Dish Networks #1 In Customer Satisfaction? .... Hardly

It all started because we were dissatisfied with our cable provider. We decided to go with DSL and Dish Networks. I'm certainly rethinking my decision to go with Dish Networks.

All was well when our dish was installed last December. We were most happy with the service and the programming. Then less than a month later, the receiver takes a dump. I contact Dish Networks and they offer to replace it, but if I pay for postage. No way, it was less than 30 days old. After insisting on speaking with a supervisor, they immediately offer to send the replacement at their cost. Including shipping both ways.

And send it they did, a more expensive one, which they insisted I had to pay extra for, even though I had never asked for it, and, in fact only wanted a replacement which was equivalent to the one which died. I gave up, since it seemed that I had been scammed; opting to deal with the situation at a later date.

Here comes February. We get a bill for $300 (plus change) extra, which they promptly extracted from our checking account. When I contacted them this evening, it seems that, even though they were charging me additional money each month for use of the better receiver (with DVR), since I had never sent it back to them, I had to pay for it also. When I noted that I was already paying a monthly fee for the use of that receiver, the agent insisted that I send it back in order to get my credit.

For the second time, I insisted that a supervisor contact me by telephone immediately. And, like the first time I made that demand, the agent relented and offered to credit the $300 (plus change), and apologized for the inconvenience.

The bottom line is that these representatives for Dish Networks are simply inept (that's putting the best construction on it). Putting a realistic construction on it, they are doing everything they can to grab money from unsuspecting customers. And when they are contacted (I used online chat to get a quicker response), they show themselves as the inept representatives they (seem to be) trained to be.

They would be history with us except for the fact that I agreed to a 24 month service. My mistake, for sure.

I'm sharing this with you all because I don't want you to make the same mistake I did.

I will be glad to share the transcripts of these conversations with anyone who wishes to learn more about Dish Networks customer service. Let me know, and I'll email them to you. If I knew how to attach them to the blog I would.