DISH Network SUCKS!!!!

Bandit 5160

Member
Oct 31, 2008
323
8
18
If I wasn't under contract until May with these losers, I'd ditch them NOW! They are cheapskates who don't care what customers want! They REFUSE to carry the new MLB Network, which I want badly to have. In the past, they have argued and bickered with other channels such as Court (or Tru) TV and Comedy Central, causing us to lose these channels for an extended period of time. If you ever thin about satellite TV- NEVER go with DISH Network (or Echostar, as they are also known as). You will be sorry! I know I am!
 

Jleimer

Active Member
Oct 30, 2008
1,226
13
38
Sparks,NV
The reason they wont carry the MLB network is because they didnt sign the Extra Innings contract in 2007 , and we Dishers since I am one as well wont get it until 2014.
 

Bandit 5160

Member
Oct 31, 2008
323
8
18
I HOPE maybe MLB.com's website will allow subscribers to their MLB TV service, which I am, to view the channel online from the site.
 

drdroo

#1 by Women 18-24
Staff member
Oct 9, 2008
602
167
43
Bangor, ME USA
The reason they wont carry the MLB network is because they didnt sign the Extra Innings contract in 2007 , and we Dishers since I am one as well wont get it until 2014.

You have it right. Dish Network was tired of paying crazy prices to offer MLB EI to a few hundred thousand customers. As it goes DirecTV's prices are more expensive on regular plans because of their paying huge money for the NFL exclusive. If people do the math out, they'd probably find that DirecTV actually could be losing money by providing the NFL package.

These exclusives have got to go. The only reason why they're probably allowed is because of the antitrust exemption.

--

I'm disappointed the OP seems to think that Dish Network wronged him because they elected to not carry EI and make us in-market baseball fan DN customers pay for it. I'm a Red Sox fan and I'm in Maine, I'm not interested in paying more per month so the OP can have EI.

As a matter of fact, the OP chose to take a contract. They could've paid 50-100$ instead of taking free install and not had a contract. Better yet, they can break contract now since DN has pro-rated contracts. I believe it's something like 10$ a month per month owed.
 

tsave31

Member
Dec 16, 2008
165
4
18
Dish Network has an awful reputation of being cheap...notably on the sports side. I did read, though, that the programming guy who negotiated the deals left the company recently. Maybe whoever they place won't be as much of a stiff-arse?? :confused:
 

drdroo

#1 by Women 18-24
Staff member
Oct 9, 2008
602
167
43
Bangor, ME USA
It's not cheap as much as being fiscally conservative to the benefit of the majority of customers. A couple hundred thousand of 12 million is still a drop in the bucket.

DirecTV paid 3.5 billion for 2005-2010 season (5 years) of Sunday Ticket. That's just for Sunday Ticket, let alone their deals with MLB ( and Nascar. DirecTV has also gone through several owners in the last few years. In turn, NFL ST has gone up in price, but also the base plans

Originally DirecTV was aiming for exclusivity on the MLB EI package, but MLB is more greedy than the NFL and said 'anyone who can match what DirecTV is paying, can get it.' Several cable operators did, Dish Network didn't. MLB also made the carriage of MLB Network contingent on providing EI.

There's issues I have with Dish Network, but I'm glad they don't force my rates to go up for cutting these deals. Remember, DirecTV has to pay these deals even if they don't get enough customers to actually cover.

EDIT: By the way I'm entertained at the fact that satellite radio carriers are demonized for making these deals (especially Sirius in recent years) yet somehow Dish Network is evil for not.
 
Oct 29, 2008
422
7
18
Yeah well cable companies suck to. So no surprise to me. I never watched much TV so no biggie to me. They certainly are sucking your money out of most of you though.
 

tsave31

Member
Dec 16, 2008
165
4
18
There is a difference between being fiscally conservative and running a business that meets the consumers' demands. It is a fine, fine line. I will agree DirecTV is overpaying for theirs and is on the slight negative on being fiscally conservative. All that aside, though, their revenue is growing and subscriber base expanding.

Dish Network is largely on the negative side of meeting consumer demands. If it costs a dime, they will spend a penny or nothing at all. This might be good financially, but it is an absolutely horrendous business operation. They will only retain consumers and attract new ones if they offer what the consumers want. This is why Dish's subscriber numbers and revenue is pretty much stagnant.

And right now, the price points between Dish and DirecTv is not all that different comparing what each has to offer (DirecTV a lot more!). So, that is why Dish is being chastised...they aren't meeting their customer's wants nor making much of an attempt to....at all.
 

Jleimer

Active Member
Oct 30, 2008
1,226
13
38
Sparks,NV
Yeah well cable companies suck to. So no surprise to me. I never watched much TV so no biggie to me. They certainly are sucking your money out of most of you though.

Everybody is and I would hope the new FCC chair would look into a la carte because I dont watch some of these damn shopping channels and others that are useless.
 

drdroo

#1 by Women 18-24
Staff member
Oct 9, 2008
602
167
43
Bangor, ME USA
And right now, the price points between Dish and DirecTv is not all that different comparing what each has to offer (DirecTV a lot more!). So, that is why Dish is being chastised...they aren't meeting their customer's wants nor making much of an attempt to....at all.

What is DirecTV offering 'a lot more of'? Many of the 'more HD channels' they offer, are SD upconverts. Dish is offering just about all of the actual HD channel that DirecTV is offering and some of the upconvert channels. I believe DirecTV has scaled back their end of year HD channel count too.

I'm not so sure I agree about the price points. Last I saw, DirecTV doesn't even have a 19$ or HD-only plans. For instance, I think DishFamily is a relatively good deal (not enough for me but). When my brother did his pricing out with DirecTV to upgrade to HD from his old system, he found that DirecTV was more expensive by double digits. Both Dish and DirecTV (Dish first in Feb or so) will be rate hiking, I'm not sure what will happen after that.

I switched from cable where they told me I'd have to pay 40-50$ more a month just to keep what I had because all of my HBO channels were going Digital Only. I did that for 3 months and then kicked the cable company out. I'd say the cable company is probably the most slimy provider of television there is.

I'm not saying there aren't things that Dish has done that don't tick me off, but the service being beamed to the house and the price isn't really one of those problems. Customer Service (who I never call), installers (who I didn't use) is another situation.
 
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tsave31

Member
Dec 16, 2008
165
4
18
Please keep in mind all of my arguments are coming from a sports programming perspective. I agree, not including sports, Dish is probably the better, more family-friendly service. But for the sports fan, there is no question Dish won't do what it takes to please them.
 

drdroo

#1 by Women 18-24
Staff member
Oct 9, 2008
602
167
43
Bangor, ME USA
Understood. I am a sports fan, but I am largely an in-market sports fan (Red Sox, which I get via NESN HD, Patriots, which I get via CBS HD or FOX, Celtics games via CSNNE HD, and then I'm a Detroit Redwings fan which I usually catch on Versus, though Dish has CI too..). I get NASCAR via ABC HD, if I'm in a NASCAR mood.

For people who are out of market sports fans and want to pay hundreds a year for the privilege, then sure, I agree, DirecTV is where they should go. However, I don't blame Dish Network for not wanting to commit billions to the possibility they'll get subscribers (to both the package and to their service). If anything, I blame the fact the government allows these sports leagues to continue to have an antitrust exemption that they don't deserve.
 

tsave31

Member
Dec 16, 2008
165
4
18
With my situation, I am really in a strange situation. Living about 30 minutes west from Harrisburg, PA, I was considered in-market for the Philadelphia Flyers. But the strange thing is, I was also out-of-market on my cable (through Comcast) because they did not provide me with the Philadelphia Comcast Sports channel. Yet...come playoffs last year when Comcast had exclusive rights (for the in-market areas) to the first two rounds instead, I was blacked out of the Flyers home games on Versus (because they thought I had Comcast Sports Network), yet I did not have CSN. Go figure.

So this season, I switched to Dish Network (much against my argument...I was a directv advocate) and got the Center Ice package. Initially for the first two weeks, I was blacked out of all Flyers games and Dish claimed it was not their decision. I eventually discovered a phone number for a contact high up in the NHL ranks and somehow they got me lifted from the blackout on Center Ice. So I now get all Flyers games :clap:
 

drdroo

#1 by Women 18-24
Staff member
Oct 9, 2008
602
167
43
Bangor, ME USA
I won't hold it against you for being a Flyers fan... :D

My brother has had Sunday Ticket for something like 8 years. They blacked out a game on FOX when the FOX affiliate at the time was cable only (no transmitters). I called DirecTV up and they said they couldn't do anything about it. They wouldn't give me anyone to contact either. The cable company also blacks out some things, like when Judge Judy is on a local CBS affiliate and also available through a Superstation like 38 Boston.

I think blackouts are stupid in general, just like I'd rather have locals from Boston instead of from here. But the broadcasters are a bunch of whiners.
 

tsave31

Member
Dec 16, 2008
165
4
18
One of the big wigs for MLB is a big anti-blackout guy and is working on lifting blackouts or at the very least, update the market charts to better reflect a team's home territory.
 

hexagram

Medicinal & Recreational.
Oct 11, 2008
2,760
97
48
Seattle, WA
Everybody is and I would hope the new FCC chair would look into a la carte because I dont watch some of these damn shopping channels and others that are useless.

I would love a la carte satellite.

An all HD Satellite TV a la carte package would be the best. The thought alone is making me salivate.

I'm just crossing my fingers for DirecTV to offer an all HD package and I'd like to get one of those dual-tuner extenders for Windows Media Center (whenever that comes out, probably won't be until 2010).
 

hexagram

Medicinal & Recreational.
Oct 11, 2008
2,760
97
48
Seattle, WA
It sounds like they ditched the effort because they missed the Aug. 2008 update release for the device to make it in the WMC.

A company spokesperson noted that the decision was made after "assessing the impact of missing the August 2008 release of Windows Media Center update and considering timing of the next release."

It could be made available for Windows 7 (which seems to be a good operating system so far [certainly a great improvement over Vista], I'm currently using build 6956 and I'm enjoying the new features).
 

Ifandorbut

Well-Known Member
Oct 12, 2008
2,270
91
48
AT&T(Dish Network out here)is trying to do the hard sell on upgrading on their systems, be it phone, TV or Internet. If I choose to upgrade I stand to lose a lot of TV programming I get right now a lot cheaper, I would also lose all Sirius music channels.

To get what I already have by "upgrading", I would have to shell out an extra fifty bucks a month.

No thanks.....