Dish Network...a small rant

[Retail Associate]

Thanks for all your replies and helpful information.

The 'new' DVR arrived today...only took 2 business days and I was told 3-5...so that's a plus for Dish Network.

It did take me nearly 3 hours to get the damn thing hooked up buts that's mostly because I decided to thoroughly clean the TV stand and surroundings. Amazing how much dust collects in areas you never really see that often. I also had to reprogram all my shows I record.

... im concerned about the upgrade price you were quoted...when did you call for that upgrade and who did you call.

I never really called anyone about it. There are always small brochures included with my monthly bill for upgrades, etc. that lists packages and their prices. Also, my neice & her hubby recently (within the past year) upgraded to HD with Dish Network and they told me what they paid for the dish installation and what they are paying for the HD monthly service. The last I knew, they still have (2) satellite dishes in their yard.

... if you want i can check out some things at work and you can contact me via pm for the detals.

That's very kind of you to offer, thank-you. But right now I'm in a bad place financially and am debating whether or not to lower my service down to the most basic plan Dish has to offer. I will keep this info in mind for the future, though. Thanks!

DirecTV:... the whole thing about losing reception during bad weather is a rumor and a myth, and 99% of their customers never have a weather-related issue..

I've had Dish Network for over 3 years and can count on one hand the number of times I've lost total reception. That's acceptable to me and what's even better is, once the storm is/was over, the reception is back.

With Comcast you could wait days to get your service back. (Another rant about Comcast: One time while the Comcast repairmen were here working on an issue, they litterally tore the phone line from my house. Since it's phone company property, I had to get the phone company to come out and fix it. The costs were billed to Comcast but I was without a phone for days. I have no cell phone.)

There are times when a storm comes through and the picture gets all pixelated and will continue to do so off and on until the storm passes. That has happened quite often and is a PITA but I can still live with it.

ETA:

...My parents have had both Dish Network and DirectTV...Their satellite service sucked - cloudy days, flurries, light rain, etc. And forget watching anything during a snowstorm or if there was a thunderstorm anywhere in the area.

I live in West Michigan. We're constantly cursed with cloudy skies. I swear, the sun never shines from October through March! (well, almost never)

Cloud cover has never been an issue with the reception I've received. Nor have snowstorms. The only time I've lost reception is during very bad thunderstorms and the pixelating occurs during wind/rain storms but only when it's extremely nasty out.

My dish is about 70 feet from the house mounted on a pole in my back yard. It's only about 5-6' above ground so clearing snow off it is no problem but I've yet to have to do that. Any time I've gone out to check it, it is free of snow build-up.

I really do like Dish Network. Just wish I didn't have to keep replacing the DVRs.

[Jester]

Not so sure about it being BS. You're in the tropics where bad weather is bad weather.

Yes, but I am not talking about hurricanes or tropical storms. I am just talking about a healthy rainstorm/thunderstorm. Yes, they are common down here, but you can't tell me you don't get them where you are as well. And down here, when they come through, the picture gets pixilated, starts skipping, and then just disappears. It often happens when a storm is merely passing by, even if it is not directly on us.

So no, it's not just when we get the bad tropical weather you speak of.

And forget watching anything during a snowstorm or if there was a thunderstorm anywhere in the area.

Can't comment on that, as snowstorms are not an issue down here in the tropics.

...once the storm is/was over, the reception is back.

There are times when a storm comes through and the picture gets all pixelated and will continue to do so off and on until the storm passes.

To their credit, yes, when the storm goes, the reception comes back. And as you said, the picture gets all wonky. But down here, it also eventually goes away for a while. As in no picture. Or just the occasional flash of a picture, but nothing really watchable.

The only time I've lost reception is during very bad thunderstorms and the pixelating occurs during wind/rain storms but only when it's extremely nasty out.

See above as to our situation. For whatever reason, it doesn't take as much down here to cause problems.

With Comcast you could wait days to get your service back.

I have never had any such issues with Comcast. Even when we have lost power due to hurricanes, when the power came back, the cable was already up.

[Retail Associate]

... the picture gets all wonky. But down here, it also eventually goes away for a while. As in no picture. Or just the occasional flash of a picture, but nothing really watchable.

I have had that happen a couple times when I was at work and something was recording at home. The picture went bananas then eventually, the recording just stopped.

... I have never had any such issues with Comcast. Even when we have lost power due to hurricanes, when the power came back, the cable was already up.

I lost the signal the very first day after getting the dish. I was at work but my son was at the house watching TV when a helluva storm came through. The signal was lost completely. The storm wasn't hurricane strength but pretty nasty. There were tornadoes in surrounding areas.

My experiences with Comcast may be because of my location. I'm out in the middle of nowhere and I'm pretty much on the bottom of the priority list. The same goes for electric. Any time I lose power it's a given that I will be the last to get it restored.

I recall one time when lightning hit a pole across the street and it fried something in Comcast's box which serviced only my house and a few neighbors on a side street. It took over a week for them to fix it.

Another time I had been experiencing very bad reception with cable but only with certain channels. Comcast came out several times but could never find the problem. They told me it was my equipment, probably the cables going from their wall outlet to my TVs, etc. So I replaced all the cables and still had the same problem. It was over a year (18 mos IIRC) of back and forth with them before they finally fixed it. They found a corroded switch in their box, replaced it and finally the reception was good again.

But when all was said and done, it wasn't Comcast's terrible customer service or high prices that turned me off. It was the accusing questions, the surveillance and the stopping by the house to ask if I was stealing cable. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

(It appears I've turned my own thread into more of a Comcast rant than a Dish Network rant. )

[draftermatt]

Yes, but I am not talking about hurricanes or tropical storms. I am just talking about a healthy rainstorm/thunderstorm. .

Fair enough

My broader point was that their claim of 99% can't be confirmed or busted by either my experiences or yours. Depending on their number of customers 10,000 who frequently have weather outages may only be 1%.

And I won't get into the Comcast ranting, though sometimes I think I could write a freaking book about them.

So I'll just put this exchange I had with Comcast about 5 years ago.

4:00 PM Wednesday "A tech will be out tomorrow morning"
1:00 PM Thursday "You're still on the schedule"
4:00 PM Thursday "We don't even have record of you calling yesterday or today to schedule a tech, or to check on progress. But we'll have someone out there first thing tomorrow"

[ditchdj]

I used to have Comcast whose prices increased monthly it seems and when I reduced my service down to basic cable I started getting harrassed by them. They used to sit across the street in their van, aiming some sort of device at the house. They'd call and ask why I lowered my service. And one day a Comcast employee saw my son out in the driveway, pulled in and asked point blank, "Are you stealing cable?"

That did it. No more Comcast.

I'm surprised that's all you did. If it was me I would've told them to "leave me the fuck alone and stay the hell away from my property or you'll be hearing from my lawyer yesterday!"

Are they still harassing you??? If they are I'd call my local news stations too.