Dish customer service - get the phone number right

[mlcarson]

Why does Dish even ask for a phone number to reach you at? They don't pass it on to the techs or the automated notification system. This has happened twice to me now - today - and last week. I told them Saturday that the tech from the previous appointment didn't have my number and that I wouldn't be able to be reached at my home number. I gave them my work number and cell phone but they continue to call my home number. I work a block away from my home so it's no big deal to meet the tech when they arrive if they would call but they can't seem to manage that. The customer service person I talked to Saturday said that she would actually change the number associated with my account to my cell phone but yet I still get the notices on my home phone instead. Why is it so difficult to pass a proper phone number?

In addition, the automated system tells me one time window and the Dish website give me a conflicting one. Which is the right one? I'm assuming the website is more up-to-date since it's a later time.

 

[harshness]

You have a rather unique situation. Few work so close to home.

DISH expects you to be home for your appointment. That's what the appointment is for.

 

[JSheridan]

Forward your home phone to your cell phone.

 

[mlcarson]

An appointment is a specific time -- not a 4 hour window. 4 hrs costs me about $200. If they get it down to a 1 hr window -- OK -- but tell me which one it is -- the phone call or the website. But why are they asking for a contact number??? Do they know what that's for? If I knew for sure they would never call it, I'd know to be at home regardless. This would be better than promising a call which never comes.

 

[SomeDishGuy]

An appointment is a specific time -- not a 4 hour window. 4 hrs costs me about $200. If they get it down to a 1 hr window -- OK -- but tell me which one it is -- the phone call or the website. But why are they asking for a contact number??? Do they know what that's for? If I knew for sure they would never call it, I'd know to be at home regardless. This would be better than promising a call which never comes.

If you give a third or fourth number, it cannot be added to the work order, generally. If the CSR changes your number to an additional number, it will change it on the account. The account has room for three numbers, and the computer that makes those tech calls is given the #1 and #2 position numbers. The tech is also given those two numbers. The notices are sent to the phone number in position #1

Sorry you're not cool with the 4 hour window, but that's just the way it is. You can log onto mydish.com and look on the My Appointments tab to get an estimated arrival time, but again, that is estimated, and can be affected by the time needed for previous jobs. Dish simply is not going to tighten that window any tighter than 8am-noon and noon-5p. Installation jobs have a lot of uncertainty, and Dish is not going to lock in the exact time for the jobs before yours. Dish generally does have appointments available 7 days a week, and if you can/won't miss work, set one up for Saturday or Sunday.

 

[harshness]

An appointment is a specific time -- not a 4 hour window.

Considering how variable the length of the appointment is, that's logistically not possible.

Everything from chatty or completely unprepared customers to dry rot and interfering pets would mean that they could only schedule three, maybe four new install appointments a day. You can't sustain a business if you double the workforce and pay them half as much.

 

[Scherrman]

An appointment is a specific time -- not a 4 hour window. 4 hrs costs me about $200. If they get it down to a 1 hr window -- OK -- but tell me which one it is -- the phone call or the website. But why are they asking for a contact number??? Do they know what that's for? If I knew for sure they would never call it, I'd know to be at home regardless. This would be better than promising a call which never comes.

You don't actually think that getting a specific time is that possible. There are too many variables to interfere with showing up at a specific time.

 

[JSheridan]

We give a 2 hour window and sometimes that's even too narrow.

 

[Scherrman]

We give a 2 hour window and sometimes that's even too narrow.

We try to give a narrow window as well since we just cover our local area but it tends to bite us in the butt a lot. It already happened today, had one customer that wasn't home first thing in the morning and it pushed everything else back.

 

[Tampa8]

Realistically I can't see expecting much less than a three to four hour window. I look at it as better that than promising within an hour and being two or three hours past it. (All too likely) I suppose if people are willing to pay more for the visit or if not paying then pay more for their ongoing service, more techs could be put on and give an hour window.

 

[Jim5506]

We had Suddenlink internet installed and the first appointment was for a Wednesday between 4 and 6 pm.

Well 6 o'clock came and went, I called, they said he was running behind, so finally about 6:45 he arrived had the wrong info on the work order, wanted to install TV, phone and Internet, not just Internet and phone - plus charge me $40 for each tap they put in (they thought my house was prewired for cable (not)) then decided it was getting too dark to do the install that day (it was about 7:30 pm, sun sets about 8:30), "we'll reschedule".

HE DIDN'T!, so on Friday I called and got an install setup for the next Wednesday, then they called me back and changed it to Monday since they had to abort the first install and found a time to work me in, "You can keep up with the installers progress on our website." - Well the website has me down for a Thursday appointment, the day they switch over my telephone number from the old carrier to the new.

Monday they call and move the arrival time from 12-2 pm to 2-4 pm, 4 pm comes and goes so I call - "He's running a little late." - finally arrives at 6pm.

Looks at the work order, it is wrong still - includes a TV outlet - NOT!

Finally after 2 or 3 calls to the dispatcher, they decide to install the internet/phone modem and send another tech out Thursday to hookup the phone, because if they hook it up now, the other company can't release it if its disconnected.

So Dish is really much better than some other companies - this Suddenlink install was a circus - if I weren't getting 10+ times faster service for the same price, I'd have told them to chuck it - I actually did when I was told there would be a $120 charge for the three outlets which turned out to be one outlet and it was included in the install.

 

[dvrexpander]

An appointment is a specific time -- not a 4 hour window. 4 hrs costs me about $200. If they get it down to a 1 hr window -- OK -- but tell me which one it is -- the phone call or the website. But why are they asking for a contact number??? Do they know what that's for? If I knew for sure they would never call it, I'd know to be at home regardless. This would be better than promising a call which never comes.

8am-12pm and 12pm-5pm

That is the two windows, if you can't be available for those times then don't schedule on that date. Keep in mind that even a service call can take a few hours so I could show up at 11:55am for a AM appointment (8-12) and still end up taking about 2+ hours to fix the problem just depends. I let the automated system now with Dish do all my calling and notifications, sure its annoying at times but at least it keeps people informed to an extent. If I see that one of my AM's will maybe go over 12pm I will call them myself and let them know or have my office do it so they will know but if I feel I'll make it by 12pm then I won't bother. People think that a tech should be only for them and them only that day but they complain and raise holy hell about a small tech fee which normally gets waved... where do you people think money comes from to pay me?? I start most days with 4-6 jobs and not all of them are small service calls or simple installs, not all of them are all with in 5 minutes of each other but more likely 30+ minutes sometimes over an hour away from each.

Also keep in mind that automated system takes into account many factors from one job to the next as the tech finishes one - if they start a lunch period (yeah we get to stop and take a break sometimes and eat something), then you get updated again with a new time frame. The system doesn't know where we take a lunch nor will it ever but till Dish lets us go in and manually adjust those times ourselves which likely won't happen then its something everyone has to deal with.

Just keep in mind how I explained the appointment windows, that is just how they work...if you can't be home then reschedule or start it off on a day when you will be.

Sundays are just beyond stupid sometimes, I get people that schedule a AM appointment but then call in to put in the notes won't be home till after 12 from Church. I'm sorry you just got a visit at 9AM and you missed the appointment and now you must wait another week...tough.

 

[papalittle]

that's the reason I tell people to go with local retailer. most will call the day or two before, set up a time and most likely show up near the set time. retailers are not as rushed as dish installers and are better at showing up on time. I am never more than 1 hour late and most of the time show up 1/2 hour early. we set our own schedules and know pretty much when we will be there. I always write down all phone numbers customers give too.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Only appointment that can be guaranteed is the first appointment of the day.

Morning appointments are more likely to be on time.