The business rules state that a customer can only lease 3 receivers or 6 tuners. So the maximum you could lease from Dish is 3 dual tuner receivers. This does not stop you from purchasing extra receivers though.
Frustrated Dish Owner - I cant be alone on this!
- Thread starter chargerrich
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OP - What it comes down to is a not question of how many rooms have HD viewing, but how many different shows you need to be watching at one time. Purchase units with enough HD tuners to answer the latter and distribute the HD signals from a centralized location where your receivers are located (to keep cable runs as short as possible) using the HDMI splitters mentioned above, or use an ethernet solution. Also - how many programs do you want to record at one time? Don't get more HD DVRs than you need! As others have said, converting a 211 to a 1-tuner (2 if you count OTA) HD DVR is simple and only requires a 1-time investment, and the single activation fee would enable all the 211s on your account, present and future...
I'd definitely look into splitting the HDMI or running component as well, unless you're expecting all your TVs to be viewed simultaneously or something. This is the cheapest route.
And just a side note, I think it's a HUGE rip off (and unethical) to charge people a monthly fee for a receiver they purchase. I don't really know why anyone would purchase a receiver when this is the case (other than the Dish lease limit).
And just a side note, I think it's a HUGE rip off (and unethical) to charge people a monthly fee for a receiver they purchase. I don't really know why anyone would purchase a receiver when this is the case (other than the Dish lease limit).
I think the problem is that the OP has had Dish for only 9 months and the additional leased receiver cannot be added for another three months. I think the CSR didn't know the reason and mistakenly thought only two receivers could be leased a time. At one time that was true.
Dish is a low cost provider. I, as someone with but one receiver, am glad they are not enabling customers to lease mass amounts of receivers, as I believe that would cause all bills to go up. While some of you may think they are unreasonable, I think Dish's receivers are more money than most of us realize.
I also have little doubt this policy cuts down on account stacking (using one account with multiple receivers to power multiple residences at the same time).
So complain about how Dish does it, if you wish. But as the owner of a 1300 square foot home, I'm glad they put the extra cost on those with the 5000 square foot homes that need so many receivers.
I can understand your point of view. And I don't have a real issue with the receiver fees for leased receivers, although 'lease' is not really what it is at all. But there is exactly zero legitimate business reasons that they should charge a receiver fee at all for owned equipment. Well other than the one they use - because they can!
As it sits, E* for me is fine until I want just one more receiver than the 2 duos I now have. When/if that happens, I'll be doing some switching most likely.
As it sits, E* for me is fine until I want just one more receiver than the 2 duos I now have. When/if that happens, I'll be doing some switching most likely.
Only for the Rich and Infamous. And they are all 60+ inches or more. If you can afford 7 large tvs, you can afford Dish's prices.
Call Claude
Call Claude with the DishStore and see if he can help you. He is one of the sponsors here and you will see DS above. He maybe able to help although the fact you have not been w/ E* for a year yet may limit what can be done. I wouldn't want to shell out $210 for the ETF and leave though. You may be able to lease 3 like a 722k & 2 211k's then buy a couple of the 211k's.
Call Claude with the DishStore and see if he can help you. He is one of the sponsors here and you will see DS above. He maybe able to help although the fact you have not been w/ E* for a year yet may limit what can be done. I wouldn't want to shell out $210 for the ETF and leave though. You may be able to lease 3 like a 722k & 2 211k's then buy a couple of the 211k's.
First I would just like to state that I did not intend this thread to turn into a type of "class warfare" and if I did, I do apologize 
That said, I was never looking for a handout.
Heck before I was forced to look into Directv, I never really considered that a $17 per month "service access charge" was excessive. I simply expected to make a call, get two more HD receivers and increase my monthly bill by $34 to cover them. I would have been happy.
It is not like I was demanding a 922 for free with free service. The units I wanted are $100 units ($119 at dishstore.com) so $34 per month increase equates to $408 per year additional, on top of my already bloated $112 monthly bill. Thats $906 dollars over a 24 month contractual period or roughly 450% of what they cost at retail.
And that is what I was EXPECTING to pay and would have been comfortable with...
What Dish has effectively done is force me to re-evaluate the value of my service, which compared to what is available was not good.
That said, I was never looking for a handout.
Heck before I was forced to look into Directv, I never really considered that a $17 per month "service access charge" was excessive. I simply expected to make a call, get two more HD receivers and increase my monthly bill by $34 to cover them. I would have been happy.
It is not like I was demanding a 922 for free with free service. The units I wanted are $100 units ($119 at dishstore.com) so $34 per month increase equates to $408 per year additional, on top of my already bloated $112 monthly bill. Thats $906 dollars over a 24 month contractual period or roughly 450% of what they cost at retail.
And that is what I was EXPECTING to pay and would have been comfortable with...
What Dish has effectively done is force me to re-evaluate the value of my service, which compared to what is available was not good.
I don't believe anyone even hinted about you wanting hand outs. The question you need to ask yourself is do you really need independent viewing on all TVs. If yes, you should consider D*. If not, there are several options here to think about.
First I would just like to state that I did not intend this thread to turn into a type of "class warfare" and if I did, I do apologize
That said, I was never looking for a handout.
Wasn't saying you were. Just pointing out that Dish has some very good reasons for setting a limit on the number of leased tuners.
There are just some very sheltered people that are honestly shocked and amazed that there are houses that have less than 5 HDTVs.
My Dish vs DirecTV Horror Story Continues... with a happy ending!
So in running into Dish policy limitations as I attempted to setup 5 HD units in my home, I was in effect forced to look into the competition which really opened my eyes.
Now let me preface this by stating that I know some of you received really nice Dish "deals" and are happy with the service. So please understand this is not indicitive of any other existing or future Dish customers, just my own. Dish provides a good service that for some people is reasonable and enjoyable.
Unfortunately just not for me
My experience has shown that they really took advantage of my wallet, albeit through my own fault in just trusting what a CSR told me (best value, you got a good deal, great time to join Dish, we are across board a better value than cable or Directv, et al).
I have corrected the issue and can now look back and laugh a little at my own lack of research, but I challenge anyone to find a worse deal in terms of value than I had!
Let me illustrate
My Old Dish Plan: Straight from my June 2010 bill (Keep in mind I was a new customer, never had Sat before from anyone and was 9 months into this contract)
America's Top 250 - 64.99
DVR Service - 6.00
HD 250 - 17.00
HD Duo Receiver - 14.00
Multisport - 7.00
Service Plan - 6.00
Bundle Discount - -5.00
Total Charges - $112.99
New Directv Plan
1 HR-24 HD DVR Receiver
4 HD Receivers
NFL Sunday Ticket w/ Redzone (normally $314.00)
Premier Programming Package (normally 114.99/mo)
HD For Life
Whole Home DVR for 5 HD rooms
Protection Plan (no charge for service calls)
Cost months 1-5: 89.99 - 10.00 referral discount
Cost months 6-12: 96.99 - 10.00 referral discount (up to month 10)
Cost months 13 forward: 120.99 (no penalty to downgrade to Choice Ultimate which I will do since I have netflix)
Install for 5 rooms included
Setup for VOD to DSL included
Promised in writing that there will be no hidden charges beyond taxes.
To be fair, I did have to pay $297 up front for 3 HD receivers and I went ahead and ate the early termination fee from Dish of $195 plus the $15 shipping per unit back to Dish (which Directv does not charge upon cancellation). Tough pill but glad to put it behind me.
All in all, just a bad experience with Dish and I am sure others have not had this kind of trouble. Guess my number was up but the issues I had have led me to a better value (IMO of course). I mean would anyone seriously rather have the Dish package I had compared to the Directv one I have now?
I do not profess that Directv does not have the exact same issues with some of their customers but Dish really dropped the ball with me personally.
So in running into Dish policy limitations as I attempted to setup 5 HD units in my home, I was in effect forced to look into the competition which really opened my eyes.
Now let me preface this by stating that I know some of you received really nice Dish "deals" and are happy with the service. So please understand this is not indicitive of any other existing or future Dish customers, just my own. Dish provides a good service that for some people is reasonable and enjoyable.
Unfortunately just not for me
My experience has shown that they really took advantage of my wallet, albeit through my own fault in just trusting what a CSR told me (best value, you got a good deal, great time to join Dish, we are across board a better value than cable or Directv, et al).
I have corrected the issue and can now look back and laugh a little at my own lack of research, but I challenge anyone to find a worse deal in terms of value than I had!
Let me illustrate
My Old Dish Plan: Straight from my June 2010 bill (Keep in mind I was a new customer, never had Sat before from anyone and was 9 months into this contract)
America's Top 250 - 64.99
DVR Service - 6.00
HD 250 - 17.00
HD Duo Receiver - 14.00
Multisport - 7.00
Service Plan - 6.00
Bundle Discount - -5.00
Total Charges - $112.99
New Directv Plan
1 HR-24 HD DVR Receiver
4 HD Receivers
NFL Sunday Ticket w/ Redzone (normally $314.00)
Premier Programming Package (normally 114.99/mo)
HD For Life
Whole Home DVR for 5 HD rooms
Protection Plan (no charge for service calls)
Cost months 1-5: 89.99 - 10.00 referral discount
Cost months 6-12: 96.99 - 10.00 referral discount (up to month 10)
Cost months 13 forward: 120.99 (no penalty to downgrade to Choice Ultimate which I will do since I have netflix)
Install for 5 rooms included
Setup for VOD to DSL included
Promised in writing that there will be no hidden charges beyond taxes.
To be fair, I did have to pay $297 up front for 3 HD receivers and I went ahead and ate the early termination fee from Dish of $195 plus the $15 shipping per unit back to Dish (which Directv does not charge upon cancellation). Tough pill but glad to put it behind me.
All in all, just a bad experience with Dish and I am sure others have not had this kind of trouble. Guess my number was up but the issues I had have led me to a better value (IMO of course). I mean would anyone seriously rather have the Dish package I had compared to the Directv one I have now?
I do not profess that Directv does not have the exact same issues with some of their customers but Dish really dropped the ball with me personally.
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First I would just like to state that I did not intend this thread to turn into a type of "class warfare" and if I did, I do apologize
That said, I was never looking for a handout.
Heck before I was forced to look into Directv, I never really considered that a $17 per month "service access charge" was excessive. I simply expected to make a call, get two more HD receivers and increase my monthly bill by $34 to cover them. I would have been happy.
It is not like I was demanding a 922 for free with free service. The units I wanted are $100 units ($119 at dishstore.com) so $34 per month increase equates to $408 per year additional, on top of my already bloated $112 monthly bill. Thats $906 dollars over a 24 month contractual period or roughly 450% of what they cost at retail.
And that is what I was EXPECTING to pay and would have been comfortable with...
What Dish has effectively done is force me to re-evaluate the value of my service, which compared to what is available was not good.
The fees for those units are not $17 each. but $7 each. Only dual tuner DVRs, excluding the 612, are $17.
I get that completely. I do not want to come across as elitist because I definitely remember my college days of Ramen thrice daily, 6 days a week and a 13" color TV!
But a company that wants to dominate the market as both Dish and Directv want to, had better find a palatable solution for several if not all demographics.
I would say that I am finding on the low end, Dish may be a better service (and by low end I mean 1-2 TVs, not income or anything) while Directv shines with a more flexible lease policy to accommodate 4+ rooms.
I say "would" because in comparing my current monthly charges versus what I am going to get from Directv, it is clear to me that Dish was not competitive. I paid $112.99 for 2 HD units, Americas top 250 and an HD signal while with Directv I get 5 HD's, whole house DVR service, HD signal, Sunday Ticket and their Premiere package (comparable to the America's Everything from Dish) for 79.99 and even after 12 months its only $8.00 more at $120.99.
I think my Dish deal is just not a measure of what most people are experiencing or they would have no customers. They are surely offering some great deals and service to some people out there and are a worthy competitor to Directv... just not for my situation.
But a company that wants to dominate the market as both Dish and Directv want to, had better find a palatable solution for several if not all demographics.
I would say that I am finding on the low end, Dish may be a better service (and by low end I mean 1-2 TVs, not income or anything) while Directv shines with a more flexible lease policy to accommodate 4+ rooms.
I say "would" because in comparing my current monthly charges versus what I am going to get from Directv, it is clear to me that Dish was not competitive. I paid $112.99 for 2 HD units, Americas top 250 and an HD signal while with Directv I get 5 HD's, whole house DVR service, HD signal, Sunday Ticket and their Premiere package (comparable to the America's Everything from Dish) for 79.99 and even after 12 months its only $8.00 more at $120.99.
I think my Dish deal is just not a measure of what most people are experiencing or they would have no customers. They are surely offering some great deals and service to some people out there and are a worthy competitor to Directv... just not for my situation.
Not saying they were, I was just stating what my expectations of that kind of charge were based on the fact they are already charging me $17 a month for one of my two DVRs.
I was expressing that even if that were the case when I called in to get two more boxes I would have paid $34 more dollars a month to get HD where I needed.
Sorry if my statement confused anyone.
"My Old Dish Plan: Straight from my June 2010 bill (Keep in mind I was a new customer, never had Sat before from anyone and was 9 months into this contract)
America's Top 250 - 64.99
DVR Service - 6.00
HD 250 - 17.00
HD Duo Receiver - 14.00
Multisport - 7.00
Service Plan - 6.00
Bundle Discount - -5.00
Total Charges - $112.99"
HD 250 $17? what is this fee?
America's Top 250 - 64.99
DVR Service - 6.00
HD 250 - 17.00
HD Duo Receiver - 14.00
Multisport - 7.00
Service Plan - 6.00
Bundle Discount - -5.00
Total Charges - $112.99"
HD 250 $17? what is this fee?
