DISH Cuts Relationships with Retailers

[Richard King]

http://www.skyreport.com/#article6
DISH Network said late Wednesday it terminated relationships with a half-dozen retailers that the company alleged were engaged in illegal activity, including fraud and misrepresentation when establishing customer accounts.

The companies listed are: Newport Satellite Group, Total Marketing Solutions, JBS Dish Inc., RK International USA, Cable Dawgs, and Airbel Wireless.

"DISH Network does not tolerate illegal activity and will take action against any retailer that it believes has engaged in any form of fraud or misrepresentation in its dealings," the company said in a statement.

[BillJ]

Sounds like a good thing.

[Richard King]

I would say so. These retailers were probably doing some of the things that some people here have been blaming Dish for.

[CorpITGuy]

Good for Dish. It's not corporate responsibility; it's still market forces. They don't want their customers getting screwed - it is bad for business.

But ultimately, I'm glad the market worked and Dish fired those bad actors.

[g182237]

They were probabaly telling customers in Hawaii that they could get all the HD channels DISH offers nationally. Which is not true because DISH does not give a damn about their customers in HI/AK/PR/VI. These customers still receive only 9 HD channels. The same ones they've been receiving for over the past 2 years.

[SaltiDawg]

They were probabaly telling customers in Hawaii that they could get all the HD channels DISH offers nationally. ...
Oh, do we feel picked upon? :rolleyes:

[BattleZone]

Which is not true because DISH does not give a damn about their customers in HI/AK/PR/VI. These customers still receive only 9 HD channels. The same ones they've been receiving for over the past 2 years.

Right. And it has absolutely nothing to do with technical limitations of the current satellite fleet; 129 in particular, the replacement for which has been being worked on for the last 5 years. No, it's that Dish hates people in Hawaii. :rolleyes:

[rbonzer]

Right. And it has absolutely nothing to do with technical limitations of the current satellite fleet; 129 in particular, the replacement for which has been being worked on for the last 5 years. No, it's that Dish hates people in Hawaii. :rolleyes:

Well, Dish hates people in the mainland as well. Ever try to watch a complete program off 129? ;)

[harsh]

Which is not true because DISH does not give a damn about their customers in HI/AK/PR/VI. These customers still receive only 9 HD channels. The same ones they've been receiving for over the past 2 years.What other options do the residents of these islands have?

[harsh]

Well, Dish hates people in the mainland as well. Ever try to watch a complete program off 129? ;)Ever try a 30" dish? I browbeat them into giving me one for free. I'll probably go back to the Dish1000 come the end of the year.

[jbrooks987]

Well, Dish hates people in the mainland as well. Ever try to watch a complete program off 129?

Daily. In fact, doing so right now. Think I've had about 5 minutes of dropped signal in the last couple of months.

[RUZOOZUR]

Do You Know Wy Is No't Enout Job On North California Since 3 Weeks Ago?

[Rduce]

Well, Dish hates people in the mainland as well. Ever try to watch a complete program off 129? ;)


Not any longer, switched everything over to 61.5 for uninterrupted service...:)

[Richard King]

Do You Know Wy Is No't Enout Job On North California Since 3 Weeks Ago?Huh???? Is that Greek you are speaking? ;)

[BaldEagle]

Huh???? Is that Greek you are speaking? ;)

Someone simply having a hard time finding a job in Northern California.

[phrelin]

Do You Know Wy Is No't Enout Job On North California Since 3 Weeks Ago?RUZOOZUR, I do not know why the number of jobs is smaller in Northern California. The economy is very slow and the number of new homes being completed has dropped. The mortgage situation will have a large impact as the effects will reduce the number of new satellite and cable installations.

(Just so everyone knows, RUZOOZUR posted this message before in Spanish on a new thread, but consistent with policy and the fact that moderators can't possibly be moderating threads in other languages, his thread was closed. It looks like he's doing his best to translate to English. I ran the response above through Google to get the Spanish and ran it back from Spanish to English just to make sure it makes some sense.)

[Richard King]

Thanks for the effort, Phrelin.

[puckwithahalo]

Well, Dish hates people in the mainland as well. Ever try to watch a complete program off 129?

I've had 129 for two years, and I've had signal loss...maybe 3 times during really bad rain. If you have a dish 1000, I would suggest either a second dish for the 129, or maybe trying to get a 1000.2 (its what I have, and I hear it picks up the 129 better than the 1000)

[BattleZone]

Do You Know Wy Is No't Enout Job On North California Since 3 Weeks Ago?

There are a number of reasons, all having an effect:

- DirecTV's promotions/marketing are still getting most of the higher-end customers in these markets. This is "Sunday Ticket" season.

- Dish markets more to the lower-end customers, but in many of these markets, cable and Uverse are in price wars, so they are getting most of the lower-end customers.

- The economy in general; there are lots of foreclosed houses, and even more where the owners are barely holding on, so many people are just not subscribing or upgrading right now.

- Dish has been aggressively hiring In-House techs in the area, and In-House is routed before subcontractors.

[harsh]

- DirecTV's promotions/marketing are still getting most of the higher-end customers in these markets.I suspect that this has more to do with DISH's limited tuner policy than the programming.

The other advantage that DISH has right now is that you don't have to wait three weeks for the install process to begin.

[BattleZone]

I suspect that this has more to do with DISH's limited tuner policy than the programming.

The other advantage that DISH has right now is that you don't have to wait three weeks for the install process to begin.

Not in Nor Cal. If you order Dish today, you can schedule your install for tomorrow. DirecTV is 3-4 weeks. Lots of people are still waiting for DirecTV.

The reality is that DirecTV spends a lot of money on marketing, sponsers lots of hip shows in HD, and has intentionally and successfully marketed itself as a high-end product. The fact that they have ALL of the sports packages is another big selling point, even for sports fans who don't intend to subscribe to them immediately. Perception is reality.

Dish, on the other hand, doesn't spin itself as a high-end service. It mostly compares itself to cable, and a lot of their marketing is based on price, not offerings. The DVR marketing IMO isn't all that enticing, as people will take whatever DVR is offered from the provider they choose (Comcast sure proves that!).

And the pricing plan for equipment that Dish uses to get into lower-end customers' houses cheap (i.e., no up-front fees for the first 4 rooms) assures that their customers will expect everything else to be free as well. Dish customers freak when they find out what it costs to add a 5th room, and the only time those upgrades ever happen is when Dish gives away most of the upgrade.

In fact, Dish's customers are so used to getting everything free that it is rare to see a Service or Trouble Call where a customer is willing to pay. I read the notes of every such call I get, and over 90% of the time, the notes say "cust upset, refuses to pay, offered free SC, accepted". DirecTV's customers who don't have the protection plan PAY for their service calls, because DirecTV never set an expectation otherwise.

The point is: customers who are shopping around mainly for low price are not brand loyal. They will jump providers with little hesitation if they can save $3/month. And they do, all the time.

Sports aside, Dish and DirecTV's programming isn't that different. What is different is how the two companies have positioned themselves. DirecTV's position is paying off for them in droves, while Dish's position is hurting them badly, especially in markets where cable is now competing not only with satellite, but with the telecoms (FiOS/Uverse) as well. And that's exactly what's happening in the greater Bay Area.

[phrelin]

IIP, I agree based on what I see in Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin Counties with only one exception. Many mid-level income folks with tech related knowledge do like the DVR. But in that group, there also seems to be a high level attraction to Comcast's bundled pricing.

[BattleZone]

Many mid-level income folks with tech related knowledge do like the DVR.

No doubt; Dish certainly does have its DVR fans. There is a lot to like about most of Dish's DVRs, and for the folks who really like them, they will always choose Dish. Unfortunately for Dish, this group is no where near big enough to stave off their competition.

But in that group, there also seems to be a high level attraction to Comcast's bundled pricing.

I *hate* bundling, but it certainly does attract many people, and is siphoning off Dish customers at an alarming rate.

Dish can be bundled with AT&T, of course, but that can be a nightmare of its own. Nearly all AT&T-generated work orders I get are wrong, and getting them fixed is always a huge hassle with two different companies who can't agree. Then, AT&T has people who poach their own Dish customers to convert them to Uverse, and often, they do as much damage to the Dish system as possible to discourage the customer going back to Dish. I know a lot of people think the AT&T program is important, but from what I've seen, it really isn't helping Dish very much.

[Mr-Rick]

No doubt; Dish certainly does have its DVR fans. There is a lot to like about most of Dish's DVRs, and for the folks who really like them, they will always choose Dish. Unfortunately for Dish, this group is no where near big enough to stave off their competition.



I *hate* bundling, but it certainly does attract many people, and is siphoning off Dish customers at an alarming rate.

Dish can be bundled with AT&T, of course, but that can be a nightmare of its own. Nearly all AT&T-generated work orders I get are wrong, and getting them fixed is always a huge hassle with two different companies who can't agree. Then, AT&T has people who poach their own Dish customers to convert them to Uverse, and often, they do as much damage to the Dish system as possible to discourage the customer going back to Dish. I know a lot of people think the AT&T program is important, but from what I've seen, it really isn't helping Dish very much.

I make every effort to talk the customer out of an AT&T bundle. I explain the problems we have at sign up and how AT&T will often tell customers seeking repairs to call a local retailer instead of taking care of the work themselves. As a retailer I don't mind the repair referrals but we do charge the customer for the service and explain to the customer that had they signed up for DISH through us, there would have been a good chance this particular service call would have been free.