[kendrid]

Today I had Dish installed. This isn't the typical "the installer didn't show up" post. Although they did call at 11 and say they'd be here at 11:30 and showed up at 3:30...

After installation I had a lot more channels than I was supposed to. I signed up for Turbo silver with Cinemax for $.01 and HBO/Starz for 3 months. My total with 2 receivers was 46.99/month.

I have an email confirmation with this information.

They signed me up for America's Top 200 with HD Platinum, HBO, no Cinemax. I was sure it was a simple mix up.

I called and was told that since I am "already a customer" I could not switch to Turbo Silver until February and that I have to stay with the America package. I never get angry but this was it. The guy refused to change my package since I was "already signed up" (he mentioned that a few times). I was installed four hours earlier. I told him they could come put my D* dish back up and take theirs back. While on hold I told myself "it's just TV" but his "I can't do anything for you" attitude is what I was really having an issue with.

I demanded to speak to a manager and he wouldn't transfer me. After telling him about my confirmation email which detailed what I had selected, what bait and switch is (bill would be quite a bit higher), etc he put me on hold for quite a while, called the "executive response team" and magically fixed everything.

While everything is fixed it is complete BS that it took me yelling at a guy to get him to even consider that they made an error. I offered to forward my confirmation email so they could look into the discrepancy between the website and what they set me up with but he didn't care.

What a great start Dish & I are off to... I do like the 722 so far but it's only been 4 hours...

 

[phrelin]

Hang in there and look around here. You'll see that many of us long time customers of Dish complain constantly about the goofy policies designed to confuse the CSR's. The name of the game is to play CSR roulette until you get one that understands what you're talking about.

Just thank your stars that you had a decent installer, meaning the install worked the first time. My HD install took three visits and then I just finally relocated one of my dishes myself. And the other stories I could tell.....

Still, Dish is my preferred choice for TV service.

 

[Yoda-DBSguy]

Today I had Dish installed. This isn't the typical "the installer didn't show up" post. Although they did call at 11 and say they'd be here at 11:30 and showed up at 3:30...

After installation I had a lot more channels than I was supposed to. I signed up for Turbo silver with Cinemax for $.01 and HBO/Starz for 3 months. My total with 2 receivers was 46.99/month.

I have an email confirmation with this information.

They signed me up for America's Top 200 with HD Platinum, HBO, no Cinemax. I was sure it was a simple mix up.

I called and was told that since I am "already a customer" I could not switch to Turbo Silver until February and that I have to stay with the America package. I never get angry but this was it. The guy refused to change my package since I was "already signed up" (he mentioned that a few times). I was installed four hours earlier. I told him they could come put my D* dish back up and take theirs back. While on hold I told myself "it's just TV" but his "I can't do anything for you" attitude is what I was really having an issue with.

I demanded to speak to a manager and he wouldn't transfer me. After telling him about my confirmation email which detailed what I had selected, what bait and switch is (bill would be quite a bit higher), etc he put me on hold for quite a while, called the "executive response team" and magically fixed everything.

While everything is fixed it is complete BS that it took me yelling at a guy to get him to even consider that they made an error. I offered to forward my confirmation email so they could look into the discrepancy between the website and what they set me up with but he didn't care.

What a great start Dish & I are off to... I do like the 722 so far but it's only been 4 hours...

I suggest keeping and even printing out a hard copy of that confirmation email confirming your package and stand on the matter; as you just might find that they further screw with your billing fees and or charge you a change of service fee to top it all off.

As an installer for both Dishnetwork and DirecTV; I have never been too keen with Dishnetwork's apparent "screw the customer at any cost" mentality that I see way to often from them.

Good luck and keep your eyes peeled at your billed invoices for several months on this matter.

 

[HDRoberts]

I'd forward the email with an explanation of what happened to the CEO [at] echostar.com email so they can make sure it is taken care of, and so they know what happened.

Perhaps the installer was confused by the names (or didn't know about the HD only packs). Silver is also the name of the $10 add on pack to AT200.

 

[James Long]

The installer should be bolting the equipment together ... it is the person who keyed in the order that apparently pressed the AT200+Silver "button" instead of the TurboHD Silver "button".

I don't see who took the order in the post above ... whether it was a reseller, DISH directly or via the website. Someone got eager. Glad to see it worked out with a little persistence.

(Back when HD Platinum was offered free for three months it could take a while to get the CSRs not to add it when adding a Bronze/Silver/Gold package. They didn't quite understand the meaning of the word NO even if the service was free.)

 

[kendrid]

Just thank your stars that you had a decent installer, meaning the install worked the first time. My HD install took three visits and then I just finally relocated one of my dishes myself. And the other stories I could tell.....

He was great. He put up with all of my questions.

He was able to run TV2 from the 722 and TV2 from the 222 up to our bedroom on one RG6 line. We can watch either receiver just by switching the channel on our TV and grabbing the appropriate remote. He was also able to setup our loft TV on TV2 of the 722.

I have a HTPC in the basement and we put the 222 under it (on a rack). From our second floor bedroom he tested the RF remote in multiple locations and found that it didn't always work (probably interference from the PC). He extended the antenna with a piece of RG6 so the RF remote now works everywhere.

One thing that he did that I'm not so sure of is that he said he pointed me to the south satellites instead of the SE satellites. He said he did that since he was reusing my D* mast. He claims it does not matter. True?

HDRoberts - thanks for the email address. I do want to write a letter but only if I could send it to someone besides customer service.

Yoda-DBSguy - thanks for the tip. I will be sure to watch it.

James Long - I signed up online and I know I chose only TurboHD Silver. I know it was $46.99 at the end of the checkout process. I have a spreadsheet of Dish vs D* vs Comcast vs WoW and all of the different options. I check everything out before committing for two years.

Here is what I signed up for (from my email confirmation):

DishDVR Advantage (TurboHD Silver), You Saved $3.98!
1 YR CINEMAX PENNY OFFER
CHICAGO IL LOCALS
COMCAST SPORTS CHICAGO
DISH HOME PROTECTION PLAN
HBO
STARZ! SUPER PAK
TurboHD Silver

MPEG4 only allowed Equipment
Wing Dish

 

[puckwithahalo]

James Long - I signed up online and I know I chose only TurboHD Silver. I know it was $46.99 at the end of the checkout process. I have a spreadsheet of Dish vs D* vs Comcast vs WoW and all of the different options. I check everything out before committing for two years.

It's not just you. I work for E* and I know what I'm doing (not that you don't, but you know what I mean), and when I set my cousin's account up through the site it was royally messed up too. Fortunately for me, I checked on the work order before the install, called in, and got everything squared away then.

The way the system is set up, it is very easy to fix a mix-up before the work order is closed. On the other hand, it is almost impossible to fix certain things after a work order is closed, and finding someone who knows how to do it can take a little bit of time. A lot of times it has to be done using software that most agents are not familiar with. Also, sometimes its just something a lower level agent is not authorized to change, and it takes time to bump it up the chain to someone who is.

 

[kendrid]

Thanks for the info puck. It did seem that the front end guy could do nothing but repeat "TurboHD packages are for new customers only" even though I was a new customer (I understand that the computer doesn't think that).

I just checked online and my first month's bill is $137.74. That isn't even close to being right. Since we just fixed the programming last night I am going to give it a couple of days to see if it auto-adjusts itself. Anyone want to bet on the odds of this happening?

edit: I just noticed that the $50 credit I was supposed to get when I signed up is missing. While the invoice might fix itself there is probably no way that $50 is going to show back up without a call or two. Very frustrating...

 

[puckwithahalo]

You may want to try using the online chat application at dish network.com Most of the agents on there are more experienced agents.

 

[kendrid]

You may want to try using the online chat application at dish network.com Most of the agents on there are more experienced agents.

Thanks for the suggestion. Before reading your post I sent a detailed email to billing regarding both the incorrect invoice and missing credit. If they do not properly resolve it I will try the online chat.

 

[puckwithahalo]

Also, if your programming is fixed, the billing should be fixed as well, though the prorated credits probably won't show up until the second bill, they should show on the billing ledger within the next 24 - 48 hours though.

 

[levibluewa]

with billing...what should take 30 seconds, without screaming, takes 3 months to get resolved. Don't give up...its just customer service 2008.1

 

[kendrid]

Also, if your programming is fixed, the billing should be fixed as well, though the prorated credits probably won't show up until the second bill, they should show on the billing ledger within the next 24 - 48 hours though.

That is what I'm hoping will happen. I am a programmer and I know how most invoicing systems work and it will probably take another invoicing run before the correction shows up.

 

[Ashh]

Like I tell all my customers, if you have to call dish for anything and get someone that is giving you a hard time just hang up and call back till you get someone that will work with you. I do that as a tech when I need to call and have a work order modified and usually the second or third one will help me out.