Returning customer - no love

[acoldstarnolds]

I switched from Dish to TW 14 months ago. After having Dish for 7 years they would not let me bundle my Dish with my ATT because that was only for new customers. After a long discussion the Dish rep more or less told me they did not care if I left so I cancelled. Got a great TW deal for the last year.

Yesterday I called Dish to sign back up and get the HD promotion going on with the HD DVR for free. No doing I was told. It seems that if you have ever been a Dish customer and leave and then try to come back they punish you for having ever left.
I was told that if I had EVER been a Dish customer, left and then came back I was disqualified for any of the promotions for a new customer.
I could not believe this. When I left last year they told me that after being gone for six months if I came back I would be considered a new customer.
So at this time I am going to stick with TW for the time being. Directv is worse on price and start up costs than Dish. Uverse is available in my neighborhood but only one HD tv at a time on a HD channel so that does not work.
To me this attitude by Dish is ridiculous. I was going to sign up for the 250 package with HD and four total televisions. Why in the world does a company run off paying customers?

Anyone know if there is a way around this?

 

[ehren]

use your wife's name, or boyfriend however you swing.

 

[Liquidforce88]

Call a retailer. They will get you signed up. They get people signed up as new customers that still have Dish when I show up to install. They should be able to get you signed up. Any of the large online retailers will do.

 

[webbydude]

Call a retailer. They will get you signed up. They get people signed up as new customers that still have Dish when I show up to install. They should be able to get you signed up. Any of the large online retailers will do.

Excellent point. I don't know how many times I've shown up to an install that has "apartment #2" on the workorder address, only to find out it's a house out in the middle of the sticks. If there's a workaround, a sales person will find it.

 

[acoldstarnolds]

I will give that a shot.
Seems ridiculous that I have to be sneaky just to get signed back up as a new customer.
If Dish had more competition and they acted like this they would be out of business.

 

[shorrock]

Did you try talking to someone else?

I did the same thing. Customer for four years, then switched because of some sort of LNB problem; and I didn't want to deal with it. when to Adelphia for about 8 months. got tired of paying 140 month for what Dish had for 80, switched back, and rep was nice about switch. paid the $50 to sign up, no contract, watching from the 622 right now.

I think it's all about who you get on the line.

 

[Liquidforce88]

Excellent point. I don't know how many times I've shown up to an install that has "apartment #2" on the workorder address, only to find out it's a house out in the middle of the sticks. If there's a workaround, a sales person will find it.

Man that is the old trick. Now they will spell the name wrong, have the wrong address, use a phone number that does not work, use the wifes maiden name, or put the name of the steet in the customers name. Just about anything will slip by that check to see if they are already a customer.

The really sad part is the retailer will tell them to cancel their account the morning of the install, they know what they are doing. Dish allows this to happen, so it costs them several hundred dollors to get a customer they already had. Then they ask the install companies to take a pay cut to reduce costs.

 

[rockandchelle]

I left Dish for about 18 months, came back and they game me the same deal as if I was a new customer. The only thing I can think of is you weren't what they classified as a good customer (late paying bills, Broke contract, etc..)

 

[acoldstarnolds]

I left Dish for about 18 months, came back and they game me the same deal as if I was a new customer. The only thing I can think of is you weren't what they classified as a good customer (late paying bills, Broke contract, etc..)

Well your wrong. They had my credit card number and auto billed me each month. I guess I just got a pisshead customer service rep.
How much sense does it make to run a company like this and you allow the people that answer the phone to make their own decisions?

 

[JH1949]

Hey acoldstarnolds,

About 6 months after you cancelled, didn't you get a postcard from E* inviting you back with a discount offer ?

I have read previous posts here from some people that did.

 

[Adkeith]

I was just reading the DHA contract on the dish website and they have what they call formers for former customers that had a least six months of service. You are suppose to be able to get the same deal as new customers according to the contract.

 

[Zero327]

Contract provisions are at DISH discretion. You should know that by now. Irregardless, telling a customer how to get around the system is fine and well. In some cases it might even net you a customer for life. But each time you do it you're taking money our of DISH's pocket. And Charlie being Charlie, doesn't care much for that so suddenly switches are no longer reimbursed for, service calls are worth less, commissions drop or residuals are lowered.

I understand the customer service point and one thing that can be said for DISH is in the last few years they're getting back to their customer service roots. But each time retailers tell the customers how to get around DISH's systems, it's the retailers that pay for it. At any rate customer's only care about getting service, equipment or savings for free, and companies don't consider the consequences of cheating so here we go. But in five years when Charlie decides to say "Well... you guys have been bleeding my pockets for fifteen years and you know what? We hired the best 10% of all retailers onto the company and we don't need the rest of you anymore." don't be surprised. Charlie doesn't like a lot of things, but Charlie ESPECIALLY doesn't like people messing with his money. And I don't blame him.

 

[wh5916]

Charlie doesn't like a lot of things, but Charlie ESPECIALLY doesn't like people messing with his money. And I don't blame him.

But if "messing with his money" means winning back a lost customer, then what is truly lost? The person who started this thread would be sending money to Dish again every month at this point, if a Dish rep hadn't been so unbending and pigheaded.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Technically the deal with both E* and D* is that each person is only entitled to one new customer deal in their lifetime. If one has a great payment record and were away for 2-3 years or more, then they've been known to waive this.

That said, they do sometimes insert specific inclusions for formers in deals. And formers have played "email the CEO", "CSR Roulette", "Use the spouse's name", and "Let a dealer get you in" games successfully.

New customer deals usually cost the companies $500+ and they don't want customers to bounce back and forth every year. Both E* and D* would lose millions if they allowed this to happen.

 

[SmityWhity]

Including the military... If you have a Dish account, transfer where you can no longer get their signal, and cancel your always promptly paid & paid up yearly account; then return in a few years, you do not get a new customer deal and have to pay a re-activate fee. When I returned, they wouldn't even give me a discount for paying yearly (except for the KVP).

Except for some of their nickle and dime fees, I have no problems with Dish, including their recent cost hikes. It makes me think of the insurance scammers, those that try to milk insurance companies here and there.

If I leave (maybe next week), it will probably be because of the fees for Customer Owned Equipment, such as, DVR Service Fee and HD Enabling Fee.

Each to his/her own.

EDIT:
And I have 2 accounts to close.

 

[acoldstarnolds]

I didn't mean to start a girl fight when I asked the original question!

All I want from Dish is to get the HD DVR without the $199 fee. I will be signing up for the HD package with the 250's and my locals. As an above poster noted I will most likely be a customer for a long time.
I had Dish for 7 years before dropping it 14 months ago. They pissed the wife off because they would not let her bundle with her ATT bill. Same problem as here, you have to be a NEW customer to bundle your bill. Makes no sense.

If I do sign back up I will most likely just get two HD boxes without DVR. I do not understand the reasoning to make me pay $199 for a DVR box when I am going to have to be paying a fee each month to use it anyway.

I make my living in sales and the attitude of Dish on this just amazes me.
I was willing to sign up for the 18 month committment also, even though that only saved me $50.

 

[RandallA]

"When I left last year they told me that after being gone for six months if I came back I would be considered a new customer."

This is still correct. Just call back and see if you get someone with more knowledge.

 

[adam1115]

It seems that if you have ever been a Dish customer and leave and then try to come back they punish you for having ever left.
I was told that if I had EVER been a Dish customer, left and then came back I was disqualified for any of the promotions for a new customer.

I cancelled Dish in 2003, I called them to reactivate my account (HBO Only, no package) they offered me all new customer deals. I declined, stating I wanted to go month to month only with owned equipment and no package.. but your statement is incorrect.

 

[technoguy]

"When I left last year they told me that after being gone for six months if I came back I would be considered a new customer."

This is still correct. Just call back and see if you get someone with more knowledge.

As far I know(and I been doing Installs quite some time)If you were a costumer and come back,you always be threat like a costumer,Even I had some "new costumers"than after credit check they have been denied svc under new account because have a accounts (closed with zero debts) under their names and they been offered reactivation.Even worse ,if we have a "new costumer(never had an account with DN)but the Address shown past service dosent qualified for a "new costumer" svc.

 

[Zero327]

But if "messing with his money" means winning back a lost customer, then what is truly lost? The person who started this thread would be sending money to Dish again every month at this point, if a Dish rep hadn't been so unbending and pigheaded.

Maybe, but here's the counterargument. A customer that jumps ship once is likely to do so again within 3-5 years. A customer that jumps ship twice, is just about GUARANTEED to jump ship again within 5. That means if the customer carries your average pack and single receiver, they're banking 49.00 a month give or take tax. They're worth just over 500 a year. At an average of 700 to buy that customer, (think single install 622) with one upgrade after 12 with a free install, and no programming package changes, and usually a questionable pay history, (let's not forget those 50-200 in rebates former customers pretending to be new ones demand) and Charlie's getting jerked around for about 2,000 per customer every two years.

Add in the regular credits for calling in and threatening to quit again just to see what happens, and it's just bad business. You're better off signing up kids that just moved into their first apartment than repeat offenders and sat hoppers.