Unreliable DVR and Worse Customer Service
Written: Jan 08 '04 (Updated Jan 31 '04)
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Pros: A fairly good channel lineup.
Cons: Exceptionally awful service and response to exceptions. PVR unreliable. Potentially unreliable local installation service.
The Bottom Line: Potential customers should carefully compare services and consider other providers before making a decision to use this equipment or this provider.
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| rreublin's Full Review: Dish Network DishPVR 501 System |
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 day began a downward spiral of ever worse customer service and frustration that has resulted in my actions to cancel their service.
First, we were promised installation within a six-day period and given a date. We patiently waited all-day and no one showed up. The next day, a call to Dish "customer service" resulted in being told that the serviceman cancelled our installation because it was "rainy and too muddy to do an installation." We were quite surprised as the day had been sunny and dry. Furthermore, no outside installation was needed, as all they had to do was swap the receiver. Finally, we innocently wondered why no one had bothered to contact us. We were then told that gee whiz, we don’t know but now you have to wait another ten days. When we insisted that they contact the installer and hold him accountable we were stonewalled and given lies and excuses. We thought it very unfair that we had to step back to the end of the line. The Dish people thought it was just fine. In addition, we were told that we had to surrender our existing receiver. I told Dish that it was not theirs; we had purchased it at Sears. No matter, they doggedly insisted on taking our property or else it was no deal. We also suggested they just send the receiver to us and let us install, no can do, gotta have an expert plug it in.
Fine. Attempts to talk to managers and seek some satisfaction were met with stonewalling and transfers back and forth to "executive services" who parroted the representative’s incompetence and uncaring attitudes. So, we lose that round and wait..and wait. Finally, the installer shows up and takes 3 minutes to plug it in. We love it. It is so cool to have the PVR and the upgraded system we are enjoying life and TV nirvana.
Uh oh, Saturday, only six weeks after installation I turn on the system and get an ominous "We've detected a serious hard drive problem with your system, call Dish Network."
The receiver was clicking and grinding like a Windows computer with a boot sector virus. All attempts to connect are fruitless so I hang my head and call Dish. Little did I know that I would be facing an enemy more cunning than Bin Laden, attitudes that rival Charles Manson, lies beyond those of Saddam Hussein and service more dismal that I’ve ever received from anyone anywhere.
I informed the nice lady about my problem and she blithely says, we’ll have to replace the receiver,” they fail all the time.” Taken aback, but glad they are going to replace it, I say ok, She tells me it will be shipped UPS ground and arrive in three days. I asked, politely (probably my last polite words to any of them), “I’d like you to send it FedEx overnight please. I have an account and you can charge it to me. I’d really rather not wait for three days.” To which she says first, well, “you have two receivers just use the other one.” I say, yes I do, but I’d rather not have to have my family live in our bedroom and really don’t care to move the receiver. Can’t you please ship it FedEx? She replies; “No, I can’t.” When questioned as to why she “can’t” I’m told that they have an exclusive arrangement with UPS. Fine, I tell her then it is a case of “won’t” not “can’t” because all you have to do is pick up the phone and call FedEx. This began an odyssey to talk to higher levels to try to get the receiver sent my way. Oddly enough, I believe that the customer and internal flexibility should guide responses by a company, not ironclad policy. However Dish vehemently defends their right to ignore customer needs and requests, even if it means losing a customer. After over an hour of being transferred in circles and not finding one person courageous enough to use the word “won’t.” I give up. They say they will ship the receiver UPS overnight and we will have it the next day.
Wrong. The next day passes and we call again. We discover that the item was not shipped but are reassured that it will be shipped three day right away. What? I have to start over again? It’s as though they never talked to us. I ask to be given a supervisor, I’m given a lead, I ask for a supervisor, I’m given an “executive service” person. That is a common ruse by companies to protect management from the evils of having to actually face a customer. They assign their most glib and skilled double talkers to pretend they are managers so managers and executives don’t have to waste time on customers. Round and round we go and I never get any satisfaction. Finally I give up and my wife takes over. Since there never seems to be a manager present, we ask to have a manager call us. The rather indignant agent tells us “I’ll try.” We also ask for someone to call us with the tracking number. This day’s round ends with another promise to send the receiver overnight. We are told in certain terms that it will arrive “tomorrow morning.”
Wrong again. The next day dawns with hope and expectation. By two pm we realize we’ve been duped again. A call to the executive Services guy who promised delivery gets us his voice mail. A call to customer service gets us another nice person who tells us she can’t find a tracking number. After stewing on hold forever, she finally tells us that it was not shipped. Déjà vu all over again! At this point, we ask to talk to an executive. Ha, no way, executives don’t deal with customers. Researching the net, I find no way to communicate with any executives, only the famed customer service executive services. One discussion board recounts horror story after horror story capped by someone who actually tried to call the President only to be told, “Mr. Ergan does not take customer calls.” The executives and senior management of Dish network have effectively isolated themselves from reality and from the horror of actually finding out what is going on by wrapping themselves in a cocoon of intercepts and stonewalls that rival the famed fortresses of medieval Europe.
So, we are stuck with the world class stonewall team and again start at zero and must escalate. At one stage when we ask to talk to a senior person we are told, “sorry, you have to follow the chain of command, I can only transfer you to the next level. The next level is always the same incompetent, stubborn and ignorant people who follow procedure, regardless of the circumstances. I talk to a “manager” (not!) who now explains that it will be several days because they implemented a new shipping software system and they are behind on orders and we just have to wait our turn. Ok, now I’m really mad and I tell him that for three days his people have lied to us, failed to do what they promise and it’s time someone got off their butt and made it happen. I get silence. I tell him their service stinks; I get silence. I ask what he is going to do? I get the same story as before, it will be shipped in a few days.
I tell him, fine, cancel my service; I’m calling Direct TV. He says, get this, “I’ll have to transfer you to someone who handles that.” Are you kidding? I suggest that as a supposed supervisor, he can do it himself. I tell him, look, you do whatever you want, but if that receiver is not here tomorrow, you’d better stop my service and don’t you dare try to bill me for anything else.
Tomorrow came, anyone care to guess what happened? Right, still no receiver and the service is still connected. I’ll call again today this time just to be sure they cancel the service. Sadly, their executives will never know and probably don’t care that a six-year customer is lost. Worse, they don’t seem to care about really knowing what their customers think.
The bottom line to all this is that as they’ve grown, Dish has simply deteriorated. Dealing with their customer service is perhaps the worst and most frustrating experience I’ve ever had. The equipment is clearly not reliable, by their admission, and as all those who praise the DVR may soon unfortunately find out. I suggest that those considering Dish network carefully consider what might happen when things go wrong and take a close look at Digital Cable or Direct TV. Whatever you do, don’t expect any ability of them to react to problems or respond to customer needs. You’ll find a morass of stonewalls, mazes, transfers and lies and probably never get anything other than grief and frustration.
As for the equipment, it seems stupid to design a receiver that cannot receive the signals because the recording drive fails. This seems to be an engineering gaffe and should be addressed. My guess is that Dish was getting their tails whipped by Direct TV and TIVO and rushed production of a competitive system that is a miserable failure.
Caveat Emptor.
+++++UPDATE+++++
Another day has passed. Three people have promised to call us back, none have. In fact, throughout this ordeal, every promise to call us back has been broken, every single one. Voice messages to executive services have been unanswered and no receiver has yet been sent. Clearly, when a customer stands up for themselves and insists on service, Dish network cowers in a spider hole, just like Saddam.
===UPDATE====
Finally, the receiver arrived, seven days after promised, without fanfare or contact. No one has ever called us back, no apologies, no nothing. The receiver is as yet uninstalled, in anticipation of contracting for some other service, i.e. Direct TV.
====UPDATE======
Today, DIRECT TV installed a system in our home and we called DISH Network to cancel our service. True to form, we had to run a gauntlet and spent over 45 minutes on the phone. The first person we talked to wanted to know why we cancelled, so my wife gave her the full story (as above) the woman told us that they had sent the item FedEx as we requested. Guess what, we were sitting there looking at the box from UPS! They still could not even get their records straight. We think they changed their records based on this complaint to cover their butts. We will keep the labels to prove they never did send by FedEx.
Anyway, after a long discussion with the girl she says, "I have to transfer you to someone who can cancel your service." OH--MY -- GOD, here we go again. So my wife gets put on hold and has to go through the story again. Will these people never get it? Do they have a clue as to how to handle customers? Probably not. Well, after 45 minutes we finally are told that they will cancel the service. End of story..unless of course they fail to really cancel the service and try billing us. In which case, we'll be back!
Now, we'll enjoy DIRECT and TIVO.
Sayonara DISH
=========UPDATE!==Jan 31=================
In spite of cancelling, guess what? They billed us for the upcoming month. When we talked with them last, they said our balance was zero. Little did we know that they had already charged us for the period January 22 to Feb 22. They did not bother to tell us that. We sort of knew they'd find one last way to screw up. So now we've had to notify our credit card company to refuse any and all charges by DISH and to refuse the latest charges as well. I think I need to find a good lawyer, this has gone from the sublime to the rediculous and now it is just downright harrassment!
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 99
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Epinions.com ID:
rreublin
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Member: Richard Reublin
Location: Germantown, TN
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
Just an average retired guy working on geezer status. Beach bum, aviation historian.
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