Looking into buying Dish Network, Not sure where from...

[angle247]

Ive been searching online for a while now and i am unsure on where to purchase dish network from... I need 2 recievers looking at one 508 and one 301, TOp100 channels, local, and HBO package.

These sites here seem to be decent:

VMC (http://www.vmcsatellite.com/channels/home.cfm) And dishplace (http://www.dishplace.com/product_info.php/cPath/8_129/products_id/1588?PHPSESSID=339a380036f5195d67c4f09fe272908e)

I do not know if these companies are reliable though and unclear on how it works when you order from.

Any information would be great.

[John Corn]

Hi angle247, Welcome to DBSTalk.com. :wave:

We have a few highly respectable retailers that visit our board, you might get a reply from them. :)

You might also visit www.Dishdepot.com most of us here have used Mark one time or other, and have been very happy with his service.

Another thought would be check with the local retailers in your area.

I honestly can't comment on the 2 sites you listed, I haven't used them.

[J.W.]

Why not order from dishnetwork.com? That's where I ordered and worked great!

J.W.

[angle247]

It seems like you can get better deals if you order from authorized retailers, then from Dishnetwork.com,

Dishnetwork:
1 free301 reciever, then u have to pay for another reciever that costs 49.99, also they are not offereing the 508 reciever which is the one i want. Just the 501 for $50 upgrade, 49.99 fee to activate. 1 month free. free install.

Other places:
Free recievers + 50 dollar upgrade to 508, free month(one place has 3 months), 49 activation fee(some have cheaper), free delievery and install.

[RJS1111111]

Bear in mind that it's unclear whether many 501s
(new or refurbished) are still in stock, and whether
any new ones are still being built.

It seems that people who order a 501 are likely
to get a 508 instead. FWIW; YMMV.

[Jacob S]

A local retailer will give you service after the sale, knowledgable answers, and can help you with the different promotions available.

[Joel B]

1-800-333-DISH (3474)

[Randy_B]

I still have some Club Dish certificates if you would like one. My neighbor just signed up and I believe he got a 508 instead of a 301 for a $99 upgrade.

[jeffarbour]

Hopefully I can clear a few items up here

1) Under the Digital Home plan upfront costs include a $49.99 activation and if you choose the PVR upgrade it is a $50 upgrade fee. Club Dish certificates allow you waive the activation fee. If a customer had Club Dish and was charge $99 they were over charged.

2) 3 months free is an expired promotion, DHP used to offer 3 months free, currently it offers one month free and as of Feb 1st you get a $49.99 credit on first bill. No retailer has the ability to alter the costs of programing under any promotion, all programing promotions are strictly the domain of DISH Network itself. Any retailer advertising differently either has out of date information posted, or is lying.

3) All Digital Home Plan, Free Dish, Free4All, and all other current new customer Dish Network promotions require FREE professional basic installation to the customer, any retailer trying to push you into a self install kit, or wanting to charge extra for install is ripping you off.

Please note that Basic Professional Installation does not include 'extras' during your install, so if you need line fished, or a loop run to a second TV off of a single receiver for example and an installer charges extra for these services this is normal. If they charge you for the act of installing a system with no deviations from a 'standard' install they are abusing the situation.

4) the only difference between ordering direct from Dish Network and choosing a retailer is that if you do not live in a major city in which DISH Network maintains active staff then you are simply asking DISH Network to contract your job to the most convenient local retailer or installation company to your area. Nine times out of ten you can do a better job of selecting a retailer for yourself, and if you spend the time calling around and let them know you are looking for the best deal, it is frequently possible coax a better deal out of them trying to win your business.

4) There are only 3 differences that matter when choosing between retailers. Your confidence that this company can install your job to your satisfaction. Look at the installation jobs done on friends houses and if you see one that you feel did a good job of hiding wires when possible, leaving a clean and neat appearance, and that person has few if any complaints about how well the service works, ask them who put them in and consider contacting that company. The 2 other things to look for are who can give you the best deal on the service you need (it is to your advantage to research which package and how many and what type of receivers you want prior to contacting the retailer), tell them what you want and it is much easier to compare apples to apples on the deal instead of multiple dealers pushing different promotions and hardware at different prices and creating confusion. And finally support after the sale. The retailer does make a small residual on customers it signs up, but the bulk of their profits come in initial activation bonuses, after the install and the period of time that the retailer is responsible for maintaining a new customer do you feel confident this retailer will continue to support you and at what level. If you think this retailer could easily pack up and leave state at anytime they are a poor choice. If you want to test the level of dealer support when they don't see immediate profits on the horizon call them up and tell them you are a long time Dish customer installed by another company that no longer exists, and make up a problem for them. See how friendly they are and the lengths they are willing to go to assist you. If their service is good and they try to help you odds are they would do no less for their own prior customers. If they are rude, instantly pass the buck back to the main DISH support line without even listening to the problem, or seem reluctant to answer your questions or try to resolve your issue you may not want to count on them when it matters.

Please note again that billing issues related to programing are strictly the domain of DISH Network, and the proper response to this type of call IS to refer the customer to the main support line so this makes a poor 'test problem' to check a retailer on. Though when serious errors do happen in billing and a customer is unable to get to the right people to fix it through the main line a good retailer will assist his customer by contacting DISH through his retailer channels and then be an advocate for the customer in resolving the matter.

Always keep in mind that with most DISH Network promotions you are committing to a minimum of 1 year that you MUST continue the service, no matter how poorly your system is installed. Further more you will never ever be able to sign up under one of DISH Network 'new customer' promotions and if you get the wrong deal or receivers fixing the problem later could involve a very large outlay of cash for 'regular price' equipment, so it is very wise to make sure you know what you want and trust the company you are asking to take care of your satellite needs.


Sorry I know this was fairly long winded but I hope that some of this information might help people wanting to sign up with DISH Network.

Jeff Arbour
jeff@dishplace.com
www.dishplace.com

[tampa8]

"Looking into buying Dish Network, Not sure where from... "

Well, this is your lucky day. Charlie is trying to sell Dish Network as we speak. Contact him before Rupert does!
:lol: :lol: :lol:

I just couldn't resist.

[Scott Greczkowski]

Thanks Jeff for the detailed explanation of things. That should clear things up for people wondering the same thing!

Welcome to DBSTalk.COM! Looks like your site http://www.dishplace.com has a lot to offer besides Dish Network stuff. Great selection of things.

[Mark Holtz]

:wave: Good luck. Just a few things...

* If you are in a city where you have locals AND some at home locals are on a second dish, be sure to specify the second Dish at time of install, even if the additional channels are Shop at Home or Univision. They will come in handy if you decide to go into Hi-Def or International programming.... (Trust me)
* You may want to check with the address broker and see if you qualify for Superstations. They are only a additional $3 per month on top of locals.
* You may want to go with AT100+HBO+CineMax, as that is "value priced", and is shlightly cheaper than AT-100+HBO you are considering.
* Digital Home Plan is a lease plan, so you don't own the equipment. However, you don't have to pay for equipment repairs. I've had Dish authorize repeaking of the dish FREE after after a strong windstorm. (The only problem was the wait complicated by the fact that someone 18 or over was simply unavailable at my place for a week.)

You may want to check out the other promotions besides the digital home plan. They may be a bit more expensive, but your monthly bill will be less.

[Jacob S]

An authorized retailer even one off of the internet is going to give you a better deal than Dish Network directly. www.dishdepot.com would be a good bet if you want a good deal. If you want local service your local retailer would be a good place to get it from but will cost you more, but you are paying for service.

[HTguy]

You may want to check with the address broker and see if you qualify for Superstations. They are only a additional $3 per month on top of locals.

FWIW, everybody qualifies for the SS Pack.

[rowdymon]

www.Dishdepot.com all the way; I've ordered 3 6000 receivers from them; they've been great each time!

[Mark Holtz]

Originally posted by HTguy
FWIW, everybody qualifies for the SS Pack.

Not quite. In some markets, some stations are exercising the syndication exclusivity and Dish just blacks out the station. Outside of LA (which blacks out UPN), this is few and far between.

It should be noted that the superstations are only listed IF you run the address broker. They are NOT listed on Dish's web site in general.

[Jacob S]

Isn't an address broker illegal and therefore against forum rules?

[Mark Holtz]

Originally posted by Jacob S
Isn't an address broker illegal and therefore against forum rules?

Not the one at Dish Network (http://customersupport.dishnetwork.com/customernetqual/nqCustomerLocalsCheck.jsp)

[Tim]

www.dishdepot.com

You absolutely cannot go wrong ordering from Mark.

[john348]

this seems to me if you really what to support the local retailer
why not go to the dishnetwork.com site and look up a local retailer there
why not help the small guy, that is who made this co. what they are today

[Jacob S]

You are right to an extent. The local small retailers got Dish where they are at, but Dish does not list half or most of the retailers, just the bigger ones. The smaller ones are just not listed. I think that all retailers should be listed. I used to be then they took me off the list. They have such strict requirements anymore to be on that list.