DISH Network Leads Pay TV Industry in Customer Satisfaction Index

[Scott Greczkowski]

DISH Network Leads Pay TV Industry in Customer Satisfaction Index

Ranks Above All Cable TV Companies for Seventh Consecutive Year

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., May 15, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- EchoStar Communications Corporation (NasdaqISH) today announced its DISH Network satellite TV service recorded the highest ranking for customer satisfaction among satellite and cable TV companies providers, as reported by the 2007 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).

"The 2007 ACSI results mark the third time in four years that DISH Network(tm) has scored a No. 1 ranking -- a testament to the significant investments we've made in our customer care and service levels, and the hard work of our employees, retailers, regional service providers and telco partners," said Carl Vogel, president and vice chairman for DISH Network. "We continue to put a strong emphasis on delivering the highest-quality, all-digital programming -- including the most national HD channels in the country -- as well as offering cutting-edge technology such as award-winning DVRs and value-driven programming such as the DishDVR Advantage."

The ACSI is a national economic indicator of customer evaluations of the quality of products and services available to U.S. household consumers, and reflects customers' overall satisfaction with the service. Consumers were surveyed in the first quarter of 2007 for their ratings about perceived overall quality, perceived value and expectations. The results mark the seventh consecutive year DISH Network has scored above all cable TV providers, covering every year that the index has been compiled for pay-TV companies.

The ACSI index is produced by the Stephen M. Ross Business School at the University of Michigan, in partnership with the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and the international consulting firm, CFI Group.

About EchoStar Communications Corporation

EchoStar Communications Corporation (NasdaqISH) has been a leader for more than 26 years in satellite TV equipment sales and support worldwide. The Company's DISH Network(tm) is the fastest-growing pay-TV provider in the country since 2000 and currently serves more than 13.4 million satellite TV customers. DISH Network offers a premier line of industry-leading Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) and hundreds of video and audio channels as well as the most national HD and International channels in the U.S., Interactive TV, Latino and sports programming. DISH Network also provides a variety of package and price options including the lowest all-digital price in America and the DishDVR Advantage Package. EchoStar is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and is a Fortune 300 company. Visit www.echostar.com or call 1-800-333-DISH (3474) for more information.

CONTACT: EchoStar Communications Corporation
Media Contact:
Francie Bauer
720-514-5351
press@echostar.com

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

My question is did Dish sponsor this survey?

 

[JrC]

No, Dish did not sponsor the survey. Echostar was in fact tied for the top spot with Directv.

Dish achieved this by sucking less than the others.

http://www.theacsi.org/index.php?op...view&id=147&Itemid=155&i=Cable+&+Satellite+TV

 

[riffjim4069]

DISH Network Leads Pay TV Industry in Customer Satisfaction Index...

...perhaps a more accurate title would be, "DISH Network Pay TV Service is Less Hated Than Other Pay TV Providers, and Only Slightly More Bearable Than a Visit to a Proctologist."

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Yeah I know they didn't sponsor it, but every year when "company x" wins an award the first question we see asked is did "company x" sponsor the survey.

I wanted to be the first to ask the question this year.

 

[psumattDE]

Wow - this is surprising.

Guess those new call centers in Calcutta and New Dehli are doing the trick!

 

[JrC]

At least the Proctologist can tell what he is looking at from a hole in the ground.

The Proctologist is more likely to identify what the cause of the problem is and prescribe a course of action.

-------------

Sorry, I have been having "issues" with the level of support provide Sprint's technical support call centers. Sprint's score is the lowest by far in the wireless telephone service industry.

 

[digitalartifact]

Trust me... I have been with a few different cable companies in my life now. Calling DISH is better then most others… at least with DISH they do not overly harass you on the phone to upgrade or buy this or that. Two of the cable companies when I was a subscriber were so aggressive with pushing for upgrades/new sales on the phone it left me really wondering why they bothered calling them CSR’s instead of "all ready a customer sales!" (i swear they could not fix a problem unless you purchased more unneeded or unwanted programing)

 

[Cyclone]

I've been with Dish a long time now, and I would give them high ratings for all of my dealings with them.

I've done the following:

Called and had a the 2nd dish installed for 61.5 for my SD locals - no problems
Called and ordered the $9 8VSB module for my 6000 - no problems
Called and had my 6000 replaced for stuttering once - no problems
Called and ordered a free 510 for 2y commitment - no problems.
Called and downgraded my AEP to AT150 - no problems
Called and ordered the HD pack - no problems
Called and ordered the Voom channels - no problems
Called and activated my 921 - no problems
Called and ordered a 622 VIP - talked them into self-installation - my happy
Called and added/dropped HBO a few times

I see problems reported here, but for me its been a smooth ride.

 

[Peter Parker]

Almost all of my service calls have resulted in no shows for one or two scheduled appointments and they ahve either told em that I cannot call the dispatchers till after 5 PM for evening calls (and they close at 5) or have resulted in very odd excuses (the truck broke down, the installer heard that there was rain in your area etc).

I am happy with the service (or was before the MLB EI situation) but unhappy with the installation/service process.

 

[skyviewmark]

Boy if this is true, then the rest of the pay services must have been closed when someone called.. Hard to imagine anyone being worse than Dish.

 

[jc17981]

I guess Geronimo's post explains it all for me. I am EXTREMELY happy with Dish (and DirecTV -- yes, I have both) because I do my own installation.

Like Geronimo says, I am not too pleased with the channel disputes that Dish often has (like that going on with MLB EI). However, I figure that someone has to step up to the plate. It's just sad that it's always Charlie, and the others just seem to bend over to take it (but, again, that may be why I continue to hang on to DirecTV).

 

[havok019]

Wow, my jaw dropped reading this. I always cringe at the thought of even having to deal with a CSR for anything. If I didn't love my satellite service itself, I would have kicked Dish to the curb with it's horribly uninformed reps and scripted replies to concerns. That, and if it sounds like India, it is India. Hang up and spin the wheel of fate for another rep. Only been in for a year and already reps/installers have caused several missed appointments, did not make adjustments to service following request on phone and insufficient training on promos to know what they are really offering customers.
That said, I did have a decent experience with the CEO I emailed that actually called me to get an OTA antenna installed per promo that CSRs didn't know about. But I still couldn't get antenna I wanted. . .

 

[webbydude]

Now what the heck. According to today's Transmitter News...
http://www.transmitternews.com/NewsWire/051507newsletter.cfm#H1
...they state D* is tops. Not E*. Not even a tie. What gives????

 

[digitalartifact]

webbydude...

read a little closer

"“Once again, no other cable or satellite provider has a higher customer satisfaction rating ..."

Key word is higher. they said nothing about equals thus 67% vs 67%... neither one is higher then the other. However both scored higher then cable.

 

[webbydude]

Ah. Proof is in the wording/phrasing. The byline in that particular Transmitter blurb is a tad misleading.

It didn't help matters much with this direct quote from D* own sales and service prez...

“Once again, no other cable or satellite provider has a higher customer satisfaction rating than DIRECTV,” said John Suranyi, president, DIRECTV Sales and Service.

...the, "....or satellite provider" got me.