Complaint Review: Melanie Chevis - Pineville Louisiana

OK, I'm quite familiar with the satellite industry and how they operate, so let me add a little information here that may be helpful to others.

You'll notice on Dish Pronto's site that they are an "authorized retailer" for Dish Network. Think of it kind of like your local new car dealer. Sure, they may sell Toyotas but they are not actually the Toyota Company. They have an agreement with Toyota to sell and service the cars that bear that brand.

DISH Network "authorized retailers" are similar to car dealers. They sell the product but do not actually provide the service.

For reasons I do not understand, it seems like some of this "authorized retailers" get away with murder, so to speak. I've seen my share of bad reports and horror stories from consumers who have dealt with them (Dish Pronto is a stand-out!) and it does not seem to have any impact on their ability to maintain a relationship with Dish Network the company. I really think Dish Network could be hurting their business by allowing some of these "authorized retailers" to remain authorized.

Let me make one thing quite clear, however. Not all "authorized retailers" are bad. In fact, some of them are very good and will bend over backwards to help you if you run into any problems. It's the lack of honesty and integrity on the part of some "authorized retailers" that could give the good ones a bad name and that's a shame.

Back to our old "friends" at Dish Pronto. Beyond all the consumer complaints, there's no doubt that they are running a deceptive operation. And here's why:

The most visible pages on their site indicate that they are located right here in the good old U.S.A. And the way things are going with the economy these days, you can see why a foreign company selling an American product to American consumers would want to make it look like they are an American company. Guess what? They are not an American company. Although they list their address as 350 5th Ave., 59th Floor New York, NY, they're off by a few thousand miles!

The aforementioned address is a "virtual office" address. In other words, it's a fake address that a company rents out so that other companies (and God knows who else) can make it look as if they are headquartered in the prestigious Empire State Building. Check it out for yourself by typing that address into Google and see what you come up with. That must be one BIG floor of the building! Either that or each "office" is only about 1x1 square inches! Pay particular attention to the search result that comes up for davincivirtual.com. Get the picture? I thought so.

The people behind the curtain at Dish Pronto are actually located in Switzerland at a company called CH Communications. You can find their website at chcommunications.ch and if you look at the "Contact Us" on DishPronto.com, you will see their actual address revealed there.

It's easy for just about anyone in the world to set up a website on a U.S.-based server and set up a U.S.-friendly domain name like DishPronto.com. Most consumers will probably never suspect the company is not in the U.S.

Even though CH Communications appears to be headquartered in Switzerland, calling the telephone number listed on their website got me a gentleman with an Indian accent. It's probably safe to assume they have hired a call center in India to handle their calls. I guess even the Swiss have given up hiring their own countrymen to answer phones for them! I wonder if they still make watches over there, or just import them all from China!

Take the time to do some research before you order just about anything on the internet. You do not know who you are dealing with unless you take the time to track them down and find out who they are.

Some of these "authorized retailers" tack on their own "fees" and "charges" when you order DISH Network through them so be sure to read ALL of the fine print in their "terms and conditions" and any similar information they have on their site. The good ones will not hit you with extra fees, but the shady ones often try to milk consumers for all they can get. Some of them also offer free gifts if you sign up and then make it nearly impossible for you to actually receive the gift. The good ones will likely not be offering free gifts.

Isn't the "global economy" great? I guess that's why we're doing so well here in the U.S. these days. Will anyone have a job in this country if they keep shipping our factories and businesses overseas?

Don't be fooled by imposters pretending to be American companies. If you're cool with sending money overseas, that's your choice, but I'll spend my money here in the U.S.A. whenever I can and surely avoid doing business with companies like "Dish Pronto."

There are several retailers out there that charge a $49.99 processing fee to setup your order with DISH Network. Generally this fee should be refunded if your order is cancelled. If they won't give you your money back, call your credit card company and file a dispute with them. Without a signed receipt for the $49.99 you will get your money back

There are several retailers out there that charge a $49.99 processing fee to setup your order with DISH Network. Generally this fee should be refunded if your order is cancelled. If they won't give you your money back, call your credit card company and file a dispute with them. Without a signed receipt for the $49.99 you will get your money back

There are several retailers out there that charge a $49.99 processing fee to setup your order with DISH Network. Generally this fee should be refunded if your order is cancelled. If they won't give you your money back, call your credit card company and file a dispute with them. Without a signed receipt for the $49.99 you will get your money back

There are several retailers out there that charge a $49.99 processing fee to setup your order with DISH Network. Generally this fee should be refunded if your order is cancelled. If they won't give you your money back, call your credit card company and file a dispute with them. Without a signed receipt for the $49.99 you will get your money back

Dish Pronto gave me a number that cannot be traced during a reverse lookup and when asked for an address for the company, I was told that they couldn't provide me with that information. Do not accept calls from these people and definitely do not give them your credit/debit card information.