My husband and I bought a four unit apartment building about a year ago and are in the process of converting it to a single family residence. I have been trying to get an unauthorized, inactive Dish Network satellite dish removed from the roof of my property for the past several months. I have confirmed that it was installed without permission from the previous owners,
which is illegal. I have spoken with all of the previous tenants, none of whom will claim it (of course). It is an eyesore. I want it gone, and there is no way in hell that I am going to pay to have it removed when it has no right to be on my roof in the first place.
Today alone, I have spoken with four different Dish Network representatives and one local Dish retailer in attempt to resolve this. After hearing my situation, Dish rep #1 assured me that of course they would remove the dish free of charge, and that she'd just need to transfer me to a local retailer to arrange the logistics. The local retailer she referred me to was very apologetic, but informed me that they could not remove it without charging me a $95 fee despite what I was told by Dish Network.
I got the sense from her that Dish often shovels disgruntled customers onto their local retailers. She advised me that the easiest thing would be to just pay a handyman take it down. "But have them leave the plate when they take off the actual dish," she told me. Because taking off the base plate would expose the large holes that the installer had drilled into my roof, which could lead to leaks or moisture in my house (?!!?). They drilled holes through my roof without my permission??! WTF?!!!
After reps #2 and #3 offered zero help, I demanded to speak with a supervisor. Usually customer service people hide their sadness/angst/irritation by sticking to their decision tree style phone scripts, but this woman was blatantly annoyed that she had been called to the phone. No fake manners with her. When I started to give her the backstory, she interrupted me mid-sentence to say that there was no way that she could waive the removal fee.
After some heated back and forth, she said that the absolute best she could do for me was to see if there was a live Dish account associated with it my address. If there was, then she could tell me which tenant it belonged to. Which she and I both knew was a completely empty gesture, because I'd already told her that nobody had been living at the property for quite awhile. Whatever tenant arranged for the original install is long gone, their Dish account is now associated with their new address.
Fun Fact: If an existing customer transfers their service to a location without a satellite dish, Dish Network will usually install a new dish for free. They want you to leave them behind!!
Obviously Dish keeps a record of all installations, what accounts they were for, what address they were located etc. So why don't they allow their customer service department to pull up a full history of installs by address? Because they can't just go around giving out people's account info and sicking landlords on them. It would be a major violation of privacy, and it would also expose many of their shady practices. It's a lot easier to keep them isolated, and play them against each other.
Dish insists that the responsibility is with the customer, “
As stated in the terms of our customer agreement, antennas are the property of our customers,” the company said. “In cases in which the customer is leasing the property, it is the customer's responsibility to coordinate with the landlord to determine when and if the antenna should be removed.” For the sake of argument, let's say that the customer
should be held solely responsible. Then why doesn't Dish just charge said customer for the removal of the dish in cases like mine? Because that ugly Dish Network dish on my roof is free advertising, that's why. It lets all of my potential future tenants know that they too can have Dish Network. Dish wants as many of those eyesores up as possible. They want to make it as painful as possible for me to remove their dish from my roof. So they tell me that if I don't want to pay for it, I need to figure out who their customer is, where they are now and then go solicit them for reimbursement. It is a total scam.
All too often, huge corporations get away with shockingly bad customer service and misleading fine print. But in this instance, Dish is targeting people who have not opted into their service, and exploiting them for financial gain. AND they are violating a Federal law. Why isn't the government doing something to prevent this??
If you don't like something, then you should do something about it.
The story of this landlord has inspired me to take Dish to small claims court. I encourage anyone else who has been wronged by them do the same!
8 Updates & Rebuttals
amacheske
Commerce Township,Michigan,
easy to remove, longer to complain about
#9UPDATE Employee
Thu, May 15, 2014
I'm a tech for dish, my advice is to grab (2) 7/16ths wrenches, 1/2" socket and a tube of roof sealant. 5 minutes and you're done, no complaining required. I personally love removing dishes so I can drop them off of the roof.
Tyg
Pahrump,Nevada,
Dish...
#9General Comment
Thu, April 24, 2014
I feel you are confusing YOUR rights with the previous owners rights. At the time DISH installed the sattelite reciever on the roof, YOU WERE NOT THE OWNER!!!!!! The PREVIOUS owner had EVERY right to say what could be put on THIER roof. Obviously, they gave THIER permission to do so. There are a half a ton if inconsistancies in your story. You claim that you are turning a apt complex building into a single residence, and then speak about YOUR tenants. SO which is it? Are you renovating to live in it yourself, which would allow for the "cranky" in your post, or are you going to be renting this out to MULTIPLE teneants? IF its multiple, why would you want Dish to take down the old reciever. Obviously you get Dish there. If you cant get any other provider to that address, then taking it down NOW would be cutting your nose off to spite your face. That would mean that IF one of YOUR tenants wanted Dish, that Dish would have to instal a whole new reciever on your roof.
Your post REALLY just sounds like you dont want to climb a ladder and remove a few bolts. Since YOU dont think YOU should have to do it. So you call up Dish and they tell you "Sorry there will be a charge to remove it" and you go ape s*** crazy and then make up a nice fanciful story TRYING to play a victim when in reality you expect DISH to eat all the costs from a previous owners descion. Since they wont just eat the costs to make you, someone who is NOT EVEN A DISH CUSTOMER, happy. You then THINK that you can go online and bash them until they DO give you your way. Sorry but that tactic NO LONGER WORKS!!! YOU are about 5 years too late. Companies HAVE LEARNED that people like yourself WILL SAY ANYTHING to get thier way. They will flat out LIE. They will SCAM. THEY will do ANYTHING they can up to and including illegal acts in order to further thier own personal agenda.
What you have done is a crime and if DISH was so inclined, they could take you to court for your slanderous lies online. The web is a media outlet. YOU are under the very same laws that forbid slander,defamation od character, and character assassination that even the MAJOR media outlets have to follow. If they dont follow those guidelines the FCC tends to leverage a ton of fines at them for ANY instance of the previously mentioned crimes. DISH has much better lawyers then you and they wont think twice about the costs of using those lawyers if it gets THEM the justice THEY deserve. Especially from viperous individuals such as yourself.
Your post is a one sided laughfest. Filled with innuendo and supposition. Topped by out right lies. I would suggest that you do whatever damage control you think you can get away with because once DISH CORPORATE gets a copy of this report, im sure thier legal dept will be getting a court order to find out EXACTLY who YOU are. They need this information, you know so they can sue you for running your mouth online and badmouthing them because they wont let YOU scam them into doing what you want. People like YOU are self-entitled morons. Too dumb to see when YOU have screwed YOURSELF. People like YOU will ALWAYS play the victim and ALWAYS use ANY means nessasary including lying to get thier way. I would wish you luck but the reality is your "luck" has run out. Especially once I forward this report to DISH.
YOU havent been wronged by DISH, its the other way around. PLEASE tell us how that small claims court case goes. Im 100% sure YOU will be the loser and have to pay all the court costs associated with YOUR lost case. Im betting the $95 they asked to be paid for the work YOU wanted completed will seem like a paltry sum. Im just hopeing the dont take you for everything INCLUDING that nice "new" apt complex.
and I couldnt stop laughing after I read this line.....They drilled holes through my roof without my permission??! WTF?!!! I mean REALLY!!! WTF!!! YOU DIDNT EVEN OWN THE PLACE WHEN THEY DID THE WORK!!! SO HOW WAS IT YOUR ROOF WHEN THEY DID THE JOB!!!!! I swear stupid must follow you around like a lost puppy.
Ken
Colorado,Further comments...
#9Consumer Comment
Fri, March 28, 2014
"AND they are violating a Federal law."
Please cite the SPECIFIC Federal law they are violating. Remember, I said SPECIFIC1
" you don't like something, then you should do something about it. The story of this landlord has inspired me to take Dish to small claims court. I encourage anyone else who has been wronged by them do the same"
The judge will probably laugh you out of the court when you explain why you want to sue Dish. PLEASE let us all know how this works for you...what could possibly go wrong.
" It lets all of my potential future tenants know that they too can have Dish Network. Dish wants as many of those eyesores up as possible."
No it DOESN'T..a dish can only be installed on rental property with the owner's permission. You haven't really researched this or given it any reasonable thought, have you. In your zeal to badmouth Dish for your own negligence in buying the property with the Dish on the roof and then demanding THEY remove it. The word IDIOT comes to mind.
"All too often, huge corporations get away with shockingly bad customer service and misleading fine print."Please cite the misleading fine print in their contract...keeping in mind I'm a Dish customer and can check your blarney on my copy ot their contract.
How about answering my questions posted here or are you just a blowhard?
CallMeWeeze
Louisiana,Point Taken
#9Author of original report
Fri, March 28, 2014
Thank you all for your replies. With a little distance from the situation, I can see that you are all right - we should have mandated the removal of the satellite dishes before buying the property. That was our bad. I think my rage originated more from the consistently awful customer service experiences and Dish's exploitive policies regarding their hardware.
And Lorenzo, when they drill holes into your roof, it is not as simple as just getting a ladder and taking down the dish, J******s.
MikeL DISH
Your Post
#9UPDATE Employee
Thu, March 20, 2014
CallMeWeeze,
I'm sorry to hear about your situation with your installation and would appreciate your efforts if you could please email me your account number at michael.lemar@dish.com so I can have a look. Thanks!
Ken
Colorado,This dish was on the building when you bought it...right?
#9Consumer Comment
Tue, March 18, 2014
It's now your baby and removing it isn't an expensive process. The best bet is to just wait until a new roof is placed and remove it then. I don't see how it's Dish's responsibility. Somebody HAD to okay its placement and it WAS there when you bought the place...get over it and move on.
No, I don't work for Dish.
Robert
Irvine,California,
Due Diligence
#9Consumer Comment
Tue, March 18, 2014
How come this "illegal" dish only became a problem AFTER you bought the building?
Didn't you hire an inspector and/or actually inspect this building BEFORE you bought it? If so then why wasn't this a problem at that time? After all if it's been up there for years and is such an eyesore it must have been very obvious when you were in the process of buying the building.
If you don't like something, then you should do something about it. The story of this landlord has inspired me to take Dish to small claims court.
- There is one big difference between that short article and your case. There was nothing that said that landlord bought the building with the dish already attached. But anyways good luck and hope you post the court information so everyone can follow this case.
Lorenzo D. Magnificent
Phoenix,Arizona,
Quit acting like a j******, Buford
#9Consumer Suggestion
Tue, March 18, 2014
You bought the building with the dish on it. If it was so important that it be removed why did you not make that part of the sales contract? You said the dish was an eyesore so you must have seen it before you bought the building.
Removing a dish is no big deal if you know how to climb a ladder. Since ladder climbing does not involve flapping your gums, however, I can see where you would have a problem. So you hire someone to remove it instead of complaining to everyone in the world how you are a victim of your own foolishness.
BTW, try to state your case in 25 words or less. I quit reading your drivel after the 18th paragraph.