Dish Network Customer Service SUCKS

Written by Nickel - 434 Comments

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I wrote last month about a minor customer service snag that we ran into when we had our Dish Network service connected. The problem was that the installation fee ($49.99) was supposed to be credited back to us on our first bill, but it wasn’t. Well, this small problem has now turned into a huge annoyance.

Before we get rolling, I just want to say that this is a bit ranty. But everyone needs a good rant now and then.

Okay, for a quick recap, I called customer service way back when I received the bill without the $50 credit. After getting the runaround from the CSR, I finally got to a supervisor who couldn’t do anything but apologize and say that they couldn’t give me the rebate since they had no record of me having signed an eighteen month commitment (required for the ‘free’ installation). She insisted that I needed to call the reseller and have them re-send the contract. I objected, as this problem is clearly between the Dish and the reseller — why should I have to fix it? When I got no further (other than a $10 account credit) I hung up and called the reseller. He said that it’s not uncommon for Dish to lose the paperwork, and that he would just send it again.

A couple of weeks later I checked online and saw that they still hadn’t credited me, so I e-mailed them about it (I really didn’t want to sit on hold again). When I didn’t hear back from them for a week (not even an acknowledgment that they had received my initial query) I called them — again. This time the CSR that I spoke to said that there was a notation on my account that my e-mail had been received and forwarded to the Promotions Department, and that I should be hearing back soon. So the next morning I called the reseller to see what he could do. He said that he would go ahead and call the Retail Customer Service line to get things straightened out. That was a week ago. When I logged last night to see if things had been sorted out I found that we were still credit-less. So I called (AGAIN!).

This time I waited on hold for about five minutes before I spoke to a CSR that said she was going to put me on hold so she could check on things. That was the last I heard from her. No, she didn’t hang up. She just put me on eternal hold. After about 10-12 minutes, I grabbed my cell phone and called (AGAIN!!!), but I left the original call on speaker just to see if the CSR would ever come back (she didn’t). This time I immediately asked the CSR for a supervisor, and was promptly (well, not really promptly — it took about 20 minutes for it all to unfold) told that they had no record of my 18 month committment, and that there was nothing that they could do.

She then tried to bluff me by asking whether or not I had a copy of the contract. The installer doesn’t leave one with you, so she was expecting me to say no, which would give her an easy out. As it turns out, I DO have a copy of the contract — the reseller faxed it to me. When I told her this and asked for her fax number so I could send it to her, she blanched — I caught her totally offguard and she had no idea what to say. After stumbling around for a bit, she said that the reseller had to contact Retail Customer Service to straighten this out.

So, finally, I called the reseller (A-G-A-I-N!!!) and left a message… In short, I told him that I’m done dealing with this. Either I receive $49.99 (either from Dish or from him, I don’t really care) or I’ll be contacting both the Better Business Bureau and the State Attorney General’s Office. Yes, I know that $49.99 isn’t really worth all this trouble. And yes, I do realize that I could just cancel my service (after all, they keep telling me that they have no record of my 18 month commitment). But I’m pissed, and I’m on a crusade. I’ve already looked up the contact info for the AG’s office, and I have the Better Business Bureau website bookmarked.

So here’s my advice: If you’re looking for satellite TV service, ~~get DirecTV~~.

Hmmm… It appears that people are having similar troubles with DirecTV customer service, as well.

For more information on moving, check out my Roadmap for a Successful Relocation.

Published on July 17th, 2006 - 434 Comments
Filed under: House & Home
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About the author: Nickel is the founder and editor-in-chief of this site. He's a thirty-something family man who has been writing about personal finance since 2005, and guess what? He's on Twitter!

434 Responses to “Dish Network Customer Service SUCKS”

Pages: « 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 [9] Show All

401
Shawn Says:
July 19th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
Dish Network SUCKS big time there service did not work at my home so they removed it and now they want to charge me 420 what a bunch of thieves
402
STEVE J Says:
July 26th, 2010 at 10:28 pm
Dishes reception is awful and constantly goes off about 10 times a day whether the sun is shining or it starts to rain.

After that called up and said that I think our contract is up on July 31, 2010 and the customer service person said that another year had to go, but it was not spelled out in the paper contract we signed when we took the contract.
Think that the FDA needs to start monitoring the doings of CABLE and DISH companies to make sure that the contracts and disclosures are on the up and up to protect the public and not the DISH COMPANY in the future.

Will be writing a nice letter to the general manager of the dish company for a refund of the fee they are asking and all the PAIN & SUFFERING they are putting the other 401 people that wrote in on the internet before me.

Steve J
403
Dishvictim Says:
August 1st, 2010 at 7:04 pm
I was a dish customer until yesterday, I called dish last evening to cancel one preminum channel instead the tech person removed my whole HD package which is not offered by dish anymore, thanks to him , i lost 35 HD channels and dish said i have to pay the same amount for the lost 35 channels and they cant put my old package back coz they dont offer it anymore, after 2 hours on phone with no help i finally cancelled my dish service. Their customer service know the word ‘APOLOGIZE’ and they dont do anything other than that, evethough it was their fault they just did not try to help me.i still have to fight for my billing, GOD only knows what will happen to my Money.Please STAY AWAY FROM Dish Network.
404
Pat Says:
August 1st, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Watch your credit card to be sure they don’t try and sneak a charge onto it.

Dish seems to operate believing that customers only have contract obligations.
405
cathy Says:
August 1st, 2010 at 9:19 pm
I am a former dish network employee, for those of you that have used your credit card to sign up for service contact your bank and get a new card with a new number. If you do what I suggested dish will not be able to make any unauthorized charges to your credit card. DO NOT sign up for auto pay unless you use a pre-paid card and only have enough on the card each month for the payment.
406
Bernadette Costello Says:
August 5th, 2010 at 11:07 am
Last month my brother and I were in Illinois with my father who was dying of cancer. He died in mid-July. When we tried to cancel the contract, DISH wanted a death certificate to prove he was dead. Apparently they get a lot of people doing that???I guess you can’t get out of the contract even if you or a loved one dies.
407
Pat Says:
August 5th, 2010 at 11:29 am
When you send a copy of the death certificate be sure to send it “Return Receipt Requested,” or any other means that requires a signature for receipt.
408
Dave Says:
August 16th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
We have been a Dish Network customer for 10-15 years now and have always been happy with the service till now. We ran into a problem when we rented an overpriced movie. There was a glitch (both on our part and theirs)and we didn’t get the movie. When I called they stated it was their policy not to refund the cost of the Movie. After a brief discussion that led nowhere I hungup. Unfortunatly we have more than a year left on our contract so we cant do much now but rest assured, at the end of this contract, we will discontinue their service.
409
Jeff Says:
August 22nd, 2010 at 10:24 am
I am no longer a fan of Dish. I’ve had continual receiver and reception issues that do not get fixed even with a new replacement receiver. Even though I pay for the additional warranty, they want to charge a fee to come out and see whats wrong. Now I am running into a problem that I did not see anyone else complain about. Every time I call, I am forced to speak with a CSR who barely speaks english. I have had to hang up several times to get someone who I can understand. I guess they have finally outsource their call center services. I would switch to DirecTv right now, but they want $10 for every month we have left on our contract. That is $50, plus they want me to climb on my roof to take a part off my dish. Also, I need to ship my receivers back at my cost in one of their prepaid boxes. I’m done when my contract is up on December 30th.
410
Mike Says:
August 23rd, 2010 at 9:45 am
Wow… You are all truly idiots to the world of business. EVERY company out there whether it’s Dish or Direct TV is a 2 year agreement. The credit card/debit card is ONLY charged when YOU make the submission, unless the services is disconnected then your card is used to collect the cancelation fee/equipment fees. It’s all in the contract, and it’s ALL LEGAL!!! As far as climbing on top of your roof, if you tell them the dish is on the roof they will waive that part, but I am sure your dumb ass didn’t tell them that. If the account holder passes away, no matter what company beit cable, satellite, credit card, cell phones, etc… EVERYONE needs proof of death certificate. That’s called COMMON SENSE, something YOU obviously lack, “Pat”. Jeff, why should Dish pay to have the equipment sent back if YOU cancelled??? Did you know that if your car gets repoed, guess who gets the bill for that?? Yep, YOU DO! Dishvictim, sorry about what happened, however if that package is NO longer available, even if it was removed accidentally, there is NO way to get it back… literally! The way the computer program is set up, the agents can ONLY put back on what is available. “Steve”, if your reception goes off often like you say it does, there is a very good possibility your Dish just needs realigned. If the Dish is not sitting on the rafter of your home, it can fluctuate. The sheeting on the roof does move, which will cause the Dish to move.
411
ricardo Says:
August 30th, 2010 at 12:02 am
your csr really sucks…its sad that you people can not take care of customers…I requested several times for explanations re my bill and i have not received any kind of an answer. I received a bill for the current charges of more of double the amount i was told to pay a month, now you people are ready to turn off my service…why do you do this?
412
Mike Says:
August 30th, 2010 at 12:47 am
Ricardo, are you sure you just refused to listen to the explanations??? If you’re late on a bill, then yes your service will be interupted. Extremely common practice. Direct TV does it, Cox does it, Comcast, Time Warner, etc… Did you know if you do the same on a car payment it happens too??? It’s called REPOSSESSION!!! To get the car back, ya pay what’s owed. Same with Dish. Only reason why Dish would shut you off and your bill is doubled, is because that is for 2 months!!! Haven’t received your first month on it. *tsk tsk* PAY THE DAMN BILL!!!!!!!!!
413
Kathy Says:
September 1st, 2010 at 12:41 am
Dish Network SUCKS REALLY REALLY bad. They don’t know what customer service means, and they don’t seem to be aware of competition. Yes Dish there are OTHER service providers. On top of them sucking, they outsource American jobs……What’s are National unemployment rate right now? I say BOYCOTT Dish…
414
Mike Says:
September 1st, 2010 at 11:09 am
Kathy, every company out there has outsourced to outside of America. Only 4 places outside of U.S. for Dish, Philipines, India, China, and Mexico. Only 4 of 25 sites. That means 21 are here in the U.S. You’re right there are other providers, however, Direct TV outsources to outside of U.S. as well. Keep that in mind. It’s cheaper for the companies to do that. In India, those ppl only make $0.20 per hour and that is awesome $$$ there. So in a business perspective, that’s not a bad move. Would you pay $680 or $8 per week for the same exact thing???
415
Pat Says:
September 1st, 2010 at 11:25 am
Appear to anyone else that “Mike” has been employed by Dish to respond to these internet complaints????
416
Mike Says:
September 1st, 2010 at 11:27 am
That’s funny, Pat. However, I do not work for Dish. Sorry!!!
417
Dave Says:
September 1st, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Mike,
418
Mike Says:
September 1st, 2010 at 4:26 pm
Dave…
419
vivian Says:
September 7th, 2010 at 8:40 pm
On may 3rd. Two years ago,a small tornado hit my house and knocked my satellite out. I called dish network and talked to gabriel and explained I had no service. He said for me to call local satellite place and call back if needed. Two months later and no service, I had a bill sent to me for six hundred plus dollars, which included all the cost of the equipment I had. I called and explained that I had not had service for three months. I was clearly on the records of repeat calling and all I got was a bill for something I was not watching. I told them I would not pay it. Now two years later, my credit has been ruint by monthly reportings to the credit bureau form dish network. Thank you dish for being so dedicated to the credit bureau and forgetting about your customer. You suck. I not one to complain but ….anyone know how I can resolve my issue. Oh yeah and one more comment on my behalf. I climbed up on my forty five foot roof and tried to fix my own satellite.it did not work. Lol
420
Mike Says:
September 7th, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Vivian, you should have contacted your Homeowner’s Insurance. They would have paid for it all. Not sure, 2 yrs later, if they will. If they won’t, and you never called a local retailer, then chalk it up to your loss. Dish will help you out during major catastophes, however you need to do your end as well. And sorry to say, it was pretty foolish of you to climb 45 feet to attempt to fix your satelite. That is what the subcontractors are for. They are licensed. If you fall, it would be your fault and Dish won’t pay a penny for you.

I suggest going through your insurance and see if they are willing to cover the cost from 2 yrs ago. If not, just make small payments until it is paid off.
421
Pat Says:
September 7th, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Good old Mike, the brainchild employee of Dish, there he is again with his “Dish Answer Book of Responses to Complaints” ready and in hand. I hope Dish is better at paying his salary than it is at providing service. Come to think of it, he is probably paid for “piece work.” Come on dissatisfied Dish customers, let’s help Mikey.
422
vivian Says:
September 7th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Mike if you will read again, or maybe I just did not make clear enough in my earlier comments, I called dish network and local installer and installer kept saying he had to have orders from dish and dish kept saying I had to call installer. Lol and mike thank you for your concerns but the only way anything was going to get fixed was by me atleast trying to set it myself cause I am still waiting almost two years later for csr to call. Are you a csr cause if you are no wonder my satellite did not get fixed cause you are to busy defending dish network instead of doing your job. Lol thanks mike you helped me a lot. Pat I would have to agree with you.
423
Mike Says:
September 7th, 2010 at 10:15 pm
No I do not work for Dish. However it is common sense, unless you guys seriously lack it, that after 2 yrs, NOTHING WILL be done for you. So suck it up to your loss and pay the bill. Good lord. If it was me, I would be calling day in and day out to get it resolved. You may have called maybe 5 times about it, NOT ENOUGH!!! Guessing the Tornado took your idiotic brain too??? Because it seriously shows!!! 2 yrs later and you want something now? Ain’t gonna happen, so shut your trap, ya ol bat!!!
424
vivian Says:
September 7th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
I not an old bat and definitely not stupid. Just was stupid for being involved with dish network. Apparently if you don’t work for dish you must not have a job. Lol but just so you know i have laughed ever since you commented. You are so funny. I think I would rather fuss with you than dish. Lol maybe you should look into trying to get job there. Keep bringing them cause I am already feeling better. Thank you mikey!
425
Terri T. Says:
September 7th, 2010 at 10:28 pm
To MIKE:

If you aren’t employed by Dish, then you’re voluntarily making the company look even worse with your childish taunts and insults.

Put a lid on it already!
426
Mike Says:
September 7th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Vivian,

It’s idiots like you that makes me laugh. 2 yrs later and you expect something NOW??? ROFL!!!! You most definately, truly are stupid if not retarded.
427
vivian Says:
September 7th, 2010 at 10:43 pm
Mikey i think you need a girlfriend. Lol you are so silly. Terri I don’t think he can help his rude comments cause he clearly has some issues. But you are right he is making dish look real bad so I say “good ole mikey” keep up the good work cause dish does suck and you are definetely proving it everytime you send message.lol.
428
Mike Says:
September 7th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
If you don’t have Dish, why does it matter if “I” am making the company look bad???

Another proof, that you are retarded.
429
vivian Says:
September 7th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
Good night mikey. I got to go to a real job tomorrow but it has been fun. I will try to respond some more to you tomorrow cause I know you must be lonely.
430
Dave Says:
September 8th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
Vivian,

Why would you encourage Mikey to go in search of a girlfriend? Have you no compassion for your sisters.
431
Pat Says:
September 8th, 2010 at 1:36 pm
Touche, Dave!

Actually, I am starting to feel a tad sorry for the guy. He is so out of his league. I hope he now has enough sense to bug out of his “help column” nonsense. He has begun to use profanity and name-calling. Not a good sign. Take a breather Mikey. Go back to doing whatever it is that you do best.
432
Jean Blair Says:
September 8th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
I just called Dish with a question about my bill. The CSR named Charlie wouldn’t even let me finish my question, but started immediately trying to sell me High Def for life for $99.00. I told him I already have HD, that he didn’t let me finish my question. He hung up on me without saying another word.

I don’t know who this MIKE is, the one smart mouthing customers on this website, but if he isn’t an employee of DISH, they should hire him. His attitude is perfect for their customer service.
433
Jeff Says:
September 8th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
It’s kinda funny how Mike says he doesn’t work for dish, but know all of their packages and what each one costs. Along with all of their policies and procedures on screwing their “customers”.
434
vivian Says:
September 8th, 2010 at 9:09 pm
True lol. Were is old mikey tonight? He must be off today. Lol

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