622 / Dish issues

[manfriday]

Hiya.

I have had a VIP 622 for about 9 months or so. I switched over from DirecTV becuase I had gotten a new HD TV and Dish had a better HD package at the time (or so I thought).

A couple weeks after installation the reciever died, and they sent a new one. This one worked ok for about 4 months and then the HDMI port died. I had read this was a issue on a lot of the older models of the 622, so I called dish to get it replaced.

However, they steadfastly refused to replace the unit.
First they said it was the hdmi cable. I had a second cable handy so I was able to swap it out and how it was not the issue.
Then the tech asked me "What brand of TV do you have?"
I knew where this was going, but answered him anyway, and replied "oh yeah, those TV's dont work with our HDMI ports"
I told him it worked for months, and if I jiggled the cable i could get a signal for a little while...
He changed his story to something along the lines of "we broke the hdmi port with our last software update, so if we send you a new one it wont work anymore either after it gets the software."
He gave no timeline for it being fixed, and refused to do anything about it.

So, I sucked it up and used the componanet cables until last week.
Last week I got this message about the switch configuration being screwed up.
I did a check switch on it.. sometimes I'd get a signal on some of the satelites on input 1 or 2 but never all of them.
sometimes I'd get absolutely nothing.

So they sent a repair guy out. I had to take half a day off work to wait for him, of course. I told him about the HDMI issue, as well as the recent issue.
He swapped out the reciever and it seemed to be working... both the HDMI port and the sattelite reception.
A couple hours later the reception was gone again, and I saw the same message about the switch configuration being screwed up.
I called dish back, and they want to schedule another service rep to come out.
I tried to insist that they contact the contractor who did the work to make him come out the next day, but the dishnet tech tried to get me to believe they had absolutely no way of getting into contact with their contractors.
So I'd say that was at least the second lie I was told by Dishnetwork.
Im not please.
I get to either take another day off work if I want him here in 4 days, or I can wait 7 days if I dont feel like taking another day off work.
Im rather ticked. As you can probably tell by the incessant rambling..

So anyway, it still aint workin', and Im trying to think of a way to fix it myself or how likely it is I can get the dish people to let me out of my contract so I can go back to a company that never gave me any problems. :mad:

[allargon]

That sucks. I can give you a few pointers on dealing w/ the 622 and satellite reception issues. However, if you're that dissatisfied with E*, I'm not sure what good it will do.

After a storm, I hit the menu button on my remote, then go to System Setup, then Installation. Next, I hit Point Dish and select satellites 110, 119 and 129. Then, I run Check Switch. Next, I hit Done, then go to System Info and let it gather everything. Sometimes, I have to hit menu, system setup and rescan locals to get the TV guide to repopulate itself. It's got some quirks. I hear the early 622's were extra buggy, so I can deal with a few issues.

Your problems with E* sound like the ones I had with Time Warner. I can't blame you for being dissatisfied.

[Mr-Rick]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. It seems to me that you did not order your service through a local retailer. If you did, call the retailer vs. the 1-800 number. If you didn't order through a local retailer, why not? There are plenty in Chicago. A local retailer is more receptive and more available. As a retailer myself, I can't recall the last time I made someone stay home from work to fix an issue. We schedule MANY service calls after 6pm.




Hiya.

I have had a VIP 622 for about 9 months or so. I switched over from DirecTV becuase I had gotten a new HD TV and Dish had a better HD package at the time (or so I thought).

A couple weeks after installation the reciever died, and they sent a new one. This one worked ok for about 4 months and then the HDMI port died. I had read this was a issue on a lot of the older models of the 622, so I called dish to get it replaced.

However, they steadfastly refused to replace the unit.
First they said it was the hdmi cable. I had a second cable handy so I was able to swap it out and how it was not the issue.
Then the tech asked me "What brand of TV do you have?"
I knew where this was going, but answered him anyway, and replied "oh yeah, those TV's dont work with our HDMI ports"
I told him it worked for months, and if I jiggled the cable i could get a signal for a little while...
He changed his story to something along the lines of "we broke the hdmi port with our last software update, so if we send you a new one it wont work anymore either after it gets the software."
He gave no timeline for it being fixed, and refused to do anything about it.

So, I sucked it up and used the componanet cables until last week.
Last week I got this message about the switch configuration being screwed up.
I did a check switch on it.. sometimes I'd get a signal on some of the satelites on input 1 or 2 but never all of them.
sometimes I'd get absolutely nothing.

So they sent a repair guy out. I had to take half a day off work to wait for him, of course. I told him about the HDMI issue, as well as the recent issue.
He swapped out the reciever and it seemed to be working... both the HDMI port and the sattelite reception.
A couple hours later the reception was gone again, and I saw the same message about the switch configuration being screwed up.
I called dish back, and they want to schedule another service rep to come out.
I tried to insist that they contact the contractor who did the work to make him come out the next day, but the dishnet tech tried to get me to believe they had absolutely no way of getting into contact with their contractors.
So I'd say that was at least the second lie I was told by Dishnetwork.
Im not please.
I get to either take another day off work if I want him here in 4 days, or I can wait 7 days if I dont feel like taking another day off work.
Im rather ticked. As you can probably tell by the incessant rambling..

So anyway, it still aint workin', and Im trying to think of a way to fix it myself or how likely it is I can get the dish people to let me out of my contract so I can go back to a company that never gave me any problems. :mad:

[manfriday]

Thanks Allargon. I tried those things but it did not work.

Mr-Rick,

Yes I did go directly thru dish network. Why, I don't know except to say I never thought of using a retailer.

Yesterday I looked at the wiring changes the contractor made when he came out Friday..
I dont know if this system is supposed to be grounded or not, but he took the terminal block that was previously grounded OUT of the loop, so the system seems pretty darn ungrounded to me.

I did manage to get a dish guy who would contact the contractors, and they claim I have a line-of-sight problem.
I never had a line of sight problem before, and no new trees have grown up in the middle of my yard this past week.
Also, the contractor tested the signal in the house with some magic black box and he said it was ok..
I dunno where the 'line of sight' idea came from, but it seems to be another blow-off.
Today I tried calling them again and asked be speak with a manager. I got hung up on three times. nice!

Looks like it will cost me about 95 bucks to get out of the contract, which at this point is probably worth it, even though considering the lousy service I dont think I should have to pay it. I probably will though, just to see the back of that company.

anyway. thanks for your advice.