Complain about a product or service

DISH - Billing

James of Farmington, NM December 3, 2009

I received my dish network bill this past week and there was an offer included in it to upgrade to HD television. I had previously looked into this about 6 months ago, but didn't upgrade because of expense. When I called I talked to a woman on November 29, about my upgrade options, I stated that I wanted to upgrade to HD in two rooms and standard definition in the third.

To the best of my memory, she stated that I would have to pay 75 for the second HD receiver and that the service would be around 87 a month. At this point, I stated that I would have to see what ComCast was offering, since they just installed fiber optics in the community. She then stated she could put me through to a “specialist” that might have other discounts available. She forwarded my call to Mike the specialist.

I talked with Mike about the options listed below: Service for two HD televisions and standard definition for the third television. Optional HD recorder was discussed. I asked Mike at this time what it would cost me and he gave me the following offer. Many times during our conversation I asked what the total amount would be on my bill (after taxes, etc.)

Mike said that Dish Network would keep my current bill the same at 60.99 for a year, at that point it will go up to 73.99 a month for the next year. That will include HD to two television sets and one standard definition to the third television. He said that Dish Network would not charge me for the second HD receiver. When he gave me the above figures, I then asked to include a HD recorder and which he replied that it was included in that price.

The HD recorder, stated by Mike, would record up to 50 hours of HD programming and XXX hours of standard definition. I said that I wanted to discuss this with my wife, at which he held on the phone line. It was then that I stated that I would go ahead and upgrade. Mike said I would have to sign a two year contact to receive the above mentioned pricing. Mike then stated that he could schedule it for Tuesday (December 1).

I told Mike that Tuesday would not work for me because I had to take my sister-in-law to the Durango airport and would not be available during that time. He then stated that he could schedule the installation for Wednesday (December 2) either in the morning (8am to 12 noon) or afternoon (12 noon to 5pm). I selected the afternoon scheduling. At around 1pm on December 2, my father-in-law called and said the installer would be by in about 15 minutes. I then left work to meet the installer at my house.

Mike H., the installer, came by about 20-25 minutes later to do the installation. The installation went well. The installer said the HD recorder would store 30 hrs of HD programming, which is not what Mike the specialist has quoted over the phone. After signing the installation agreement, it was noticed that I did not have any HD channels, just the local HD channels. The installer looked on his work order and saw that it was supposed to be there, or so he said and I would have to call Dish Network to correct this.

I then did as the installer suggested, I called Dish Network. I was on the phone with them for 65 minutes and 12 seconds, it seemed much longer. I initially talked to Jerry (K9Z id). I stated the items listed above. She did try to fix everything, but stated that my cost would be 63.99/month before tax and 67.99/month after tax for the first year then it would be raised to 79.99/month before taxes and 84.99/month after taxes for the second year.

My wife and I had initially discussed the additional expense of Dish Network that Mike the specialist had quoted over the phone, while he was on the phone and jointly agreed to the additional expense. When I discussed with Jerry that I would have to discuss the additional cost increase (more than Mike the specialist had quoted) with my wife, she stated that the contract I had signed was valid.

I then stated I wanted a 24hr grace period and she said she could not confirm that. I then told her that I wanted to talk to someone who could confirm it and I was then passed on to her supervisor. Sorry, I didn't get his name. He then stated that the contract was valid and I would have to adhere to it and he then hung up the phone on me.

What was quoted on Sunday is not what I had agreed to. While I haven't discussed the additional expense with my wife yet, I feel that what was dealt to me on Sunday was a classic "bait and switch" tactic. I did ask them to exclude me from the contract during my conversation with Jerry and her supervisor. I feel that they have violated the basic principle of a written/oral contract.

Jack of Holly Ridge, NC December 1, 2009

On April 20, 2009 I proceeded to Satellite Central to inquire and receive services for Dish Network programming and I carried this service till 8/12/2009. I stopped receiving these services because of a hardship that I have had no control in. I had to move from Sioux City, Iowa to Holly Ridge, NC to help my brother care for his disabled daughter. Upon returning the equipment back to Satellite Central on or around 8/12/2009 I discovered that I owed more than 650 dollars in cancellation fees. In all fairness I was never notified by either Satellite Central or Dish Network of such cancellation fees. These unethical practices from Satellite Central are simply upsetting and dishonest, and I am wondering how many other customers this vendor has lied to about these so called fees. I do not recommend anyone doing business with either of these two companies for they are a total rip off for sure.

william of memphis, TN November 30, 2009

over billing for three months and refused to credit back my money on 25th on nov. charging for programs I didnt order and saying oops

James of Lynchburg, OH November 28, 2009

In March 2009 I paid my Dishnetwork bill a year in advance like i always do. I am a senior living on a fixed income. At the time I asked the rep to be sure all cost where included which total came to 786.92. Now it's November 2009 the day before Thanksgiving. I get a call. they told me I owed 67.82 I told them no I pay my account in full every year. They said oh I'm sorry your right thats a credit.

so the day after Thanksgiving they dissonnected me. I called them. they said no I owed them. so untill the bill was paid I would have to do without service. So I asked to speak with a supervisor and was told I could'nt. What a scam. I have never been so dissatisfied with a company in all my life. They said I am responsible for the 67.82 and the cost of the equipment. I asked them to pick there equitment up and they said no.

Kimberly of Peachtree City, GA November 17, 2009

I started service with DISH Network on November 1, 2009 via phone after being assured by their sales representative that the channels that I preferred to watch would be included in the 24.99 "promotion package. Equipment instalation ocurred the following day November 2, 2009. Later that same day, I discovered that NONE of the preferred channels clearly discussed with the sales rep were included so I contacted DISH Network immediately and was informed by a rep in their programming department that all of my preferred channels would be included in the NEXT level package - additionally, I was informed that my agreed upon monthly fee was inacurrate too resulting in a higher charge for a package that was insufficient.

The programming department rep evidently had only the "authority" to provide two (2) months of free service for the package that included my originally requested and agreed upon channels. This was deemed insufficient and I demanded to be escalated to the next level which resulted in my being transferred to the Loyalty Department -a misnomer at best! There was absolutely no customer service involved or even attempted by thier various reps and supervisors - in fact, each tried to invoke a "contract item" that a 300 termination fee was now in effect. This was laughable as I was reading my copy of their contract line-by-line with them and informed them that there is and was no mention -in print or verbally prior to this conversation - of this contract item.

This BAIT AND SWITCH approach evidently has been employed before by DISH Network as evidenced by prior posts to this site regarding DISH Network. I immdiately demanded a cancellation of my account but was stunted by DISH Network. This required multiple telephone calls to DISH Network between November 3 and November 17 jumping through the same hoops hearing the same verbiage. Surprisingly enough, I have continously been thwarted by DISH Network even to schedule an equipment pickup by a techincian; they have stated that I could throw away the dish itself and just return (on my dime)the rest of the equipment. I find this silly especially since it took a trained technician hours to assemble the system. Additionally, who in their right mind would dismantle a system of this nature risking error, injury and damages to the equipment? Finally, Amy, ID#4ZJ came on the phone and stated that I have a zero balance on my account and that the supposed 300 termination fee had been "waived" and that her ID # would serve as my confirmation of these terms.

erin of Costa Mesa, CA November 14, 2009

After 6 years of fine service, about 5 months ago I called Dish to reduce my monthly fee since it had recently increased. I thought the matter dealt with. For the past 5 months I have been billed incorrectly (over billed of course). They added free HBO for three months and when I called to cancel it at the 3 month period, they continued to bill me for it. I have spent hours and hours attempting to fix the problem, talking to countless supervisors, the district office, etc.; each person giving me a different story. I have waited for up to a half hour for calls, been disconnected countless times and treated as if I were doing something wrong, when all I am trying to do is pay the amount they have agreed to. I have never once been late with a bill in six years. This is a horrific way of treating a loyal and good customer and doing business.

brian of goodyear, AZ November 13, 2009

I have a 78 year old Aunt living in my home in Wisconsin. I live in Arizona and I have been paying her dish network tv cable bill for over a year. Every month it is around 48.00. Last month I noticed Dish network had deducted over 99.00 dollers for the same cable bill from my checking account. I called Dish network ASAP to ask why the additional charge and was told that someone inside the home had upgraded to a premium 250 channel service tier - via the TV receiver. I tried to explain to Dish network representatives that I did not authorize the upgrade of service either by phone or in writing. I added that my 78 year old Aunt was not capable of programming the receiver for such a transaction. My Aunt also told me she never remembered receiving any additional TV programming service.

I tried to resolve the problem over the phone with two different operators (wfr/qgb) and one supervisor (Miguel). Our conversation ended with Miguel stating that company records show that the service was upgraded, from the home, and there would be no refund for the time [they claim] it was provided. I told Miguel my aunt said she never ordered the service upgrade and I asked if Dish network records might be in error. Miguel then said maybe someone else in the house ordered the upgrade. I told Miguel no one else lives in the home except my Aunt.

Even though Dish network changed the cable bill back to the original 48.00 dollars per month, as a loyal Dish network customer, I feel cheated and ripped off. I am so sorry I authorized the company to automatically withdraw money from my checking account to pay the TV cable bill. Otherwise we would be arguing about money they say I owe them, instead of the additional 51.00 dollars they took, without authorization from my checking account, and won't refund. Live and learn.

Greg of Lewisburg, TN November 3, 2009

It has come clear in the last year, Dish Network doesn't really care about their customers. Dish is always right, the customer is always wrong. Customer service reps do very little to resolve simple issues before they pass you off to someone else. Accounts are not notated with detailed information that took placed in a phone call. Sales reps are not held accountable for quotes they provide customers. Retention and loyalty thinks they have the FINAL word in complex account issues, always wanting to argue with you instead of providing a simple resolution (in hopes you will get so frustrated that you will just hang up).

After a year of having to WAIT to add a new receiver so we could add HD to a tv in our bedroom (basically because the sales person gave us wrong information and gave us the wrong package), we finally were transferred to the loyalty department (after considering just out right cancelling). A guy named Eric, ID "CIG", fixed us up with a few discounts to keep us happy, and finally upgraded our receiver where we could have HD in the room we wanted last year....He was very helpful. He provided a quote, and stated EXACTLY what we could expect on our continued billing cycle. He quoted us the BRONZE 100 + HD for 39.99, +7.00 for the additional receiver, and (-15.00) a month for 12 months as a loyalty discount, Totalling 31.99 a month. After the tech left, we DID NOT have HD on any of our channels, despite the fact that ERIC stated he had put in the order to reflect the "package" at 39.99. Everyone now tells me that we need to pay an ADDITIONAL 10.00 per month. WHY????

The quote he provided to us was supposed to include the Bronze Package in HD! I've already talked to 2 people in customer service, three people in loyalty, and one person at the corporate level. Its always the same run-around. Dish is right, I'm wrong. Not in this case. If a salesperson (especially a higher account manager in loyalty) provides a quote to a customer, then they should input that information into the system correctly, and standby the information they presented at the time that a decision was made by the customer (me). Instead, vague notes are left on the account. I wrote down verbatim exactly what Eric quoted me, and I even made him clarify TWICE, what EXACTLY we would be charged, it it was correct. What's worse, it that no one at Dish wanted to see it my way. They look at past months on previous biling where we had some billing issues, and they base their decisions off the PAST. This new issue just happened Oct 30, 2009. If ERIC knew based off the information we stated to him on what we wanted, WHY would he suggest upgrading our receiver to HD without checking to see if we had HD programming ? ? ? ?

If he stated HE BUNDLED the Bronze 100 and HD together for 39.99, I assumed he entered the order correct, and we finally had what we wanted. INSTEAD, there is all of this squabble over 10.00 for this HD addition. We have been a customer since 2005. we've always paid our bill. We've never asked for any adjustments on our bill til last year when our order was placed incorrectly. I honestly can't believe I am getting such a hassle out of this HD issue. The loyalty rep should be help accountable for his quote, and we should get out Bronze package in HD just like he quoted us. The last loyalty rep was firm, and he just told us to CANCEL is we weren't happy. Doesn't make sense that you are willing to lose a customer of 4 years over 10.00. We are only asking for the services and equipment we requested at the rate quoted by Eric in loyalty. I gave up on calling again because its an endless battle which ends in arguments and accusations. Call center reps and loyalty managers should be totally ashamed of their actions to this point. After all these changes to our account on Nov 1st, we still have not benefitted from any upgrades. We still do not have HD on our TV's. We would NOT have authorized another receiver had we not have been getting HD. The loyalty rep either mis-quoted us or did not enter the order correctly into the system. The LOYALTY discount was entered before we even started talking about upgrading the receiver and getting the Bronze HD...So no one else can say the loyalty discount was to be used for the Bronze HD, it wasn't... It wasn't added anyway. We've referred two people to you. We've never got our referral rewards. With this kind of treatment and a roller coaster ride, why would we refer anyone else? You have one last opportunity to make this right. We signed another committment with you because we trusted that all the information Eric provided to us at the time of the upgrade order was complete and accurate.

Boy, the deeper you dig, the more you find out....... It appears that operator XCE added the HD/PLATINUM PACKAGE to our account yesterday (we thought this was our resolution), then he took it back off (after an argument.....Yeah, Dish is right, customers are always wrong). THEN, operator 7SL tells me that operator CIG (the one who originally made this "extreme quote") was hoping that we would redeem one of our club dish referrals to make up for 5.00 of the 15.00 that he quoted us for 12 months. HOW CAN YOU QUOTE DOLLARS OFF on something that may or may not happen? How can you plan FUTURE discounts???? Quoted rates on the account should have been RATES IN REAL TIME! Meaning that when my bill comes every month, I want it to be 31.99! I can NOT believe your company and reps operate under these policies. the last loyalty rep I spoke with said since the 'EXTREME" offer that ERIC (CIG) made wasn't able to be validated, he asked me when we wanted to cancel.

Obviously, our upgrade on 11/1, and three days of phone calls and chats has yielded us NOTHING but headaches and a rollercoater ride. ALL this squabble over 10.00 that you should hold a loyalty rep quoted us. NOW, we are in doubt about what our NEXT bill will be. Will it include inflated imaginationary discounts that we're not getting. Put YOURSELF in my shoes, WHY should I continue doing business with you all??????? To date, we still do not have HD for our receivers or our two HDTV's. DISH states they are not offering us any more discounts and we can cancel because of it. Ive also wrote corporate two letters, with no responses. PLEASE THINK TWICE before doing business with DISH NETWORK!

albert of angier, NC October 21, 2009

deceptive advertizement! After they get your info,ssi number bank account info(and tie that up for 3 to 7 days0 THEN REFUSE YOU UNLESS YOU PAY OVER 350.00 UPFRONT, CUZ YOUR CERDIT SCORE SAYS THAT(NO WAY IN THEIR ADVERTIZEMENT DID THAT STATE THAT) OR IF REFUSED THEY CAN TIE UP YOUR MONEY FOR 3-7 DAYS, WELL THAT HAVE DONE THAT. THEY LIED AND DID NOT DICLOSE THAT INFO FIRST.

andrea of winston salem, NC October 20, 2009

I figured that I'd try out dish network. So they came out and their technician said that he couldn't put up the dish at my condo. And I was charged 50.00 for this and they refuse to get rid of the charge! So I have no dish and I am out 50.00!

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.

Follow us on Twitter.

Back to the top |

Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2010 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.    The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission.