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Dish Network & Tornado Victims

16K views 86 replies 25 participants last post by  Lucavex 
#1 ·
I leave near Joplin MO. Fortunately my family is fine and we were not in the path of the tornado.

The local radio stations are broadcasting information 24x7 to help the community of Joplin. Many local and national businesses have offered help and donations for the victims.

Today a caller to the radio station said they heard that Dish Network will charge them for the receiver destroyed in their home by the tornado. Is this true that Dish Network does not make any allowance for a natural disaster?
 
#2 ·
Boy, that would be the worst PR move in history if they actually tried to do that.

Been to Joplin only once. Ate at a nice Chinese restaurant in the "downtown" area. Cannot remember the name. Was curious if that was the area that was hit. I have a friend that lives there, but his cell phone number is no longer valid, so just checking the obits, and hoping he doesnt show up.
 
#5 ·
Is it bad PR? Maybe... But why should Dish give you a pass on a destroyed leased receiver?

Nobody gives you a free home replacement if you aren't insured... and even that doesn't cover all personal item losses.

I feel for people who have lost life, been injured, or otherwise devastated by these recent weather situations... but I'm not sure why anyone would expect Dish to eat that unless Dish made the offer on their own.

Where would it end?

Maybe GE should give everyone free appliances if they lost GE equipment... If you didn't have car insurance, you'd have to pay to get a new car for one lost in a storm.
 
#7 ·
P Smith said:
Here we go again - no mercy, just steel shark's teeth... deja vu !
If you would like to show mercy perhaps you can start the "P Smith receiver replacement fund" to cover the cost of the lost receivers ... from BOTH DISH and DirecTV and any leased cable equipment as well.

When can and where should the storm victims send their claims? :rolleyes:
 
#8 ·
Well its real sad if Dish (Or EVEN D*) Would do this to anyone! People are going through enough problems I am sure, financially, emotionally, etc.. I am sorry, but paying Dish OR D* for a receiver that was blown away with my house would be the very last thing I would think about paying, I am a business man myself and maybe not on a BIG scale like these companies, but if I was in their shoes, I would eat the money and possibly keep a customer or customers than roll the dice and squeeze the money out of the customers and lose them for good.. I myself think long term, but I know a lot of these big wig companies think short term.. All in All, Dish/Direct/Cable Co/ HAVE SOME SYMPATHY!
 
#9 ·
At first is sounds callous, but think of all the boxes destroyed over a year due to flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters.

Is it realistic to expect Dish to replace thousands or tens of thousands of boxes every year?
 
#11 ·
If you think this is new, you might want to check with folks that have been involved in wildfires in Southern California over the past decade. Plenty of discussion here before.

Homeowners/renters insurance should cover the loss. If you're rich enough to go uninsured, should be no problem for you.
 
#12 ·
First, you dont RENT your fridge from GE. Second, rental equipment has a depreciation value. In some cases, you pay over half of that when you initially get the box. Is a 4 or 5 yr old box worth the same as a 1 month old box? According to the TOS's I have read, they make no distinction.
 
#15 ·
Davenlr said:
First, you dont RENT your fridge from GE. Second, rental equipment has a depreciation value. In some cases, you pay over half of that when you initially get the box. Is a 4 or 5 yr old box worth the same as a 1 month old box? According to the TOS's I have read, they make no distinction.
Sure. I'm insured for replacement value. Otherwise if I lost my home, I'd be lucky to get 30% of what it would take to replace my stuff.

Be sure you have insurance, pay for replacement value. Otherwise you're self-insuring.

Of course, if the only thing lost was my 722, it would be my problem as I do have a deductible.
 
#16 ·
kcaudiofx said:
Well its real sad if Dish (Or EVEN D*) Would do this to anyone! People are going through enough problems I am sure, financially, emotionally, etc.. I am sorry, but paying Dish OR D* for a receiver that was blown away with my house would be the very last thing I would think about paying, I am a business man myself and maybe not on a BIG scale like these companies, but if I was in their shoes, I would eat the money and possibly keep a customer or customers than roll the dice and squeeze the money out of the customers and lose them for good.. I myself think long term, but I know a lot of these big wig companies think short term.. All in All, Dish/Direct/Cable Co/ HAVE SOME SYMPATHY!
The local cable company does have some sympathy:

Cable One customers should not worry about their service or equipment that might have been lost in the Joplin tornado.

Melany Stroupe said that all subscribers will receive an automatic credit for a week's worth of service. Customers will also not be held responsible for any equipment that was damaged or lost in the tornado.

No need to look for lost equipment

Cableone link with customer service quote
 
#17 ·
fatpug said:
The local cable company does have some sympathy:

Cable One customers should not worry about their service or equipment that might have been lost in the Joplin tornado.

Melany Stroupe said that all subscribers will receive an automatic credit for a week's worth of service. Customers will also not be held responsible for any equipment that was damaged or lost in the tornado.

No need to look for lost equipment

Cableone link with customer service quote
Now these are stories I like to hear! Hopefully Dish and D* will follow..
 
#18 ·
P Smith said:
Not sure about thousands but hundreds - hell yes, those are on lease now and remember, each one of you paid in advance non-returning fee what will be more then enough to create a fund for cover lost during disasters like that.
I did not pay a "non-returning fee" in advance. The "non-returning fee" is billed AFTER one cancels service and fails to return the leased receiver.

Leased receivers are leased on a month to month basis for $7 to $20 per month per receiver (first receiver free). Some receivers (currently DVRs and especially the 922) carry an up front "lease upgrade fee" but NO receiver has an "advance non-returning fee".

DISH Network has a fee schedule that is provided when one signs up for service. If one does not agree with the fee schedule, one should not sign up for service. (And one should check with other providers to see what fees they charge.)
 
#19 ·
James Long said:
DISH Network has a fee schedule that is provided when one signs up for service. If one does not agree with the fee schedule, one should not sign up for service. (And one should check with other providers to see what fees they charge.)
Wow...

Who checks a fee schedule for natural disaster damage before they sign up?
 
#20 ·
He is another example of a company that does not stick to fee schedules and official policy. I received the following email today:

The PlayOn team like the rest of the country has been heartbroken by the news and images coming out of Joplin, MO. We know it's not much but we'd like to offer all of our past trial, basic, and premium subscribers in Joplin a free one-time license to PlayOn Premium. We realize that TV is probably the furthest thing from you mind right now, but these codes will not expire. So whether it's to save some money on a cable bill while you rebuild, access news and entertainment, or whatever you want to use it for...PlayOn is on us. Just visit the link below and enter your redemption code for your free copy. Your license will work for the life of the product.
 
#21 ·
fatpug said:
Who checks a fee schedule for natural disaster damage before they sign up?
Responsible people.

No one questions who is responsible if something happens to a car that they lease. Get it stolen or in an accident (your fault or not) or have it damaged or destroyed in a storm and guess who is responsible? The person who leased the car. To protect that person insurance is normally required. Who pays for that insurance? The person who leased the car.

Yet for some reason other leases are not treated the same way? If you go to Aarons or RentACenter and lease furniture and electronics and it is destroyed the lease company just forgets about it? No. They expect their customers to insure the equipment they lease. It remains the customer's responsibility. Perhaps in this case with a whole community hurting there might be some leeway (waiting for the FEMA money to arrive) but their usual policy is the same as DISH. Take care of what you lease, you are responsible for it.

And as far a PlayOn's offer ... isn't that worse? Turning a disaster where a record number (and growing) number of lives were lost into a marketing opportunity? As Seth Meyers would say, "really?" Their offer is a publicity stunt.

DISH will likely end up writing off many of the unreturned or damaged receivers. When they do it will be a private matter, not a PR stunt.
 
#22 ·
James Long said:
Responsible people.

No one questions who is responsible if something happens to a car that they lease. Get it stolen or in an accident (your fault or not) or have it damaged or destroyed in a storm and guess who is responsible? The person who leased the car. To protect that person insurance is normally required. Who pays for that insurance? The person who leased the car.

Yet for some reason other leases are not treated the same way? If you go to Aarons or RentACenter and lease furniture and electronics and it is destroyed the lease company just forgets about it? No. They expect their customers to insure the equipment they lease. It remains the customer's responsibility. Perhaps in this case with a whole community hurting there might be some leeway (waiting for the FEMA money to arrive) but their usual policy is the same as DISH. Take care of what you lease, you are responsible for it.

And as far a PlayOn's offer ... isn't that worse? Turning a disaster where a record number (and growing) number of lives were lost into a marketing opportunity? As Seth Meyers would say, "really?" Their offer is a publicity stunt.

DISH will likely end up writing off many of the unreturned or damaged receivers. When they do it will be a private matter, not a PR stunt.
PR stunt is not correct. Playon sent me a private email.

I thought the purpose of a moderator was to keep the boards civil... Your comments do not help anyone.

Please delete my screen name and remove me from this forum. I no longer want to be a part of this.
 
#23 ·
To add to James' comments, I'm just baffled by the discussion here. If you've lost a home including all your belongings, the satellite TV company's box is hardly noticeable among your losses. And many in Joplin have lost family members.

When this kind of discussion occurred a couple of years ago relative to the wildfires, I wondered about people's priorities. Getting angry about Dish Network won't help anyone.

Donate some money to help these folks. If you can't figure out any other way, use a Dish Network Donation Channel discussed in another thread.
 
#24 ·
The more I think about it, the more I don't see an issue. Think of all the other rented and leased equipment lost, from cell phones to computers to vehicles. The end user is going to be responsible in the long run whether through insurance or FEMA. The companies can't be expected to eat all those losses.

And like I say, it isn't just Joplin. There have been several major incidents including Tuscaloosa. As I mentioned above, add in the wildfires, earthquakes, floods, other tornadoes ..... well you get the picture.
 
#25 ·
fatpug said:
PR stunt is not correct. Playon sent me a private email.
Are you in Joplin? Or was this email sent to a wider audience?

It seems that the benefit of "looking good to customers" and "word of mouth" advertising (including you posting the email in public) creating interest in the company would outweigh any actual cost for the limited number of Joplin residents who would qualify under the offer. (I'm not saying that you are an intentional shill for the company, only that by sharing the offer in public you have helped that company promote itself.)

And while DISH probably could do something to "look good" it isn't a requirement.

Personally, I can't believe anyone in Joplin who lost a receiver is worried about the non-return fee at this point. It seems like there would be much more important concerns. If all they're worried about is satellite receiver non-return fees then they probably were not affected much.

If I were the radio host I would have moved on to more important matters. People looking for loved ones. People wanting the bodies released from the morgue. Priorities.
 
#26 ·
Can you point me directly to this story going around? I would like to see the story in writing with my own eyes. Otherwise it is just another rumor by someone who doen't like Dish. I heard the srory was being reported that this was a omcast exec that said there people that had a comcast box lost had to pony up $ 212 for there box replacement. So until I see it in print that Dish actually did this, then it is just another rumor with no factual bases. Let me see this story.
 
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