Help with hopeful upgrade please.. this can't be right.

[jrf]

I've been an E* subscriber for 2 years now. I have the top 60 plan and rent the equipment. I have 1 508 receiver.

E* recently added locals in my area (Erie, PA) and I'd like to add them, along with another receiver (301) and up my plan to the top 180 plan. I'm out of contract as of now, and use the CC auto pay.

When I called E* to inquire about this upgrade... they told me all of this was going to cost me $200 out of pocket to get the superdish installed, along with the receiver. PLEASE tell me the CR I was talking to was way off base. Surely they don't expect me to pay $200 for this? If so I don't think I can convince myself this is great customer retention. I'm more than willing to sign another contact and stay on auto pay.... am I off base for thinking this should be cheaper?

Oh and she kept telling me what a great deal this was for me.

 

[mkm4]

$200 for the dish installed and for a 301 sounds about right. Actually, it sounds cheap.

 

[KAB]

I suggest you call and ask what it would cost to get a 522, dual tuner DVR instead of a 301 and your 508. Your DVR monthly fee and 1 tuner fee would wash each other out. Mine cost 100.00 but I hear they are now giving 25.00 credits for recievers returned.

 

[rocatman]

The Erie, Pa locals are now on 129 W so you maybe able to get a D1000 instead of the Superdish. I don't know if this will save you anything but you will probably be happier with the smaller D1000 unless you get International programming.

 

[jrf]

no international programming here. To me paying $200 to add services to my account does not sound cheap at all. It should be FREE. I could have asked for 3 additional 301s when I started my account and they all would have been free. Same deal with local channels... I don't really want or care what dish I have. I'm asking to add local channels.

Just got off the phone with D*.... they are starting to look good. No installation costs or reciever costs at all. Prices are about the same for programming. Actually maybe a bit less. However I won't be able to get locals. Or more importantly, record locals.

 

[inwo]

The $200 is to add hardware. And better yet labor is included. Sounds right!

 

[bpickell]

Dish came out and installed my superdish when I added locals and didn't cost me a dime. The only thing I had to do was sign up for autopay and another 1 year contract.

So what I would do is cancel your autopay, wait a month and see if they will give you a deal if you sign a contract and autopay.

 

[Liquidforce88]

Yup Dish should just keep giving you free stuff all the time. It does not cost them money to keep comming out and doing work for you.

Now that I think about it. You should call Ford and demand a new car. You have been driving your old one for a while they should give you a new one for free.

 

[jrf]

I don't want a new car, I don't want a new dish. I'd like to UP my service (as in upgrade) and add a receiver. I'm more than willing to pay the receiver charge... and also pay a lease fee for the receiver. I don't want to buy it or own it. I'm not a satellite dealer, I just want to watch TV. Is it MY problem that THEY need to upgrade equipment to provide me with a higher level of service??? NOPE. If it costs them so much money, why were they willing to GIVE me 4 receivers when I joined, but can't fathom giving me 1 now??? I understand it costs them money to send someone out. In fact I'd be willing to pay say a $50 installation fee for the dish and receiver.. it's not like they have to send someone out twice... just once...

So now I have to pay $50 to install a super dish (that I don't really want anyways) $99 to install a receiver and a magical $50 entry fee to lease one??? Sorry, but I think that is too high. I'm willing to sign a contract. I already have CC auto pay, AND I have another business that is willing to give me what I'm asking for....

Hardly like asking Ford to upgrade my car for free.

Oh and Dave, I don't and wouldn't drive a Ford.

 

[Dish Dude]

First of all you are in Erie, you will be getting the 1000 not the Super dish, I would call back but where parts where I have guys running now, they won't be even carrying the Superdish anymore except for service calls

 

[bpickell]

Hey Dave give the guy a break. Since we are using analogies. If your neighbor went to ford and bought a new mustang for 5K and you went to the same ford dealer and they refused to give you one for 5k wouldn't you want to know why?

 

[miguelaqui]

I'd like to UP my service (as in upgrade) and add a receiver. I'm more than willing to pay the receiver charge... and also pay a lease fee for the receiver. I don't want to buy it or own it. I'm not a satellite dealer, I just want to watch TV. Is it MY problem that THEY need to upgrade equipment to provide me with a higher level of service??? NOPE. If it costs them so much money, why were they willing to GIVE me 4 receivers when I joined, but can't fathom giving me 1 now??? I understand it costs them money to send someone out. In fact I'd be willing to pay say a $50 installation fee for the dish and receiver.. it's not like they have to send someone out twice... just once...

So now I have to pay $50 to install a super dish (that I don't really want anyways) $99 to install a receiver and a magical $50 entry fee to lease one??? Sorry, but I think that is too high. I'm willing to sign a contract. I already have CC auto pay, AND I have another business that is willing to give me what I'm asking for....

It seems like D* is the way to go then!

was going to go to D*, but I did not like the fact that I would have to agree to at least 1 year commitment, even if I bought and installed my own equipment, and the $5.99 per month DVR fee. Their DVR does not have a UHF remote either

I was going to get D*, but I decided that it was best for me to stay with E*.

You do not currently have a DVR fee with your E* 508. If you upgrade to a 522 or 625 you would have the $4.98 DVR fee, but NO ADDITIONAL RECEIVER FEE. Should you decide to lease a receiver, there would be the leasing fee. With the 522/625 option, you would have the DVR in both rooms! Just make sure that you can connect a phone line to the receiver or else there is a no phone line fee.

I really like the E*/ dual tuner DVRs. With the E* 522/625 you can start watching a recorded event in one room and finish it in another because the 2 tuners share one hard drive. With D*, you would have to have 2 DVR receivers and record the same show on both.

You will have to agree to a 2 year commitment and I'm not sure if they will give you 2 DVRs for free. I doubt it.

If you don't mind the 2 year commitment, possible higher monthy rate, and the loss of your UHF remote....It seems like D* is the way to go then!

E* has to pay the tech to do the install as well as for the equipment involved. The Superdish and Dish 1000 dishes both sell for over $99 online, including auctions! The receiver, you could find for $50, and they are going to have to pay the tech around $100, possibly more.

You were also one of the few to get a DVR with no DVR fee! It is cheaper for them to lose you as a customer, than to give you all that for free. They take a risk with new customers, but they have DVR fees, unless they have the AEP package.

 

[Van]

Look, if your locals come off of a new sat then you have to have a new dish over what you have now, if you want a second reciever then why should it be free? I dont understand how it is that so many people think that E or D should just come out to theyr homes and give them free labour and free equipment and then knock $20 off theyr monthly bill. Do you work for free? I know I dont because Im an average jo that has a family to support and works to make ends meet and every customer that gets something for free because he goes crying about having to spend money then thats money lost wich means I have to work that much harder each day to put food on my table.

 

[bpickell]

He is not asking for a free receiver. He don't want to have to pay $200 to add local channels to his package. He stated he is willing to pay for the receiver even though when he signed up he was supposed to get up to 3. He just wants the same deal most other current customers are getting. Is that really too much to ask.

 

[miguelaqui]

He is not asking for a free receiver. He don't want to have to pay $200 to add local channels to his package. He stated he is willing to pay for the receiver even though when he signed up he was supposed to get up to 3. He just wants the same deal most other current customers are getting. Is that really too much to ask.

That's just the way E* operates. I too was once frustrated with E* because of this same issue. A very similar thing happened to me in 1999 with a D500 upgrade. I paid $300 for my system, in 1998, and was never given anything for free. I went back to E* because they were the best deal for the programming I wanted.

He's aready gotten some free stuff from E*. What is going to do when he wants something free from D* and they say no and tell him he has a 2 year commitment?

 

[Liquidforce88]

I guess I came off a little strong. It just gets a bit old hearing people complain that they should just keep getting free stuff all the time.

Yes you could have gotten more rooms free when you signed up, but you did not. That was your decision not Dishes. Now there is new programing availible in your area and it takes different equipment. E* has to send someone out to your house again and probably rewire a good part of the install to make the new equipment work. It should not and can not be free. The upgrade to get locals should be covered by a 1 year agreement, to get the other receiver will cost money. Receviers run 69-99 depending on remans or new. Last I knew there were not any reman 301 or 311's in stock. Plus you have to pay someone to install it. $200 for all of that is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

As Van said E* has to have someone like him or I come out and do the work. We don't work for free. Just like everyone else we need to make a living as well. E*has to get the money to pay us some how. Installers keep taking pay cuts every year, because people want everything free. How long will it be before you can't get good installers? Look at all the problems cable has with bad installs.

 

[webbydude]

I guess I came off a little strong. It just gets a bit old hearing people complain that they should just keep getting free stuff all the time.

Yes you could have gotten more rooms free when you signed up, but you did not. That was your decision not Dishes. Now there is new programing availible in your area and it takes different equipment. E* has to send someone out to your house again and probably rewire a good part of the install to make the new equipment work. It should not and can not be free. The upgrade to get locals should be covered by a 1 year agreement, to get the other receiver will cost money. Receviers run 69-99 depending on remans or new. Last I knew there were not any reman 301 or 311's in stock. Plus you have to pay someone to install it. $200 for all of that is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

As Van said E* has to have someone like him or I come out and do the work. We don't work for free. Just like everyone else we need to make a living as well. E*has to get the money to pay us some how. Installers keep taking pay cuts every year, because people want everything free. How long will it be before you can't get good installers? Look at all the problems cable has with bad installs.

Amen to that!!

 

[OoTLink]

Actually, if you want local channels and it requires an additional dish, they HAVE to provide it at no cost. Isn't that called must carry? Shoot, that's even changing towards a 1 dish solution and if they have the channels at 129 they should replace your 500 with a 1000 so you don't need a 2nd dish.

What's more, the receiver shouldn't cost more than $100 if you wanted to buy one. A lease fee if you get one is $5 a month, again I don't see why they should be charging you almost the cost of the receiver up front to lease one! [If they're saying $100 for the receiver and $100 for the dish that's supposed to be covered by local channel rules!]...

http://www.dishstore.net/index.php?cPath=22
^ A 311 there is $100, no lease fee.

As for the 2nd dish (or dish 1000), keep talking. If you want locals, like I said, and they're not on 110/119, they have to accommodate for it, not you. So that shouldn't be a charge, now then you've got that 2nd receiver to take care of (if you really want, just buy one, and pay someone to run the coax)..

If you're lucky it'll cost $50 maybe, depending on the length of the run, check with a dish/cable installer in the area and you'll probably be able to get a decent deal.

Of course that also means you'll not have to pay a lease fee.

 

[Liquidforce88]

Must carry does not mean Dish has to give it to you free. That just means Dish has to carry it on their service.

He needs a superdish to get the locals. Thats a $200.00 dish. No law says E* has to give it to him. But he should be able to get an upgrade to it for $50.00, and I think that he was quoted that.

Also as far as I know the one dish solution did not say the Dish has to go out and cahnge all the people for free. But I bet E* will be offering a deal to the customers for it.

Everything can't be free. How long will a company last if everything has to be provided free. Well it could be like cable where you get charge $70.00 a month for the same thing E* gives for 32.00

 

[KE4EST]

I would guess here is how they get $200:

New Receiver $100
Dish upgrade $50
Charge for running another wire, and related labour to hook up new rec another $50.
Which is cheaper than the normal $99 charge for just coming to your house for a service call. Looks like your saving money.