Is History Repeating Itself Again?
If you have been following Dish Network for any length of time you will find that Dish Network has a history of taking one-step forward then one-step back.
I have a gut feeling we are going to see Dish do this again and soon.
I am hearing a very strong rumor that Dish Network is getting ready to launch a new wave of national HD channels, this will be positive news for the company. But then just a few days later they could aggravate many of their hard-core HD fans who they just made happy.
Last week on Dish Networks retailer chat they announced that starting on August 1st for any new or existing customer who subscribes to Dish Networks HD package they will also get the $10 a month Platinum Package for free.
Sounds good right?
Well what about customers who are already paying $10 a month extra for the Platinum package? My insiders are telling me that as of August 1st existing customers who are already signed up and are receiving the Platinum HD package will continue to be billed for the Platinum package. However if the customer calls and complains I am told that Dish will give the customer the Platinum package at no charge.
But wait there is more…
Dish Network notified retailers this week in an email that the HD Platinum package would no longer be available.
Here is a direct quote from Dish Network to their retailers.
“PlatinumHD Add-On No Longer Available – Effective August 1, 2009, the $10.00/mo. PlatinumHD add-on package will no longer be offered to new or existing customers upgrading to HD. Existing customers subscribing to the PlatinumHD add-on through July 31, 2009 may continue to receive the PlatinumHD add-on package until they elect to change their programming.”
So let me get this right… loyal customers who currently subscribe to Dish Networks HD package and platinum package will continue paying $10 a month extra for a package that no longer exists? And if they no longer want to pay the $10 for a package that everyone else is now getting for free they need to call in and complain?
Honestly, if that is true then how stupid is that?
To me this is a golden opportunity to impress their customers and create some much needed positive word of mouth for the company which has had nothing but negative press in the main stream media for months now.
If I were in charge over at Dish here is what I would do. As of August 1st all current Platinum subscribers would automatically have the $10 a month surcharge for the Platinum HD package removed from their bills.
For all other Dish HD customers on August 1st I would add all the Platinum HD channels to their account automatically.
I would then sent letters to their HD customers with some exciting news for them…
My suggestion for a letter to a current HD customer that also subscribes to the HD Platinum package would be as follows:
“Thanks for choosing Dish Network as your High Definition provider, we here at Dish Network are proud not only that we are the national provider with the most national HD channels, but now we charge less for HD as well! As of August 1st the cost for our HD Premium package is going away, this will save you $10 a month! We thank you for being a Loyal Dish Network High Definition Customer!”
And for those who never subscribed to the Platinum HD package the letter to those customers should say:
“Thank you for being a Dish Network High Definition Customer! Here at Dish Network we pride ourselves on being the national provider with the most national High Definition Channels.
As of August 1st, we will be expanding your HD channel offerings by giving you our $10 a month Platinum HD package at NO EXTRA CHARGE! There is nothing you need to do these new channels will be available to you on August 1st! Thank you for making Dish Network your High Definition provider!”
Do you know how much positive press and word of mouth this would create for Dish Network?
Perhaps this column will help the folks at Dish Network see the light before its too late and they work to upset more of their loyal fan base. There is no reason at all a customer should need to call in to stop getting billed for a programming package which by Dish Networks own words will not exist any longer.
Let’s hope we don’t see history repeating itself again.
Have a GREAT weekend!
Shoufeng commented:
I can't agree with complains here, Dish is such a stupid company I would never want to subscribe to them, regardless of their price. My current Bright House is not good, but at least before they dropped HDNet, I knew 2 weeks ahead, with Charles Ergen, it's simply gone, with no announcement, no info, absolutely nothing.
Scott, DON'T waste any breath on this stupid company, this company is doomed!
Timbo commented:
Here is a copy of my interraction with Dish Customer Service. I am a platnum account with a cost of over $131 a month. If theey can afford to lose folks like me then to heck with them...
(03) Anna Mary F.: I see that you have Platinum HD on the account. As you already have it on your account there will not be any change to you. You will continue to receive all the channels for the same price.
(03) Anna Mary F.: Have I answered everything to your satisfaction?
Tim : NO, Why do new folks getting HD now get it at a lower cost then your long time valued customers?
(03) Anna Mary F.: We do have different promotions available for all the customers. However, to satisfy you I can offer you $10 credit for 6 months.
Tim : That's simply not fair to me. I could drop all programming and then sign up new and get a $10 a month cost off the bill. How is that fair?
(03) Anna Mary F.: You will still be considered as former customer only. To satisfy you I can offer you 410 credit for 12 months with 24 months of contract.
(03) Anna Mary F.: Is that fine with you?
(03) Anna Mary F.: I am sorry for the typo.
(03) Anna Mary F.: $10.00 credit for 12 months.
Tim : No, I am sorry for being difficult, but I think that it is time for me to join Direct TV . Thank you for your help. Tim
dish technician commented:
Yea, they're doing something to improve their customer service. Its called harrassing the technicians. They want us two call every customer we have each day like 50 times with constant updates of what time we will be there. Which is ok for customers, but half of them get annoyed from all the calls. And I personally show up for all my appointments in the given time slot. If ever I am late I am sure to call well in advance but that is no longer good enough. If I dont call my customers like 3 times a day, I get written up and could eventually get fired. And yet most complaints are about their customer service department and policies. Nothing to do with us. They fail to understand its the office people, not the techs that are costing them business. One day they'll figure it out when all the good technicians leave from all the annoyances and their technicians really do start to cost them business.
OneSmartBubba commented:
This is exactly why "FTA Testers" devote so much time and effort to their hobby. N3 will be cracked very soon and "testers" will go back to their free HDTV while Dish Network customers continue to get ripped royally. There is absolutely NO gratitude expressed by Dish Network for their customers and there never will be. You are dreaming if you think DN will ever think of the customer before they think of themselves.
Keithl commented:
If DirecTV woudl just coem out with heardware as good as Dish I woudl be gone in a second.. They are getting close, but they need to leap frog Disha dn then you will see big defections..
other side commented:
At least on the "other side" we don't have to deal with missing shows because Charlie's in one of his moods and we lose popular channels for months at a time...
thisguy159 commented:
I agree it is frustrating to have to call and get the package removed to get it for free, but to all those that say they will change providers good luck. Its always greener on the other side and have fun paying even more for the service you are getting right now not even including the $10 you will save as of Aug 1st.
MS commented:
"Charlie Ergen has to be the most ignorant moron to run a company..."
No, he's highly intelligent. But his intelligence is over shadowed by greed, deceit and dishonesty.
Roughly 10-12 years ago I overheard a conversation of people who knew him, who described him as a very charismatic A**-Hole.
In having business relationships with his companies for 20 years, I find that all of the above is quite correct.
He is precisely the type of fellow who gives free enterprise a bad name.
jerryinvirginia commented:
Hey Guys....look at the 14th comment to this article. If it is important to your personal progamming needs, the research of the thread referred to could satisfy your questions.
anselmo1 commented:
With decisions like this by Dish Network, more of its subscribers will be switching to Direct TV.
gjh3260 commented:
But that would involve common sense by dropping the $10 charge for current platinum customers. Sounds like I will need to make a phone call Aug. 1....which I should not need to.
Udmar commented:
Charlie Ergen has to be the most ignorant moron to run a company. He hit the jackpot with luck and guts, but is running his company into the ground by having hairbrained campaigns like this.
Jerryinvirginia commented:
Please refer to thread DISH PROGRAMMING CHANGES { Aug 01}. Post 167. Dish is going to respond to their customer's thurst for more HD at the lowest cost.
Ben commented:
PlatinumHD should be free for GOLDHD package to begin with anyway. I better pays little more to get HBO,SHOWTIME or MAX instead the few channels of the PlatHD,and most people canceled it after few months for free!
Happy about this would be included and should be for few channels anyway!
shp commented:
The main reason why the low tier has all of the shopping channels is because those channels PAY the providers for carraige either directly or via comission for purchases made by the providers customers. But I agree on the neglecting non-HD customers thing for both providers. Especially how now they're only adding HD feeds of channels that have SD simulcast feeds like Crime and Investigation, Starz Kids and Starz Comedy on DirecTV or Logo, BETJ and others on Dish Network.
Jef commented:
Some of us can't afford the price for HD. I am getting tired of it all. Who needs crappy programming in high-def. When is DISH going to give people on the low-tier packages something besides images from thier satelitte and shopping channels ad naseum. Out of the 100 channels I get (forgot the name of the damn package)I watch 8 different channels. I am close to not getting TV at all.
digiblur commented:
And my prediction.. on August 1st, Absolute HD customers will no longer get the "new" Platinum package on their package, losing those channels.
Frank Jr. commented:
Dish Network has practiced and relied on confusing/deceptive billing for years. So confusing is their billing practices it even confuses their own customer service representatives. As a long time subscriber to Dish Network I have had billing errors to occur only after upgrading my service twice. Both times I had to escalate these issues to their executive office to be resolved. These errors were always to their advantage. How many people have blindly accepted these billing mistakes. How many customers have they lost because of these practices. Keep up the excellent reporting Scott!
HDRoberts commented:
So, what about TurboHD subs that want to add Platinum HD after August 1? How will that work?
Timbo commented:
Understand and selecting from among the Dish packages is more difficult for me then getting my PhD!
I would love to see BBC HD as noted by a previous post. What makes folks think that Dish will add these new HD channels? I've seen nothing in the fourms or blogs.
If it were not for my Vip 722, I'd be in Direct's camp even though I've been with Dish for almost ten years at $131 a month. Enough is enough Charlie!
Reaper commented:
Dish just doesn't get it. Ever since they dropped the VOOM Networks without customer regard they have been losing customers and will continue to do so until they make fundamental changes in their customer service approaches. If they continue to take their exisitng customers for granted, they will continue to lose them - and it's expensive for them to add new ones.
Rob commented:
Never underestimate Charlie's capacity for stupid actions with no regard to customer satisfaction. I sure hope the management at Dish reads your column, Scott!
As for MSNBC-HD, a reboot did nothing. I had to call Dish and a CSR went thru several motions and read all sorts of bulletins trying to figure out what to do to get it to show up in my Guide. After viewing several system info and diagnostic screens, she determined that my 722 with L618 software was out of date (she indicated L621 was current). She had me reboot the box and then she sent a software update signal that took about a 1/2 hour to upload. When I turned the box back on, MSNBC-HD was appeared in the Guide. The software version is still L618!?!?! Whatever. I also had to wait 5 minutes for the Guide data to reload. Hopefully, the new channels launching next week, especially BBCA-HD will not require more of this hoop jumping!
KyL commented:
If they still bill people for a package that no longer exists, which will likely happen as the majority of customers don't try to keep themselves in the know by actively seeking out information like this and won't cancel or "switch", Dish will probably find themselves slapped with a Class Action lawsuit down the road to refund everyone they were charging since August 1st. Not to mention being investigated by the FCC, FTC and possibly the SEC for deceptive billing practices.
Chris commented:
I won't call to have the platnum removed, If I am still being billed for it, my call will be to cancel my $98/month dish subscription. Too damn many providers out there to have to put up with them.
KSkeptic commented:
Heck, I'm still waiting for MSNBC HD to be activated...
Minac commented:
If this goes down as stated, this will be the most ludicrous marketing ever seen, even for DISH. As always, they like to stick-it to longtime subscribers like me, going on 12 years. Don't screw with me DISH I'm on the verge of moving on... Thanks Scott for a great article!