Complaint Review: Dish Network

I want to point out that I have nothing but praise for the Dish Network technician, who was competent and professional throughout this entire experience. My ongoing problem is with the national office.

On June 14th, I decided to give Dish Network a try. The technician arrived and attempted to install a Hopper/Sling unit, however the satellite signal was very poor. Thinking, he might have a bad unit, he tried to configure a second unit, which also failed to acquire a signal (turns out that trees were blocking the dish's view of the satellite. So, I thanked the technician, he packed up both Hopper/Sling units and took them away.

I was told at the time that I would be reimbursed for the first months service bill ($43.46). As of today, July 1, this still hadn't happened. But wait, it gets worse. I also received an e-mail stating that I needed to return one of the Hopper/Sling units. There is no Dish Network equipment here at the house. I called the national number, explained this to a service representative and he assured me that I would not be billed for the unit and that the first month's charges would be reimbursed.

Of course, a few days later, I receive a shipping box to return the Hopper/Sling unit which I do not have and another e-mail stating that if I didn't return the unit, I would be billed an additional $184.47 for the Hopper/Sling unit. I called again, was assured I would not be billed and that everything would be taken care of. Needless to say, I was billed the $184.47 about 5 days ago. Called again. The service representative claimed that they process a credit on 6/27 for the Hopper/Sling unit. That was a lie. There is no credit on my bank account, just the debit. And to date, the $43.46 is still on my bill.

It's fairly obvious that Dish Network does not want to deal with customers face-to-face. When you call their national number, you get an option to either 1) Reconnect your Dish Network service (heck no) and 2) Pay your remaining balance (which I don't owe). There is no option to speak with a customer service representative Nearly all my contacts have been through e-mail or chat.