Bad experience with E* customer service

[jrv331]

Just wanted to let you guys know about a conversation I had with Dish yesterday. I called them direct and was ordering the DHP. Just for the heck of it I asked about the offer of the 4 free months of programming that ended Jan 31st. The sales guy said that the offer was over then made the comment" why do people always want it after its over". I was taken back buy this. I then informed him that some internet sites still have the offer up. He said, and I agree here, that Dish has no control of internet sites, but it was his tone, very rude. I asked to speak to a manager and got disconnected.
Just for the hell of it I sent an email to ceo@echostar.com about the conversation, do far no reply. Makes me wonder if I still want to do business with them.

Just venting....
John

 

[bradleys]

It is certainly not proper for customer service folks to be rude. There is a certain "type" of person who can be a good customer service agent. Think about what you would feel like after listening to customer complaints for eight hours a day. Not everybody can do it.

I worked at a cruise line for several years. The fellow sitting next to me was in charge of the telephone switch which routed calls to the phone agents. He explained how the switch works.

If an agent is available, their headset beeps, and the call is there. As soon as one call is disconnected, another shows up. The agents can log out for scheduled breaks and lunch, but otherwise are always on the phone. The switch keeps track of how many calls each agent takes, and the length of each call. It's very common for agents to be evaluated on number and length of calls. It is also possible for supervisors to listen to or record a call, and they often do.

As you might imagine, it's a very stressful job. It typically doesn't pay very well. We constantly had trouble attracting and keeping staff.

So, you certainly have a valid complaint, but it's not anything that is specific to E*.

 

[Stargazer]

I dont know how many times I have been hung up on and treated very rudely by Dish Network and their distributors, reps, etc. If I were a customer shopping around and had these experiences I would have nothing to do with Dish Network today whatsoever.

Sometimes they will even cause me problems such as telling my customers lies stating I did something wrong or that I am not even a retailer, or that I should not have charged a service fee or sold a remote, stupid things such as this to make me look bad when they were at fault in the first place. Lately they have been looking pretty bad if I am actually at the customer's house catching them with their mistake and making someone else get on the phone telling the customer that they were wrong and that I was right. That is the only way I can prove my point to the customer, such as what happened a few weeks ago when I installed a system and they tried blaming me for why the system was not activated yet.

 

[emkay]

I have a couple of customer service experiences that demonstrate their lack of professionalism. After bungling up scheduling of the installation of an 811 receiver I ordered, I called and asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor gave me his number, set up an installation date, and said that he would personally ensure that the installation date would be met. As the installation date neared, I called Dish to verify that it was still on track. I was told that the installation was delayed again. When I said the supervisor had ensured delivery, I was told that they could not find any person with the supervisor's name and number at Dish. I was deliberately lied to.

Dish network customer service also signed me up to the HD programming package without my consent and now refuse to remove the subscription. I was an existing subscriber when I ordered the 811 receiver. Customer service told me that as an exclusive subscriber I can get the 811 for $149 without needing to subscribe to the HD Pak. After subsequently being billed for the HD Pak I called customer service, twice, to have it removed. During the first call they refused, saying that I had agreed to the HD Pak (even after I insisted I did not). In the second call their reason for refusal was that I had received sufficient discounts (the receiver price, discount for the poor handling of the delayed installation) such that they would not be able to remove the HD Pak subscription.

 

[bcshields]

This is why i never call first level CSR's. I always call the Executive office.. even though occasionally I get some rude ones there too.

 

[Rlanham]

I think it also depends on your attitude when you call, i.e. if you are p*ssed about your service already etc.
I just lost my locals on my 522. I called them & told tech everything I tried to get them back, check switch etc. He tried a couple more things and said it was either a switch or my 522. They will have someone out Monday between 8am & Noon. (I called friday evening). Can't beat that.
And I thought I was only going to have to put up with the 811 bugs. Nothing like resetting your receiver once or twice a day to either get the picture or digital sound back

 

[Stargazer]

If I was lied to like that I would probably just go ahead and switch providers unless they make it up to me and not just a few free PPV's either. When they lie to you like that it does not show very much respect for the customer and that does not prove to you how much they want to keep your business, it proves just the opposite, thats why I make them prove to me how much they want my business after major screw ups such as sending me a refurbed 301 to replace a 721 and shipping it to the wrong addresses and so forth then hanging the phone up on me when trying to get the problem resolved and telling me that the receivers were not shipped to me when they gladly took my money for it. Too much bull to deal with, hours and hours on the phone, because of their mistakes, not mine, and they dont want to make up for them or your time.

 

[emkay]

I haven't tried the corporate number yet. Thanks for the tip.

Regarding attitude: Customer service should be able to provide an acceptable resolution to problems where a customer is unhappy about service or performance *before* the customer gets really p'd-off. I admit to getting upset after being lied to and being forced to pay for programming that I never agreed to. Wouldn't you?

I have considered dropping Dish, however I'm sure Dish will charge a significant fee for dropping before the year's subscription to the HD Pak is up.

 

[WLong]

In their defense, they can only provide you with the resolution/information that is provide TO them. If they don't have the answers, blaming them isnt correct in every situation.

At least I get to talk to a non-India call center employee on the other end of the phone and I get relatively good support from them.

If you consistently receive poor support, start asking for names and agent ID's. That way you can talk to their supervisor and make things better for the 50 other people that rep might disturb daily.

Bill

 

[jrv331]

Update

I received a call from someone at the executive offices yesterday aobut the email I sent them. While being very polite and saying sorry for the treatment I received, he could not work anything out for me.I tried to get the 3 free months of programming and hbo/cinemax special which was a no go. I was just happy that I got the phone call.
Thanks
John

 

[emkay]

In their defense, they can only provide you with the resolution/information that is provide TO them. If they don't have the answers, blaming them isnt correct in every situation.

At least I get to talk to a non-India call center employee on the other end of the phone and I get relatively good support from them.

If you consistently receive poor support, start asking for names and agent ID's. That way you can talk to their supervisor and make things better for the 50 other people that rep might disturb daily.

Bill

I did not mean to blame any individuals. Dish Network policy or lack thereof is probably the issue.

I'm not sure whether the call centers I've reached were on-shore.

It is a good suggestion to ask for names and IDs. Recall however that one of the problems I experienced was that I was forwarded to a "supervisor" who gave me an invalid ID.

 

[WLong]

I did not mean to blame any individuals. Dish Network policy or lack thereof is probably the issue.

I'm not sure whether the call centers I've reached were on-shore.

It is a good suggestion to ask for names and IDs. Recall however that one of the problems I experienced was that I was forwarded to a "supervisor" who gave me an invalid ID.

If you are weary of that reoccuring, contact DISH Network's ceo@echostar.com and see if they can dig your call data out of their phone switch. That will show them who you were routed to.

Bill

 

[bradleys]

I'm pretty sure that all E* call centers are in the US, or at least North America. Everybody I've ever talked to has been in the US. I always ask the person where they are, and they always tell me. I tell them "It's always fun to see where an 800 number rings."

Charlie has made a big deal in the past that all call center reps are employees of E*, rather than being farmed out to contractors. Whether or not that is good, I leave as an exercise for the reader.