Cable & Satellite TV → [DISH] Dish push in Arkansas Beaware

Beware
Sequence of events.
1. Promised by Salesperson no charges would be made until installer shows and service is up and running, she even went so far as to say, that they never do because do to my location they may not be able to get a signal, which of course could be true.
2. Salesperson pushed for a next day install, which was Fathers day. I agreed, after offering the following Saturday, she insisted the Sunday would be fine.
3. Installer doesn’t show - no call.
4. I call to cancel, speak to Tony.
5. Tony sends me to loyalist specialist Dennis
6. Dennis assures me that any charges to my card will be removed, in fact had me on the phone for 45minutes, because she didn't want to hang up until she got it all finished (if she hung up, she said, she would get another call immediately and not be able to finish the data entry required to meet my needs)
7. I received a call on about the 23rd. from a person, acknowledging that I canceled the install and wanting to know if there was anything that could be done to change my mind. I said no.
8. June 30th, I receive my credit card statement, on it appears a charge for 59.95 from Dish network.
9. I called credit card company, thinking that the refund could not have made it on the statement, they are not aware of any refund. I ask if a refund is issued how long does it take to process, 3-5 business days.
10. I call Dish. - speak to person 1. My refund is pending, I ask why since I was assured the credit card would not be charged until the service was installed. I pointed out that service was not installed, and the install was canceled. I further pointed out that Dish was aware of that because a Dish representative called me and tried to get me to reconsider my decision.
11. She passed me to a specialist "Charles". Charles informed me that they had the right to charge me because it is in the residential contract and offered to send me a copy. I asked him if he was telling me that he had in his possession a contract with my name on it. He said no but its on their contract so it is legal.
12. When I at least got him to agree that the install did not happen, I asked him could he remove the pending status on my refund. I think my exact words were "give me my money back".
13. Charles informed me to remove the "pending" he needed to send me to another specialist, "to expedite" the matter.
14. I hung up.

I have refrained from included personal comments or the amount of time I spent on the phone during these conversations. I did this in order to try and provide an unemotional and accurate accounting of the events that transpired.
Personal conclusion - Dish is hurting for cash and using a direct mailing campaign combined with a hard to refuse offer, in order to bring in a quick cash infusion. (Those of you that are old enough will remember another company that used the same technique, successfully, even thought they ended up having to settle several class action suites.)
Regardless, be aware that to receive the FREE HD, they will ask for your credit card. They will immediately Charge that card. IF for some reason you cancel I hope you will not go through the difficulties I have outlined above.

I will know I am correct about their cash flow problem if I am charged the monthly charge, for the programming which I never received.

Sounds a lot like my friends dealings with TW in Ohio...

Dish made $230m last quarter after everything was said and done. I really don't think your "temporary loan" of $59.95 really impacted their balance sheet one way or another.

So call your card company, dispute the charges. It's not rocket science. During the dispute, the amount doesn't have to be paid and doesn't incur interest as long as it's resolved in your favor, which it will. What is Dish going to do, present a contract that you never signed for a service that was never installed?

Was it even Dish Network themselves that you were dealing with? Or a reseller that sent you a mailer?

As soon as you call Dish to have service installed, be it the next day or two weeks in the future, by the time you get off the phone with the CSR your card has been charged

I would bet it is a reseller as I don't believe that Dish does any direct mailings. All of the ones I get for the last 5 years are all resellers.

Dish is doing direct mailing in the Harrisonburg Va area because of the local roll out that they thought was going to makes sales spike, it bombed on them, hasn't really done any thing. Might be in part that the day that Dish rolled out locals in SD Directv rolled out the rest of the locals in HD