Existing Customer Re-qualification

[Scherrman]

Just so all you current customers know, Dish will be re-qualifying customers on August 29th. Some of you that qualify for an upgrade now may not qualify on the 30th. It works the other way too, if you did not qualify for an upgrade recently then you may want to try again on the 30th as you may qualify then.

 

[eurosport]

I wonder how that works when you're on Dish Pause?

Sent from my DROIDX using SatelliteGuys

 

[Claude Greiner]

I wonder how that works when you're on Dish Pause?

Sent from my DROIDX using SatelliteGuys

Not sure, you probably won't qualify.

 

[Scherrman]

I wonder how that works when you're on Dish Pause?

Sent from my DROIDX using SatelliteGuys

Not sure actually. May need to ask DIRT.

 

[dishcomm]

Explain what "qualify" means in this context.

 

[Tampa8]

What amount Dish is willing to "Spend" to keep you or give you when you ask for discounts. That includes what the cost would be for you to upgrade equipment.

 

[Scherrman]

Explain what "qualify" means in this context.

I'm not sure what all goes into qualifying but credit has some to do with it along with how long you've been a customer, paying your bill on time and level of programming.

 

[lparsons21]

Given that Dish and other cable/sat companies are all losing subscribers, I suspect that the requalification will in general be more in the customer's favor than not.

 

[Lt Disher]

Today is requalification day. I'm going to call tomorrow to see if I qualify for a HWS free upgrade.

 

[Lt Disher]

I still did not qualify for the free HWS upgrade. DIRT member said he knew nothing about a customer requalification.

 

[Scherrman]

Dish re-qualifying customers does not guarantee that they will get the best promotion. Some people might stay the same and some people may no longer qualify.

Have you been a customer for a while or are you still in your first year?

 

[hvarma2008]

I got HBO half price for 6 months, even though I already subscribed to it.

 

[Lt Disher]

Dish re-qualifying customers does not guarantee that they will get the best promotion. Some people might stay the same and some people may no longer qualify.

Have you been a customer for a while or are you still in your first year?

I just finished my first year. I have autopay so it is always ontime. The problem is that I only have DishAmerica so probably don't qualify for better promotions. It is fine tho. I love my Hopper 2000, but was hoping for the speedier HWS.

 

[DishSubLA]

Given that Dish and other cable/sat companies are all losing subscribers, I suspect that the requalification will in general be more in the customer's favor than not.

I doubt that. Even DirecTV admitted that their great gains in net sub numbers were at the expense of "quality" customers that had been the tradition at DirecTV. Mike White said they would be TIGHTENING qualifications for new subs and upgrades and working harder to get more "quality" subscribers, like DirecTV used to do. Dish grew tremendously in the past, but that was because they had lower quality subs to get the numbers. Funny because DirecTV did a Dish, and now they are getting back to being DirecTV again.

As for Charles, he has taken his virtual NO growth for some time now as an opportunity to cull his low quality subscribers, as well, and focus on higher quality subs, and focus on getting upgrades in packages and upgrades in equipment for his current subs, and it seems to be working, overall. Both CEO's have said higher quality subs can weather down economies far better and less likely to cancel or even downgrade. They learned this from the recent economic downturn. So, Dish is now doing a DirecTV from the early days.

Uh, uh. Higher credit scores (it's just a point number the CSR's see) for the freebies and cultivating those who have the money not to play the ditch a provider every 2 years game. They have found that trying to keep a low end customer or an lower QUALITY customer costs them MORE money than if those folks just went somewhere else. It isn't all about the number of subscribers. Charlie even said in one conference call a few years ago that certain individuals who are LOW rate payers who call his call center at the cost of a dollar a minute several times a month just to complain about nothing of merit are welcome to leave Dish and go somewhere else because those subscribers cause him to LOSE money (it costs Dish MORE) compared to what that subscriber pays to Dish each month. He LOSES money on those folks, and that aint good business. Those are some of the lower quality subs neither Dish or DirecTV want anymore, or certainly not those who cost more to keep than if they just went away. "If someone stays with us and doesn't cost us money, we will be happy to provide the latest technology (equipment upgrades) at a low cost or no cost, but if you cost us money, we just won't do that," or along those lines as I remember him saying. He's right. It makes no sense to spend money to keep a money LOSING customer.

 

[Tampa8]

My post in another thread;

Many in business have learned sometimes the customers you don't have actually are better than having them.

 

[lparsons21]

I doubt that. Even DirecTV admitted that their great gains in net sub numbers were at the expense of "quality" customers that had been the tradition at DirecTV. Mike White said they would be TIGHTENING qualifications for new subs and upgrades and working harder to get more "quality" subscribers, like DirecTV used to do. Dish grew tremendously in the past, but that was because they had lower quality subs to get the numbers. Funny because DirecTV did a Dish, and now they are getting back to being DirecTV again.

As for Charles, he has taken his virtual NO growth for some time now as an opportunity to cull his low quality subscribers, as well, and focus on higher quality subs, and focus on getting upgrades in packages and upgrades in equipment for his current subs, and it seems to be working, overall. Both CEO's have said higher quality subs can weather down economies far better and less likely to cancel or even downgrade. They learned this from the recent economic downturn. So, Dish is now doing a DirecTV from the early days.

A different read on what is going on. Both D* and E* had net loss of subs this past quarter, that's just a fact. And while I have read numerous articles over the years about how they will 'tighten' the qualifications for new customers, I haven't actually noticed that they are doing it. The losses are caused, I believe, because the cost of pay TV keeps rising in an economy that is seeing wages stagnant or declining. And of course, we have more ways to get quite a bit of the same programs that both provide for less money, oft times free.

But let's talk about the 'switchers'. I'm one, never denied it. I switch when it is financially the correct decision to make for me. And every time I get a plethora of snail and email offers every week wanting me back. With both I take advantage of every discount offer that comes my way though I don't call very often. I keep a pretty high base sub package with a couple of premiums active at minimum, I buy some PPVs on occasion but not real often, and I pay my bill on time every time.

On the one hand I'm an excellent customer because I subscribe at the level I do, on the other hand I switch on average somewhere between 1.5 to a little over 2 years.

There is a high probability that I will stay with Dish much longer this time as the Hopper is so much better than anything I ever had from Direct, and I like the EPIX movie channels as well as Reelz in HD that D* doesn't seem to want to have. But it all requires that my bill stay somewhere around where I think it has a value to me. I don't consider D* or E*'s position on what is a fair cost, only what I consider a fair cost.
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