So I called DISH today to upgrade our receiver.
A little background:
We've been with DISH Network since... oh, I think about 2007. So, a few years back, we called to upgrade from our 722k receiver to the new Hopper DVR. Looking back at my notes (yes, I made notes, because I was suspicious), it looks like an operator identified by the code X5F took my "order", which was supposed to include an upgrade of our lines and equipment to a Hopper DVR with 2 Joeys for additional TVs, and NO new contract. I made it CLEAR to operator X5F that I would not be signing a 2-year contract extension.
However, when the technician came out, he spent a couple hours installing the new stuff, then brought in the contract for me to sign. Ughhh... no. He ended up out in his truck for about a half-hour talking to someone, then came back in and told me it was a no-go. No contract, no equipment. I told him that was fine, I guess he could undo all his work, take back his activated equipment and then reinstall all our other stuff to restore us back to our original status - since Operator X4F had lied to us (5/19/14). More phone calls, and I ended up on the phone with Operator 1S3 who got us straightened out (5/21/14 ~1600-1630 hrs), all equipment upgraded and installed and assured me there would be no early termination fees if we decided to cancel service.
Since we are still with them, this was a moot point, apparently, but I didn't want to sign a contract.
Fast-forward now, three years, and our Hopper is starting to mess up. Skipping portions of recorded or buffered content, etc. So I assume it needs replacement. So I get online and open a chat session.
Initially, the guy on the other end tells me to upgrade to the Hopper 3, which has 16 tuners and supports UHD/4k content, it will be $100 and a 2-year contract. I tell him, no way, not gonna happen. I explained what happened last time, explained we had been loyal DISH customers for 10 years, and if they felt that loyalty and longevity meant nothing, I could always talk to DirecTV and AT&T U-Verse, which has recently moved into my area.
So he spends a couple minutes "checking the upgrade options" and comes back and tells me that they can upgrade me to the Hopper 3, install all new wiring needs and do it all with no upgrade fee and no contact. Only change will be that my bill will go up $3/month from upgrading the DVR.
I reiterate the terms, explicitly including no contract and no fees, and everything is included. He agrees. So, we schedule an appointment for tomorrow afternoon.
I took the precaution of printing out the chat session and will have that ready tomorrow for the tech to review, and we will not be signing a new contract.
I'll update here to let you know how it goes.
Hopefully, everything is smooth.
A little background:
We've been with DISH Network since... oh, I think about 2007. So, a few years back, we called to upgrade from our 722k receiver to the new Hopper DVR. Looking back at my notes (yes, I made notes, because I was suspicious), it looks like an operator identified by the code X5F took my "order", which was supposed to include an upgrade of our lines and equipment to a Hopper DVR with 2 Joeys for additional TVs, and NO new contract. I made it CLEAR to operator X5F that I would not be signing a 2-year contract extension.
However, when the technician came out, he spent a couple hours installing the new stuff, then brought in the contract for me to sign. Ughhh... no. He ended up out in his truck for about a half-hour talking to someone, then came back in and told me it was a no-go. No contract, no equipment. I told him that was fine, I guess he could undo all his work, take back his activated equipment and then reinstall all our other stuff to restore us back to our original status - since Operator X4F had lied to us (5/19/14). More phone calls, and I ended up on the phone with Operator 1S3 who got us straightened out (5/21/14 ~1600-1630 hrs), all equipment upgraded and installed and assured me there would be no early termination fees if we decided to cancel service.
Since we are still with them, this was a moot point, apparently, but I didn't want to sign a contract.
Fast-forward now, three years, and our Hopper is starting to mess up. Skipping portions of recorded or buffered content, etc. So I assume it needs replacement. So I get online and open a chat session.
Initially, the guy on the other end tells me to upgrade to the Hopper 3, which has 16 tuners and supports UHD/4k content, it will be $100 and a 2-year contract. I tell him, no way, not gonna happen. I explained what happened last time, explained we had been loyal DISH customers for 10 years, and if they felt that loyalty and longevity meant nothing, I could always talk to DirecTV and AT&T U-Verse, which has recently moved into my area.
So he spends a couple minutes "checking the upgrade options" and comes back and tells me that they can upgrade me to the Hopper 3, install all new wiring needs and do it all with no upgrade fee and no contact. Only change will be that my bill will go up $3/month from upgrading the DVR.
I reiterate the terms, explicitly including no contract and no fees, and everything is included. He agrees. So, we schedule an appointment for tomorrow afternoon.
I took the precaution of printing out the chat session and will have that ready tomorrow for the tech to review, and we will not be signing a new contract.
I'll update here to let you know how it goes.
Hopefully, everything is smooth.
