# Can't sell 942 b/c dish won't offer hd programming to new customer?



## kspeters (Aug 12, 2003)

What a bunch of s**t!!!!!!! I sold my home and the 942 went with it. Now I call DishNetwork up and CSR tells me that they guy can't get HD programming,,,,that they don't sell that package anymore. I said "you mean to tell me that a receiver I bought a year ago for over $700 is now a worthless piece of crap,,,,that you won't switch the service over to the guy that bought my home?" She said no. Is this correct???? What they heck is a guy supposed to do? I hate to go back to the guy and tell him he can't have it. Do I have any recourse?


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## kmcnamara (Jan 30, 2004)

Yes, that's correct. Unless the guy already subscribes to the Feb. 1 HD pack, he can only activate it for SD programming and also use it for HDTV OTA. This has all been hashed out thoroughly over the last 3 months (look through the myriad of threads that talk about this).

I can't imagine that the price of the house significantly changed by you throwing in the 942. And I doubt that was the tipping point that convinced the buyer to buy your house.


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## kspeters (Aug 12, 2003)

kmcnamara said:


> Yes, that's correct. Unless the guy already subscribes to the Feb. 1 HD pack, he can only activate it for SD programming and also use it for HDTV OTA. This has all been hashed out thoroughly over the last 3 months (look through the myriad of threads that talk about this).
> 
> I can't imagine that the price of the house significantly changed by you throwing in the 942. And I doubt that was the tipping point that convinced the buyer to buy your house.


Obviously you are correct in saying that it's not that big of deal as far as the sale of the house goes. But to me when I shell out that kind of money and a year later it basically is not worth a damn to resell, that kind of makes me angry. If they can continue to sell me the hd package, why in the world can't they sell it to the next guy if he wants that? I just don't see the harm in it. I then think that the "deal" they are offering for the trade in of 942 is a sham. It just cost me over $500 this year without the price of programming to be a customer of Charlies. Thanks a lot!!! I wonder if an email to him would help any?


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## wrzwaldo (Jan 23, 2006)

kspeters said:


> Obviously you are correct in saying that it's not that big of deal as far as the sale of the house goes. But to me when I shell out that kind of money and a year later it basically is not worth a damn to resell, that kind of makes me angry. If they can continue to sell me the hd package, why in the world can't they sell it to the next guy if he wants that? I just don't see the harm in it. I then think that the "deal" they are offering for the trade in of 942 is a sham. It just cost me over $500 this year without the price of programming to be a customer of Charlies. Thanks a lot!!! I wonder if an email to him would help any?


Nope I have beat several horses to death since my 942 purchase. I am going to get a few months of use out of my 942 and then drop dish. I have been a customer since 98 and do not like the recent treatment (as a customer) I have received from them. Their customer service has gone right in the toilet!


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Please don't take this the wrong way, because I actually agree with you... that this is a raw deal not enabling the legacy receivers for HD to new accounts.

But... it looks like you joined this forum in 2003... so how were you surprised just now? Folks have been ranting about this basically since January on the forum... so I understand your anger & disappointment, just not the surprise at this point.

I don't have a 921 or 942... but I do have a 6000u that I own, and I don't want to sell to the hacker community, so I'm in the same boat as far as not being able to sell my receiver to anyone else if I take the new receiver plunge... so I do understand where you're coming from.


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## Jon Spackman (Feb 7, 2005)

All he has to do is trade in the 942 plus $99 dollars and get a 622 with installation. ($299 upfront with $200 rebate). Not bad.


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## kmcnamara (Jan 30, 2004)

Jon, I dont believe it works that way. I think you can only get the $200 credit if you had the 921/942 on your account as of 2/1.


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## kspeters (Aug 12, 2003)

HDMe said:


> Please don't take this the wrong way, because I actually agree with you... that this is a raw deal not enabling the legacy receivers for HD to new accounts.
> 
> But... it looks like you joined this forum in 2003... so how were you surprised just now? Folks have been ranting about this basically since January on the forum... so I understand your anger & disappointment, just not the surprise at this point.
> 
> I don't have a 921 or 942... but I do have a 6000u that I own, and I don't want to sell to the hacker community, so I'm in the same boat as far as not being able to sell my receiver to anyone else if I take the new receiver plunge... so I do understand where you're coming from.


I understand what you are saying but I come here usually when I need to do some research and had not paid attention to this situation, my bad. It still does not excuse dishnet from treating us in this mannor. In my opinion they should never have brought out the 942 for one year if they knew this was going to take place. I think $500 to "rent" a 942 for one year is a little extreme. Don't you?
Anyway I guess I will review my options and go from there. Thanks for the replys.


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## wrzwaldo (Jan 23, 2006)

Jon Spackman said:


> All he has to do is trade in the 942 plus $99 dollars and get a 622 with installation. ($299 upfront with $200 rebate). Not bad.


Are you kidding? I paid $815 for my 942 in December and dish now expects me to trade it plus $99 for yet another box? Mind you my 942 has never been 100% as advertised so I'm already pissed about that. F dish!

Edit: And I have been a customer since 1998..


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## kspeters (Aug 12, 2003)

wrzwaldo said:


> Are you kidding? I paid $815 for my 942 in December and dish now expects me to trade it plus $99 for yet another box? Mind you my 942 has never been 100% as advertised so I'm already pissed about that. F dish!


Exactly the type of situation I'm talking about. Why in the [email protected] did they sell these things in the first place if they knew they were going to push a new receiver on us. What we have here is a $700-$800 SD receiver with DVR!!!!!!!
I have been a loyal customer for several years but this is going to far in my book. It wouldn't be so bad if the buy back was higher but to get bascially 25% of your money after a few months!!! What a crock of sh*t!!


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

I don't have a problem with what Dish has done in regards to announcing new receivers, and having some new channels that you can only get on those receivers.

It is frustrating, but I know they have to draw the line somewhere in order to move into the future. That's the way technology always works.

BUT, the decision to not activate the legacy HD receivers on new accounts is a bad move. I think I understand why they made the decision... but it creates some bad PR like in this thread where someone hasn't had the receiver for that long or moves to a new house and wants to sell all his old equipment to the person who buys his old house.

It was one thing to create a "tier" where the legacy HD receivers could get only say 15 channels, but the new ones can get $20... so a customer could decide which way to go.

But the no-activation decision essentially drops the value of those legacy receivers to about nothing. I don't know if they thought about that... but that's the biggest problem I think with this change of direction.


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## Freeborn (Apr 24, 2006)

Do a search for my experience with Dish and the 622 that still has not managed to arrive. Even though I do not have the new receiver and only have a 921 and a 501 at the moment Dish made another mistake and activated my DishHD package even though I do not have the proper receiver yet.

I don't have enough posts yet to post a link so you will need to do some editing and copy pasting to see:

www DOT dbstalk DOT com/showthread.php?t=56873

Free


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## the_bear (Oct 18, 2004)

I have to agree this is complete garbage. The grandfathering of the old HD pack should be attached to the receiver, not customer. I’m sure Dish would be happy to activate the 942 for the new owner at the new more expensive HD pricing.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

the_bear said:


> I'm sure Dish would be happy to activate the 942 for the new owner at the new more expensive HD pricing.


Since February, Dish has not allowed the 9xx series receivers to be activated as HD receivers.


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## the_bear (Oct 18, 2004)

I don’t see what Dish’s financial motivation is for this policy?


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

the_bear said:


> I don't see what Dish's financial motivation is for this policy?


That's one of the things I do see actually...

Dish makes no money on receivers that are sold on eBay or wherever... so if you can't sell yours, it really makes no difference to them.

But if they can get more new lease/owners buying the new receivers, then it is more money for them.

Also, since the new HD channels require the new MPEG4 receivers... if Dish activated the older receivers that cannot get those channels... they would probably have to field a bunch of new complaints from new customers wanting to know why.

I don't like the policy... but this part of it actually makes sense.


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## the_bear (Oct 18, 2004)

Dish loses money on receiver sales/leases, especially HD DVRs. It’s the programming that makes Dish money. If someone bought a 942 off eBay instead of getting a new 622, but subscribed to the same package, the eBay customer would be more profitable. This no 9xx policy just seems like bad business to me.


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## ClaudeR (Dec 7, 2003)

Can a 921 customer get a 942 activated/swapped? I was an idiot and dropped the $10 HD pack in December. Can't get it back any more. HUA syndrome.


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## JM Anthony (Nov 16, 2003)

the_bear said:


> I don't see what Dish's financial motivation is for this policy?


One motivation is decreasing their installed base of various hardware and software. From that perspective, anything they can do (within reason) to create disincentives to reusing legacy equipment makes sense as it decreases their variable costs.

I frankly think E* cares little about our spectrum of their customer base. They have a market image they want to project (leader of the pack, low cost, out to watch out for the little guy, etc.) and given the limited nature of their service offering, it's difficult for them to get a great deal of customer lock in. So churn is something they live with and mediocre customer service more of the norm. Customer service is more of a cost center to these guys.

E* has come a long way since '96, unfortunately it's not aimed that much toward its long term customers.

John


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

the_bear said:


> Dish loses money on receiver sales/leases, especially HD DVRs. It's the programming that makes Dish money. If someone bought a 942 off eBay instead of getting a new 622, but subscribed to the same package, the eBay customer would be more profitable. This no 9xx policy just seems like bad business to me.


how do you figure that? With an 18 month commit, and monthly lease fees, a typical lease customer likely leases 3 to 5 years, and that is a lot of money. Using the 622 as an example, logical business sense estimates the 622 costs either $299+ the 18 months of lease fees, or $299 + the $240 early cancellation fee. So Dish would be in a no lose situation if that estimate is reasonably accurate.

And take the logic a little further. If leasing "costs" the company, why do cable companies "only" lease? Why is D* going towards a lease only model, why is Dish pushing things towards a mostly lease model? Because for the vast majority of subs, who keep the same equipment 5 to 10 years, those lease fees mean a ton more money than a 1 off payment. Heck, look at Tivo and Replay TV. $10 a month or $250-$300 up front for service. Most people didn't shill out the 250 - 300 extra after dropping $400 on a dvr did they? No, most pay the monthly fee, but use the boxes well beyond the time period they pay more than the one time charge. It's a fact of life, anything you lease such as that costs more than buying outright, if you keep the item long enough, which is what the business model is based on.

PS, XBOX, etc, sell those boxes under cost, so how do they make money? Cell phones have been subsidized for 2 decades now, the retailer gets a kickback of $200-$400 dollars per new phone sale, to compensate the retailer for the discounted prices the are selling the phones at. The consoles make money from licensing fees paid by the game developers, and cell phone companies make back that payment to the retailers thru your monthly fee. $5 /month x 12 million subscribers is a lot better than $400 once every 5 to 8 years, don't ya think? (over 8 years, that would be 5.76B vs 4.7B in revenues) or $480 per customer per 8 years per 1 leased receiver.


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## the_bear (Oct 18, 2004)

JM Anthony said:


> One motivation is decreasing their installed base of various hardware and software. From that perspective, anything they can do (within reason) to create disincentives to reusing legacy equipment makes sense as it decreases their variable costs.


I cannot see these costs being all that high. The number of people selling 9xx must be very small compared to the number of people keeping them. As long as Dish allows people to keep 9xx, there will be extra maintenance costs. The incremental costs of a few more 9xx users is pretty small. Maybe in a couple years this is a good strategy, but not with current 622 production costs.



Rogueone said:


> how do you figure that? With an 18 month commit, and monthly lease fees, a typical lease customer likely leases 3 to 5 years, and that is a lot of money. Using the 622 as an example, logical business sense estimates the 622 costs either $299+ the 18 months of lease fees, or $299 + the $240 early cancellation fee.


Isn't the lease fee waived for new customers on the first receiver? This means a 622 and 921 customer has the same monthly receiver bill. Dish would love to sell customers receivers, but competition from cable and DirecTV force Dish to offer lease. Just look at the minium requirement of AT60 to lease. If leasing really was profitable, you could lease without AT60.


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## Rogueone (Jan 29, 2004)

the issue with lowerer than AT60 packages would likely have more to do with the profit the package pulls in. Also, you have to figure dish has extensive research on how long a typical new sub stays connected after starting a lease. It may be that, generally speaking, sub AT60 buyers stay a shorter time, or are more apt to do the seasonal subscription, such that it takes a prohibitively longer amount of time to recoup the costs. 

As a business owner, you goal isn't to lease someone this expensive box that takes 2 years to get your money back, to have the typical customer leave at that point. You want to encourage subs who are likely to stay with you for 5 or 10 years. You offer packages you hope will steal people from Cable, or invite them to try a non OTA only service for the first time in years or maybe ever. If you can lease someone your equipment, and can plan on most of them paying your monthly bill for 5 to 10 years, you know you are going to make a nice profit on getting them onto your network cheaper than if you made them pay full price for the box and dishes up front. Likely you wouldn't get them as a customer if they had to shill out $500 up front. It's all marketing, and there is no way they are doing this if they know they will loose money. They know a certain number of people won't stay long term, but most of us will, and they'll make their money back in the long run, and then some


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## The intimidator (Apr 14, 2006)

942 is 2 meg,and all new stuff is 4 meg. They just continue the programming for those tuners for the very reason you mentioned. Customers spent a pretty penney on those. But new customers they want to have the optimum experience with HD. THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS TO HAVE THE LATEST EQUIPMENT...


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## The intimidator (Apr 14, 2006)

Nope you can now have the minimum of Dish family to still qualify for the lease option..


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## pjm877 (Apr 27, 2003)

gee, I don't know.. seems like DISH in not allowing 941/942's to be reused for HD, should just as well bite the bullet and put out a statement, "Notice: As of May 1, 2006 all HD programming will be changed over to MPEG4. For customers that have older Dish HD receiving equipment we have the Dish-UP-HD program." 

But, I see this to be like you just bought a 1999 Toyota and go to get on the toll road... oops sorry you must use the slow pot-hole, many lights side road, this "Older" car is not allowed to be drivern/seen on our nice new paved toll road, oh and hope you never need Maint. 

There is only one way to change the mind of "Dish".. sort of like the way a union works ... we at once tell them what we want, and on May 1 when we don't get it... drop the service, and no one all over the USA signs on for any service ... 

The only way they will really that notice is if something hit them hard in the $$$ and on the stock market... don't see any other way... 

Gang, wonder would DISH activate another 942 on an account that already has pre Feb 2006 HD service? 

staying with my 721 and 942 for now... no bangs for the bucks to move just yet..

later


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## the_bear (Oct 18, 2004)

The intimidator said:


> THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS TO HAVE THE LATEST EQUIPMENT...


So, Dish wants mad customers as a customer service?



The intimidator said:


> Nope you can now have the minimum of Dish family to still qualify for the lease option..


Does that mean you can get HD for no initial fee and $40/month Family + HD pack? If so, then that is a pretty good deal and way bellow the competition.



pjm877 said:


> The only way they will really that notice is if something hit them hard in the $$$ and on the stock market... don't see any other way...


There are too few customers switching to DirecTV because they cannot activate used 9xx receivers to have much impact on stock price, otherwise, yes people would be out shorting Dish.


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## kmcnamara (Jan 30, 2004)

pjm877 said:


> Gang, wonder would DISH activate another 942 on an account that already has pre Feb 2006 HD service?


Yes, I did just that. No problems and I receive all pre-2/1 HD content on my new 942.


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## pjm877 (Apr 27, 2003)

kmcnamara said:


> Yes, I did just that. No problems and I receive all pre-2/1 HD content on my new 942.


hum.. maybe I can get another 942 cheap.. I like the name based programming..

Thanks very much for the news..


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## Hoxxx (Jun 19, 2004)

wrzwaldo said:


> Nope I have beat several horses to death since my 942 purchase. I am going to get a few months of use out of my 942 and then drop dish. I have been a customer since 98 and do not like the recent treatment (as a customer) I have received from them. Their customer service has gone right in the toilet!


I know what you mean.
I currently use my 921 as a local only HD DVR it works great. ya I dont have guide data so what my old VCR never had guide data and I recorded lots of show s with that thing.
I am going to use it till the hard drive fails.
:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:


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## wingnut1 (Nov 10, 2005)

If someone has two HD tvs they could get a 622 to get the HD package and then buy a used 942 for the second tv. I'm sure that many of us on the site currently have this configuration since we could only Dish up one 622.


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## waltinvt (Feb 9, 2004)

HDMe said:


> That's one of the things I do see actually...
> 
> Dish makes no money on receivers that are sold on eBay or wherever... so if you can't sell yours, it really makes no difference to them.
> 
> ...


I suppose it's sort of like why they broke up the telephone monopoly. When you sell a service and are also the only source for equipment to utilize that service, it's only a matter of time before you cross the line in taking advantage of that.

Maybe a case could be made for delibertly "degrading" the usefulness of a product after you've sold that product, which is what Dish does all the time.

This is probably another reason they're trying to move to all leased equipment. Maybe they sense the FTC has shifted it's gaze in their direction.


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## UTFAN (Nov 12, 2005)

the_bear said:


> I don't see what Dish's financial motivation is for this policy?


They apparently see the financial motivation. They're a pretty smart bunch.


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## the_bear (Oct 18, 2004)

When there is no logical reason for an action, smart is not the first word that comes to my mind.


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## ashu (Mar 9, 2006)

In reference to the posts from many long-time Dish subscribers who're now leaving, because of the recent treatment ... I sympathize with you 

I'm dumping my 811 because they refuse to activate even the MPEG-2 channels (from the VOOM lineup) and refuse to back down from the upgrade cost and the 18-month contract requirement. A mere 4 months ago, I was lied to about the ability to receive HD locals on the 811, and I opted for a no-contract setup by paying an extra 49.99. Best 50 bucks I ever spent 

I currently have a Motorola 6412 HD DVR from Adelphia side-by-side with my 811, and, despite the fact that I lose two good channels (DiscHD, TNTHD) and the DVR software is puerile compared to my TiVos, the HD quality is better than the 811 (DVI/HDMI comparison - apples to apples). 

All the blocks on my downgraded cable line were just removed, so I know have the FULL package for less than I was paying Dish for a nickel-and-dimed (and slowly becoming obsolete) package. Tonight I make the call to Dish to come get their hardware or send me shipping labels  So much for the vaunted customer service and effort to reduce churn!


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## bear paws (Jan 11, 2006)

UTFAN said:


> They apparently see the financial motivation. They're a pretty smart bunch.


From the business aspect for dish there is a lot more than meets the eye,

Its mostly an accounting thing . The leased Equip. is a depreciated capital investment over period of years. The discounted $ amounts for the replacements are charged off as a loss..
The lease becomes a non taxed assset ,untill collected. But the lease value goes toward current net worth and the PE ratio and hence share price. {its like $$ in the bank, you can borrow close to 100% against it. There is more ... a lot more.

Unfortunitly when a business gets large , especeally if they are traded, the primary business becomes money and accounting has more to say than cutomer service and the product is just the vehicle or the means..

Bear!

Oh yeah, accountants have a way of making CHURN profitable, amazing stuff.


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## kspeters (Aug 12, 2003)

bear paws said:


> From the business aspect for dish there is a lot more than meets the eye,
> 
> Its mostly an accounting thing . The leased Equip. is a depreciated capital investment over period of years. The discounted $ amounts for the replacements are charged off as a loss..
> The lease becomes a non taxed assset ,untill collected. But the lease value goes toward current net worth and the PE ratio and hence share price. {its like $$ in the bank, you can borrow close to 100% against it. There is more ... a lot more.
> ...


Good post that makes a valid point and somehow makes sense of all of this. I have emailed [email protected] and got a response. I'll keep you informed of my outcome.


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## kspeters (Aug 12, 2003)

After apeaking with a very helpful rep at CEO Escalation, He basically tells me that it is indeed possible to get the hd package with the 942 after selling it to another person. Here are some quotes from the CEO Escalations rep. You would have to contact them if you are wanting to do this.
"If the person moving into your home would just like our older package then it is still possible for them to use that unit."

"The 942 unit can only pick up our first HD package, this is still a subscription package but it only includes 5 or so HD channels. He also has to have a dish network account."

"If his account is still active then all I would need is his account number or phone number. "

"I have to manually add the codes into his account; customer service doesn’t have the option if the receiver is not activated on his account."

"You can include that in the forums just please try to keep my name out of it. I have received hundreds and hundreds of e-mail regarding some issues I have taken care of in the past. If you include that just make sure they are aware the 942 receiver has to be activated on the customers account before customer service can add the HD programming."

So you see by getting in contact with CEO Escalations they can switch the receiver from person a to person b and then person b can subscribe to the hd package. The normal CSR cannot do this b/c the computers are not set up for them to do it. CEO Escalations rep told me all I had to do is have the other guy call him and he could take care of it for me.


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## orubin (Apr 30, 2006)

Jon Spackman said:


> All he has to do is trade in the 942 plus $99 dollars and get a 622 with installation. ($299 upfront with $200 rebate). Not bad.


This is EXACTLY the way Dish sees it too. just give them your receiver and another $100 for the right to LEASE a receiver for $10/month. For the home owner who paid "nothing" for the reciever, not bad. But this is NOT the way I see it for me.

I pay nearly $650 for my 942 about 8 month ago (6 month ago when I started complaining to DISH in March) and Dish does not care. I see it this way: 8 months ago I bought their top of the line receiver for $650. Now, they want me to GIVE it to them along with another $100, and in return, they will "let me" LEASE a 622. I spend $750 in less than 8 months and walk away with nothing but the right to lease the receiver? That is a bad deal in my view. I will gladly pay $100 and exchange my receiver to OWN the 622, but that is not the deal. You basically throw $750 plus at DISH for the right to pay to use THEIR receiver they own.

I have written the Better Business Bureau of Denver, and ENCOURAGE all here who are outraged at this to do the same. More complaints may make a difference. I have talked to the executive offices of DISH, they do not care and refuse to budge on this issue. I have called action lines, consumer complaint organizations, and have filed a complaint with the FCC as well. I suggest you all do the same. DISH needs to hear that this is NOT OK. It is deceptive and unethical business practice. And if you get your letters published, it may convince others when choosing to chose other than DISH. The only thing I can do here is vote with my wallet, and I vote to give DISH less customers. I will no longer recommend them as I have, nor will I install their systems for anyone any more. DISH has finally become that evil 'cable company' that they tried so hard to replace many years ago. I thinnk they have forgotten why they came into this business in the first place. Hello Charlie, remember us, your customers?

In talking to DISH, I asked them in my case to waive the $99 and in return I would sign a new 1 year contract, and I would waive off the installation since all I needed was the reciever. I am a plus $100 a month customer, have three receivers, pay by credit card, and have been a customer of DISH for over 10 years. They do not care about any of this, and basically told me to take it or leave it. I am leaving it.

As soon as I get all my programming transfered off this box, I am dropping DISH myself. Obviously they do not care if the loose customers, and for $100, they have proven that! Sure, I will get less HD choice, but then again, maybe watching less TV is a good thing.

BTW: You do know when you quit DISH, this box 942 PVR becomes a boat anchor. So much for "owning it." Does anyone know if it will still at least receive off-air broadcasts, or will that too be turned off?


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## kmcnamara (Jan 30, 2004)

orubin, I agree with a lot of what you say. What dish is offering the 921/942 people is a bad deal unless you're a dish apologist. Particularly when people who are leasing a 942 get the same deal as those of us who paid several hundred dollars to own the box. However, Dish isn't forcing anyone to do anything. They can't force us to send them our receivers. In fact, I had a 921 until about 5 weeks ago when I purchased a brand new 942 when I realized that none of the new HD they were offering was worth anything to me. I get the old HD pack plus the original 10 Voom channels plus very good OTA reception so the 622 really has no value to me anyway.

As to your question about what happens when you cancel Dish service, the 942 will continue to function as an OTA DVR (except you won't have guide info forcing you to manually set up your timers). At least that's what I was told by others here when I asked the same question.


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## savecal (Mar 3, 2005)

ClaudeR said:


> Can a 921 customer get a 942 activated/swapped? I was an idiot and dropped the $10 HD pack in December. Can't get it back any more. HUA syndrome.


Well, I've got a good luck story for this place in time. My 921 hard drive died last week, so I was considering switching over to DirecTV, but I called the Dish technical service to see if there was anything else I could do. In the meantime, I had them reactivate my old 301 standard def. receiver, so that my wife could continue to have her normal programming. I should mention that about a month ago we deceided to drop our HD programming. because we didn't think it was worth the charge, and we mostly enjoy the OTA HD programs from ABC and PBS (especially). We knew when we cancelled that we could NOT return to HD on the 921; we'd have to upgrade and lease. So, watching our pennies, this made sense until the HD programming improved enough for us to make the switch. We feel the future competition and the changes mandated by the FCC will make BIG changes in the next five years. So, for us, we were keeping the 921 as a OTA tuner and enjoying the DVR feature for a few programs off and on. Well, that's our history, but when the 921 died, we thought we were out of luck with Dish. Then, one of their techs mentioned that he thought that they'd replace the 921 free of charge if we signed up for their warrantee program (about $6 a month) even though we had gone past the original 921 warrantee (1 year). So, we did and today a 942 showed up at our door. Another Dish service rep. also mentioned that we don't have to continue to subscribe to the warrantee program after receiving the replacement if we don't want to. So, I think we're happy at this point. My only question is the 942 a better box?


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## dolfan (Aug 11, 2003)

Night and day difference in my opinion. I love mine. Got to love something that record 3 shows at once and watch a pre-recorded show at the same time. Much more stable and better feature set.


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