Dish Network Prepaid Question

[weexy]

Glad to help, but I am actually having a HUGE problem with my Dish NOW! service, and I wonder if anyone is experiencing the same thing:

Over the past couple of days, I have tried, in vain, too add programming to my service via a Green Dot Money Pak and my DP301.

Everytime I have called the automated service, since Tues. 12/16, I have been rerouted to a customer service agent, AFTER I enter in my RECEIVER # for some reason.

No explanation. Nothing. I can't order any programming, which is pissing me off because the agents(morons) who work for Dish tell me, which I already know, that my Rceiver #, and Green Dot MoneyPak # are all valid, and it should work.

They even try it on their own, and right after typing in the Receiver #(I ALWAYS type in the info using the keypad on phone and never say it), and the automated voice asks if it is correct, and then says, "OK, just a second....", and right after that statement, and a second or two, the voice prompt says, "Please hold, while I transfer your call to a customer service agent."

I don't know why the hell it is doing this. I just ended programming on Sunday, December 14th, so everything was fine until then.

It is like the automated system has flagged my receiver or something, and is unable/unwilling to let me add new programming. Nothing.

And all I get is the runaround from the customer service agents who have no clue what the problem is(they even try it themselves using my receiver number, and Greendot Moneypak number, and get the same results. They get sent to another agent AFTER entering in and confirming the Receiver #). They tell me that there is a problem with the automated service, but I think/believe it is just an excuse to get me off the phone. They give me this crap that everyone is experiencing this, so it is an automated service problem.

Is anyone else having this issue with trying to add new/more programming to a receiver?

If you can, can some of you try the service/automated system for me, and just let me know if after you enter in and verify your receiver number if it begins to allow you to go through the process of adding more programming(It would say after verifying the receiver number, "I see you have activated a Dish Now pin before, have there been any changes to your satellite system?"

You don't actually have to order anything(I would never spend your money ), I just want to see if there actually is a problem with the automated service(which would be a relief knowing I am not the only one having these problems), or if they have just decided to treat my receiver like the plague or something.

Just like to see if you can actually get to the point of ordering more/new programming because apparently I can't anymore. This is a bummer/pisser.

No Problem adding more days to my receiver this morning the 19th.

 

[STEELERSRULE]

No Problem adding more days to my receiver this morning the 19th.

Unfortunately it is beginning to look more and more like I might be totally screwed.

It appears my receiver is the plague to the automatic system, and I may be forced to go out and get a new receiver, which blows.

It is REALLY WEIRD. It is like I used up the amount of times I could buy programming or something from the automated system. All the reps I have spoken too tell me the same story. They tell me that in the system I have a legit receiver #, and GreenDot MoneyPak #, and then they try adding more programming. Same thing happens to them.

And since there is NO OTHER WAY to get programming(The reps use the same automated system, so there is no direct way for them to do it on their own), I am really F'D.

It is really strange. I really hope this does not happen to anyone else.

Any ideas on a course of action you think I could take to get this resolved through Dish?

I mean, if the receiver is a legit receiver in their system, then I maybe I could mail it to them, and they could mail me another one(I REALLY doubt this).

Looks like I am out another $50 on a new receiver. If I go that route I ma going to try and get the latest one I can(refurbished date I mean).

 

[Hermitman]

Here's a thought. Maybe the active database file containing the receiver numbers for pre-paid receivers in the authorization system burped. Your receiver number would still show up as valid in the master archive database, the one the csr is looking at but missing in the active database. Have you tried to re-initialize the receiver number in the database? Instead, when calling to add programming, go into the "New Installation" menu and see if you can re-install it. Maybe the computer just forgot your receiver number and you have to help it remember. Computers have been known to brain fart once-in-a-while. Good luck.

 

[STEELERSRULE]

Here's a thought. Maybe the active database file containing the receiver numbers for pre-paid receivers in the authorization system burped. Your receiver number would still show up as valid in the master archive database, the one the csr is looking at but missing in the active database. Have you tried to re-initialize the receiver number in the database? Instead, when calling to add programming, go into the "New Installation" menu and see if you can re-install it. Maybe the computer just forgot your receiver number and you have to help it remember. Computers have been known to brain fart once-in-a-while. Good luck.

Thanks Hermitman, but I actually already tried that numerous times.

When I get too the point of typing in the receiver number(Under the "First time activation heading"), it once again sends me too a representative, when it should, if I remember correctly, next ask me for the Smartcard number, and then my zip code, and then ask which programming I want too add.

I even did something that may have sent everything over the edge anyway, or maybe not. When asked to enter my receiver # under the "Add more programming heading", I actually gave it my smartcard #. Funny things is, the next that happened was I was sent into the "first time activation menu" and then it asked me, again, for my smartcard number, which I gave it again(so the computer thinks I have a smartcard and a receiver # that are the same), and then I actually got to add programming to a receiver # that does not exist.

I was "hopeful" that it would work(I ordered just one day of Showtime at cost of .43 cents as a test). But alas, even though it said it was sending a signal to my receiver now(I was under the "hope" that maybe my smartcard would recognize it, and accept it.), NO programming henceforth came. SH*T!!!!!!!

So now the automated system probably thinks there is a receiver and smartcard out there with the same # or something, or it has my receiver and smartcard # in reverse on it's database.

Thanks for the thought though, as I am all out of ideas at this point, other than going out and buying a new receiver from SAUDON(kinda like buying a new prepaid cell phone), and just taking the old one, cutting up the smartcard, and destroying the box, unless anyone can think of any other avenue I can take.

Or just wait. I got some information from a satellite seller near me that he can't keep the DP301 prepaids in stock, and that Dish is beginning to realize that they have something going on with this type of setup since it costs them absolutely nothing(no overhead. I think cost per customer for dish is probably pretty high due to advertising and such, but I don't know) to land a new customer since it is pure profit on stuff that is there's and is refurbished.

According to this satellite salesman(he owns the business), he sells the DP301 with a prepaid Dish NOW card for cheaper than he sells the DP301 alone because for every one that gets activated, he gets like $50 per activation from Dish. I don't know if this true or not, but the guy made it sound pretty reasonable.

He told me that Dish plans on phasing out the DP301's, and replacing them with the DP311's(refurbished prepaid) and DP322's(refurbished prepaid) sometime in the first quarter of 2009. And that they will expand the programming available to customers. What that expansion is, who knows.


He said it has something to due with the fact that on new subscription's(THIS IS WHAT HE SAID. TAKE IT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT), whether they are for HD programming or not, Dish told him to install 211 boxes instead of the 311 since they will soon be the new prepaid boxes, and the same thing goes for the 222.

I will wait and see for now, I think.

And I don't think that ceo@dishnetwork.com can help me on this, unless he can get into, or tell someone to get into, the automated system and fix the problem between my receiver #, and the system.

 

[outrider]

isn't the dp311 or dp233 a dual tuner?

 

[STEELERSRULE]

isn't the dp311 or dp233 a dual tuner?

The DP322 is a dual tuner(just like the HD versions of the 222/722DVR).

Any of the tuners that end with the #2 have two tuners in them.

The receivers that end in #1 do not. They only have the one.

 

[Hermitman]

One last thought and then I'll shut up. Have you tried having the Dish folks delete the receiver number and smartcard number from their system like the receiver has never been activated before? I know they can do it because I did a boo-boo once and the only way to clear the problem was a complete deletion of the receiver from the activated roles. The csr couldn't do it, it had to go to a tech supervisor to approve and do the procedure. That way, it would be like you're activating the receiver for the first time. Hope it works. Good luck.

 

[STEELERSRULE]

I will give it a shot.

Did you get this tech supervisor from talking to one of the CSR's and DEMANDING a tech supe? Or did you have to call a special phone #?

Also, what was the boo-boo that caused this step? This sounds like something that "might" work. I am guessing I will need BOTH my receiver # and smartcard #

 

[STEELERSRULE]

Also 2 more questions on the subject HermitMan:

1. How long do I have to wait to try doing the "first time activation" after they delete it from the system? Do they say wait 24 hours until trying, or is something that can get done immediately, and then I can try?

2. Was it a struggle to get a CSR to get a tech rep, and then is tech supervisor really reluctant to do it? Was it a fight to get this done?

 

[Hermitman]

I went through the normal channels and first got a csr. I explained to him that I had an incorrect activation and needed to start from scratch and do a new activation. I then asked if he could clear the computer of my receiver and smartcard number so I could try again. He said he didn't have the authority and transferred me straight away to the tech supervisor. I re-expained the situation to him and he cleared the computer of my receiver numbers in only a few minutes. They seemed very nice about it. As soon as I got off the phone with the tech supervisor, I went through the activation procedures without waiting. And It worked. Good Luck.

 

[STEELERSRULE]

I attempted to try what you recommended Hermitman, but unfortunately they either wouldn't, or couldn't do that. Even the so called Supervisors(probably just the idiot sitting next to them) told me they cannot get into the automated system to do what you proposed.

Well after 2hrs and 30min of being on the phone with them, I finally got an advanced tech(at least he claimed to be) named Chris who really seemed to be on the ball(the first one I have encountered since this all began back on Tuesday 12/16/08), and he was trying everything, but he just said he could not get into the system, and remove my receiver and smartcard to treat it like a brand new receiver.

He thought the problem may have been my GDM(GreenDot MoneyPak), so this morning I got a new one with $20 on it, and tried. No go. Same thing. So the problem lies between after giving my receiver number, and the automated system. Luckily, I was able to get a refund on the GDM(these people were REALLY GREAT, and helpful) I had originally(still had over $33 of the original $35 I had put on it, which I already knew), and if I don;t get this resolved, or am forced to get another receiver, I will do the same with the new one I just got today.

So, it looks like for now I am F'ed. They must have also put some sort of info on my receiver number for the CSR's because now when I speak to them they SAY THE SYSTEM IS DOWN, AND HAS BEEN DOWN, FOR QUITE A WHILE, which I know, and everyone here knows, is total BS. Just a way to get rid of me since now they a get a louder, terser me, when I am on the phone. They just don't know what to do.

I will try the CEO, but I doubt I will get anywhere. Posted in another thread, and sadly this is probably true, they would treat me like someone they just don't give a damn about, but someone paying over $100/month, they will bend over backwards for. It is they way they, and most other companies operate, sadly.

Thanx for the advice though, and if anyone has tried, or did add new programming within the last 72 hours, it will just prove my BS point with the CSR's and Dish.

 

[r10fret]

I just ordered a DISH Network 301 prepaid refurbished receiver off of eBay from a dealer and it has yet to come. What is the situation with receiving the G3 Smart Card with Nagra 3? Have any swaps occurred yet for prepaid receivers? Does anyone know whether we will incur a charge, like S&H, for the eventual swap?

Another post on the matter.


P.S. None of the posts in this thread discuss the prepaid bundled smart cards, unless I've missed something.

This is an excellent question and one that I have been asking dish for months.

Back in august I started talking to prepaid CS and couldn't get an answer. 3 months ago I started calling long distance and spoke to executive resolution a few times, they looked into it and later called back and said they are working on a plan for prepaid smartcard swap but nothing has started yet, then later I got another story from someone else saying prepaid is going to be a problem for the swap and that they may try to convert everybody on prepaid to monthly so they can have the address info on file for doing the swap. I started to think that when my receiver runs out on jan 10th that I should not put anymore money on it because dish prepaid has become second class to them. I entirely expect one day soon to turn on my international prepaid channels and have an on screen smart card error message because dish can't put a plan together to upgrade everyone who has invested in prepaid by giving them either new cards and/or a new mpeg4 prepaid receiver and/or a new dish which will all be required soon for international. dish probably figures that the longer they can draw prepaid out without doing a single thing the more people that will get fed up and go out and spend there own money to upgrade everything, instead of dish having to foot the bill. If this turns out to be the case I might switch to worlddirect from D* which would be cheaper anyway since dish has also now compressed the remaining international mpeg2 services on 61.5 to previously unheard of levels of 16 channels per transponder or 2 mbps. They also refuse to address the problem with authorizing prepaid units to get international @ 118. goodbye then dish after 10+ years of monthly and 3 years of dish now prepaid,

I guess they have systematically decided to phase some people out since they seem frozen and unable to make a move. I have contacted all sorts of people from uplink center folks in WY about 16 to 1 compression on the remaining 61.5 mpeg2 TPs, to the resolution dept about 118 and a upgrade/swap. All of them are unable to help get something done. As a customer I guess I should take my money elsewhere.

 

[outrider]

what is going to happen on 'jan, 10th'??, i missed something along the way.

 

[r10fret]

My dish now prepaid card runs out of money on jan 10th and before I buy another $40 pin I want some assurance that my dish now receiver will continue to be able to receive international programming past the jan 30th deadline since the smart card has still not be swaped for a G3. Secondary to this problem is the international squeeze at 61.5 and the failure for dish to either move all int. to 118 and authorize the prepaid boxes to see it over there or swap all the prepaid int. receivers for mpeg4 boxes to continue getting the channels @ 61.5

Since there are no refunds on prepaid, and all 15 of my local radioshacks no longer even stock the paper cards, the only way to purchase a pin now is to have them just ring up the sku#. Dish is evidently making it harded to continue prepaid in an effort to get everybody to dump their prepaid system so dish doesn't have to incur all the upgrade costs on prepaid folks who have no commitment beyond the duration of one prepaid card redemption.

Like the dish exec dept told me, prepaid has become a major problem for them as far as smartcard swaps / equipment upgrades. I plan on leaving before I get stuck redeeming another $40 non refundable card and then getting stuck with a doorstop because dish continues to procrastinate about how to handle prepaid international channels. Obviously the profit margin involved with charging $20 to $30 a month for a single international channel while cramming 16 MPEG2 channels per transponder @ 2mbps compression is not enough to warrant making it easy for dish to upgrade dishnow prepaid subscribers to G3, mpeg4, and/or 118. Should we expect any better from this company?

 

[outrider]

ok i see, the reciever i got a few weeks ago has the G3 card [purple]. and one of the reasons there changing cards is to stop the 'free to air' transmission that are suppose to be pirated off dish network sta's. its a shame that they are going for the "locked-in" money. it is also a shame that their greed is going to cost them money.

 

[STEELERSRULE]

r10fret,

This was pasted from post #104, and may be what they plan to do(it is HEARSAY, so take it for what it is worth):

According to this satellite salesman(he owns the business), he sells the DP301 with a prepaid Dish NOW card for cheaper than he sells the DP301 alone because for every one that gets activated, he gets like $50 per activation from Dish. I don't know if this true or not, but the guy made it sound pretty reasonable.

He told me that Dish plans on phasing out the DP301's, and replacing them with the DP311's(refurbished prepaid) and DP322's(refurbished prepaid) sometime in the first quarter of 2009. And that they will expand the programming available to customers. What that expansion is, who knows.


He said it has something to due with the fact that on new subscription's(THIS IS WHAT HE SAID. TAKE IT WITH A GRAIN OF SALT), whether they are for HD programming or not, Dish told him to install 211 boxes instead of the 311 since they will soon be the new prepaid boxes, and the same thing goes for the 222.

I will wait and see for now, I think.

Meaning that the new refurbished 311's(most likey) or 322's(very less likely) will have the MPEG4 cards in them in the 1st quarter in 2009, and the current boxes will just simply begin to get what you said, and error message stating that Smartcard will not/or can't authorize new programming.

It will be a really cheap fix for customers like us since these boxes(301's and 3900's) currently go for around $60-$70(shipping and handling included) from alot of the sponsors on this website.

And the current boxes would become useless. So, yes, waiting to add a $40 pin might not be the best way to go. You could use a GreenDot moneypak, fill it up with $40(or more+ the $4.95 charge), and fill up a little programming at a time, just so you don't waste a FULL $40 if the box stops working at some point.

 

[r10fret]

Meaning that the new refurbished 311's(most likey) or 322's(very less likely) will have the MPEG4 cards in them in the 1st quarter in 2009, and the current boxes will just simply begin to get what you said, and error message stating that Smartcard will not/or can't authorize new programming.

It will be a really cheap fix for customers like us since these boxes(301's and 3900's) currently go for around $60-$70(shipping and handling included) from alot of the sponsors on this website.

And the current boxes would become useless.

My point, exactly!

There is nothing wrong with my 3900 prepaid box so why should I have to fork out $50+ to get a new box and card, dish should pay the same way they pay to upgrade month to month subs. What they dont have is a plan to do this because they have no address info on prepaid boxes. This could be easily corrected by dish setting up a webpage to submit or training prepaid CS to start taking address with the R# and S#.

If the 311 and 322 refurbs are going to be the new prepaid boxes then dish is really behind the curve because the 311 and 322 will never handle 8PSK modulation or MPEG-4 encoding even with a new nagravision 3 encrytion G3 card.

I left dish month to month service about 3 years ago and moved to the prepaid service for a similar reason as today, dish refused to pay to upgrade my equipment which they where rendering useless. To make a long story short about 3 years ago when I was month to month I had a model 4000. After 8 years with no problems with the 4000 dish upgraded my card to a N2, after that the box would repeatedly put up 15 seconds smart card authorization messages during primetime hours, it ruined any recordings I was making. I came to the conclusion the hardware in the 4000 box could not handle whatever they were doing with N2, As a paying customer I demanded they give me a current box that could handle whatever they were transmitting, at the time all they could offer me was a 311 for $150 which I could have gotten for much less from an online dish seller. After a few days of research I canceled my month to month and instead of paying dish $150 I bought a prepaid 3900 for $50 online.


After 12 years as a paying dish customer and feeling like dish doesnt really want my business for half that time I have had enough for now. Directv worlddirect now has the international channel I want and I am already a directv sub so all I need to do is add a dish at 95 west, I have already started testing an old 39" primestar dish there and getting great levels on directv international. hopefully their compression will be better since they are only doing 8-10 MPEG2 international channels per transponder at 95 west instead of 16 mpeg2 per TP like dish @ 61.5.

 

[outrider]

o.k. you guys are talking way,way over my head. will i have to buy a new reciever after jan.'09' , i have a DP301 with the purple card.

 

[hye]

Glad to help, but I am actually having a HUGE problem with my Dish NOW! service, and I wonder if anyone is experiencing the same thing:

Over the past couple of days, I have tried, in vain, too add programming to my service via a Green Dot Money Pak and my DP301.

Everytime I have called the automated service, since Tues. 12/16, I have been rerouted to a customer service agent, AFTER I enter in my RECEIVER # for some reason.

No explanation. Nothing. I can't order any programming, which is pissing me off because the agents(morons) who work for Dish tell me, which I already know, that my Rceiver #, and Green Dot MoneyPak # are all valid, and it should work.

They even try it on their own, and right after typing in the Receiver #(I ALWAYS type in the info using the keypad on phone and never say it), and the automated voice asks if it is correct, and then says, "OK, just a second....", and right after that statement, and a second or two, the voice prompt says, "Please hold, while I transfer your call to a customer service agent."

I don't know why the hell it is doing this. I just ended programming on Sunday, December 14th, so everything was fine until then.

It is like the automated system has flagged my receiver or something, and is unable/unwilling to let me add new programming. Nothing.

And all I get is the runaround from the customer service agents who have no clue what the problem is(they even try it themselves using my receiver number, and Greendot Moneypak number, and get the same results. They get sent to another agent AFTER entering in and confirming the Receiver #). They tell me that there is a problem with the automated service, but I think/believe it is just an excuse to get me off the phone. They give me this crap that everyone is experiencing this, so it is an automated service problem.

Is anyone else having this issue with trying to add new/more programming to a receiver?

If you can, can some of you try the service/automated system for me, and just let me know if after you enter in and verify your receiver number if it begins to allow you to go through the process of adding more programming(It would say after verifying the receiver number, "I see you have activated a Dish Now pin before, have there been any changes to your satellite system?"

You don't actually have to order anything(I would never spend your money ), I just want to see if there actually is a problem with the automated service(which would be a relief knowing I am not the only one having these problems), or if they have just decided to treat my receiver like the plague or something.

Just like to see if you can actually get to the point of ordering more/new programming because apparently I can't anymore. This is a bummer/pisser.

I'm having the exact problem, it started with me on Fri the 19th when I tried to add movie channels to my existing AT100 which expired on Sunday, since then I tried calling 10 times and talked to csr. But I get the same answer as you do; I live in NJ and wondering if there is something wrong with the east coast service!! please let me know if you figure out a solution, I bought the system from Ebay and only activated it last week and got 2 days of programming, do you think we can send the receiver back and get new ones?

 

[Hermitman]

Depends on the return policy of the Ebay seller you got it from. Good luck.