Philip Nelson

Scam Alert: Satellite TV – Bait and Switch

My eyes have been opened to a scam that appears to be sweeping the Satellite service business.. Bait and Switch.

Most that know me have heard my horror stories of dealing with Time-Warner Cable and their insanely poor customer service but after leaving Time-Warner, I decided to give satellite TV a try..

First attempt was DirectTV.. I called in and explained to the sales rep, exactly what I was looking for. HD DVR’s in two rooms and a channel package that included FOX News. Very simple request.. The sales rep offer me a package that “met me request” so I signed up. The installer shows up with two HD Receivers, no DVRs. After explaining the order to him, I learn that I’ll be charged an extra equipment fee and an extra monthly for the DVR on top of the originally agreed upon price. I canceled the order…

Decided to give Dish Network a try.. Called their sales line with the same request. HD DVR’s in two rooms and a channel package that included FOX News.

This morning the installer shows up and I felt like I was in the movie Groundhog Day… He has one HD DVR and a standard def receiver. If I want HD DVR in two rooms it would be an extra equipment fee and an extra monthly fee. After speaking with two different customer service reps at Dish Network, they agreed to waive the equipment fee but still wanted to charge me an extra monthly fee.

This my friend, is bait and switch.. You want to watch TV. The installer is in your house… What do you do?

I wonder how much extra revenue these satellite companies make due to these un-ethical business practices. Would love to hear from you about an similar experiences.

I guess I’m installing an antenna on my house this afternoon and using that extra money to buy DVD’s.. 🙂