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Dish Network Does in Brech of Contract. Littleton Colorado
Dish Network contracts with individuals to sell thier products. This makes them a represetative of Dish Network. Correct? The contracts that customers are given are therefore, between Dish Network thru thier contracted reps thus, the reps are speaking for Dish Network. This being so why, is the contract customers are given and sign at the time of installation not being honored by Dish Network. I have a theory that I will get to later.
We spent 2 weeks making sure we knew every petty detail of the costs involved with switching from Direct TV. The reason we wanted all the petty details is because we intended to pay the full 18 months up front. The contract was agreed to on 1/31/06 and installation took place on 2/1/06. We were even contacted by a diffrent rep a few hours prior to the installation and we confirmed the total cost for the full 18 months. When the installation was complete we had to call Dish to have the service turned on. We were told that because the installation occured 2/1/06 that the price we were contacted to pay was a promotion that ended 1/31/06 (the date the contract was agreed too). We said forget you and tried contacting the reps which of course were no where to be found. After being without service for a week we finally agreed to the regular price without any movie channels. Then too boot we had to call to get a bill of which we were told that they had the address wrong. BS. Good thing one of us is in Accounting. Here comes the interesting part when we called to discontinue service with Direct an electronic payment was made to Direct after the CSR that figured the final bill. Somehow we over paid Direct by a few bucks. Here is where the interesting part is when we were playing around with Dish's menus we found the one where it shows your account detail. The credit that we had with Direct was on the DISH ACCOUNT. If Direct and Dish are not related then tell me how that occured!!
The issue with the CC being billed fraudulently, think about it Ecostar is not just into the tv business. THEY ONLY HAVE AN ATM MACHINE EVERYWHERE. IF THAT ISN'T ENOUGH THEY HAVE YOUR CC NUMBER AND NOW WHEN YOU PAY BY CHECK THEY PROCESS THEM ELECTRONICALLY. GIVING THEM YOUR BANKING INFORMATION. When they process thoses payments they keep your check. WHAT IS DISH DOING TO PROTECT THIS INFORMATION FROM EMPLOEES NOTHING!!!!!
Here is my theory. Dish contracts with people to peddle thier product and they are also peddling Direct at the same time. I see that as a conflict of interest and should not be allowed but, since Dish and Direct are the same company neither party cares. Otherwise, they would not allow someone to peddle thier product and the competitors at the same time. To keep or attempt to keep people from putting the pieces together they sue each other and slam each other in the media. They tell thier reps that they can do or say whatever is nessasary to close the deal.(this is still just a theory) Why? Because once it is installed it becomes used equiptment and they have the customer by the nuts. If you don't agree with the price they give you when you activate the service you don't get to watch TV. The one thing they will honor in the contract you get at the time of installation is the costs to return the equipment, the cost of the equipment (500.00 more than what you paid yet you don't own it), if service is disconnected they will charge you the 500.00 for the equipment and 150.00 for additional recievers., cost for not full filling the contract that they will not honor, and if you chose not to agree to the price they give you upon activaction they will charge you 300.00 for the installation. This is interesting because you have 30 days prior to installion and 3 days after to return the equipment and get a full refund.
"After which you cannot return any merchandise for any refund." this is from the contract they would not honor. If you return the equipment in a condition that is cannot be sold "as new" meaning all the boxes, plastic bags, syrofoam, etc. they charge you 50.00 to refurb them. DON'T RETURN THE EQUIPMENT and they can not charge you since you own it. The bill does not show a equipment rental charge that is being credited off like they do with the free mantenance agreement. Therefore, they are providing you with service only! Furthermore, isn't there a law regarding DISCLOSURE! If you don't have a contract to review before installation FULL DISCLOSURE is not occuring thus violates federal contract laws.
Basically, I believe that the blame should be put back onto Direct and Dish not the reps. Dish has told the reps one thing and when they do it and people complain, they don't support them. I am curious to see what the answer to this question is going to be. Why is it that due to the problems we had with the reps, Dish said ok we will change the company that signed you up to someone we had not heard of. Why do they have to assign a rep.? Seems to me this is a multi level marketing scam!! If it costs less that the remaining monthly service to switch to digital cable I will more than willing pay the early terminiation fees and additional service costs. At least they are local and most likely have to lease the satelites from Ecostar anyway which is why ALL THE CABLE SERVICES INCREASED THIER PRICES NOT JUST ONE OR TWO BUT ALL OF THEM. AND NOW TIME WARNER IS IN THE GAME OF SATELITES AND HIGH SPEED INTERNET. However, you have been able to buy subscriptions from Warner if you had one of the larger satelites. Which if you are going to get one is the way to go because you don't have a service provider per se.
This has been in the back of my mind for sometime. I met a guy on a plane once that tried to get me involved with the MLM thing. I remeber that he told me that due to regulations the people that own the satelites could not sell the service they could only lease the satelites to those that could sell the service. But that the restrictions was about to expire thus allowing the satalite owners to sell the service and thus stop leasing the satelites to other companies. This is what....a monolpoly. No matter how you slice it...the money from Dish and Direct goes to Ecostar and I would be willing to bet that they also own the satalites. Most likely they own 90% of them. The reason I think we had less problems with Direct than Dish and Dish had the lowest price increase is because you get what you pay for. Dish was cheaper than Direct because of the way they have thier companies structured and because the service was better. Dish is the Walmart of the satelite industry. The only diffrence is Walmart (that I know of) has not tried to screw thier customers only employees, state and federal health care, and women. But that resulted in lower prices not higher prices to the consumers.
BTW. Why did Dish not provide me with a copy of a new contract when service was activated since they did not honor the one given at the time of installation.(of which is page 4,5,8,9 & 10 of 13 pages) Is that NON-DISCLOSER? Hum, I am sending this to my attorney, the more I type the more and more pissed off I get.
I don't know
Anytown, Arizona
U.S.A.
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