Pros: Record up to 36 hours of programs; pause live television (up to an hour). Cons: Hard drives are unreliable.
I have not subscribed to cable television since my wife and I moved into the new house we had built outside Chicago some four years ago. When we moved into our new housing development cable was not available, despite being told it was coming any ...
Pros: Beats the price of cable. Cons: Some pretty shady stuff going on when trying to cancel.
Comcast and Ticketmaster are #1 and #2 on my **** list. Ticketmaster with what they charge to "service" you per ticket and Comcast with their increase in fees every couple of months or so. I can remember paying $35 for basic cable five years ago...when ...
Pros: Convenient, the ability to skip commercials! Cons: Can't record two shows at once. Apparently pretty poorly constructed pieces of equipment.
When we were telling our real estate agent what we wanted in a house, a free-and-clear south-facing view was a requirement. We compromised on the number of bathrooms, no central heat and air, but we did have that clear southern view. And then DirecTV ...
Pros: Nice picture, very helpful staff, skip commercials! Cons: Can't watch one channel and record another, lack of Dolby Digital and 5.1 channels
I used to consider DirecTV the preferred choice of satellite television providers. With the introduction of new personal video recorder models, also referred to as PVR's or DVR's, Dish Network has established themselves as a formidable competitor in the ...
Pros: A fairly good channel lineup. Cons: Exceptionally awful service and response to exceptions. PVR unreliable. Potentially unreliable local installation service.
A few months ago, we decided to upgrade our Dish service to the PVR. We've been a Dish network customer for over six years. If I could ever turn back the clock to the fateful day we called Dish to "upgrade," I'd give my right arm to do so. Thus on that ...
Pros: clear signal, cheaper by a few dollars Cons: difficult to set up with Tivo, potential extra charge for each TV
Think of Dish Network as the alternative. The alternative to Oceanic Cable and the alternative to supporting a monopoly that’s so easy to hate. It’s not that Dish Network is necessarily better or even cheaper, but that you’re doing something different ...
Pros: Dish receiver/PVR integration, software upgrades via satellite Cons: Software "hangs" occasionally, single tuner
The Purchase
I am a charter member of Dish Network (one of the first 100,000 subscribers), and I will just let you know to start out that I am a major DISH advocate. I have been very pleased with just about every aspect of my DISH...
Pros: PVR capability, faster guide, search feature, Picture Quality blows cable away Cons: UHF Remote has zero range, software often unstable, Customer service quite poor.
I have owned DISH's PVR 501 since October 2001. I signed up as part of the Digital Home Plan and received a 301 and a 501 for a $49 activation fee. With that, here's the review:
AS A DECODER
The 501's picture quality is great....
Pros: Best quality recorded programming, live shows can be paused and even retroactively recorded as needed. Cons: Expensive for existing dish customers, setup is rough, sudden power loss causes stability concerns.
My review is of the 501's larger capacity sibling the Dish Network PVR (sometimes called DVR) 508. The series, 501, 505/508 and 510 are a line of compatible products with ever larger hard drives resulting in more storage for more hours of recorded program ...
Pros: DVR free with Hookup, No Monthly Fee, Good Picture, Dolby Digital Cons: Single Tuner, No Artificial Intelligence, Very Fragile Software
****Update 1/21/2002*******************************
I am now on my fourth unit and it continues to erase data inexplicably. I have given up on Dish network and this equipment altogether. Despite their constant failure...I still had to pay to get...
Pros: No subscription fee, ad zapper, UHF/IR remote, easy to use, lots of features Cons: Software updates occasionally introduce instability
A Personal Video Recorder (PVR) is unquestionably the most innovative and useful home television device since the VCR & remote control. If you remember the days of having to wait for a TV show to be repeated because you couldn't record the show (pre-VCR) ...
Pros: DVR Capabilities, faster guide programming, optical out Cons: No "season pass" options as with tivo, 3 days in advance
I recently purchased this as a upgrade for my parents' Dish Network 301 receiver. I am an avid user of TIVO and thought that this would be the best way to get them involved using a tivo with satellite tv. The other option would be purchasing a tivo and...
Pros: Instant Pause, Forward and Rewind Features. Cons: Cannot record and watch another channel, typical of satellite.
Recieved the PVR 501, "free" as part of a programming package, 6 months ago. It has 35 hours recording capability, and recently updated for a search function, sadly missing upon its release. You can now search the programming menu for shows, actors,...
Pros: Feature-rich. Lots of outputs. UHF Remote. SuperDISH
capable Cons: Can't watch other channels while recording.
I've had the Dish PVR-501 system for over three years. Dish Network now has several plans wherein you lease the equipment from them. The plan I chose gave me a Dish PVR-501 and a 300 series receiver, free installation, and service agreement for ...
Pros: PVR functionality; Easy to use; Good remote; No monthly fee for this model Cons: No dual tuner; No Tivo-like personalization; Less record time than 508
Few products really change the way the average Joe watches TV. Color TV brought vivid life to the picture. Remote controls ushered in the age of channel surfing. VCR’s allowed us to record shows, albeit in reduced picture quality. But PVR/DVR ...
Pros: Almost foolproof recording, pause and rewind live TV. Cons: Can't record one channel while watching another and difficult to use at times.
The DishPVR 501 system is a great way to enjoy Dish Network programming. It integrates a standard satellite cable receiver and a PVR. The satellite cable receiver operates just like a cable box and is hooked up in essentially the same way. The PVR is...
Pros: Easy to use, no additional monthly fee, numerous features Cons: Can't record one thing and simultaneously watch another.
We bought this system a few weeks ago, and it has been AWESOME!
First of all, we were already satellite TV users, under another provider. We were interested in purchasing a recorder system. The recorder would allow us to record certain...
Pros: Great Reception, Record and Play-Back Feature, Pause Live T.V. Cons: Cannot watch a live program and record at the same time.
If you are looking for a personal video recorder system, this is the one for you. I have the Dish Network PVR150 plan. Costs run about 65.00 a month, with two tuners. One of the tuners is a standard satellite box, with a remote and access to over 200...
Pros: Ease of use, No DVR fees Cons: Not as intuitive the 721 model, but gets the job done
I just want to start off by saying that I have been a Dish Network customer for 6 years now and have been very satisified with the level of service and the quality of the products that I have purchased from them. I currently own a 721 DVR, a 4900 and ...
Pros: None Cons: Customer service, contracts, big ugly dishes, bad quality picture, DVR, remote, extra wires.
So I got an ad in the mail offering DISH network for $19.99 a month plus free HBO and Showtime for three months. It would then go up to $31.99 a month for the cheapest package available, and I could cancel HBO and Showtime. Also I was required to pay ...
Pros: More TV channels than local cable. Cons: Bad customer service, non-refundable $200 equipment fee for HDTV, lie about money back guarantee.
After years of frustration with my local cable company I have decided to give a try to one of the available TV satellite systems. The ones available in my area were DirectTV and Dish Network, so after doing some research on both provider's websites I ...
Pros: Superior Integration, full Dish picture quality, smooth and easy operation Cons: Timer is time/slot based, not show based.
There is no Dish 508 or 510 product listed on epinions that I can see, but the 501, 508, and 510 all work the same and have the same software (which has been greatly improved since a lot of these reviews), so I'll put this here... ***update 2 *** ...
Pros: Clarity of picture/sound unmatched by VCR. Hard drive with many hours of recording time. Cons: A single tuner means no channel surfing while recording.
I've seen a number of reviews bemoaning the fact that these Dish network PVR's are not TIVO. Get TIVO if you want it. Dish has another, some might say better in some ways, idea. It also does not cost $14.00 per month just for a subscription to the guide, ...
Pros: Great audio and video, simple user interface (once you get used to it) Cons: No awareness of changes in program title or duration. Recording based strictly on channel/time.
The Dish Network's single-receiver 501 DVR is a welcome addition to their product line-up. Video quality is visually as good as that produced by one of their non-recording receivers, so no additional compression is apparently being done -- or else ...
Pros: excellent digital image and sound, satisfactory customer service, easy to use. Cons: extreme weather can disrupt signal
Recently, we've relocated to a home which, oddly, has no nearby access to cable TV (unless we want to pay to dig a trench, which we don't). When a friend suggested satellite TV to the alternative we had (approximately 1 1/2 channels), we thought we'd...
Pros: Mostly... watch what you want to watch and zap ads Cons: Some software bugs, can't record while watching another channel
An update to this review:
1. I have found a flaw what would otherwise be an excellent system. Many HBO movies going over Dish that are supposedly encoded in Dolby 5.1 are feeding a false Dolby 5.1 signal with no sound encoded. The false...
Pros: Free DVR
Free installation
Cheaper/more channels than digital cable
Less outages than cable
Cons: Contract required
Poor customer service (but this is typical with most companies)
For as little as this service costs it is wonderful and I miss my DISH. In fact it was far superior to what I have now with Comcast digital cable, which is always out (please see my review of Comcast if you're considering digital cable). DVR The ...
Pros: Worth every penny! Gives me the freedom to watch my shows whenever I want. Cons: Very little to complain about.
In August I will have had my DISH PVR for 12 months. I am so pleased. It has changed the way I watch television and I can never go back. I responded to an online offer for $49.99. I got the entire set-up: The Dish, and the receiver/501 PVR for only...
Pros: Everything, 35 hours of recording(PTV), fast-forward, rewind live T.V, cool controller, cost Cons: There are none at all, greatest addition to home television since color T.V
I recently had my last dispute with the cable companies and I converted to Satellite Television and I don't ever plan on going back to Cable. The cable companies are rude and over-priced so I did what I felt was the smartest thing to do. I called up...
Pros: PVR is amazingly convenient and has terrific quality Cons: PVR unit is noisy and buggy
PROS
- - - - -
- picture quality excellent
- immediate access to dozens of recorded programs, and NO videotapes, ever again!
- ability to fast-forward through shows, up to 300 times speed, which is very useful (for example, I record...
Pros: You get satellite tv, just like every other service out there. Cons: If you have a problem, it's likely they will charge you to fix it.
I subscribed to this company thinking like anyone else that I was getting a dish the pointed up at a satellite and descramble television shows that I could watch and record it on my TiVo. Well, that's what I got, with one exception... I didn't have ...
Pros: the DVR is great and a reasonable price Cons: the internet kicks me off often
Windstream a newer company in Newark offers telephone, television and internet services to the area. The television Service is through Dish Network and the internet runs through the phone line. This is called DSL or digital subscriber line. DSL is ...
Pros: cheaper than cable, not much else there that I didn't have with cable Cons: No OnDemand free programming, system and equipment broke within days, outrageous cancellation fee
We switched from Comcast cable to Dish Network to save money with a bundle program through the phone company. It was installed on Thursday and broken by Saturday night. The unit keeps telling me the DVR box is overheated even when the thing has been ...
Pros: The digital recorder is included at no charge!! Cons: A little bit buggy
We switched over to The dish networks DishPVR 501 system from Directv, and I have not regretted the decision once. The DishPVR 501 comes with a receiver that allows you to digitally record up to 30 hours of programming at the touch of a button. The plan...
Pros: Faster and easier to use, better quality, less expensive, better customer service Cons: None as yet
I bought the newest ReplayTV and sent it back after a week as it did not live up to expectations. DishTV was running a special for new and existing customers that included this 501 unit, a JVC product (for $99 and $199, respectively).
Pros: Cheaper than DirectTV. Cons: Many many hidden fees. Bad customer service. Faulty Equipment.
If you want to sign up for dishnetwork, think twice before you actually do it! There are hidden fees you will never find out before something actually goes wrong. 1. Repair fee During one time my receiver suddenly broke down and didn't work at all ...
Pros: Good features. Cons: Unprofessional customer service.
I purchased a Dish system, and contacted DishNetworks sales department to set up an appointment to replace my DirecTV dish with the DishNetworks dish. The installer arrived, didn't know what to do, and ended up leaving without accomplishing anything....
Pros: Great picture quality and simple to use Cons: slightly noisy but with UHF remote you can put the receiver in another room!
I just got rid of my digital cable because the picture was terrible and the price was high. I paid $99 to Dish Network to upgrade to the PVR 501. I've never been happier. Within 5 minutes I was able to record. Just scroll to a show you would like...
Pros: Great signal, no problems with weather. Cons: noisy hard drive, had to pay for 2nd receiver, limits of DVR
Overall, we are happy with the Dish Network 501 system. There are a couple of things that if Dish would have taken the next step would have made this a great system. Also, be wary of customer support and make sure that you get everything you are ...
Pros: Awesome reception. Great deal money wise. Abundant channel selection over cable. Cons: Set up on front lawn due to reception needs. Misinformation from installer.
Although I am very very pleased overall with our new Dish Network system (we got the PVR setup in one of the three rooms we had it installed in. So cool being able to pause and rewind and record without a VCR!) I am disappointed due to receiving...
In February of 2004, my fourth Dish DVR501 receiver crashed. Because they were under warrantee, Dish Network replaced the first two receivers without charge, and waived the charge for the third. However, for the fourth receiver, the best they would do ...
Pros: Excellent audio and video quality. Cons: Can't watch live broadcasts while recording another show.
I recently signed up for Dish Network's Digital Home Plan. I received two satellite dishes, a 300 series tuner, and a PVR501. The second dish is for foriegn programming as my wife is Russian.
Pros: Great picture/sound, easy to skip commercials, easy record scheduling, no monthly fees Cons: slow menu, only one tuner, needs more record time
Bought used (7 months) off eBay for $229.50 plus $20 shipping. Has 35 hours of recording time. Never going back to watching TV without it. You can save about 20 minutes per hour show if you skip commercials. Great to pause, rewind and FF without the...
Pros: Inexpensive PVR, high capacity, no monthly fee Cons: No Tivo like program tracking
The Dish Network PVR501 is an excellent unit for timeshifting programming and pausing live TV. I like the timer feature when in pause mode that tells you how far behind live your gone. The one touch "view" button allows you to jump back to live, also a...
Pros: It;s a pvr with no monthly fee!! excellent customer service Cons: possible weather related outages
Upon hearing about the pvr receiver, I immediately contacted dish network, ad to my delight--they had a promotion just for existing customers. I have been a happy dish customer for some time now, and I think it is wonderful how they treat existing...
Pros: Cool product when and IF it works Cons: Very unreliable. Customer service is seriously lacking.
I have now had this service for three years. We absolutely love being able to pause live TV, skip commercials, record our shows, etc. -- WHEN it works!! Which is very rarely. We are now on our SEVENTH receiver, yes, seventh!! They will gladly send you a ...
Pros: VCR without the tape, No software "hangs" Cons: Only ~70 hours of recording, single tuner
After 20 years with cable I switched over to Dish Network for the expressed purpose of getting a PVR. I like my PVR. I have had it for 2 months (since Mar 03) and have had not experienced anysoftware hangup like I did with my digital cable box. I...
Pros: Pricing is better. Service is much better. Cons: Digital versus analog picture, based on preference. Frame rate a bit lower than cable.
This review tailor's mainly to people who are thinking about switching to Satellite from Cable TV. They claim satellite provides better picture quality than cable, but keep in mind that some people might not prefer it. In my own experience, I used to ...
Pros: Lots of stuff for the money. Cons: Lack of honesty by sales reps, poor DVR controls, no service when raining hard.
We subscribed to Dish network 1.5 months ago and cancelled it already. Our problems started when they couldn't give us the local channels that we wanted due to tree obstruction of the desired satellite. It turns out that they have 2 different ...
Pros: Great picture, sound, customer service, ease of use Cons: None
I signed up for the PVR only because it was on sale for $50 and no monthly charge, and I'm soooo glad I did! I don't know how I got by before I got this! I've had only excellent results if I've had to contact customer service, and have had no problems...
Pros: When you have a signal, reception and programming are okay. Cons: Unreliable service. Terrible support for Hawaii and Alaska. Dozens of stations you'll never watch.
If you live in Alaska or Hawaii, don't expect uninterrupted service! The angle to the satellites is so low on the horizon because they're so far away that even minor weather often left us without a signal! Dish Network didn't seem to care, and 9 out of ...
I now own the way I watch TV. I am no longer subject to the whims of any network programmer as to when, where, and how I watch their shows. It's great! I'll never go back to cable again! (or regular satellite tv for that matter.) I don't have any ...
Free HDTV with 4 Rooms Install All FREE! by BRIANWATKINS ,Oct 31 '04
Pros: Not just another satellite gimick? Cons: It's cheaper and you get more Equipment for free!!!!
Free installation, free equipment for up to four rooms. You don't have to pay for any of the HDTV equipment. But remeber you must have a HDTV compatible TV set to receive High Difinition signal. It's what the future of watching tv will be. It's better than digital tv reception. The clearest picture avaible in todays tv veiwing. It doesn't stop there! You can also promote this wonderful product and get paid from a work at home business. I'm doing it and it works. Become an affiliate today. Goto www.vmcsatellite.com/channels/affiliates.cfm?aid=102970 to find out how to make a income from home. You can start your own business from your computer on your own time!
Worst Service Ever with Dish by wellguy ,May 03 '08
Pros: none Cons: Lack of service and a lot of misleading information.
We have had no reception for 2 weeks due to some tree problems. The first week we had 3 different appointments set for Dish to come work on the problem. The first guy
walked in and left said there was nothing he could do. Dish was supposed to send a field manager on wed. of that week but that was a no show. A tech finally showed up late Fri. night but was unable to make any difference. He
came back the next day and moved the dish and got no signal after making a mess of the house with the new mounting. He said he would be back to clean up the mess but never saw him again. We called Dish again and they made a date for a field manager to come on Tuesday of the next week - No Show. We called again and they made a date for a field manager on Friday - No Show. These people are rude beyond belief to assume that their customers time is worth nothing.
Dish Network not that great by jtsmars ,Dec 07 '06
Pros: Nice Picture when it can come up. Cons: Mostly Every thing
Warning. Check to make sure how long you are signing a contract. When I called around it was usually 12 mon. But when I signed it turned out being 18 mo.
My Satelite stinks. It is having problems finding a transponder and says it has a problem with ther switch.
I pay a $5.99 fee for a Warrantee, BUT they Charge $30 to come out to even check it. Some Warrantee. My neighbor has Direct T.V. and for the $5 a month it is free for them to come out.
So BUYER BEWARE. This is not a company I can recommend. They are very Dishonest.
I have had Dish Network for years. They have been nothing but trouble since the beginning. They screwed up the order and tried to overcharge us for our initial service. They are just awful.
Recently my receiver broke. They said they cannot replace it for one week. The superbowl will have come and gone by that time. Crazy. I called to get them to remove HD from our bill since we will be without for a week. I decided to cancel the service, but they said there would be a monthly fee for canceling. I said no, cancel the service. They said there would be a 250 dollar fee for canceling. I said NO, give me a manager. They refused and hung up on me after I had been arguing with them for 42 minutes! They repeated their answers and yelled back at me, all the while refusing to give me to a manager. DO NOT USE THEM, they are so awful.
Pros: Channel Selection, Sirius Radio S-Video output Cons: Customer Service, Customer Service, Customer Service
I have had Dish for about 7 months now, and will give as unbiased a review as possible.
To begin with, they have a great selection of channels and the Sirius radio is great!
That's where the great service ends. To begin with, make sure that you get the best receiver that they offer, because if you decide to add a service later and need a different receiver, they charge you HUNDREDS of dollars to get compatible equipment. Wouldn't it make sense that they provide you with the receivers that they require you to use???
The real problem comes when there is a problem on the bill, or if you have a question.
They outsource their help center to other countries, so if you ever need to call for anything they cannot understand your complaint, and they typically make things worse. Right now I am STILL waiting for a bill to be fixed.
A word of advice, STAY WITH CABLE or try DIRECTV
Absolutely great value! by rctennis3811 ,Jul 31 '04
Pros: large hard drive, stylish remote, YOU CAN RECORD SHOWS Cons: no dual-tuner, not the HDTV model
When we subscribed to Dish network in September 2003, one of the incentives was a free DishPVW 501 system which works for only $5 extra a month - exactly like DirecTV. Not only does it have an 80GB hard drive, but the remote is very stylish and is a universal remote too! We have only had one problem with it and that was when it froze. I called technical support and we got our PVR system working in less than 5 minutes. BTW, wait was only 3 minutes.
Get DirecTV and Tivo DVR instead! by adams1of4 ,Jul 22 '05
Pros: The color (black) matched the rest of my equipment Cons: NOT user-friendly at all, poor compatibility and extremely poor customer service
I signed with Dish only because my cable company had extremely poor customer service. Guess what? Dish Networks is WORSE! They told me I could get installation without any affect on my cable internet but when they installed it they piggybacked on the same line and my internet signal gradually got worse and worse. When I realized what the cause was I simply disconnect the Dish cable and the internet worked perfectly. I tested this several times, always with same result. But since the internet *appeared* to be working fine after Dish installation I signed the papers and the installers left. They refused to fix the problem without charging me additional fees, even though the problem was entirely their fault. Besides this they told me the receiver would be compatible with my Tivo box, it is not. Having to use this Dish PVR is a nightmare when you're used to the MUCH more user-friendly Tivo. There is nothing about this system or the Dish service that is quick and easy to use. I've since switched to DirecTV and have been much happier.
Over priced worthless hardware by co808 ,Mar 20 '07
Pros: Hmm, I am not sure that there are ANY pros to this completely worthless system. Cons: You name it, it is a CON. The whole system is a con job.
This is the 2nd 501 I have owned and like the first, lasted a very short time before the system does whatever it wants to do. Power cycles off and on by itself, loses the information for the switch and so it goes through the horrifically long process of checking the switch and then the antenna.
Worthless and for $600 or so, you can own one too. This unit is not worth $100.
Buggy software -- get a tivo or replay tv by disease ,Jun 25 '04
Pros: It's a PVR. A crummy one, but better than watching commercials. Cons: Buggy buggy buggy buggy buggy software. This thing is cheap and now you know why.
I'm now on my fourth DishNetwork PVR system -- they're buggy and this fact is acknowledged by their support team. Some of the known bugs with the system according to DishNetwork TechSupport include: accidental deletion of recorded programs, partial recording of programs, failure to reconcile conflicting record timers, etc. Combined with the kludgy interface, this PVR is the pits. If you want to keep DishNetwork (the best fidelity satellite provider) and still want PVR, get yourself a ReplayTV. Otherwise, hop to *gasp* that other satellite provider and get a TiVo.
Pros: None Cons: Don't order DIRECT TV. They require an 18 month contract.
I signed up for a free standard installation. When the installer came, he said he needed $60.00 to go under the house. I told him the installation is free. He said this is not a standard installation. I told him that it is false advertising to say they would install free, and then come and say it is $60.00. He had absolutely no customer service skills and said "ok". Then he started tearing out the equipment he put in and threw it back in the box on my front porch. I paid $20.00 for shipping the equipment, and now I will not get that money back. If I don't ship their equipment back within 30 days, they will charge me $225.00. I have been treated terribly by every person I encountered with Direct TV.
DISH NETWORK DOES NOT RESPECT PRIVACY! by angeno ,Jun 28 '06
Pros: None that I can perceive Cons: Flagrant disregard for the law as well as personal privacy
UPDATE: Received a two line email from Dish Network that, essentially, attempted to fob off responsibility for unwanted solicitation to their resellers. In other words they were telling me to go after the arms of the octopus, so to speak. I responded by telling them that it is THEIR responsibility to control their resellers, not mine. If anything, I detest them even more than I did before...
Pros: Not much Cons: Service is terrible. The worst of any product I have ever seen.
I have to agree. The service is the worst I have ever encountered.
They put the dish on your house and won't take it down when you get rid of the product. They want to charge for everything. The service people are not on time. It took 5 tries to get them to finally show up. It did not stop them from charging us anyway.
Stay away. The good reviews before are probably sellers of the product. Biased. I wish I went to the end of this thread before signing up.
I had it for 2 weeks when the HD crashed by emc_mike ,Jan 29 '04
Pros: The same as any PVR unit Cons: Absurdly poor reliability
That about says it all. Two weeks after the installation the unit failed with a crashed hard drive. The phone support person told me "these things happen." This is, to me, a completely unacceptable time to failure.
Pros: good picture easy programing Cons: none at this time
i paided 49.00 dollar for 12 mouth contract it went to 18 mouths just resently ask for in home service and lease it will save you headache if dvr goes bad or service problems . replace dvr once in 6 years ten dollars for in home and lease
Pros: Neat features Cons: Refurbished products sold as new - Bad quality.
The channel guide on the first PVR I ordered didn't work properly. The replacement PVR was so noisy that it interfered with my ability to enjoy the TV.
When I realized that the PVR's were refurbished and tried to go back to the standard receiver, Dish Network wanted to charge me. I paid $100 for refurbished PVR's and Dish wanted to charge me $50 to get back the standard receiver I had returned.
After 3 years with Dish and poor quality reception on my local channels and a couple of run ins in which squeezing more money out me was paramount in their decision making, I canceled the service.
Direct TV is far superior in quality and reliability. I would recommend staying way from Dish Network.
If I could rate in the negatives; I would by bobandkel ,Dec 02 '04
Pros: none, zero, zip Cons: soup to nuts. Customer service is horrible and requires tricks to get to.
From programming to equipment to customer service; this has to be my worst experience of any technology...ever.
I sent the equipment back in the boxes they provided only a month after I had it installed. They didn't send enough boxes so they charged me $300 when one of the receivers didn't show up. I called several times to resolve and couldn't find anyone who would send me the right box that they would accept it in. Tonight; I'm sending it in the one they provided. I hate this company...hate.
Skip it. Get DirectTV instead. by digitallounge ,Sep 10 '04
Pros: Picture in picture, can record two programs at once, real speedy fast forward Cons: Get's out of sync, powers off while you're watching TV, DVR is not intelligent
We decided to try out Dish Networks after being on DirectTV and the TiVo set up when we moved. The DVR system for Dish Networks was so terrible compared to TiVo that we decided to cancel our contract after three months and get DirectTV installed. Here's why: The Dish DVR is not intelligent. It does not record based on a program, it records based on time, so it cannot learn your tv watching habits, record by actor or director or do a season pass. Even worse, the Dish DVR needs to be powered off every few days in order to get it's program data. If you do not power it off, it will shut down while you're watching live TV. This happens to us a few times a week. The DVR also often gets out the audio and video out of sync. The user interface of the DVR is also very poor compared to the TiVo interface.
Crap Service at DISH Network by maxthrust ,Oct 31 '04
Pros: The guy who came to connect us the first time liked our dogs Cons: See body of review
We got really bad service from DISH Network and will never go with them. We'd much rather fork over the extra cash every month and go with the local cable company. DISH Network was totally unwilling to work with us and fix the problems that we had. They would only fix something if they could charge us for it. If you want all kinds of wires all over the inside and outside of your house then go with DISH. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and choose someone else.
This is the worst piece of hardware/software I have ever seen. I am so tired of unplugging to hard reboot, I have added a switch between the unit and power. The service people are pretty clueless, the most common response "Gee, I have never seen this problem before." When I get out of the contract, I will never, ever use this company again.
Dish Network: AVOID AT ALL COSTS by ceriess ,Sep 25 '05
Pros: technician who installed the dish did a great job. NEVER let a contractor do this. Cons: Once installed, ENTIRELY on your own. Surly phone support. Lying supervisors. Utter incompetence.
Hideous customer service.
Broken promises.
Lost orders.
Lost receiver.
Lost customer.
After having my service down for 3 weeks, I canceled today. This was because a receiver died, and this company (apparently staffed entirely with incompetents) was unable to send out the replacement. I have their "in Home" service plan which replaces the dead equipment. Only problem with that is, they take the money for the service plan without their actually being anything even approaching a "plan". Hours spent on the phone trying to get this taken care of resulted in nothing bust lost time.
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