dish network - fraud or scam - YOU decide

ok- i have decided to talk about some of the stress i've been having with dish network. dish network is a satelite television and audio programing company. they can also be referred to as a DBSS which stands for direct broadcast satelite service.

now i am sure most all of you that live in the united states know who dish network is. they are the parent company of echostar. they are the ones that directly competes with direct t.v.

i would now like to describe my experience with dish network. i signed up with them through an ad i saw in the newspaper in warsaw, mo. i called up to ask about the offers as they were offering many specials. i chose the $29.99 package in which i recieve a discount of $10 a month on my bill each and every month for 10 months(for a total of $100 cash back), free dish protection plan for 18 months(which normally costs $5.99), and a refund of my original setup fee of $50 in the form of a credit on my first bill. the $50 is automatically charged on your credit card when you sign up over the phone. what they also required was to charge me one month prepaid service with them.

well, that day finally arrived when my service would be set up. two guys showed up. evidently, they didn't know exactly what they were doing. not only did it take them 3 hours, the accidently(i assume) put a hole through my roof in to my kitchen ceiling thinking that was the place that they wanted to go through. it wasn't. my first experience with dish left me a hole in my kitchen ceiling that i have to stare at every day.

i didn't pay it much concern at the time considering i was a little excited just to get the service running asap. i had them note their error on the paper i signed and left it at that for the time being.

my first bill comes. it was supposed to be for $19.99(basic service)+$5(additional reciever)+$5(local station programing)+ taxes of less than a dollar which should total around $31 a month at the most. well, my bill wasn't that amount as promised by dish network, it was $20 higher for over $50! woah! i thought to myself. also, my $50 credit never came on my first bill as promised either. well, i was upset. dish network lied to me so i decided to call them. this was my second problem with dish network and it's only been 1 month!

when you call dish network, they ask you what your problem is. they don't really listen to you. what seems to happen is that they read something off a piece of paper sitting in front of them. i was contiuously interupted by dish network's customer service center employee and that encouraged me to interupt THEM until they understood my problem. well, i was hung up on by that employee. i then called back, i got another employee to hopefully help me. this time though, i could hardly understand this person with their middle easern accent and broken english. i still tried to make an effort to explain but again i was interupted several times. i was now frustrated because these are the people who are supposed to be helping me but they wont let me state my problem before interupting me.

i asked to speak to a supervisor. at that point, i was very irritated, frustrated and wondering if i'm going to be hung up on again. i was on auto pay with dish network before i knew they would be over charging me. at this point it just seemed like a scam. tell them one thing when they sign up, and then charge other fees as they see fit.

the supervisor i spoke to actually let me finish with everything i had to say. because of this, i had calmed down a little and satisfied that at least someone is listening. my frustrations and anger grew when the supervisor finally spoke. he told me that because my setup wasn't hooked to two seperate phone jacks for each reciever, they are charging me $5 more for each reciever(2) for a total of $10 which they call a programming access fee. they also stated i have to wait for my $10 credit until i fill out a rebate form and i will not recieve my $50 credit until i fill out another form to recieve it. well, i argued with him.

i argued and argued telling this person i knew NOTHING about a programming access fee and if i needed the system to be hooked up to a phone line, why didn't they install it that way? i also told him i was promised a $10 credit every month for 10 months starting with my first bill and i was also promised by the dish network rep that i would recieve my $50 credit off my first bill as well. now this has been the third person i was trying to explain my problem to and i timed it. i was on the phone for approximately 3 hours with dish network that day.

i demanded they credit my credit card for what was promised and for what dish network scammed me out of with false statements. they refused! what i finally negotiated was that they credit me $10 for the programming access fee and my $10 credit will start being credited starting the next month, and i will recieve $50 credit for the setup fee on my next bill. i decided to pay it on this man's word again. do you believe that? dish network already lied to me with false statement that i consider a scam, and here i go again trusting them. i warn you all now, NEVER trust dish network. dish network cannot be trusted!

well my next bill came. i finally recieved my $50 credit and they actually credited me the $10 programing access fee that i was never aware of when i signed up. they also started my $10 credit per month as originally promised. i was happy with that. but wait! what was this? they charged me another $10 extra for the next month in programming access fees! hahah how ridiculous! i had to call again and argue for another hour before they told me i didn't have to pay it. next month, same thing. in three months now, i had talked to dish network a total of 5 hours out of my valuable time and energy to get their errors corrected.

i told them i will NEVER pay a programming access fee but i compromised. i again told them that they should have installed the equipment properly so i didn't have to deal with this b.s. and if they want to come out and install it properly, they can so i wouldn't be charged this b.s. fee. they agreed to set me up with an appointment for someone to come out and hook it up properly and the way it should have been hooked up originally. they day finally arrived when they were supposed to be there. guess what. they never showed. guess what? i was charged another $10 on my next bill that i spent about 1/2 hour arguing this time so they would take it off and to set up another appointment. the day came again. they never showed....hahahahaha! wtf! guess what....another $10 charged and i called them again to get it striken and to set up yet ANOTHER appointment with their irreliable dish network people. they evidently said they couldn't find the house(at least it's on record that way but they never had a problem coming here to set it up originally and take my money!)

during this whole process it just felt like i was being scammed by a big company worth millions of dollars because of programming access fees that they are just hoping people will pay without any arguements. somewhat like large insurance companies do sometimes when they deny your claim the first time in hope you wont fight it. it's a SCAM i felt that dish network has been succesfull in for years.

well, they finally came to my house! i was relieaved that i wouldn't have any more problems with these scumbags. calling them every month has left me distressed, angry, sad, depressed, and all sorts of emotions! so i was finally relieved! well, hahaha....sorry, that relief was only temporary hahaha. i laugh because i am remembering how they hooked up the recievers to my two phone jacks. they drapped one of the phone cords over my television, on top of my fireplace, through my kitchen opening and in to the phone jack. because of this, the cord never touches the floor and the cord is not securely fastened to the wall. in fact, if you can imagine it, imagine a phone cord that is never even flush with the wall or floor so when the phone cord is drapped from one corner of the wall to the other wall, there is about two feet of open space between the phone cord and the corner of the wall! that's how they hooked it up! i took pictures! hahaha it wasn't funny then, but it's funny now after i got over my anger. they expected me to look at that mess they installed just to save $5? NO THANK YOU! i waited for my wife to come home before we both decided we can't have it there. it looks bad, it's in the way of other things in our living room, and it was a hazard for anyone to accidently pull on the cord. especially when we have small children we sometimes take care of here. not to mention a hazard to the reciever if it ever fell off the telivision if someone accidently pulls on the phone cord. i can just imagine them over charging for that too when they were the ones creating the hazard!

ok- so that was the first reciever. the one upstairs was done a little better but my phone jack wasn't near the reciever just like the one downstairs. they ran is across my floor to the reciever and left it like that. i say a little better because at least the phone cord was flush with something. but again, i was disappointed. another hazard. someone could easily trip and fall or trip and pull the reciever down and break it. when it's a hazard for me or my wife, i KNOW it has to be a serious hazard to small children that we have in the house at times. my wife and i agreed this was unacceptable and unplugged it.

so now, not only did they ruin my ceiling and and put a hole in my roof where it wasn't supposed to be, they have created unprofession installations and hazards in my home that i am responsible for if anyone gets hurt. they lied to me several times before my installation and after my installation. so now i'm pissed. they still continue to charge me falsely on something i have told them repeatedly that i am not paying EVER. i gave them the option to cancel my service because of this so i can switch to another company. they refuse. they want ME to cancel so they can trump up the cancelation fees. i wont do that either.

so now i mention my ceiling thinking i can use this as a trump card for either free service or to finally satisfy me as a customer without anymore hassles with this programming access fee. well, they want to look at the damage. i refuse. i tell them i have pictures and will get an estimate for the damages. i told them they aren't coming in my house again to create more of a mess than they already have.

so anyway, what happens next? they charged me $30 to have someone come out and install their equipment the way it was supposed to be installed the first time. they charged me $30 for someone to come out and do an unprofessional job which just looked nasty and also created several hazards in my home. also, ofcourse, they are still charging me the programming access fees. so i call them again. i tell them i am not paying another bill until you correct your errors and finally get my problem resolved so i don't have to call again. well, it's been two months and i haven't paid a bill. obviously now they are charging me late fees just another way to get more money out of me while i am disputing my whole entire bill as long as they continue to overcharge me. they are charging me late fees illegally i found out. so dish network is operating illegally in the state of missouri because in the state of missouri, if you are disputing a bill, that bill is not supposed to be charged late fees. i even wrote my dispute on the money order they cashed. i threatened to take them to court and they didn't seem to concerned.

so now it's been two months. i recieve a call from them to call them back about my bill. i suppose dish network wants some money for their services they are fraudulently over charging me for. i brok down. i decided to call....dreading it....knowing i will have to argue again.....but i want to be fair, so i call them. well, their computers were down the other day(very recent) and they couldn't help me or even tell me why they called me.

so now i am upset. i was holding for a while just for them to tell me this? i asked the # to thier corporate office or their executive department. this is the third time i have requested this and each time i am denied that information. they say they don't have it, but they DO. they don't want you to have it for some unknown reason.they don't want you to go up higher in the chain to try to get your problem resolved. they want to keep you with THEM just so they can make your life a total nightmare just like they did mine! they wanted me to call back after their computers are back up. what i told them was why don't you have a supervisor call me when this happens because i am not a psychic and cannot predict when in fact your computers will be operational. she agreed, took my information, and it's been two days now and nobody has attempted to contat me either by voice or answering machine or voicemail. so i will have to call them back since and dread yet another disturbing call(i CAN predict THAT now....) with dish network where very little will get done about my problems once again.

now i will make updates to this post as time passes. my main objective here is to let out my frustrations and emotions that dish network created inside me. i plan on editing this post later for spelling and grammer and sending this in to their corprate office in colorado. i also plan on faxing it to their fax # i have. i plan to hit them hard soon with public exposer and i will append this post to include that threat because i believe the public should know the lies dish network tells you, the scams they pull, and how hard it is to be a satisfied customer with them. they cause emotional distress and it's just not right! i grew up in northridge, ca but now live in a small town in warsaw, mo. the papers here are smaller than i am used to and they are always itching for a good and well written article to add to their 7-8 page paper. i know as well the t.v. media would eat a story like this up because it's a public awareness story. so if dish network ever reads this, be prepared to solve my problems or do battle. i may not be a million dollar company, but i, unlike you is well respected in my comunity. i own two businesses here, and i am a very fair and responsible person. they pushed me to my limits where i am now considering hiring an attorney far a case against them.

to back up my story here, i have researched dish network and echostar. both companies have been sued for the same things i am complaining about now and they have lost several times in court. they have a history of decieving people. they have a history over over charging credit cards. they have a history of charging things on your credit card that you never authorised them to do. they have a history of lying and just being an all around unprofessional company. all my research comes from searches i have done through google. i'm hoping this post gets a high ranking for the same things i had to research and this is only the beginning!

has anyone else had problems with dish network? post your vents with them here and make them pay attention!

This post has been edited by anwiii: Dec 7 2007, 03:35 AM

Woah, I am very surprised that such a big company did this to you. I live in California, and I have dish network, but I have just hooked up my receivers by myself and never had anybody come out to install it except for the satellite dish itself. I have never had any strange expences on my bill but after reading this I will be sure to look out more. I wonder if perhaps the division in warsaw isn't as honest as the division here in los angeles. But I think you should go public with this. This is an outrage.

Yeah, I agree with Alex on this one... Even though I don't live in US, I do have a fair share of experience with unprofessional companies...

It seems to me, that a local office in Warsaw, is trying to scam people, just because it's a small community... That's why they don't want you to have a number to their corporate office... Because local office manager or whoever, would be exposed... I too agree, go public with this... Hit them as hard as you can... If there are more people like you, perhaps a joint lawsuit agains them... People need to know about this, so they would stop going to them, and so they lose any new, and/or existing customers...

dish network - fraud or scam - YOU decide



well dish network as a whole isn't a scam, but dish network will scam you out of some of your money by fraud. i do plan on hitting them hard if they don't stop what they are doing. i am not going to be forced to pay something that i was never told about having to pay. i just want to pay my $31 or so per month and be a happy customer. i know i thing is for sure, after pulling this scam and fraud crap on me, i am going to cancel my subscription after my contract runs out. i will not support a company that does what they have done to me and others.

dish network doesn't have a local office here in this small town. i think they contract out to other companies to do their job. but the customer service center and billing center i believe is national and they take all the calls as i believe it's a call center # which is printed on the upper right of the bill.

all i wanted to do right now is start a thread. i looked this thread up on google and it's on the #2 page already for the keyword "dish network scam". i am going to let them know i mean business.

i believe i have a cery good case for a lawsuit and i have also informed myself in who i can contact like the state attorney general and the ftc etc...who handles fraud and scam cases or pretty much anything illegal. like i said before. it's illegal to charge someone a late fee if that person is disputing a bill in the state of missouri(and probably most states) and dish network has already charge two late fees on my bill. obviously they either dish network doesn't know the laws of the states they do business in, or they just don't care since they are such a big company. either way, dish network is acting illegally doing that, they are illegally trying to scam me out of money i don't owe them, and dish network is just plain operating under fraud. i'm not even sure if the corporate office is aware of how many lies are told to a person just to get them signed up so they can recieve a commision.

something needs to change though because this has put a damper on my happiness trying to deal with them every month

so, in another month, if i see no results, i am going full force and it will be me against dish network and i am going to make my progress VERY public and VERY aware.

i'm good at search engine optimization so i have no doubt this thread is going to hit the top page on a very good keyword phrase. i will plan on creating a website dedicated to dish network scams and fraud and all their lies i know about from my own experience and from the experiences of others. i will definately plan on exposing their scams and fraud in a few local papers and expose them publically on a special public interest stort with a couple local news stations. if that's not enough, after i expose them that way, i plan on collecting a list of names from people who have had similar problems and then hit a lawyer up with a strong case that he or she would have no problem taking it on contingency.

i have to say though that it's dish network has already been a strain on my life with the scams and fraud techniques they use and it's upsets me even writing about them becuse i have to remember all the crap they pulled. it's like reliving the whole thing over again. it's nuts and it wont get any easier for me until it's over.....i know. but i am not going to get bullied. they rely on people to do NOTHING and not fight for their rights. well, they messed with the wrong guy and although it will be like david and goliath, THIS david is going to knock down the giant too if they don't get their act straight soon and help me with my problems and compensate me for my distress and time and troubles.....but i would actually just be happy right now if i can just pay what i actually owe ever month. i think i would let it go if they can start acting professional rather than charge me for things they never told me about.

all i know is i looked up the definition of fraud and dish netowork fits under that catagory. i looked up the definition of scam, and dish network fits under that catagory.

i am right, dish network is WRONG and people need to take a stand and speak out so if you've had a problem with dish network, please post about your situation here and enlighten all on how dish network has screw you over

This post has been edited by anwiii: Dec 7 2007, 03:36 AM

I read your post, anwiii. And at first I thought 'read the fine prints' and 'buyer beware.'

But your situation is a complete foul and the service you received is egregious! I am amazed the amount of patience you have for this Dish Network baboons! It's a pure violation of your (as a customer) rights.

Foremost, I hope your review of Dish Network somehow helps your case. At least I hope the next person who is smart enough to search and find this topic be aware of Dish Network's perplexing promises.

I hope that people are smart to perform some research before they are locked into posthumous contract. And realize this horrific consequences and they begin to boycott Dish Network. And by the turn of the next year Dish Network goes out of business! TA DA~!!! Ah... at least I can dream...

I have had fair amount of giant corporates' injustices on me. And your words are exactly right: they dismiss the first cry hoping that it will discourage from trying again. And this is a well documented psychological behavior modification. Further evidence is by turning your request down on information to the headquarter is to discourage you even further. It's about the liability. I see it daily because a friend of mine runs a bill collection business. He teaches his collection employees to say, "NO" when it comes to requests like, "I'd like to talk to someone in charge." The person who gets to say NO automatically assumes the dominance in the conversation. My friend is a good guy but he is also a business man. He simply puts, "it's a business, nothing more." And by keeping employees to do the dirty deeds, it keeps my friend free from any liabilities. My friend can always pretend that he gave no such authority; that the action taken was a direct result of an employee negligence.

So when an operator who appeared to be not from the state, even the country you live in, it's to pass the blame to someone other than the Dish Network company. And for that apparent obvious reason big, giant corporates are outsourcing sales and support calls over seas--even less liability. The middle man is expendable and replaceable.

Speaking of liabilities, Dish Network does not have actual Dish Network installers. About 95% of them are "call" guys from local cable certified companies. For example, say a TV repair business who are certified as a Dish Network authorized dealers. This TV repair business will receive calls to install Dish Network equipments by HQ, depending on proximity. Here is the kicker: there's no real "course certification" on becoming this authorized dealers except passing few exams and having the proper insurance. Again, this limits how far the blame can be sent to Dish Network directly. If any installation goes wrong the blame can always settle around the local installers rather than the national chain.

And people wonder why the American Work Ethics are on the verge of dismay... and people wonder why jobs are being outsourced... it's the perfect solution for giant, callus corporates who do not give two cents for American consumers.

Whatever the case or however the outcome, keep us updated! Fight the good fight and may you be victorious! You tell the mighty Dish idiots that you are a force to be reckon with!

dish network - fraud or scam - YOU decide



hey, thanks for the support bud. it's funny. when i post in the seo threads i am always recomending people to put a link to their website in their signature because i know google spiders this site VERY often and is a great way to get listed fast.

it just occured to me that i could get a post listed high too so trap is definately helping me out here. i plan to update everyone on this situation and i hope other people outside of trap get to read this too.

below are a few links that support every word i am saying. evidently, there is a big fuss our there with dish network scaming people and also using fraud ploys to lure people in to their spider web.

when i was doing my research on dish netword fraud and scams, i came across a post by someone affiliated with dish network that has supported the idea that dish network is operating illegally in some of the activieties they preform.

anyway, here are some interesting links for people who subscribe to dish netork services and for people who are thinking about subscribing....

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/cable_tv/dish_network.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/cable_tv/dish_billing.html
http://www.ripoffreport.com/searchresults....amp;q6=&q7=

if you read and follow any of these reports, then you will know that there are hundreds and hundreds of reports on dish network fraud, dish network scams, and dish network injustices.

i have heard cases where even after a consumer cancels their serice with dish network and sends them their equipment back, they have charged their credit card saying they never recieved their equipment. it's so ridiculous how dish network operates, i am surprised that they are still allowed to operate this way in the united states!

my next step here is to contact the corporate office and talk to someone there. i will keep everyone updated. i am afraid to even cancel my service now because i believe they will continue to charge up my credit card. i think my only option if i ever do decide to cancel is to cancel my credit card and have them send me a new one with a different account#. what a hassle

i even heard of one case that 3 years after some guy canceled their dish network service, they charged his credit car for money that he didn't owe and from someone elses account that lives where he USED to live.

one person can be wrong in accusing dish network for fraud and scams, two people can be wrong in accusing dish network for fraud and scams, but hundreds and hundreds of people with complaints against dish network for fraud and scams CANNOT BE WRONG! and i rest assured that i am not the only one out there and that the research i have done supports what i have posted here. it's really a good feeling not to feel alone in this after my experience with dish netword and all the problems i've had with them

This post has been edited by anwiii: Dec 7 2007, 03:37 AM