Dish network retention offers?

[brgmgb]

Dish is like our local newspaper. For three years, I had been paying $1.00 a week for the Sunday Gazette as part of my subscription. When it came time to renew, the price was $1.75 per week. I called and said I would renew for the $1.00 a week I had been paying. The lady told me that they had never offered the paper for $1.00 a week. I said I was not going to spend more than $1.00. Meanwhile, the paper in the next town over had a deal where you could get the Sunday paper for $1.00 per week. I called the Gazette and told them that I had $1.00 per week to spend and I would like to stay with them, but the Herald would get my $1.00 if the Gazette would not match the price.

Long story short, the Herald got my $1.00. Then three weeks later, the Gazette called and said that as a former customer, they were offering the Sunday paper for - you guessed it - $1.00 per week. I told the lady the story and asked why they didn't just give me the lower price. Apparently, they could offer it to win-back customers but not retain customers. Makes no sense to me. You hire a duplicate set of workers (which drives up the price) to win-back the customer that would have stayed if you just offered the existing customer the same rate as new customers.

This same attitude is what drives me nuts with Dish. We have been customers since February 2005. We still have the same DVR that we upgraded to in 2007. But when we called to ask about getting free HD for life, we were told we would need to pay a few hundred dollars for installation and $10 extra per month for HD. And they wonder why existing customers leave and go somewhere else...

 

[Tampa8]

If you're lucky "E" might give you movie coupons to stay like me. I left "E" after 7 years of subscribing America's Everything Package (paying on time), due to poor Customer Service, constant billing errors, etc.

After 14 months at "D" I called regarding the Genie and was immediately upgraded for $50.00 even though I was just inquiring. I said ok to upgrade and love it.

Although, I do miss "'E's" prices, but you get what you pay for.


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What you demonstrated is DISH gives what they they think the customer is worth.

 

[SomeDishGuy]

I'm a Dish employee, and this is just my opinion, not based on anything special I may know...

Dish gets a lot, a LOT, of people calling, threatening to cancel, many of which are just angling for better offers. Dish doesn't want to give away the farm to everybody who calls and hints they may leave. They'd lose a lot of money that way. Dish will call your bluff to see if you really do want to cancel. If you really do, then the bigger offers come out. Admittedly, I think that Dish may wait too long to make that better "winback" offer, many are already obligated elsewhere. But I understand why they hesitate to give a great offer if the customer is likely bluffing.

A majority of people who call in, saying they are ready to cancel, do not actually cancel. That does reinforce to Dish that a lot of customers are bluffing. It creates a vicious cycle...when a lot of people call to cancel, but really don't want to, Dish is less likely to take cancellation threats as seriously, therefore less likely to give a customer more to stay with the company.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I called to cancel my 1/2 price HBo since True blood is over and she offered me another 6 months at the same 1/2 price. I said no , I was trying to lower my bill. She offered me $10.00 off for 6 months and I got 1/2 Blockbuster yesterday for $5.00. Not a bad couple of days. Sounds to me like DISH is desperately trying to keep people from leaving now. I guess all that churn and lost profits this last quarter over last year looked pretty bad. They need to really look at ala cart if they want to keep their remaining subs intact. I would dearly love it to spin off the sports into their own premium pack like the movie channels do. But my quess is that even this will not attract the newer generation of potential subs. THey just don't use tv like the older generations do. It is all about the smart phones and watching tv and video over the phone.

 

[smjbh5]

I called to cancel my 1/2 price HBo since True blood is over and she offered me another 6 months at the same 1/2 price. I said no , I was trying to lower my bill. She offered me $10.00 off for 6 months and I got 1/2 Blockbuster yesterday for $5.00. Not a bad couple of days. Sounds to me like DISH is desperately trying to keep people from leaving now. I guess all that churn and lost profits this last quarter over last year looked pretty bad. They need to really look at ala cart if they want to keep their remaining subs intact. I would dearly love it to spin off the sports into their own premium pack like the movie channels do. But my quess is that even this will not attract the newer generation of potential subs. THey just don't use tv like the older generations do. It is all about the smart phones and watching tv and video over the phone.

I did the same thing, but all i got was 1 ppv voucher. Did it through chat. Told them i was trying to lower my bill. I had to ask for the ppv voucher.

 

[navychop]

..... But my quess is that even this will not attract the newer generation of potential subs. THey just don't use tv like the older generations do. It is all about the smart phones and watching tv and video over the phone.

Quite correct, in my experience. When my adult son came back to live with us while recovering from cancer, he'd watch a little TV. But it was ALWAYS accompanied by watching/doing something on his laptop. The laptop got priority.

 

[Teehar]

I did the same thing, but all i got was 1 ppv voucher. Did it through chat. Told them i was trying to lower my bill. I had to ask for the ppv voucher.

You are much better off calling dish loyalty,aka as dish retention.They have more authority to make offers than a csr.I'm not saying they will make a better offer,just that the chance is higher.

 

[getstuff4less]

[FONT=&quot]I can do the upgrade at no cost but the monthly charges would go up about $11. I can apply a $15 credit for the next 12 months thought o help offset the price. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

Can I do better? I really would not like to pay.

 

[Gobucks]

Can I do better? I really would not like to pay.

I would go with that. That's a great deal!

 

[cosmo_kramer]

Sounds to me like DISH is desperately trying to keep people from leaving now.

I don't know if desperately is the right word, but they're definitely making a concerted effort. With sub growth stagnant for all providers, it looks like they've come to the realization that getting a little less money from a sub per month is better than getting nothing, and also better than giving new subscriber discounts....

 

[satjay]

Yes, we will call it good customer service and as mentioned market is competitive

 

[getstuff4less]

Another reason they are losing lots of subscribers is because people have decided to cut the cord. Using a Roku box + Netflix + Hulu plus + Plex = enough for most people. Now that you have Google Chromecast the fact that most of the younger generations are used to Internet TV.

Chromecast cost me $35 and it included three months Netflix, which is worth $24 in itself. Right now it can only do you to and Netflix, but within a few months. I bet there will be plug-ins for almost anything else.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I don't know if desperately is the right word, but they're definitely making a concerted effort. With sub growth stagnant for all providers, it looks like they've come to the realization that getting a little less money from a sub per month is better than getting nothing, and also better than giving new subscriber discounts....

Well considering that I have had just about every freebie I could get from DISH this last year -due to the AMC channel mess -including a free ROKU player and $10.00 off for a year , and I have had FREE HBO for 3 months and 1/2 price HBO and now have FREE Showtime/Cinemax/Starz and 1/2 price Blockbuster, and now $10.00 off for 6 months, I would call that "Desperately trying to keep subs." I wasn't even trying to get free money, just trying to get the 1/2 price HBO dropped off my bill since True Blood was over for the year. The CSR was the one that gave me the $10.00 off when I told her that another 6 months of 1/2 HBO wouldn't be needed since I was trying to drop my bill a little bit.

I think that the premium channel packs have priced themselves out of the reach of most average subscribers . Not to mention the over inflated FEES that DISH has added to the basic subscriber -especially the hopper subs. DISH has seen their subs drop substantially over last year in the same quarter, even with the new hopper receiver addition. The Hopper was supposed to reverse the churn and even this great receiver hasn't stopped the tide of defections. The 1/2 price premiums and FREE 3 months are just being used to entice regular subs to stay and not leave DISH. The tide of cord cutters combined with the younger generation that never will have cable, is starting to converge and soon satellite tv will be losing subs faster than they added them back in their heyday.

One way to blunt some of this loss, is for DISH to REDUCE the Ever increasing FEES they love to add onto their accounts. The other way , is to introduce either true ala cart or theme packs like the Canadian Satellite companies do. Especially if they would spin off Sports channels into their own premium packs like the Premium movie packs. This would help substantially lower most average subs bills right there. Either way the future is mobile as in cell phones and people are watching their phones not their tvs at home. This is why old Charlie desperately wants to buy or merge with a cell phone provider. TV video companies as they are today ,won't exist the same way in ten years or less. This satellite/cable bundle model will die out and the golden goose will be cooked.

 

[Tampa8]

Most of what you posted is not in the control of DISH, and I think it is going over the same thing that has been discussed over and over exactly because of that. Comparing to Canada is meaningless. And if they drop their fees they will make it up somewhere else. If they were more expensive than everyone else it might be a more valid discussion. If you are simply saying they need to drop their costs, I can't say of course if that is possible and stay in business. Maybe in lieu of giving any discounts on programming as they are doing now, but then that will be complained about.

You hit the nail on the head with the premiums. I actually don't think it's DISH or all DISH giving the discounts. I have to think the Premiums are the desperate ones to keep or gain subscribers, thus all the extended discounts. That overall DISH is giving more discounts to current subscribers is true, I don't remember it being so easy to get discounts on so many things, not just the Premiums, but BB and the Sports pack too. It seems only the packages do not get discounted, unless related to a loss of programming, which suggests to me there is little room there to do so.

 

[dvrexpander]

Why threaten to cancel just to get something free? Why not just pay for it like everyone else does. This is the reason why we as all subscribers end up paying more in the long run cause of threats to cancel and the attempt of retention. The costs of a simple upgrade for some nice equipment is very low not to mention the services by a trained tech to make the visit and set this all up for you.

 

[costanzas_wallet]

I would still subscribe to every premium if the AEP package didn't price itself outside my limits.

It's their own faults.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Most of what you posted is not in the control of DISH, and I think it is going over the same thing that has been discussed over and over exactly because of that. Comparing to Canada is meaningless. And if they drop their fees they will make it up somewhere else. If they were more expensive than everyone else it might be a more valid discussion. If you are simply saying they need to drop their costs, I can't say of course if that is possible and stay in business. Maybe in lieu of giving any discounts on programming as they are doing now, but then that will be complained about.

You hit the nail on the head with the premiums. I actually don't think it's DISH or all DISH giving the discounts. I have to think the Premiums are the desperate ones to keep or gain subscribers, thus all the extended discounts. That overall DISH is giving more discounts to current subscribers is true, I don't remember it being so easy to get discounts on so many things, not just the Premiums, but BB and the Sports pack too. It seems only the packages do not get discounted, unless related to a loss of programming, which suggests to me there is little room there to do so.

It may not be in the control of DISH as they operate today, but that doesn't mean that it can't be the way they operate tomorrow or the near future. IF you continue to operate as they do today ,they will stagnate and die. So will cable and DIRECTV and other in the tv industry. The future is fast approaching and doing the same thing the same way each day and expecting a better outcome is the very definition of insanity. This model needs to change. People today want what they want to watch ,when they want to watch it and where they want to watch it. Thus mobile phone,i-pads ,etc. The days of everyone subsidizing the cost of high channels is quickly coming to an end. Yes it will mean higher prices for those who want those channels ,and it will mean some niche channels go bye-bye. Oh well. I grew up with 3 channels when I was a kid and all the content I watch today over several channels was condensed down to those three channels rather than spread out over 25 that I watch today. AND it was All FREE over the air. I survived just fine and could easily adjust again. THe numbers that are dropping pay tv are growing quarterly. Even Directv lost subs even when they added in their South American Directv subs. Something has to give if pay tv as it is today is to survive. I think that spinning off sports into their own pack would be a great start. Forced bundling of channels needs to end.

 

[Teehar]

Why threaten to cancel just to get something free? Why not just pay for it like everyone else does. This is the reason why we as all subscribers end up paying more in the long run cause of threats to cancel and the attempt of retention. The costs of a simple upgrade for some nice equipment is very low not to mention the services by a trained tech to make the visit and set this all up for you.

Disagree.If anything longtime subscribers subsidize the new subscribers,with all the sweet promos and new equipment.Not to mention the fact,that we pay more simply because of the greed of broadcasters.I'm sure Dish and DTV know what they are doing when it comes to retention,they obviously aren't losing money,profit margins are still pretty good.If the prices weren't so dang high for tv in the first place,people wouldn't be asking for discounts.

 

[SomeDishGuy]

There's a lot of complaining in this thread about how much Dish charges in fees (DVR, additional receiver, etc), and how much they charge for premium channels. Just curious, does anybody have good comparison numbers for other providers?

My impression is the complaints about the cost of the premium channels and the fees are futile, that other companies charge more for these. Numbers?

 

[costanzas_wallet]

The rule of thumb is the more subs, the lower fee... Being that dish is (second?) biggest provider, we should be paying second lowest MRC.