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Dish Network Fraud
Complaint
Review by christopher.lehnherr on 2012-12-01
Rating: 
ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO -- After cancelling my account with Comcast, I decided to look into Dish after I was mailed an ad stating that I would get free HD for life, a Hopper, and free installation. PERFECT! All for about half of what Comcast cost. I called the number on the ad and specified what channel I wanted and had the representative repeat that I was indeed going to get that channel with the package I ordered, free HD for life, and a Hopper. I paid the deposit and verBally agreed to a contract over the phone.
The AD also stated that we would get same day installation. I was then transferred to the installation scheduling department who told me that they do NOT offer same day installation and that they can not control all the ads that go out. What?! Ok, I let that one go. When the installer came to my house, I told him that I did not want the dish on my house but instead on a tripod to which he agreed. I stayed outside to work on the yard until he told me the installation was finished. I came inside to about 30 feet of cables running through my house. After expressing my frustration he then slid the cables under the wall to "hide" the cables.
I didn't care, at least he tried. He then turned on the box. I instantly noticed I did not have any HD service. He told me that his work order was for the basic package that did not include HD service or the channel I specifically requested or the Hopper and that he could not do anything about it so I would have to call. Fine. I called Dish and that was when they showed their true colors.
Dish informed me that in order to get HD for life I would have to pay an additional deposit and that their records show that I never requested HD or the channel I wanted. I told them that I honestly did not care about the Hopper as long as I got HD and the channel I signed up for in the first place. I was called a liar and told that I would have to talk to the executive resolution team. I talked to a woman who told me that she would pull the phone conversation and give me a call within 24 to 48 hours to resolve the issue. I waited 4 weeks and still no phone call.
I called Dish once again and they said that the phone call still hadn't been pulled and that the woman I talked to was too busy with other customers to help me anytime soon and that it would be additional 4 weeks. I voiced my frustration and was told I would get a call in 24 hours. Surprise, no call and the woman I talked to was never available to talk to me. I waited one more week and called again, the representative told me that there was nothing they could do and that the call still hadn't been pulled. I let them know that if they did not give me the deal I was promised based on DISH'S OWN AD that I would cancel. I was threatened that if I did that I would have to pay even more money to break my contract. After threatening legal action all of a sudden I was allowed out of my contract with no further fees. The cancellation was explained to me...
I was told I would receive a box in 3-5 days with a prepaid UPS label to return the equipment and all I had to do was follow the instructions inside the box. I had 30 days to return the equipment. 3 weeks later, the box finally came. I boxed up the equipment and got it to UPS ASAP. Because of Thanksgiving, it got to DISH one day past their 30 day policy. They then deducted a ridiculous charge that I was never informed of right out of my checking account. I called Dish again and was told that it was my fault for not getting the equipment to them on time. I explained that the box was not delivered to me in a timely fashion and if they go to UPS.com and look up the box they will see that. I was told by the representative, "That isn't my job ma'am." (I am a sir, and I had to correct her 5 times and she still called me ma'am.)
I told her that they overdrew my account and I needed to have a refund issued ASAP. I was told that a refund would take up to a month but if I held they would transfer me to a resolution team. Instead, I was hung up on. Called again and explained to a different representative, I was hung up on again. Called yet again and finally go through to a supervisor who told me that I was entitled to refund but they can not do a refund instantly that it does take up to a month. I disputed and informed them that they have no issue taking money out, why does it need to take so long to return? She said that she didn't know. After being on the phone with DISH for 5 hours, I finally got a refund that was guaranteed to be returned in 2 business days....
I waited 2 business days, still no refund to my account. I called yet again and was told that they did issue the refund but it was my bank that hadn't accepted it. Called my bank, there was no record of a refund. Called DISH who then stated that there was no refund coming as there was no information on my account. WHAT?! After going through the process yet again and waiting 3 business days (while racking up overdraft charges at my bank for almost a week) I got my refund. DISH did not offer to cover my overdraft fees but they did tell me that I am responsible for shipping charges from their prepaid UPS label that can be anywhere from 16-40 dollars depending "on the day" as it changes daily. UGH!
I asked about the actual dish and tripod that is still on my property. I was told to keep it and take it to the dump. I asked them to pick it up, they informed me that it would be a $50 charge for one of their technicians to pick up anything. WHATEVER!
Do NOT ever deal with DISH. They entice you with great offers but then once you have a contract they lie, cheat, and steal until they can no longer get anymore out of you.
Never once did I get an apology, a kind word, or compensation for any of my negative experiences. Keep in mind, this is a condensed review based on months of negative issues with DISH.
The AD also stated that we would get same day installation. I was then transferred to the installation scheduling department who told me that they do NOT offer same day installation and that they can not control all the ads that go out. What?! Ok, I let that one go. When the installer came to my house, I told him that I did not want the dish on my house but instead on a tripod to which he agreed. I stayed outside to work on the yard until he told me the installation was finished. I came inside to about 30 feet of cables running through my house. After expressing my frustration he then slid the cables under the wall to "hide" the cables.
I didn't care, at least he tried. He then turned on the box. I instantly noticed I did not have any HD service. He told me that his work order was for the basic package that did not include HD service or the channel I specifically requested or the Hopper and that he could not do anything about it so I would have to call. Fine. I called Dish and that was when they showed their true colors.
Dish informed me that in order to get HD for life I would have to pay an additional deposit and that their records show that I never requested HD or the channel I wanted. I told them that I honestly did not care about the Hopper as long as I got HD and the channel I signed up for in the first place. I was called a liar and told that I would have to talk to the executive resolution team. I talked to a woman who told me that she would pull the phone conversation and give me a call within 24 to 48 hours to resolve the issue. I waited 4 weeks and still no phone call.
I called Dish once again and they said that the phone call still hadn't been pulled and that the woman I talked to was too busy with other customers to help me anytime soon and that it would be additional 4 weeks. I voiced my frustration and was told I would get a call in 24 hours. Surprise, no call and the woman I talked to was never available to talk to me. I waited one more week and called again, the representative told me that there was nothing they could do and that the call still hadn't been pulled. I let them know that if they did not give me the deal I was promised based on DISH'S OWN AD that I would cancel. I was threatened that if I did that I would have to pay even more money to break my contract. After threatening legal action all of a sudden I was allowed out of my contract with no further fees. The cancellation was explained to me...
I was told I would receive a box in 3-5 days with a prepaid UPS label to return the equipment and all I had to do was follow the instructions inside the box. I had 30 days to return the equipment. 3 weeks later, the box finally came. I boxed up the equipment and got it to UPS ASAP. Because of Thanksgiving, it got to DISH one day past their 30 day policy. They then deducted a ridiculous charge that I was never informed of right out of my checking account. I called Dish again and was told that it was my fault for not getting the equipment to them on time. I explained that the box was not delivered to me in a timely fashion and if they go to UPS.com and look up the box they will see that. I was told by the representative, "That isn't my job ma'am." (I am a sir, and I had to correct her 5 times and she still called me ma'am.)
I told her that they overdrew my account and I needed to have a refund issued ASAP. I was told that a refund would take up to a month but if I held they would transfer me to a resolution team. Instead, I was hung up on. Called again and explained to a different representative, I was hung up on again. Called yet again and finally go through to a supervisor who told me that I was entitled to refund but they can not do a refund instantly that it does take up to a month. I disputed and informed them that they have no issue taking money out, why does it need to take so long to return? She said that she didn't know. After being on the phone with DISH for 5 hours, I finally got a refund that was guaranteed to be returned in 2 business days....
I waited 2 business days, still no refund to my account. I called yet again and was told that they did issue the refund but it was my bank that hadn't accepted it. Called my bank, there was no record of a refund. Called DISH who then stated that there was no refund coming as there was no information on my account. WHAT?! After going through the process yet again and waiting 3 business days (while racking up overdraft charges at my bank for almost a week) I got my refund. DISH did not offer to cover my overdraft fees but they did tell me that I am responsible for shipping charges from their prepaid UPS label that can be anywhere from 16-40 dollars depending "on the day" as it changes daily. UGH!
I asked about the actual dish and tripod that is still on my property. I was told to keep it and take it to the dump. I asked them to pick it up, they informed me that it would be a $50 charge for one of their technicians to pick up anything. WHATEVER!
Do NOT ever deal with DISH. They entice you with great offers but then once you have a contract they lie, cheat, and steal until they can no longer get anymore out of you.
Never once did I get an apology, a kind word, or compensation for any of my negative experiences. Keep in mind, this is a condensed review based on months of negative issues with DISH.
Comments:
Posted by BeckiB@DISH Network on 2012-12-02:
I am sorry that this happened to you and I would be happy to look into this further for you. Please send me an email at becki.barned@dish.com. Thank you!
Becki Barned
DISH Internet Response Team
Becki Barned
DISH Internet Response Team
Posted by Deborah on 2012-12-31:
I'm so glad I read this.... I was thinking of switching to dish network think I should stay with the horribly time warner that I have no need to change for more grief
Posted by ok4now on 2013-01-06:
You have proven me wrong. After suffering abuse, lies and horrible customer service from Comcast I thought they were the worst. Dish Network has taken this to a new level. I hope your most excellent post informs many readers not to make this mistake. I now have FIOS and have had no problems.
Posted by waa on 2013-01-12:
Thank you, your comment is very helpful , I had plan to switch on Dish. Their manner is very shameful. This make me to hesitate for now
Posted by fedupliz on 2013-01-24:
First thing first NEVER ever allow any company to access your checking account. Use a credit card so you can have them handle any overpayments and refunds. Learned this the hard way. Company crooked employees think they have right to take whatever they please.
Posted by Rich on 2013-01-24:
When you send your equipment back after changing service, BE SURE you keep the delivery confirmation number. DISH charged me 200 for a converter box they said they didnt get. I told them I had proof of delivery and would take it up with the credit card company and it was soon removed from my credit account. Previous poster is right, use your credit card (for all things) so you have some leverage in these fights.
Posted by Southern Gentleman on 2013-01-24:
Thank you for your informative post. Several years ago I had Tru-Vista cable and was very dissatisfied with their frequent "outages" along with numerous other problems, including almost constant price increases. I decided to drop them and have Dish Network installed. Because I had heard some bad things about them I decided to turn down their offer of free installation and did not sign a contract for a specific term. Almost immediately it became apparent that Dish had lied to me about the channels available in the plan that I had selected. I was also disappointed to find that a high percentage of the channels were music or shopping channels. After only about 60 days I canceled Dish Network and signed on with AT&T U-Verse. Although there are still some problems, overall U-Verse is better than any of the TV services I had used before. I guess I was lucky that I chose to pay for the Dish Network installation because that saved me from having to sign a contract that may have been almost impossible to cancel.
Posted by Really? on 2013-01-24:
The agents on the phone will lie to you, or deceive you just to get your business. I had an agent with another provider tell me that they improved their system so you dont lose signal or quality in a rain storm, but I knew that was a lie... Get names, times and dates, and start recording your conversations. Make sure you check with state laws concerning recording phone conversations...
Posted by cable hater on 2013-01-25:
Time Warner also lies and misrepresents the same way.
Posted by JAMES Jefferson on 2013-01-25:
I really was thinking of trying one of thoes adds
Posted by 1gary on 2013-01-25:
Years ago we had Dish TV. Not bad people to deal with at the time but the problem we had was with snow and ice in the dish receiver.
I believe AT&T owns Dish Network and as AT&T expand coverage with their U-Verse high speed cable service Dish will suffer and perhaps be sold off. Based on what I read and heard from other folks who at one time had Dish service, I'd surely not recommend it to anyone.
I believe AT&T owns Dish Network and as AT&T expand coverage with their U-Verse high speed cable service Dish will suffer and perhaps be sold off. Based on what I read and heard from other folks who at one time had Dish service, I'd surely not recommend it to anyone.
Posted by djlonghofer on 2013-02-03:
Take note. Dish Network was just named the second most hated company in the US. Why in the world would you do business with a company like Dish?
Posted by Kt4candle on 2013-03-14:
I moved to Ky a few months ago and called around for cable/ dish service. With dish offer $19.95 they lead me to believe that I would have many choices of channels. Got all setup looked for my channels and there it was. I was very happy until 4 days later. I went to watch my show. And low and behold it was not there. I looked to see if channel number had changed
as they do sometime and of it had not changed. What happened? I called dish to ask why it's gone. I was then informed it's not in my package what I was watching a preview on that channel and it expired at the end of the month. I then asked how do I get the channels I want. I was rudely informed I would need to get a bigger package by the end of this call I went from 19.95 to 49.99 then to 65.99 then I got my first bill for over 90.00 and I called to ask what was up with this. There were charges for changing my package and other things. I pitched a royal bitch about it. By end of called I was told for the next 6 months I would only pay 49.99 well guess what that never happened my bill keeps coming for over 65.00. I called today because myJoey is not working in my bedroom and they have you go through the process all I got from this rep was would you like to buy this or that from them. And she slides in the cost it will take me to get my broken Joey replaced. My ears were smoking and I told her what I thought and she then pitched their Internet service. I told her your dish services is so bad
as they do sometime and of it had not changed. What happened? I called dish to ask why it's gone. I was then informed it's not in my package what I was watching a preview on that channel and it expired at the end of the month. I then asked how do I get the channels I want. I was rudely informed I would need to get a bigger package by the end of this call I went from 19.95 to 49.99 then to 65.99 then I got my first bill for over 90.00 and I called to ask what was up with this. There were charges for changing my package and other things. I pitched a royal bitch about it. By end of called I was told for the next 6 months I would only pay 49.99 well guess what that never happened my bill keeps coming for over 65.00. I called today because myJoey is not working in my bedroom and they have you go through the process all I got from this rep was would you like to buy this or that from them. And she slides in the cost it will take me to get my broken Joey replaced. My ears were smoking and I told her what I thought and she then pitched their Internet service. I told her your dish services is so bad
Posted by Caligal on 2013-04-23:
Haven't had any experience with Dish but I can tell you horror stories about DirectTV. They have the worse customer service I've ever had. It is almost the same as Christophers. I had autopay for years and really never thought about the bill since I also had paperless billing (wrong wrong on both). My credit/debit card expired and I just never thought about Direct (my fault) one day no service. I called and they all but called me a dead beat for not paying (btw I've been a customer for 9yrs.) I explained that I never got anything from them and they said, not their problem. I paid all that was owed, put my new card on file and thought I was done. Less then 2 weeks later I do get a message that my service will be turned off if I don't pay my late payments, what late payments I paid them already and have my receipt. I called they left me on hold for 30 min. they said i underpaid by 22.00. I told them I paid what was on the online bill. He told me either pay or if it's too expensive reduces my package. Darn I decided to talk to a manager (waste of time) 25min on hold and he finally came on and said that since my card had been rejected 2 times then they had cut me off of my specials! Wow what a company. I need to get away from this company but where to go?
Posted by jaqz on 2013-04-30:
Very useful feedback, as I was contemplating switching off 1 vendor and replace it with Dish. Lure of cheaper package is not worth all the troubles (and they are fairly recent) which I have read in this post so-far. Thank you for the information!!!
Posted by Terra on 2013-05-16:
I am SO glad I read this. We were considering Dish and now, there is NO WAY we will even CALL them. I hate businesses that LIE to get you hooked and then you get nothing like you were promised. I will just keep my antenna, lol.
Posted by Brian on 2013-05-24:
We moved out of state and had to buy another home. I had to cancel my Dish service because we did not have an address yet in our new location, we were still looking to buy a home. Dish told us to send back our hopper and other equipment. After we moved I called Dish and was told that I would have to buy a new Hopper and other equipment at full price if I wanted service. Or I had the choice to wait 90 days to start a new contract but they would have to charge me a 280 dollar cancellation fee for the old contract. Today they charged my credit card without my permission for 280 dollars and we still don't have Dish service. What a joke they are. Never again will I trust Dish Network and NEVER again will they have my business. They are CROOKS of the highest degree, nothing more than thieves. DO NOT SIGN A CONTRACT, BETTER YET DO NOT USE DISH NETWORK.
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