# L211 Charlie Chat Mon./ota Guide Charges



## deweybrunner (Feb 8, 2004)

All of us need to bombard Charlie Mon night with e mails and phone calls stating the unfairness of ota charge for 921 owners and not 811's. Whether we make a point or not, at least we can try. I e mailed charlie, and naturally, got no response. I hope he comes up with some solution to rectify the bad public relations this has given Dish, and the loss of customers and programming.


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## BFG (Jan 23, 2004)

I think their phones will probably be once again mysteriously broken


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## Jason Kragt (Dec 20, 2002)

Any suggestions as to what I tell the screeners my question is? Something tells me that if I tell them up-front that I have a 921 question, I'll be bumped.


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

I have already asked the folks at SatelliteGuys to flood the phone lines, and I would like to ask the same from DBSTalk users as well.

There is no reason you should have to pay $5 a month more to get your OTA channel listings when we already pay a $5 Dish VOD fee, a fee which includes extended guide data! 

Make your voice heard.


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## lujan (Feb 10, 2004)

Scott Greczkowski said:


> I have already asked the folks at SatelliteGuys to flood the phone lines, and I would like to ask the same from DBSTalk users as well.
> 
> There is no reason you should have to pay $5 a month more to get your OTA channel listings when we already pay a $5 Dish VOD fee, a fee which includes extended guide data!
> 
> Make your voice heard.


They will not put you through if you tell them that it's a 921 question. Believe me, I have tried on numerous occassions to get through and they give one excuse or another (mostly that the lines are busy).


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## jsanders (Jan 21, 2004)

Scott Greczkowski said:


> There is no reason you should have to pay $5 a month more to get your OTA channel listings when we already pay a $5 Dish VOD fee, a fee which includes extended guide data!


I've been thinking about that VOD fee Scott, and I think I have a slightly different take on it. Please correct me if my line of thought is off base.

The 811 gets the guide w/o locals, and they do not pay a VOD fee, or pay $6 for a locals subscription. They do pay that service fee though, the one that is embedded in the ATxx pack or everything pack. At least, when you cancel a subscription like that, they charge you a $5 service fee. Do you think that is what pays for the guide for 811 users?

Regardless, whether we pay for it with this service fee, or with the VOD fee, we shouldn't be paying for it by subscribing to local channels!

I will certainly be calling and will try to get through. To get past the screeners, I will have a question about the 811. If I get patched through, the question will be something like, "811 users get guide data for free, but 921 uesrs don't. What is the deal here?" Technically, it is an 811 question. :up_to_som


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## kstevens (Mar 26, 2003)

Well, now that you have announced to the entire world what you are going to do, they will be waiting for it.


Ken


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

> The 811 gets the guide w/o locals, and they do not pay a VOD fee, or pay $6 for a locals subscription. They do pay that service fee though, the one that is embedded in the ATxx pack or everything pack. At least, when you cancel a subscription like that, they charge you a $5 service fee. Do you think that is what pays for the guide for 811 users?


That does not hold water, what about people with dish 1000's ,5000's, 301's, 311's etc which also play a downgrade fee. Besides if I called and lets say canceled HBO on my account and I only have a 921 I would still be wacked that $5 fee. Does that mean I should get free listings?


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## Jason Kragt (Dec 20, 2002)

Perhaps these stock questions might get you past the screeners:

"When are you going to add international channels from ______________?" (Fill in the blank with your favorite foreign country, the more exotic, the better!)

"I love holiday shopping on Dish's shopping channels. Can you add more?"

"I just wanted to say that the Sirius music channels are awesome! Are you going to carry Howard Stern?"

"Is there a way that I can pay my bill by credit card instead of by mailing a check every month?"

"How can I receive the _____________ channel?" (Fill in the blank with either NBA PPV or an upcoming boxing match. Or for grins, fill it in with NFL Sunday Ticket.)

"I love the games on my Dish receiver. What other great interactive TV services do you have coming?"

"I love Dish Network. How can I get all of my friends and family to subscribe to Dish?"

"Do you have any specials for those of us interested in moving up to HDTV?"

Did I forget to mention, "How can I pay my bill by credit card?"


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## Scott Greczkowski (Mar 21, 2002)

More good questions to slip by the screeners include...

My wife want to know when your adding the Oxygen channel.

And my personal favorite...

When are you going to add the Whore (Horror) Channel.


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## jsanders (Jan 21, 2004)

Scott Greczkowski said:


> That does not hold water, what about people with dish 1000's ,5000's, 301's, 311's etc which also play a downgrade fee. Besides if I called and lets say canceled HBO on my account and I only have a 921 I would still be wacked that $5 fee. Does that mean I should get free listings?


The HBO cancellation fee is non recurring expense. The service fee occurs every month, for all receivers. You are right about other receivers that don't use guide data. They also pay that service fee, $5 out of whatever plan they have, or a $5 stand alone fee. I was thinking that guide data, satellite, or terrestrial is part of Dish's infrastructure costs, which I thought would fall in the category of "service fee". Maybe you're right. If that is the case, then the 811 users appear to just get the guide for free.


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## Mike D-CO5 (Mar 12, 2003)

Scott Greczkowski said:


> More good questions to slip by the screeners include...
> 
> My wife want to know when your adding the Oxygen channel.
> 
> ...


 By the way Scott ,when do you think they will add the Whore (Horror) Channel . That is one I could use. :lol:


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## jsanders (Jan 21, 2004)

kstevens said:


> Well, now that you have announced to the entire world what you are going to do, they will be waiting for it.


Point well taken. I hope that nobody would use those exact words, I was trying to give a paradigm that would give ideas on how to get past screeners.


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## jsanders (Jan 21, 2004)

Mike D-CO5 said:


> By the way Scott ,when do you think they will add the Whore (Horror) Channel . That is one I could use. :lol:


It is funny, however, I don't think it would work. Scott was referring back to a Charlie Chat where someone called in and actually asked that question and used the word "Whore", but it was interpreted as "horror" when the question was answered. It was very funny.....


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## joebird (Sep 15, 2003)

Just ask about adding any University ofTennessee sports, and you'll get right through.


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## Cyclone (Jul 1, 2002)

Charlie?, If Dish is not going to carry the horror channel, then what about the slut channel?


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## Mike D-CO5 (Mar 12, 2003)

jsanders said:


> It is funny, however, I don't think it would work. Scott was referring back to a Charlie Chat where someone called in and actually asked that question and used the word "Whore", but it was interpreted as "horror" when the question was answered. It was very funny.....


 I know. I watched that and every Charlie Chat /tech chat for years now. I just thought it was funny then and even funnier now. I remember Charlies face when he looked at the programming geek with the glass eye , and said "the Whore channel? I haven't heard of that one." That is hilarious when you consider how much porn Dish carries.


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