Two Year Contract Buyouts- Consumer Beware

[Spike]

I opted out of my dish network Contract sometime around two months ago. If you do the same, do so with your eyes wide open. In my experience, up to this point, it has been impossible for me to get Dish to send me an itemized bill stating the buy out amount. On numerous occasions I have asked for an itemized bill to be sent either by way of email or mail. And I have received nothing from them at all. I believe they MAY BE doing this, because Dish is well aware that some cable companies are offering potential customers a buy out program, where they are willing to pay the remaining early termination fees in order to get customers to switch over to their service.

I don't know if it is Dish's policy to make a buy out opportunity as miserable of an experience as possible for customers, who decide to leave them or not, but, I do think it is in people's best interest to know that this whole thing is an extremely difficult experience. I have had my cable company document every time that I have attempted to get this buy out documented and in my hand. It appears that Dish may have dragged their feet every step of the way up to this point in my opinion. If you are wanting to buy out of your contract, think long and hard before you do so. You will probably end up paying the fee first and then having the cable company refund your cost well after 30 days of your leaving Dish. This is costly at least for a time, since Dish will take the funds from your credit card account, if you are on the auto pay plan. And you will be out the buy out cost until Dish eventually MUST send you a bill. It's just the way it is. I am not the only one having such a hard time getting Dish to cooperate. The customer service agent from the Cable company that I am now with dealt with 4 people today that are in my exact same situation as me. Please, if you are leaving Dish for the sake of a buy out program BEWARE. You will probably be making a great many phone calls to Dish to get this thing done. It is not an easy to accomplish task. Yet, the good news is, eventually it does get done! It's just a pain getting there.

 

[Tampa8]

Online?

 

[KazooGuy]

I guess the next time you sign a 2 year commitment on something you will remember the consequences of early termination. Loving my local cable co, did not have to sign a thing.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Did you switch to Charter?

I have never seen a Dish bill with the cancellation fee spelled out.

Usually they will show it on the bill as a previous balance, with an amount due.

You may want to just write the attorney general and explain to them that you don't understand the charges and see if you can just get out of the contract based on the fact they won't itemize it on the bill

 

[Spike]

I guess the next time you sign a 2 year commitment on something you will remember the consequences of early termination. Loving my local cable co, did not have to sign a thing.

Loving watching the lack of humility, and I didn't have to sign a thing. Now that's entertainment! Free of charge. WoOOWhOOO!

 

[Scherrman]

Enjoy cable. I'd rather have a commitment with Dish or DirecTV.

 

[bigjohnok]

$20 a month prorated to amount of months remaining for new connects.
upgrades its $10 a month prorated.


and I never do auto pay anymore been double billed by too many outfits.

 

[Spike]

Enjoy cable. I'd rather have a commitment with Dish or DirecTV.

Thanks. I am.

 

[ncted]

I guess the next time you sign a 2 year commitment on something you will remember the consequences of early termination. Loving my local cable co, did not have to sign a thing.

Based on what Claude wrote, you switched to Charter? By accepting their service, you are agreeing to their terms. While not the same as signing a contract with Dish, it is not without its pitfalls. For instance, with Charter you are accepting a new agreement each month, so they can change the terms regularly to say whatever they want. You also must pay for the full month of service upon cancellation, even if you are only 1 day into the month. Some reading for you:

https://www.charter.com/browse/content/services#

 

[Spike]

Based on what Claude wrote, you switched to Charter? By accepting their service, you are agreeing to their terms. While not the same as signing a contract with Dish, it is not without its pitfalls. For instance, with Charter you are accepting a new agreement each month, so they can change the terms regularly to say whatever they want. You also must pay for the full month of service upon cancellation, even if you are only 1 day into the month. Some reading for you:

https://www.charter.com/browse/content/services#

Thanks for the heads up! I appreciate that.

 

[KazooGuy]

Enjoy cable. I'd rather have a commitment with Dish or DirecTV.

I can't imagine why, unless you like rain fade when it drizzled and only got one of your local RSN's and then ONLY in SD full time, and did not like getting every channel that is available in HD, oh and then there is inevitable receiver failure that will happen right when you want to watch something. I was a happy DISH customer for almost 12 years. I turned to DISH because I could not stand my local cable company, but this past March I was moved from the Western Arc to the Eastern and had nothing but signal problems since. Two tech visits which did nothing to improve my signal levels, even after the tech replaced the dish, the lnb all the cabling and still could not get my levels where they were suppose to be, and no there was nothing blocking the dish and other than my dish is aimed over a cell tower a half mile away, the techs could not figure out why. SO I made up my mind to pull the plug and go to OTA and use a ROKU for my viewing needs. However, I found out that my local cable company had gone full digital and with SDV technology their PQ was vastly improved over the old analog days. I learned this while over to a friends house, who has the same television as I do and I was blown away buy how the picture looked. I also learned that they have EVERY channel that offers HD programming, and a secondary local RSN that DISH does not even carry, and both RSN's in full-time 24/7 HD. Since I already bundled my telephone and Internet I made up my mind to give them a try. My only equipment fee is for an M-Card for my TIVO and I have no contract obligations. Oh and I am paying $28 less per month, with more channels than I had with the AT-200 package. So you can keep your commitments and we are both happy, in fact I suppose if I had not been migrated to a new arc, I would have still be in ignorant bliss too!

 

[KazooGuy]

Based on what Claude wrote, you switched to Charter? By accepting their service, you are agreeing to their terms. While not the same as signing a contract with Dish, it is not without its pitfalls. For instance, with Charter you are accepting a new agreement each month, so they can change the terms regularly to say whatever they want. You also must pay for the full month of service upon cancellation, even if you are only 1 day into the month. Some reading for you:

https://www.charter.com/browse/content/services#

Well, I read all that when I did my research, as I did read the entire TOS when I signed the DISH commitment. The tech patiently waited as I read thru the whole thing and told me he had NEVER seen a customer read the terms before they signed the paper. Oh, and do you know if you need a tech visit with Charter it does not cost a dime, how does that compare to your sat companies?

 

[bigjohnok]

The thing with any TOS or Contracts is that to be valid both parties that signed the contract have to be receiving a equitable service or product.
So all it takes is one state attorney general to say hey these contracts are not equitable.
This has already happened in the oil industry world particularity fracking when these drilling outfits would sign contracts with landowners that where completely one sided.

 

[JTBenson]

I can't imagine why, unless you like rain fade when it drizzled and only got one of your local RSN's and then ONLY in SD full time, and did not like getting every channel that is available in HD, oh and then there is inevitable receiver failure that will happen right when you want to watch something. I was a happy DISH customer for almost 12 years. I turned to DISH because I could not stand my local cable company, but this past March I was moved from the Western Arc to the Eastern and had nothing but signal problems since. Two tech visits which did nothing to improve my signal levels, even after the tech replaced the dish, the lnb all the cabling and still could not get my levels where they were suppose to be, and no there was nothing blocking the dish and other than my dish is aimed over a cell tower a half mile away, the techs could not figure out why. SO I made up my mind to pull the plug and go to OTA and use a ROKU for my viewing needs. However, I found out that my local cable company had gone full digital and with SDV technology their PQ was vastly improved over the old analog days. I learned this while over to a friends house, who has the same television as I do and I was blown away buy how the picture looked. I also learned that they have EVERY channel that offers HD programming, and a secondary local RSN that DISH does not even carry, and both RSN's in full-time 24/7 HD. Since I already bundled my telephone and Internet I made up my mind to give them a try. My only equipment fee is for an M-Card for my TIVO and I have no contract obligations. Oh and I am paying $28 less per month, with more channels than I had with the AT-200 package. So you can keep your commitments and we are both happy, in fact I suppose if I had not been migrated to a new arc, I would have still be in ignorant bliss too!

How about I have had almost no problems that you have had.

1. Yes, rain does cause me to lose signal maybe about 2-3 times a year. You know what I do at that time? I watch something that I have recorded. Because I have dish and the hopper, I can hook up 2 EHD's to my hopper and I have endless hours of programming that I have recorded that I can watch.
a. I have internet with my local cable company and it has gone out more times than my dish and for longer periods of time. Dish is much more reliable than cable.
2. When a game is on my RSN, it is in HD. Yes, there are a few times I watch in SD, but not enough to inconvenience me.
3. The hopper is the best DVR ever for many reasons.
a. Ability to hop over commercials for PTAT
b. Recording every PTAT show automatically
c. Ability to transfer shows to my Kindle
4. I have had numerous 2-year contracts with Dish. It hasn't impacted me one bit because the fact that I have probably over 400 movies on my EHD's is a much bigger commitment to me than anything I have signed with Dish.
5. I have NO IDEA how much money it would save me to have cable vs. Dish and I don't care. The above things are important enough to me that I am willing to pay for them.

So now you can stop imagining why someone would want Dish over cable.

 

[Scherrman]

I can't imagine why, unless you like rain fade when it drizzled and only got one of your local RSN's and then ONLY in SD full time, and did not like getting every channel that is available in HD, oh and then there is inevitable receiver failure that will happen right when you want to watch something. I was a happy DISH customer for almost 12 years. I turned to DISH because I could not stand my local cable company, but this past March I was moved from the Western Arc to the Eastern and had nothing but signal problems since. Two tech visits which did nothing to improve my signal levels, even after the tech replaced the dish, the lnb all the cabling and still could not get my levels where they were suppose to be, and no there was nothing blocking the dish and other than my dish is aimed over a cell tower a half mile away, the techs could not figure out why. SO I made up my mind to pull the plug and go to OTA and use a ROKU for my viewing needs. However, I found out that my local cable company had gone full digital and with SDV technology their PQ was vastly improved over the old analog days. I learned this while over to a friends house, who has the same television as I do and I was blown away buy how the picture looked. I also learned that they have EVERY channel that offers HD programming, and a secondary local RSN that DISH does not even carry, and both RSN's in full-time 24/7 HD. Since I already bundled my telephone and Internet I made up my mind to give them a try. My only equipment fee is for an M-Card for my TIVO and I have no contract obligations. Oh and I am paying $28 less per month, with more channels than I had with the AT-200 package. So you can keep your commitments and we are both happy, in fact I suppose if I had not been migrated to a new arc, I would have still be in ignorant bliss too!

I get watch any sporting event I want generally so I never have any issues with sports. I have HD on all of my TVs and awesome features that I love. I rarely have rain fade and if I do I have tons of recorded programs to watch along with my antenna. If I have a receiver go out I just swap it out. I seriously do not have many of the issues that most people claim that satellite has.

 

[Mochuf]

Based on what Claude wrote, you switched to Charter? By accepting their service, you are agreeing to their terms. While not the same as signing a contract with Dish, it is not without its pitfalls. For instance, with Charter you are accepting a new agreement each month, so they can change the terms regularly to say whatever they want.

All providers do this now, not just Charter.

 

[ncted]

Well, I read all that when I did my research, as I did read the entire TOS when I signed the DISH commitment. The tech patiently waited as I read thru the whole thing and told me he had NEVER seen a customer read the terms before they signed the paper. Oh, and do you know if you need a tech visit with Charter it does not cost a dime, how does that compare to your sat companies?

The only time I ever had to have a service call from Dish it cost me nothing. They told me within 30 minutes when they would arrive, and they completed not only the addition of the 129 LNB to my Dish 1000+ quickly, but they also re-peaked it and my 61.5 wing dish without me having to ask for it. I never had to have DirecTV come out. I do not pay for the protection plan, BTW.

In comparison, Time Warner Cable (no experience with Charter, I'm afraid) will give me a 4 or 6 hour window. I may or may not get a call from the tech 30 minutes beforehand, even if I ask for it when making the appointment. And it was almost always something a CSR could fix, so the on-site tech spends all of his time on the phone.

As I am going OTA (and probably switching to a new ISP as well), I hope to not have to deal with a cable company again after cancellation for a long time. If I ever did decide to switch back to pay TV, my choice would be on of the satellite companies over cable, at least based on today's options. Yes, I agree the contract is onerous, but I also am reasonably assured that I will actually get something I am happy with for most of the duration of the term.

 

[Tampa8]

Oh, and do you know if you need a tech visit with Charter it does not cost a dime, how does that compare to your sat companies?

Fool yourself if you wish but you pay more for those visits with Charter. That cost is factored into the monthly charge use it or not. Over time you generally pay much more. DISH and Direct are just more straight forward about it and because often those visits can get waived and because you only pay when needed you pay less with Satellite. And specifically Charter if you don't sign a commitment you don't get all the new subscriber perks just as DISH and Direct do it. If you don't like the super easy to understand online billing from Dish I know first hand the Charter bill can be quite convoluted even for just Internet. Preferring Cable is fine there are some reasons. But when I see claims about free this or that I know better.

 

[Slamminc11]

Just so I can understand the reason for this thread, you decide to break your Dish contract and leave early then you are pissed because they don't make it easy for you to get your money from whatever company you switched to? Do I have it correct?

 

[bnewt]

I like my dish setup a lot...........but I do experience more rain fade on EA than I did on WA, but I do not enjoy the continuous programming fights. My local cable company rarely has these