My email to Charlie

[Scott Greczkowski]

I just fired off an email to ceo@echostar.com with my feelings about last nights Charlie Chats. I figured I would post it here to get other peoples feelings.

My feelings in the letter are those of me only and may not reflect the views of anyone else here on DBStalk.COM.

Here you go. (Wonder if I will get a reply)


Hello Charlie,

I must say that I was disappointed with last nights Charlie Chat. What could have been the best chat in a long time turned into one of the most boring hours on Television.

Here the 721 receiver is being released next week and still there has not been one shot of a 721 in operation. You would think that with a $549 receiver you would want to show it off. I have mine on order and can't wait to get it, but I know many people out there are taking a wait and see approach on the 721.

As you know DBStalk.COM had a live online Charlie Chat... Chat last night and the 60+ users in our chat were disappointed with the 721 news.

Also another major disappointment was the news about Discovery HD. You have always said that if there was more HD content Dish Network would carry it as soon as it is available. As you can see you dropped the ball again. While many folks are not happy about the news of Discovery HD (A channel that has commercials!) charging customers for its signals, they are even more upset to hear that you "hope" to have it on by the fall. I guess your statement from that's nights chat that Dish Network is "thinking" of being the leader basically said it all. My local cable company is talking about adding HD Channel by the end of the year. If they get there act together I can see myself taking my television business back to them.

You have been to much pro merger lately, and it has let the quality and service levels of Dish Network drop to all time lows. We think the merger is great, but please remember you got a business to run now. DirecTV has taken this time to improve its service, to make its customers happy. The feeling going around at least on the forums is that Dish Network could not care a lick about its current customers, all the energy of the company is being focused on the merger.

If for some reason the merger is not approved, Dish Network is gonna have one hell of a hole to dig out of. To me its sad, before the merger you had a great company, now your company is nothing more then Cable TV from the sky.

These are my thoughts on the chat and the state of your company, I only send them because I care about Dish, I want you to succeed, I didn't invest all this money in Dish Network just to throw it all away. I am sure that I will not get a reply to this message, or if I do it will be the standard automated reply, bit I guess that's par for the course from Dish Network these days.

Please take these criticisms and use them in a constructive manor. I am undecided yet if I should post this letter to the newsgroups and forums. But I am sure that if I feel this way, then many others do as well.

Regards,

Scott Greczkowski
(Contact info removed)

[John Walsh]

Well said Scott

[John Corn]

I'm with ya Scott, I'm kinda still ticked off they didn't show us anything regarding the 721...........grrrrrrrrr:mad:
Least they could have was show us the EPG.........:shrug:
I guess its a 501 with a much bigger hard drive........:shrug:
Nothing more.

[Scott Greczkowski]

I just got a phone call from Charlie's Personal Assistant a few minutes ago to try to answer my questions. I can't say I was totally satisfied with the answers I got but here is what we talked about.

We talked about Discovery HD and they really want this Channel badlly, she explained that indeed the merger was the reason it is delayed, she said they don't want to negoatiate a contract with Discovery now only to have to hammer out a new contract when the merger is approved.

When I asked why durring this entire pre merger approval Dish has added nothing for its Customers, why DirecTV has added new channels and improved its services so greatly. She told me it was because DirecTV has double the number of subscribers over Dish Network and they had more resources then Dish Network to add channels and new features :rolleyes:

We then talked about the 721, I asked her why they did notgive a demo of the unit on the air last night and why they were informing everyone who called in that they were not going to discuss the 721 on the air. She told me that they are letting dealers get the 721's first and the dealers will be able to set the 721's up in their showroom to give people their first demos of the product. She said that the dealers account for 94% of all the receiver sales and they want them to have the first crack at selling and demoing the 721.

I asked her about the caller who got through last night and asked about the 721 and mentioned how Charlie got the "deer in the headlights" look and how they looked upset that a 721 call got through. She laughed and mentioned that she does not watch the chats and that the call might have slipped through.

Again she went on to tell me how great the merger will be, I mentioned to her that they are too concerned about the merger are so focused on it that they are not taking care of their current customers. She said she could understand why I felt that way.

It was good of her to call, although I find the answers to the questions a little far fetched.

Thought I would keep everyone updated.

Scott

[Dmitriy]

Originally posted by Scott Greczkowski
When I asked why durring this entire pre merger approval Dish has added nothing for its Customers, why DirecTV has added new channels and improved its services so greatly. She told me it was because DirecTV has double the number of subscribers over Dish Network and they had more resources then Dish Network to add channels and new features :rolleyes:


1) They should still improve their service regardless of the merger(I think the got enough customers to improve).

2) They probably don't care about the customers right now because if they will leave, they will only go to D*, and that's what they want because they will get them back after the merger.

[STXJim]

:goodjob:

[MikeW]

Originally posted by Mitya001


2) They probably don't care about the customers right now because if they will leave, they will only go to D*, and that's what they want because they will get them back after the merger.

Since Charlie has said they are still uncertain which equipment would become the standard, we could assume it is still a 50/50 proposition. If folks were to decide to switch to D* on their own, they would have to purchase/lease the D* equipment. If the merger is approved and D* EQ is the standard, the folks who jump ship now will save the merged company $$$.

[Kevin]

It seems like Charlie is putting all his money on the merger. He better hope at all costs that it goes through!

BTW, that was a very well-written letter, Scott. I couldn't have said it better myself! It's true that the quality of Dish Network has declined rapidly lately. It sure isn't the same company that it was when I first subscribed!

[Darkman]

Originally posted by Kevin
It seems like Charlie is putting all his money on the merger. He better hope at all costs that it goes through!

BTW, that was a very well-written letter, Scott. I couldn't have said it better myself! It's true that the quality of Dish Network has declined rapidly lately. It sure isn't the same company that it was when I first subscribed!

hehe - as they say: "Don't put all your Eggs in one basket"?

:sleeping:

[Darkman]

hey Scott,
Next time she/they call/contact you - ask them if any plans in works to bring any more Russian Channels...
there were some talks or romours on that or something...
But when i tried to contact them about that - i only got one reply
back - and they mostly "danced" ( like this :welcome: )
around the Subject....

Me

[Karl Foster]

Originally posted by Scott Greczkowski

We talked about Discovery HD and they really want this Channel badlly, she explained that indeed the merger was the reason it is delayed, she said they don't want to negoatiate a contract with Discovery now only to have to hammer out a new contract when the merger is approved.

When I asked why durring this entire pre merger approval Dish has added nothing for its Customers, why DirecTV has added new channels and improved its services so greatly. She told me it was because DirecTV has double the number of subscribers over Dish Network and they had more resources then Dish Network to add channels and new features :rolleyes:

Again she went on to tell me how great the merger will be, I mentioned to her that they are too concerned about the merger are so focused on it that they are not taking care of their current customers. She said she could understand why I felt that way.

It was good of her to call, although I find the answers to the questions a little far fetched.

Thought I would keep everyone updated.

Scott

I cannot believe how much E* is counting on the merger. What happens to E* if it isn't approved?

At first, I thougtht it was only the D* subs who were against the merger, but I can see with attitudes like those demonstrated from your phone conversation, E* subs may be soon to follow. It is hard to support a company who doesn't care about the current sub base.

The whole Discovery HD thing is crapola. If E* truly wanted the station for their subs, they would negiate a contract with clauses for both a merger approval and a merger disapproval.

If you can't tell, I am against the merger. With E*'s attitude towards it, I feel that Charlie only looks at us D* subs as a quick way to make a few bucks, not customers who deserve quality for their dollars spent. I am against the merger now more than ever. If the current subs are getting crappy service, what bodes for us D* subs who will be forced to move over?

The only reason I am sticking with Dish now, is to see what happens with the merger as if there is a merger, than perhaps they will add new channels like national geographic, trio, goodlife, newsworld, and nfl sunday ticket, just to name a few. That response by Charlie's personal assistant has convinced me that if there is no merger, I am switching to Directv and/or back to cable. I am surprised that person would admit that Directv, with more resources and subscribers, is much more capable of adding new channels and features than Dish. She is basically conceding that Directv is a whole lot better than Dish and I am starting to believe that.

"She told me it was because DirecTV has double the number of subscribers over Dish Network and they had more resources then Dish Network to add channels and new features ."

Huh? This true? Last numbers I saw were 10M subscribers for Dish vs. 8M for DirecTV.

[Scott Greczkowski]

I know folks what you are saying, I am just passing on what was said. I didn't believe it myself but I did not want to argue with her on the phone. She was nice enough to call.

bobsupra,

DirecTV has approximately 10.5 million subscribers.

I believe that Dish Network has approximately 7.5 million subscribers.

[AllieVi]

Originally posted by oby
The only reason I am sticking with Dish now, is to see what happens with the merger as if there is a merger, than perhaps they will add new channels like national geographic, trio, goodlife, newsworld, and nfl sunday ticket, just to name a few.
Even if the merger happens, you won't be seeing any resulting changes in programming for a very long time. The process of combining the satellite assets to allow more channels will take (probably) a couple years after merger approval. It's not a simple matter considering the millions of subscribers who will need new equipment (receivers, switches, antennas) and the changes required at the uplink centers.

[Randy_B]

Gotta gree wholeheartedly with AllieVi. If the merger gets approved and happens it will be the better part of 2003 BEFORE we would see any manifestation of the new company (other than a new logo on the bills). Logistically, they will have to maintain two separate entities for at least year. E* just recently went with webMethods for their internal operations, so just getting a unified billing system will take a year.

[Marcus S]

Scott, you are better off than most of us. Most times email to E* regarding technical issues go unanswered, or you get the canned response that the Merger will solve all my problems. I hope it gets canned so E* can back to supporting their customers and dealers.

[EricG]

That must be a change from what I've experienced. Back in January when I was STILL an E* sub and looking to buy a 501, I went to every dealer in my area as listed on the E* web site. Not one of them had a 501 on display to look at. In fact most of them had 2700s or 3900s. I was told by two dealers that they were "low on the priority list" for E* and rarely got current equipment. It was so dificult for me to buy a product without seeing it first that I had no choice but to switch to D*. Almost 5 months later with my 2 dual tuner DirecTiVos and I've never looked back.
I hope for anyone interested in the 721 that E* has changed the plan and let consumers see the new receivers.


Originally posted by Scott Greczkowski
She told me that they are letting dealers get the 721's first and the dealers will be able to set the 721's up in their showroom to give people their first demos of the product. She said that the dealers account for 94% of all the receiver sales and they want them to have the first crack at selling and demoing the 721.

[kck]

The reason us dealers are going to be the first to demo the 721 is so US dealers have to put up with all the flack when the 721 gets buggy, and not the CSR. Can't wait.

[Frapp]

Originally posted by EricG
That must be a change from what I've experienced. Back in January when I was STILL an E* sub and looking to buy a 501, I went to every dealer in my area as listed on the E* web site. Not one of them had a 501 on display to look at. In fact most of them had 2700s or 3900s. I was told by two dealers that they were "low on the priority list" for E* and rarely got current equipment. It was so dificult for me to buy a product without seeing it first that I had no choice but to switch to D*. Almost 5 months later with my 2 dual tuner DirecTiVos and I've never looked back.
I hope for anyone interested in the 721 that E* has changed the plan and let consumers see the new receivers.





What you experienced was typical.

Most "Local Dealers" have little knowledge ( not to mention the finances ) to stock higher grade receivers. Suppose you order -30-Dish 6000 receivers, that`s around $13,500 and since few Dish dealers have a credit line, you have to pay ahead of time or upon picking up the equipment at an E* warehouse.

Dealers are taught by E* to sell whatever Dish is pushing with promotions at the time. I`m not saying this is a bad thing, but I have heard your complaint time and time again over the years.

Some local dealers may offer good service, but not full service.

[Richard King]

Can't wait.
Very simple solution. Don't order any. Send customers who want it to a dealer who will stock it. If you are an "Unhappy Dish Dealer" there is a very simple solution to that also. Get out of the business and go on with life.

[Frapp]

Originally posted by Unhappy Dish dealer
The reason us dealers are going to be the first to demo the 721 is so US dealers have to put up with all the flack when the 721 gets buggy, and not the CSR. Can't wait.

Absolutely ... and what few people realize is that when the 721 is released, there will be very few dealers with very few units available.

It`s simply another "public" beta test :(

[kck]

RKing, if I got out of the dish business (about 5% of my total business) I would not have the chance to hear from great people like you and the other 10 happy dish dealers.

[jrjcd]

frapp, the reason smart local dealers don't carry much inventory week to week is not because we couldn't afford it-it's because E* constantly changes the pricing on the units without any advance notice, and if we aren't careful, we get stuck with overpriced stock...

[kck]

jtjcd, I love ya man. I can't tell you how many times that has happened to us. I called to order some 721's today and the rep was ready to take our order even without knowing what the dealer price was going to be. Since this is not the right place to discuss this I will stop by saying we did not make the order.

How has Dish not tried to improve their business? They are into Radio Shack and Wal Mart now, Dish continues to get more and more exposure at retailers while Directv gets less. As far as channel additions, Directv hasn't added anything lately either. Both services have just put up new locals. I don't get where you are coming from with "Dish will have a deep hole to dig out of if the merger is not approved"? Dish is still the superior DBS service in my eyes..

[Kevin]

Originally posted by JeffP
How has Dish not tried to improve their business? They are into Radio Shack and Wal Mart now, Dish continues to get more and more exposure at retailers while Directv gets less. As far as channel additions, Directv hasn't added anything lately either. Both services have just put up new locals. I don't get where you are coming from with "Dish will have a deep hole to dig out of if the merger is not approved"? Dish is still the superior DBS service in my eyes.. 1. Their customer support has gone downhill over the last year
2. The picture quality has degraded (although it's not their fault to some extent due to must-carry)
3. They're in a huge deficit (hundreds of millions of dollars)

E* better hope that the merger goes through!

[cnsf]

Agreed with Kevin. The customer support has degraded to the point where their decisions don't make "business sense." For example....Dishplayers.....they have quite anumber still out there and pay quite a bit in costs related to customer call-ins and technical problems. It would be easier and cheaper for them to just offer a great deal to get rid of the overhead to those customers.

Also, the YES network....here was their chance to snag the NY market, one of the top DMAs, and they stop pursuing a deal that would help them attack that market...not smart business from a subscriber perspective. Now, they've been trumped by D* and they're snatching up subs left and right.

Lastly, communications with their loyal subscribers has diminished (Charlie's recent chat, frequent price hikes that are slipped under your nose).

I used to be an E* fan, but now I'm hoping for a quick merger resolution to determine whether I should jump ship to D*.

Regardless of the facts, the perception of the company is more important and that has diminished for all E* subs.

[Mainstreet]

Originally posted by EricG
That must be a change from what I've experienced. Back in January when I was STILL an E* sub and looking to buy a 501, I went to every dealer in my area as listed on the E* web site. Not one of them had a 501 on display to look at. In fact most of them had 2700s or 3900s. I was told by two dealers that they were "low on the priority list" for E* and rarely got current equipment.



Well, E* has been working on that little problem. The only models available for showroom subscription are the 301,501, 721, or 6000 models. All older models are being shut off. I know this first hand. I had a 501 demo and a 47/4900 demo. They shut off the 4900 because it was not a current model, although it has all of the functionality of a 301 and more.

Another reason the dealer may not have a higher end model to demo is the costs involved. The dealer has to pay pretty much retail (just under $300 for a 501 standalone, over $500 for a 721) for the receiver. Then DISH charges the dealer PER receiver for the annual showroom subscription. If a dealer doesn't anticipate selling several higher end units each month, it doesn't make sense to stock each and every model.

That said, I will probably replace the 4900 receiver with a 721 as soon as I can get my hands on one.