functioned for me.

For the person that claims to be an employee of Dish Network my email address is pselzer@netnitco.net

I am a truck driver!

As a driver, I occasionally find myself stuck at some place waiting for a load... or to unload, etc.

It also helps to be able to keep up with what is going on in the home area (i.e. local channels!)

Solution (well supposedly!) buy a dish system for the truck. Especially since Congress passed a law quite some time ago "requiring" dish satellite providers to provide local channel service to truck drivers and RV'ers.

I bought the system, got the basic programming, ran into "dish's" typical "policy" bullshit! "You need to fill out this form... it will take 5 or 6 weeks to process."

That was over 7 months ago.

As others have stated, POOR/NON-EXISTANT CUSTOMER SERVICE. ...won't return calls, ignore letters, etc.

Wrote letter to "Charlie".  Intercepted by incompetent lying jerks who turned off my service.

I filed a complaint with my State Atty. General who already is conducting an investigation for fraud. Also filed complaints with FCC and Denver BBB (Better Business Bureau) - Found out that BBB record indicates "a much greater than average complaint record for a business in this industry!" (Gee, I wonder why).

Have also contacted Senator and Congressman to induce federal investigations into DISH and to review the possibility of revoking license to transmit for failing to operate in the public interest (as all FCC licensees are required to do and sign a "contract" (i.e. that assigned license) stating that they will abide by all laws and regulations.)  Oh Shit!

P.S. I solved my little situation by finding a friend who has the same package I had, bought a new receiver and now get everything plus the locals for $5 and am saving $35 a month in the process. Yes, it will take 2 months to pay for the new receiver... oh well.

Fuck Dish Network and its incompetents!
 

John P

Although I have a VERY sad Dish story to tell, I nevertheless am writing to direct you to the following link. It's a story that I feel quite accurately depicts why Dish Network is Rotten from the bottom, all the way to the top!

Please help me by posting this link to every complaint and/or customer site you see!

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1002,180%7E116616,00.html

Thank you for your GREAT site! Did you ever get proper resolve for your problem? While I have yet to from two years back now, I'll at least feel better knowing someone like me got some justice!

Regards,
Rhonda
 

Dish Network shipped a software upgrade to my model 2000 receiver which cause 90% of my channel availability to disappear. When I contacted their customer service desk, they indicated they've been having some problems with this, gave me some things to try, and told me to call back. After six calls, they now indicate the chip in my receiver will no longer receive software upgrades.

Thanks very much for your support.
Diane

I received a free dish and installation certificate for Dish Network through a family member and upon redeeming the certificate, my nightmares began. I set up the installation but the installer called stating he would not make it that night and we'd have to reschedule. When I called to reschedule, the next available date was two weeks later. I was not thrilled, but took it. (What happens to being next in line???) We waited and the installer this time did not call or show up. I called to find out what was going on and I was told they were out of equipment and could reschedule for another two weeks date. This happened six more times in a row leaving someone waiting at my home for the installer to show up which is required at the time of installation. We lost work time and pay for some of these dates. I phoned the company more than fifteen times with complaints which were taken down for record and they told me I would receive compensation for my trouble and that they would type that into the record. When I received my billing statements, I did not receive what had been promised to me which was three months of their top 50 programming and one month of HBO. They could only find one month of free programming. Not only did I receive the run around about rescheduling, they claimed they could not connect me with a supervisor. When the dish finally, after three months, the dish was hooked up, only to have not been locked in properly or secured to my home properly. An additional installer had to repair the original installation. When I emailed the company, they told me that since I had already received the free dish and installation ($199) that they felt I was compensated enough with the one month of free programming and HBO. With the remoteness of the area we live in, we really would like the services a satellite provides, but not from Dish Network!!!

Thanks very much for your support.
Angela

Dish Network has just been sent an e-mail message letting them know that you have seen this page.

Thanks very much for your support.
Allyn
 

Monica of Turlock CA writes (8/15/01):
We purchased a one-year contract to have a dish and receivers installed. we were told that we had 30 day to change our mind and disconnect service with only the initial $49.99 that we had already paid. The technician no-showed four times before performing the work. We immediately disliked the service and called after six days. Customer service said the cancellation window is actually only three days and we could pay a $240 cancellation fee or be stuck with the service for one year.

We hate the service and don't want it. However, we don't feel we should be responsible for that fee. To make matters worse, our receiver works less than 12 hours per day and we have lost all access to our local channels. I can't take more time off work to wait for a technician who may or may not show up and I don't feel that I should have to. The only way I will schedule an appointment with them is if it is to disconnect and remove all equipment with no penalty.

I have missed time from work two days for installation appointments that were not kept. I then was up and waiting at 8am on a Saturday and Sunday with no show technician. We were finally called back at 11am on Sunday to say the technician was just getting out of bed and would be here in an hour. We have no tv more than half of every day and have had no response to six e-mails. I have spent literally hours on the phone and have gotten no help.

April of Pomona CA (8/10/01):
I ordered Dish on a promotional deal where I would receive two receivers and free installation if I sign up for a year of service. After the orginial installer came he was unable to correctly install the equipment, due to one of the receivers not working properly. I should have re-evaluate the whole idea of this contract, but against better judgement I gave Dish a second chance.

The company then sent out a new installer and he did a wonderful job everything worked well at least for a couple of weeks and then while in the middle of watching a moive the tv went blank and error searching for satellite signal came up and it was that way for about 1 hour before I called tech support after doing just about everything possible to get the system from sreach, I received another message that said hard drive error hard drive failure. Tech services told me that I needed to order a new receiver and that could not be done until the next day at which time Dishdirect had computer problems so they took all my information and were to call me back with an answer to what they planned to do that was on Friday. On Monday I called them again and asked what was going on and they told me I would be receiving the new receiver on Tuesday.

Wednesday I received the receiver which I carefully plugged in and put the cables in their proper places turned on the tv and we good to go everything was working wonderful and then much to my surprise a week later if the same thing happened and I remembered some of the things that I did the last time and when I checked to see if the satellite was receiving a signal and it said no satellite feed detected. I called Dish tv tech support again and the gentleman that helped me said he was going to have a tech come out to service my system and to see what was going on.

The service call was sent up for Thurday between 12 and 5 at 4:30 we received a call from the tech people and they said they were on their way and would be there in 30 minutes. At 8:45pm I received a call from the same tech people who stated they were in West Covina and would be about a 45 minute wait for them to be there. The tech never showed up but called Dish tv and said they had handled it over the phone.

Now I have to wait until Sunday to have a tech sent to my home; in the meantime I asked Dish if because of all the problems I have had and due to them not providing me with the service I agreed to pay for could they cancel my year obligation. They said sure for a charge of $240.00, because I signed an agreement for a year service. Please save your self from all this and buy a direct TV system or stay with your cable provider because sometimes cable is a pain at least they only charge you for the service that they provide.

Keith of Camden, SC, writes (5/30/01):
When our family purchased the Dish Network satillite system, we paid approximately $200.00 for the system. We were told that that money would be refunded to us after the first month's bill was paid. We had that system for about six months. We contacted them numerous times about our refund and each time we talked to someone who said the check would be sent out within six to eight weeks. After five tries to get our refund, we cancelled our service with them.

Companies should not advertise things that they don't intend on following through with.

Nescia of Westerly, RI, writes (5/17/01):
We have the original Dish 100 satellite. They are claiming that it will soon be obsolete and only the new 500 dish system will work. However, even though they claim that the new "500 channels" can only be obtained by the new dish in March they gave you a free preview of some of the channels only on the new dish. If the satellite is the actual equipment that has to (according to them) be installed then how were they able to send the signal with the dish 100? All they do is flip a switch. Also channels that used to be part of the dish 100 spanish package are now only available on the 500 system and we were told the only reason we are still receiving and paying for the smaller spanish package is as a courtesy. However, if we were to cancel the "courtesy spanish 100" package we would not be able to get it again unless we purchased the dish 500. How can they get away with these business practices?

Hate to say it, but we don't see what's wrong with this. The "500" package is a premium package that will offer more than the old "100" package. Those who don't upgrade don't get the upgrades.

Gregory of Stuart, FL, writes (4/30/01):
I cancelled my service within the prescribed time period (they agree also to this). However even after faxing them a copy of the reciept that the installer/dealer in my city has picked up the equipment and after the dealer himself has called Dish Network, they still refuse to credit my account for the $395 equiptment charge and state that according to their records it has not been returned to the dealer. They also owe me for one month of advance service which they now suddlenly say is not refundable in any case. After numerous calls and being berated and hung up on I am at a loss as to what to do.

Arvind of Mountain View, CA (4/27/01):
A few days ago, I decided to try the Dish Network at home and so placed call to the 800 number to order a Dish System. The sales representative went over every detail except for telling me that if the installer does not find a direct line of sight from my apartment to the satellite I will have to pay a $60.00 trip fee. Later my call was transferred to another representative who confirmed every detail of my order without telling me about the line of sight requirement. He even told me that if at the time the installer did not find anyone at home, I would be responsible for the trip fee, but that is all that he mentioned about the trip fee to me.

When the installer showed up at my place, I showed him in and let him inspect the apartment. After inspecting for a few minutes, he silently pulled out a sheet of paper and asked me to sign it. I quickly went over the paper and saw that there were around twenty or so terms and conditions that I had to agree to in order that the installer can start the installation. What did not catch my attention was an item buried deep within which said "If the installer does not find a direct line of sight with the satellite, you will be responsible for a $60.00 trip fee".

I signed this paper assuming this was a regular formality that every one has to go through before the installation can begin. As soon as I signed it, the installer highlighted that particular item and told me that since there is no line of sight, I should pay up so that he can leave. I was not expecting this and so was shocked. I tried to rationalize with him that its not my fault and I was never told of this at all. At least the installer was nice enough to say that I don't need to pay him directly and I should actually talk with the Dish Network people and ask them to waive this charge considering that I was not told of this requirement.

The following day, I contacted the Dish Network customer service and explained the whole situation. However, I was told that since its a big organization and the system does not keep a track of who actually sells the equipment and who confirms the order, therefore there is no way that this representative could ever find out if there was any truth in my story. I was very disappointed by this response. Further, I sent an email to the customer service and another representative responded that after checking the system he found out that the line of sight disclosure was made and I had agreed to bearing the $60.00 cost if the line of sight was not there. I have sent another mail to them saying that I do not owe any money to them and I would take the matter up with authorities if necessary.

Just to give you a quick background about the line of sight requirement - it states that from the place where you intend the dish antenna to be, you should be able to see the south-west sky clearly so that the dish may be pointed to the satellite in that area. Had the representative told me this over the phone before I placed the order - I would have immediately cancelled the order since I know that from the patio of the apartment I live in you can't see the south-west sky at all. My complaint is that such a simple thing ought to be the first thing that these sales people should check before the potential customer can place an order. That way I would have clearly avoided this charge.

Mike of Irmo, SC, writes (4/15/01):
I had a year subscription to dish network put on my credit card. When the time came to cancel, I called to cancel they said it was okay, I left the country for a month and when I retuned I found bills and phone calls trying to collect an amount of 98 dollars which they have started to report to credit agencies. I've called and written to no avail

I've now been denied credit, harrasing phone calls from ignorant telecollectors.

Jan of Summers, AR (4/27/01):
We were wrongfully charged for numerous XXX movies that we did not watch. They say someone must have broken into our home and done this. I have dealt with them on the phone for hours on end, have emailed numerous officials and I have hand-written the CEO but have heard nothing. I am sick of it and have switched to DirecTV.

Gary of Irmo, SC, writes:My wife and I ordered a satellite system through Dish Network Systems. The next day a representative for Dish Network showed up at our home to install the system. After installing he informed us about the rebate program, and said that a check would be sent to us in 4 to 6 weeks. This would basically offset the $200 that we paid for the installation.

My main concern was receiving the local channels. The representative told us that the locals would be available within 90 days. This never happened… I called back and spoke with the customer service department and they instructed me to file a waiver to receive the locals. The waiver was turned down a few days later.

After numerous calls back to Dish Network, I cancelled the service. I told the supervisor that Dish Network did not honor what they had told us at the beginning, and that we shouldn't have to pay for aborting the service. He said that he would look into the matter and get back with us. Now it is 3 months later, and a bill arrives in the mail from Dish Network for $240. I called back and they said that this was a charge for breaking the contract.

Well the rebate check was only $199. They claim that there is a $41 charge buried in the long contract as well. I feel like we were misinformed at the beginning about the local channels and the penalties. Beware of the underhanded hidden secrets of Dish Network.

If that's what the contract says, then Gary is out $41. The waiver, by the way, is no longer required, Congress having removed this ridiculous provision from the laws governing satellite TV.

Stephen of Fayetteville, AR, writes:
I ordered DISH NETWORK service 6 weeks ago after being convinced by ads that it was a better option than my cable. A week after we connected, our installer returned (he was booked prior to that time) to install a small antenna (for a fee) for local channel reception. That didn't work. We're in an area that should have good reception (according to our installer), but for whatever reason, we were unable to get local channels.

I wanted him to take the dish off the roof and to go back to cable right there and then. He encouraged us to call you to discuss our options, explaining that the pros of dish far outweighed the small inconvenience, and that your company would definitely be able to help. My first inclination was to cancel the service and go back to cable, where we knew we could get network channels, but the helpful and friendly customer service representative suggested we apply for a waiver which would take 30 to 45 days and we would be notified. We decided to give that a try. The call never came.

So my wife called 28 days after installation to check on the status. The customer service representative told her something about being denied in court, and that we would have to continue to wait, but not much longer, and that we would be notified the minute the waivers came through. My wife indicated to me that it sounded positive, that we were 'almost approved'. I finally gave up waiting for the call today, and after 10 solid minutes on the phone re-explaining my situation I was told that the only waiver received to date was NBC and that we were unlikely to get the waiver unless we approached the local stations ourselves. This is a complete contradication from what was originally explained to us.

I explained that I wanted to cancel, and was given a totally different number to call. I did this, and remained on hold for another 8 minutes. A very unhelpful and unfriendly customer service representative basically told me that there would be a chargeback of $245. He could not help me any further. I asked to speak to his supervisor. All I could get out of his supervisor - Chris - Operator # 55F was that no he couldn't help me, and no, I could not talk to his supervisor.

I am extremely disappointed in the inconsistent level of service your company has given me thus far. I have no problem paying for programming used thus far, but there is NO WAY your company is going to trick and cheat me out of $245, simply for believing and trusting your representatives. I feel like I have been cheated, lied to, misled and tricked into remaining a customer. I wonder how many other people this has happened to?

Susanne of Angelica, NY, writes:
On 09/08/00 we signed up to get a new small dish with DISH Network. At that time we paid for a year's programming. The charge was placed on my credit card n the amount of $469.63. On 09/18/00 an installer from DBI of Sodus, NY came and installed the equipment. He claimed that he could not get a full-strength signal because of a tree limb obstructing the satellite. He told me to cut down the limb and the signal would be fine. He left. I climbed my ladder and removed the limb from the tree. The signal did not improve.

We called DISH Network and they sent a second installer out on 09/25/00. He apparently worked for DISH Network as the logos on his uniform and vehicle were that of DISH Network. He worked all day and could not get a decent signal. We asked what we should do and he said to call DISH Network and get a return authorization number to return the equipment. We did that and after several lengthy discussions, were finally given the return number. I returned the equipment on 09/28/00 via UPS.

Early in October we called about not getting our refund. we were told that they hadn't received the equipment back. We waited a week and called about the refund. This time the operator Eswaldo ID# UCO on 10/14/00 who told me there was a mistake in the submission of the refund request and that it would be resubmitted. On 10/28/00 Jesus said the request was denied and had me wait while he spoke to his supervisor. When he came back on the line he said the entire amount was being resubmitted for a full refund. It would take about 2 weeks to process.

On 11/09/00 we received a check in the mail in the amount of $251.81. We called to ask why we were only getting $251.81 and spoke to Lee. After explaining the situation for the umpteenth time, Lee said that the accounting department decided that that was the amount we should receive. Lee was asked to transfer the call to his supervisor and he replied that he could not connect me to any supervisors. I asked to be connected to the accounting department and Lee said he could not not do that. I then asked "do I have to get an attorney to resolve this" and Lee replied "Now that you have mentioned getting an attorney, I can no longer speak with you" and he hung up.

Angelica should bundle up her records and head to Small Claims Court. She won't need an attorney there.

Michael of Ft. Myers, FL, writes:
On March 17, 2000, DISH Network, a subsidary of EchoStar charged my Master Card account $99.95 for services that I had never ordered nor knew nothing about. I contacted EchoStar on four different occasions. (Twice by phone, once by fax and once by email.) The first time I was told that I had not been charged. I then sent a fax showing that they had indeed charged my account. I was told that I would be contacted within 48 hours. Nothing happened.

The next time on the phone I was told that they had posted someone else's account to my credit card by mistake and Jennifer B would contact me that day to correct the situation. No one called.

I then emailed Ms H-C (VP of Customer Service) the situation and asked for correction and notification. Neither happened. In my case this should work out as I have notified my credit card company to remove this charge and I'm sure they eventually will, as this company will have no authorization from me for this charge.

My concern, however, is that maybe this company is doing this on a larger scale than just me hoping that not everybody will catch the charge. DISH Network appears to be a pyramid sales operation to sell dishes and service for TV reception. The credit card that I was charged on has only been used in the past three months to pay for my monthly CompuServe internet service.

To Whom It May Concern:

When we purchased a Dish from Dish Network, We told them that we did not want to place the dish on the roof of the home as we were trying to sell the home. We were told that "the dish would remain with the home, we would receive a new one, It would be better to place it on the roof ". OK!! We sold the home a couple of months later and asked for the dish mover and were informed that we had to wait for our year's contract to end to get the dish mover. We were treated rudely, but we had signed up for a year, so we let it go, took the dish off the roof and had them do a new hook up at the new location. Now our year is up and we have again relocated:

Hello,
I have been a member of dish network since last September. My name is Dan from Arcadia

1) After not showing up the first two scheduled times, DISH network sends out two cholos.  They don't apologize for stiffing me the first two times.  The one cholo started drilling a hole in my wall, and then his battery ran out on his drill before he could finish the hole. He asked me if I had a drill or if I had a neighbor that did.  I told him NO DAMNIT!  He said I could wait another 3 days and they would come out and fix it.  No god damn drill and that is there job all day long!  Well I want my satellite, so I say "hey rig it through my window today and fix it on Saturday".  They agreed to that , and even had me call in the dispatcher to verify that.  Again, they failed to show up that day they promised.  I called up, and they gave me the HBO package for free for a month.  It took a whole month later for them to come in and properly install my dish.  I made sure those damn cholos didn't come back though.

2)Their website is inconsistent, and might be a security risk.  I paid one time with my CC, and they billed me twice.  I paid on another occasion, and it didn't even register with them. 

3)They charge out the nose for local channels.  Direct TV now includes them for free.  I know they have merged, so why do DISH customers have to pay $7 for locals including WB and UPN.

=====
It's true, it's true!!!

Hello... I looked over the opening paragraph on your web site. I am proud to say though, that I am an EX employee of EchoHELL aka Dish Network. I had a system with them, the stupid thing didn't even recieve signal, it was brand new! 5 recievers later I finally got one that worked ( for 9 months) It doesn't matter how much money you spend per month or what reason you give them, plainly the head of the company has NO CLUE on what the hell he is talking about, and enjoys screwing over the customers. If you have ever watched a "Charlie Chat" on chnl. 100 the stupid ass doesn't even know what the hell he is talking about all he says is "um" and "i don't know, does anyone know?" ( It's too bad that the employees have to listen to Soraya Cartwright, which is the head of customer service, she's just as dumb. and she makes up all the rules regarding customer care.) Most of the employees at dish network hate the company as much as the customers... when i had dish, being a loyal employee and paying $27.00 a month JUST FOR HBO, they accused me of trying to "munipulate the account"! I think i was the one getting the shaft, paying as much as i did for the stupid, useless channels.
    And just a FYI... If you have a hard time getting through or trying to have a communicable conversation with one of the CSRs.... Good luck now!!! They are moving the jobs out of the country. (Meanwhile, service is only being provided in the US, go figure...)
Thanks,

On April 12, 2000, I purchashed a satellite with the promise of a rebate in 6 weeks. To date ( August 14, 2000) I have yet to receive my rebate. I have called them numerous times and listened to their sorry excuses. The check is in the mail is what I am always promised. I recently learned that it was lost, or claimed to be and I had to wait another 6 weeks for the rebate.

Also, I gave my credit card intially for the set up. Last month, my account was charged $8.48. I called to complain and was told my account would be credited. This month my credit card was charged $59.95! I called again to complain and the representative confirmed I was not enrolled in the direct payment plan. She then gave me a fax number and an email address to complain. She claimed she had no telephone number to provide me with. I emailed customer care and received no response.

It looks as if I am going to be forced to cancel my credit card and have to start a small claims action to receive the rebate. The fee for small claims and the amount of time I will have to take off from work will exceed the rebate, but, what am I to do?
 

Customer from Palestine, IL

I had an "Installation" after having been off Dish for a while, where
the guy couldn't figure out how to get both receivers working.
I finally took care of it myself.
Meanwhile, I set up the account to be debited from a credit card, and
received billing saying "DO NOT PAY".
So, I didn't pay, as it was to be billed on CC.
I came home from a weekend away, and my service was off.
When I called, I got a snotty response that I hadn't paid my bill!
I could NOT get them to understand it was an auto-debit (and THEIR
records & billing said so!!!)
Anyhow, I finally told them to stick it, and canceled the Dish Network.
A month later, I had bad phone problems......no service on both lines 
to
the house, etc.
Ameritech came over, and in 20 minutes (and almost $100 service call),
said the problem was caused by the phone line Dish Network ran for the
satellite....completely their fault (they even wrote that on my 
billing)

I contacted Dish, and, of course they refuse to do anything about it.
DISH NETWORK SUCKS!!!!
NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!
By the way, they keep calling me to sell me their service, even though
I've told them to never call again, and put me on the "do not call"
list.
IDIOTS!

Jimmy

Okay I got a dish in July 2001. When my year was up I decided to 
cancel. They told me a box would come for the receivers and remotes. But when I get 
the box there's something else I have to return the LNBF's From on top of 
the roof of my house. Now I am disabled and I can not go up on the roof. The CSR 
told me that if I didn't get the LNBF's down they were going charge 
me$150.00. And if I had to have someone to come out and take it down it would cost me. 
Now I don't have a ladder and I can't get up on my roof. They never told me 
before that I had to go on the roof and remove the dish LNBF's myself. In fact 
they told me I didn't have to even touch the dish. So what was the extra 
$10.00 for each month on my bill it was a service plan fee or was it just a 
extra ten for someone's pocket.

Anthony

My 16 year old daughter used her own money to update our dish so she 
could get soapnet. It cost her $100.00 ever since we got the new dish our
reception is terrible it goes out more than it is on. It seems like 
some days every 5 seconds the picture is gone.  They don't care one bit. We 
paid $1700. for our original equipment and have paid $90.00 a month for 6 
years for the programming. They are willing to give new customers free 
equipment and up to 4 receivers for free. They want to charge me $200.00 for 
another receiver. I have two and need one more.  We all need to unite and tell 
our Government not to let Direct T.V and Dishnet merge. If you think it is 
bad now wait till then.  We are going to switch to Direct T.V. but we need 
to organize against this merger.

Trincy and George

Hi,

I ran across your website after searching for evidence
of Dishnetwork consumer fraud.  I'm in the middle of a
hellish experience with this company, and I'd like to
offer some tips to anyone whose been defrauded by this
company.

My experience began after I saw a commercial, which
advertised Dish Network for only $10.99 a month, with
no equipment to buy and free installation.  I called
the retailer, who confirmed the deal.  However, they
told me that I would initially be charged $210, but
that that I would receive a rebate check every month.
By the year's end, the full $210 was to be rebated to
me, so essentially the cost of the equipment would be
returned to me and I would pay only $10.99 a month for
a basic service package.

After having the service connected, I received the
bill and was completely taken aback by the amount I
was being charged.  I called the network, and was told
that they did not offer the deal I had signed up for.
So, I was to be paying the $210 for the equipment plus
$28 a month for service.

I have spent hours and hours on the phone with this
company, and I think at this point I have it somewhat
resolved.  I called and cancelled the service and I am
in the process of trying to get my money back from the
retailer.  If they won't return my money voluntarily,
this will probably go to small claims court.

So, my advise:

1.  Don't get frustrated and give up when call the
Dish Network.  They will put you on hold for long
periods of time, transfer you repeatedly, and pretend
that there are no supervisors available.  Keep
Calling! They will probably begin to record your
calls, so try to remain calm and professional.  The
rep your talking to will pause after you ask a
question; this is because they are asking a supervisor
to tell them how to reply. This is actually laugh out
loud funny if you think about it.  I mean, if they are
as right as they think they are, why do they have to
orchestrate every respone they give.
(ME: Your recording this call, aren't you? 
THEM: um,,,yes...
ME: And you have to ask somebody what to say?
THEM:  Um...yes...
ME: Well that's something.  The funny thing is, I
don't have to make up some story or lie each time.  My
story will never change!)

2. If it is within 30 days of signing up, CANCEL THE
SERVICE!  They will try to tell you that there is a
$240 disconnect fee, but if your within this 30 day
time frame, they are required to disconnect you at no
charge.  Make sure they tell you specifically there is
no charge, and be sure to take the reps name and the
reference number for your complaint. 

3.  When you are trying to cancel the service, they
may try to offer you two free months of service.  DO
NOT ACCEPT THIS OFFER!  It is an attemt to make you
extend your service beyond the 30 days, therefore
making you liable for the $240 disconnect fee when you
do try to cancel again.

4.  The most important thing of all really, is to call
the Federal Trade Commision and file a complaint.  The
number is 877-FTC-HELP (382-4357)and the number is
toll-free.  They will take down your complaint and
your personal information.  You will then be given a
reference number.  The FTC does this in order to track
patterns of abuse by a company.  If enough complaints
are received, they will investigate and may eventually
initiate litigation of behalf of consumers.  Since you
have a complaint on record, if there is ever a
settlement on this matter, you will be contacted and
may receive part of the cash settlement.

5.  It is also a good idea to call your local Better
Business Bureau and State Attorney General's Office. 

Dish Network is already being investigated by 10
states, and I feel strongly that a class action suit
will be occuring soon.  There's just simply too many
people with too many similar complaints for this to go
ignored.  So, voice your complaint.  Make sure it is
on record.

Thanks,

Kendra
 

1998 December - bought satty system from Dish Network distributor in Jacksonville, FL. System worked well under normal weather conditions: clear skies. 2001 March - system worked well until screen began to "blink", even during clear skies. Called Dish Network tech dept. They just told me the to do basic troubleshooting stuff listed in the owners'guide that I already read/performed with no positive results.

2001 December - problems got worse and no one in the Tech dept is corageous enough to actually tell me what is going on with the system. Made numerous calls. Most times the person in the Tech dept was actually a part-time high school girl reading to me the owners guide troubleshooting stuff. Nice....!

Late December 2001 - Finally one of the guys in trhe Tech Dept actually told me what was wrong with the system. This guy knew his stuff and I think he is the one in charge of a tech dept that is composed of rookies, bozos, high-schoolers, etc. 2002 January - After a hot/long battle over the phone with the Customer Service of Dish Network agreed, upon my hot request, to end my services.

I subcribed to cable. 2002 March - I left for a 7-months business trip to Europe. Believed-or-not: These guys (Dish Network) did not ternminate the satty services, send the bill (fraudulent) over to a collection agency, and the worse: damaged my credit record with a totally fraudulent bill.

2002 October - I contacted Dish Network and they totally denied any knowledge of my numerous calls to their tech dept/Customer Service. Of course, they are crocks and practice these fraudulent/coercive tacticts DAY and NIGHT. They got a 24-hrs ripoff system established.
Summary: Dish Network will lie/deceive you all about their services. Their tech dept is poor.

The management instructed them, tech dept, to tell customers anything but the real problems associated with the systems just because of their fear to lost the account. I am just a simple American citizen, victim of these moguls; but one of this days THEY will experience some kind of justice up in their.....

We're sitting here, watching the latest episode of the Sopranos on a Sunday night. We wait all week for this, pathetic I know, but we lead busy busy lives during the week and this is our one night to sit at home and watch a show we enjoy.

Of course, Fucking Dish Network, has to loose the satellite signal SEVERAL times during the show. ALWAYS at important times. We are pissed. But what can we do, as Soprano fans?!? Too bad for us, I guess. Dish Network doesn¹t care!

Dish Network SUCKS!
 

Hi ;-)

My story seems to be a little different then the ones I have read so far. I called Dish Network for installation in July of 2002. I had two young men who spoke broken English come out to the house to install the equipment. There were there for several hours and to make a long story short, they drilled through the capping in my window, damaging the house, because they told me that they did not have the proper equipment to drill though masonry. I live in Philadelphia, that's all we have around here. Anyway we demanded a supervisor, who came out eventually and I think was their father. He did not want me to listen to anyone. He wanted to give me a free cable box for the upstairs if we would just forget about the whole thing. not. The woman who lived in my house prior to me had cable by the way and these installers were too stupid to use the previously drilled holes. Anyway, they put the dish on the front of the house and did not have a cable long enough to run into the hole that they decided to use. They spliced the cable on the outside and put a connector in. This connector gets water in it and poof goes the cable. This has happened four times in five months. This most recent time they told us that we only had a ninety day warranty instead of the year warranty that we were originally promised. And because the dipshit installers gave us no contract we have no proof of that original agreement. Anyway, they said it would be 120.00 for them to repair the box. Which is only damaged because they refused to do their job correctly the first time. I HATE dish network and I cannot wait until July when I can get rid of the service.

I AM SO HAPPY TO FIND YOU! I hate my crappy dish. I have had it for 2 months and have had someone out reapiring it no less than FIVE times. That's five days off work and at LEAST 2 hours on the phone 'switching out' faulty recievers. Now, they have apparently charged my credit card for a monthly payment of $50.42. I never authorized them to do this and pay by check only. When I emailed them about this, they said their records showed a $50.00 'activation' fee. I wrote back and said, no, I was charged AND I have a cancelled check. Their reply was basically 'Oh, uh, yeah, we f'd up.' I am SCARED for the next 10 months I am locked into this crappy contract and if I won the lottery my first endeavor would be to buy out my contract and make pinatas out of dish network's dysfunctional equipment!! ... EMAIL TO CUSTOMER SERVICE "Just found the greatest website. Called "DishNetwork Sucks" So. Give me the skinny. What do I need to pay to get out of my contract? I'll pay the $200 or whatever. I am over you people. You are a frightening bunch. I would rather be free. But be warned, I will not be extorted like the other poor people you have victimized. What do I have to do? Send me the boxes. "

Here's my Dish Network story - I signed up for DN and kept it for a
year.
Then I moved.  I called DN to have it disconnected.  They came and
disconnected it.  I wrote please cancel on my bill.  They kept charging
me!
I wrote a letter back each time.  My bill kept getting larger and
larger.
They called me daily and I explained each time what had happened.  They
told
me they would reduce my bill to $50.00 if I paid it with my credit card
over
the phone.  I didn't owe them $50.00!   They put me in Collections. 
Now, I
am refinancing my house and I can't get a good rate cuz DN has me in
collections.  AND they never even sent me a notice!  So now what do I
do?

Judi

Palo Alto, California

To whom it may concern:

Please help me to resolve an issue with dish network.
(PHONE: 1-800-333-3474(DISH))

I subscribed the satellite Di$h.
The promotional contract is that I have to subscribe
it for one year.
Somehow I have to move to a new place. This new apt
does not
allow me to install Dish.
I already knew this before moving into a new place.
One easy way is just pay for one year even though I am
not
using DI$H anymore.
My contract ends on July 3rd.
I moved to a new place in early January, 2003.
So, if I pay until that time, then it will cost
all-told (130.00
dollars).

I phoned DI$H for this issue. 
I called dishnetwork.com
I think it was on Jan. 5 mid nigtht (possible Jan 6).
The service operator (id#: 8N4) suggested three
options
(1) Pay until the end of my contract --> roughly
130dollars
(2) Purchase buy-out option  --> 120 dollars.
(3) Pay penalty --> 240 dollars.

I selected option (2).
The difference between (1) and (2) is only $10.
Anyway I can save some money. I decided to take
option(2).

Options (1) has merit. I can move my dish to any
place.
So if I move this to one of my friends', then he can
watch it.
And I am still keeping my contract.
That is what I thought.
But after he suggested option (2), I changed my mind
because I can save $10.

The operator said, this special offer is only today.
So I decided this in a hurry.
He also said this buy-out option should be pruchased
by
credit card since this offer is only today right now.
So I gave my visa credit card number.
At that time, I confirmed  this option is not
de-activation. nor cancellation.
Because if it is deactivation, I might pay some
penalty
to the cable box distributor (mydishnow.com
phone:914-428-8191, Jodie, e-management)

I remember I also asked
"is there no additional penalty if I purchase buy-out
option?"
He clearly said no more penalty.

I thought I am completely free from this contract.


In Feb, I got a bill from Discover card.
The mydishnow.com charged me 330 dollars on Jan 17,
2003.
I called Jodie at 914-428-8191.
She said I broke the contract.
I explaind my situation. I purchased buy-out.
I do not break any contract.
She was harping on the terms and contracts.
I asked how you did know my account was deactivated.
She said, she got to know from Di$h network.
What is my account status?
She said my account is being deactivated.
I said it can not be because I purchased "buy-out".
buy-out and deactivation are different.

She referred me to Di$h network.
I called DI$H again.
Di$h network referred me to that company.
back and forth.....


Please help me resolve this issue.
I am thinkg of reporting this issue to

http://www.ripoffreport.com/

http://www.ripoffrevenge.com/

Does anybody know that these are reliable?
If you know a better way, please let me know.

 

My boyfriend and I were given a Dish Network satellite dish, receiver, 
cables and installation hardware as a Christmas gift in 1999. Excited, we 
promptly installed the equipment and signed up for service under his name.  
About 5 months later, the receiver developed problems, and my boyfriend called 
Dish Network to inquire about repair or replacement.  He called several 
times over the space of a few months and each time was told "It's not our 
problem".  No effort was made by anyone he dealt with to guide him to a solution.  
Eventually we just cancelled the service and lived without television 
for about 8 months(we live up in the hills and options are limited).   I 
need my Sex And The City, however, so we decided to sign up again,  this time 
using my name since I would be paying the bill.  Since we needed a new 
receiver, we signed up for a deal where they "loan" you the equipment and you return 
it if you cancel the service.  As we owned the installed dish and LMBF 
cables, the only new equipment they gave us was the receiver. Things went along 
fairly well for awhile when the new receiver went on the fritz. They replaced 
it with a new high-end model which had Tivo-like functions.  Several 
months later, after various unpleasant run-ins with their customer service 
reps, culminating with a very snotty refusal to waive a "programming 
downgrade" fee( you have to pay them NOT to get programming), I decided I had had 
enough, called DirectTV and signed right up. The following day I called 
Dish Network and cancelled my service, excited to be seeing the back of 
them.  I paid the final bill and thought "good riddance to bad rubbish". Imagine 
my horror when I received another bill from them a month later!  I called 
them and it turned out that while there was a record of my cancellation, 
nobody had actually done anything about it. The service rep assured me they 
would get it done and that I owed nothing.  A few days later a box arrived, 
which we were to use to pack up all the "loaner" equipment in and return it 
to Dish Network(under threat of credit card charges for unreturned equipment). 
Keep in mind that the only loaner equipment we had in our contract was the 
expensive receiver.  The list in the box however, included LMBF cables, 
so I had my boyfriend call Dish Network and explain that we owned the 
cables, and the rep assured him that this was fine, had a supervisor sign off on it 
and told him that all we were responsible for was the receiver.  So we 
packed it up and sent it off.  Tonight I check my credit card account online and 
imagine my shock to see a $39.95 charge from our friends at Dish 
Network!  
I'm starting to feel like I have a stalker....I never know when and 
where they will pop up next!  So I'm a bit furious and I call Dish Network.  
Although I will freely admit I was irate and not fun to deal with, I 
was not abusive, using foul language, or personally attacking the reps. So I 
end up dealing with this supervisor who eventually agrees to reverse the 
charges but starts yelling(I do mean yelling, this is not an exaggeration)at me 
about how he's getting a little pissed off himself because HE'S DOING ME A FAVOR 
and I'm not grateful enough.  So at this point my head is about to explode 
and I ask how he's doing me a favor to not charge me for something they never 
sent me, and he tells me he can't help me if I'm going to be so rude and 
HANGS UP ON ME.  So I call back and get a different supervisor who has a serious 
problem understanding the basic situation regarding our ownership of 
the LMBF cables, and who also argues with me, accuses me of trying to steal from 
them, and says she can't reverse the charges even though another employee, 
whose name and operator number I provided, had told us there would BE NO 
CHARGE.  
She says I have to talk to the original retailer where the cables and 
equipment were purchased, and yells at me some more about how I'm not 
listening to her.  The fact that I returned a $300 receiver and would 
have no godly reason to keep a $39.95 bunch of useless cords doesn't seem to 
cross her mind.  Eventually she puts me on hold.  At this point I am almost 
crying with suppressed rage.  A new person comes on the line, and I swear he 
must be new there because he was actually pleasant and told me that everything would 
be taken care of and the charges reversed.  I really don't have any 
faith that this will happen, but hope springs eternal. Moral of this 
story....don't EVER. EVER. EVER. use Dish Network. They are cruel, abusive, hostile, 
incompetent, and quite frankly, INSANE!  DirectTV rocks and is cheaper 
anyway!

Hello there.

Misery loves company, and I'm glad I found you.

Following are three letters I've written over the 6 years we've had Dish Network. I must say, most of the problems we've had have been with billing. Primarily, that they would assume we would renew our annual contract when in fact I had declined. They continued to bill us and then sent it to a collections agency, who harasses us.  I am incensed that we have no recourse.

We've just signed up for RCN, and all is fine so far. But it is more expensive. And, we paid several hundred dollars to have the cable run in the house. (We were existing Dish customers when we moved and didn't qualify for free installation.)

Good luck straightening out your financial issues with the Dish, ya'll.

Gina

We have had a lot of problems with dish network to start with we had the installation and dish for free certificate. We told the guy when he installed the dish we wanted it on a pole he said he had to put it on the roof. We had the big dish before so what did we know. well he put it on the roof and put a hole in the wiring then every time we got our bill it has been for 2 months of billing. We have had our service shut off a number of times. Every time they say it is paid in full and tack on more charges. we live where there is no cable and the big dish wont fit so we are stuck with this company we have no credit card or checking account i guess that is a good thing the last time they shut us off they said we owed $216.17 and we had to pay that and we had just sent them a money order for $90 and ask if we could pay the balance minus the $90 and they said no that they needed the whole amount before they could turn us back on we sent it. we have 4 kids at home and a TV is a lifesaver at times. so we called the dish network and asked them ok what do we have to pay right now and they said $216.17 + $12.95 we said ok and paid it this is after talking to at least 12 different people and each one telling us something else we tried to sign up for a different company but you have to have a credit card and we dont have one this sucks they have us stuck we have a child that is handy capped and cant be with out TV but dish network sucks big time we are always getting turned off or they are double charging or the service is out and they are having problems with it that is one of the options on the phone now that they are having problems and will fix it as soon as possible i know this may not count because I still have the programming but it is only because we have no other way of watching TV thank you

DEBBIE S

I must start my story by telling everyone who reads this entry to the
website, that I actually have gotten a few responses from a couple of
Directors at the Dish Network Executive Offices and they have resolved
my situation satisfactorily.  I hope they can help you as well.  Dish
Network's Executive Office's phone number is 866-443-5162 and I believe
that they will help you if you call and give them a chance to.  I have
found that The Executive Office is reasonable if you call and are
reasonable with them.  They also seem to be interested in correcting 
the
problems that they have with some of their Customer Service.  The
following is the email that I sent to the Dish Network Corporate email
addresses and they did resolve the problem very quickly.

Wednesday, March 19, 2003

I have been searching the Internet and have found many complaints
online about Dish Network, and there seem to be many similar to my
own.

I was living with a roommate who got Dish Network in her name.  We had
it for a year and fulfilled the contract agreement.  After a year, our
lease was up on our house and we canceled our Dish Network service and
moved to separate places.  Dish Network wanted the 3 receivers back
that
we had with their remotes, and so Carmen (my roommate) told Dish
Network
where to send the boxes so we could ship them back.  Everything with
Dish Network was in my roommate Carmen's name.  She had signed the
contract with Dish Network and knew that we only had 15 days to get
the
receivers back to them.  Whatever the mix-up was, they sent the boxes
to
the wrong location and we did not get them.  I called and gave them a
new address to send the return boxes to.  I did that about 4 days ago
and was told by Dish Network's employee that I should send back the
receivers as soon as I got the boxes and that we would not be charged
for them.  We got the boxes and sent back the receivers yesterday.

Today, when I went to use my debit card, it was declined.  I looked at
my bank account and Dish Network had taken out three withdrawals of
$2.00, $178.68 and another $2.00 from my checking/debit card account.

At approximately 5:30PM Central Time, I called Dish Network at phone
number 800-333-3474 and then hit 0 and asked to speak to billing, but
the Dish Network employee who answered the phone said she would help me
instead.  I explained everything to her and she told me the policies
that she has been taught.  Her answers were not satisfactory and she
could not help me, so I asked to be transferred to billing.  After a
lot
of insistence, I was transferred to an automated payment system and
had
to hit zero to speak to someone.

After I got a real person in Billing, I told her that I was really
pissed with Dish Network and she said she would not speak to me and
was
hanging up and that she did not have to be subjected to that sort of
language.  I told her ok, but I was really upset and in London being
pissed means you are drunk.  She did not think that was funny and hung
up on me.

I called back and got another person, this one was named Tanya.  I
asked to be transferred to billing.  Tanya said that she could help me
and that I did not need to be transferred.  I explained (as calmly as
possible) that I had already worked with someone in sales (the same
number I had called before and the same one I called again) and that I
needed to speak to Billing.  She said that she was in Billing and that
she would speak with me.

I explained everything to her and she said that my Visa debit
card number had been used on Carmen's account to pay some of the
monthly bills.   Because of that, my Visa number was then available for
Dish Network to charge any charges that might be incurred on the
account.  I still could not believe what I was hearing and I explained
that the boxes had been sent to the wrong place and we got new ones and
the receivers were on the way back to them.  We had disconnected our
service on Feb 24th, 2003, but I was not able to get the receivers
mailed out until March 18, 2003 because I had no way to ship them back. 
I was told that Dish Network only gives the customer (account owner) 15
days from the time that
service is canceled by the customer (account owner) to the time that
they (dish Network) receive the receivers before they charge someone
for
all of the equipment.  She kept saying that since I signed the
contract
I should have known that.  I had to keep reminding her that I did not
sign the contract and that the service/account was not in my name.  I
told her that they did not have authorization from me to use my Visa
except for a one time monthly payment and that accessing my account
and
taking money from it was illegal.  Tanya said it was not illegal and
Dish Network could do that if they wanted.  I asked Tanya if that
meant
that any credit card number that may have been used to make a payment
on
any account could at anytime be charged for unpaid balances on that
account, even if the person who owned the credit card was not the
person
who owned the account?  Tanya said yes that would happen if it was the
only way that Dish Network could get payment on that account.  I said,
so if I pay a monthly bill for someone one time on their account using
my credit/debit card, I am then liable for any charges that do not get
paid by the person who opened and is responsible for the account. 
Tanya
said yes that was the case.  I told her that was illegal and that you
cannot just take money out of people's bank accounts and/or charge
their
credit cards without their permission.  She said they did have my
permission because Carmen had used my card to pay on her account.  I
told her that is not correct since I am the only one authorized on
that
credit card and the account at Dish Network belongs to Carmen and not
me.  Also, Carmen did not use my credit card to pay her account;  I
used
my credit card to pay on Carmen's account.  I also reminded Tanya that
we should never have been charged since we had called four days ago
and
gotten assurance that if we sent the receivers in we would not be
charged for them.  Tanya told me that I actually was going to be
charged
continually by Dish Network on my Visa debit card until they had
either
gotten the receivers in the mail, which could be 8 to 10 business
days,
or had taken out $573.53 from my account.  Tanya said the withdrawal
from my account could happen in a day or over a period of time.  Tanya
said that Dish Network would withdraw $2.00 over and over until they
got
all of the money that was owed to them.

I told Tanya that Dish Network was not authorized to withdraw any
money
from any of my accounts or my Visa/Debit card and that I wanted her to
stop it from happening and to figure out what needed to be done to
refund immediately what has already been taken out of my account.  I
also have a $20 fee from a bounced check because of the money being
taken out by Dish Network, and I have the embarrassment that the check
that bounced was written to my employer and we can be terminated if we
bounce a check to our employer.  I may have a fee from my employer and
I
will have to go and explain what happened and hope that I do not lose
my
job over this bounced check.

Tanya said she could not help me and that she told me what would
happen.  I asked her to transfer me to someone who could help me.  She
said everyone would tell me the same thing and that it would not do
any
good.  She and I went back and forth with that same dialog about four
times.  I insisted that I would take my chances and speak with her
supervisor.  I asked her to please explain what I had told her already
to the person that she was transferring me to since I had already had
to
explain it all at least two times.  She said fine and then hung up on
me.

I never was rude or raised my voice to any of the people that I spoke
to at Dish Network; they, in fact, were rude to me and were not
helpful
at all.

I called the Visa hotline number and had my Visa number blocked.  That
was all that I could do at this point since my bank is closed as it is
after 6PM here.  I will now have to get a new Visa card number and
will
have to change all of my automatic payment set ups which will include
phone calls, faxes and mailing.  I also have to go and speak to my
bank
in the morning and have them try and get the money back from Dish
Network.

I am sending this email to the CEO, Vice Presidents and other
Management at Dish Network tonight March 19th, 2003.  I will give them
time to read this email and respond to me by this email address
vicky.farrell@wnco.com by 5PM Central Time on March 20th, 2003. 
After that, I will send copies and fill out reports with the Office of
the Attorney General of Texas, the Federal Trade Commission, The
Better
Business Bureau, the FCC Licensing agency, and all of my Senators and
Congressmen from the State of Texas to request a Federal Investigation.

I have left a message with Steve Novac (Dish Network's General
Counsel)
on his voicemail this evening and I expect him to return my call
sometime before 5PM Central Time on March 20th, 2003.

I Victoria Farrell certify that this is a true statement and an
accurate representation of what has happened to me today March 19th,
2003 in my dealings with Dish Network.  I am signing this document
with
my electronic signature.  If you need anything in writing, please
email
your request to me along with a fax number and I will fax this email
to
you in letterform.

Wow! I wish I had found this site before I signed that contract. Same 
ol'
stuff -  pixled pictures, no service, complete lack of customer 
service,
etc. I'm thinking about driving to their headquarters, throwing their 
piece
of crap dish on the front lawn, and taking a dump on it. That's about 
all
it's good for. I only wish I could get out without shelling out $240 
bucks.
A-holes. If you'd like to know the meaning of complete and utter anger, 
call
Dish and get a Supervisor on the phone. Nuff said. I've written 
consumer
affairs and Dish directly, but so far, no luck. Has anyone had any luck
getting out of this?

John B. Acton

basically its very simple and very logical... i became a dish network customer over 3 yrs ago, was hooked up with the one room sytem, free installation, and all that good stuff (use the term good very lightly here). lately, ive been wanting a second reciever for my bedroom. everywhere i look i see offers for new customers for both dish network and direct tv for a 2 room system, free installation. i called dish and said that i'd like to get a second reciever, they said $99. i said i could just drop them and go with direct tv, who would also be getting my monthly payments from now on, and i wouldnt have to pay $99. very simple logic, im not going to pay for something i can get for free. i gave them 2 more chances after talking to the supervisor and manager of their customer "no"service dept. i got nowhere, so i guess now im hooking up with direct tv. you would think that any smart company would give me the refurbished second reciever i wanted instead of losing my business, but i guess thats why direct tv has many more customers, and im about to be one

I took last Monday off to watch the Cleveland Indians home opener on Foxsportsnet Ohio. And took my suprise to find out it was not on. I called my parents who have cable and the game was on there. I called Dish network and the operator after about 20 minutes of beeing on hold that Fox Sports Net was charging an extra Fee to carry all the games and that of the 150 games that were to be on Dish Network was only going to broad cast 78 of them.

They gave me no advanced warning of this. Cable and Direct TV are showing all the games this year. SO I am leaving Uncle Charlies Comany and reccomeding every else does to. They are going to loose lots of Customers in the Cleveland area too.

Jay E    Loudonville, OH

I'll try to make a "Very Long" story short...

After one very long year of terrible service from Dish Network, I was finally out of my contract period. (Thank God!) Service so terrible that I paid for Cable at the same time through the last six months of my contract. I called to cancel my service and was told I needed to send back my equipment and they would send me pre-paid shipping boxes to do so.

A short time later, I recieved two boxes and began getting the receivers together to send them back. I immediately found that the receivers wouldnt fit in the shipping boxes. I called to inform Dish Network that they sent boxes for the wrong model #'s. I was told to just dispose of the shipping boxes and they would send more. A short time later, I received two more boxes exactly the same as the prior ones they sent. Finally, the third set of boxes were the right ones.

I packed the receivers as if they were my own. Safely and neatly. I taped the "smart cards" (as I've heard them called) on top of the receivers so they would be the first thing that would be found upon opening. I shipped them by way of UPS from my place of employment. Feeling confident that the whole ordeal was over, I forgot about it and went on with my life.

WRONG!!!! 6 months have passed and currently we're trying to refinance our home. Upon running a credit report, our bank informed us that we had a bad debt with Dish Network of $315.00

And the phone calls begin.... 1. Dish Network: "We only received one receiver." 2. Dish Network: "We received both receivers, but, there was only one Smart Card." 3. Dish Network: "We received both receivers and both Smart Cards, but both receivers were inspected and found damaged due to customer negligence. They were both sent to scrap and you need to pay for both of them." I asked what was wrong with them. 4. Dish Network: "We dont know what was wrong with them, when a unit is determined "Scrap" they are thrown into a scrap pile. There's no way of knowing what was wrong with them."

Hello All,

I am speaking as a former employee of Dish Network. You bet they have quality problems. They willfully and with full knowledge ship defective receivers out to customers. Got a hard disk in your receiver. Many will fail numerous times due to hard disk errors. Dish will blame the manufacturer Maxtor or the customer for improper handling but we all know if Charlie Ergen has anything to do with it, it will be done as cheaply as possible whether it works or not. I did not work as a Phone Tech or in Accounting but was in the Engineering department so the info here is good. To me it is no wonder frustrated customers call for support and they get an uncaring an unsympathetic person to deal with. Want to know why? It is because Chuckie runs that company like a sweatshop and with an economy like it is, these folks working for them have no other place to go for work. An added bonus for working for Chuckie is you get paid when he feels like paying you. Had several paychecks and company travel expenditures take weeks to months to be paid, some still not paid more than two years later. Example, how about field travel for Chuckie, Dish denied the fuel expense for the rental car I used while conducting field service to repair a modulator owned by Chuckie in Cleveland as an employee of Dish Network. Their accounting department said the fuel was to expensive at $1.70 a gallon so I was stuck with the gas bill of $23.00 on my credit card. As far as the missing or late paychecks, these were (errrrrr) an accounting error, over and over and over again. Gee, it's not that hard to multiply the wage per hour times the number of hours worked and pay it twice per month. I guess that since his merger with Direct TV fell through, he lost 300 million dollars, so poor Chuckie has to recoup this by screwing regular folks. But hey, how do you think he got to his current net worth of 6 billion dollars. If you rob people with a gun you go to jail for a long time, if you rob people with a business suit, you get rich and your mug on a national magazine for business man of the year. Last but not least, when does the SEC probe these peoples books? I would bet my left nut that they are cooking the books long and hard. Another honest American business. And we wonder why America is going down the toilet.

Signed, Chuckie

it is very simple dish network is showing the same stuff on different channels.. misleading the customers and this is not fair. why should we pay for something over and over again this does not make sense now is the time to bring legal action against dish network

I will be glad when my year contract is up, because I will never re-subscribe! When I called c/s to ask about information about installing equipment approximately 2 years old, I was told about a great deal, in which I could get 3 months free of HBO and Cinema, free equipment, only having to pay for the "shipping" of satellite stuff. I agreed, sounds like a great offer. Well, while setting up the programming, I was informed that the 3 month deal had expired and that I would have to pay $48.99 for two months of HBO and Cinemax, also, that there would be a $4.99 monthly fee for the additional receiver/programming. When initially spoke to the c/s rep. I asked if 33.99 would be the only charge, and she said yes, failing to mention the 4.99 add'l for the other receiver.

My partner was livd trying to convey to the c/s rep. our delimma. Surely it can't be legal for Dish Network to agree to something, and then give us a totally different deal? I mean, after about 40-45 minutes of talking with a "manager,' we finally agreed to 6 months free of Showtime, and 23.00 for two months for HBO and Cinemax, two months of the premium package free. We were amazed at the response from D/N, they didn't seem to see the unfairness, legality? of what happened. Since we had the equipment installed, we are now under contract for one year, can't wait till that is up...

Never again...

I ordered a dish network system in nov 2002 I had trouble with them from the first bill I got they were charging me for xxx rated movies I did not order. I am a single man with just a cat. They told me that I had to order it because they said it came from my receiver. will I asked for the date. when they gave them to me I did my own investagation . either I was working or I was sleeping. there told my someone did it . well someone would have to get thought ADT security. Then to get past the security code on my system. then you have to watch the movies when I sleep ten feet from the TV.

I have had many contacts with dish network with no resolve .

here is my last letter.

Rick McDaniel

Monroeville, IN 46773

TIMOTHY A. LANOIE ECHOSTAR COMMUNICATIONS CORP. 5701 S. SANTA FE DRIVE P.O. BOX 9033 LITTLETON, CO 80120

May 22, 2003

RE: In reply to your letter and complaint # 620037778255909153405789-100140

Dear Mr. Lanoie,

Thank you for the letter that I received from you on May 19, 2003. I see that as far as you are concerned, this matter has been resolved. But this is where you are mistaken. You thought that I would have to take your "offer" to pay half of the pay-per-view bill that you say was ordered through my receiver. First off, I do not pay for things that I do NOT order. Secondly, if your company was so sure that the receiver that I had in my possession, was so fool proof, that it never made an error, why would your company be willing to cut half of the cost?? As you said, your records indicate that it did come from my receiver. As I have tried to explain to you in our previous discussions, is that it is impossible that they were ordered being that I am the only one at this residence and the TV and the receiver were both off on the dates that you have indicated that these movies were ordered. I would like to let you know that I do not rent pay-per-view movies. I asked you if your receiver could be bad and download them automatically, and you said no. I also asked that you replace the receiver just in case, and your response was that it could not be the receiver. Well, if it was not the receiver and it was not me, who else could it be? I asked you if you would come and take your equipment out due to the fact that I was extremely unhappy with the service from day one, and your response to that was that you would have to charge me with the $240.00 fee. This, for a system that I am not satisfied with...for a system that automatically orders pay-per-view movies through my receiver even though the equipment was turned off and I was asleep. Does this seem right to you? What type of customer service do you practice? Or are you more worried about getting people to order your service and them rip them off the whole time they have it? I am sure that I am not the only person that has had this problem with your company. Maybe they thought that they had no other choice but to pay for something that they also did not order, but I have the same choice that the other should have taken. I am working with my lawyer to see if a class action lawsuit is the right way to proceed. I have also sent a copy of this letter to the BBB and to the Federal Trade Commission. And if this is not resolved in a prompt manner, then we can take this to small claims court. For the record, this is not about the money for the pay-per-view movies. This is about your neglectful business practices. Your company may be very large, but your company is not GOD. Your company has made a mistake, and everyone else at your company is under the same impression that you have, that I have to pay for something that I did not order. I will not pay for something that your company has mistakenly billed me for. I want this situation resolved immediately.

Respectfully,

Rick McDaniel

since this letter they have charged me $ 240.00 for the breach of contract. then they charged $ 240.00 to my credit card . I called the card company and disputed the charge. the I did everything I said I would do in my letter. last of all I file against dish network----echostar in small clams court. court date is sept. 30 2003.

thanks RICK

greetings, I am Joseph, ex operator 342 from dish network. I saw your page, and all your stories sound familiar. In customer service one deals with 100 customers who really only want something for free. But the fact is, that each day you deal with at least 2 people who actually have a real problem. Most employees have been trained to treat everybody as if they just want something out of the company. All day, I would deal with outrageous claims, such as hey, you moved the satellite up in space just so that I would be out of service and have to pay for service that I am not receiving. Dish Network's style is that of a tyrant. As a customer service rep, you have only one thing to do. Listen to people and give them as little as possible to shut them up. I don't say this to offend anyone. As a matter of fact, when you get a new system, you're entitled to a 90 day warranty, other conditions apply, depending on your promotion, anyhow, when someone in quality assurance, you know when the recording says "this call may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance" heard me encourage a customer to act on his warranty and have an installer go out there for free to fix his problem. The quality assurance agent stepped out and told my supervisor and manager that he had just heard me cursing at this customer. I was expected to tell the customer to check cables, buy a little time, he was about 2 weeks from having expired warranty, this could buy dish network time so that when warranty runs out, guess what? they charge people $119.00 and I was sick of treating people as if they didn't matter anyway. Sometimes the company makes a mistake and takes money out of your checking account, and sometimes overdraws, and who pays all the fees? You do, according to dish network, it's not their fault that you don't have 100,000 in the bank to cover for their mistakes. The only reason that I'm writing this is, be a consumer, do not loose your head when you're on the phone, call, get an opID ex: mine used to be 342, I don't work there anymore. Then try to be as calm as possible, chain of command

agent- takes your call, first line of defense, be nice to this person and most agents will actually go out of their way to assist you, if something sounds illogical, don't yell, say, "ok, but then why...do not result to verbally abusing the employee, I personally would tell people, ''ok, you're yelling louder, I'm working slower, and sorry if I told one of you that, most of the people who work in the call center I used to work in are actually decent, a little slow, yes unfortunately but decent

supervisor (by law, request a sup twice, and if agent fails to comply, you can take all info name of agent, supervisor, manager and call center location, and you can file law suit)

Manager (these guys rarely interact with customers, they are mostly there to make sure that agents don't put people on hold for more than 2 minutes, that calls don't last any longer than 5-7 minutes)

General Manager (there are several of these for the different depts. tech, sales, billing etc.)

Call Center Director (good luck getting this guy, I never even saw one)

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that, out there some customer got his shit fixed for free, and I lost my job for making it happen, but he's probably bitching to his friends that oh, I had to go one day without my TV. I'm not saying I'm a hero, all I'm saying is that damn, we're all humans and we should all be courteous to one another on the phone. And a lot of the in cooperation from employees really does begin when a customer starts getting loud and doesn't listen to or won't make suggestions to fix the situation.

Word of the wise: if you ever have a really gigantic problem, ask to be transferred to the executive office of soraya cartwright. this department will provide immediate assistance to bad and weird situations....you cannot be denied access to this office, unless you're requesting it for something petty like, "I was supposed to have an installation today, but I ran out to rent a video and when I got home the installer had left a note requesting to reschedule, and the first day available is a day from today, and I'm not about to be without TV for one more day, in that case, you bite the bullet and wait

if dish network takes your money from checking account without permission, and will not provide reasonable answer as to why refund is not possible, then you ask to be connected to EOSC

sorry I took too much space, Joseph

It doesn't matter who I am, I'm real, and I am here

Rather than relate the story that has plagued me continuously for the 
last two-three months, read it for yourself:

http://www.bbrown.info/blogs/bblog/2003_04_27_diamonds.cfm#200229942

Feel free to reprint my complaint email as well as any of the text, but 
please include a link to my site.

Thanks and keep up the good fight!

Bill Brown
http://www.bbrown.info/

Dear John,
I sympathize with the red tape that you received from Dish Network when
they promised that you would receive your local channels when you are 
out
on the road in your commercial truck.  However, the FCC requires only
that RVs, commercial trucks, etc., have access to DNS-Distant Network
Signal-for channels usually in LA, NY, Chicago, etc., and that only 
after
the official paperwork is completed.  They don't REQUIRE your hometown
"local" channels.

You need to fill out a "Mobile Vehicle Affidavit of Intent," which 
should
take approximately 30-45 days to process from the time you send in a 
copy
of your registration, and a copy of your commercial driver's license.  
I
know this seems a little much, but the government requires it.  Seven
months is absolutely too long to wait for something that does not need
approval from local affiliates (such as receiving DNS at your permanent
residence).

I know you're upset with DISH Network (I would be too!!) but in using
your receiver to "mirror" off your friend's account and services, that 
IS
considered theft of signal and is prosecuted as a federal crime in
itself.  Both you AND your friend could be found guilty and face prison
time and fines.

If you are this unhappy with not only their service, but their
programming as well, go to another provider.  

=)

I have been reading this site for quite a while now, mostly because my cable company is getting harder and harder to deal with, so I went an extra mile on my acct & would anyone else to read this if you are looking to sign up for dish network. I have heard all the horror stories. I have seen all the facts and issues. Just a quick story about what I see here. (If you don’t want to read all this, at the minimum, read the final 2 paragraphs)

I got dish network just a few months ago. It is July 2003 now. It works ok, and it has its bad days just like my old Direct TV system had and my parent’s cable has at times. I have had to deal with the long hold times, the misinformation from different people and the quirky stories they all give you when they can’t find an answer. I urge you, URGE you…if you want satellite, and don’t know whether Direct TV or Dish Network is for you, call them both and ask for their customer service legal department. Once connected ask that they mail, email or fax a blank copy of the different contracts for the different promotions they offer. Read through them completely before you make a decision on what company you want and what promotion you want, trust me, it will save you money in the long run and a lot of hassle. If you don’t understand the contract, give the company a call and talk to their customer service legal department again, get the person’s name and their employee number and/or, in Dish Network’s case, OP ID. This is the 3 alpha-numeric ID number that singles out the person that you are talking to. So, once you talk to them, ask them to verify what something means on the contract. However, before they answer, let them know that you will hold them responsible if question that does not end up being the way they explain it and to verify with their supervisor if they are not sure before they say something incorrect….

I know there are many people reading this who are going to hate me when I am done, but please just try to understand and read through it. I did this all with Direct TV as well, and the 2 companies are oddly enough very similar. They refer to things differently, but for the most part, are fairly equal when it comes to promotion policies. I will only list what I found with Dish Network due to the fact that this is a Dish Network Hate site.

I actually called Dish Network (1-800-333-3474) and asked to speak to their customer service legal department. (This was all before I got my system), The person who answered the phone asked me why. I simply told them that I have a question about the new customer promotions and I want to talk to a department that I can hold liable if something goes wrong (**note: when you talk about holding someone liable like that, they usually do not hesitate in getting you over to someone else). So, they got their supervisor on the line who transferred me to a department called: “Office of Soraya Cartrite, Executive Vice President of Dish Network Customer Service” Yes, big name. In any case, I requested from this representative a blank, unsigned contract of the promotions that they offered at the time to be faxed to me so I could make a good judgment on my purchase (after all, I like everyone else, do not have $240.00 floating around to say: “OH YEAH DISH NETWORK, HERE YOU GO!”). All the charges, cancellation fees and credit card debiting are listed on the contracts.

The DHP promotion is the one that I see mostly listed on this complaint site. It basically is the one that so many people are saying they have been charged on their credit card for and if they cancel the acct had been charged erroneously on their credit card. These from what I can see are not erroneous charges. It states in the contract that upon cancellation, the credit card used to set up the account and/or any credit card ever used to make any payments may be charged for non-returned equipment and can be charged automatically the cancellation fee of $240. It also states that the equipment which is to be returned is up to the customer. So basically, as the consumer, I am responsible for returning the equipment. These details are also summarized by saying, under any condition whatsoever…so, if I move, if my bush turns into a tree and blocks my signal, even if I die, my credit card(s) is/are still liable for those charges if I don’t return equipment and/or cancel before my year contract has expired. One thing to take note of on DHP, the number or amount of receivers you activate with. You must maintain that amount for the first year. You can not remove any within that first year and the only way you can add is if you pay for equipment outright. Now after a year of service, they do (currently), offer an upgrade option, installed, delivered, etc…$49.99 per additional receiver, up to 4 DHP receivers on your account. You can have up to 6 on your account, but would have to pay full cost for equipment and install of those final additional 2. Now, under DHP, you do pay a $5/month leasing fee on each receiver. This was explained to me by the legal department as “In-Home Service Plan” which basically means equipment is always under warranty (except for acts of god or if equipment is broken by myself or anyone/anything in or out of my house), but normal failure conditions are covered. If they have to mail me a new part, there is no cost for the part or for shipping, unless I want it overnight mail. Matt in the Legal department also said that this covers Service Calls, which he said are normally $99.00, dropped from their old $119.00 cost. So, I don’t have to pay for broken equipment or if my satellite becomes out of alignment, or whatever. Now, I thought the $5/month was a little high…but when I take into account my old cable service (Comcast, was ATT), they charged me for the digital cable box, they charged me for the REMOTES even on a monthly basis. But, all-in-all, the price for each TV to get programming was about the same with both companies.

The next contract in the package they sent me was the Free Dish Promotion. This is where I own the equipment, so no leasing fees, but there is a one year contract. This one year contract, from what their legal department described, is due to the fact they install equipment which when adding up the time of the Technician, the cost of the equipment and the small cost for their advertising to get to me adds up to nearly $500 for them he says, and in order to protect that investment, they tack on that cancellation fee of $240.00 to insure that they will get a partial return of their cost to acquire me as a customer. OK, this is understandable when thought of. I mean, if I am going to get $500 in stock through a broker and it bombs the next day, I am going to want to hold him responsible if it was his idea to buy that stock, right? Even though you can’t really do this, you would if you could, right? So, through a contract, Dish Network makes this possible. Now, on this promotion, I don’t pay a monthly leasing fee, but do pay an access fee on any additional receivers other than the primary on my account of $4.99/month. I kind of thought this was a bit outrageous as well. Matt in the legal department told me that this can be thought of like this: “You pay for programming one time, for one TV. Rather than charging you multiple times for your programming on each TV, you are only charged an access fee on any additional receivers you have other than the primary.” OK, this sounds reasonable, but I still did not agree with it, because it is in my home, not like I show it to everyone in the neighborhood. He did not have a great answer to this one but said: “Sir, this is an agreement that Dish Network has with the programmers such as TNN, ESPN, TNT, etc…” So, he passed the buck, but in any case, at least I understood there would be that charge, and it was up to me whether I wanted to pay for that additional access to my home entertainment or not. Now, on this promotion, you can only have up to 2 receivers for the promotional cost, anything additional and you basically have to pay a discounted “full-price” for. Which basically means that you would get a discount on the trip that an installer would normally have to charge to come out if let’s say you waited 2 months to add those additional receivers. One other thing, if you only have 1 installed and decide a month down the road to have another one, it is going to cost a full cost to upgrade. It is better to get 2 installed to start with and de-activate the 2nd one, b/c there is nothing in the contract stating you must maintain a minimum of your original # of receivers during the first year. Then you can call back at any time and activate it, and it is ready to go already being installed and everything.

Now, understand I found on DHP and Free Dish the 1 year agreement. Under DHP, you never own the equipment, even after 1 year, you will always be paying those leasing fees, so if you are thinking about that one, just remember that. When you cancel DHP, before or after your contract end date is up, you still need to return the equipment. The receivers, remotes, smartcards and LNBF off of the dish, and it is my (the customer’s) responsibility when that happens to return those items. Nowhere in the contract does it state that Dish Network “MUST” send you a box to return their equipment. Matt said basically that they do it as a favor on our (a customer) and their (Dish Network’s) part because they want their equipment back and I as a customer should not have to pay for shipping on something that I do not own.

On Free Dish, the equipment is yours from the Get-Go, unless of course you return it within the 30 days of activation. Upon completion of your contract, nothing really changes, it is just that you are no longer bound by that contract, you can continue or disconnect with no following issues.

Under both DHP and Free Dish, your subscription is not Automatically-Cancelled after the one year. This also applies if you are paying annually for the programming. Just like anything, if you are paying monthly, they are not going to contact your or ask your if you want to continue service. They are not going to even automatically cancel your account because it is just like going month to month, they don’t correspond with us every monthly cycle to be sure we want to continue or not. I have noticed some people on this site asking about the charges they were charged during an apparent DHP or Free Dish promotion when they account was cancelled or not in service during the first year. This is what Dish Network calls: “Promotional Fulfillment” and it does match the contract they faxed me. It says: “12 consecutive months of service” So, if I am going to avoid the $240 cancellation fee if let’s say for example my account gets disconnected for 2 weeks because I lost my job that month. Well, when I restart, they are going to charge me for minimum service during those 2 weeks to validate my contract and protect me from the $240 fee. Matt said technically they can do this even after the 1 year on DHP accounts because under the DHP agreement, it says while account is under DHP, I must maintain a minimum of their basic package. He says that that is not strongly enforced after the 1-year, but can be if someone wants to do it. Under DHP and Free Dish, Matt said, there is a Credit Check done by using my credit card/debit card and my social security number. Under DHP, there is a $1 hold on the card for 3-30 days and under Free Dish, there is a $99.00 hold for 3-30 days and then I get that back on my credit card. He says that is put on there to be sure that the card is not cancelled within the first 30 days of the account being set up and as part of the credit check to insure they are going to get paid. Which, I guess I can understand being that they are giving me $500 worth of service and equipment when they install it. Now, one thing that I noticed back in February is the prices of Dish Net’s packages went up by $2. I was worried that I would have to pay for any programming increases. He adv me that I am not, under DHP nor Free Dish, price Guaranteed and it does state that in the contract, which I found. So, if I am within my year, I agreed to continue even if they raise my rates. Matt did state though that normally prices for certain packages normally only go up every 2 years in their company, but did state that is not something set in stone or guaranteed that it would be 2 years before it went up again, but has just been the trend since he was there.

The final promotion is the Free For All. This is the promotion for people who are impulse buyers and don’t look at the long 1-year road ahead. This is where I would pay for my equipment and get credits back each month for one year to pay it off. Matt in the legal department told me that one thing the Representatives make mistakes on is they tell the customer how much it is going to be monthly, but forget to check on taxes, and any additional monthly fees like local networks or whatever…So, a one receiver system installed, delivered and set up is $149.00 and I get $12.50 back each month for 12 months. A 2 receiver system installed is $199.00 and I get $17.00 credits back each month for one year. There is no contract on this one, which is why it is good for the impulse buyer. If you cancel before one year, there is no cancellation fee, but you do lose your remaining credits. There is no contract to sign, no service agreement, but Matt faxed me the outline available to him disclosing the details on this promotion.

There were some additional promotions for international customers, but since I am an all American White Boy in the Midwest, I did not find that relevant to me…

Ok, now, if you didn’t read anything else, please read this.

If you are going to set up with any company where you will be bound to a contract. Whether it is Dish Network, Direct TV or Leasing a Car. Ask them to get a blank copy of the contract before you do anything else. If they can not provide one to you, go elsewhere. They are not worth dealing with. It will save you stress and money in the long run. And when you do get one, read it all the way through, every line, take a pencil or highlighter and mark anything you have a question about and call the company & talk to someone who can be held liable in case they provide false information. Get their name and employee ID #. Also, just make a note on your calendar that you spoke to that person on that date at that time. Don’t just jump into anything. If you get a call from a company trying to sell anything, don’t just do it over the phone. Make sure you retain a copy of that contract or option they are describing before you throw yourself into it. If you call to cancel a service, Call back 10 minutes later to be sure what you did was done. These departments where you get transferred to get your account disconnected…they are there to retain customers. Those particular representative’s jobs are based on their ability to retain a customer. If they know they are in the clear, they will say they disconnected you, but really didn’t, just so they can make there customer retention statistics to go up. So, call back and make sure your account was taken care of like you wanted it to be. Do this whenever you make any big changes, if you submit something to the legal department, make sure it was submitted, if you are scheduling an install or service call, call back and make sure it is set up and with the time and date you understood it to be. Don’t trust anyone verbally. Large companies such as Dish Network and Direct TV have thousands of employees. Not all of them are going to be in the loop and you are going to have employee turn over like crazy which means new people on the phone talking to you all the time. Yes, they have their training classes, but don’t believe them when they tell you anything. If you question it, or even if you don’t, at least call back and get the story from someone else, even if it is the same, they will most likely add something that the previous person did not acknowledge. KNOW WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO…not just the person’s name & employee number, but the company they work for and phone # to their company. Matt told me that what happens many times is that retailers call people trying to sell dish network to them, but never disclose that they are a retailer. This causes confusion because me as a customer, I thought I was dealing with Dish Network, when in fact, I was dealing with some random company like Bob’s Satellite or Dish R Us or something…then down the road when I complain about something that went wrong with my install, I know who to talk to and who to call. Also what he said is many times when you see ads on TV; it is actually a local company that sells/installs dish network. If you call someone because of a TV add, make sure you confirm they are or are not who you think you are talking to. And when the installer comes out; this is usually when they have you sign your contract; while they are installing, have your kid or a friend take the thing and make a copy of it at Kinko’s or the grocery store or something. Because if you request that down the road, it can take weeks to get from Dish Network, so better to have it handy if you need it. And if you are like me and not too organized with your paperwork, just store it under the receiver. It is not like you move the receiver every day. Also, keep the installers install receipt under there too, so you can always have proof that he was there that day and did install the system. These small things can help if things get pushed to a courtroom situation. I recommend going directly through any company. Even my cell phone. I did not go to car toys to get my cell phone. I went to Verizon Wireless…mostly because the service company only gives handouts/flyers to retailers to sell the equipment. Dish Network is not required by any law to train their retailers on Dish Network policies and promotional offers, and same is that Retailers are not by law required to know all of the details of what they sell. They send them a flyer or a short packet outlining the new offers and it is up to the retailer to ensure they are giving the correct information, otherwise their sales go sour and they no longer can make money off of selling Dish Network. But, I can not expect a part-time teenager who works at Radio Shack after school getting paid minimum wage to know or even care about Dish Network Promotions. I mean, would you if you were him/her? I know I wouldn’t. I would just be there to make money to take my girlfriend out on the weekends. So, go through the company directly, that way if anything goes wrong with install, you can deal with that company, if any misinformation is given, there is a stronger possibility they can be held liable, if equipment does not work, you don’t have to hear the excuse that you need to go to the retailer because you can deal directly with them.

So, basically, know what you are getting into before you do it. In today’s world $240.00 is a lot of money to a lot of people and it is not something that should just be shrugged off because you do not need to deal with it right now. I know there are issues beyond contracts and fees such as installers, customer service, rude employees, and incompetent employees. That is why you can not trust anyone. Do the work for yourself and make a good decision of whether it is right or wrong for you. I mean, would you set up purchasing a car before you actually saw it or drove it? I know I wouldn’t. Yes, in a perfect world, everyone would have all the same and correct information and nothing would be missed, things would go well, installations would be done properly and all equipment would work. Now, many people think, well cable/satellite, it is just a small menial thing compared to a car…but cable/satellite are held to the same laws as anyone else whether it is just TV or not. Think of it this way…what is the biggest money maker in the US? Entertainment, right? Therefore, TV/cable/satellite has a lot of money floating around since it is all about entertainment and being in nearly 90% of all homes in America, there is a lot more money than you think floating around. That is 90,000,000 homes paying between $30 and $100 per month for pay television. That is a lot of money, and that is a rough estimate. So, when you think about it, think about that and realize that you are dealing with more than buying electronic equipment. Cable companies have had nearly 30 years to make their companies perfect and in many cases have failed. Direct TV has only been around for 10 years and Dish Network has only been around for 8 years. These companies are still young and still learning how to handle their business. Cable had the slow, low-economy to learn. Direct and Dish were thrown in to the pile during the booming 90’s. They filled up with customers faster than they could produce equipment almost. Personally, I am regretting buying the Dish Network, only for the reason that I have come to hate commercials. I now find myself on the internet most of the time. But, my grandmother likes the western channel, so as long as I can keep her happy during her final years…I guess that is what counts.

Mike

~Dish Consumer

I have had Dish Network for 6 days now and already I'm a dish hater... For starters, they told me someone would be at my house on 8-4-03 to install it betwoon 8:00 and 12:00, so I made arrangements for someone to be home. At noon no one had showed up so I called and the Dish person told me "this is Monday." I said, "Yes, I know what day it is, and someone was supposed to be here by noon." Well, they had scheduled it for Tuesday. So that meant taking more time off work to be there the next day. Having always had cable, I was ignorant to satellite. When I turned it on I have no NBC, CBS, ABC, or FOX. So I called Dish and was told they would give me those channels. I asked specifically, IS THERE A CHARGE? And was told no! LIE number 2. I had signed up for the top 100 package because they told me it was free for three months. They did not tell me they were doing a credit check, they did not tell me they were putting a $99 hold on my credit card, which would later disappear. They did tell me that for three months I would have a credit on my statement because they would credit back the $49.99 they charged my credit card. LIE LIE LIE. When I got my first statement it was for $31.76. I called and they lied some more... I told them they could have their dish back. They said of course it would cost $240 to cancel the contract since the 3 day grace period was up. But is it my fault I did not get the bill and discover their lies within the first three days? So after calling about 4 times and talking to supervisors, one person offered to give me a small credit for the local programming for three months only. Did they tell me they would charge me $20 to adjust the bill for $17? NO!!! What can be done about this?? What is being done?? I have already made a complaint to the attorney general's office in my state.

I decided early this year to switch from "C" Band to Dish net work and give it a try, boy, I made a mistake.

Your right, commercials on most channels all night. Some good movies. But My main complaint and maybe someone out there can tell me how this is happening. I am being charged for movies I am not ordering. I or my wife have never ordered PPV movies, especially the nude kind. Some are being charged all at the same time of day, looks like they would have to have multiple receivers to watch all of it. The first time I called them and they seem to understand and removed half of the bill, at that time I put a parental lock on the receiver (it is still on) no one else in the home knows the numbers but me, the next month there is $105.00 worth of charged nude channels, parental lock still in place. So, tell me how this can be if no one in the home is using the remote to access the receiver. I have now unplugged the telephone line from the back of the TV. I called disk net work, they explained that it had to come from my home and receiver, there was not other way it could have happened.

I got so tired of arguing with them, looks like I will have to pay $105.00 for something I did not buy. I have already paid $27.00 for moves that I was charged with that we did not order.

Anyone, tell me how PPV can be ordered with out anyone in the home ordering them. Or, are they doing like the telephone company does some time, put calls on your bill that some one else did not pay for and they can not collect for.

I did tell them that my subscription expires this coming March of 2004, I will be canceling and going back to "C" Band and my large dish.

Help, anyone. 

This about says it all!

Bay Area Credit Service Inc. Thursday, August 21, 2003

50 Airport Parkway, Suite 100

San Jose, California 95110 Account # 8255909570366309

I am in receipt of your notice dated August 18, 2003 and do not concur with the statement that I own Dish Network any monies and I provide the following information as the reason’s which I believe that the amount questioned is not valid.

I contacted Dish Network and addressed the fact that the cable outside of my home was disconnected and pulled away from the building severing the cable line. I asked them to repair their installation and at that time I was told that I had to pay for last two months knowing that I could not have received their service. They refused to repair their inadequate installation and stated that I must first pay for the two months and I refused citing that the service was not available. Considering the fact that I was not well and was under doctor’s cars care for the last 6 months. I was told that I had to pay for one year under their special promotion and that I owed for a additional 6 months of service. Considering the fact that I bought the complete system outright and did not qualify for their promotion package, I requested that they send me proof identifying my signature and authorization for a promotional service I never received and received a blown-up paper of agreement which did not show my authorization nor signature. I checked with a friend whom took their promotion package and he had signed a contract for a one-year service and had the same document in regular form showing his authorization. I received a collection companies notice and responded as I am doing here and never heard form them again until June of 2003 whereas Dish Network charged $ 22.87 on my visa card with no authorization! I notified my credit card company and they removed the unauthorized charges by Dish Network for the amount charged. In July 2003 I received another unauthorized charge to my credit card in the amount of $ 217.13 and again contacted my credit card company and stated that this again was another unauthorized charge to my credit card and finally cancelled both credit cards to stop the unauthorized charges by Dist Network! And now again, you are contacting me with a bill I do not owe and I refuse to pay for services I DID NOT RECEIVE! Under the circumstances if you continue to contact me regarding this issue for something I did not receive or authorize then I shall include your statement in my bankruptcy filling. I have no desire to be hassled for something I never received and considering my medical condition I will seek legal help in eliminating this issue.

Sincerely

Lawrence

Of course, when they want to sign you up for their service, they are kind. But after you are a customer, there are a myriad of fees designed to keep you locked in. Never mind the $240 cancellation fee, or the $5.00 fee to make any changes per change. It is the way they bill you a month and a half in advance and so if you made a change in September it does not start to affect your bill until December! They are also very rude on the phone. If you ask for the Supervisor, that person is invariable the rudest of all. Amazing! They act like you are privileged having their service. I would NEVER take their service again and as soon as my year is up, I'm gone for life. They offered me a special three month deal on some premium channels. And to avoid being charged extra for them, I had to cancel on the EXACT day the special expired. I tried to cancel a few days early and so they levied a HUGE penalty that basically voided the entire three month special. If they were trying to offend me as a customer for life, they could not have not a better job.

    Finally, the people on the phone are just the rudest, most unhelpful staff I have ever encountered. It's like they treat you as an enemy. Amazing. Everything about DISH Network is designed to screw the customer. Go to their website and of course the phone contact is well hidden. Their website allows you only to ADD service, not subtract. If you're asking them a question, they put you on hold for the longest time possible, hoping you'll drop off and they can cancel the changes. That happened to me three times until I just endured hold for 20 minutes. The person came back on the line and was surprised I was still there. Finally, she reluctantly admitted that she had cancelled the service. It is just the crappiest, most obnoxious service I have ever experienced. DON'T SIGN UP WHAT EVER YOU DO!!! They are a disaster both in the programming and the service! Avoid them. Anything is better. I hate cable but this is really, really worse. I'd rather put a poster over my tv than accept Dish Network. Damn, I wish I had seen this website before I bought into them.

Tom

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