RE: Where's my reply?

Dear Mr. Nic,

Thank you for your email. We apologized for the delayed response. We have forwarded your email to the department who handles AT&T account so they could further assist you. Apparently, we could not pull up your account through this department. We apologized for this inconvenience.

Your business is greatly appreciated and we thank you for allowing us to be of assistance to you. If you have any further questions or concerns, please refer to www.dishnetwork.com or reply to this email.

Sincerely,

Johana L.

Wow. What a help!

AT&T Replies

John Roberts (AT&T) apologized for not getting back to me....he was away.

Mr.....,

I would first like to say I'm sorry for the late response, as I have been out away from email. Please be advised I would like to help in anyway possible. This starts with obtaining your telephone number. This issue will then be addressed with full intentions of not only resolving your need efficiently, but to provide the appropriate response to your concerns.

Sincerely,

John Roberts

I got back to him with the info, and waited about a day. I wrote back again to see what was up, and he immediately replied back asking for my number to contact me. I'm currently waiting on that call. We'll see what John has to say.

Dish Network Discussion Group (Google)

Feel free to join my discussion group.

http://groups.google.com/group/dish-network-discussion

Nic

Let's Try This Again!

Ok, so Johana L. was less than helpful. I decided it was best to try again, mostly out of curiosity to see if a different rep would respond more efficiently.

I hope this complaint reaches someone other than Johana L.


To Whom It May Concern:

What started as an optimistic relationship with a company that I had received only stellar reviews from has taken a complete turn to the worst experience with a service provider that I have ever encountered. I would like to see some type of responsibility taken for these issues I will present, and steps to rectify them. A simple "I apologize for the inconvenience" will not suffice.

My # 1 reason for choosing Dish Network is....

Pretty much the same letter I sent the first time, with the above amendments showing I'm more upset and that Johana didn't help. I got a pretty quick reply, it was a couple of hours later:

Dear Mr. Nic,

Thank you for your email. We apologize for the various issues that you have dealt with. Unfortunately, being that your account is bundled with your telephone provider, we do not have access to your account. Please call your telephone provider for further assistance.

Your business is greatly appreciated and we thank you for allowing us to be of assistance to you. If you have any further questions or concerns, please refer to www.dishnetwork.com or reply to this email. We are open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for your convenience. If you need us, we’ll be here.

Sincerely,

Lisa Z.

DISH Network eCare

** Please include all previous correspondence when replying. **

-----original message-----

Yeah, that's not going to cut the mustard either! I am reaching my politeness
threshhold, so I had to fire back:

So, if I understand this correctly, Dish does not care that their name is attached to subpar service?

When I have issues with my service, I am referred to a Dish representative. But when these issues involve complaints, I cannot be helped?

Am I correct in these assumptions?

You know this is going to be a long day!

Another fellow unhappy Dish Network customer...

Jim was nice enough to link me in his blog, detailing his Dish Network horror story. I refuse to let Dish get away with this shady behavior, and will continue to do whatever is in my power to bring these issues to light.

Please check out Jim's blog: Me vs. Dish Network

Without further ado....

We have all had issues at one time or another with services supplied to us, be it for a price or not. I have had multiple issue with cell phones, television programming, and internet services. Most times it is worked out and all parties are happy. For me that has been the case...until now.

I am making this in an effort to bring light to the terrible service provided by Dish Network and also to give others a place to share such experiences. I feel that this companies lack of 1st party service techs is just inexcusable. I have seen efforts like this on digg and other tech posts yield great results for people like me, a consumer getting no place with big business. So here's the rundown...

This past August I received a mailing showing a great price deal on Dish Network services. Comcast had moved into my area and prices were going sky high, something many of us can sympathize with. I mainly watch sports, and in High Def. I figured if I can get my locals and espn's in high def and save $25-$30 a month, what the heck. I contacted the retailer and started getting the wheels in motion.

At the time I wasn't to up to speed on my Dish Network equipment setup, that's what the pros are for right? I just new what services I wanted. They set me up with a HD receiver and dish. I was told I would lose no services and would love this compared to cable. The retailer even told me, " I have two tv's next to each other. One with cable's hd and one with standard def Dish. You can't tell the difference". At this rate I am super pumped about this. Plus Dish bought out the zoom hd networks.

So one guy comes out to install it, puts it on my roof. He is testing signal and is getting really low signal. In the area of 30-40 percent. He says it is like that for everyone in my area and not to worry. It was ok with no cloud cover but I started to find it would get choppy to unviewable on some of the high def channels. Not to mention I can't find my local hi def anyplace. I called the retailer back and they referred me to Dish Network customer support.

Dish began to troubleshoot and said that my dish needed re-aligned to get a better signal and a tech would be out to service it. According, to Dish this never happened. There is no record of this call ever happening. At this rate, there is no record of a total stranger coming into my house to service my equipment. It was adjusted and a few days later, the same issue came back a day or so later. I still had no local hi def.

Again I called Dish Network's customer service. This is roughly December at this point. Originally a call was scheduled for a Monday between 12-5. I took off from work that afternoon and waited 5:30 no tech, 6:00 no tech, 6:30 no tech. I call Dish about my appointment and they transfer me to service dispatch. Once there someone answers and ever so politely says "Customers don't be calling the dispatch". Oh, I am sorry, I didn't realize that being transferred to get the status of a service call now two hours overdue was my fault. When I ask for his name and his supervisor I am put on hold which quickly turns to a busy signal. When I finally get the status isn't that the "My dog ate my homework" of service calls? It needs rescheduled. Oh, and there is no record of this with Dish.

A week later a two man crew comes and re-adjusts my satellite. Signal gets into the 50-60 range, still not a great signal. I ask about the locals and they say they are not sure and contact Dish. I do so two days later because my original loss of signal is back. They are going to send out a "Pro Team". This is their first party techs who really know their stuff. They will certainly fix my issue.

Well the "Pro Team" is the same two techs from the last time who laugh that they have been resent for this. They blatantly tell me that I should never of had this installed. My shot to the HD satelite is borderline at best. They look to pole mount it but there is nothing they can do. So they get in their van for twenty minutes and tell me that the senior installer has to come out. Dish is to contact me that day to have this happen. Dish has no record of this service call either.

I contact them two days later to explain what is happening. This is all they have on record. A tech came out this past Saturday. He is not a regional installer or "ProTeam" and laughs when I ask him if he is. He gets on the roof, readjusts and I get a mid 70 signal, the best I have seen. I was pleased since no one else has come close. He comes back in and I ask him about my local hi def. He isn't sure of the stations but says to call Dish and they can tell me.I get on the phone and of course I don't have hi def locals, my dish isn't capable. WHAT! Why didn't someone tell me this months ago when I called? Why didn't I have that when I had it installed? Why did the retailer inform me I would have this from the beginning? And why, after numerous calls, is this the first time this has come up?

I am told that an installer can come out and put up the new dish no charge and I will finally have what I wanted in August. You just need to sign up for another 18 months. Excuse me? I haven't had one month back to back with full service and I am supposed to just go along with this? I explain this to her and I get "I understand your frustration, but that is all I can do." I ask to be transferred to the cancellations department,enough is enough.

There they try to talk me out of cancelling for twenty minutes. They offer ten dollars off a month for the remainder of my service, which I decline. I am informed that since I signed for 18 months an early termination fee of $10 dollars per month of service is to be charged. I tell him no way, and again explain the situation. If I am to be charged I am not cancelling in case that happens. I tell him give me the new dish and get it working for free and I will stay, a very reasonable request. He says "well, we cancel you then sir". I ask him if this will not have a fee attached and he mentions the contract again. Just so happens as well that my tv set is not authorized. Without my approval he has terminated my service with time remaining on the existing month. I am livid at this rate. I just called to get the numbers of my hd local channels and this is where my call has gone. Great service guys!

His manager informs me that there has only been one report of an issue at this point. What about my service calls, he stated there is no record. No record of techs coming to my house. No record of numerous calls for issues since September. I ask if technicians often drive thru neighborhoods looking for dishes and stopping to see if there just might be a problem then, and he states must be sir cause there is no record. I tell him this makes me want to cancel most of all and I will take them to the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint. I tell him I will not be paying this fee until then which he responds "we already have you card number sir and that will be charged".

I filed a report with the BBB yesterday in both Colorado (Dish HQ)and Pennsylvania (My area). So here is my question to you, what else can I do? All I want back is the early termination fee charged to me. That is it. Am I wrong here, if so let me know. I still have their receiver, should I keep that until there is a resolution?I am looking for any feedback possible, please help me out!

Where's my reply?

Johana:

We have forwarded your email to the appropriate department and you will be contacted within 24 to 48 hours.

It's been 57 hours, and not a hint of an attempt to contact me. This blog may have to be renamed.

"WhoWantsMySatelliteAndPhoneBusiness?"

Kinda catchy.

RE: "I'm Sorry, Maybe You Should Try Here...."

While I do understand I have a 24 - 48 hour window for a reply, I did want to have a little discussion on this last email.

Dear Johana L.,

Would it be possible for you to supply me with the name(s) of the person(s) who you have forwarded my issue to, and their contact info? I would like to be kept inside this circle of communication if at all possible.

Also, I do not wish to continue lines of convesation with customer service via phone. I have had numerous issues dealing with Dish Network customer service (see below) and when I inquired on how to file a complaint, I was referred to this email address. It seems redundant to go back to this source.

Thank you,

Nic

I'm Sorry, Maybe You Should Try Here....

I'm not even going to attempt an intro for this one. I'll comment afterwards.

Received on March 31:

Dear Mr. Nic,

Thank you for your email. We apologized for the delayed response. We have forwarded your email to the appropriate department and you will be contacted within 24 to 48 hours. We do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. You can, if you desire, still contact our customer service department at 1-800-333-3474, they will be able to assist you in resolving your concerns.

Your business is greatly appreciated and we thank you for allowing us to be of assistance to you. If you have any further questions or concerns, please refer to www.dishnetwork.com or reply to this email.

Sincerely,

Johana L.

TID:OR-Cadillac
DISH Network eCare

Wha??

Seriously, can they truly think that this situation is resolved? I'm happy with a blanket apology?

No. They know better. That is why they have "forwarded my email to the appropriate department." I especially like that they have supplied me with a number to talk to another representative who will no doubt end up causing me more grief. Did they not read my original complaint where I reported my trouble with customer service and their lies and misinformation?

Forty-eight hours ends tonite (if I have done my math correctly). I really can't believe this.

Does AT&T Care?

John Roberts, my local customer care manager, hasn't found the time to care for this customer. Very, very poor, and not really how you want to handle a situation where the customer is about to switch providers for 4 services.

From March 30:

Mr. Roberts,

I had sent you a letter with a descriptive recount of my unacceptable
experience with your partner company, Dish Network.

I do understand that the practices that Dish Network exhibits are not entirely reflective of AT&T, but I would expect some kind of acknowledgment of my situation. As it stands, Dish Network is forcing me to consider new options for my cable/satellite TV needs. As you are probably aware, other competitive providers offer bundle services which could pull my business elsewhere.

Again, thank you for your time. I would appreciate to hear your thoughts on this matter. As a courtesy, I have forwarded the letter, just in case you misplaced it.

Thank you,

Nic

Still Waiting....

Johana hadn't gotten back to me yet, even after supplying my account info. I can only assume that after seeing the notes, it was decided it was better to have a higher-up address my concerns. I sent this (3/30/07) as a reminder that I am still dealing with an unresolved issue.

Dear Johana L.,

I was wondering if you had found the time to review my account information so we could continue our discussion.

In case you have misplaced my email with your requested info, I have forwarded it.

Thank you,

Nic

Complaints Board

I have posted on Complaints Board (http://www.complaintsboard.com).

There are tons of other Dish Network related posts there as well.

In particular, you can find my complaint here (at the bottom). Very similar to what is already posted on this blog, but I wanted to give a link.

Nic

My Response to "Johana L."

Johana was nice enough to send me a polite letter yesterday apologizing for not providing me with "world class service." She also asked for me to provide my account information. I have obliged, and in the process, I've asked her for the "notes" on my account as well.

I'm not sure how this will go over. I'm sure I will never see them, but it is something I'm curious to see.

The rest of my reply is pretty standard. It's still the devloping stage of this process, so there isn't a lot of "action." :)

Without delay.....

Dear Johana L.,

Thank you for your reply. I received it in a much shorter time than anticipated!

For starters, here is the information that you have requested:

Phone #: (removed)
Acct #: (through AT&T) (removed)
Name on Acct: (removed)

I feel that it would be most effective if you were to consult the numerous "notes' on my account to become better acquainted with the situation before continuing our discussion. As a favor, I would like to receive a copy of these "notes" for my records, as I would like to compare to what has actually occurred.

Thank you again. I look forward to your prompt reply, and future discussion on how Dish Network will improve their customer service and their appreciation for their customer base.

Sincerely,

Nic

Dish Network Response

This is the first response I have received regarding my letter. Not too bad, as it has been less than 24 hours.

Dear Nic,

Thank you for your email. We want to apologize for not meeting your expectations in customer service. We pride ourselves with providing each and every customer with a positive experience when contacting us. Feedback from our customers, both positive and negative, drives the quality of our customer service. It is apparent in our quest for providing our customers with world class customer service, we have fallen short. The decisions made are based on company policy. If we find that a policy is negatively impacting the majority of our customer’s satisfaction, that policy is scrutinized for effectiveness. Again, we apologize for any confusion or inconvenience caused by this issue.

In order to research your account, we will need more account information. Please provide us with the phone number listed on your account and your account number so that we may further assist you.

Your business is greatly appreciated and we thank you for allowing us to be of assistance to you. If you have any further questions or concerns, please refer to www.dishnetwork.com or reply to this email.

Sincerely,

Johana L.

TID:OR-Cadillac

DISH Network eCare

***Please include previous correspondence when replying***

My reply will be soon to come!

Updates

I will be continually updating this blog with any information that I receive.

I will also be replying to any comments posted, and any constructive criticism or advice will be used to improve the blog and the process.

I sincerely appreciate any and all who take the time to help out here, whether it is dropping a line(comment), reading this and passing it to a friend, or whatever else you may choose!

Thank you again!

Nic

The Formal Complaint

The letter sent to Dish Network:

feedback@customermail.dishnetwork.com

and my "local" AT&T Customer Care MGR, Mr. John Roberts:

jr1271@att.com

To Whom It May Concern:


What started as an optimistic relationship with a company that I had received only stellar reviews from has taken a complete turn to the worst experience with a service provider that I have ever encountered.

My # 1 reason for choosing Dish Network is the fact that when I signed up (June 2005), Dish Network was paired with the then SBC - a company that I had family members working for. My theory has always been to support your family's employer, as you are supporting your family. I only wish that companies that you support thought that of their customer family.

My concern is that after 2 years of being a faithful customer of Dish (through AT&T or SBC), and subscribing to all of AT&T's services (landline, DSL, Cingular), the customer service and scheduling departments of Dish continue to treat me and my wife like complete idiots, and make outlandish lies and accusations.

My request: I would like to receive my local market channels in High Definition. Nothing more, nothing less. This has been the biggest struggle of my life, leading to numerous fights stemming from "why have I done this and caused all these problems!"

Issue # 1: My originally scheduled appointment is cancelled due to high winds...not a problem. We reschedule for the next Saturday 8-12. After waiting around until noon, I make a call. I find out that the appointment is not for today; rather it was for Monday (5 days earlier). The rep then proceeds to tell me that the change was made by me, it is my fault, and too bad.

Issue # 2: My newly scheduled appointment (8 - 12) is also a no show. After waiting around half of the day, I decide that we are going out. Out of curiosity, I leave my cell number on the door to see when the installer arrives. Sometime between 1:30 and 2:00, I receive a call asking if I am inside of my house for the appointment. At this point, I am done for the day.

Issue # 3: The Sunday following the 2nd no show, I call to see what had happened, and reschedule the appointment. A very rude man states that there is no one available to expedite a new work order for that day. In fact, there are no dispatchers available on Sundays. Apparently, I'm way out of line to expect that someone would want to help me reschedule an appointment, and he was more than willing to let me know and hang up. I call a few more times, and get a new appointment for the next Saturday.

Issue # 4: The installer finally shows up....2 hours late. I had almost given up on him. But, he does not come with the correct equipment. We had been promised that we would receive the upgraded dish, replacing our hideous 2 dish monstrosity on the roof, which I have never been able to understand why we had installed. (I have received a lot of differing opinions.) He does the install. He also uses my phone, and paces the hallway into our bedroom (only once) without even considering asking my permission. But we have HD finally!

Issue # 5: Let's just lump sum all the lies I've heard up to this point as one problem. It always seems like a rush to get me off the phone, and I've been told what I want to hear numerous times to quiet me. The most recent being on the above installation day. A kind rep told me she would enter in a work order to replace our 2 dishes with one for the following Monday. Of course, it never happened (and led to a 2 hour phone call...again).

Issue # 6: I call to ask again for one dish. The man snidely says I cannot get this. Period! I remark that my friends have it, and it exists. He denies. I explain further. He denies. I say the neighbor has it. He then changes his story from a lie to that we must pay an extra fee, since he's not sending a tech to do this for free. I argue a bit with him, since I'm pretty annoyed, and he hangs up.

Issue # 7: I call cancellations. I have had enough, and decide they have one last chance before I cancel to make it right. A very nice rep does everything he can. He assures me that all the right equipment will be available for the tech to choose from. The install is free, and he's taking care of it. The next day comes, the installer hasn't shown up at 5, which is ok, but I see the local channels are completely gone now. I call, and my work order is blamed. And they note it's been moved to the next day. I ask for a manager, and lobby to get my locals back, but I will lose my work order. At this point, I'm just pro whatever will make my TV functional again. I agree. He does something, mumbles and then asks if there's anything else he can do and starts to hang up. This starts a discussion of how I cannot have it both ways. Either I have locals, and no work order, or a new work order is issued and I lose locals. Ridiculous! He then hangs up.

Here's the fun part. Fifteen minutes later, the original installer for today calls. He's 20 minutes away, and will be right here. What? He comes, and completes the order. We have one dish now. Our locals still were not back on when he finished, and he had to again call CS to turn them on. Out of skepticism, I would not sign his order until the locals were on. How am I to approve the HD channels, if they are not present?

My point? I don't like to be lied to. I don't like to be belittled. I do not appreciate being blamed for Dish Network's mistakes. I, for one, would like some sort of sincere apology from Dish, and to see that something is being done to prevent future customers from being treated in this way. I would also like AT&T to be made aware of their partner's inappropriate practices, as this will most likely cost them our service in all forms. I hate to leave them, for family reasons, but I can't be a part of this any longer.

I look forward to your future response to the above issues, and the dialogue that will stem from it. Please also be aware that this letter is being forwarded to numerous sources, email and websites.

Thank you for your upcoming prompt response!

Nic

The Issues: A Summary

Issue # 1: My first legitimate appointment is a no show, and after calling, I find that it was rescheduled for a day that I did not choose. New appt. is rescheduled for a week later.

Issue # 2: My 2nd rescheduled appointment (8 - 12) is also a no show. Out of curiosity, I leave my cell number on the door to see when the installer arrives. Sometime between 1:30 and 2:00, I receive a call asking if I am inside of my house for the appointment.

Issue # 3: I call to see what had happened with the 2nd rescheduled appointment that was missed. I try to see if an appointment is available for that day, and after discussion, I am hung up on. I call a few more times, and get a new appointment for the next Saturday.

Issue # 4: The installer shows up....2 hours late. We had been promised that we would receive the upgraded single dish, replacing our 2 dish eyesore on the roof. We do not get our correct dish, but he does the install. He also uses my phone, and paces the hallway into our bedroom (only once) without even considering asking my permission.

Issue # 5: An accumulation of misinformation, lies, and blame that was put on me for scheduling problems.

Issue # 6: I call to ask again for one dish. I am told I cannot get this. I am then told I will pay extra for it. I again am hung up on.

Issue # 7: I call cancellations. I decide they have one last chance before I cancel to make it right. A very nice rep (Tom, ID # 8HB) does everything he can. He assures me that all the right equipment will be available for the tech to choose from when he arrives the next day. The next day comes, and when I arrive home I see that all the local channels are gone. I call Dish to get my locals back. I am told I have 2 choices: locals on my tv, or a work order in the system. Conclusion: he hangs up on me, and nothing is resolved.

Why Does Dish Network Hate Me?

This is the question I am in search of answering.

My goal here is to make the public aware of the poor customer service, and lack of care that Dish Network provides to their customers. I will be filing a formal complaint with both Dish Network for the poor service, AT&T for backing their service, and it will also be submitted to sites such as Consumerist.com and Digg.com.

Feel free to comment and link to this whenever you feel fit.

Thank you,

Nic