Due to continual rate increases, we decided to cut our satellite subscription to the bone and get the lowest priced package. Since that package actually contained nothing either one of us wanted to watch, and still cost $1/day, we discontinued our service on May 27 and began a subscription to Netflix, instead, for $10 a month. Our satellite reception stopped immediately after we called.
One June 26, we received another monthly bill for service on our Discover Card. I check the Dish Network website and there is not only a charge for June, there is another charge building up for July. My DH calls to complain. They have records of him calling to cancel in May, but they did not complete the process at that time by sending him to a "cancellation specialist".
The "cancellation specialist" says that the charge was an error and that it will be reversed. He then tries to get him to change his mind by offering movie packages, free cricket, free months, etc. DH adamantly tells them that he does not want the service even more now that they have screwed up the cancellation process and two more months of bills.
The cancellation guy says that the bills will be fixed and that they will send us a box because they want their receiver back. DH says "fine", but naively does not get this guy's badge number or anything in writing from them. He says that he did ask them twice, just to make sure they agreed.
July 10 - we receive a box for return of the receiver, as well as a request that we reinstate our subscription, in the mail. All three pages of instructions in the return package are in Spanish. From what I can tell, they not only want the receiver, they want the remote control and several pieces of the satellite dish (on the roof).
Fortunately, I am in the process of painting the house and have an assortment of ladders at hand. I prop a ladder on the side of the (fortunately not too steep and not too high) TV room roof, and try to take the dish apart. Mr. Radio Shack Guy, who installed the dish, has stripped the screws while putting it on. I climb up and down the ladder with various cordless screwdrivers, vice-grips, scissors, manual screwdrivers, etc. I finally get the shroud off the satellite and dismantle several parts which look important. There is a wasps nest on one of them.
I package the parts up, complete with wasps nest and some plastic parts since I do not understand their Spanish instructions, for shipment back to Dish by UPS. I use my own shipping tape to seal the box.
I check the credit card bill for the credit due to us. There is nothing.
DH calls dish network and holds for about half an hour. When he finally talks to someone, they say that they never said anything about issuing a credit, and that we will have to pay $45 for service we never received. Avinash tells them that that is garbage and he won't pay it.
Avinash calls Discover Card to dispute the charge. They will go to bat for us. I will also issue a complaint with the FCC. Discover does issue a temporary credit, but reverses it later.
Pros:
None
Cons:
Terrible, terrible, terrible service. We will never use this company again. Yay DirecTV, for being better than this!
We have also been receiving frequent telemarketing calls from Dish, or rather, from a third party affiliated with them. They folks are clearly calling from India, and they try to get us to sign up for packages, refer our friends, and so on.
Since they're calling from India, obviously, the federal and state "Do Not Call" lists do not apply. Dish takes no responsibility for these calls. Some of the callers speak in Hindi only. And so I can't even tell them anything since my Hindi knowledge is limited to a few words only. I hate to be rude to these poor people, since I know it's a terrible job, but they keep calling no matter what - and so that is the only thing that works. I have tried asking them to take us off their list, asking to speak with their supervisor, and such things, but these callers are as dumb as a box of rocks and I eventually end up hanging up on them mid-spiel. When I do get someone who speaks English, they say that they don't have such a thing as a do-not-call list. If I ask for their phone number, to register a complaint with the federal do not call violation reporting service, they give me Dish Network's phone number. They will give a first name, but no last name or supervisor. If I hang up, they keep calling one minute later. It is now September and these calls are still going on.
Linda
scenic, Wisconsin
U.S.A.
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