DISH voted the WORST to work for in the U.S. according to 24/7 Wall Street.

[vash1090]

We all know it's not really a poll. Lots of stats come from Glass Door or places that people go to complain about their job. Not many people will go out of their way to say how much they like their job, so the results are unbalanced.

Personally, I still like working for dish (FSS4 tech), but I can say that a lot of times the scrutiny on us is too much for how much they actually do about it. For example, Ask And Earn. They say, "All you have to do is ask." So I pretty much pitch it as, "I noticed you might need this, if you do, we can offer it to you for $xx." I don't try to push a long time because I have actual work to do, but they still bring it up to everyone without enough sales.

 

[SomeDishGuy]

We all know it's not really a poll. Lots of stats come from Glass Door or places that people go to complain about their job. Not many people will go out of their way to say how much they like their job, so the results are unbalanced.

Personally, I still like working for dish (FSS4 tech), but I can say that a lot of times the scrutiny on us is too much for how much they actually do about it. For example, Ask And Earn. They say, "All you have to do is ask." So I pretty much pitch it as, "I noticed you might need this, if you do, we can offer it to you for $xx." I don't try to push a long time because I have actual work to do, but they still bring it up to everyone without enough sales.

Upsell pressure.

I know you guys have it. It's a huge push inside the call centers, too. I see the billing with the screen cleaner on it, and know you guys are expected to push that big-time. In the call center, it's premium channels and package upgrades, of course. They've even changed how they measure it, not your close rate, but rather, proportional to how much you get the customer to spend.

Of course, any big company with techs in the field, or agents on the phone, is going to push for extra revenue this way.

I agree about the people who like their job, they're not as likely to post on that website. I was talking to co-workers about it today. None of us are going to say we love our job, but we also agreed that we all have had FAR worse jobs.

 

[bucketfoot]

All I can say is that I wasn't surprised last year and I'm still not surprised this year.

I spent 20+ years there, starting as a Technician, moving to Engineering and eventually ending up in Senior Management. I've worked closely with pretty much all groups with any technical inclination (Service, DNS, CSC, Engineering, etc.). For me, this was my first Engineering related job after graduating from college, so frankly I didn't know how good or bad things were there for several years.

From my view, management at Dish/Echo has always been very demanding. The difference is that over time it became more and more demeaning. It is very simply management by intimidation (comparing Charlie to Steve Jobs would not be a stretch). The saving grace (especially on the Echo side) has always been the work and the people (OK, some of the people).

I have since gone to work for the other big satellite TV company and can say that it is a night and day difference in more than one way. There is no comparing the management of the two companies and despite discussions with many people I had hired or worked with over the years who came from other companies, I never knew that management could actually care so much about its employees. On the other hand, there is a passion that starts with Charlie and trickles down throughout Dish/Echo that is definitely missing here.

Would I ever go back to Dish again, not a chance! Being that I come from the technical world, any of the positive aspects there were lost when the company split. Echo on the other hand... Never say never (even if I did say that for Dish!)

 

[dvrexpander]

As a tech I can say there are just some things they just do not understand and by they I mean Dish.

Not everyone has broadband internet - STOP requiring us to connect them or make us take a pay cut!
Not everyone has HD or wants HD or needs HD - STOP pushing HD hardware onto people that don't need it or can't get it (no line of sight to HD sats) - this also now makes that job eligible to be connected to internet that they most likely don't have either.

Every customer does NOT need a damn hopper.... I'm sorry but I've gone to so many people that only need or want a basic 500 system with a simple 311 receiver and that is it, you hook up a hopper to a 80year old woman and you are going to get a trouble call ( which again gives you a pay cut) cause she can't understand all the damn buttons on a remote she won't hardly use.

I could go on and on... don't even get me started on selling crap to people that is over priced and they don't need but you have to be the pushy salesman or yep...get a pay cut.

 

[SomeDishGuy]

As a tech I can say there are just some things they just do not understand and by they I mean Dish.

Not everyone has broadband internet - STOP requiring us to connect them or make us take a pay cut!
Not everyone has HD or wants HD or needs HD - STOP pushing HD hardware onto people that don't need it or can't get it (no line of sight to HD sats) - this also now makes that job eligible to be connected to internet that they most likely don't have either.

Every customer does NOT need a damn hopper.... I'm sorry but I've gone to so many people that only need or want a basic 500 system with a simple 311 receiver and that is it, you hook up a hopper to a 80year old woman and you are going to get a trouble call ( which again gives you a pay cut) cause she can't understand all the damn buttons on a remote she won't hardly use.

I could go on and on... don't even get me started on selling crap to people that is over priced and they don't need but you have to be the pushy salesman or yep...get a pay cut.

I agree with most all of this. Especially old people and Hopper systems. What an awful mess. Talked to an elderly lady who was literally crying due to not understanding the system. She didn't even have HD televisions, she would have been fine with a 322. I also get frustrated that the sales agents (not in the US) do not clearly explain the number of tuners in a Hopper system. When I have talked to customers that wanted to make a Hopper upgrade, I was very clear and talked very candidly about the number of tuners. Many are fine with three tuners, but I'd rather cut it off early than have the customer call back and not get it.

Screen cleaner, screen cleaner, screen cleaner. I know you techs get saddled with trying to upsell stuff like that.

 

[Scherrman]

As much as I should I do not push the Hopper that much. I only do when I know the customer has multiple HDTVs and like to record. Majority of our customer's needs are met with the VIP series of receivers.

 

[navychop]

"...no line of sight to HD sats..."

Huh? All the sats can carry HD and the mix changes.

 

[3HaloODST]

Probably referring to WA. A lot of the time people can pull in 110/119 but not necessarily 129.

Sent from my iPad 2 using Forum Runner

 

[thunderup]

A day in the life of an fss IV. Wake up 600am. At shop on the clock by 655. 700am morning huddle where fsm talks about how bad our csat scores are how low our smart home sales are how our job is on the line if we do not improve. How our routes may change because there are 26 jobs in the float pool so make sure we stay on top of the route. 730 am restart the dish issued tablet because it freezes. 734 log back in to eta map first job huh..109 miles away its a 4 room new connect with dishnet combo. 51 points. Start job at 930. Realize customer only has one tv and no computer. No existing lines ran...fml. work on job in peace bc customer is chilling in the ac watching cast away DVD smoking pot while I'm sweating dang its already 96 degrees, is it even noon yet? Guess I better get in attic before it gets hot outside. Three wall drops and 9 pounds lost later emerge from attic with cotton fibers clinging to every inch of my body. Check tablet while taking water break. Dang it froze again restart tablet its 1215. Log back in see my dispatch has changed my route now have two service calls 45 miles further away. Oh that will be easy least I get a break in the ac for 45 mins or so while driving. Ok,,,, focus now finish this job. Internet good..at least for now tv working carried 42 inch tv around to all four rooms to make sure all receivers are working. Sure don't want to get a tc or bad csat. Ok 115 done. Dang wish that customer had a spare 400 bucks for that sound bar. Will try again later, maybe next guy will. 215 arrive at first tc. Dang a sub did the install complete reinstall for me because customer had tv on wrong channel. A20 minute job now an hour and a half. Ok done. No luck on that sound bar. 330 check route. Restart tablet because its froze. Log back in hmmm dispatch took that other tc job away and have now given me another dish net job 20 more mins away. Don't have equipment for this one. Better call fsm. Tells me tech 15 mins away has extra equipment ok. Ill go get that. Finally get to dish net job at 445 and get started. At least I made it by 500. Smooth install. Sweet customer wanted wireless internet and I was able to get her all set up with a router for $99.00. Maybe ill get an atta boy for the sale....645 job complete text dispatch pick up a service visit on my way home. Start that job at 725. Easy one bad lnb. Change, re peak. Thank god that was done by an in-house tech, no reinstall needed there. 800. Pm call fsm. Says head back. Cool. Map shop in GPS. Dang... froze, restart. 74 miles to shop. Back at 920. Only to find that there are 6 vans in front of me waiting to restock. Well....at least I'm not alone. Clean out van trash, restock clock out 955. Home at 1020. Shower eat bed by midnight. Wake up 6am and repeat.

So a lot of things could be done differently at dish to aid the tech. Our job is not roses and rainbows and management could at least try to make our job easier. But in fact they seem to do the exact opposite and micro manage and gripe about every little thing. Too many jobs are scheduled every day and we are expected to be perfect on every job every time. My opinion too many levels of management. Or too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

Can't promote from within at dish. If you start as a tech you'll pretty much be a tech as long as you are at dish. Level 4 is as high as it goes.. no pipe dreams of bieng fsm. Not that I'd want that gig anyway.

Ok ok. The good. I basically work alone all day. No one breathing down my neck watching my every move. I am payed a fair wage and my check is always correct. And 4 day work weeks except when we are on mandatory 5 days which seems all to often. And that's about it.

Worst place to work? I don't know.
I love the job just hate how dish wants the job done. Could be a lot better here for sure. Definitely not a dream job. Definitely not the best place to work in America


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