Dish Network - Echostar EchoStar Communications Corp Unethical and possibly illegal business practices Littleton, Colorado
We signed up with Dish Network a year and a half ago and were offered a decent rate we could afford. Two months later we realized our first rate increase and have had a few others since. I called asking about it and all I got was that they claim to be cheaper than other services.
We continually see ads for Dish Network that offer the rate we signed up for for new customers. They get you to sign a contract and then raise your rates. The contract is a one way street to benefit Dish Network.
After the last increase, I called to cancel our services and they told me we were under a 2 year contract. I did not recall signing the contract and asked them to mail me a copy. Weeks went by and I never got it so I called and they said we did not have a contract.
Now a year and a half after we started with their services, we get $99 activation charge on our bill because we did not have a contract. I do not recall ever having been asked to sign a contract to begin with.
I think a class action suit needs to be filed against them.
Anyone have any other ideas? Is this legal?
1 Updates & Rebuttals
norm
The Dalles,Oregon,
United States of America
You are no alone
#2Consumer Comment
Sun, March 21, 2010
On Nov. 18, 2009 I went to the Dishnetwork website and after choosing a package I began the online chat to order it. In the end I was given a price of $78.99 a month for the first year and $93.98 a month for the second year and the service began on Nov 19 2009. In Febuary my credit card was charged $84.99 and the bill for March was once again $84.99. I called Dishnetwork and the person said they could not change it so I told her to end my service. She said there would be $17.00 fee to end the service. I told her I would not pay that so she transfered me to someone else, same story and that person transfered me to their legal dept. That women told me they have the right to increase fees whenever they want so I told her to refund the $7.00 that I had been overcharged and to end my service. "We do not make refunds." So, they think that they can not honor the agreed upon price and still charge me a (now) $300.00 early termination fee. I told her I would not pay a penny more to them and my service was ended. I saved the online chat in wordpad to my HD so I have proof of what the price had been set at. They terminated the contract by charging my credit card more than the agreed price and then refused to refund the overcharge. I have filed a complaint with the FCC which you can do on line just by going to the FCC website, it only takes a few moments to do and the more info the FCC has the better.
It would be like if you leased a car and after 3 months they charged you 9% more per month on the lease and if you returned the car due to that then they would charge you for returning the car before the lease had expired..I don't think this would hold up in any court in the USA. Dishnetwork already paid out 5.5 million in a class action suit because of not disclosing the termination fees.