Thread title says it all. Seems to be a mystery HOW we become a 'Plan A' customer, but is there a way to know if we are one or not?
How do we know if we are "Plan A"?
- Thread starter bellevuecoug
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Nope.
Dish keeps that very close to the vest.
Although if they offer to upgrade you for free, you can probably determine that you're on the "A" list.
We've speculated that autopay, never late with payments, and a certain minimum level of subscribed programming determine it. But your credit rating might also influence it. And the number of support calls you've made. And how often you're willing to be under a contract. Or heck, what the computer ate for breakfast that day!
Dish keeps that very close to the vest.
Although if they offer to upgrade you for free, you can probably determine that you're on the "A" list.
We've speculated that autopay, never late with payments, and a certain minimum level of subscribed programming determine it. But your credit rating might also influence it. And the number of support calls you've made. And how often you're willing to be under a contract. Or heck, what the computer ate for breakfast that day!
Go to a retailer with your account number or ask DIRT if they can look it up for you. All a retailer needs is your account number and last name in order to look up your account.
They prefer that we don't so the customer doesn't ask questions like, "How do I become a Plan A?" With a systems like this you can't expect retailers not to tell customers. How are we suppose to explain to a customer why they have to pay $200 for the same upgrade their neighbor got for free?
Plan A for upgrades do exist but is comparable to snipe hunting.
It depends on what type of promotions they are running. There are times when the majority of our customers are Plan A and B then there are times when almost all are Plan B mixed in with some Plan C. It seems whenever there is a new change for upgrade prices Dish re-qualifies customers.
FYI, Plan A and Plan B are apparently only used for retailers. Accounts pulled up in a call center do not show this. There is a completely different system....and no, I can't tell you a single thing about it, and DIRT isn't going to be allowed to do so either. I am guessing it uses the exact same data set, such that the best customers in one system are likely the best customers in the other, and ditto for the worst.
Big picture, as folks have implied, it will factor into what kind of offers you get when you attempt to upgrade.
I was probably a Plan A guy because of pkg/equipment/autopay etc because Dish sent me 3 replacement Hoppers in a 10 day period without a lot of hassling on my part. One of the returned Hoppers was received by them on Feb 3 and still shows as Not Received on the My Shipments account page. I've been calling them every other day bitching (nice, no threats or foul language) about it and they keep telling me that it will be resolved in 24-72 hours. As a result I'm probably down to Plan 9 now. I'll be calling in again tomorrow. One thing I have learned is that you can skip the spiels and just answer 1-4-1-PIN-2 and get thru quickly.
I would encourage people to check every once in a while if you are interested in upgrading. I had a Hopper and wanted a HWS. I checked with DIRT about 3 or 4 times in the last year to see if I qualified for an upgrade. I always had to pay $200 plus commitment. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was able to upgrade for free with commitment. I have a cheaper package (Dish America) and have been with them for about 1.5 years now.
I don't think anyone really knows exactly how they come up with their ratings but we all have an idea.
