# Is the Hopper really that bad? Dumb Luck?



## Ravenous26 (Jul 3, 2012)

Ok..so I just purchased my first home, when I was switching my utilities over they transferred me to some company that was looking into dish/cable options. The kid on the phone was nice enough and had mentioned and almost sold me on getting the Dish Hopper set-up. However I wanted to check into a few things myself and asked him to call me back the next day...A few days later I had not heard back so I called them back myself.

So there is a new guy, I told him I wanted the Dish whole home DVR Hopper, and he proceeded to ask me questions, how many TV's, what kind and I told him, for now just 1 HD and two standards but that was going to change. He starts listing off packages and such, apologizing for them not getting back to me...saying like "well for our mistake we can offer you this, this and this"...pretty much everything the last guy and the dish website listed that everyone gets. Anyways long story short he lists off that I would get a two room DVR and a second normal box. I then once again asked about the whole home dvr and he just blew it off and I kinda thought that is what I was getting as I had mentioned it twice, and thought maybe I did not completely understand that is what it was supposed to be....

Last Friday the dish contractor guys came out, both nice, professional and no complaints really, and I asked them both where my Hopper and Joeys were and they said that is not what they had on there order for me and well to be honest I should not bet the Hopper system as it is still way to buggy and get complaints about it often and I would really like the 722K(placed in the living room and running the second line to my man-cave). As I said all and all very great guys and helpful...

However here is were I am torn...I see great reviews by the professional reviews and a number of bug complaints by the users and I am about to upgrade my one of my SD Tvs to HD Tv's (the one in the man-cave). I have only had the service a few days and not sure if all the confusion was a blessing or a curse...

On one had I am upset I asked about the Hopper a few times after originally being sold on the idea of getting it, have a nice HD TV in the man-cave with no HD option for it..On the other hand the 722k is nice and with the bugs with the Hopper maybe it is best? Options for getting HD in my Man Cave?

Thoughts? Opinions? Is it worth causing a ruckus?


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## strikes2k (Dec 10, 2008)

I had a 722k until the Joey/Hopper came out. The Hopper and Joey is much better than the 722k IMO. The bugginess is mostly minor things. The few bugs/glitches I've had certainly haven't adversely affected my ability to enjoy my programming, and the improvements over the 722 are big improvements. If you want HD in your mancave without going with a Joey/Hopper setup you're going to have to add another receiver.


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## garys (Nov 4, 2005)

Do you know if you were dealing directly with Dish or with a independent contractor? Sounds a bit fishy to me.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

From your first sentence "_when I was switching my utilities over they transferred me to some company that was looking into dish/cable options_" it sounds like you were probably dealing with a local reseller and not Dish directly.

While I have dealt with a good reseller myself, there are sometimes bad ones... and the bad ones will try and push whatever they have the most of sitting in their warehouse... so it kind of sounds like that's why they ignored your talk of the Hopper/Joey.

If you look around, there are lots of happy Hopper customers and some with problems. Similarly, you'll find happy and disappointed customers with all manner of Dish hardware installed.


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## Ravenous26 (Jul 3, 2012)

Bah, here I was hoping I had a bit of dumb luck. The first guy had me sold on it all wish I had just bit the bullet then..then the installer talked me outa it..Wonder if it is to late to get it all changed and fixed.


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## bnewt (Oct 2, 2003)

I have the 722k & I get tired of it freezing up when viewing ota channels. I never had this problem with the 722. It went out & was replaced with the 722k. I am waiting on the ota module for the hopper system before I change


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## Marlin Guy (Apr 8, 2009)

I suffered with DirecTV's HR20-700 for a long time before switching to the Hopper/Joey setup.
I have only had a couple of very MINOR glitches since it was installed in March.

My guess is that the salesperson fumbled the order and the installer didn't want to have to reschedule. Stick with the original plan and get the Hopper and Joeys.

You'll love them!


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## Inkosaurus (Jul 29, 2011)

> A few days earlier the dish contractor guys came out, both nice, professional and no complaints really, and I asked them both where my Hopper and Joeys were and they said that is not what they had on there order for me and well to be honest I should not bet the Hopper system as it is still way to buggy and get complaints about it often


I wouldnt compliment these guys just yet.

1.They told you that so that they could still get the job done and get paid instead of turning around and leaving.

2. Did they happen to tell you that if you wanted to upgrade to the hopper at a later date it wont be the same deal you would have gotten as a new customer?

The hoppers not that bad to be honest. Those techs seem shady.


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## Ravenous26 (Jul 3, 2012)

Looks like I will have to be calling dish again anyways. They were supposed to be out Monday/Tuesday end of day to finish the set up - connecting the main unit to the internet (internet was not set up till Monday). No call or no show by the techs.

All and all it seems as if I am not having any luck with Dish so far


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## smbsocal (Dec 16, 2008)

Do you know of anyone locally who has Dish Network? If so see if they could recommend a reseller. We have a great one that a friend told us about. The installers attitude and knowledge makes a world of difference.

We switched to the hopper a month ago and I have not been happier with our Dish system.


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## Ravenous26 (Jul 3, 2012)

Sadly I do not, am completely new to the area


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## jdskycaster (Sep 1, 2008)

Ravenous26 said:


> All and all it seems as if I am not having any luck with Dish so far


You are not dealing with Dish. Very unfortunate.


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

Ravenous26 said:


> Looks like I will have to be calling dish again anyways. They were supposed to be out Monday/Tuesday end of day to finish the set up - connecting the main unit to the internet (internet was not set up till Monday). No call or no show by the techs.
> 
> All and all it seems as if I am not having any luck with Dish so far


Do not sign anything tell them you wanted a Hopper&Joey.Once you sign your not a"new" customer anymore.I repeat "Do Not Sign Anything Until You Are Satisfied with your new DISH system"!!.


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## Ravenous26 (Jul 3, 2012)

So I called dish up and told them everything that happened and I had been through...their response was, "if you still want it you will have to pay full price as even though you have been a customer for less then a week you are no longer a new customer so that will be $520, and that no one is free to set up your box to the internet until next Friday"


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

That's unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected... It sounds like you have been dealing with a bad group of techs, but once you've got stuff in the house and using them and you keep them for a week then you're kind of stuck.


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## Ravenous26 (Jul 3, 2012)

The original idea was when they came back out Monday/Tuesday to complete the install, to get dish on the phone and deal with it, well with all parties present...however the Techs never showed back up. :/


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## 356B (Oct 11, 2008)

The tip off was the installer bad mouthing the Hopper. If he worked for me, today he would be unemployed....I would contact one of the Dish representative here, "DIRT". I suspect something can be worked out.


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## Ray [email protected] Network (Dec 28, 2010)

Please provide your account number to me in a PM so I can review your account and see how I can best assist you. Please provide me as much information as possible about your situation. Please let me know. Thanks.



Ravenous26 said:


> So I called dish up and told them everything that happened and I had been through...their response was, "if you still want it you will have to pay full price as even though you have been a customer for less then a week you are no longer a new customer so that will be $520, and that no one is free to set up your box to the internet until next Friday"


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

Ravenous26 said:


> The original idea was when they came back out Monday/Tuesday to complete the install, to get dish on the phone and deal with it, well with all parties present...however the Techs never showed back up. :/


Did you already sign the contract before they completed the install?.If you did and if DIRT cannot help you please let us know here as there are other avenues of recourse you can do to satisfy your situation.Good Luck!


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## Ravenous26 (Jul 3, 2012)

All and all the Hopper thing while it bugs me is and was not enough to get me fired up. I understand I signed the paperwork when they left last friday and I should have been more firm. The first guy told me about the Hopper and well Dish sponsors the radio station I listen too and all I hear are Hopper ads, but in the end that is what I get for assuming. If I am stuck with it so be it, I am and would be fine with that. My original reason for posting was to see from you all if the Hopper was worth it and if so give me some motivation to call Dish while the techs were here to finish the work.

My main issues was that the techs never came out to finish the install which cost me a day at work. When I called to find out why they had not came out, I was told it would be another week before they could hook up the boxes, something from what I understand takes less then 15 minutes to do. Then about 10 minutes after I get off the phone with them stating that while I was upset, and "might" cancel but I would need to call back (always best to calm down, I have enjoyed my first week with dish to be honest even with all of this), I get an email stating my service visit for next week was canceled and if I did not authorize that to call the 1-800.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Please do PM the DIRT rep above (Ray C) who offered to help. The DIRT reps that post here are Dish employees that have been able to help lots of customers.

It sounds like you got jerked around by the techs, hopefully they were not Dish employed techs...

I had an experience like yours with a different product, not Dish... where I had a partial install and they wanted me to sign paperwork. I finally agreed to sign BUT before I signed, I wrote on the signature like all the stuff they had yet to complete.

I got a call the next day because the parent company for whom they were contracted to do the installs was not happy and would not pay them until they completed the install for me. I was glad I wrote that on the paperwork, or else I might have had a problem getting the installation finished. As it was, they were motivated to get it done so they could get paid.


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