E* Exec VP Resigns

[Casual Observer]

Saw this over at Sat. Guys as a "rumor". Confirmation from two current employees - Soraya Cartwright has resigned. She was EVP over the customer service (and other) operations.

[Tasydra]

Saw this over at Sat. Guys as a "rumor". Confirmation from two current employees - Soraya Cartwright has resigned. She was EVP over the customer service (and other) operations.

Not a chance in hell. I was just speaking with her two weeks ago in person. I could be wrong, but I REALLY doubt this.


-Tasy

[HD Dummy]

Not a chance in hell. I was just speaking with her two weeks ago in person. I could be wrong, but I REALLY doubt this.


-Tasy

A definite maybe for sure! ;)

[Tasydra]

A definite maybe for sure! ;)

:D! This way, I'm right either way!


-Tasy

[casual observer]

Sorry Tasy - an email from Soraya herself announced the resignation - my IM's have been buzzing all night with messages from current employees with the company - it's real. Everyone is just curious what prompted it - she controlled a ton of critical business decisions and had been around from the start I think.

[Tasydra]

Sorry Tasy - an email from Soraya herself announced the resignation - my IM's have been buzzing all night with messages from current employees with the company - it's real. Everyone is just curious what prompted it - she controlled a ton of critical business decisions and had been around from the start I think.

Sigh, you're going to make my ass call in and see if it's true. I'll check. *mutter*


-Tasy

[Tasydra]

Son of a snowball. You're right.

Soraya quit.

What the... I'll get the low-down tomorrow I guess.

First TiVo sues us, now this? I'm going to sleep uneasy tonight. Sigh.


-Tasy

[wdowns]

Looks like the combination of the 6000/811 snafu, problems delivering the 921 on-time, potential rate increases, SuperDish failure have added a couple of casualties to the list. Looks like Charlie has some in-house problems. I hope that he feels the pain that we the subscribers have been experiencing over the last couple of months. I wish everyone the best who decided to leave today (as I'm sure there are more but not mentioned) but you can only work with what is given to you. Now who is the "PIG"?

[jrbdmb]

Note that dbsforums and satelliteguys are floating a rumor that John Scarborough (Senior VP of Marketing) has also resigned.

[shilton]

Note that dbsforums and satelliteguys are floating a rumor that John Scarborough (Senior VP of Marketing) has also resigned.
Hmmm...2 resignations from 2 key people. Could it be that the predictions of people on this forum are coming true and some sort of sell out is imminant? Charlie has not been himself lately and the shareholders were disappointed last quarter with the delays and failures of products, etc. Maybe a sale is on the horizon? Or......Maybe Rupert hired them all :) (can you hear my sarcasm)

[Greg Bimson]

Hmmm...2 resignations from 2 key people. Could it be that the predictions of people on this forum are coming true and some sort of sell out is imminant?No, but it could simply signal that there are problems afoot.

I know it is early, compared to business standards, but we haven't heard anything about a replacement. It almost seems this occured in haste. One has to wonder...

[Scott Greczkowski]

Its also listed in todays SkyReport

[sorahl]

Combinethis with Subscriber Sorahl leaving for Direct TV on 1/8/04 and it spells doom!
<GRIN>

[Chris Blount]

Shuffling in the DISH Management Ranks

A key executive with EchoStar has reportedly left the company, and there was talk of another top management departure from the satellite TV service.

Soraya Cartwright, executive vice president of DISH Network, apparently resigned from the company for personal reasons. Cartwright was best known for running DISH Network's customer service operations, including the design, construction, staffing and operations of seven DISH Network customer service centers. She also oversaw the human resources department.

There also was talk that John Scarborough, senior vice president of marketing, is leaving the company. Scarborough joined EchoStar in 2002.

EchoStar declined to comment for the story.

http://www.skyreport.com (used with permission)

[Tasydra]

Shuffling in the DISH Management Ranks

A key executive with EchoStar has reportedly left the company, and there was talk of another top management departure from the satellite TV service.

Soraya Cartwright, executive vice president of DISH Network, apparently resigned from the company for personal reasons. Cartwright was best known for running DISH Network's customer service operations, including the design, construction, staffing and operations of seven DISH Network customer service centers. She also oversaw the human resources department.

There also was talk that John Scarborough, senior vice president of marketing, is leaving the company. Scarborough joined EchoStar in 2002.

EchoStar declined to comment for the story.

http://www.skyreport.com (used with permission)

I've never met John, but boy I wish I could smack him for the pig commercials. :D


-Tasy

[JohnH]

Sometimes(quite frequently lately), I get the impression that SkyReport gets their info from the forums. :D

Me thinks I will miss "from the office of Soraya Cartwright." :(

[sorahl]

Should make for a few interesting minutes of discussion on monday..

[Cyclone]

Sometimes(quite frequently lately), I get the impression that SkyReport gets their info from the forums. :D

Me thinks I will miss "from the office of Soraya Cartwright." :(

Soon they will say, "from the office of Bob Haller".

Seriously, if a buyout is imminent, then this might be the last Charlie Chat ever.

[Earl Zuberbelt]

Saw this over at Sat. Guys as a "rumor". Confirmation from two current employees - Soraya Cartwright has resigned. She was EVP over the customer service (and other) operations.

It doesn't matter. Only Charlie does. It's his company, his vision. Stock is up over a buck-fifty today, apparently the street isn't concerned.

No doubt Soraya made great contributions to the company, as other execs who have preceeded her, and as others will come and go in the future.

Again, it's all about Charlie. If and when he decides to make a change, THAT will be news!

-Earl
Yankee born Southern bred

[ehren]

No wonder I cannot get an install date for the HD in a box! Thanks Customer Service!

[mainedish]

I have never seen a company in such a mess. I am so glad I moved over to Directv.

[Chris Blount]

I have never seen a company in such a mess. I am so glad I moved over to Directv.

I know what you mean. I saw this coming a mile away starting with the Superdish fiasco which is why I also bailed 2 months ago. Dish will continue, it just won't be the same. Now lets hope DirecTV subscribers don't get the same treatment with the new DirecTV management coming on board.

[Stickyfingers]

I know what you mean. I saw this coming a mile away starting with the Superdish fiasco which is why I also bailed 2 months ago. Dish will continue, it just won't be the same. Now lets hope DirecTV subscribers don't get the same treatment with the new DirecTV management coming on board.

Well it's well documented, but I'm one of the folks who is now at just over FOUR WEEKS since I ordered (and was charged) for an 811. I'm a new sub! I'm actually awaiting a return call from D* to see what the best deal they can offer me, as I have finally reached my wit's end with E*. Four weeks w/no service. They won't even install the 301 that I ordered at the same time. Nothing.

Soraya's office was helpful early on in this process and assured me that they would have my situation rectified no later than the middle of this month. I called her office again yesterday and I could feel the air seeping out of the CSR I spoke with as she told me, that in spite of my previous assurances, she could not guarantee me *any* install date. I was told though that it *shouldn't* take longer than the end of January. That's will be nearing TWO *MONTHS* since I ordered service AS A NEW SUB.

Pretty much any offer that D* throws my way I'll take at this point. I, as I've said before, have never been treated so poorly by a company.

[SParker]

What does DTV have in comparision to DISH in the HDTV department?

[Stickyfingers]

What does DTV have in comparision to DISH in the HDTV department?

With the announcement of the CBS-HD deal recently, I think it's about a wash atm. Existing subs can get the advertised $399 HD deal for $199 or $99 depending on the years of service (under your belt). Folks are reporting being able to sign up for service (on some free package) then being able to get the $199 deal. They'll have HDTivo in March, which I have way more faith in than the 921 and it'll be $499 for new subs and $699 for existing subs (compared w/the $999 for the 921). Plus you'll actually get an install date that someone will show up for ;)

FWIW, Rupert has said one of the *primary* goals he has for 2004 for D* is a "doubling or tripling" of HD offerings.

Brian

[Chris Blount]

What does DTV have in comparison to DISH in the HDTV department?

Another thing to consider is the so called differences in HD PQ between services. I had Dish Network's HD and it looked quite good. I will be getting HD from DirecTV when the HDTivo gets released. Some have reported that HD on Dish in superior to DirecTV but these comments are rumors. I have not seen this for myself so I don't know if this is true but I will report my findings when I get the HDTivo.

[SParker]

The HDTivo is tempting and it has +'s that the 921 can't even do, like 2 OTA recording ability.

[bolco]

Son of a snowball....I'm going to sleep uneasy tonight. Sigh.


-Tasy

Tasy,
If you work in a call center, you are not disappointed are you? I couldn't imagine it. How many of your peers actually enjoy the job anymore? I have yet to figure out how Soraya held that position for so long. She had great difficulty with the English language and was in charge of call centers? What were her credentials? How can someone like her communicate with her employees.

In my opinion, DISH has 2 MAJOR problems that continue to hurt it's business.
#1 is software/hardware development.

#2 is the TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE that just gets progressively worse each week. If you are in the call center, you are aware of this...don't be smokescreened by your management personel.

Read the boards...not just this one, ALL of them. Read about customer service issues. Read about the need to play CSR roulette. Read about the misinformation given by CSR's, coaches, and trainers alike. WHY is DISH customer service so terrible? Why are they failing to bring back the JD Power awards? You know the overall answer. POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER MANAGEMENT!! Again, that is OVERALL MANAGEMENT from the top...to the bottom, and she was at the top...therefore, it is time for her to move along.

What problems plague you? Failed retention/elevated turnover? Employee perception of the Management staff/employee morale? Below standard training programs? I have the answer for you...IT'S ALL OF THE ABOVE! Is this the fault of the CSR? No...management. Is this the fault of the coaches? Nope...management. Maybe it's the fault of those in the QA Department? Wrong again...it's management.

Overall, Charlie gives call center management the tools to do a good job.

He provided the cash for some heavy media advertisments to help with recruiting. This brings potential employees to your job fairs, website, where ever they need to go to fill out an application. Those members of management who are responsible for filling openings continue to hire trash. When an 18 year old punk shows up at an interview with purple hair, unshaven, a tongue ring, ripped t-shirt revealing nipple rings and chains, and a tattoo on his arm that says "I kill parents for fun," they should be shown the door. Instead they are hired. Then the trainers wonder why they fail to follow the "business casual" dress code, coaches wonder why they are always late for work, and customers wonder why they can't understand the CSR on the other end of the phone. I'll tell you why, the chewing gum is caught in the tongue ring! Then the ones who were hired and are trying to do a good job feel uneasy about the recently hired trash and (ala the bad apple theory) all CSR's start to hate the job. Suddenly, the money spent on recruitment is money flushed down the toilet.

Despite Charlies reputation of being a penny-pincher, he provides his employees with fair benefits. Starting wages that make many other employers sick. Fresh out of high school? No problem! Hourly wages over $10 and you don't even have to flip burgers. Hell, you don't even have to break a sweat. Medical benefits, dental, even 401K and profit sharing!! Amazing! Go Charlie! **BUT WAIT!** Now, you get upper management in there screwing things up. Raises are given to those who don't even deserve to work there...Long term hourly employees are forced to work mandated overtime hours, ON CHRISTMAS DAY AT THAT because of an expected high call volume...salaried employees and mandated to work overtime hours out of the kindness of thier heart, yes WITH NO ADDITONAL COMPENSATION because they are on salary...and YES even ON CHRISTMAS DAY AT THAT! What did you get for Christmas? I KNOW!! I KNOW!! A request to donate "X" amount of dollars out of each paycheck back to Soraya! Did you pony up Tasy?? Did you feel pressured to give money back to Soraya?

And the people in the HR department have absolutely no clue about how to do the job. An example? A 5 year employee of the company gets married and is now covered (at no charge) by the spouses medical and dental insurance, so they go to HR to drop coverage. The bimbo in HR tells the employee to fill out "Form A" and provide proof of coverage elsewhere and this is done. HR says, "that's all you need to do." Three pay periods later, cash is still being removed from the paycheck for these unwanted benefits. Employee goes to HR and OOPS, HR failed to file the paperwork correctly and now (since the 30 day change-of-life limit has expired) the employee must wait for 8 months until "open enrollment" for the change to take effect. The now disgruntled employee fires off an email that makes it all the way to Colorado and back with the final answer, "TOUGH LUCK!" Do you think that this employee liked the job anymore. NO, and they QUIT! Why??? Poor management! Who was in charge of the HR department? Soraya! The same employee who helped get Dish where they are today got frustrated beyond repair. The same employee who participated in the "Employee Referral Bonus" program and brought a few really good employees to the company. Guess what, the employee has been waiting for over 3 years for "referral bonuses" and I assure you that Dish will never pay out on that now. Why? Poor management. Who? Soraya!

How many times are the trainers pulled from the classroom of new hires to watch the floor for a coach while the new hires sit there and do nothing? Why does this happen? Poor Management.

Don't get me wrong...the job that you claim to work **can** be a good job **if** they straighten up the management shortfalls. Starting at the top was the best thing that could happen to you.

Bottom line. Don't lose sleep over the "loss" of Ms. Cartwright! She was dragging dish into the sewer system. You and your fellow coworkers should have a party when you get to work tomorrow! One can hope that it will only get better...but, then again, it could get worse! Naaa.

[dbronstein]

Bolco - do/did you work for Echostar? What's your source for this rant?

[ehren]

oh my god that was the best F***ing post ever!
Hey and I still have not gotten my HD in a box installation date! ECHO! ECHO!

[Cheyenne]

Bolco, you seem somewhat disgrutled. I hope things are better for you now.
I really doubt ALL Echostar's problems are Ms. Cartwrights fault. This corporation is much more than any one person. I do have concerns of whom will move into this position though. I know of one that would be MUCH worse !!!
We can only hope this is for the better.

[Casual Observer]

Bolco's post is dead on right! Is he/she disgruntled? Probably. Probably with very good reason if he/she was a CSR or an employee in the call centers. What could be an outstanding job for a reasonably intelligent individual with a good work ethic, is, in reality, a nightmare. The job pays well, but putting up with the conditions Bolco posted isn't worth it.

Soraya wasn't the sole "cause" of these problems, but she really didn't drive a fix for them. She always called the CSR's her "kids" or "children" and the company treats them as such. Perhaps if Dish chose to treat their employees like adults instead of children they'd have better success. They might be able to reduce their CSR turnover from the 90-150% they have now to a more reasonable level and generate some stability in their work force.

I worked in HR in a Dish call center for several years. I quit because of the way the management treated employees - and HR. HR gets ZERO support from the call center managers, most of whom have no formal education or training in business management or people management - they promote those who suck up the best. Heck, they have General Managers of call centers that barely graduated from High School and are marginally literate, and managers that are barely out of their teens. The company just pours money down the drain in those centers.

Dish may have a superior product and technology, but they will not achieve business success with inferior management practices of their PEOPLE!!

[bolco]

Bolco - do/did you work for Echostar?
Ummm, absolutely not.

What's your source for this rant?
My very best friend.

[Earl Zuberebelt]

Tasy,
If you work in a call center, you are not disappointed are you? I couldn't imagine it. How many of your peers actually enjoy the job anymore? I have yet to figure out how Soraya held that position for so long. She had great difficulty with the English language and was in charge of call centers? What were her credentials? How can someone like her communicate with her employees.

In my opinion, DISH has 2 MAJOR problems that continue to hurt it's business.
#1 is software/hardware development.

#2 is the TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE that just gets progressively worse each week. If you are in the call center, you are aware of this...don't be smokescreened by your management personel.

Read the boards...not just this one, ALL of them. Read about customer service issues. Read about the need to play CSR roulette. Read about the misinformation given by CSR's, coaches, and trainers alike. WHY is DISH customer service so terrible? Why are they failing to bring back the JD Power awards? You know the overall answer. POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER MANAGEMENT!! Again, that is OVERALL MANAGEMENT from the top...to the bottom, and she was at the top...therefore, it is time for her to move along.

What problems plague you? Failed retention/elevated turnover? Employee perception of the Management staff/employee morale? Below standard training programs? I have the answer for you...IT'S ALL OF THE ABOVE! Is this the fault of the CSR? No...management. Is this the fault of the coaches? Nope...management. Maybe it's the fault of those in the QA Department? Wrong again...it's management.

Overall, Charlie gives call center management the tools to do a good job.

He provided the cash for some heavy media advertisments to help with recruiting. This brings potential employees to your job fairs, website, where ever they need to go to fill out an application. Those members of management who are responsible for filling openings continue to hire trash. When an 18 year old punk shows up at an interview with purple hair, unshaven, a tongue ring, ripped t-shirt revealing nipple rings and chains, and a tattoo on his arm that says "I kill parents for fun," they should be shown the door. Instead they are hired. Then the trainers wonder why they fail to follow the "business casual" dress code, coaches wonder why they are always late for work, and customers wonder why they can't understand the CSR on the other end of the phone. I'll tell you why, the chewing gum is caught in the tongue ring! Then the ones who were hired and are trying to do a good job feel uneasy about the recently hired trash and (ala the bad apple theory) all CSR's start to hate the job. Suddenly, the money spent on recruitment is money flushed down the toilet.

Despite Charlies reputation of being a penny-pincher, he provides his employees with fair benefits. Starting wages that make many other employers sick. Fresh out of high school? No problem! Hourly wages over $10 and you don't even have to flip burgers. Hell, you don't even have to break a sweat. Medical benefits, dental, even 401K and profit sharing!! Amazing! Go Charlie! **BUT WAIT!** Now, you get upper management in there screwing things up. Raises are given to those who don't even deserve to work there...Long term hourly employees are forced to work mandated overtime hours, ON CHRISTMAS DAY AT THAT because of an expected high call volume...salaried employees and mandated to work overtime hours out of the kindness of thier heart, yes WITH NO ADDITONAL COMPENSATION because they are on salary...and YES even ON CHRISTMAS DAY AT THAT! What did you get for Christmas? I KNOW!! I KNOW!! A request to donate "X" amount of dollars out of each paycheck back to Soraya! Did you pony up Tasy?? Did you feel pressured to give money back to Soraya?

And the people in the HR department have absolutely no clue about how to do the job. An example? A 5 year employee of the company gets married and is now covered (at no charge) by the spouses medical and dental insurance, so they go to HR to drop coverage. The bimbo in HR tells the employee to fill out "Form A" and provide proof of coverage elsewhere and this is done. HR says, "that's all you need to do." Three pay periods later, cash is still being removed from the paycheck for these unwanted benefits. Employee goes to HR and OOPS, HR failed to file the paperwork correctly and now (since the 30 day change-of-life limit has expired) the employee must wait for 8 months until "open enrollment" for the change to take effect. The now disgruntled employee fires off an email that makes it all the way to Colorado and back with the final answer, "TOUGH LUCK!" Do you think that this employee liked the job anymore. NO, and they QUIT! Why??? Poor management! Who was in charge of the HR department? Soraya! The same employee who helped get Dish where they are today got frustrated beyond repair. The same employee who participated in the "Employee Referral Bonus" program and brought a few really good employees to the company. Guess what, the employee has been waiting for over 3 years for "referral bonuses" and I assure you that Dish will never pay out on that now. Why? Poor management. Who? Soraya!

How many times are the trainers pulled from the classroom of new hires to watch the floor for a coach while the new hires sit there and do nothing? Why does this happen? Poor Management.

Don't get me wrong...the job that you claim to work **can** be a good job **if** they straighten up the management shortfalls. Starting at the top was the best thing that could happen to you.

Bottom line. Don't lose sleep over the "loss" of Ms. Cartwright! She was dragging dish into the sewer system. You and your fellow coworkers should have a party when you get to work tomorrow! One can hope that it will only get better...but, then again, it could get worse! Naaa.

You are either a former, or current frustrated employee. You certainly seem to know alot about CSC ops.

NO one has a gun pointed to anyone's head to work at Echostar, or any other place for that matter.

Suggest you get a resume into Comcast or Direct Pronto. I'm sure live there is paradise, no problems, everyone gets raises, management is perfect.

Good luck!

-Earl
Yankee born Southern bred

[beejaycee]

You are either a former, or current frustrated employee. You certainly seem to know alot about CSC ops.

NO one has a gun pointed to anyone's head to work at Echostar, or any other place for that matter.

Suggest you get a resume into Comcast or Direct Pronto. I'm sure live there is paradise, no problems, everyone gets raises, management is perfect.

Good luck!

-Earl
Yankee born Southern bred

Perhaps you missed the post from almost 1 1/2 hours before yours but bolco is close to someone who works (or worked) for E* but is not an employee or ex-employee seeking nirvana. As I read the post, there was a lot of passion and anger with supporting arguments (of which I can't judge the validity) but nothing particularly vindictive. No need to get defensive. I think that you can agree that E* is going through some major growing pains and seems to be stumbling after several serious miscues and miscalculations. I find that is usually reflected in the attitudes and morale of front-line employees.

[wickedtao]

So it sounds like E* call centers are not perfect but they did get the #2 rating by JD power (only direct tv got higher) with companies like Comcast around #15. They must be doing something right; second place out of like 25 aint too shabby.

[maltese_mom]

The HDTivo is tempting and it has +'s that the 921 can't even do, like 2 OTA recording ability.


So far, it sounds as if the 921 can't do 1 OTA with any degree of accuracy. If the TiVo does 2, it will absolutely blow the doors off of a 921.

[maltese_mom]

You are either a former, or current frustrated employee. You certainly seem to know alot about CSC ops.

NO one has a gun pointed to anyone's head to work at Echostar, or any other place for that matter.

Suggest you get a resume into Comcast or Direct Pronto. I'm sure live there is paradise, no problems, everyone gets raises, management is perfect.

Good luck!

-Earl
Yankee born Southern bred

Earl you sound the one with needing clued in. The type of mismanagement he describes is worse than anything I've ever heard of. If someone actually filed a benefits form to drop coverage and then was forced to pay for coverage - that is simply unfathomable to me. ANY company I've worked for would have immediately rectified it AND eaten any charges needed to make the employee whole.

It really says a lot about the state of affairs at Dish.

[Bob Haller]

Soon they will say, "from the office of Bob Haller".

Seriously, if a buyout is imminent, then this might be the last Charlie Chat ever.


HO HO I doubt its sell time but honestly things had to change....
Bolco I see I am not the only unhappy person around here. You still a dealer?

[bar1203]

Yup..... alot of things balko said. I cant comment on the HR issues or anything like that, but management has alot of issues it needs to work out. I know a lot of people who work at one of the dish call centers and they hate it, but stay there because it pays more than anything else in the area. Then they expect you to sound happy on the phone, but you're pissed off because they have you working on one of your days off because of expected call volume. and when you get to work you're just sitting there not even on the phone because there aren't any call but they wont let you go home. Or when a csr actually meets all the goals they set for them such taking 'x' number of calls and keeping the calls under a certain amount of time, they have managers record all of your calls for a week because they think you are hanging up on customers. i could go on..... i might later

[bolco]

Bolco....You still a dealer?

Ummmm, barely. But, I assure you, it was my choice. I have intentionally moved my priorities in another direction. I sell systems to friends and those whom they refer to me, but I no longer advertise. And I (personally) have no hard feelings about DISH. I still subscribe. I continue to recommend the product to my friends. The product is great and blows comcrap away. You just hope that there is never a need to call Customer Service. (Sort of like Nextel) My best friend, on the other hand, can't stand when they hear the word "Echostar."

[bolco]

....i could go on..... i might later

Maybe I could start an internet forum for current and former disgruntled Echostar employees? :lol:

If I did, some people in Colorado would start to realize the cause for many of the problems that they have and see how much money they waste at these centers. I still have several friends that work there.

[bolco]

...NO one has a gun pointed to anyone's head...Suggest you get a resume into Comcast or Direct Pronto. I'm sure live there is paradise, no problems, everyone gets raises, management is perfect.


Earl, come back in out of left field. Why do you think that this is my point? You couldn't be further away.

The purpose of my post was NOT to bash E* in any way. I was simply explaining to tasy. He/she displayed obvious concern with his career by stating that they would have trouble sleeping after hearing that Ms. Millionaire Cartwright had left the company. I was simply explaining that just because she left, not to contemplate suicide.
Earl, prior to opening my own SMALL business, I managed a million dollar chain of stores in a 3 state area. I have experience in Management, and I realize the importance of quality dedicated employees. I have been in 2 of the call centers and I observed similar problems at **both** buildings. I have a picture of me standing next to Soraya and a few of her "kids." I am very close to a former salaried employee at E*, and some of my best friends work as both salaried and hourly employees to this date. I had an HD Football party at my house about 1 month ago, and there were 7 current/former employees sitting around my living room. I must tell you, Earl, that there were some very depressing moments here during the party. In the living room, I'd listen to what some of them were saying...move outside to the hot tub and hear what those current/former employees were saying...heck, at one point I was actually considering placing a Prozac vending machine in my kitchen! I would make a fortune!
One common complaint was the lack of discipline in the workplace. Can I give you an example? Let's say that "Carlos" works as a CSR. A coach is listening in on his calls and hears him INTENTIONALLY release (disconnect) callers when he doesn't know the answer to the customers question, or when they are rude with him. He just politely asked them to hold for a second while he checked on something and "accidently" hangs up on them. I **know** that there are people here that wonder why they got hung up on when they called customer service. Let me assure you, it's not poor/failing telephone equipment...they probably got Carlos. The coach sees this and (after reviewing his file) notices that he has been counseled on this before. So, the coach writes him up and gives him a FINAL WRITTEN warning. Then, just 2 days later, he is caught "accidently" disconnecting FIVE more callers in less than 2 hours. The coach attempts to terminate him, but HR refused to allow that and insisted that he be written-up yet again. What shall we call this?? A FINAL-FINAL-WRITTEN warning??? I'll tell you what I call it...POOR MANAGEMENT! People are late for work, fail to follow a dress code, take extended breaks, log out of the phone system so they are not "disturbed" by a customer in need so that they can talk to thier boyfriend on a cell phone...you name it...they do it, and they STILL work there.

Do I mention this because I'm trying to bash E*? Hell NO!
-I did it because it's the truth.
-I did it to point out to Tasy that all is not lost with Soraya's departure.
-I did it because I am an EchoStar stock holder that wants the company to thrive.
-I did it because I have a few thousand customers out there that counted on my expertise to sell and install a Dish system for them and they count on E*. When the call center fails, it makes **ME** look bad too.

By the way, later in the evening I stepped into my den to check my E-Mail and one of my 2 employees that was here attending the gathering came in and shut the door. He pulled up a chair next to mine and shook my hand. I asked him what was up. His reply?? "I've been listening to these people talk for the last five hours and I just want to thank you for appreciating me and treating my family and I like human beings." He's been with me for 4 years and I couldn't ask for a better group of "kids" I only had to train him once. If I treated him without respect, he would either quit or provide my customers with substandard work and I'd have to fire him. In either case, it is easier and more financially responsible to train 1 person once. If I was a poor Manager, I would have had to spend 10 times the cash to train 10 times the number of employees and I would have NO stability in my company.

[Casual Observer]

Bolco is correct. Treating employees with decency and respect is good business practice and it isn't rocket science. Ms. Cartwright, while stating how much she "loved" her CSR's, treated her direct reports - adult, intelligent and responsible men and women in senior management postions - with distain, disrespect, intolerance and didn't indicate that she would trust even one of them. She frequently berated, brow-beat and insulted them publicly. Since many of her direct reports are young professionals in the early stages of their careers, they emulated her style -- and that style worked right down the ranks of the management teams in the company. Maybe her departure will be the start of improvement of how people are treated. For my many friends still working there, I sincerely hope so.

[JohnH]

Well, today I received Cash Payment cards to use at Radio Shack which allow me to pay my DISH Network accounts there using cash for a small fee. The fee is less than the Western Union Quick Collect fee.

They came from Soraya.

[Earl Zuberbelt]

Earl you sound the one with needing clued in. The type of mismanagement he describes is worse than anything I've ever heard of. If someone actually filed a benefits form to drop coverage and then was forced to pay for coverage - that is simply unfathomable to me. ANY company I've worked for would have immediately rectified it AND eaten any charges needed to make the employee whole.

It really says a lot about the state of affairs at Dish.

NO substantiation of claims, not attribution and all heresay, is what I say.

No PROOF, just bellyaching and unsubstantiated hooey. So I say, fooey to the hooey.

[Bob Haller]

Well charlie had admitted things werent going well. Now within months we see major changes:) Its time for a shake up and hope E gets their act together. I too am glad the head of marketing is gone. Reuse of the dishplayer name, DVR fess, and calling them VOD were all poor choices. Sometimes things have to get bad before they can improve.

Wonder when the shoe will drop for engineering and software?

[SParker]

Bob,

I know back in the day you were a big E* supporter. Are you still with Dish or did you switch to D*?

Well charlie had admitted things werent going well. Now within months we see major changes:) Its time for a shake up and hope E gets their act together. I too am glad the head of marketing is gone. Reuse of the dishplayer name, DVR fess, and calling them VOD were all poor choices. Sometimes things have to get bad before they can improve.

Wonder when the shoe will drop for engineering and software?

[Bob Haller]

I still have Dish and am waiting for the direct tivo high def. I would have changed by now, but delayed/ we considered moving to florida, but instead decided to remain here, jen got a new job, and I am keeping and renting out my moms old house. Refinancing our mortage too.

While deciding I was unwilling to get into any long term contracts.....

Its sad dish really lost its way. I HOPE this is the begining of the big changes needed to fix the company. They lost the customer driven perspective:( I hope charlie gets it together. As I said several months ago here things were getting to be a crisis.

[SParker]

Bob, Wow I am also waiting for the D* HD Tivo. I never thought you would leave E*, but the company has changed a lot since they invited you to the launch of (E*6?) that one time. I have been with them for almost 5 years now but the HDTivo is too tempting. Why oh why didn't the 921 have 2 OTA tuners......

[Bob Haller]

Yeah sadly its a shadow of its old customer driven position. Neglecting core channel additions, which arent a big number and could be accomodated during the push for LIL additions. Stuff like this drove me away from cable. That and cable BUGS. In that case certain channels were almost unwatchable on cold nights. TCI refused to send a tech out after hours 9PM, and sent them out in the am. By that time the cold induced problem disappeared. I traded stuff like that for new different troubles:( That mess went on for TWO winters:(

Echostar 6 launch was a highpoint of my life. It really pains me to have became such a dish critic. Seeing some of this from the backside, I knew sometime ago this was going to blow up in everyones face, and surface as the crisis it ttruly is.

I HOPE someday I might return to E, after they address the mess. I sure hope charlie is up to the job.

I DONT LIKE WHAT I HAVE BECOME

[Throwbot]

Earl, come back in out of left field. Why do you think that this is my point? You couldn't be further away.

The purpose of my post was NOT to bash E* in any way. I was simply explaining to tasy. He/she displayed obvious concern with his career by stating that they would have trouble sleeping after hearing that Ms. Millionaire Cartwright had left the company. I was simply explaining that just because she left, not to contemplate suicide.
Earl, prior to opening my own SMALL business, I managed a million dollar chain of stores in a 3 state area. I have experience in Management, and I realize the importance of quality dedicated employees. I have been in 2 of the call centers and I observed similar problems at **both** buildings. I have a picture of me standing next to Soraya and a few of her "kids." I am very close to a former salaried employee at E*, and some of my best friends work as both salaried and hourly employees to this date. I had an HD Football party at my house about 1 month ago, and there were 7 current/former employees sitting around my living room. I must tell you, Earl, that there were some very depressing moments here during the party. In the living room, I'd listen to what some of them were saying...move outside to the hot tub and hear what those current/former employees were saying...heck, at one point I was actually considering placing a Prozac vending machine in my kitchen! I would make a fortune!
One common complaint was the lack of discipline in the workplace. Can I give you an example? Let's say that "Carlos" works as a CSR. A coach is listening in on his calls and hears him INTENTIONALLY release (disconnect) callers when he doesn't know the answer to the customers question, or when they are rude with him. He just politely asked them to hold for a second while he checked on something and "accidently" hangs up on them. I **know** that there are people here that wonder why they got hung up on when they called customer service. Let me assure you, it's not poor/failing telephone equipment...they probably got Carlos. The coach sees this and (after reviewing his file) notices that he has been counseled on this before. So, the coach writes him up and gives him a FINAL WRITTEN warning. Then, just 2 days later, he is caught "accidently" disconnecting FIVE more callers in less than 2 hours. The coach attempts to terminate him, but HR refused to allow that and insisted that he be written-up yet again. What shall we call this?? A FINAL-FINAL-WRITTEN warning??? I'll tell you what I call it...POOR MANAGEMENT! People are late for work, fail to follow a dress code, take extended breaks, log out of the phone system so they are not "disturbed" by a customer in need so that they can talk to thier boyfriend on a cell phone...you name it...they do it, and they STILL work there.

Do I mention this because I'm trying to bash E*? Hell NO!
-I did it because it's the truth.
-I did it to point out to Tasy that all is not lost with Soraya's departure.
-I did it because I am an EchoStar stock holder that wants the company to thrive.
-I did it because I have a few thousand customers out there that counted on my expertise to sell and install a Dish system for them and they count on E*. When the call center fails, it makes **ME** look bad too.

By the way, later in the evening I stepped into my den to check my E-Mail and one of my 2 employees that was here attending the gathering came in and shut the door. He pulled up a chair next to mine and shook my hand. I asked him what was up. His reply?? "I've been listening to these people talk for the last five hours and I just want to thank you for appreciating me and treating my family and I like human beings." He's been with me for 4 years and I couldn't ask for a better group of "kids" I only had to train him once. If I treated him without respect, he would either quit or provide my customers with substandard work and I'd have to fire him. In either case, it is easier and more financially responsible to train 1 person once. If I was a poor Manager, I would have had to spend 10 times the cash to train 10 times the number of employees and I would have NO stability in my company.
Ummm, I now I see, this is what one of Dennis Miller’s rants would be like …
Without being coherent, clever and hilarious.

[Bob Haller]

Bill go read my posts 90% was about why I left cable in the first place. A nice thought about the launch. Why i havent switched providers already.......

If i offened anyone else sorry. I was asked about my status as a sub, and the discussion is about some major person loosing their job. I figure soyara has a lot of stock, she may well be a millionaire and doesnt need the money. I hope thats the case, since she helped start the company!

[DishCSR]

Maybe I could start an internet forum for current and former disgruntled Echostar employees? :lol:

If I did, some people in Colorado would start to realize the cause for many of the problems that they have and see how much money they waste at these centers. I still have several friends that work there.


:lol: This would be fantastic, i would be a regular. I have a lot to contribute, if only denver was competent enough to know how to fix the serious issues with incompetent csr's /coaches/managers. Believe me , I know just how incompetent we are, I am on an install team and have been with dish for 4 years. We (install teams) have to fix all the screwed up work orders when the installer is at the cust's home. We get to deal with the mis-informed customer ( not only mis-informed by csr's, but by coaches and sometimes managers) and guess what??? no one knows what we do all day,, even our own call center. Since we are not an "official" specialty team such as winback and dst...and part of this is due to Soraya not giving us credit in her "chats" like she did for winback and dish support (believe me she knows about us). We would cringe when she spoke highly of winback,,, because we have to fix most of their work orders. The problem is that work ordr errors are not tracked, therefore the same mis-info is perpetuated. I could go on and on,, please create the site/forum quick lol

[Dish_Watcher]

dishcsr...I would be very careful posting these types of things on the Internet in public forums. !danger: If you do work for Dish, then you must know that they have an almost Zero-Tolerance Policy about posting confidential information on the Internet, let alone "bashing" the company. !danger:

Just a friendly piece of advice.

[Casual Observer]

If DishCSR has survived 4 years at a call center, particularly on the install team, then he/she is an extraordinary individual. I'm very familiar with the work done by that team and that group of CSR's are some of the best in all of Dish - and some of the most underappreciated, even by their own management. A 4-year employee is making very decent money for that area, and the job market stinks so it would be hard to find other opportunities right now. Combine that with a weak management team in the center and you've got a big frustration formula!

DishWatcher is right tho - be careful, because if you aren't fired for the postings on the internet (and it has been done even if they can't directly prove it), they'll figure out another way to "get rid of" you (their euphimism for mounting a classic smear campaign)!

[EchoDork]

:lol: This would be fantastic, i would be a regular.

I'm in. I actually hosted a website where I ranted about the company and included transcripts of the most mind-boggling calls you could imagine. I took it down not for fear of losing my job, but because I knew I was leaving to look for another job soon, and I didn't want prospective employers to see what a sarcastic and hateful person I can be :grin:

[EchoDork]

By the way, I'm going to fully endorse and support the issues stated by Bolco. That really is a glimpse into how the company works. I thought for sure Bolco had to be an employee himself (still not sure :grin: ). E* has the absolute worst management policies I've ever had the misfortune to experience in all of my working years.

First, the starting pay isn't over $10... it's $9/hr. at this call center. And I hear we're among the highest paid in the company. Newer employees are given up to 5 paid days off in their first year. These days are subject to denial by management for any reason at any time, and must be submitted for approval 72 hours in advance. You're given 5 unpaid sick days per rolling year before disciplinary action is taken. The call center is currently not allowing employees to schedule days off because of anticipated call volume.

Schedules range all over the board. It's not uncommon to work 4:30pm-1:00am with Mondays and Thursdays off, or something equally ridiculous. Imagine trying to raise a family on those hours, with no weekends and no ability to leave town without approved days off in advance. Hell, imagine trying to go to the bank with those hours. They gave me information on part time shifts one week before spring classes started last year... three months after registration for classes ended.

The call centers are now in a period of mandatory overtime for all salaried and wage employees - 4 hours every week scheduled for specific times on one of your days off. There's talk of doubling that, requiring employees to work full 8 hour days on one of their days off every week. Wage employees get time and a half, salaried employees get no compensation for their time. "Refusal to work overtime" was added to the employee handbook as a termable offense.

The churn rate for employees is so ludicrously high that you don't work with the same people for longer than a couple of months. I averaged a new coach (the team-friendly term for "direct supervisor") every 3 months or so while I worked for E*. My manager (coach's boss) turnover was about the same rate. It was impossible to build a relationship with coworkers or bosses at that company, since you never knew who would quit on a weekly basis. If you've been there longer than a year, it's very probable that you are the most senior employee on your team.

There are so FEW coaches in the center that often you'll have to walk five or six pods to find someone to talk to a customer who's requesting a supervisor. But if you keep a customer on hold for longer than 120 seconds at a time, your QA score plummets. Logic please?!?!?!

From the day I left training to the day I left the company, I never had one minute of hands-on training with any of the equipment. Wait, I take that back... I touched a 322 remote once, without batteries. I just publicly embarassed myself in the 811 thread by having no idea how big the unit was, because I've never seen one... or a 6000 for that matter. The people helping you point your dish over the phone have never done it themselves unless they own the equipment.

For Christmas, most companies give Christmas bonuses. I got a letter at home from Soraya, saying "We can't help but notice you aren't a customer of Dish Network. Enclosed are two ClubDISH cards which you can use to give your family and friends the gift of America's lowest-priced pay television. And if you do decide to get connected and change the way you watch television, simply let us know and we'll give you credit for these cards." They gave us REFERRAL CARDS for Christmas. Then, true to word, they passed around the collection plate so we could donate to Soraya's favorite charity. When a manager asked me for a donation, I laughed in his face and put a ClubDISH card in the box. "I'm sharing the gift of America's lowest-priced pay television," I said. That was the day I left the company.

Your time in the call center is tracked literally to the second. We have a stat called After-Call Work that records how much unproductive time you use between calls (to scribble notes, to take a deep breath, whatever). You're allowed ten minutes a day of ACW. I saw a girl once take an hour and 48 minutes of ACW in one day. She still works there... how, I have no idea. She also has 51 absences, and used to use fake names when talking to customers. But she's a minority and a woman, and E* takes great care not to put themselves in any position where they can be sued for discrimination.

The employee health plan is a carbon copy of the plan available to the public through many providers. We actually opted for health insurance OUTSIDE the company because their offering was so laughable.

I kept what's known as an "Idiot Log." It was a list of instances I saw where previous agents had screwed up a call--badly. Things like I've seen on this board... telling a customer to go repoint his dish to fix a snowy screen, or advising a customer in Alaska to point his dish to 61.5. I reached the bottom of my page, one line per call, in under a week. I'd better not... should I? Ok... who wants a copy? ;)

You want to know why Soraya left? You want to know why I left? Want to know why I'm itching to come into the public forum and absolutely tear Echostar to shreds? For the sake of politeness and courtesy to the readers of the forum, I refrain from speaking my real feelings most of the time :) Thank you for permitting me this one indiscretion ;) I have to stop now, or I will continue forever.

[gpflepsen]

I'd like to know why Soraya left. Is it because... she doesn't want the hassle? She knows it's beyond her scope to repair? She sees herself as part of a problem? She's made her several-several million? Charlie sees HER management style not becoming to a company fit to be sold?

[Mike D-CO5]

I see somewhere else that Charlie doesn't own majority in stock any longer with dish and now Jim Defranco does. Wonder if they are all ready to sell out to the highest bidder and get out while the getting is good. Maybe the pressure of Murdock taking over Directv is getting to Charlie and the rest of the Vips in Dish and they are all jumping ship like drowning rats. I just wonder if Dish will still be owned by Echostar 5 years from now. Anyone want to speculate on the future?

[Earl Zuberbelt]

I see somewhere else that Charlie doesn't own majority in stock any longer with dish and now Jim Defranco does. Wonder if they are all ready to sell out to the highest bidder and get out while the getting is good. Maybe the pressure of Murdock taking over Directv is getting to Charlie and the rest of the Vips in Dish and they are all jumping ship like drowning rats. I just wonder if Dish will still be owned by Echostar 5 years from now. Anyone want to speculate on the future?

IF Charlie ever has LESS than 50 1/2 percent of the company, that will be front page news in every business section in the country.

Charlie is very much in control of HIS company, as for pressure, it's what he loves best.

If you have firm info to the contrary, please share with us and the rest of the world!!

-Earl
Yankee born Southern bred

[Richard King]

What you read somewhere else is wrong. Per the 1999 Annual Report, the most recent I can get my hands on at the moment, Charlie still owns over 119,000,000 shares of class B common stock (that's 119 Million shares). He has sold none of this so far and it is valued the same as Class A (what everyone else has). Class B stock has 10 votes per share, giving Charlie WELL over 50% of the voting power in the company. What you see listed in the various sites, including the site where you read it (where I can't post to correct the error because I won't register there), are Charlie's holdings of Class A stock. Charlie is the sole holder of Class B stock and occassionally will sell some Class A for "diversification purposes".

[TheDarkFalcon]

Your time in the call center is tracked literally to the second. We have a stat called After-Call Work that records how much unproductive time you use between calls (to scribble notes, to take a deep breath, whatever). You're allowed ten minutes a day of ACW. I saw a girl once take an hour and 48 minutes of ACW in one day. She still works there... how, I have no idea. She also has 51 absences, and used to use fake names when talking to customers. But she's a minority and a woman, and E* takes great care not to put themselves in any position where they can be sued for discrimination.



I am a call center coach (not for E*) and I will tell you that ACW is tracked at EVERY call center. Why? Well let's take a stroll down comparison lane:

Let's say you work for a bank and you have about 30 people in line. You decide during the middle of this busy time to take a few minutes here or there just to think or rest. Do you think the customers in line would get angry? Do you think if you could see your customers that you would do this? I think not!

ACW is just another way to waste time and be unproductive. No one likes to wait, and definitely no one likes to wait on hold!

... Just my 2 cents...

[Mark Holtz]

I work in what could essentially be called a call center, albiet for a small company. Another factor that is consider is your average call time. In other words, how long you spend on a phone call.

Fortunately, I don't have to worry about ACW and average call time. The boss believes in spending time with the customer, and there are customers who prefer that I handle their calls even though all of the techs are top notch.

[EchoDork]

I work in what could essentially be called a call center, albiet for a small company. Another factor that is consider is your average call time. In other words, how long you spend on a phone call.

Fortunately, I don't have to worry about ACW and average call time. The boss believes in spending time with the customer, and there are customers who prefer that I handle their calls even though all of the techs are top notch.

Average Handle Time is expected to be 8:17 or below for all tech agents. That means if you call in with a problem like signal loss or an improperly installed VCR, E* allocates us just over 8 minutes to get it fixed for you before we're supposed to get you off the phone and move on to the next call. But not until we make a mandatory sales pitch to you.

Customer service!

[DishCSR]

If DishCSR has survived 4 years at a call center, particularly on the install team, then he/she is an extraordinary individual. I'm very familiar with the work done by that team and that group of CSR's are some of the best in all of Dish - and some of the most underappreciated, even by their own management. A 4-year employee is making very decent money for that area, and the job market stinks so it would be hard to find other opportunities right now. Combine that with a weak management team in the center and you've got a big frustration formula!

DishWatcher is right tho - be careful, because if you aren't fired for the postings on the internet (and it has been done even if they can't directly prove it), they'll figure out another way to "get rid of" you (their euphimism for mounting a classic smear campaign)!


Thank you for your appreciation of me. It was a very stupid posting on my part though, what was I thinking? temporary loss of brain function, my primary goal here is to help people, not "bash" my employer . :nono2:

[RAD]

Average Handle Time is expected to be 8:17 or below for all tech agents. That means if you call in with a problem like signal loss or an improperly installed VCR, E* allocates us just over 8 minutes to get it fixed for you before we're supposed to get you off the phone and move on to the next call. But not until we make a mandatory sales pitch to you.

Customer service!

They why do they always make you run a check switch? With my SW64 half of tha 8:17 is taken up by the check, even after I've told them I've done one and it's OK?? ;)

[EchoDork]

Well, my wife officially left the company last night. The told her that she was expected to begin working 9 hour shifts instead of 8 hour shifts, in addition to the regularly scheduled 6th-day overtime. "Starting today," they said, "hope you don't have any plans tonight."

"It just so happens that I do," said she, and cleaned out her desk on the spot along with her best friend.

So honestly, after the abominable way they began treating their employees, I hope the whole company goes under. With the possible loss of Viacom, the SuperDish, the terrible new promotions, the lack of information they give their CSRs, the retailers ceasing to carry Dish product, the 811/510/921 inventory fiasco, and everything else... I don't imagine it will take too much longer for the company to implode.

Did you know that they don't even provide references for future employers? No, no matter how good of an agent you were, the best you can get is "Yes, EchoDork worked here from XX/XX to XX/XX. We are unable to comment further."

[EchoDork]

They why do they always make you run a check switch? With my SW64 half of tha 8:17 is taken up by the check, even after I've told them I've done one and it's OK?? ;)

Because the CSRs are required to follow the troubleshooting script, regardless of what you say or have done already. Most of us didn't, because the scripts were often ridiculous. If you start losing channels (channels disapper from the EPG), the troubleshooting script looks something like this:

1. Smart card reset if 2700, 3700, 2800, 3900, 4700, 4900.
Hard reset if 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000.
Front panel reset if 301, 311, 322, 501, 508, 510, 811.

2. Verify the customer is signed up for the programming they're missing.

3. Make sure the account is not in a non-paid disconnect status.

4. Check to make sure the customer's Pay-Per-View info screen is not full. If there are undownloaded movies on this screen, advise the customer to do the download process (found here) and call back if it doesn't fix the problem.

5. Make sure there are no open work orders for service changes on the account.

6. Check software version on the receiver to be sure it is current.

7. View the customer's signal on both satellites on at least four consecutive transponders.

8. View the switch matrix to ensure it is correct.

9. Run the Check Switch Test. If the matrix comes back correct, the problem should be fixed.

10. Send only one Hit.

11. Add value.

Actual troubleshooting required to fix the problem:

1. Pull the card and check software when the System Info screen comes up. If there's no card (811, etc), front panel reset and access the SysInfo screen that way. Reset the card/turn it back on. 50% fix rate.

2. Run a check switch (if there's signal loss, they'll see a message about it, not lose channels off the EPG. The rest of the intermediary steps are a waste of time). 90% fix rate.

3. Send a hit. 99% fix rate.

My average handle time floated around 5:30-6:00 because I didn't waste time making you check your PPV history for an authorization problem. I also didn't waste time upselling :lol:

Oh, you may notice that the 721 and 921 are missing from the list of receivers at the top. That's because they didn't train CSRs on how to operate those particular receivers. Any time you mention a problem with your 721/921, the CSR will automatically transfer you to Advanced Tech. Even for something as simple as this.

And finally, there was no reward or punishment for having good or bad stats, so most CSRs quickly realized that their numbers were just imaginary figures with no real impact on the real world. So to answer your initial question again, most of us just didn't care.

[Casual Observer]

[/QUOTE] "Did you know that they don't even provide references for future employers? No, no matter how good of an agent you were, the best you can get is "Yes, EchoDork worked here from XX/XX to XX/XX. We are unable to comment further."[/QUOTE]

This reference policy is pretty standard practice for most companies: I've worked for several large companies and they are all the same. Even though an employer may tell the truth regarding an employee's performance or reason for leaving, or what ever, if the reference is "bad" the risk of a defamation lawsuit outweighs the benefits of telling someone what a good employee someone was! My suggestion is for her to identify a present or former supervisor at DISH who can give an accurate reflection of her work there, give that person's name & home phone number and list them as a "personal reference from my last workplace". This will get around the company policy of supervisors not being allowed to give work references.

DISH really badmouths anyone who leaves the company regardless of the reason they left - they see resignations as a failure of an individual's character - that they "can't take it" - that "they weren't any good anyway" or "good riddance".

[EchoDork]

Unfortunately, her last position with the company was on the Buddy team... and the Buddy coach at that particular time was not exactly known for his people skills or compassion. I believe his New Years resolution was, to paraphrase, "to begin treating the Buddies like human beings."

[Earl Zuberbelt]

Well, my wife officially left the company last night. The told her that she was expected to begin working 9 hour shifts instead of 8 hour shifts, in addition to the regularly scheduled 6th-day overtime. "Starting today," they said, "hope you don't have any plans tonight."

"It just so happens that I do," said she, and cleaned out her desk on the spot along with her best friend.

So honestly, after the abominable way they began treating their employees, I hope the whole company goes under. With the possible loss of Viacom, the SuperDish, the terrible new promotions, the lack of information they give their CSRs, the retailers ceasing to carry Dish product, the 811/510/921 inventory fiasco, and everything else... I don't imagine it will take too much longer for the company to implode.

Did you know that they don't even provide references for future employers? No, no matter how good of an agent you were, the best you can get is "Yes, EchoDork worked here from XX/XX to XX/XX. We are unable to comment further."

JEEZ.... you are so off the mark in so many areas. I understand if you're cranky about your previous employer and that is your right... but I'll just take your last "fact" and leave it at that. These days companies don't comment either way about employees to other employers.

Too many legal land minds.

AND as for your comments about bad-mouthing employees, I guarantee you that is NOT approved of in any way by management. Again, too many legal land mines. Their lawyers know better.

Share your gripes, but my goodness, keep the dialog honest.

[gpflepsen]

Settle down Earl. You act like you are E* management.

What is dishonest about the post?

[Bob Haller]

This is sad but interesting. A friend works for verizon wireless in pittsburgh. He says many of their hires are disatisfied E CSRs. Now I understands why....

[EchoDork]

Share your gripes, but my goodness, keep the dialog honest.

Look, I understand you are a Dish fan. It's my perception that you're probably the most rabid of all the Dish fans on this forum. And that's fine, we all have preferences, and we all have strong opinions. But you have no ground to deem anything I say about the internal workings of the company as dishonest, just because you enjoy the finished product. If I wanted to lie and make up stories about Dish, I would certainly be more creative and exaggeratory than I have been.

The call center I worked at has a decidedly negative trend in employee turnover... they're actively hiring (now), yet the number of staffed employees is decreasing over time. Not just agents, but coaches and management turn over like crazy. E* is the highest-paying entry level job for 20 miles in any direction, and essentially the only office work available in a college town full of fast food joints and bars. So why do you think people are flocking out the door? It's not because they want to share the jobs so everyone gets a turn working there. It's not because the employees are graduating students, or you'd only see people leave in December and May. But there has to be a reason, and if I'm so dishonest about the working conditions there, perhaps you can shed some light on the matter for us? Maybe all the E* employees are just cranky people like me.

Bob: There's a Verizon office in Pulaski, about 20-25 miles south of here with the same story. Everyone who gets fed up with E* starts making the commute down there :)