Has Dish dropped the 1-year contract for HD upgrades?

[texasdiver]

I'm buying a new HD set and have been getting mixed messages on Dish's program to ugrade existing customers to HD receivers. I'm currently a 2-receiver Dish SD customer and have met all my current contract commitments. I'm now looking at leasing an 811 receiver on an interim basis to get some HD content while I wait for the HD DVR situation to sort itself out.

I called my local installer/dealer yesterday and he told me that all I needed to do was stop by his office to swap out my leased SD receiver for an 811 and pay a $50 "install" fee and the $9.95 HD package and I could start getting HD but that to do so would require a 1-year contract.

On the other hand, I called Dish yesterday and the customer service rep told me that I could do the same thing but that no 1-year contract was required. I could just swap out receivers and continue to pay the month-to-month $5 lease charge for the 811 with no 1-year contract required. I made him repeat it 3 times in different ways to make absolutely certain we were on the same page.

Anyone know what is really going on? None of this is actually written up on the Dish web site. If I can actually swap out one of my existing Dish receivers for an 811 with no 1-year contract that is indeed great news because all I really want to do is get some HD content on an interim basis until I can locate and/or afford to buy the 921 or its successor.

If I can get an 811 without a contract then what I actually intend to do is get both the 811 and Dish's HD package and also get a basic Voom package installed so that I can run both Dish and Voom for a month or two to decide which service provides the better package. If both Dish and Voom are doing no-commitment HD packages then I see no reason not to spend a month or two in a comparison test of the two systems before plunking down major cash on the Dish or future Voom HD DVR.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

If you buy the 811 outright (like from DishStore.NET) then you are not locked into a commitment, however if you get one of those upgrade deals through Dish then you are locked into 1 year of the HD pack (which I feel is highly overpriced)

 

[texasdiver]

Scott: That's what I thought but when I was talking to the Dish customer service rep I made absolutely positive we were talking about the 811 lease package upgrade and not an outright purchase of the 811. He insisted that there was no longer a 1-year commitment on the lease.

In any event, do you know exactly how the 1-year contract is structured? Am I locked into a 1-year contract for just the HD pack at $9.95/mo or a 1 year lease of the 811 receiver at $5/mo or BOTH of the above?

For example, If I go with the $50 install for the 811 lease upgrade today and I end up buying a 921 or 942 in a couple months, can I turn in the 811 without penalty if I maintain the HD pack for duration of the contract for viewing on the 921? In otherwords, am I committing to HD content or to using the 811 receiver for the contract period?

Because frankly if I'm certain (and I am) that the 811 is not my long-term solution for HD content, and I'm certain that I want to eventually move on to some type of two-tuner HD DVR then it still makes no sense to buy the 811 outright. Unless I'm doing the math wrong, If all I need to do is commit to a 1-year contract for the dish HD package at $9.95/mo that comes to approx $120 plus tax which is still MUCH cheaper than buying a 811. If I decide in 6 months to buy a new receiver or switch to DirectTV or Voom then the remaining 6 months or $60 on the contract are really no big deal. Except of course that I'd still need to maintain a basic Dish service because the HD pack is not a stand-alone package.

 

[JimBanville]

I've only had Dish SD w/ four 301 receivers for a few months. I got it under the DHA plan: free equipment and no commitment. Do you think Dish would trade out one of my 301's for an 811?

 

[Chris Freeland]

If you upgrade under the Dish N It Up promotion through your local dealer their may or may not be a 1-year commitment to your local dealer, it depends on his policy's. If you upgrade under Dish N It Up directly from E* or a dealer willing to forgo the commitment then their is no commitment. Either way it is a lease and for as long as you are using the 811 receiver you will be required to maintain at least AT60 or DL and the HD Pack. If you purchase the 811 out write instead of leasing it then their is no commitment of any kind, however if I am not mistaken you will now have to pay the full $399 msrp to purchase it out wright.

 

[JimBanville]

Called Dish and they said I haven't been with them long enough to get an 811
Does anyone have a link to this Dish n it up promo?

 

[jbcheshire]

I am a current D* customer and have been for over 2 years, and have fulfilled my contract commitment where I only have leased equipment.

I upgraded to the their HD package in Dec '04, along with upgrading to the 811 receiver and have received my first bill for it. I only had to pay 24.95 for shipping of the 811 and the return of my 301. I am not locked into a one year contract. I can terminate my contract at any time. They are currently running a promotion on their HD pkg for a discount of $5 off a month of the normal 9.95 price for the first year. If I terminate in the first year the only thing I lose is the $5 discount. I am not charged a fee.
I have spoken several times to their CSRs about this for confirmation as well as having them read me the exact rules on the promotion.

I was about to go to V* from D*, was only waiting for V* to release the HD-DVR before I made the switch. It looks like now that I will not be able to do this since they have been sold. Oh well, I guess I will have to keep reading the postings here to see what will happen next since you only get the same old spiel from the CSRs...

 

[n0qcu]

Welcome to SatelliteGuys.

D* = Directv
E* = Echostar = DISH

 

[jbcheshire]

Thanks for the welcome and clarification...
Didn't take long for my "newbieness" to show, LOL!!
Thanks for the correction.

 

[Zookster]

I went for the Dish n Up with one year committment in 12/04 as well in order to have the installation included (for a $29.99 fee), which required a new switch (it was a 3rd receiver). I added the 811 to my 508 in my living room to be able to continue to record in SD. I only paid the $29.99 and will get $60 off my bill for the HD pack over the next 12 months. No complaints especially now that it appears there are currently no viable options if I were to drop DISH within the 12-month commitment now that VOOM is going. I'm also now set up for a two-tuner HD DVR just as soon as DISH begins leasing them to current customers.