I was approached by a door-to-door salesman who wanted me to sign up for Dish Network. I had several concerns about satellite tv, chiefly the problem with signal breakup during storms, along with service after the sale. I was assured by the salesperson that my service would only go out for a few seconds, and only when the absolute worst part of the storm was directly over me. He suggested I give it a try, and stated that I could always cancel if I was unhappy with the service. The vendor installed the equipment, and left me a stack of booklets and paperwork. Nowhere in the stack was a contract or any contact information.
After I started to use the service, it became apparent that I had been misled. Only half the channels worked, the other half went out when it was cloudy, and the HD channel reception was terrible. Since I had no contact information, I called the Dish Network 800 number. They suggested the dish was misaligned and that I would have to contact the local vendor. I explained I had no contact information. The told me to check the menu on the receiver for contact information, but there was none. They finally gave me a number to the vendor, but that number was disconnected. I called back several times over the next few weeks, but Dish Network offered absolutely NO assistance, except to say they could send a technician out for $75. At that point I told them I had enough of this and wanted to cancel. I was informed there would be a cancellation fee of $200. I was not in the mood to pay $200 to cancel a contract that wasn't being honored, so I called Time Warner and asked them to reinstall my cable. Now, Dish Network has turned me over to a collection agency because I didn't pay my bill. I have disputed the charge with the agency. They have threatened to hurt my credit rating by reporting this to the credit bureau. This is not about the money. Frankly, it's not worth my time to battle them over $150. This is about the bitter taste left in my mouth by Dish Network.
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