501/508 Upgrade [Archive]

makman

08-04-03, 10:30 PM

I had read in these forums about a $99 upgrade for a 501/508 for "good" customers. I called today and the CSR said he never heard of this, and that he had been doing this for years. He offered me a $149 upgrade including install (which I don't really need), we never got to the part about whether any strings were attached.

My question is: Does anyone know if the $99 upgrade is still available?

Thanks

Mitch

mjschuyler

08-05-03, 12:36 AM

The "official" stated current offer is $199.00 if you sign up for credit card autopay and one year of service. This Spring the offer was $149.00. When I called in May I was offered the 508 with no strings attached. I even asked if I could sell my 501, I was told I could if I wanted. I called on a Wednesday it was installed on Friday by a Dish employee. It seems if you are a long time sub they will not ask you to sign on for either credit card autopay or another yeras service. I have been with E* for over six years and I pay over $100 a month for service.

The only time I heard of the $99 offer was when Dishplayer owners said they were going to change over to D* since the DP was so buggy. I got a 501 for free during this time. I had three DP's and two other receivers. I had problems with two receivers but one was rock steady. I also had the "NHL CENTER ICE" package it would not record on the DP. I never said I was going to leave I just told the Tech (not a CSR) I was very tired of the problems and really wanted to record Hockey games because I work three nights a week. He put me on hold as he spoke to a Supervisor. The tech came back on the phone and said he would send out a 501 at no charge but that it would have to be installed by one of their installers. I quickly agreed and about a week later I had the 501. Of course it was buggy for the first couple of weeks but it has been fine since. I sold all my DP's on eBay for more than what the new receivers cost me.

Murray

Deuce

08-05-03, 01:05 AM

The $99.00 offer is for existing DHP customers that qualify. The $149.00 is for Exclusive offer customers who qualify, as this is covering all equipment and cabling needed to professionally install a 508 receiver, which if you ask me is a steal.

markh

08-05-03, 10:49 AM

The only one I know of for sure that got the $99 deal was a DishPlayer owner who happens to post on this very board, JBKing. I think there may have been a few more and JBking will correct me if I am wrong. Looking above I see Murray also got the deal. I think they were few who got it for $99, though.

Mike Richardson

08-05-03, 12:40 PM

The $99.00 offer is for existing DHP customers that qualify.
Actually, I called them a few days ago. $99.99 for the 508 with install, self install only $49.99. Since the 508 just needs one cable then you can just use existing cables. Of course if cables need to be run and you're not up to that then the install option is better.

Now what I have to figure out is, can I swap a 301 for a 508? The guy said I can add on a 508 but I forgot to ask if I can take off a 301 at the same time.

makman

08-05-03, 12:47 PM

Do you have DHP? Did you speak to a regular CSR?

Mitch

brentp

08-05-03, 01:54 PM

Excellent, . . . thanks for the info. Just got off the phone with Dish, . . .

I can confirm that via an 'Exclusive Upgrade' offer, I was able to purchase a new (at least I think it is new) 508, with a 1 yr warranty, for $149. Best part is, . . . no strings attached, . . . had 2 agents confirm that no programming commitment was required, and no monthly PVR fee for life (and she did know about the new fee for the 510). Price was the same whether I had it installed or had it shipped to me. I did not ask what qualifications were needed for the 'Exclusive Upgrade' offer, . . . but as an FYI, I have been with Dish for 7 years.

So, . . . cheap enough for me to replace my last 4000 with the 508 and then wait to see what happens with Dish's HD down stream (already have a 6000u).

And to think I was real close to buying a new unit from a 3rd party or via Ebay due to the monthly fee fiasco.

Jacob S

08-05-03, 05:39 PM

After telling them of many mistakes Dish had made in the previous week or two at the time I finally got ONE for $99 and the second for $149 but they continued on with their mistakes and didnt even ship it out when they took the money and finally after talking to them for sometimes hours at a time and for many days I finally got the receivers. As a result of their actions and hearing of this new DVR fee and not knowing whether to get the 522 or a PC PVR or other alternatives I decided to keep them in the boxes. I havent even had the new replacement 721 that long, just a couple weeks, and wondered if I should have kept it in the box but would have had no PVR until I got something else and did not plan on getting the two 508's just yet so I went ahead and activated it.

makman

08-05-03, 10:23 PM

abospaum

08-06-03, 02:43 PM

Mike R,

You claim to have gotten your 508 for $49? What did you say to the CSR's. Why has everyone ignored your post?

Dave

08-06-03, 02:45 PM

Well, I called back and said I knew people were getting the receiver for $99. The CSR never heard of it, neither did the supervisor. I know $149 is a good price, but if some people can get it for less, I want to also!

Any advice from anyone?

Mitch

The only $ 99 deal for any one right now is new subs to DirecTV.
A new TiVo with a second basic receiver for $ 99, Includes the dish and install. At www.expertsatellite.com. I got tired of trying to beg Dish for a favor. Couldn't even get a 508 for the $ 149. Was with them for over 5 years.

dennispe

08-06-03, 03:59 PM

awax

08-06-03, 04:10 PM

I just spoke with them this morning and was told the deal was $199.00 installed as a second receiver or upgrade from another receiver w/12 month committment . They could/would not tell me if I would get a 501 or a 508.

What kind of BS is that? Well you might get a 501 or you might get a 508 for the same price. Well I might pay half of my bill or I might pay the whole thing.

Just another Dish scam aka DishPlayer.

Soycrema

08-06-03, 04:22 PM

Called today, first I was told that the deal was for $199 for a 501/508 with a 12 month commitment. Told him no way and to find out about any other offers. He puts me on hold and comes back 5 minutes later saying he found another deal he can offer me for being a "good customer", $149 for a 508 new with no comitments or strings attached, installation and shipping included.
Confirmed twice it is a brand new in the box not refurbished 508. Should have it at my house by Friday.

Mike Richardson

08-06-03, 04:29 PM

Mike R,

You claim to have gotten your 508 for $49? What did you say to the CSR's. Why has everyone ignored your post?

I never got it for $49. Actually, I got it today, for $99 installed, with about another 9 months added to my contract, because he said contract would be restarted to 12 months on the day of install, and I had 3 months left. And I have Digital Home Plan, and I don't even get to own the PVR. Really vague and odd but I got it anyway.

dennispe

08-06-03, 04:52 PM

Was the $149.00 deal installed? I'm calling them back and will pressure them a little further.

Soycrema

08-06-03, 05:04 PM

yes, $149 installed if you wish or shipped to your house.
good luck!!!!

Jacob S

08-06-03, 05:05 PM

Yes, they will install it for $149 or send you the receivers. They said if the receivers required switches and so forth then they would pay for that themselves but would not send them to me if I were to install them. You have to have some issues with Dish and get pretty aggressive with them to get it for $99 and sometimes I dont think its worth the time and hassle to get the extra $50 off if you have to keep calling in and be on the phone for hours and hours and sometimes still not get the deal when you told you was going to among their errors and other things. Also I told them if I would not get a 508 then I would not be interested. I think if they give you a 501 that you should get it for $99.

dennispe

08-07-03, 02:47 PM

I spoke with another rep this morning and they would not budge from $199.00 although I was told I could get a 508 for that price. Yesterday they told me they couldn't say which receiver I would get. I asked how other people get the $149.00 deal and the guy said he didn't know. I've been a subscriber for 3 years.

Jacob S

08-07-03, 03:44 PM

It also depends on how good a customer you were in how good you kept your bill paid and how much programming you order.

stuck in the stone age

08-07-03, 07:38 PM

I've called them twice - no joy. I ask for the "508 upgrade" and they come back with the std schpeel $199 + AT100 + CCA.

I have a 3000 + AT50+DistNetworks for 4+ years

dj5

08-08-03, 08:09 AM

I talked with Dish Network yesterday and they offered to upgrade my equipment to a 501/508 for $99.00.

I had to agree to extend my DHP service for 12 months.

This price included installation.

RAD

08-08-03, 08:49 AM

I'm a $100+ per month customer that has DHP plan and got a 501 for the original install. When I tried to replace my 301 (which was installed for 20 months) I was told no upgrade was allowed and I could buy a new 508 for $299.

Jacob S

08-08-03, 08:56 AM

If you have only AT50 they are not going to give you a PVR for only $149, they will for those that order a lot of programming and will require no commitment.

For those on DHP you will not own the PVR, its just an upgrade fee to lease it. If you wanted to shut Dish Network off in the future and had to return your hardware, the PVR would also have to be returned or they would charge you for it.

brentp

08-08-03, 11:49 AM

I disagree. I just ordered a 508 for $149 earlier this week to replace my 4000 receiver (I have a total of 2, the other being a 6000); . . . . I am on the AT50 package (have been since inception), plus a couple of premiums (HBO, Golf Chan), and am not a DHP customer. I've been with Dish since 96 and am already on CC autopay. No programming commitment and no DVR fees were required with this upgrade offer (I had it confirmed by 2 separate CSRs).

I don't know what the 'Exclusive Upgrade' (that is what the CSR called it) qualification are, . . . didn't want to ask. But, given the deal, I signed up immediately when she confirmed everything. Good Luck!

JKWY

08-10-03, 08:51 AM

I called about two weeks ago and got 5 yeah (five) 508's for $39 ea. no committment, no sales tax, no shipping, no credit card auto pay or anything. I received all 5 receivers late last week and all 5 were brand new receivers.
Upon authorizing all 5 receivers I ordered two 721's for
$119 each no committment, no sales tax and no shipping no credit card auto pay etc. They should be here early this week. I got to say "Damn I love DISH"

Jacob S

08-10-03, 12:08 PM

Thats a bit hard to believe JKWY, because I do not think Dish would sell their PVR receivers for that cheap and I do not think they would sell that many to one customer for that cheap because they dont think a customer needs that many PVR receivers. I talked on the phone for hours just to get one of two 508's for $99 and have a bill for almost $150 a month paid a year in advance for two years in a row.

Another thing, Dish only allows 6 receivers on an account so why would they sell you 7 for cheap if you cannot put them all on the same account? How could you get such a deal when all these other people cannot even get one for $99 or $149? You cannot even find the receivers used for this price or twice this price.

makman

08-10-03, 01:14 PM

Jacob S,

I'm sure JKWY wasn't serious. I am curious if you got the 508 for $99, and if yes, are you on the DHP?

Mitch

Jacob S

08-10-03, 02:21 PM

I had to be on the phone for several hours and got disconnected and so forth and finally I got on the phone with a Supervisor, told them about all the errors I have experienced with Dish lately such as them shipping to wrong address then sending me a refurb 301 instead of a 721 when the 721's second tuner went bad and a bunch of other things I could not think of and I told them that they should make it up to me for all their errors and time and hassle I had on the phone. I still had problems after that trying to get the 508's and they did not even ship them out and finally after a few weeks they reshipped them but lied when they told me they would ship them overnight then told me another time they would ship them to me in two days then shipped to the wrong address again. I tried getting both for $99 but could only get one for that. The other was $149. I think since I pay the bill one year in advance and order about $150 a month worth of programming a month that helped.

Steve Mehs

08-10-03, 03:31 PM

Jacob, I've said it over and over, the $149 deal has NOTHING to do with how high your monthly bill is. I know some one with just has AT100 and an additional receiver fee and they qualified for the $149 deal, my bill is just over $50 and I got it. My uncles bill is nearly $60, and he should be getting his 508 installed right now if not earlier in the day, but he had to pay $199 as he did not qualify. The amount you pay for programming is not an issue with this.

Jacob S

08-10-03, 04:21 PM

If that is the case then I wonder why some are getting turned down for the deal. Top 100 and an additional outlet is around $40 in itself. Maybe its a combination of things like if someone had top 100 for a while paying their bill on time. Some that say they been turned down are Top 50 customers.

Steve Mehs

08-10-03, 04:56 PM

Who knows. My uncle has AT150, Buffalo locals and Showtime and he didn't qualify, he got E* the same day I did in 1998, always pays the bill on time. I guess it's a random thing, but from what I've seen personally and what has been posed here over the past few months there is no indication that having a high bill, having CC Autopay, or paying a year in advance has anything to do with it.

dennispe

08-10-03, 08:53 PM

I've had AT150 for 4 years plus a years worth of DiscHD that I just canceled. I've never been late on a payment. Maybe it's a geography thing.

NEBUGEATER

08-11-03, 07:31 AM

I have AT100
Locals
HBO
Been with DISH for 4 years

Got the $149, no additional commitment deal after less than 3 min. on the phone and got it from the first person I talked to.

gxshiem

08-12-03, 09:17 AM

I just called Dish Network and a customer representative told me the $149 expired this month. It's now $199, you need a 12 month subscription to AT100 or AT150, AND CC autopay. I already have AT150 and CC autopay, had it for 3 years now. So is this still a good deal? Thanks.

makman

08-12-03, 09:40 AM

I called yesterday after giving up on $99. I got the $149 no strings.

Mitch

hokie94

08-12-03, 10:40 AM

I got a deal to upgrade both my receivers...$149 for the 508, $49 for a refurbished 301, plus a $99 account credit.

I paid $99 for a 508 & refurbished 301!!!

gxshiem

08-12-03, 06:32 PM

Just talked to someone again and they told me that they can't guarantee that the receiver I will get will be a 508. It's what the installer has. But they can ship a 508 to me but I'd have to install it myself. Is this true? What are my chances at the moment? Thanks.

makman

08-12-03, 08:00 PM

I got a deal to upgrade both my receivers...$149 for the 508, $49 for a refurbished 301, plus a $99 account credit.

I paid $99 for a 508 & refurbished 301!!!

How did you get the $99 credit?

Mitch

hokie94

08-12-03, 09:24 PM

How did you get the $99 credit?

Mitch

I had to throw a fit about my receivers not working like they did before the software "upgrade"; complain about how E* didn't care about existing subs, especially those like me who have been loyal subs for over 5 years; tell them I'd be more than willing to commit to 12 months of my existing service (AT150 + East & West Distant Nets, Locals, & Super Stations) if I didn't have to pay a lot for equipment. I basically told them to match what Direct was offering or they would have my business for the next year and probably longer.

I got away with no commitment, the deal I mentioned, upgrading the switch/LNBF because I'll actually be adding one receiver; and they'll be installing it on Saturday.

In all, it cost me $99 for everything, about an hour of my time, plus whatever time it takes for them to install.

Jacob S

08-12-03, 10:56 PM

hokie94, you got lucky, but should have tried to get the second 508 for $149 as well because of how good of a deal it is and how good it may sell later seeing how the new DVR's are going to have a fee for the DVR service. Perhaps you not getting the second 508 for a cheap price helped you get the refurbished 301 and the credit as cheap as you did.

hokie94

08-13-03, 07:37 AM