# CSR experience, free stuff, deals, etc



## 810DVR (Sep 27, 2007)

Your experience may be different than mine, important to note that up front.

But my hope is it helps *existing* DISH customers, since existing customers seem to get the short shrift in favor of new subscribers at times.

So, wanted to let you know what I experienced -- and if that helps you to get a better deal as an existing customer of DISH, great.

I'm an existing DISH customer, have been for 16 months, have an HD-DVR, etc. I called up to cancel my sports pack (it's a pretty nominal charge, all of 5.99/month) but since there's really nothing going on right now in terms of college sports, and the way that Fox Sports runs their FSN's, you can pretty much see the same thing if you just have your one...regional... FSN.

(during football and basketball season, you may occasionally be able to see a game you normally wouldn't if you only had your local FSN, hence, that's why I had the sports package.)

So I called to cancel it and they were accommodating. But they said they'd have to charge me a 5$ cancellation fee since I was downgrading my programming. I said bollocks. I added the FSN well after my initial subscription, kept it for about 7-8 months, and now I wanted to cancel it, and an additional 5$ fee seemed to me to be complete and utter ____.

They said sorry, it's our policy. I said, okay, fair enough, my policy is to cancel my subscription when my 18-month contract runs out so let's also please set that up today, I'm coming to the end of it in about 2 months. (this was just before DISH went, for the most part, to 2-year contracts).

In short order, the CSR backtracked and capitulated, and said well, they'll just wave the downgrade fee as a courtesy.

I was a little annoyed so I told them, well, as a courtesy, I'll say thank you.

They then asked me for an email address they could put into my account to keep me up on the latest from DISH. And this is what I really wanted to make you aware of, sorry it took so long to get to it. But I wanted to give you the context of the call so it might help you if you find yourself in a similar experience.

I said thanks but I already get way too much email, and way too much spam, and I don't need any more. So no, I don't want to give you an email address.

The CSR said, but what if you give me an email address and I'll give you 3 free months of HBO and Starz.

I said I don't want to do this and then find there's some other little loophole(s) where you've locked me into another 6, 12, or 18 months or anything like that, or something else. And the CSR said Oh no, no, no, you give an email address and you get 3 free months of HBO and Starz, period.

I'm on an HD only package. The free stuff amounts to another 13 or so HD movie channels for free, probably 15 total including the SD or so, and naturally you get the SD channel in addition to every HD HBO and Starz movie channel you get. Now, the CSR did tell me it will cost me the 5$ cancel fee, which was waived this time when I wanted to cancel the sports pack, if I want to cancel after the three free months. Which, I would say, seems reasonable to me and I will not protest like I did this time because -- three free months of all the HBO and Starz move channels for, in effect, 5 bucks. seems more than reasonable to me.

In any event, I just wanted to let you know of my own experience, in the hope it's helpful to those of you who like to get deals -- *as an existing customer of DISH* -- since it seems to me that existing customers are sometimes not appreciated as much as they should be. Onward. Love DBStalk. Best forum out there.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Thanks, good to know. I'm also an HD-only sub who's about to make some changes.


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## Borgie (Dec 30, 2006)

Well I was a turbo gold subscriber. I was under no commitment at the time, so I called a week ago to voice my displeasure about not getting all the HD that was added.

They had previously given me 5 bucks off for 10 months. I asked the CSR what kind of deal they would give me if i went to classic gold and hd add on which is about 17 bucks more a month, and signed up for another two years. He offered me another 10 bucks off for 12 months. I said no, go 24 months.. he said ok 10 bucks off a month for 24 months and you get to keep your 5 bucks off for 10. I told them i wanted that 5 bucks also extended to 24 months. He balked at that one, and I said no go. he said hang on i will send you to the loyalty department.

Talked to a nice guy in Colorado who spoke English. Explained to him that I was perturbed turbo customers did not get all the HD. He agreed, with out hesitation he said I'll give you the classic silver HD DVR advantage, at 250 bonus pack, and HD gold add on, for the same price I was currently paying *for 12 months and no commitment required.*

Before - Turbo HD Gold, locals, dvr fee = 60.97
After- Silver classic DVR advantage, AT250 bonus pack, HD Gold addon = 60.99


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## TSR (Feb 7, 2009)

810DVR said:


> The CSR said, but what if you give me an email address and I'll give you 3 free months of HBO and Starz.
> 
> I said I don't want to do this and then find there's some other little loophole(s) where you've locked me into another 6, 12, or 18 months or anything like that, or something else. And the CSR said Oh no, no, no, you give an email address and you get 3 free months of HBO and Starz, period.


The HBO/Starz! Free Months 3 Promotion does require an email address to be done. There is no loophole,you just want to make sure you call in to downgrade at the end or set it up on that call to have it come off automatically ("Future Dated Downgrade") if possible.

Currently the agents on the phone are required, per Quality Assurance, to collect email addresses on every call and I can guarantee you they don't like asking. If they were not required to, they would not.

If they don't ask, it affects their pay (bonus) each month.

There are obvious relative requirements for the Annual Cinemax for a Penny Promotion as well, which is the account be put on Credit Card Autopay status.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

Ya know i've heard about that downgrade fee but have never actually seen it on my bill, they've even tried to charge me it once or twice, but they never have. And all i've had to do is ask nicely if they'd waive it for me, no threatening or ugliness required it would seem. As for promotions it's real easy to get caught up in the whole "new customers get everything and existing customers get nothing" drama, but of course like most hype there's no real substance to it. After all almost everyone who's ever signed up for dish got some kind of new customer deal when they signed up (ok some of you paid full retail and did your own installing I suppose, but i'm talking most subscribers here) so you are getting just as many new subscriber deals as the new people coming on board now are, one. Seems pretty fair to me. Now on top of that since i've had dish i've gotten several promotions for existing subscribers, off the top of head I know I got HBO & Cinemax for free a couple years back for 3 mos, when I upgraded to HD even though I did get charged $50.00 up front they gave me a new ViP622, new dish installation plus $10.00 off my bill for a year and all I had to do was agree to stick around for 18 mos at the time, seemed more than fair. Also currently i'm working on 3 mos of HBO & Starz for free and 3 mos of Platinum HD for free and oh yeah they're also giving me $3.00 off my bill every month for the rest of the year that I didn't even ask for, they just did it because I was a "loyal customer" they said. And those are just the ones I can think of there's probably at least one or two others that i've forgotten about over the years. I think i've been very well taken care of as far as existing customer deals go in the 5+ years i've had Dish Network. So just because there's no ads on tv or flyers in the mail advertising the deals available for existing customers like there are for the new customer deals doesn't mean they don't exist, check your account online or talk to a CSR and ask what deals you currently qualify for, likely there's something there for you, you just have to be a little proactive about it.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

Probably should merge this thread with the other one in the general forum, they're the exact same post.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=156584


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

_Merged and kept in the HD forum since it was mainly about HD package changes._


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## Kevin Brown (Sep 4, 2005)

I think it's a tragedy though that you have to threaten to cancel before you can get a lot of these perks. They *do* treat existing customers worse than new ones, and I don't understand that at all.


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## tsmacro (Apr 28, 2005)

Kevin Brown said:


> I think it's a tragedy though that you have to threaten to cancel before you can get a lot of these perks. They *do* treat existing customers worse than new ones, and I don't understand that at all.


Once again all hype here, no substance. Just because people call and threaten to cancel they get it in their head that's the only way you can get anything, which is just plain wrong. I've never had to threaten anyone at Dish to get anything and like I mentioned in my post above i've gotten plenty of nice promos and benefits from being a customer over the years and I even forgot to add in the fact that they've sent me free coupons for pay per views on different occasions and of course the Club Dish benefits that i've enjoyed by referring people. Really folks look up your account online and check out what offers are there, call a CSR and see what existing customer promos are available to you, you may be surprised and I bet you even just might qualify for something after having a pleasant friendly conversation, no having to get pushy necessary, at least that's how it's worked for me and I doubt i'm really all that special that they just like me more than everyone else!


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## dmspen (Dec 1, 2006)

I always have technical problems...
I've found that by going into the 'get tech' help part of the phone system, that I usually get a very knowledgable rep. For instance, when I had issues about adding another receiver, I called tech support. They can do all the stuff that a CSR can and don't give you the runaround about all kinds of stuff.

I've also noted that they reside here in the good ole USA.


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## Kevin Brown (Sep 4, 2005)

I think dmspen hit it on the head: I *have* tried to get "free" stuff out of CSRs, and I get nothing. But when I've gotten to the Tech Support people, usually they are more willing to help you out.

But ... YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT. Or, THE CSR PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GIVE THE SAME SUPPORT AND HELP THAT THE TECH PEOPLE DO.

But they don't. They read from a script and they don't deviate from that.


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