# Any way to lower my bill?



## mr_mark95 (Jan 3, 2008)

I am frustrated with by bill increases over the last year. I am probably switching to DTV. I like Dish but can not continue to pay this amount. Any suggestions?

I have three VIP 722s.

America's Everything Pak $104.99
HD 250 $10.00
HD Duo (2TV) DVR Receiver $17.00
DVR Service $6.00
Service Plan (15) $6.00
HD Duo (2TV) DVR Receiver $17.00
Dish Platinum $10.00

Monthly Charges $170.99


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## tampa8 (Mar 30, 2002)

I suggest switching to Direct TV. They don't raise their rates and always cost less than dish. :sure:


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## scooper (Apr 22, 2002)

It really doesn't matter which provider you go with - given the level of programming you're taking, after new sub deal is over, they'll all be expensive.

If you want to reduce your bill - reduce your programming and the number of receivers on your account.


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## gtal98 (Jan 30, 2011)

There are multiple ways to lower your bill - the 2 that jump out at me are you're paying $10 for HD which you can get for free (if you sign a new 2-year commitment, or pay a one-time $99 fee). You're also paying $10 for HD Platinum - do you watch any of these channels? Most people don't. Also, if you're confident you won't have problems with your installation or equipment you could remove the $6 Service Plan fee - but be prepared for a $95 service call fee if something goes wrong.

Beyond that, I'm assuming you're a movie lover if you're paying for the Everything Pak - if not, then drop down to the Top 200 or 250.

After that it's hardware changes - do you need DVR on all 6 TV's? Do you need 6 separate TV channels? Basically you can get one Duo DVR for free, after that it's $7/month per room, and an additional $3/month for each DVR receiver (not room).


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## domingos35 (Jan 12, 2006)

mr_mark95 said:


> I am frustrated with by bill increases over the last year. I am probably switching to DTV. I like Dish but can not continue to pay this amount. Any suggestions?
> 
> I have three VIP 722s.
> 
> ...


exchange 2 of the 722's for 2 211's and attach EHD to both turning them into DVR'S without the DVR fees


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## NickF DISH (Dec 28, 2010)

You are paying $10 for HD which we now offer for free like gtal98 mentioned which would be one option. If you would like to PM me your account number I can see what all is available.


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

tampa8 said:


> I suggest switching to Direct TV. They don't raise their rates and always cost less than dish. :sure:


:thats::lol:


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## Orion9 (Jan 31, 2011)

We're paying Dish about $50/mo without any promotions, so yes, it's very possible to lower your bill. You just need to choose what you really want/need.


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## inazsully (Oct 3, 2006)

If you can cancel with no penalty then drop the $6 maint fee. If something breaks just tell "E" to fix it you'll switch to "D". They'll set you up at no cost and at a lower rate for the first year.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

Cut programming back or cut down on the number of receivers....those are the options.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

mr_mark95 said:


> I have three VIP 722s.


I'm going to assume you're serious about saving.

As noted on your bill, you pay $17 a piece for two of them. You could save $7 a piece ($14 a month) just by going to two 612's which may be able to do everything you need.



> America's Everything Pak $104.99
> HD 250 $10.00,
> Dish Platinum $10.00


This combination is costing you $125 a month. And by getting "everything" you miss opportunities to get savings like 3 months of a free premium.

If you changed to AT200 and a couple of premiums, plus getting the HD charge removed as mentioned by others, the bill would drop to $84 a month saving a whopping $41 a month. Yes, you may lose a channel or two on which someone in your household watches one show a week. They may be able to stream the show on line.

So if you did everything suggested here you could save $55 a month. You could do even more or something less. But you easily could make changes that would save you at least 20%.

Now I'll be the first to admit I haven't been able to get my adult daughter to change her package in her household because she might miss a couple of programs a month. But life is a series of choices.


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## satcrazy (Mar 16, 2011)

tampa8 said:


> I suggest switching to Direct TV. They don't raise their rates and always cost less than dish. :sure:


Just left them after their second increase in a little over a year. The choice package [ NOT a great line-up] , standard def reciever [ 2] That's right, no HD, and they dropped several channels that I actually watched. All for the low, low, price of $69.99.

The only things I will miss is MLB and 101.

Even after dish's promo pricing is over, I'll have a better package for less. Price is gauranteed until 2013. Then we''ll see what happens.......


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

tampa8 said:


> I suggest switching to Direct TV. They don't raise their rates and always cost less than dish. :sure:


DirecTV Costs more because they have NFLST. That's a hidden cost. I'll never switch to DirecTV:nono::nono::nono::nono:


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## Paul Secic (Dec 16, 2003)

mr_mark95 said:


> I am frustrated with by bill increases over the last year. I am probably switching to DTV. I like Dish but can not continue to pay this amount. Any suggestions?
> 
> I have three VIP 722s.
> 
> ...


You can get the STARZ promo for free for a year. I dropped AEP because Showtime doesn't have quality movies.


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## tampa8 (Mar 30, 2002)

satcrazy said:


> Just left them after their second increase in a little over a year. The choice package [ NOT a great line-up] , standard def reciever [ 2] That's right, no HD, and they dropped several channels that I actually watched. All for the low, low, price of $69.99.
> 
> The only things I will miss is MLB and 101.
> 
> Even after dish's promo pricing is over, I'll have a better package for less. Price is gauranteed until 2013. Then we''ll see what happens.......


I think you missed my sarcasm... As Jon Lovizt would say "Acting" .....


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## archer75 (Oct 13, 2006)

Personally I just go with Dish America and have the VIP722 receiver. I pay a whopping $41/month. 

And even with that I feel like I watch too much tv!

Do you really need so many receivers? Do you really need so many channels? You say you can't continue to pay that amount. The solution is simple, reduce your packages and cut your receivers.


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## Wilf (Oct 15, 2008)

archer75 said:


> Do you really need so many receivers? Do you really need so many channels? You say you can't continue to pay that amount. The solution is simple, reduce your packages and cut your receivers.


When we dropped the core package, we missed not having a couple of the channels for a couple of days. Then we got over it and don't miss them at all. Most of what we watch now comes from Netflix streaming.


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## razorbackfan (Aug 18, 2002)

I went to the cheapest package I could find after paying almost $100 a month. Dish America so now my bill is $42.00 a month with dvr service. I don't miss all those channels, except for Fox News. I can't stand CNN. Even at $42.00 a month, I still think that's way too much.

I forgot to add, I'm stuck with Dish or Directv here. Cable or anything else isn't available.


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## 4HiMarks (Jan 21, 2004)

I'm going to be looking into this too, but I may try to go even cheaper. We just got FiOS TV installed over the weekend. I'm going to evaluate it for a while, and when the new v1.9 firmware comes out, I will take a long hard look at both programming packages. I might drop DISH down to the absolute minimum required to still be able to watch the content on my EHD, and use OTA in case the FiOS goes out.


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## DoyleS (Oct 21, 2002)

$170 per month and it doesn't look like you even have locals. With 3 722s unless you have a half dozen people all watching different shows, it sure seems like you could do some cabling to eliminate one of those receivers and live with two 722s. HBO does some nice series but having all of the premium channels seems like a lot of repetition. As mentioned earlier, Netflix for $10 a month gives a lot of streaming and mailed DVDs.


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## [email protected] Network (Jan 6, 2011)

DoyleS said:


> $170 per month and it doesn't look like you even have locals.


That is in the AEP (included in price, not a separate line item anymore).



mr_mark95 said:


> I am frustrated with by bill increases over the last year. I am probably switching to DTV. I like Dish but can not continue to pay this amount. Any suggestions?


As NickF mentioned, let us take a look at the bill and see what we can do. Also, having a list of channels you "cannot live without" is always a good thing, as it helps to cut out the programming that you CAN live without. There are plenty of options to decrease your bill, and rather then sitting idle when we could lose a customer, NickF and I would rather reach out and offer our help. PM us a phone number if you want us to have a look and see what we can do to get that bill lower.


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## jsk (Dec 27, 2006)

Without knowing much about your preferences, here are possible suggestions:

* Drop the service plan. You can always add it right before a service call and drop it 4 months later without penalty. Disadvantage: None
* Have only one 722 and split the TV2 signal among the rest of your TVs (you may need to buy extra remotes). Disadvantage: You would need to watch the same programming on the rest of your TVs.
* Get other people to join E* via the ClubDish program. See http://www.dishnetwork.com/clubdish. You get $50 off your bill (in $5/mo increments) for every referral & free PPV.
* Drop down to a much lower package and get a NetFlix (or another similar service) subscription for movies and other programming. You can usually get a month's free trial. Disadvantage: Lower quality online.
* Compare with other TV providers (include bundling savings with Internet, telephone, and/or cell phone). This is a little tricky, but for an upcoming move, I created a spreadsheet with different options (e.g. keep E* and use Verizon FIOS for Internet/Phone/Cell, or E* (TV), Comcast (Internet), Verizon (POTS/Cell) or go with Verizon FIOS for TV/Internet/Phone/Cell Phone (include E* Early Termination Fee if applicable)). Check with E*, D*, & local cable/FIOS companies to see if they have any bundling options in your area for TV, Phone, Internet, &/or Cell Phone service. Keep in mind that cable phone service is a little less reliable than other providers. Disadvantage: Very time consuming

Of course, you would want to compare channel lineups (including HD if that is important), picture quality (maybe go to a friend's house who has a different provider), fees, etc.


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## pistolpete52 (Sep 3, 2010)

I'm switching to Dish from Directv tomorrow. *D* is more expensive than you think. It looks like you're getting a lot for your money. Directv's equivalent to what you have will be more expensive.


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## bebop (Mar 27, 2011)

You could lower it by $36/month if you drop the service plan (not needed), change the 2 722's to 612's and sign up for the free HD. You'd get about the same functionality, same programming. I'd even drop the platinum and save another $10 bringing the total savings to $46/month.


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## rocket69 (Oct 27, 2008)

I was in this problem also at one time .

My gear was $21 extra and DVR service was Free on the AEP 
When i jumped to Direct dish wanted $ 50 for the same gear that ive had since day one.

If you need 6tv's its going to be hard to go any place for less other then OTA or Basic cable no box.

Drop to the 250 and do netflix. Ditching the service plan with DVR's on your account is not a good thing unless you want to roll the dice and hope dish will charge you $15 service calls when the hard drives fails.


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## bebop (Mar 27, 2011)

Add the service plan later if you need it. I agree, you likely don't watch all those movies anyway, and netflix is great these days ($8 online only, or $10 with DVD's). That satisfied my movie craving and can cut costs considerably over the AEP programming.


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## Mike500 (May 10, 2002)

I'd go with dual tuner Vip222K receivers, activate the external hard drive DVD feature for a one time $40 charge and get HD for Life.

The non-DVR receivers are ultra reliable and last almost forever. It's the hard drive that goes bad. The toughest and quiretest hard drives are the 2.5 inch Western Digital Passport ones. A 500 Gig one, using one USB 2 cable sells for about $60 delivered. They are extremenly quiet; they use very little power; and they have two year warranties. If one goes bad, just unplug it and plug in another. And they continually have higher capacacities at lower price as time goes by. Having the hard drive outside of the receiver allows the receiver and the drive to run cooler and last a lot longer.

That way, you can chuck the service plan.

The current EA or WA lnb has two ports. With 221k's you can hook up to three dual tuner 221k's with no expensive multiswitch.

As a spare, I purchased a brand new EA lnb for $22 delivered, in case I need to replace it.

And, in the rare case that a receiver goes bad. Dish will send you a replacement almost always for free or just the $15 shipping charge, if you agree to another 2 year commitment. DirecTV does the same.

These recurring charges are budget killers.

Then, you can get any package you'd want and avoid the DVR fees as well and the HD fee.

So, by doing what I said, you'd pay the minimum in fees; and extra $7 each month for each HD receiver.


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## BobaBird (Mar 31, 2002)

DVR conversion is not yet available for the 222/222k, just the 211/211k. Receivers that can use an EHD require it to have its own power supply rather than being USB-powered.


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## SingleAction (Apr 29, 2005)

tampa8 said:


> I suggest switching to Direct TV. They don't raise their rates and always cost less than dish. :sure:


So which do you have?

If you have Dish, why are you a choir boy for Direct?


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## Mike500 (May 10, 2002)

BobaBird said:


> DVR conversion is not yet available for the 222/222k, just the 211/211k. Receivers that can use an EHD require it to have its own power supply rather than being USB-powered.


Thanks for the heads up on the 222/222K.

I would still recommend the 2.5 inch laptop EHD. Some have two USB connectors on a "Y" cable. If it doesn't one is readily available cheap, as well as a USB wall wart.


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## [email protected] Network (Jan 6, 2011)

Mike500 said:


> I'd go with dual tuner Vip222K receivers, activate the external hard drive DVD feature for a one time $40 charge and get HD for Life.


As already addressed, the 222/222k will not support an EHD or DVR functionality, and that statement is likely to remain factual indefinitely.



Mike500 said:


> The non-DVR receivers are ultra reliable and last almost forever. It's the hard drive that goes bad. The toughest and quiretest hard drives are the 2.5 inch Western Digital Passport ones. A 500 Gig one, using one USB 2 cable sells for about $60 delivered. They are extremenly quiet; they use very little power; and they have two year warranties. If one goes bad, just unplug it and plug in another. And they continually have higher capacacities at lower price as time goes by. Having the hard drive outside of the receiver allows the receiver and the drive to run cooler and last a lot longer.


As also addressed, even on receivers that do support EHD hook-up whether for archiving or DVR-activation, the drive you recommend is not supported due to the power available on USB. The drive must be a self-powered (independent power cord), single platter drive (not flash or RAID), and be between 50GB and 1 TB for a VIP211/211k, and up to 2 TB for an HD-DVR (EHD not supported at all on SD receivers).



Mike500 said:


> The current EA or WA lnb has two ports. With 221k's you can hook up to three dual tuner 221k's with no expensive multiswitch.


Just to clarify, 1k.4 and 1k.2 dishes have 3 ports (output) and 1 input. I assume the receivers you are mentioning are the 222 models and this is just a typo.



Mike500 said:


> And, in the rare case that a receiver goes bad. Dish will send you a replacement almost always for free or just the $15 shipping charge, if you agree to another 2 year commitment. DirecTV does the same.


Simply put, NO. A two year commitment is not required for defective receiver replacement. With a service plan the shipping fee is waived, and without one shipping is $15. If the receiver is purchased and out of warranty, there may be a $75 (most recent information) flat-rate repair fee. Either way, no commitment. There are other stipulations, but this information pertains to the vast majority of customers that require a replacement when there is no physical damage done to the defective receiver.

The only time a two year commitment is required is when upgrading leased equipment with more leased equipment, and there may still be an upgrade charge, depending. The purpose of the 2 year commitment is to prevent customers from paying full MSRP for a receiver that becomes useless if service is discontinued with DISH. Selling purchased equipment is permitted, but the initial cost of the receiver may never be recovered.



Mike500 said:


> So, by doing what I said, you'd pay the minimum in fees; and extra $7 each month for each HD receiver.


With regard to receiver fees per month (regardless of HD or SD, and also does not apply to primary receiver) the fees are: Duo DVR, $17; Duo, $14; Solo DVR, $10; Solo, $7. In addition to the receiver fees, there is an account level DVR fee of $6 for SD/HD DVRs, unless its the ViP922 which makes the account level DVR fee $10.

To the OP and anyone else, if you are still looking for ways to save money, my team and I would be more then happy to review your account. Understand that this does not mean we will discount the service, but we will certainly look for ways to reduce the payment and/or make suggestions that will save you money in the long run. We are official DISH Network employees, and our whole purpose here in the forums is to improve your experience with DISH in any way that we can. Thanks.


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## scorpion43 (Mar 16, 2011)

SingleAction said:


> So which do you have?
> 
> If you have Dish, why are you a choir boy for Direct?


he's beeing sarcastic


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## Mike500 (May 10, 2002)

[email protected] Network said:


> As already addressed, the 222/222k will not support an EHD or DVR functionality, and that statement is likely to remain factual indefinitely.
> 
> As also addressed, even on receivers that do support EHD hook-up whether for archiving or DVR-activation, the drive you recommend is not supported due to the power available on USB. The drive must be a self-powered (independent power cord), single platter drive (not flash or RAID), and be between 50GB and 1 TB for a VIP211/211k, and up to 2 TB for an HD-DVR (EHD not supported at all on SD receivers).
> 
> ...


Thanks for your update;

While I've been in the business when TV4 (later named Vanguard 1) was launched and Echo 1 and the Tiros weather satellite were the only US satellites in orbit, I left the DBS business in 2007. I met James Van Allen at NASA, when he discovered the radiation belts which bear his name. At that time I was an engineering intern from my college at NASA. As a teenager, I installed TV antennas in the early 1960's. So, I'm not as up to date as you are on Dish Network. I met Charlie in Houston in 1985, when I installed c-band. Those were the days, when you could really make money on satellite.


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