Considering cancelling....cost?

[14G-Dutch]

I am very disappointed with Dish, maybe I am just missing something, but some of it is just crap. I should have looked here more first I guess.

I ordered on the phone from one of the 4 "call back" people, who call you relentlessly after you make an inquiry about Dish service.

I wish I would have done it online since at least there would probably been some way to reference my original order. I ordered top 250 + all Hd channels including voom. I was supposed to get 3 months free Hbo and Cinimax. Also 2 Dual Tuners : 1Hd/SD 722 and 1Hd/Sd Dvr 222

Anyways, here are some of my issues:

1) Installer shows up with no 222 receiver, he got it, so no huge deal, except that My son and I had to miss my son's basketball game.

2) I was told I could record 1 show while watching 1 show on the DVR. It appears you can only watch a different show while recording if you watch it on the second 722 tuner, which is Sd.

3) While I am no fan of Cable, Their Dvr, aside from breaking down alot, kicked the crap out of the 722, I had heard the 722 was sweet, some feature are, like recording time, but man is the interface clunky. It does have gobs of recording space though.

4) I have top 200 instead of top 250 that I ordered, so also less Hd channels as a result.

5) I have no HBO/Cinimax as promised.

6) all digital channels sounds like a sweet thing, but Sd looks like crap, the compression on a lot of it is over the top. When I pause it Some of the data blocks are like 1/4 in wide, where they have compressed many shades into one block of color. BTW, I realize compression would be there, but it seems especially bad. I have a Panasonic 50" 700U plasma.

7)I was told My monthly bill would be $62.99 until the 6months of free Hd was up, then $82.99. But instead my bill is $71.99, increasing later to $91.99

8) I was told by the salesman that my price would not change since I was in before the price increase. apparently that is not the case.



Some of this can be remedied, but the guy who sold me this won't call me back. He SEEMED like a great guy, so I was hoping he would remedy the programming issues. I am thinking that the billing may be the result of me not initialing the 18month contract box, but the installation tech said I shouldn't sign it unless I was prepared to pay a $13 some odd dollar a month fee for the remainder of my contract, but he tied it to some other contract issue, which I cannot recall right now, which made me feel it was a bad idea to initial it.

So, If I missed some other fixes for the problems I listed please say so, I haven't had time to read the manual, we have been quite busy, so there may be a fix.

If I do decide to cancel, will there be fees? I did not initial the 18 month contract box, which now seems like a curse , but maybe a blessing too.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Jon

 

[nsafreak]

Well for the issue with not be able to watch another program while recording one you have to set the 722 to single user mode I believe in order to enable that feature. You can switch it on and off at will. Insofar as the other issues, have you tried calling the standard Dish Network number (1-800-333-3474) instead of the salesperson that you got it from initially? They may be able to resolve the programming issues. If you did not sign up for the 18 month contract then you may only have to worry about the contract you signed with the retailer. However the cost varies from retailer to retailer. One thing I can guarantee is that it will not be cheap. Finally, how is the 722 hooked up to your HDTV & is your HDTV properly calibrated?

 

[osu1991]

Set it to single mode and use the swap button if you want to record one live and watch one live or enable record plus in the menu's so that all recordings default to tuner 2 and tuner 1 remains free unless you have 2 simultaneous recordings. All 3 tuners record hd, tv 2 just outputs sd. If you want AT250 go online or call and upgrade I would look at the dvr advantage for some savings.

 

[JEFFinINDY]

Anyways, here are some of my issues:

#1: That's a bummer. Nothing p*sses me off more than waiting around for service people who are supposed to show up but are late, or who come ill-prepared.

#2: Your DVR has three HD tuners. Two are from the satellite and one is for a digital antenna (OTA as everyone calls it here). In truth, you can record three HD shows at once while watching a fourth if you have an antenna connected.

The DVR can output to two TVs independently (dual mode - one HD and one SD), or it can output one signal allowing you to have picture-in-picture as well as switch at will between the two tuners (single mode). You change modes by pressing the Mode button on the front panel of the receiver, and the current mode is reflected in the on-screen display.

If you run in dual mode, the DVR will automatically schedule recordings to go to tuner #2 whenever possible, so your main TV 1 viewing is not affected unless you record two (or three) shows at once. In single mode, it doesn't really matter -- it acts more like a dual-tuner TiVO in this mode, with the benefits of a fast user interface, picture-in-picture, external storage, and three-at-once recording with an antenna. It's all pretty seamless in this mode.

#3: Debatable I suppose. I've never seen a cable DVR that's better than the 622/722. The TiVO Series 3 is probably its strongest competitor -- it has a few features that the Dish DVR doesn't, but the reverse is also true.

#4, #5, #7, and #8: Should be correctable with a phone call to Dish. They have a lot of leeway to adjust pricing and offer/extend promotions.

#6: Like cable, it depends on the channel. I was at a friend's house today who has Comcast digital cable and I think his SD is better than mine on Dish, but not by a lot. Digital TV is all about compression, no matter who your provider is.

And if you cancel it's between $13-$14 per month of time left on your contract.

Hope some of this helps. Good luck,

Jeff

 

[WiCkeDuDe]

No if you didnt do the 18th month contract then you will have to pay the $49 activation fee but there is no cancellation fee from Dish. HOWEVER, the retailers sometimes have their own contracts which can include cancellation fees.

 

[14G-Dutch]

Thanks guys, I kinda figured I was just missing something on the dvr.

I will try to get the programming/pricing issues worked out with Dish. As far as the retailer, I believe the guy was directly from Dish, although the installer was from a contracting Sat. company.

It just ticks me off that they can't get this stuff right. The installation company called ahead, and confirmed my hardware and programming, so why does dish have it wrong? Even the installer confirmed that I would be getting Top250. Since it was late when he finished we kinda rushed through the checklist.

Jon

 

[GNASH]

Thanks guys, I kinda figured I was just missing something on the dvr.

I will try to get the programming/pricing issues worked out with Dish. As far as the retailer, I believe the guy was directly from Dish, although the installer was from a contracting Sat. company.

It just ticks me off that they can't get this stuff right. The installation company called ahead, and confirmed my hardware and programming, so why does dish have it wrong? Even the installer confirmed that I would be getting Top250. Since it was late when he finished we kinda rushed through the checklist.

Jon

Not sure why Dish can't get it straight, but it seems to be a trend with them. When we upgraded to HD, they had the workorder all screwed up. We explained what we wanted when we made the order, restated when the installer called because they were sure what the work order was talking about having done, and we still had to explain it and walk him around the house to get him to understand what we wanted.

Geoff

 

[rcdallas]

I will try to get the programming/pricing issues worked out with Dish. As far as the retailer, I believe the guy was directly from Dish, although the installer was from a contracting Sat. company.

Naw, definately not direct from dish. There wouldn't be any 3rd party contracts in that case.

722 looks like a good unit. I have 622, just minor differences between the two. My first dvr was a Tivo, when I made my switch to dish dvr I didn't care for it at first, too accustomed to tivo. Now it's the only thing I know.

Breaking contract is $13.33 for every month of the x amount of months left.

I keep my 622 in single mode.