Why Do I Hate Dish Network?

You're right about E*'s ads. They remind me of a low budget late night infomercial. But over at D* they got celebrities and athletes, movie clip parodies, comedy, etc.
 
Good article. I am with DirecTV but I do think that Dish has the ABILITY to be superior to DirecTV but they just don't do it.

They NEED to settle with Tivo. I know some people that would like to have Dish but will not order as long as there is a threat that their DVR's will be shut off.

Dish needs to have better relations with the networks. Too many times it seems that without notice, a network is pulled for the same reason every time. They claim the networks are not being fair with them. They said this with MLB EI. But even cable didn't have a problem carrying it. Customers don't understand how networks can supposedly be unfair to Dish but fair to all the rest. And that leads to having...

...better relations with their existing customers. The removal of VOOM hit many people hard. They just dropped the package with very little warning and without apology. Didn't Dish have part ownership of VOOM? If so, why did they not act to polish up the channels back to their former glory? Instead they just drop them. Now VOOM, a once great service is gone.

They need better marketing. Like you said, DirecTV knocks the ball out of the park with their marketing. They get big name stars who recreated popular scenes from movies and incorporate them into a DirecTV ad. That is ingenious! Dish Network ads run like they are marketing to budget households in a trailer park. They make no impression on the viewer whatsoever.

And Dish needs to stop turning off a huge portion of potential customers by the refusal to carry top sports packages. I left over MLB EI. I would come back in a heartbeat if they were to change their strategy when it comes to sports programming. If they want to focus on movies, that's great! I like movies and many others do as well. But with services like Netflix, it is cheaper to watch movies with them than to order PPV or a premium service (not to mention that the premium services are not focusing 100% on movies anymore).

If Dish can improve on these issues, I think that they would prove that they are the superior satellite company. I truly do think that they are. They are just fumbling ball after ball. They need to regroup, change some strategies, and get some new players if need be. They just need to get it together and prove to everybody how good they really are. If they don't, I really fear for their future.
 
I think that you should have mentioned that beyond just E*'s marketing, their programming packages are confusing. You have HD-only packages that don't have all the HD stations of regular packages, and I've seen numerous posts and complaints about Channel A being on regular package + HD A and B but not HD-only package C. Also, it seems like on any given day you can turn on a channel only to find that its been removed because of some contract dispute between E* and the channel.

I'm a D* subscriber and I have to say that their programming packages are pretty simple. You essentially have 4 packages available, and if you want the channels in HD you pay $10 more a month. Each company has a number of flaws. I'm not shot in the ass at how unresponsive my HD DVRs can be to simple things like putting in 3 digits for a channel, but the programming package I get as well as the NFL Sunday Ticket (which is a God-send for someone who lives on the East Coast and has a West Coast team) make me happy to be a D* subscriber.

Overall I think that Satellite in general is better than Cable, and D* and E* is better than 90% of the cable company offerings out there.
 
Good blog Scott, but has anyone read the comments? Some real knee slappers from one bitter critic.

Keep up the good work:up

WE appreciate it
 
Dish in order to survive needs to fire their head of marketing--they got an idiot their.

One key principal of marketing is KISS--keep it simple stupid.

Dish is not simple to get and their packages requires a Ph.D. in programing.

Dish ads have to be more creative and show how dish is worth every penny.
 
DISH has made it their business model to go after TCV watchers who are not sports fans. However, sports fans seem to be willing to spend more per person for their programming than non-sports fans. Seeing that DIRECTV has a larger subscriber base than DISH, plus the fact that being sports fans they pay more for programming, this would seem to put DISH at a major competitive disadvantage.

Therefore, they need to offer a service that DIRECTV doesn't, and they have failed.

Technology and equipment - yes, this is apparently a DISH selling point, but only to the geek nation, not to the vast majority of TV viewers.

Programming - both services offer more or less the same channels, including HD channels and locals, except for a few variances here and there. No one seems to have a major advantage.

Pricing - After DISH's promotional period ends, pricing for comparable packages is about the same.

Customer service and installation - Both have significant issues here, and no one seems to have an advantage.

So, all things being equal, the message is the differentiator. And unfortunately for DISH, they portray the feeling of a mom-and-pop operation. DIRECTV's messages are polished, professional, much more major league. And that can make a big difference.
 
Why is it, that I feel like I'm ahead of the times? Scott Great article, This is something that I have been saying for awhile. Like I said on my blog, I hope dish See's what you are saying and what I have been saying for months now and finally fixes things. We all love Echostar and Dish, but you can only do so much when the problem doesn't want to be fixed!

I do believe that these problems can be solved with the right people in place. I know I'm one of those right people and I would love to fix it given the opportunity, but to me it seems like dish is too hard headed, or too set in their ways to accept help from the outside blogging community. Whats funny is we make or break dish as a company as the community in a whole and word of mouth is invaluable marketing. Yet at the same time is dish really trying to fix the issues? I know dish is saying one thing and doing the opposite thing (two faced). Maybe its time that dish listens to us industry chums and finally lets us run things. When it comes to dish I know how to steer the ship and where it needs to go. I can 100 percent guarantee when I'm steering the ship its in care and will be profitable as well as the number 1 provider in the history of cable and satellite. (given the opportunity) Ill put it to you this way, If given the opportunity, If I didnt produce I would give any earnings back! How many people would honestly do that! We all have a passion for dish, I just wish they could realize it and pull their head out of there butts.
 
Good blog Scott, but has anyone read the comments? Some real knee slappers from one bitter critic.

Keep up the good work:up

WE appreciate it

Barry definitely needs a hug. ;)

Anyway, Dish's advertising is downright terrible. I have had numerous people ask me whether I have Directv or Cable. :confused: Um, I have Dish Network. I then have to explain what Dish Network is and why I choose it.
 
Barry definitely needs a hug. ;)

Anyway, Dish's advertising is downright terrible. I have had numerous people ask me whether I have Directv or Cable. :confused: Um, I have Dish Network. I then have to explain what Dish Network is and why I choose it.
I have encountered that as well. Many think that DirecTV is the only satellite company. When one says "Dish" or "Dish Network", they automatically assume they mean DirecTV.
 

Is History Repeating Itself Again?

More HD Coming For Puerto Rico

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 0, Members: 0, Guests: 0)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)

Latest posts