Dish Network FlexTV Questions..

[peano]

Some of you miss being able to turn channels on and off at will throughout the month with little or no charge. Those days are gone. Suck it up.

Flex is great for people that don't want to have a two year commitment. No SSN and no credit card required are a bonus. Some of you are paranoid. If you don't want to give out your phone number, get an antenna.

 

[panache70]

Have read this entire thread and have gotten some conflicting information. Can someone sign up for Flex but waive the purchase of equipment? I moved into a house that already has a Dishnet dish on the roof and I was able to purchase a brand new 722 VIP on Ebay. I would like to call and get set up on FlexTV.

I have read here that you need to first purchase a "Flex TV" receiver before adding new receivers to the account. Others have said they did the install themselves and used their own equipment purchased on Ebay.

Which is right?

I tried Dish CS online but the people I spoke to really had no knowledge regarding FlexTV.

Can I use my own equipment and save the initial equipment charge? Would there be any activation fee if I am all set up and ready to go regarding install and receiver?

Thanks in advance.

 

[peano]

I have read here that you need to first purchase a "Flex TV" receiver before adding new receivers to the account.

That is correct. You need to purchase the first receiver from a retailer for a new account designated for Flex TV. Then you can add any receivers you like (up to six). Some jurisdictions will require MPEG4 only equipment.

Flex Tv is not supported or promoted by most Dishnet retailers. I assume that is because there is not much money in it. You will notice no retailers will post in this thread and give accurate information.

I know of one retailer that promotes it, will answer all your questions and provide the first receiver at a competitive price.

 

[panache70]

Thanks.

Assuming I don't need install or dish for the roof, would I only have to pay 99$ for the standard receiver or is there an additional 99$ fee to activate (total 200$)?

I am a little fuzzy on this.

I offered Dish to forget about the receiver ( I have my own) and just take 100$ cash and they said no...

I am a Canadian with part time residence in the US (5 months a year). I assumed I could just buy my HD DVR off Ebay and get on FLex, but seems I was mistaken.

Are there any other ways to get on Dish Net with no SSN?

I read the forums here, and have not found any solutions... but surely I am not the only customer with part time US residency (without SSN) that has requested Dish Net service. How do I get this puppy activated??

Thanks

 

[panache70]

Thanks Peano for private message.

 

[jakesnakemd]

Re: The rebirth of FLEXTV...

I think there is a way to actually use FLEXTV and not get screwed. I had mine off since January and told them to stuff it in March when I found out about the $20 reconnect. But my wife is back at our second place, so I had to turn in back on (Dish Family plus locals) and pay the $20. What the CSR told me was that if you ask them to turn it off before it expires (still has some kind of balance), they will turn it back on for no charge assuming you pay for the months coverage (which I assume would be net due to the prior balance). They have lied many times before, but if this is for real, then this seems like a workable alternative for most. Let me know if this works for you. Intend to turn mine back off this week after two weeks of usage. We'll see.

 

[STEELERSRULE]

I think there is a way to actually use FLEXTV and not get screwed. I had mine off since January and told them to stuff it in March when I found out about the $20 reconnect. But my wife is back at our second place, so I had to turn in back on (Dish Family plus locals) and pay the $20. What the CSR told me was that if you ask them to turn it off before it expires (still has some kind of balance), they will turn it back on for no charge assuming you pay for the months coverage (which I assume would be net due to the prior balance). They have lied many times before, but if this is for real, then this seems like a workable alternative for most. Let me know if this works for you. Intend to turn mine back off this week after two weeks of usage. We'll see.

Sounds like total BS to me, but GOOD LUCK jakesnakemd. Whatever happens let us know. All I know is that I am done with these nitwits for now, unless they return the prepaid service back to it's original incarnation.

Or someone else picks up that ball.

 

[jakesnakemd]

Screwed again by Dishnetwork...

Okay, so I went to "pause" or "vacation hold" or whatever the hell they call it on Tuesday and I get "INDIA" (I can help you with that....), and find out "no sh*t" you can't turn it off ("it is not available on your plan, Sir...), but after a hiatus and he checks with his supervisor (another Christian I am sure), he informs me that I can just let it run out and turn in on for $5.00 ("LIE"), so I tell him to stick it where the sun don't shine and that he has wasted enough of my time and head back to my permanent place and I'll deal with it there.

So today, I try again and I don't get INDIA, but I get the Philipines (sp?), and his accent is still not good, but I tell him the whole story and say I want to "pause" or go on vacation "hold". After 10 minutes with his supervisor..."No, your plan does not allow that", so I begin speaking in four letter words and "I was lied to", etc. so he suggests I can disconnect the service and open a new account, but he can't handle that so he will have to tranfer me to either Colorado, Texas, or Spain (Oh God, give me Texas). Well I end up with Mike in WVA who can speak fluent English and totally understands I got screwed and suggests I just turn the programming down to "Locals Only" for $9.99 (plus tax in SC) and then just turn back on what I want in a few weeks with no charge (of course I guess they will get $5.00 for turning it back down later). The problem (and none of us knew this), is that once you have an account, they show you as an active "customer" for 12 months, so if you either cut off the service or cut off the service and open a new account, they get you for the $20 restart fee. Whoever is doing customer relations for Dish should just go work for the Feds since neither one has their head out of their ass long enough to know what really will piss people off.

So much for FLEX. It is and was a total screw job. Would suggest cancelling it and getting a regular account and paying the $20 but then you will have the "pause" or "vacation hold" mode for $5.00/month with no reconnect fee.

Still really like the Dish programming and their prices, but they really have their heads up their asses.

 

[Ozzy33]

Has anyone set up a Flex account recently? Just curious if this is still being offered or if this way to receive programming was ended at some point or will be ending soon?

 

[wasjr]

I have not checked these forums in awhile but I will share my experience. I set up Flex last fall and it worked great for our cabin (except for the auto pay, which never worked). Got Welcome Pack with locals for $14.99. Like others my documents say restart fee is $5, so I let service lapse at the first of May as we were not using cabin.

We are going to the cabin this weekend so I just got off the phone to restart service and not only is it $20 to restart, they have eliminated the Welcome pack (the Family pack has been eliminated as well) and I can either pay $9.99 for just locals or bump up to the smallest package for $39 per month. So now, after I have spent the $100 to purchase equipment and they are going to change my service. To top it off, I ask about all the specials they are running, but those are for new customers only and I am not a new customer so I don't qualify. I totally agree with the bait and switch comment.

 

[r10fret]

Nope, as of today still $5 to restart for pay in advance "prepay promotion," customers. Stated right in the latest RCA "residencial customer aggreement" on dish's own website at the bottom of the home page where you click on customer aggreements, must refer to RCA when speaking to DDDC~ in order to pay the $5 instead of $20. As far as the package that is another story. Perhaps you can get one of the latino packages and that would give you some of the english channels and be cheaper. question did you have welcome pack when you last used pay in advance if so when they restart it should still be grandfathered in. do a text search of the RCA PDF for pre-pay rules.

http://www.dishnetwork.com/legal/default.aspx "Your privacy and legal rights are important to us."

http://www.dishnetwork.com/downloads/legal/RCA.pdf

 

[r10fret]

Pre-pay pay in advance flex specific rules

If supervisor doesnt want to follow their own rca tell them to transfer you to executive resolution dept. if they deny you make sure you get their operator info before the transfer. I suspect maybe you where never set up correctly under flex pay in advance to begin with unless those terms were on you last bill. It should have said flex on your service address and should have stated pay in advance on your monthly statement and always had a due date that was prior to your next month of service starting. Cite their own rules to them and tell them to pull up the RCA.

no $5 transaction fee to downgrade:

D. Changing Your Programming Selection. Unless otherwise specified in this Agreement or any applicable Promotion Agreement(s), you may change your programming selection at any time by notifying us. A Transaction Fee (as detailed in Section 2(D)) may apply to such programming changes, unless you are receiving Services and/or Equipment (as defined in Section 4(A)) pursuant to a Promotion Agreement that requires you to pay in full for all Services and/or Equipment prior to receiving such Services and/or Equipment (a “Pre-Pay Promotion”).

Pre-Pay Promotion customers may only order pay-per-view Services by calling 1-877-DISH-PPV (3473-778).

Unless you prepay for a multi-month subscription to Services or prepay for all Services as required by your participation in a Pre-Pay Promotion, we will bill you monthly in advance for most Services and in arrears for other Services such as pay-per-view ordered by you or anyone who uses your Equipment, whether with or without your permission, until you cancel your Services.Multi-month subscription customers and Pre-Pay Promotion customers will be billed based on your pre-pay period (multi-month subscriptions) or monthly (Pre-Pay Promotion customers),

C. Alterations to Payment Terms. If you pay for a monthly subscription(other than a Pre-Pay Promotion) and your account is past due on more than one occasion, we may require that you pay for all Services and Equipment before you receive them, and you will be deemed to be receiving your Service under a Pre-Pay Promotion, at which point, all terms and conditions of such Pre-Pay Promotion will apply to you. If you paid for a multi-month subscription to any Services and your account is past due for any amount, we may convert your multi-month subscription to a monthly subscription, and we will first apply the amount you paid for your multi-month subscription to any past due amounts and then to any obligations you incur in the future.

Late Payment Fee $5.00 You do not pay your bill in full on or before its due date (unless you are receiving Services pursuant to a Pre-Pay Promotion).

Live Operator Payment Fee $5.00 You make a debit or credit card payment through a DISH Network customer service representative (unless you are receiving Services pursuant to a Pre-Pay Promotion).


$5 to restart under pre-pay

Restart Fee

$25.00
We disconnect your Services for any reason and you wish to restart such Services (unless you are receiving Services pursuant to a Pre-Pay Promotion).

$5.00
If you are a Pre-Pay Promotion customer, we disconnect your Services for any reason, and you wish to restart such Services.


E.
Restarting your Services. If you do not pay your bill in full by its due date, or you at any time otherwise fail, neglect or refuse to make timely payment for your Services, we may disconnect your Services, and in such event we will be wholly relieved from any and all of our duties and obligations under this Agreement. If your Services are disconnected for non-payment or any other reason, DISH Network may require that you pay, and you agree to pay, before we reconnect your Services, all past due charges, a Restart Fee, a deposit equal to a minimum of two months’ service charges (or in the case of a restart under a Pre-Pay Promotion, one month’s service charges), and all outstanding balances accrued through the date of such disconnection. If your Services are disconnected for non-payment or any other reason, you will no longer be eligible, even if you pay to restart your Service, to receive any remaining credits or promotional pricing that you would have been eligible to receive had your Services not been disconnected. Unless required by applicable law, deposits will not be held segregated from other funds and will not earn or accrue interest. Promotional pricing is valid only at the time of installation.

 

[r10fret]

Remember this post?

I showed everyone my bill and said that if you were actually activated correctly by the DDDC~ under the flex pay in advance pre pay promotion that was from dishnow then your bill would show the following flex in the address and pay in advance advisory.


http://www.satelliteguys.us/attachment.php?attachmentid=42678&d=1254337217

 

[STEELERSRULE]

r10fret,

My bill, which was sent too me in October 2009, never said Flex anywhere on it.

But it does/did refer to me "As a pay in advance customer...", so it does know I am a pay first account.

But the "FLEX" mentions are nowhere to be found anywhere on the paper staement of mine. Front or back. Strange.

 

[Scherrman]

As for you not being aboe to get the Welcome Pak, that package no longer exist. In order for you to have kept it would would have had to kept your service going. As soon as you dropped it you gave up your chance to get it again.

 

[wasjr]

My agreement is different than the one you linked. My agreement is FlexTV not Flex24. I paid $149 Activation Fee which included the purchase of a dish and one receiver. There is no 24 month commitment.

There is nothing in the agreement that says programming packages will change if you interrupt service. I assumed the Flex meant flexibility, but clearly I was wrong. While the agreement does say "We reserve the right to change prices, packages and programming at any time," I sure did not expect changes within the first 8 months.

Additionally, I probably would not have interrupted service had Dish's Auto Pay system worked. After about the fourth month of 1) Dish calling and saying the card company had rejected the charge, and 2) calling the card company and being told no charge attempt was made (there would have been an error message had a charge been rejected), and 3) then giving the CSA the same card number they already had on file and running the charge through with no problem, the CSA said that there was a problem with their Auto Pay system for the Flex accounts.

 

[r10fret]

As I had posted earlier, I was looking for minimal service for a lake cabin that we go to 2-8 nights per month. I ended up going with Flex. I did have the upfront $179 which was the $149 fee for the dish, receiver, & installation, plus $14.99 for the first month's service, plus tax. I had one tv connected with the Welcome pack and locals for $14.99 per month. I also added the 5 Cinemax channels for a penny in exchange for auto pay. The installation was Friday and went smoothly. The installer even left sufficient wire, already connected to the dish, for me to hook up a second receiver later. While I was unable to watch the Alabama game on ESPN Saturday night, I did get to watch the local hockey team with a free preview.

As to the charge for the duo receiver. I tried to have this waived, under the theory that I should not be penalized simply for not having a phone line at the cabin, but they would not do it. As outlined in the terms and conditions that have previously been linked, the fee for a duo receiver is waived if connected to a land line, OR there is no fee if you have a DVR package. The terms and conditions reflect that there is always supposed to be a fee if you have a multiple receivers.

Have not posted since I initiated the Flex service in October at our lake cabin. All went smooth in installation and service is fine. Monthly cost with tax is $16.22 and worth it to us for the limited use at the cabin.

The one issue is the autopay. I signed up for autopay, but they are not charging my card (I have a Bank of America card whereby I can create a separate number for Dish with my set limits and expiration). I get a statement that I am past due. I look online and it shows autopay and past due, but I call the bank and they have no record of attempted charges (they would see an error message if a charging attempt was rejected). I call Dish and they charge the account while I am on the line. Not much autopay to it. Just curious if anyone else is having this hassle?

So I went back and reviewed every post you have made, a couple of things, first autopay doesn't work with one merchant per use shopsafe type generated credit card numbers and will fail miserably even if those are setup on your end for recuring payments to the same merchant, I am not going to get into the extended reason here but it has to do with a unique merchant identifier and nothing to do with just flex accounts vs any other kind. The DDDCs~ are so wrong! Anyway if you didn't want to provide the real card # for autopay then why sign up for autopay at all? Just login and pay before your due date each month with a new shop safe#.

After reading what you said back at the start I assume you got a duo which is expensive even for a 322 or 222.

The link is for the RCA, the other stuff on that page you can ignore.

As you said the $149 was for equipment and install, dish & receiver that you received which is not really a activation fee. Maybe you can just sell it all and get some of your money back out of the deal.

There are 3 types of accounts, the one I outlined above is not flex24 it is flex, the page has several the key is the current RCA.

Flex Pre-Pay Promotion (no contract / no credit check/ no credit card on file required /no ssn required) you own all equipment and it is yours to keep and resell.

Flex24 (24 month contract with approved credit, most people qualify) you pay for install

DHA24 (24 month contract with approved credit, requires slightly higher credit score than Flex24) dish owns all equipment.

At this point its up to you to just pay the reactivate fee for pre pay and make the most of the equipment.

 

[wasjr]

I went to the second link you posted and called the number on the RCA. After explaining the situation I was transferred to loyalty and without asking, my original service was restored with no restart fee. All is well. Thanks for the link.

Re activation fee: I called it that since that is the term used in the "FlexTv Terms and Conditions."

Re equipment: I have the Solo 311 receiver.

Re Shop Safe: I have two other monthly recurring accounts with Shop Safe numbers, as well as irregular recurring accounts with Amazon, PayPal, etc and have absolutely no problems at all. The Dish rep is the one that told me they had issues with FlexTV autopay accounts. The credit card folks said that if anyone tried to use the number and it was rejected there would be an error message. If Dish had tried to process the number they had with a different merchant identifier an error message would have been created on the credit card end, and none was. The rep I just spoke with took this same number and it went through. She also used it to set up account on autopay. She told me the date it should post and I will check and follow up.

 

[r10fret]

We shall see!

Please let us know either way.

Do you happen to see a $1 Temp auth on your shop safe credit card from the autopay sign up?

 

[wasjr]

We shall see!

Please let us know either way.

Do you happen to see a $1 Temp auth on your shop safe credit card from the autopay sign up?

We are going to the cabin tomorrow for the weekend so we will see if service was restored as the rep said. I have received two emails from Dish, one about service being restored and one about payment being received.

I had already checked online. The regular monthly payment the rep charged hit, and there is also a $1 Pending from Dish, which surprised me as this has not happened before.

I will post status on Monday.