When to Cancel?

[tripod76]

Greetings . . .

I'll be cancelling my Dish service later this week. My account is paid through Thrusday (Sept. 11) and the new billing cycle starts on the 12th.

Can I just call the Dish CSR on Thursday night and cancel at then, or is the "cancellation department" only open certain hours?

Thanks,
Jason

[Darkman]

Just do not make it so complecated :)

It's just a phone call or one more (if nessesary) - so just call beforehand (Today lets say) - and find out all the details, fine print, hours of operation, etc :)

[Chris Blount]

Welcome to DBSTalk Tripod! :welcome_s

You could probably wait until Thursday night because Dish's support is open 24/7 and if you cancel that night, it will probably take effect on the day you call no matter what time.

[Darkman]

Chris - you twice used the word "probably" :)

Therefore - to be on the "safe side" - i would call beforehand, rather then wait till last minute and be disapointed...

so just in case, as the saying goes: "It's better be safe then sorry" :)

[Chris Blount]

I was going to edit my above post but got sidetracked. You are correct Darkman. Calling before hand would be the best thing.

[tripod76]

Thanks, everyone!

[Darkman]

You welcome....

a Joke: "I want to go to the washroom later on....Should i go 6 or 7 PM" ( just kiddin' ...But Scott G's situation made me somewhat more edgy and hyper somehow then i already am :( )

It's all in good fun though :)

[tripod76]

Just curious . . . What was Scott G's situation?

I do appreciate the advice. I've been "lurking" around for a about a week and have really enjoyed reading the exchanges. There's certainly a lot of experience in these pages . . . and no shortage of jokers. :D

[Mark Holtz]

I cancelled my Dish service right when the DirecTV installer had the dishes down from the side of the house. They offerred one month free service side by side. No thank you, too late.

Unlike 2001 when I literally pulled the AT&T Broadband boxes after a bad billing error, I left the Dish service up and running until the installer was on site.

Equipment gets shipped back TOMORROW. (It was going to be today, but I got called in for the early shift.) I don't think that Dish hiking up the PVR fees when I was thinking about getting a 510 or 522 unit was kosher, especially since the software on the DirecTV DVR units is far superior than the software on the Dish's PVRs. Still, that wasn't as bad as getting two bills back to back, one for the regular service, then a few days later, before the check even has a chance to reach Denver, a second bill saying that I was delinquent followed by some extremely bad customer service that was UNACCEPTABLE. A complaint was issued to the GM of the Sacramento unit, the main office, and the Sacramento Cable Commission. AT&T Broadband was going to offer free Disney channel for about a month, but, as it turned out, it became part of the basic package. Apparently, a LOT of people were PO-ed at AT&T Broadband. I had enquired about Dish installation at the end of June, and they said "2-3 Days". Okay, fine, in a worst case scenario, they deactivate the boxes and all I would have access to is the broadcast channels. When I dropped off the boxes in early August and tried to schedule an appointment, it ended up being up to the beginning of September. Once the cable was disconnected at the street level, I had my mom trying to use my DVD player. (the pain, the pain)

So, I lost the superstations, and at the end of December, I lose all of the premium movie channels as a promotion expires. But, once the 90 day period expires, I'm cracking the case and putting in two large hard drives into the HDVR2.

Was Dish Network bad in any way? I don't think so. I was more satisfied with the programming on Dish than I was with AT&T Broadband. Even now, AT&T Broadband (which is now Comcast Sacramento) doesn't offer a DVR unit, and still puts out the half-truths about DBS. The only complaint, and this is true of both Dish and DirecTV subscriber, is that no matter how large a hard drive you put in, it isn't big enough.

[tripod76]

I hadn't thought of that, Mark . . .

I'm switching to DirecTV, and the installer is supposed to come Friday. Should I wait and make sure the installation goes as planned before cancelling?

If so, how will Dish handle the one-day of service? (My next billing cycle starts on Friday.) Would they pro-rate the amount for one day of service?

[Mark Holtz]

If I were you, I will call NOW and make sure that you are on statement billing, so that you are not automatically charged on your credit card. There have been cases where Dish kept the entire month payment even though you cancelled the service. If not, you can dispute it with the CC company.

[Darkman]

I always try to do everything in advance...
I hate to wait till the last minute...
:)

[tripod76]

Well . . . I know I'm not on CC billing, so I should be OK in that regard.

I hate cancelling now unless I know that the service won't be cut off until Thursday (which is what I'm paid up to). Out in the boonies where I live, OTA reception isn't that great, and Friday could seem like so far away.

Guess a call to the Dish CSR couldn't hurt.

Thanks again, everyone . . .

[Msguy]

I'd be having that Sucker cut OFF TONIGHT!

[Darkman]

What Sucka? - E*? :(