This satellite company is a prime example of how America gives people a chance to work and live free and they treat their customers like crapp. The word honesty does not apply to the customer service people at the 800-333-3474. When you call they cannot speak english, they cannot understand you. If you listen close they use the same wording and will not answer your questions without the following words: Please hold (at least 5 minutes), please hold the off button for 5 - 7 seconds, did your satelitte come back on by itself?? You need to have a service technician come out and upgrade your units, of course this will cost YOU and we can add a warranty to each unit for $5.99 a month, this will help when you experience trouble again... It is a real joke how this satellite DISHNETWORK has all control over what they want to give you. I don't understand how they remain in business when we are the customer and the customer has no rights to watch what they want in their area. what a joke. This company will go down with this sorry customer service. Peachy

I have had DISH Network installed for over four years now. I have one PVR/Dual-Tuner receiver (522), and one single-tuner receiver (311) installed. These tuners are garbage and freeze, lock up, mangle video, and generally misbehave, but that is not why I am writing today.

In March, I requested that DISH Network discontinue an add-on channel package. I was assured over the phone that the programming change would take place that evening. As this matched my prior experience, I thought little more of it and life went on as before. All my bills are automatically paid through my credit card and bank account, and I am completing a dissertation, so this was not exactly #1 on my priority list. Besides, DISH had been responsive before and took care of programming changes (adding packages) easily in the past, so surely this wouldn't be an issue, right?

Wrong.

In November, I noticed that my satellite bill was over $100. Odd. I looked into it, and I was still being charged for the add-on package - I had been charged continuously since March! I promptly submitted a billing question via their online form, only to find out that my email address was marked 'invalid.' Odd. I looked at the form and took note of where it was going - [email protected] - and wrote an email from my account. I then waited 48 hours for a response.

After receiving nothing so much as an acknowledgement of receipt after 2 days of waiting, I went back to DISH Network's web site. In looking at my statement, I noticed that it is now possible to disconnect service/packages from the account over the web - something that is new. I put in an order to disconnect the package, then wrote a follow-up email to my first (again to [email protected]) to let them know that I'd discontinued the service via their web site. The last thing I wanted to hear was, 'we took care of that in November!'

I decided to try their web site form again, this time using a different email address. This time, the form went through and I awaited a response. A couple more days went by and I still heard nothing. I decided to get satisfaction through my credit card company and filed disputes in the value of the pacakge plus tax on the package.

I then forwarded my original email to the CEO and head of customer service, and filed a BBB complaint. I heard nothing further about my original email. However, I did get feedback from my BBB complaint.

I received a phone call the next day from a woman in Denver - the corporate headquarters. She didn't sound like an axe murderer, so I decided to call back. Her voice mail told me that she'd be out of the office the following day. In my voicemail to her, I left specific instructions outlining terms of negotiation. First and foremost was that I would vastly prefer to be contacted via email rather than on my phone. This would help protect all parties from faulty memories.

The following day I received a phone call from someone (Scott?) who identified himself as a co-worker of the woman from the previous day. He was rude, abrasive, incredulous, and quite unconvincing in the 'I give a damn' role. He interrupted my narrative to tell me that they had no record of a 'discontinue' request in March, and made it pretty clear that he thought I had made the whole thing up in an attempt to bilk DISH Network out of money.

Scott (?) offered a settlement of less than half of the amount I am out (the package price + tax * months of payment). He seemed especially incredulous that I hadn't noticed the bill - as I said earlier, I am completing a terminal academic degree - this requires some degree of focus and concentration on it, rather than the DISH bill. If DISH network incurs a 'carrier fee' that is a per-user surcharge, I would gladly lower my request to cover DISH's losses, but no such offer was made.

Here's where we stand: the BBB notice has been replied to by Scott, and CC'd to the customer service manager. I have been sitting on my hands for a couple of days, but my initial inclination is to refuse the settlement and let the customer service manager know that their agent managed to turn a bad situation worse, and that his demeanor has now got me looking at cable and FTA satellite, rather than continuing on with DISH.

Any recommendations? All I want to do is have a reasonably open platform to record TV (both pay-channels and local) and watch from time to time.

I have recieved numerous calls on my home phone as well as my cellular phone from Dishnetwork telemarketers. There is the option to select one to speak with a live representative and two to be removed from the call list. I have chosen option two several times and got absolutely no where so the last 7 times I have chosen option one to speak directly with a representative and I have either gotten hung up on or cursed out. I feel that this is a definite case of harrassment and would like it to stop! Anyone out there be it attorneys or person just like myself who has any information on the laws concerning this issue please contact me.

I followed the instruction to mail back their receiver with their ups box.they told me that i will receive my remained money after they received receiver. 3 months over, i called 8003333474, their computer system remember my phone no. i called more than one hour through new service, the guy handed up me right way, i realized my phone no. is in their blocked name, so does not matter how hard i try to speak their rep. answer machine is always on.

Sounds like my money will never be back to me, after i sent receiver, i never receive any close account bill at all, i have no idea and no crew what they want to do to me.

i spent tons of time to request to stop my dishnetwork service, but i paid my services in advanced. they told me that i will receive my money back as soon as they received i followed their instruction to mail back their receiver. i mailed back my receiver on aug.2008, i paid service period on 8/18/08 - 09/17/08, until right now i never receive any closing acount bill and money back to me.

i called today, took me one hour to connect their rep. the guy picked up the phone, then put me listen to the music about 15 min. i had to hand up. called again, answer machine is always on. sounds like my phone is blocked by their system. i have no way to go, i write this mess. and need help.