Phew! After three and a half long months we finally have closure… Dish Network has finally relented and credited us back for the supposedly “free” installation. In case you haven’t been following along, we’ve been in a long and drawn out fight with both Dish Network and the local reseller over a $49.99 bill credit that we should have received but didn’t. We also weren’t receiving the Digital Home Protection Plan, which was supposed to be free After repeated attempts to fix the problem, both with the reseller as well as by going through regular customer service reps at Dish, we finally took our fight to the corporate level.
At this point, it was no longer about the money. Rather, I wanted nothing more than to make them bend to my will no matter what it took. After spending a bit over half an hour on the phone with a “Corporate Customer Service” rep, I was hopeful that things had been straightened out. She said all the right things, claimed to have called the reseller and checked with the “Promotions Manager, ” and even provided me with her direct line in case things didn’t work out.
Being the anal-retentive guy that I am, I check our account daily to see if the credit would show up. After a week, there was still no credit, but they had added on the Digital Home Protection Plan, but THEY WERE CHARGING US FOR IT. So all that time on the phone with a supposedly higher level CSR had actually made the situation worse!
I promptly picked up the phone and got the CSR’s voice mail. In her message, she promised that she would return my call within 24-72 hours. When she didn’t, I called again. Same result. So I called everyday for the rest of the week. With the same result each and every day.
At this point, I was about to drive out to Englewood, Colorado and punch someone in the face. But instead of doing that, I called EchoStar headquarters again (their number is 303-723-1000, by the way). I re-explained the situation, and asked if they had an even higher level of customer service. This time I got transferred to “Executive Escalations.” As it turns out, these are the people that you want to be talking to when you have a problem with Dish Network.
To make an extremely long story a tiny bit shorter, the Executive Escalations rep manually credited our account for the $49.99 and then promised to send an e-mail to another department to get the credits for our Digital Home Protection Plan. I balked and told her that I’d heard that same thing far too many times already with no results. She then offered to manually process the credits for the Home Protection plan, as well. The only hangup was that the credits wouldn’t show up on our account until the next day. The next morning, I held my breath while I loaded our account page online, and… VoÃla! The credits were there and our long journey toward salvation is now (seemingly) complete.
While I’m still pissed at the amount of time that I burned on this, I’m totally relieved to not have to think about this anymore. And I’m sure that it’s a relief for you regular readers knowing that you won’t have to read about it anymore!
To read my thoughts on getting customer service satisfaction (in general), read this:
Solving Customer Service Problems
And if you’re interested in the full backstory (in order), check out these links:
Our Dish Network TV Experience (So Far)
Our Dish Network Experience (Continued)
The Dish Network Runaround
Dish Network Customer Service SUCKS
Dish Network Customer Service STILL Sucks
Solving Dish Network Customer Service Problems
Dish is a family pride. but if customercomplains then an execstive specialist will block your service/ the only way they can stay in business
What needs to happen is people need to start filing official complaints with the parties who oversee telecommunication companies. You can file with your locally with the company that oversees utility and telecommunication companies. You should also file complaints with the FCC. I can’t think of the local company that oversees them name right now, but google it, but file official complaints. If enough complaints are filed, action will be taken. File with your local State’s Attorney office if you think something unethical has happened. FILE COMPLAINTS.
Got done in like a couple of other people on the ipad where the tech who installed it said we were eligible for the ipad offer… 3 months went by no ipad finally called a rep said because we signed for the 12 month discount offer we were not going to get it. I said i did not sign up for the 12 month discount the CSR did and did not say that would void out the ipad deal. So I get with customer service and they tell me we will send you an ipad but you must get 3 people to sign up for dish tv. I have recently moved to California and don’t know 3 people to sign up!!! what a crock. So i found a Dispute resolution specialist for dish tv 720-514-7082 I will be calling them and escalating this until I get my ipad this is a crock…..
Soooo….just try and cancel your sevice with Dish Network! Dish Network has STOLEN $800 from me in the last two months. I could not afford the service…so they are are breaking my back with this stuff. Lets just pick on him while he’s down. “I DO APPOLOGIZE SIR” IS GETTING REFRIGGINDICULOUS!!! Just because they have my account number. “I UNDERSTAND” means “we’re still taking the money and there is nothing you can do about it.” “Yes, our customer service guy lied about not charging your account…but we’re keeping the money because we already have it.” So…”SCREW YOU ANDY!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!” Called the number in Englewood…got $350 back because they saw that my equipment was returned. But…not the nearly $400 in “final bill” items. All because I gave them my card number. I told them not to charge that card!!! I told them to SEND ME A BILL. Their response was I got an automated phone call even though it was to the wrong number. I am now calling the BBB and my bank as well as the FCC about unethical practices of Dish Netwrk.
DISH Network customer service is worse than Comcast and that’s saying a lot. I’ve been disputing costs since 3/2011 for a service that was suppose to be put on “Pause” the end of Feb., but according to their records I didn’t call until the end of March, even though satillite service stopped in Feb. In a good faith effort I paid them $50 more than they said I owed and although the representive was authorized to take $50 more than I was owed he and his supervisor couldn’t take off a token $10 dollars on what actually started out as a $68 disputed that has me owing them $150. Now I’m suppose to be on Pause, any bets on what my bill will be?
I do apologize for any trouble you folks have had contacting us or getting a resolution. I would like to announce that DISH Network is currently available on Twitter and Facebook. If you need anything live representatives will be a click away!
feel for you…. at least it sounds like you got thru to a living person. It took me about 3 1/2 hours just to find a phone number that had human beings on it. Your deal sounds just about as bad as trying to get rid of the “FREE PROMO’s” before they kick in and start charging $$$$.
Also, might I add that it was much much easier making a phone call to the White House , and reaching an actual person than it was to try to contact any one who could help at Dish.(Fact!!)
Thanks so much for the corporate phone number. I was pulling my hair out today because of the usual rote and irrelevant responses from three different English-as-a-Second-Language DISH reps, one of whom incorrectly removed my HBO/Showtime sign-on premium two weeks early. They all told me they could not reinstate it, even though it was their error, nor could they connect me with their supervisors or give me the postal address of someone at corporate who might address my problem. After listening to the WORLD’S WORST HOLD MUSIC (arrgghh) for about 15 minutes, I called the number you gave, was immediately transferred to a nice fellow named David who, with one stroke, fixed my problem, and offered me another premium. It’s a shame a paying customer has to go to this extreme, but I’m glad they fixed the problem.
Dishnet Work are all liers, liers, they promise a rate that will never, go above what they quote during your contract and they charge more for the first bill.. No refunds to account for set up like quoted from sales person on phone. Installers make lots of damage and spend hours in your home..My exsperience has been horrible. They Lie do not go with this company. Calling and complaining does no good. It is in very small print on installation contract. Phone sales tell you what ever they want.. liers I say As you can see no one is happy…
I wish I had found this site prior to signing up for Dish Network. What a nightmare. The installation guy came at 1:00 PM and did not leave intil after 11:00PM, he drilled a hole through the fireplace when installing the cable in an upstairs bedroom. Another guy came the next day to finish the installation as there were cables just hanging all over the house. The billing has been a nightmare. I did not sign the contract I was presented with on the first night of installation so am looking into getting rid of this whole thing. Have been told they would credit back a $79.99 charge that was made to my CC. Never told about the charge, supposedly this is paid to the retailer for setting up the account. If you’re thinking of getting Dish Network, think twice!
I just do not belive you guys exist, wow been having a problem with Dish Network for months. They promised 6 months of hd free if let them take the monthly payments out of my banking account, i agreed my payments wre so suppussed to be about 80 dllrs amonth. The first month they tok out 129.00 2nd 129.00 3rd 110.00. I called about four over a span of 3months asking them to give the deal first promised. They refused to let me talk to a supervisor and that was that, untill i read your article. Anal retentive you are the BomB. Called the Excutive Escalation at the number given for the corperate Offices and talk to Mr.Bill Watson, Problem solved. He honored my original agreement. Thank you so much for careing and shareing. godbless Elton
i had a problem–got through to corprate customer service rep at echo hq–gentleman that i talked to solved my problen in two minutes–professional, courteous, and a breath of fresh air for his quick common sense.
We are going to try the number you’ve listed now after one of the worst experiences dealing with their so-called “Customer Service” after they installed dish for our tenants, without permission from the building owners (us), without the tenants (or ourselves being home), after they drilled holes in our walls and ceilings and cut OUR antenna cable to our own apartment next to the tenant apartment, not to mention several other installation flubs. We are interested in filing a police report for trespassing and vandalism, and we are notifying as many people/organizations as possible after being hung up on, transferred multiple times, talked over, and basically being treated like crap for an illegal installation that was not okayed. AND, they can’t even tell us who the local contractors were simply because the account is not in OUR name, and yet their policy is not to do any installations without prior consent from the owners, which they did NOT have. Their CSR’s and Supervisors are rude, and they lie. Any further coporate information anyone has would be appreciated. What a headache after returning from being out of town for Thanksgiving.
Thank you, Thank you for posting your nightmare!
After 2 weeks of fighting with Dish Network’s USELESS Customer “service” I finally found your blog and called the Headquarters number (303-723-1000). One of the Executive Escalations reps fixed the problem in 30 seconds.
Everyone – if you have any problems, just call 303-723-1000!
some one still needs to go punch the greedy assholes in the face!
thank you thank you!!!! i just spent over a hour trying to get a$10 charge reversed (hard to believe a dish mistake) so called customer service wouldnt give me the corp.# so once again thank you. p.s. that was not my first time dealling with the same problem.
As a former employee of Dish, please allow me to offer my condolences. I used to handle all escalated customers who showed up in the lobby of our corporate offices and I can tell you that really, your best bet would have been to drive to Englewood. The “Executive Escalations” person you spoke with was a glorified CSR in yes, gasp, a call center. I am glad that your problem is fixed.
Whoo hoo, closure!
Good for you. I hope my battle with Sears ends as well. 😉