Negotiating with Dish, Large Savings

[21st Hermit]

I've been a Dish subscriber for ~10 years, but I watch relatively little TV. Back in August 2008 I switched to the Essentials Pack (aka Welcome Pack) based on advice from this forum. Essentials is 20 channels plus locals and is $14.99/mo.

Now that baseball season is here, I wanted to add the local FSN region for that service. Called Dish, the CSR said $6/mo, great, sign me up. Well the system would not accept the add and the CSR quoted a fancy named package to get FSN. How much? $44/mo. No way I'm going to triple my monthly bill for baseball.

The CSR immediately offered a $5/mo discount . . . sorry . . . let me talk to a supervisor, I want to rant. Without much effort the supervisor offers more discounts so that the package with FSN is now $24.99/mo for one year. So FSN is costing me an extra $10/mo, reasonable if not cheap.

I'll of course switch back to Essentials after the season is over.

Hope this helps someone.

 

[garys]

Just expect a $5 downgrade charge when you switch back.

 

[r10fret]

so that the package with FSN is now $24.99/mo for one year. So FSN is costing me an extra $10/mo, reasonable if not cheap.

I'll of course switch back to Essentials after the season is over.

You got a $44 package of channels for only $24.99 but you are going to downgrade anyway before the year is up, oh well I guess dish cant make you HAPPY, no matter how much they do. Don't expect them to go out of their way again to keep you since I don't think it is worth it for them.

 

[21st Hermit]

You got a $44 package of channels for only $24.99 but you are going to downgrade anyway before the year is up, oh well I guess dish cant make you HAPPY, no matter how much they do. Don't expect them to go out of their way again to keep you since I don't think it is worth it for them.

Interesting your negative perspective. Of course they made me happy or I wouldn't be spending $10/mo more today than yesterday. But the only point of spending the $10/mo was the FSN channel that offers baseball. In Oct. baseball ends, so what would be the point of continuing and paying $10 for programming I wouldn't watch?

The whole point of the post was not my happiness, rather it's of value to negotiate, good things may happen. You seemed to have missed that.

 

[theoak]

If you continue to "negotiate" you could probably get out of the $5 downgrade fee too ...

My step-father will haggle "anything", I mean literally anything. If he could haggle the value of toilet paper in a restroom he would be there ... sometimes it is embarrassing. With that being said ... sometimes, he gets away with some pretty good deals.

 

[r10fret]

No, I got your point about negotiating, I have done it before, just wondering who really won here? They claimed they couldn't add the one channel for only $6 a month so they got you to spend an extra $10 instead to get it. Then you will switch back when the season is over so that means you will spend $60 total to get fsn instead of $36. Maybe dish does like your business.

They just would probably like it better if you stayed for the whole year, then you could call next year when the bill goes up and work something else out to prevent you from downgrading back to WP. If dishnow prepaid did locals and RSNs that would probably be the way to go.

 

[mike123abc]

Your problem could now be that you upped to a 2 year commit for the 6 months of $20/month discount. You probably will not be able to drop down to the essentials after the 6 months. You might be stuck with family pack being the lowest you can go now since it is the lowest priced qualifying tier for 2 years.

 

[Cocophone]

Your problem could now be that you upped to a 2 year commit for the 6 months of $20/month discount. You probably will not be able to drop down to the essentials after the 6 months. You might be stuck with family pack being the lowest you can go now since it is the lowest priced qualifying tier for 2 years.

I'm curious about the fact that Dish might be re-upping or extending customer's contract whenever they give you a discount, but they do NOT disclose that fact during the phone conversation.

I called in to complain because I've been without Fisher Communication Station since last December and the CRS discounted my bill $10 for the next 12 months. He said nothing about it causing me to have a 2 year contract. I was out of contract before the phone call.

 

[GaryPen]

... just wondering who really won here?

The OP won. Duh.

They claimed they couldn't add the one channel for only $6 a month so they got you to spend an extra $10 instead to get it. Then you will switch back when the season is over so that means you will spend $60 total to get fsn instead of $36. Maybe dish does like your business.

But, he couldn't get it added to the Essentials pack for $6/mo. It was simply unavailable with his current package. Or, did you miss that part?

So, he got a package with many more than just one add'l channel for $10 more per month. So, he'll pay $24 more over the course of the 6 month season than if he could have added only FSN...which he can't.

Judging from his description, it sounds like he got Classic Brionze 100 Plus, which is normally $45/mo, for only $25/mo. He did good.

 

[21st Hermit]

Just expect a $5 downgrade charge when you switch back.

I've NEVER paid a downgrade fee!!! I simply ask what is the fee to terminate my service? As soon as the CSR hears terminate, the downgrade fee is waived.

 

[21st Hermit]

Your problem could now be that you upped to a 2 year commit for the 6 months of $20/month discount. You probably will not be able to drop down to the essentials after the 6 months. You might be stuck with family pack being the lowest you can go now since it is the lowest priced qualifying tier for 2 years.

This would be classed as a verbal contract. Neither the initial CSR nor the supervisor ever mentioned 2 yr contract, only the 12 mo limit on the discount. So lacking that specific mention and the "fact" that Dish records these conversations, I see no enforceable contract.

However, I did not specifically ask if their was/not a term applied, we'll see. Clearly, I'd be pi$$ed if a 2 yr term was attached.

 

[21st Hermit]

The OP won. Duh.

But, he couldn't get it added to the Essentials pack for $6/mo. It was simply unavailable with his current package. Or, did you miss that part?

So, he got a package with many more than just one add'l channel for $10 more per month. So, he'll pay $24 more over the course of the 6 month season than if he could have added only FSN...which he can't.

Judging from his description, it sounds like he got Classic Brionze 100 Plus, which is normally $45/mo, for only $25/mo. He did good.

Thank you Gary.

I assumed that which was obvious to you, was obvious to all. Apparently not.

During the rather lengthy conversation with the CSR, she kept mentioning names like "Classic Bronze 100 Plus" but never cost. All I wanted was basic programming, locals and FSN. Now that I have Classic Bronze 100 Plus, I'd prefer Essentials because I actually lost two channels I watched. Nothing equivalent in Classic Bronze 100 Plus. Oh how I wish we had ala carte.