Life used to be so much simpler back in the day, especially when it came to watching television. I remember back when I was little, if you wanted to turn the channel on the television, you had to get up and the turn the dial on the TV itself -- there were no remotes at that time. Try telling your kids that today, and they will think you were lying.
It wasn't until I was a little older that I began to see the importance of technology and how through advancements it made things more efficient and better. So, when they came out with TV's with remotes, that was all the rage. Before we had cable, we had no problem watching over the air broadcasting. But, to follow with the times, my family switched to cable for more channel options and better, crisper picture quality. And, over the years, technology has continued to advance and now we have the ability to watch either cable or satellite television services.
From the time I went away to college, until my husband and I settled down and bought our first home in CT, I have had my fair share of interactions with cable companies. It wasn't until we moved to CT that we decided to try out the satellite service for our television viewing needs. Even though satellite TV had been around for awhile, they still hadn't fixed issues that bothered most subscribers -- bad weather or gusty winds would knock out service. In order to sign up for satellite service, we had to lock in a 2-yr. agreement with the carrier we had (not DISH). Just months after signing on, we started to count down the days until our contract was up, so that we could switch back to cable, as we thought it was more reliable. But, we were wrong. Never had I dealt with such poor customer service like I had with our cable provider. They would give false pricing, change the channel line-up on us without notice, and would oftentimes give us cable boxes that didn't work for long and had to be switched out, causing my husband or I to have to take time off of work to wait around for a technician to come to our home.
So, after having enough with the back and forth phone calls, trips to return/exchange devices that weren't working or were outdated because it would cost to have a technician stop by and pick up, we cut ties with our cable company. But, after finding ourselves going through television withdrawal, we tried out the streaming devices and paid movie apps, to get our TV and movie fix. When it came time to pay our first month's bill, my husband and I found ourselves paying around the same as we did with extended basic cable service, but without the live broadcast viewing. Because we weren't seeing a savings and mixed being able to record and watch shows at a later time, we signed back up for cable.
But, with the return to cable, so came the headaches and having to deal with lousy customer service. I used to joke with my family and friends and tell them that if it wasn't for me and other who stay home or work from home, they would have to deal with calling cable companies when they came home from work to find a cable outage. Instead, I would call to report the outage and continually follow up so that by the time others got home, the cable would be back up and running. :-)
Growing more and more frustrated with the cable provider we had, my husband and I sat down and talked about trying out satellite service again. But, we both worried that satellite service was like it was years earlier and we would see service going out during the long winter months here in New England, or during rain or wind storms. With New England's unpredictable weather, we didn't want to be paying for service that wasn't consistent. Not sure what to do, I was happy and surprised to find an email from the folks at DISH asking if I wanted to try out their service, along with their Hopper and Super Joey receivers, and share my thoughts with you all. How could I say, "No". And, within a few days of emailing and talking about the details, I had two DISH service technicians out to my house, to install DISH service in 4 rooms of my home.
An average new DISH install takes between 3-6 hours, depending on your house layout, number of devices ordered, television being hooked up to service, etc. Even though this may seem like a long time to have service technicians at your home, for the most part you forget that they are there, as they are quiet, pick up after themselves, as they make a point to tackle one room at a time. They even wear white shoe slipper-type covers to prevent tracking in of mud or debris from the outside inside and throughout your home. I never experienced this with previous cable installs. Instead, I found myself cleaning up mud stains that they had trekked in.
While I was given a 4-hour time frame of the technician's arrival (I could have chosen 8AM-12PM or 1PM-5PM), I received a number of reminder calls the day leading up to the install date, as well as one the morning of the appointment. The morning of the visit phone call gave me a better estimate of when the technician would arrive. They even gave me the option of leaving my cell phone number in case I had to run an errand, and the DISH technician arrived while I was out. They would call and let me know that they were at my home waiting for me. I loved having the service technician call me minutes before his arrival, to let me know he was on his way. I have had the pleasure of seeing Mike and Roland, two of DISH employees, on two separate occasions over the course of a month. And, each and every time they were at my home, they provided exceptional customer service.
I would never have thought I would find myself raving about a satellite television provider. But, after recently having DISH services installed in our home, I can't help it. Not only is the overall DISH service and channel lineup amazing, but the customer service and installation we received was second to none. If I could give a raise or promotion for exceptional service, I would definitely be giving kudos to Mike and Roland, who set us up with DISH service. Mike especially went above and beyond when it came to explaining and showing my family and I all the features of the Hopper, Joey and most recently the new Super Joey, which lets you record 8 shows at once. Even though I was probably asking too many technical questions other customers generally would not ask, Mike took the time to answer them. And, if he didn't know the answer, he made a few calls into the customer service or tech center to get the answers for me. I know that if I had asked our previous cable provider these questions, they would tell me they would get back to me...but, never would.
Oh, and I forgot to mention, my initial DISH installation and return visit to switch out our Joey receiver with the new Super Joey receiver both happened on a Saturday. I had to ask if this was a normal option for new or current subscribers, or if they were making an exception to me as I was reviewing their service. Roland informed me that DISH works 365 days a year. And, the only days he was aware of that they didn't send service technicians to customers' homes was Thanksgiving and Christmas. Other than that, if service were to go down on a holiday, service technicians would be out in the field remedying the problem and getting service back up to customers in a prompt manner. Let me just say I was so amazed at this. A couple years ago when we had an ice storm in October and had down trees, we had lost cable for two weeks, and didn't get a credit for this no service time period. We were told that the cable provider was limited on staff and were getting to it as fast as they could...even though they were working at a snail's pace to get customers here in eastern CT back up and running.
Just hearing Roland and Mike talk about DISH's commitment to customer satisfaction, as well as hearing the excitement about their employer, the new Super Joey and other devices soon to be released, I could tell that they liked what they did and that unlike other companies, that DISH valued their employees' services, too!
While my family is enjoying DISH services through this review opportunity, when our free trial is up, we will definitely be signing on to continue service. And, a two-year contract will not deter us one bit, as we are loving the service we are currently receiving, and the customer service that we have experienced thus far has been stellar. Now, try saying that about a recent interaction with your cable provider.
Recently, DISH released the Super Joey, an add-on to its Hopper DVR. Now, instead of just recording 6 shows at one time, the Super Joey lets you record 8 shows simultaneously. The Super Joey, available to both current and new subscribers also adds two additional tuners to the Hopper's own 3. This new addition to the DISH family will eliminate channel conflicts for DISH Hopper customers. Now, you don't have to fight over who gets to record what and when. :-)
According to recent press release, Vivek Khemka, DISH senior vice president of product management said, “Combined with Hopper’s 2,000 hours of storage, Super Joey makes it even easier for customers to enjoy more of the shows they love without having to negotiate what’s recorded with other viewers in the house.”
The combined Hopper and Super Joey tuners gives DISH customers the power to watch and/or record shows from any four channels in addition to the shows on the four major broadcast networks or five shows from any channels of their choice. Super Joey is powered by a 1305 MHz, 3000 DMIPS Broadcom BCM7346 processor, features remote finder functionality, and supports MoCA and Ethernet connectivity.
Once you experience the Super Joey and the ability to record 8 shows at once, you will wonder how you ever lived without it. We have only had the Super Joey since Saturday, and have seen a world of difference this tuner offers families. The girls get to have their showed recorded at night time, so that they can watch when they wake up, and my husband and I can record our shows, while we catch up on other recorded shows. While the Super Joey is the latest major enhancement to the Dish HD DVR system, it is just the latest in a series of offerings that continue to make this satellite service provider the best around.
If you are tired of poor service with your current cable provider or have considered stitching to a satellite provider but hesitate due to contacts or the though that you would lose service during inclement weather, you should really consider making the switch to DISH. You will not be disappointed!
Already a DISH subscriber? Refer a friend to sign up for new service and you both get $50. Or, upgrade to a Hopper and get either a monthly credit or an iPad mini, which you can use to take advantage of the new mobile/on-the-go DISH app. This allows you to record a show on your home DVR and transfer it to your iPad or other mobile device, to watch at a later time. Cool, huh? I sure think so! :-)
So, stay tuned for more DISH posts over the course of this year, including my upcoming Hopper/Super Joey post in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I am having a blast trying out the different Hopper and Super Joey features, while experiencing top-notch satellite service. I can't get over the HD picture quality and all the bells and whistles DISH provides to its customers, including video tutorials, On Demand movie viewing, the Prime Time Anytime feature (Lets you automatically record all the prime time content from ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC every night of the week), and so much more. I am so happy I made the switch to DISH, and, I know you will, too!
DISH Network currently offers four packages: America’s Top 120, America’s Top 120 Plus, America’s Top 200 and America’s Top 250. DISH's top package (Premier) does not include premiere channels like HBO and Showtime, but you can get them free for the first 3 months.
So, what are you waiting for? Click here to learn more about DISH, including how to make the switch today -- http://www.dish.com/.
And, with Mother's Day fast approaching, why not hit to your family that you want to get the Super Joey so you no longer have to miss your shows. We all deserve our guilty pleasures like television in life, and thanks to this new receiver which lets you record 8 shows at one time, you will never miss a show again. :-)
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DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), through its subsidiary DISH Network L.L.C., provides approximately 14.049 million satellite TV customers as of Sept. 30, 2013, with the highest quality programming and technology with the most choices at the best value. Subscribers enjoy the largest high definition line-up with more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels, and award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network Corporation is a Fortune 200 company. Visit www.dish.com.
Disclosure: I was provided with free service from the vendor in exchange for an honest review of their services and product offering. However, all views shared are mine and mine alone.
What a great informative review. I smiled when I read the part about when you were a kid because I remember those days too I was the remote. I remember when my dad got our very first VCR that was a super big deal back in those days. The technology has grown so much since then and there are so many choices and things I hadn't even heard of before like the Super Joey. We have Dish and I am very interested in the Hopper and now I want to check into the Joey and the Super Joey more. Thanks for the great review. I wonder what television is going to be like in say twenty years from now.
ReplyDeleteheather [email protected]
Hahaha...Heather, I was the remote to -- perks of being the younger child. I also was the one holding and moving around the rabbit ears antenna with aluminum foil to get in more channels, too. VCR was a bid deal in our house, too. My parents still don't want to part with their collection even though they can get them on DVD -- just not the same they say. :-)
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