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View Full Version : DNS subs - I would like to hear from you!


dishNitdown
03-16-09, 09:33 PM
This is my first post here, and I will start off introducing myself as a Dish Network retailer for 10 years, and a DNS sub for the last 3 years, and lately I'm feeling Dish has forgotten the little guy, and forgot how their business was built. I hate to start off ranting, but I was hoping to connect with more subs out there that feel the same way.

Sub work is slow right now and I'm OK with that, but it seems Dish is really sticking the knife in us slowly and twisting it a little every week, which has me a little concerned. Some very basic receivers are out of stock continuously at the main warehouses for months now, and when I need to order something they return emails promptly, but since I've had to send equipment back due to the slow down in business, I can't get them to respond to emails very quickly anymore. They are asking for outrageous restocking fee's.

The bad thing about it is, I wouldn't be sending it back if it wasn't for the slow down in business, and I need to do a cash out just to survive, and they want like 20% restocking fee, after I pay to ship the stuff back. Now,I don't know about you, but I feel kicked in the groin after that.

Today the local office did approximately 33 jobs, and left us with nothing! As far as I know, we are in good standing, and if something is wrong, they aren't telling us. Meanwhile I'm sitting on about 30k worth of inventory. NOT COOL!

They are totally hanging subs out to dry, we are losing some very good techs, that will not easily be replaced. Meanwhile they continue to take the people straight out of Wal-Mart, and train them to become sat techs that will just leave in 2 to 3 months. Their turn over at the local office is probably 3 to 4 thousand percent higher than ours.

I know for fact subs are more profitable, and it's just a matter of time, but hanging on will be tough. When Dish corporate figures what they should've done, it will be too late!

If you're reading this Charlie, here's what you need to do, to reduce your churn, and get major companies back like AT&T.

#1 - This is number 1 complaint I hear from customers. GET RID OF THE FOREIGN PEOPLE ANSWERING PHONES WITH NAMES LIKE SUSAN, WHEN AMERICANS KNOW THEIR NAME AIN'T SUSAN, AFTER HOURS, THEY HARDLY SPEAK ENGLISH! PRESSING 1 FOR THIS, AND 1 FOR THAT! I know you don't want to hear it because it saves you alot of money using slave labor in other countries, but in case you didn't notice. Americans will start resenting companies that do this, and America is going deep into economic crisis, and companies like YOURS will be the first to go, unless you wisen up to this fact!

#2 - Start treating the people that work for, and sub for Dish like YOU would want to be treated, and not like cattle. Nobody likes to work on Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and the people that go to church... RESPECT THAT! and quit harrassing them into working against their will. Subs especially notice it, when the only days we have work is on weekends, Sunday's, holidays, and the rest of the week YOUR guys are busy. IT'S A SLAP IN THE FACE!!!

#3 - I ask anyone reading this? If you went to work the next day and your boss asked you to work for half of what you are making today, and sometimes asks you to just do it for FREE! because the customer is important... I ASK YOU! HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO LAST AT THAT JOB??? NOT VERY LONG I IMAGINE! So, Charlie quit asking us to do it for FREE! You need to treat subs like customers too! I have donated just about all I'm willing to donate to the cause with the high cost of gas, parts, insurances, etc... Quit saying it is customer education, and not paying for the job, that is BS! Quit saying your not reimbursing for the DP44 switch, when your the one sending us out to install it, because of no 4th orbital location. YOU SEND THE WORKORDER OUT, I DO THE JOB, END OF STORY, AND I'M NOT DOING IT FOR FREE IN THE NAME OF THE CUSTOMER, WHILE YOU'RE COLLECTING A MONTHLY FEE AND I'M NOT!

REMEMBER - YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!!

WAKE UP CHARLIE! OR THIS COUNTRY WILL WAKE YOU UP WHERE IT HURTS THE MOST! IT APPEARS TO ALREADY BE HAPPENING! YOU CAN STILL TURN THIS THING AROUND, ITS NOT TOO LATE! DIRECTV IS KICKING YOUR BUTT RIGHT NOW IN BUSINESS! OTHERS KNOW MY SKILL LEVEL AND THEY SAID THEY WILL PICK ME UP IN A HEART BEAT WHEN THE FLOOR FALLS OUT AT DISH! I HAVE BEEN IN MY LOCAL MARKET TOTALLING 12 YEARS IF YOU COUNT MY TIME WARNER EXPERIENCE! DON'T LET IT COME TO THIS!

Disgruntled Sub,
dishNitdown

BattleZone
03-17-09, 09:58 AM
Dish's volume is very, very low in many areas. Losing AT&T to DirecTV hurt Dish quite badly, and IMO, their current new-customer deal targeting the low-end customer is a mistake.

But given the above, the bottom line is that there is very little installation work for anyone, and if you work where there is a corporate office, the in-house techs will get routed before the subs (this has always been the case). That leaves little for the subs.

Being a sub myself, I'm in the same situation, and there's very little you can do about it, other than to expand your business into other areas. We all home Dish gets things turned around, but who knows how long that will take? Job count has steadily fallen over the last year, and Dish's subscriber numbers have dropped each quarter.

IMO, Dish needs to start advertising to the higher-end customers, and instead of generic stuff like "award-winning DVR", they need to talk about the specific features their stuff has. They have features that people will want, but new customers have no idea they exist. And they need to hit hard with the 922 when it's ready.

In the meantime, you need to realize that, as with ANY subcontractor, you only have work when THEY need you. When they don't, it's up to you to find something else to do.

dishNitdown
03-19-09, 08:06 AM
I agree.... But just a few months ago, they were telling us to staff for 30 jobs per day which costs me about $1200/week running help wanted ads to aquire them new techs, just to turn around and dump them.

Thanks for replying though anyway. I do understand the terms of the contract, and just felt I needed to rant a little. I'm thinking about opening an old fashioned ice cream shop and see how that goes, I'm not wanting the headache anymore. As soon as this cash out is done I will weigh it all out and see. Thanks again for the response...