Dish Network

[Happy Camper]

Dish Network also know as VMC Satellite has a web site that states they would provide you local TV programming and all you have to do is charge $49. 99 to your credit card and they would send you an installation certificate and in the mean time you call a number to get it set up. I called the number to get it set up and they say "YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE LOCAL PROGRAMING" meaning I cannot get the Portland channels. I contacted via e-mail the certificate issuing place and they said, "sorry the certificate has been mailed out, return it and receive a refund. "

1. I received it. 2. I sent it back the next day 1st class mail. 3. No credit on statement . (as of 12/18/01)



This took place Sept 5, 2001. I called a few minutes ago and talked with a supervisor.

COMPANY POLICY WHEN WE RECEIVE THE CERTIFICATE WE WILL CREDIT YOU. (repeated as man times as you did not want to hear it, could have been a recording for all the progress I had talking to a body. Went to Virginia, maybe hung up in the mail scare?

Anyway it looks as If they screwed me out of the installation charge as I did not send it registered mail.



A sucker is born every day. Sorry for the venting but God knew what he was doing when he made me small in stature an a very short fuse, because if I was bigger I SURE WOULD BE THUMPING ON SOMBODY.



Remember this always and you will never go wrong. "Company policy" repeat "Company policy"

 

[bigkid59]

Hey Happy Camper!



Sorry to hear about this mess. It is really representative of big business's attitude these days.



Look on the back of your credit card statement to view the steps you need to take to get this charge removed. The credit card issuers have some policies that make it possible to get these problems settled. Also, during the time you are disputing a charge, you are not required to pay that part of your statement.



Good Luck and hope this helps!

 

[Doc Tinker]

My future son-in-law works for that company and let me tell you, they are the pits. They jerk his chain way more that you can imagine. I've had some cruddy jobs, but never experienced anything like he's going through.



Doc

 

[Happy Camper]

They say it can take 30 days for the credit to show up on your bill, in the mean time the bill has been paid that had the original charge on it. I have sent e-mail on this subject to the Oregon Attorney Generals Office. I will see how it materilizes. Big business always has the upper hand. I am not going to drown without making the water boil.

 

[illflem]

Happy the reason you probably can't receive local programming is because you can receive the networks with a regular roof antenna, or at least they say you can. This is a law that the networks had invoked so that you have to watch local commercials rather than ones from a distant city. Whether you can or can't receive the networks via antenna is determined by charts that were loosely drawn up by the FCC and are not always right. When I tried to get the networks added to my Dish Network programming they said the same thing they said to you. I called and told them I couldn't get any stations with a roof antenna and they sent me a paper to sign swearing that I couldn't receive antenna TV, then they let me get the networks over the dish. The exact same thing happened when I had a big C-band satellite dish with service from another provider, in fact I had to sign the paper every two years. Good for me because I prefer to get the networks in east coast time so Leno comes on at 9 pm.

 

[Happy Camper]

Illflem. I have told the TV satallite, (direct TV), Written e-mail to the chairman of the FCC (no answer). Written to the Oregon Senator and did not get much action out of him.

Told Dish Network. No one cares or no one has balls enough to do anything about it. I can not get reception via antenna, no cable all I have is a watered down satallite reception that those father less children will not give me.



I can go about it in a crooked way but to me it is not worth doing that.



In fact you have me more information in your post than I have ever gotten from these zombies. Thanks, I will try and pursue it via phone and request an exception. May get lucky this time and get a person with brains.

 

[illflem]

Happy, did you try this? http://customersupport.dishnetwork.com/customernetqual/nqCustomerLocalsCheck.jsp

 

[illflem]

also found this

I have checked network availability and I do not qualify. Why is that?





(ie: locals, network, station, stations, fox nbc abc, cbs)





Answer

Congress has enacted laws that regulate who can and can not receive local networks via satellite by your physical address. These laws are based on the physical location of your home and its distance from broadcast towers in your area, as well as market research. The categories used to determine availability of network signals are Grade A, Grade B, and White areas.



If you live in a city that we do supply networks,

the law states:



1. If you are in a Grade “A” area (up to 20 miles from your local network broadcast tower), you can receive those networks from us.

2. If you are in a Grade “B” area (20 to 45 miles from your local network broadcast tower) you will be able to receive those networks from us and you may be able to receive partial East or West networks service s.

3. If you are in the “White” area (45 plus miles from your local network broadcast tower) you would be able to receive those local networks plus 2 Distant network packages.



If you live in a city that we do not supply networks, the law states:



1. If you are in a Grade “A” area (up to 20 miles from your local network broadcast tower), you can not receive any networks from us.

2. If you are in a Grade “B” area (20 to 45 miles from your local network broadcast tower) you may be able to receive partial East or West networks services.

3. If you are in the “White” area (45 plus miles from your local network broadcast tower) you would be able to receive 2 Distant network packages.



In addition, subscribers who were receiving distant signals as of October 31, 1999, or had distant signals terminated after July 11, 1998, may still be eligible to receive network stations provided they cannot receive over-the-air signals of Grade A intensity. Both Grade A and Grade B signal intensity is defined by congress regulation. If you are eligible to receive distant signals under these provisions, it is still up to the satellite provider to decide whether to provide the distant signals to eligible subscribers

 

[Bob Wagner]

Directv

We never lost our LA and NY feeds ( ABC & CBS East & West )



Love to watch Letterman at 8:35



and its only $5. 00 per month

 

[pnwradar]

Tell them your DishTV is on top of your RV, and you go places you can't get any local programming. Then they won't care where the billing address is, they should at least allow the West/East national feed through.



Personally, after the hassle of dealing with their unhelpful help desk, I'd buy a hacked smartcard for the receiver, and watch whatever I wanted.



-jon-

 

[WyoJim]

Happy Camper..... Best place to get your refund is with your credit card company!!!!



Our telephone company here in Basin, Wyoming will send dish network programming along with all the local TV stations through the phone line for less than dish charges.

 

[Happy Camper]

Illflem, I keyed into the link and received - Sorry, this address does not qualify for any of the DISH NETS Local Broadcast Network Packages. I should state I have Direct TV (Pegasus) but the complexities are exactly the same as Dish Network. I trusted Dish Networks web when they advertised I could receive local programming plus it has advertised in the local paper. I will call Pegasus and see if they have a waiver that can be signed etc.



I will also contact the credit card company and see what happens there.



Thanks guys.

 

[JLinder]

I know that they can be difficult, but just keep telling them you can't recieve any networks no matter what... . When I lived in town and had cable hooked to my house, I just kept telling them I couldn't get any networks by antennae and I didn't have or ever have cable... They gave me the three major networks both east and west feed. That's the way to do it, if you miss something the first time its on you can watch it again 3 hours later.



I agree, your best bet at this point is to pursue the credit with your credit card company.

 

[RustyJC]

We have DirecTV with 3 receivers - 2 at home and 1 in the RV. We pay for one main receiver and two "mirrored" receivers ($4. 95/month for each mirrored receiver). We get the Houston local stations on any of our receivers, even the one in the RV, despite the fact that the RV receiver is never hooked to a phone line.



Rusty