2 separate contracts for DishNetwork?

[Rick214]

I recently had E* installed by a local satellite company. When I initially called them they said I had to agree to a 1 year commitment. I said yes because I was thinking it was the 1 year agreement that I've read about on E*'s web site: if you cancel service before 1 year, then you pay $20 per month for every month left in the contract.

Well..... guess what? After the installer spent close to 8 hours to get my 942 (leased) installed. He presents me with a contract from his company that is titled "Pre-installation sales agreement". He said he was supposed to go over that with me and have me sign it before he started the install but he forgot about it. This contract says that if I cancel E* even 1 day sooner than 365 days from my install date then I have to pay that local company a $500 cancellation fee + $750 for the 942. I told him I would not sign that and he said all he could do was uninstall everything and leave.

But it turned out that the 942 was defective. I had him connect the TV2 output to an SD TV in another room. It got a picture but NO sound. After many tests and 1 1/2 hrs on the phone with E* tech support they determined the 942 was defective.

I then refused to sign his company's contract because I would be signing that "all equipment installed was working properly" or something to that effect. I did sign the E* contract that committed me to 1 year of programming but that is the only thing I signed and the installer left. When the replacement 942 is shipped to me I'm supposed to call them to swap it out and that is when I am expected to sign the local company's contract.

I feel like delivering the 942 and dish to the local store and tell them to forget it. I'll go directly through E* and not be bound by their contract. BUT... will I still be considered a new customer, eligible for the current promotions? I'm currently activated and have already got a bill from E*. Can I be uninstalled and reactivated with a new 942 and still be considered a new customer? As I understand it the current promotion is only good if I'm installed and activated by the end of this month. Is there someone I can call at E* to get this changed?

Sorry for the long post but I could use some input.

thanks ..................... Rick

 

[boba]

You are activated so you are now an existing customer and cannot qualify again as a new customer. The dealer contract is to protect the dealer against your quitting before the year is up. DISH might only charge you $20 per month on the outstanding months of the contract, but the dealer can and will be charged back on the cost of the receivers you have and the installation payments DISH payed them. That 942 has a retail value of $699, 301's are $99 start adding it up and you will realize why the dealer wants to be sure you stay for the contracted year. Add in the fact you use the equipment for 6 months then cancel, now that is used equipment and possibly needs refurbishing before it can be resold.

 

[Rick214]

The problem I have with this local company is that they did not tell me about the terms of THEIR contract until AFTER they installed the system. If the installer would have shown me the "Pre-installation sales agreement" before he started the install like he was supposed to - I would have told him to leave. I was already activated with E* when he pulled that out.

 

[goober]

I was under the impression that a customer could cancel a contract within the first 3 days with no penalties

 

[njjeepguy]

I was under the impression that a customer could cancel a contract within the first 3 days with no penalties

That is the law as far as I know it.

 

[Rick214]

I'm past 3 days so I guess I'm *%^&#@

 

[jtravel]

Your leasing the 942 from Dish and when you cancel you must give it back. I don't see how the installer can be justified in charging you $750 for it if you cancel early and give it back. Its not like they gave you a 942 that you own.

They were suppose to show you the contract befor they started work.
If you have a problem with the contract then refuse to sign it. you signed the Dish contract and your done.
Give them back there defective 942 and they really have no choice but to accept it.
The equipment must really belongs to Dish anyways as they are the ones sending you a replacement 942 for the defective one the installer gave you.

 

[rnesky]

I don't think that keeping the equipment for one year is asking a lot. If your concerned about a one year contract, you should "never" have satellite installed! They are not interested in providing your service for a few months!

 

[BobaBird]

your = possessive, belonging to you
you're = contraction of "you are"

 

[Rick214]

I don't think that keeping the equipment for one year is asking a lot. If your concerned about a one year contract, you should "never" have satellite installed! They are not interested in providing your service for a few months!

The pay TV market seems to be constantly changing and evolving. With MPEG-4 coming and HD programming growing, why be stuck in a unreasonable ($500 fee, $750 for 942, not prorated) contract? I want to be able to go with whoever gives me the best quality and then the most HD. If D* gets their HD act together and improves not only quantity but quality then I want to be able to go with them again. It's now being discussed that D* may have the VOOM originals as well. Who knows what will happen? But when it does happen I want to be able to pay a reasonable penalty (Like E* says: $20/month left on contract) to switch. That is what I thought I was getting.

 

[Rick214]

Your leasing the 942 from Dish and when you cancel you must give it back. I don't see how the installer can be justified in charging you $750 for it if you cancel early and give it back. Its not like they gave you a 942 that you own.

They were suppose to show you the contract befor they started work.
If you have a problem with the contract then refuse to sign it. you signed the Dish contract and your done.
Give them back there defective 942 and they really have no choice but to accept it.
The equipment must really belongs to Dish anyways as they are the ones sending you a replacement 942 for the defective one the installer gave you.

I agree with your statements. I'm going to call E* today to see if they agree with this. Thanks for your input.

 

[Rick214]

Well it looks like I'll be a faithful E* customer for at least the next 356 days. I made the rounds through the initial CSR, to technical support to the cancellation department who said the E* contract I signed was tied to the local company. If I don't sign the local company's contract my current E* contract will be canceled and I will be subject to the cancellation fee. If I would have called E* within the 1st 3 days of my install (9 days ago) they would have been able to transfer my account away from the local company and directly with E*.

My fault for not acting sooner so I'll just suck it up and live with it. Thanks for allowing me to vent and thanks for everyone's input.

.............. Rick