This is the letter I submitted to Dish Network directly following the exp:
In November I selected Dish Network as my satellite carrier. At that time I agreed to a promotion that provided the household with two receiver boxes. Only owning one television at the time, the gentleman who installed the necessary equipment said he would take the second box/receiver with him and when I was ready for it to be installed, simply give Dish Network a call and they would return to install the second receiver.
On the morning of Friday June 11 I was balancing my checking account with my online banking programs when I noticed an automatic payment to Dish Network for the amount of $315.99. My monthly bill is typically $31.99. I thought surely this was a mistake of some kind so I phoned customer service billing and inquired as to the charges.
The CR representative I spoke to said the charges were for a recent service call in which I had the second receiver installed. He said the charges were $90 for the service call, $149 for the receiver and the remaining portion was my monthly bill, now increased due to two receivers being in the house.
Upon hearing this information I explained that the receiver is not something I would have needed to purchase, as it was something that was inclusive in my initial agreement with Dish Network. He said he would speak with his supervisor, at which point I was put on hold for an extended amount of time. When he returned to the phone he said there was nothing that could be done and that I would not be receiving a refund for the unauthorized $315.99 pulled from my checking account by Dish Network.
At this juncture I asked to speak directly to his supervisor, stating that he had been very nice but obviously the supervisor was preventing a positive resolution between Dish Network and I. I was then put on hold for approximately thirty minutes before being disconnected.
Shortly after, around 11A.M. (MST) Friday morning June 11 I phoned Dish Network again, again explaining my predicament. I said that the bottom line was that this $315.99 withdrawal from my checking account was not authorized by me, nor had it at anytime been stated, at all, that there would be a charge incurred for bringing the second receiver into my home. The customer service representative I spoke to this time stated that “I can tell you whatever you want, but you’re still not getting your money back.”
At this juncture I asked to speak to a supervisor and was put on hold, eventually I was connected to a man who explained himself to be a manager. “I am a manager, I am superior to a supervisor” he explained. We spoke for twenty or so minutes at which time he informed me that a $149 credit would be placed to my account.
At this time the manager asked me if when placing my service call I had agreed to a two year contract or not, I stated very clearly, that was not a question I had been asked at the time of placing the service call. The manager went on to state that had I agreed to the contract there would have been no charge to me for the receiver box or service call. I again stated that while scheduling the service call no contract discussion or charges I would be incurring were mentioned, implied, or discussed. Further, had I been told that this service call was going to cost money, and was not inclusive of my original agreement with Dish Network, then I would have never had the service call to begin with.
I was once again transferred to a department that could, I was told, complete the process.
The following day (Sat, June 12) I phoned Dish Network again to begin the process of cancelling my account and to continue pursuing a full refund. Almost immediately the customer service representative (Rob QA5) became rude and short with me, talking down to me much in the manner an adult might condescend a small child. I stated that there was no reason to talk to me like that, but if that is how Dish Network was going to handle things, then I too would be more than happy to be rude and unreasonable.
I told Rob that I would be contacting a lawyer regarding this matter since obviously Dish Network had no interest in helping me, their customer of eighteen months. I then insisted I be transferred to a supervisor. I was transferred to what was referred to as the ‘executive department.’
The gentleman I spoke with offered his phone number so that I could continue to contact him directly, I informed him there was no need for his number. All I needed at this point from Dish Network was to cancel my account or to receive a full refund (less my monthly charge of $31.99) for the $315.99 charge on May 26.
He stated that a refund was only possible within thirty days of “purchase.” I pointed out that it was not yet June 25th and therefore I fell well within the confines of the thirty day return policy. He stated that by their definition of thirty days, I had “Purchased” in April. I stated that a point of purchase, by even the loosest of definitions is when the consumer spends money, which clearly was in May.
The gentleman made it clear there would be no refund issued to me. At this time I asked if he was certain that was the decision Dish Network wanted to make, he stated it was. I then said to cancel my account, effective immediately at which point he informed me that would be a $60 charge. I told him to be sure he was recording this conversation because I did not authorize the $60 charge. To say at this juncture I am dissatisfied with Dish Network would be an understatement, as this gentleman is well aware of.
That afternoon, June 12 I closed my checking account at my bank so that Dish Network would no longer have free access to my money. I also made another phone call to Dish Network to ensure that all bills would be sent to me in paper form from now on. Upon arriving home that afternoon I had no satellite signal.
The morning of June 13 I placed another call to Dish Network to inquire where I might return the two Dish boxes/receivers in my home. The gentleman said first that he did not understand what I was calling about and after I explained everything to him twice, and suggested he read through the notes on his computer screen, he explained that they would send me a shipping box in which I could return the boxes at my own cost.
During this June 13th conversation, the CR rep also noted that there was no evidence e of having spoken to a manager regarding my $149 refund.
At this juncture I am conferring with two lawyers, one local and one that contacted me after posting this experience on a consumer affairs website. I have informed several family members of my experience with your company and those who have Dish will be switching to Comcast. Also, I have spoken to my neighbor who recently moved to the neighborhood. Based on my experience she has decided to install Direct TV instead of Dish Network.
During this process, the weekend of June 11-13th I was in talks with investors regarding the programming/packaging we want in our next five restaurant/bars all scheduled to open in the fall/winter of 2010. Currently we have Direct TV and were planning to make the switch to Dish Network. After this experience we have decided to stay with Direct TV for all future stores. Our current package per store is $250p/month. Based on our growth plan for the next five years, at seven stores per year over the next five years, then fifteen per year after for five more years Dish Network has just incurred an estimated loss of $27,500 from myself and my employer. Had the customer service representatives simply met my simple request of refunding a mere $315 when I initially spoke with them, then we would be ending this letter much differently. Further, instead of losing me as a customer, Dish Network would have continued to have a so-called “valued, ” happy customer.
My sheer disgust for your company at this juncture literally makes me sick to think about. I will continue to phone Dish Network, if for nothing else, sheer annoyance. I will continue to post this letter on every consumer advocate webpage; I will be filing official complaints with the better business bureau and my states attorney general. I will continue my conversation with the aforementioned lawyers.
I am not at all surprised to learn of lawsuits against your company for similar misdealings further reassuring me that I have been wronged. The fact that less than a year ago Dish Network had to settle with 46 states for similar wrongs that I have cited herein only reinforces that it is a dishonest and unreliable company. It is only a matter of time before Dish Network is put out of business by its dishonest and greedy practices.
Disgruntled and Disgusted,
Erin S. Borsdorf
0 comments