Becoming a dish network and directv retailer

[tlhammel]

I would like to know if any of you guys could outline the process of becoming a authorized retailer for dish and direct. what kind of money is involved? is now a good time to do this? a step by step outline would really help out! if you have a website that explains it all. I have already emailed dish for a info pack. if you have a perticular person at dish or direct that can help ?:shrug:

Thanx
Trent

[Bob Haller]

I was one for a while. Lots of ways to loose $$ For instance you do a great install for a senior citizen couple. 4 months later sadly one dies, the other moves in with their child. Account cancelled thru NO FAULT of yours. They electronically debit your checking account a couple hundred bucks:(

Or a couple gets divorced, same thing.

If you want more info e mail metro, he runs the dealer board. You have been warned. Tell him I sent you.

Metro25@dishretailer.com

[Frapp]

It`s not really worth your efforts to become a dealer. DirecTV is very hard to sign up with, Dish is a bit easier, but you will not see much profit.

I use to have a very large dealership with both companies, some weeks I would have $8,000 - $10,000 of commissions roll in and at the bottom of my Dish commission statement, there would be another entry where Dish charged me back $2000 - $3000 dollars.

With Dish it is almost like you get to use some of the commission they pay you for a while and then they take it back.

I will say DirecTV was a bit lighter on the chargebacks, but still was a big problem :shrug:

[Scott Greczkowski]

Best advice if you want to become a dealer is find your favorite hammer and then hold it in your hands and wack youself in the head a few times. :)

Problem with the satellite industry is that all the big fish customers are gone, now everyone wants everything "Free Free Free" you can't stay in business long if your giving away everything.

[Bob Haller]

Yeah I sold a moderator a 4700 receiver AT COST from Johns site years ago. He had a habit of churning programming. Add showtime, drop HBO, add and drop. E security shut him off:( I appealed to a contact, the guy wasnt too brite paying that $5 a drop, but he wasnt a hacker.

Well they turned him back on, but called the turn off a voluntary discoinnect and I never got the $200 back:(

Shortly there after I lost interest and gave up.

Electronically taking money from my account for stuff that wasnt my fault it :(:(:(:(

I did have FUN hob nobing at the Echo 6 launch and being on DNN. Being a dealer helped get me there. Thanks to mike Dugan I had a wonderful time!!!!! It was a real highlight of my life. Seeing a launch was something I ALWAYS wanted to do.

BTW I got invited by making a tech suggestion E used. As a matter of fact they liked it so much Mike Dugan called my house to thank me and turned on my receiver the special channel. I was likely the ONLY legit sub that channel had!

The girl was really pretty. Sad she never showed up on any other E barker channels:)

Perhaps it was her costume.

Sorry I am in a wistfukl mood tonight and too tired to do anything else...

[Jacob S]

Being a retailer would have been good a while back but now, things have changed and its just not the same anymore. It is harder to sell for DirecTv and Dish pennypinches. They now want to charge me more for the satellite receivers than I can sell them for at retail price.

If a customer shuts the programming off then turns it back on you do not get your commissions back, until lately, but still they could turn it off again and you would lose it again. They try to put the blame on the retailer for why customers shut programming off but I have tried to service my customers anytime they had a problem, and it still happens.

Now they are going to requite you to drive several hundred miles in some cases and pay $200 to do training and take a test every two years to install the satellite systems. It would be different if one did not have to drive so far.

I would not recommend becoming a retailer as it is a big risk and you have to wait almost a year to keep the money you earned. You sometimes have to sell more systems just to make up for the customers that shut them off therefore making nothing when business is low.

[Bob Haller]

YEP my best friend had a BAD experience with a CSR. If it wasnt for our friendship hey would of cancelled and frankly they would of been right to do so.

Years ago I personally had some rotten CSR exerience myself:(

I am happy to report that lately it appears MUCH better.

The virginia tech center that takes most tech calls is really doing a GREAT job!:)

Congrats to those in charge there and KEEP IT UP!

[Jacob S]

Its almost like they tell them to disconnect. They told one of my customers (and I think some in the past) that my contract was no good and that they could disconnect when they wantedto and did not have to keep it on for a year and that there was no commitment to me. They even told someone I charged a service call for that I had no right charging that (and I gave a discount) and that I was not a retailer so it was hard telling them that I based my prices on what they charge when the CSR tells them that I am not even a retailer. He even tells me that I should be seeing if I even sell for them. That ticked me off, I called Dish, they told me that there was no conspiracy against me, funny thing was that he said that to me, I did not say that to him, the supervisor.

This is one reason why my business starting going downhill. CSR's telling my customers lies. How do they expect me to keep my customers on if they talk to them that way. Sometimes they even charge them for stuff they dont order, have smart attitudes, and i dont care attitudes.

You just dont know what you are getting into!