OK, so I finally had enough of unplugging, rebooting, and sacrificing small farm animals over my new 921 in attempts to make it a "little" reliable. Didn't want to risk being stuck with the thing, so I called Dish two weeks ago to setup a return. Bear in mind, I have no contract, no obligation, own all my own equipment, on AEP w/HD & locals. Called Dish, waited on hold for 42 minutes, finally got a rep who said that I couldn't return it (though a support call a few days prior noted that I could. I won't even get into all the issues with the support calls, failure to document information, etc). The rep was completely clueless, so I escalated to a supervisor. Waited on hold another 18 minutes. Got a supervisor who was very nice, clearly understood the situation, and said that returning it for a refund would be no problem at all. She got my information, said she'd "email the correct group to get the RMA started" and asked me to call her back a few days later.
A few days later I call her. She says that she now has the RMA number and that boxes will be shipped to me, but had not shipped yet. When I got the boxes and shipping labels, I was to pack it up and ship it to her. Keep in mind that I said up front that I had all original packing material and boxes, but she insisted that they would send out boxes and labels.
Still hadn't hear anything for a while (days and days) so yesterday I called to check on the status. This time, after waiting on hold for 24 minutes, I get somebody who checks and sees a note on my account that they aren't going to send boxes because it's a "buyers remorse" case. She saw that nobody had called or attempted to contact me to let me know, and realized that the only way I could have found out is by calling in to ask about this particular delay. Here's what's even more interesting: Had I not called within the next 3 days, I would have exceeded the window to return the unit, and would not be able to get the refund. It's pure luck - and experience with Dish - that caused me to make that call and wait on hold again.
This time, she gives me the RMA number and the shipping address (which of course I never had before). She noted that I'll be shipping the unit back, and said I have about 7 days for it to arrive so that I'll get the refund - in about 4-6 weeks after they receive it.
I'm really torn between believing it is a deliberate attempt by Dish to avoid paying refunds, or simply another example of horrible customer support from Dishnet.
So, even though I had planned on keeping Dish for a little while to continue the comparison between Dish and Adelphia, I had enough. During that same call, I immediately cancelled all Dish service. When the CSR asked me why, I unloaded about all the problems. The unethical VOD fee, the buggy equipment that doesn't get supported or fixed, the horrible service and support, the rising rates that are no longer competitive with my local cable provider, the fact that I get more overall content with cable, far more HD, a clear degradation of PQ over the past couple years due to increased compression, a consistent failure to deliver on promises by Charlie time after time, and no visibility of this improving over the next 18 months
The CSR was very nice, and we talked for a while. She's been a Dish employee for 5+ years, and acknowledged that the company has really changed in that time. Obviously, she couldn't say much as an employee, but admitted that she understood my reasons for leaving.
So, my 921 is now boxed and sitting in my office today. I'm shipping it out today. I've already pulled my 510 to pack it, and will be packing up my 508's and my 301 this week. Expect to see them for sale in the very near future.
A few days later I call her. She says that she now has the RMA number and that boxes will be shipped to me, but had not shipped yet. When I got the boxes and shipping labels, I was to pack it up and ship it to her. Keep in mind that I said up front that I had all original packing material and boxes, but she insisted that they would send out boxes and labels.
Still hadn't hear anything for a while (days and days) so yesterday I called to check on the status. This time, after waiting on hold for 24 minutes, I get somebody who checks and sees a note on my account that they aren't going to send boxes because it's a "buyers remorse" case. She saw that nobody had called or attempted to contact me to let me know, and realized that the only way I could have found out is by calling in to ask about this particular delay. Here's what's even more interesting: Had I not called within the next 3 days, I would have exceeded the window to return the unit, and would not be able to get the refund. It's pure luck - and experience with Dish - that caused me to make that call and wait on hold again.
This time, she gives me the RMA number and the shipping address (which of course I never had before). She noted that I'll be shipping the unit back, and said I have about 7 days for it to arrive so that I'll get the refund - in about 4-6 weeks after they receive it.
I'm really torn between believing it is a deliberate attempt by Dish to avoid paying refunds, or simply another example of horrible customer support from Dishnet.
So, even though I had planned on keeping Dish for a little while to continue the comparison between Dish and Adelphia, I had enough. During that same call, I immediately cancelled all Dish service. When the CSR asked me why, I unloaded about all the problems. The unethical VOD fee, the buggy equipment that doesn't get supported or fixed, the horrible service and support, the rising rates that are no longer competitive with my local cable provider, the fact that I get more overall content with cable, far more HD, a clear degradation of PQ over the past couple years due to increased compression, a consistent failure to deliver on promises by Charlie time after time, and no visibility of this improving over the next 18 months
The CSR was very nice, and we talked for a while. She's been a Dish employee for 5+ years, and acknowledged that the company has really changed in that time. Obviously, she couldn't say much as an employee, but admitted that she understood my reasons for leaving.
So, my 921 is now boxed and sitting in my office today. I'm shipping it out today. I've already pulled my 510 to pack it, and will be packing up my 508's and my 301 this week. Expect to see them for sale in the very near future.
