Got Dish yesterday. Can I cancel?

[John Bennett]

I got Dish yesterday and I hate it.

Do you guys know if there is a clause in the contract that lets a person cancel in the first 48 hours? You have three days to return a car if you don't like it.

* We had no TV for an hour yesterday because it was raining.
* The DVR interface is awful compared to Tivo.
* Last night the 722 receiver started rebooting every two minutes. It did this all night. It's still doing it.
* Our "local channels" (extra charge) are from cities 100 miles away.
* Dish said they could mail me a new receiver in 3-5 days.

My wife is mad at me. The prospect of 5 days with no TV has upset her. I need to correct this mistake ASAP. My wife is forgiving, but I am embarrassed by my decision to go satellite.

Any help appreciated.

[Kent Taylor]

I got Dish yesterday and I hate it.

Do you guys know if there is a clause in the contract that lets a person cancel in the first 48 hours? You have three days to return a car if you don't like it.

* We had no TV for an hour yesterday because it was raining.
* The DVR interface is awful compared to Tivo.
* Last night the 722 receiver started rebooting every two minutes. It did this all night. It's still doing it.
* Our "local channels" (extra charge) are from cities 100 miles away.
* Dish said they could mail me a new receiver in 3-5 days.

My wife is mad at me. The prospect of 5 days with no TV has upset her. I need to correct this mistake ASAP. My wife is forgiving, but I am embarrassed by my decision to go satellite.

Any help appreciated.

:welcome_s John Bennett.

Have you tried unplugging the receiver for a few minutes?

[lparsons21]

It is worth trying to unplug for a few minutes.

I got my 722k last night and after the installer left, it would occasionally lose signal. All I had to do was go to the guide and back to the picture and all was good. Irritating!

I unplugged it for awhile, plugged it back in and watched for a bit and things seemed ok. So I set up 4 simultaneous recordings and went to bed. All recorded and played just fine and today no glitches at all.

[dennispap]

I think you need to calmly call dish and tell them you need a different tech with a new receiver to come out. I believe your dish is misaligned and your box is possibly bad, or the box is searching for the signal but your dish is out of alignment so it may never find it. Like others said, Did you try to unplug the box for 2 mins and then plug it back in? That might help for now.

[Dave]

Yes you can call Dish and be very very forceful. Tell them exactly what has been happening with the receiver and all the problems you have had with it in the last 24 hours. Tell them you want them to come and get the receiver and lnb's. That you are not keeping it or paying for it. Also tell them you will not let them do a credit card charge to you. And to cancel auto pay this minute. You will have to be forceful with them when you speak to them. Not disrepectful or yelling and screaming. If they still refuse, tell them you are to going to box up the equipment and ship it to them and call your State consumer affairs division. Also make sure you let your bank know not to honor any payments to Dish Network.

[Link]

What you have cable before? I think if the Dish was alligned correctly and you had a working receiver, you would be much more pleased with the quality of Dish compared to cable. However, I know right now you are thinking at least the cable signal worked!

[SaltiDawg]

Yes you can call Dish and be very very forceful. Tell them exactly what has been happening with the receiver and all the problems you have had with it in the last 24 hours. Tell them you want them to come and get the receiver and lnb's. That you are not keeping it or paying for it. Also tell them you will not let them do a credit card charge to you. And to cancel auto pay this minute. You will have to be forceful with them when you speak to them. Not disrepectful or yelling and screaming. If they still refuse, tell them you are to going to box up the equipment and ship it to them and call your State consumer affairs division. Also make sure you let your bank know not to honor any payments to Dish Network.
:nono: This is the worst advice possible!

The OP may want to read the contract he/she signed and see what his/her rights (and responsibilities) are.

Additionally, "The DVR interface is awful compared to Tivo." suggests that either the OP had not done his homework ahead of time with respect to both the hardware and the contents of the contract. :rolleyes:

[Jim5506]

Before you get all in a snit, maybe you should try to have the problem fixed.

And have you called Dish network about these problems?

Did the Installer leave you a number to contact in case of trouble?

[boba]

IN MOST STATES YOU HAVE 3 DAYS to cancel. If you really want to cancel do it NOW don't wait.

[BattleZone]

IN MOST STATES YOU HAVE 3 DAYS to cancel. If you really want to cancel do it NOW don't wait.

This statement is false, by a long shot. In a *few* states, you have 3 days to cancel a purchase made door-to-door. Phone sales don't qualify.

The contract states each party's obligations. There is a 90 day warranty from both companies following installation. The OP has not given the company a chance to provide the warranty service. Likely the problem will be quickly resolved (most are), and a week from now, will be forgotten.

[Kheldar]

IN MOST STATES YOU HAVE 3 DAYS to cancel. If you really want to cancel do it NOW don't wait.

What you may be referring to is the FTC Cooling-Off Rule (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro03.shtm), which doesn't apply in this case:

Some types of sales cannot be canceled even if they do occur in locations normally covered by the Rule. The Cooling-Off Rule does not cover sales that:

* are under $25;
...
* are made entirely by mail or telephone;

[chestertime]

From what he says it sounds like the service is completely non-functional. If anyone is breaching a contract or failing to honor their responsibilities it is directv. I'd call them up and demand they have a new unit and installer on my doorstep first thing in the morning, and if not they're getting the unit back.

edit: an arguably the sale was not made by phone, but rather in his living room when the tech finally had him sign the contract.

[Shades228]

You have 24 hours to cancel unless your state has other mandates that give a longer time based on certain scenarios.

[Slamminc11]

From what he says it sounds like the service is completely non-functional. If anyone is breaching a contract or failing to honor their responsibilities it is directv. I'd call them up and demand they have a new unit and installer on my doorstep first thing in the morning, and if not they're getting the unit back.

edit: an arguably the sale was not made by phone, but rather in his living room when the tech finally had him sign the contract.

Yeah it was Directv's fault! Give them a call and tell them so!!!!! :D

[DustoMan]

Additionally, "The DVR interface is awful compared to Tivo." suggests that either the OP had not done his homework ahead of time with respect to both the hardware and the contents of the contract. :rolleyes:

Also the fact that he didn't know what local channels he would be getting is another sign. That's one of the absolute questions you must ask when signing up for service. This could be easily solved with an omnidirectional or wide directional antenna pointing east (his farthest station is 33 miles away). He would get the network stations DISH provides him, and the ability to record OTA. Very handy when wanting to record a couple shows taking place in the same time slot (You can't record 4 things at the same time on even a TivoHD).

I would try to work things out. Sure the GUI for the 722 isn't as pretty as Tivo, but it get's the job done. Have another tech some out and zero-in your dish better and see if DISH can replace the bunk receiver. Once the wife sees that she can record American Idol and something else at the same time (more then that if you invest in OTA) she'll be happy.

[scooper]

I got Dish yesterday and I hate it.

Do you guys know if there is a clause in the contract that lets a person cancel in the first 48 hours? You have three days to return a car if you don't like it.

* We had no TV for an hour yesterday because it was raining.

Unless you had severe thunderstorms - this is abnormal

* The DVR interface is awful compared to Tivo.

Most of us find it acceptable

* Last night the 722 receiver started rebooting every two minutes. It did this all night. It's still doing it.

Abnormal behavior - sounds like you got a bad unit

* Our "local channels" (extra charge) are from cities 100 miles away.

Did you ASK Dish what locals your area got ? At this point neither DBS provider offers ALL the locals, but Dish offers more than DirectTV.


* Dish said they could mail me a new receiver in 3-5 days.

My wife is mad at me. The prospect of 5 days with no TV has upset her. I need to correct this mistake ASAP. My wife is forgiving, but I am embarrassed by my decision to go satellite.

Any help appreciated.

I think the other posters gave you plenty of good advice.

[SaltiDawg]

... If anyone is breaching a contract or failing to honor their responsibilities it is directv. ...
And why would directv (sic) have any responsibility for a Dish 722 receiver? :lol:

[John Bennett]

Thank you guys for all the good advice. It is helpful. I do appreciate it.

I studied the Texas Attorney General website. I think I can cancel within three business days if need be. I have until tomorrow. That's what I was really scared about.

I called the local Dish installer. He will return this afternoon. This morning the 722 was still re-booting every 2 mintues. I think he will replace the 722. Per your advice, I will ask him to confirm proper alignment of the antenna.

I apololgize if my first post seemed harsh or overly pessimistic. I was tired and sore from being in a 120 degree attic all morning pulling RG-6 cable through my walls. My wife was mad. I was embarrassed. I don't make a lot of money. My instincts screamed "escape".

I have until Tuesday to postmark a "cancel" letter. I will try my best tonight to make this work.

Thank you again for your assistance and ideas. I appreciate them.

[Kent Taylor]

Thank you guys for all the good advice. It is helpful. I do appreciate it.

I studied the Texas Attorney General website. I think I can cancel within three business days if need be. I have until tomorrow. That's what I was really scared about.

I called the local Dish installer. He will return this afternoon. This morning the 722 was still re-booting every 2 mintues. I think he will replace the 722. Per your advice, I will ask him to confirm proper alignment of the antenna.

I apololgize if my first post seemed harsh or overly pessimistic. I was tired and sore from being in a 120 degree attic all morning pulling RG-6 cable through my walls. My wife was mad. I was embarrassed. I don't make a lot of money. My instincts screamed "escape".

I have until Tuesday to postmark a "cancel" letter. I will try my best tonight to make this work.

Thank you again for your assistance and ideas. I appreciate them.

Please post your experience with the installer. I'm sure things will work out for you.

[DoyleS]

When he checks the dish alignment, you should be able to see the relative signal strength of the signal. Unless you had an unusual storm with very heavy rain, you shouldn't lose your signal when it is raining. You can ask the installer if yesterdays rain should have caused that. I would make sure that you are there when the installer returns and have him stick around until you are satisfied with the setup. Keep the relationship with the installer friendly.