What's the difference between DHP and new customers who...

[IndyMichael]

What's the difference between DHP customers, and new customers who get their equipment for free? When I switched from Comcast digital cable, to Dish network a year ago, I was told the DHP was the best way to go, so I got two 310's and paid $49 to upgrade my 3rd receiver to a 508. New customers now, and maybe a year ago too, could get 2 or 3 receivers installed free, and now a 510 free (?), or do they pay to upgrade to it. Anyway, it's hard to understand why I pay $5 a month to lease, and "regular" Dish subs pay, it they want, $1.99 for an extended warranty. I think Dish should let any DHP customer, who agrees to extend their commitment another year, keep the equipment they have, and switch to being a regular customer, and pay $1.99 for an extended warranty, and not have to pay the $5 lease anymore.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

A DHP customer is like a Cable Subscriber, everything is in one package, there is nothing to buy, like cable all equipment remains property of Dish Network.

If you were to cancel your Dish service they would come take your equipment and use it in someone elsed home.

I have always felt it better to own your equipment, and as you said Dish now offer those who own their equipment an extended warranty.

I guess there are pros to DHP but I don't know what they are.

 

[Guest]

IF both type of customers get their equpment for free..why are only those that "own" their equipment eligble for all the equipment promo's..this make no sense

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

The equipment is not always free would be my guess.

 

[IndyMichael]

Here's my email to Dish about this:

Hi, my one year commitment is up is a few weeks, and I'm trying to decide what to do. One thing I have thought of recently, is that since you are offering new customers free equipment, including a 510 (maybe for an upgrade fee), would you consider letting me keep the 508 and two 301's I have now, and switch me to the $1.99 extended warranty plan, if I agree to another 1 year commitment to the AT 150 level? If I have to give all the equipment back and buy new equipment, it would make financial sense to become a new customer with DirecTV, and get free equipment from them. Since I paid $49 to upgrade to get a 508, you got as much money from me, if not more, than you'll get from a new customer now, so I hope you take me up on my offer, and keep me as a customer. Michael

And their reply:

Michael,



Please call me or Mark Duffy at 866-xxx-xxxx extenion Loleen-xxxxx, Mark-xxxxx. We can look at what would be the best way for you to go. The lease equipment cannot be purchased but I know we can work something out.



Thanks,



Loleen

I x'd out the phone numbers, as I'm not sure if they should be shown.

 

[Guest]

The point you are missing is that new customers getting a FREE 510 DISH Player are also paying a $4.99-$9.99 DVR fee, which you do not. It costs you the same monthly as if you owned a 510, and payed the DVR fee.

The difference is that you have IN HOME SERVICE. With the $1.99 extended warranty, you have to mail in your equipment. If you were to require a service call with that warranty, you would be charged for it, as it covers equipment only.

 

[IndyMichael]

If they get the AEP, they pay no monthly fee for the 510 DVR, and if Rupert does indeed waive the DVR fee at DirceTV, then how long do you think Dish will charge anyone a monthly fee for the 510 DVR. As a DHP customer, I pay $60 a year to lease my equipment, mulitply that times all the DHP customers like myself who had no equipment problems during their first year, and Dish is making a killing off us, but still treats us differently than "regular" Dish customers.

 

[Mainstreet]

If they get the AEP, they pay no monthly fee for the 510 DVR, and if Rupert does indeed waive the DVR fee at DirceTV, then how long do you think Dish will charge anyone a monthly fee for the 510 DVR. As a DHP customer, I pay $60 a year to lease my equipment, mulitply that times all the DHP customers like myself who had no equipment problems during their first year, and Dish is making a killing off us, but still treats us differently than "regular" Dish customers.

First of all, not that many take the AEP. If you do, then it would have possibly been better for you to own your equipment.

"IF RUPERT..." That's a big if, and merely speculation. After all, DirecTV uses TIVO service, who I assume charges DirecTV for the use.

"DISH is making a killing..." Not likely. I'm sure that the ones who do require service more than make up for the ones who don't. Service calls and equipment is not so cheap.

Let's see... You paid $50 to get set up on DHP with a 1 year agreement. you were allowed the use of equipment worth in excess of $700. You are given the peace of mind that if anything happens, you are not out mega bucks for a service call. Because of the higher cost to acquire you as a customer, DISH doesn't want to continue to have to deeply subsidize your new viewing equipment.

A new customer signing up for a setup similar to yours (with a 510) now pays $49.99 for the 510 and 301 receivers, and $99 for the third receiver (a 301). $49 of that is credited back to them. They have to sign a two year contract. They have to pay a DVR fee unless they are one of the few that gets the AEP. So therefore, they are actually committing to a longer time period, and paying $100 more than you to own their equipment. Assuming that they DO sub to AEP, it would still take them 20 months to break even with what you have paid during the same period - that is, unless they require service on their equipment anytime within the first 3 years.

Let's assume that a new customer with the 510/301/301 combo decides to upgrade their customer-owned equipment after a few months (lets say 6) on one of those "preferential non-lease" deals. If they are required to commit to an additional year, they are now looking at being locked into a 2 and a half year commitment. I'd say it would be worth if for DISH to give them a break on some equipment in that case.

 

[IndyMichael]

If you're gonna compare it to me, why add a 4th receiver, when I only have 3? So there goes the $100 more a "regular" customer would pay. Also, I got one free month of programming, and with only an AT 100 package they 3 months of free programming. I think I would have the same peace of mind with a $1.99 extended warranty, as I would paying a $5 a month lease.

All Dish is going to do by treatin me differently as a DHP customer, is lose a customer to DirecTV. Regardless of how you become a Dish customer, you should be treated as every other Dish customer.

 

[Mainstreet]

If you're gonna compare it to me, why add a 4th receiver, when I only have 3? So there goes the $100 more a "regular" customer would pay. Also, I got one free month of programming, and with only an AT 100 package they 3 months of free programming. I think I would have the same peace of mind with a $1.99 extended warranty, as I would paying a $5 a month lease.

All Dish is going to do by treatin me differently as a DHP customer, is lose a customer to DirecTV. Regardless of how you become a Dish customer, you should be treated as every other Dish customer.

I didn't add a 4th receiver. As it currently stands, if the customer wants a 510 on Free DISH, they only get 2 receivers with a 2 year contract. If they want a third, it costs $99. They get free install of the third rec. and a free quad lnb.

You got 1 month free of WHATEVER package you signed up for. New customers only get 3 months free of AT100, HBO, & CINEMAX, if and only if they sub to that package. They still have to pay for any additional receivers ($5 ea), locals ($5.99), sales tax if applicable, and any other programming.

Also, if we're comparing promos to when you originally signed up, this is what you would have paid to own your equipment with the Free DISH offer:

1) 508 - $199 ($349 MSRP minus $149 Free DISH credit)

2) 301 - $0-99 (depending on when you actually signed up. The 2nd rec. free was added approx 1 year ago, before that it was $49 for a few months, and $99 a few months before that)

3) 301 - $99
Quad $149 (Only included in DHP promo at the time)
Installation $50 (3rd rec installation not included on Free DISH at that time)

Total: $497 to $596 +tax

So basically, because you didn't want to shell out $500 to $600 at the time you signed up, you went with DHP and just leased the equip. Now you are complaining that you can't get the same subsidy as the guy who did pay the initial expense for the equipment.


I agree that all customers should have access to all existing customer promos regardless of what they signed up for. Especially since DHP was touted when it first came out as the promo that would allow for easier equipment upgrades when new stuff came out. We all assumed that DHP customers would have first access to the upgrades when needed. I see now that that isn't the case.

I'm just trying to point out what I see as DISH's reasoning on this. You didn't invest the same as what you would have to own your equipmnet.

 

[IndyMichael]

Quit assuming things, you don't know why I signed up for a DHP, and it sure as hell wasn't a money issue. When I decided to get satellite, I saw lots of free equipment and install deals, and I wasn't sure which way to go. I called one of my friends who owns a business, that among other things sells and installs Dish Network and asked him what I should do, and he said he'd see what the best deal going was, and would get it for me. If I knew then, what I know now, about how Dish treats it's DHP customers, I never would've signed up that way, regardless of the cost.

 

[Mainstreet]

Quit assuming things, you don't know why I signed up for a DHP, and it sure as hell wasn't a money issue. When I decided to get satellite, I saw lots of free equipment and install deals, and I wasn't sure which way to go. I called one of my friends who owns a business, that among other things sells and installs Dish Network and asked him what I should do, and he said he'd see what the best deal going was, and would get it for me. If I knew then, what I know now, about how Dish treats it's DHP customers, I never would've signed up that way, regardless of the cost.

So you're saying if you had known what you do now, you would have rather paid an extra $500 up front so that you could save $200-300 off of an HDTV receiver later. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.

My gut feeling is that since you saw all of those "free equipment and install deals", if your friend would have suggested that you pay the $500 upfront, you'd have thought he was trying to rip you off, and wouldn't have done anything. But, I'm not psychic, so who knows.


You keep saying that you don't want to be treated differently, but you were treated differently at first by being so heavily subsidized. That's probably your reason for being treated differently now.

(Side note - I'm just trying to play Devil's advocate here. If I were in your shoes, I would probably be feeling just the same.)

 

[Claude Greiner]

Anyone on this forum should not be going under DHP. The people who are on these forums are too in tune to whats going on and are always wanting to upgrade their equipment to the latest and the greatest. Unfortunatly DHP does not offer very much flexability when it comes to swapping around equipment.

However DHP is an idea solution for 85% of all the regular DISH Network customers out there because....

#1 They refuse to pay anything upfront for the equipment

#2 DHP offers a whole house solution with up to 4 televisions

#3 They can't threaten to cancel over a service call issue since in-home service is included as part of the plan.

#4 The customer just wants to watch Tv and doesn't care about anything else.

DHP works out great most of the time, but what do you expect for FREE.

 

[mike123abc]

To add to Claude :

#5 Most dish customers don't care about HDTV so this is not even an issue for them