Dish Network - Satellite TV - wasn't able to cancel movie channels and received bill - poor service

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on July 3, 2002:

From:

RE: Dish Network - Satellite TV - wasn't able to cancel movie channels and received bill - poor service When I signed up I paid for a 2nd receiver. The package contained 3 months of free movie channels. After one month I called to cancel the movie channels and The Dish Network refused to cancel them. I called back to cancel in the second month and they refused to cancel them. When I called in the third month to cancel they told me I had to wait for the fourth month to cancel when I received the bill.

They billed me for the movie channels and when I called to cancel they said I should have called within the three months. I objected and was threatened with termination and severance chanrges unless I paid the bill. I paid the bill under protest.

Later, the second receiver I purchased failed and they maintained the position that they had nothing to do with it. Then the first receiver started double framing to the point where one couldn't tell what the image was supposed to be. The Dish Network then told me that I had to pay for a service call. This happened within the one year contract period.

Go tired of fighting with them, canceled the service after the contract had expired and switched to DirectTV. I tried to negotiate with them on the original charges for the movie channels and the second receiver that went dead.

At the end they said I owed $30.10 and I had to pay. The second receiver cost over $100 and the charges for the movie channels had to be added to it. They refused to communicate regarding the dispute and turned it over to a collection agency run by them.

I notified the agency of the dispute and they promptly told me where to put it and that I couldn't touch them. Formal notice, etc failed to halt telephone calls at 2 through 6 in the morning. I paid the $30.10 and the early morning calls magically stopped. The timing is right for the New York area.