Can Dirt assist with discussing cancellation?

[glowrdr]

Been awhile since I've been on here, but I wanted to stop on and check things out, and hopefully get a little research done.

Long story short, times are getting tough. I've cut what I could, and switched to the lowest options on everything else. I've never considered "cutting the cord" before (at least seriously), but now the wife is even talking about it. I always try to do my research ahead of time, and don't like to jump ship for every little discount I can get. Moving to DirectTV or another provider is out of the question for me. I tend to be loyal.

I'm considering 3 options and would like some assistance. Whether from DIRT, you members, or calling if I must. Tell me what you think - pros/cons, anything I need to consider, etc.

1) Asking for a discount. I currently have Hopper and 2 Joeys, Americas 250. Currently paying something like $120 a month. A $30-50 discount would go a long way for me right now, but it would need to be no contract extension. Sounds like this is a very reasonable expectation based on my reading

2) Cancel all together and do the Netflix / Hulu / OTA combo for $16 a month

3) Put my service on pause, and repurpose those monthly funds. I just don't want to find out that I'll lose something in the process. HDFFL should be safe(?), and I'm not under any promo or contract. Almost "concerned" if you want to call it that - that I will put things on pause, get Netflix, and LOVE it. Not that I'm against that idea, but the sports guy in me really hopes Dish just offers me a deal I can't refuse.

So am I just screaming someone that should cut the cord? This is really one of the times that a retention discount would actually be a deciding factor in my book. Dirt - can you assist? Please don't make me call. Not sure how that conversation will end up. lol

 

[andrewe]

I would be happy to look into options for you. Please PM me with your account or phone number and your 4 digit PIN.

 

[darrengs]

I totally understand where you are coming from. I am in the same boat and may be bundling with cable and IPTV

 

[glowrdr]

I haven't heard anything back yet, but I can certainly share whatever I come up with. Must have been near Andrews time to head out. I sent him my info and he went offline. Figured I'd probably hear something tonight perhaps

 

[RT-Cat]

I totally understand where you are coming from. I am in the same boat and may be bundling with cable and IPTV

I wish I could go that far. Plug will be pulled this September. The rich get richer and I get poorer and ........forced retirement from the 2008 recession sure screwed up the retirement plans.....

 

[MikeD-C05]

I wish I could go that far. Plug will be pulled this September. The rich get richer and I get poorer and ........forced retirement from the 2008 recession sure screwed up the retirement plans.....

Sorry for your loss in retirement. A lot of people got screwed in our country by Wall Street and the "too big to fail" banks.

I had to retire earlier than I wanted to at the state prison in 2011 and even had to buy my last two years of service at $28,750.00, so I could get my full retirement at age 48. The worst part was because I was 48 they docked my monthly checks by $300.00. So I had to go to work at private security, working 40 hours a week , afternoons Mon-Fridays,making like $9.50 an hour and now 4 years later, I make $12.00 an hour: soon to get another raise in July. That check added to my pension check gives me like $3100.00 a month take home. I also had to buy back my wife's service credit back to the state ,so she could get her full retirement at age 50, last summer. I did a lot of finageling to make this happen ,using 0% credit cards and bank loans and even 401k rollovers to buy it all back and she is retired. She went back a couple of months ago and works only 20 hours a week on weekends and she is bringing home with her pension check and new salary , about $2550.00 a take home a month now.

So we are now making together more than we did working full time at the state and I am proud to say that I am only 7 months away from paying off all our older debt and we will be DEBT FREE in December of this year. We own our home(yes it is mobile home and it was paid off in 07) and our two cars are paid off. We will start contributing $500.00 a month each to both of our Roth Iras in January of 2016 and saving $500.00 a month for our 15 year old so he can go to college in 2018. Also will contribute about $500.00 to our emergency fund each month. So I hope to work another 10 years like this ,putting money away for the future and then take full Social security either at 62 or still work part time till 67. I could even use my Roth contributions to tide me over to help get me to my full retirement age with Social Security. After all there is NO taxes for Roth Iras and you can take out money at 59 1/2 -as long as you had one open 5 years. So I went from NO plans to retire in 2011 and having two car loans and all kinds of debt, to being paid off of all most all our debt , two cars paid off early , and both of us retired and re-employed within a week for me and 90 days for her.

The point is sometimes things happen for a reason, to make us shake up our ideas of what is our life. I could of just layed it down and said the Hell with it or I could be proactive , get another job -even low paying- and get to work. I now realize that having to leave my job two years early and having to change what I was doing , was the best thing to happen to me. It was scary ,but now I am so much better off and the stress of working at a prison is gone. I hope you can find a bright spot in your future,so your retirement doesn't look so bleak.

 

[mikeH_dishNetwork]

I haven't heard anything back yet, but I can certainly share whatever I come up with. Must have been near Andrews time to head out. I sent him my info and he went offline. Figured I'd probably hear something tonight perhaps

glowrdr,

I do apologize for any delay in responding to you. Andrew will not be back until the weekend, I am more than happy to help you today!

Will you PM me with the information you have provided him to better help you?

Thanks.

 

[ggw2000]

glowrdr,

I do apologize for any delay in responding to you. Andrew will not be back until the weekend, I am more than happy to help you today!

Will you PM me with the information you have provided him to better help you?

Thanks.

Just a ?... Why would anyone tell someone to PM them info and then leave until the weekend!! That's pretty poor in my estimation....

 

[Bobby]

Just a ?... Why would anyone tell someone to PM them info and then leave until the weekend!! That's pretty poor in my estimation....

I guess it would depend upon when the request for a PM was posted and when the OP read that and posted....

 

[mikeH_dishNetwork]

Just a ?... Why would anyone tell someone to PM them info and then leave until the weekend!! That's pretty poor in my estimation....

It was not planned, there were personal issues happening that he needed to attend to.

Thanks.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Why don't you just call customer service?

 

[dare2be]

Why don't you just call customer service?

Because they want a competent answer?

 

[glowrdr]

Sorry took so long to return. Didn't get notified anyone else responded. To answer a couple questions, I responded to his PM within a couple minutes (I was still in the thread and saw his response). Things happen - I waited this long. The weekend won't kill me.

As for not wanting to call CS - just a personal preference I guess. I've been around since before DIRT, and know what an excellent resource they can be. Plus, I've never had the best luck calling Dish for anything. Seems like you get a different answer no matter what the question, and the fact I know I'm due for a transfer when I do call. I'd rather work one on one with someone. I spent 2 hours on the phone just a week or two ago trying to get a replacement remote. God forbid I want to discuss something with them over the phone!

Luckily, for me - I'm nowhere near retirement. I've got another 25 years to pick up the pieces and get my ducks back in a row. My main pressing issue is a personal loan with a payment over $600 a month that I should have paid off by the end of the year. Then I'll be a little more liquid and can better predict finances. This is all just digging out from a layoff a couple years ago. Lived off credit for far too long, doesn't leave you much wiggle room once your maxed out financially. It's all on the up and up though. Just being realistic that I don't need to spend $120 a month to watch TV.

 

[Tampa8]

You would (should) not need to extend your contract if you get a discount. If you pause you won't lose anything.

Could you do with less equipment and go to the Top 200? Take a look at what is in the Top250, you may find the channels in that package are not watched enough to justify paying $10 more than the Top200.
Would you be willing to get a Vip722, or Vip 612 that have two tuners, and are DVR's? Get two and put them each in a room? The total equipment cost would be $17 and Top 200 would be $75, total (without tax) would be about $90. On top of that see if they will give a discount off of that for few months. I realize it would be one less room than you now have, but it would be one more tuner then you have now. It wouldn't be a whole home system, but you have most all the channels still and actually have a back-up by having two separate units. Just a suggestion.