# HD Pricing confusion



## mklatman (Jan 21, 2006)

I am a current HD subscriber with a 942 and a couple of 510's. When the April 1 promotion kicks in I will be upgrading to the 622. By then E* will also have HD locals for Denver (or so I hope).

I am an AEP customer today and pay $105 per month. I called customer service this morning to learn what my monthly bill would be with the equivalent -- Platinum HD + HD locals. They quoted me a price of $120.99 per month. I was expecting pricing similar to what I am paying now.

Can this possibly be right? The CSR didn't seem that with it, so I am hoping she was just wrong.


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## BFG (Jan 23, 2004)

Dish HD Platinum w/locals $104.99

SD Receiver $5
SD Receiver $5

114.99

the additional $6 quote must be for the 622 lease


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## mklatman (Jan 21, 2006)

BFG said:


> Dish HD Platinum w/locals $104.99
> 
> SD Receiver $5
> SD Receiver $5
> ...


They currently waive my extra receiver fees because of AEP, so this ends up being a bad deal for people like me...


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## BFG (Jan 23, 2004)

no they dont. They only waive your DVR fees.


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## tomcrown1 (Jan 16, 2006)

I called the CSR rep and was told that the $5 fee for the each tuner will be waved if hooked up to a phone line


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## mklatman (Jan 21, 2006)

BFG said:


> no they dont. They only waive your DVR fees.


I stand corrected. Between access fees, leased receiver fees and DVR fees (waived in my case) it gets quite confusing.


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## CABill (Mar 20, 2005)

mklatman said:


> I stand corrected. Between access fees, leased receiver fees and DVR fees (waived in my case) it gets quite confusing.


Heck, it is even confusing that you currently pay $105. The current price for AEP w/locals is $89.99 and you pay $15 more than that ($10 makes sense for the two 510s). Is the $105 figure what you have been paying (AEP increased by $3 on 1Feb), or was that bill generated in the past week with new pricing?


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

CABill said:


> Heck, it is even confusing that you currently pay $105. The current price for AEP w/locals is $89.99 and you pay $15 more than that ($10 makes sense for the two 510s). Is the $105 figure what you have been paying (AEP increased by $3 on 1Feb), or was that bill generated in the past week with new pricing?


Actually $105 sounds about right... if he is paying $89.99 + $10 for 2 other receivers + sales tax for his state probably making up the rest of the bill to get to about $105


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## CABill (Mar 20, 2005)

But AEP + 2 $5 extra receivers mean he doesn't sub to HD PAK with a 942. I do, but it only costs me $4.99 after the $5 HD promotion (that disappears with a HD-metal sub). Now, he will sub to HD Platinum and his bill doesn't go up by $20, only $15? 

CA is big on taxes, but I'm not accustomed to any at all on my DISH bill. It could also be that he has always paid $5/month more for the older lease.

I'm confused, that's nothing new.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I'm always confused... I just don't always know it!


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

you're not a Dish Home Plan sub are you? My bill is like $111.89 or something, and it's $94.99 for AEP/2rcvrs/locals, then $4.99 extra rcvr and $9.99 HD pack. 

wierd stuff. so I'm really curious how the billing is gonna go for me because I don't want to drop the DHP program I'm on  I like it being free when I call a tech out


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## Paul43 (Feb 2, 2006)

mklatman said:


> I am a current HD subscriber with a 942 and a couple of 510's. When the April 1 promotion kicks in I will be upgrading to the 622. By then E* will also have HD locals for Denver (or so I hope).
> 
> I am an AEP customer today and pay $105 per month. I called customer service this morning to learn what my monthly bill would be with the equivalent -- Platinum HD + HD locals. They quoted me a price of $120.99 per month. I was expecting pricing similar to what I am paying now.
> 
> Can this possibly be right? The CSR didn't seem that with it, so I am hoping she was just wrong.


I had similar logic disconnects with the CSRs on this issue. At first glance you would think the AT180 +DHP and Gold HD would be a wash but it isn't. Granted, you get additional (what I call teenie bopper) channels but I do not want them. I want the Atlanta HD channels. I only lease receivers (maybe not smart). Bottom line, a significant price jump for me to go 'Gold'.

I don't hook up to tele since I don't do PPV. Maybe that would help.


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

hey mk, something else to think about. If you were paying $105, and didn't have voom, then the new HD package is $10 more right off the bat. So at that point the difference is $5.99, about the cost of the lease. 

I'm expecting my deal will go up a couple dollars too if there is a lease fee, which will really stink. I'm only at $111 right now with AEP and HD and 3 rcvrs. and it would be $105 for PlatHD+locals before any other fees.


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## mklatman (Jan 21, 2006)

CABill said:


> Heck, it is even confusing that you currently pay $105. The current price for AEP w/locals is $89.99 and you pay $15 more than that ($10 makes sense for the two 510s). Is the $105 figure what you have been paying (AEP increased by $3 on 1Feb), or was that bill generated in the past week with new pricing?


I had been paying $102. Most recent bill is $105 because of the $3 increase in AEP. Is that still higher than it should be? Sometimes it seems like they make up the prices as they go along.


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## mklatman (Jan 21, 2006)

Rogueone said:


> hey mk, something else to think about. If you were paying $105, and didn't have voom, then the new HD package is $10 more right off the bat. So at that point the difference is $5.99, about the cost of the lease.
> 
> I'm expecting my deal will go up a couple dollars too if there is a lease fee, which will really stink. I'm only at $111 right now with AEP and HD and 3 rcvrs. and it would be $105 for PlatHD+locals before any other fees.


This sounds like the most apples to apples comparison. For the benefit of anyone interested my itemized bill looks like this (942 and two 510s, all on phone lines):

89.99 (AEP)
5.00 (leased receiver fee)
5.00 (additional receiver access fee)
9.99 (HD package)
-5.00 (HD promotion adjustment)
.24 (tax)


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## CABill (Mar 20, 2005)

Two users with the same equipment and programming may see different pricing line items and totals on their bill. Initially, you said you were "expecting pricing similar to what I am paying now". If you aren't getting any satellite HD programming now, you should "expect" to pay $15 more for HD Platinum than you pay for AEP. That is to cover the cost of adding all the previous HD PAK and 10 Voom channels, plus the 7 newly added HD channels that are unique to the HD-Metal packages.

The currently listed price for AEP is $90 w/locals and you should pay $5/month for each non-HD extra receiver and $6/month for an HD receiver that isn't your primary receiver. If you have two 510s at $5 each, that gets you to $100. There could be $5 in tax as someone mentioned. There are many possiblities for that other $5. Do you have 3 510s? If your 942 wasn't plugged into a phone line, there would be a $5 "no phoneline" fee. It would NOT say that on a line item on the bill though. If you post the line items on the recent bill, it might make more sense. 

I don't know if $105 is higher than it should be - I could only get to $100.

EDIT: As soon as I posted, it became apparent where your current missing $5 came from - you get the HD PAK now, but for $5 after the promotion. Normally, you would only increase $15 by moving from AEP to HD Platinum, but you will lose that HD Promotion adjustment if you switch from HD PAK to HD - any metal. How many more months do you have in your 12 month promotion of the HD PAK?


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## CABill (Mar 20, 2005)

mklatman - I've got one last question for you. 

5.00 (leased receiver fee)
5.00 (additional receiver access fee)

Did you purchase both 510s but email [email protected] to get the 942 on a lease? If not the 942, did you get a 510 as a lease upgrade at some point in time?

Thanks!


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## mklatman (Jan 21, 2006)

CABill said:


> mklatman - I've got one last question for you.
> 
> 5.00 (leased receiver fee)
> 5.00 (additional receiver access fee)
> ...


The 942 is owned. One 510 is leased; the other is owned. My HD pricing promotion runs out at the end of July.

A CSR told me this morning, that the pricing promotion would remain in place even if I upgrade to one of the metal HD packages. He also told me something else that I did not know (and hope is really true) that instead of giving up my 942 when the April 1 rebate kicks in, I could keep it and turn in a 510 instead. This is a way better option for lots of obvious reasons, especially to be able to have at least MPEG-2 HDs if I ever get a second HDTV in the house.


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## CABill (Mar 20, 2005)

Thanks.

By the time we get to 1Apr, a lot more should be clear on pricing based on those that upgraded to 622s w/o the rebate. In Jan, I tried to lock in a year of HD PAK at $10 for the free month before the annual price for it disappeared on 1Feb. That would have killed the HD promotion - monthly only I was told. In my calls about the DishHD packages, I've consistently been told that the $5 promotion would go poof. Maybe not. People will have done it before 1Apr but it would be another good thing to know in advance of someone getting a new package. The details of the 1Apr rebate aren't available but I've also been consistently told that I COULD return an existing receiver for a $25 credit (mine are purchased). Also that I didn't HAVE to return any receiver I owned. Your leased 510 would seem like a great candidate. Mine would be a currently inactive 4000 in the closet!


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