| reply to AndyDufresne
Re: Called Dish and complained What good is $10 off for 12 months if what you really want is the AMC programming? Despite the credit, you still don't have the programming. If it's the programming that you were interested in, I would think that you would have accepted the offer for the free Roku box plus $2-$3/month so that you could purchase the popular programs and watch them on your TV. It seems that you were just interested in getting a reduction in your bill rather than access to AMC programming. |
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 jmn1207Premium
join:2000-07-19
Ashburn, VA
kudos:1 | I think that is the point. Dish certainly increases their customer's bills when they add content that many don't care about, so why shouldn't Dish lower their bills when they remove content they don't care about watching? |
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| TV providers do not increase rates whenever new content or features are added to their service. Increases typically occur on an annual basis after the provider accesses what increased costs have been incurred. Dish was actually the only major provider that had no price increase this year. Since prices increases do not occur at the time new content is added, why would you expect a reduction in rates at the time a channel is removed?
Also, if you had no interest in the channel that was removed, why call with a ruse about being upset about the removal when all that you really want is a reduction in your bill for a lost channel that you wouldn't watch even if it was still in the lineup? |
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| reply to Rangersfan
From a financial standpoint, it'd be better to take the $10/month credit and buy a Roku box. Considering that the box they're probably offering is the cheapest one, which is around $50, then, when you add in $3/month for 12 months, you still don't equal the $120 you'd get via the bill credit.
If you want the shows, then the Roku is a great way to get them. It's a versatile little box, especially once you learn about private channels. |
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| said by ISurfTooMuch 
If you want the shows, then the Roku is a great way to get them. It's a versatile little box, especially once you learn about private channels.
[/BQUOTE :I don't think a number of those complaining want or care about the AMC shows, and they don't want a Roku box. |
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jmn1207Premium
join:2000-07-19
Ashburn, VA
kudos:1 | reply to Rangersfan
Prices increase bi-annually for many TV providers in the form of equipment rental increases, DVR fees, or some other method to squeeze more from our wallets. The excuse used to make these increases is often from additional content or some other gimmick that not everyone is interested in receiving. There is very little consumer control other than taking it all or leaving with nothing.
Just because it saves them money and is more convenient to make the price increases at certain points in the year should not matter. They don't have a process in place to give customers a break on their bills because it's not something they really care about, at all. In contrast, raising our rates is something they have perfected over the years. |
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 HallPremium,MVM
join:2000-04-28
Dayton, OH
kudos:2 | reply to Rangersfan
said by Rangersfan :What good is $10 off for 12 months if what you really want is the AMC programming? From Dish's standpoint, what else can they do ? They see it as a small "investment" or cost to keep a customer. Everyone knows that AMC will be back, but no one can say when yet.... The smart thing for Dish to do would be to offer a credit until AMC returns. They can't track that, of course, and wouldn't be able to easily stop the credits once AMC is back. They no doubt have a code for "$5-month-discount-6-months" or "$10-month-discount-12-months". |
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| said by Hall: From Dish's standpoint, what else can they do ? They see it as a small "investment" or cost to keep a customer. Everyone knows that AMC will be back, but no one can say when yet.... The smart thing for Dish to do would be to offer a credit until AMC returns. They can't track that, of course, and wouldn't be able to easily stop the credits once AMC is back. They no doubt have a code for "$5-month-discount-6-months" or "$10-month-discount-12-months".
If a customer is upset about the loss of the AMC channels and are threatening to leave because of that, I would think that what they really want is access to the programming as opposed to a credit on their bill. Wouldn't you think?
Unless they really don't care about the AMC programming and are just using this as an excuse to get a reduction in their bill. In which case, why would they threaten to leave because those channels have been removed since they wouldn't watch them even if they were still there. |
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| reply to Rangersfan
I agree with you; they want the cash. But I can't be entirely unsympathetic to that. After all, most of the time, we're forced to pay for a bunch of channels we don't want, so, when some of those channels are taken away, for whatever reason, we want some of that money back. |
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| said by ISurfTooMuch:After all, most of the time, we're forced to pay for a bunch of channels we don't want, so, when some of those channels are taken away, for whatever reason, we want some of that money back.
It doesn't work that way. Just as your price does not increase each time a new channel is added. |
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| reply to Rangersfan
Heck yeah! I could care less about AMC, but will call to "complain" so I can get a $10 discount. |
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| said by monkeyboy :Heck yeah! I could care less about AMC, but will call to "complain" so I can get a $10 discount.
At least you are being honest about it. |
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jmn1207Premium
join:2000-07-19
Ashburn, VA
kudos:1 | reply to Rangersfan
said by Rangersfan :said by ISurfTooMuch:After all, most of the time, we're forced to pay for a bunch of channels we don't want, so, when some of those channels are taken away, for whatever reason, we want some of that money back.
It doesn't work that way. Just as your price does not increase each time a new channel is added. The reality is that they actually do increase our prices when new channels are added (and even when they're not), but due to system limitations and to avoid an accounting nightmare, it is not done this way.
Your argument does not consider the level of effort it would take to track and maintain a system that offered instant rebates or rate increases based on content updates. That would be too obvious to the consumers, and the backlash would be significant, so they hide the rate increases and make it more difficult for the average consumer to recognize them.
In short, they get everyone with price increases, regardless, yet any refunds are handled on a one-to-one basis and only if someone complains too loudly. |
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| said by jmn1207:The reality is that they actually do increases our prices when new channels are added (and even when they're not), but due to system limitations and to avoid an accounting nightmare, it is not done this way.
No they do not. Price increase typically occur annually not when each new channel is added. In fact, Dish Network did not have a price increase this year despite the fact that new channels have been added on the past couple of years.
Also, I'm not arguing about anything. I'm simply stating the facts. |
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| reply to Rangersfan
No, rates don't go up as channels are added, but the cost to the provider eventually rises, and that increase must be covered somehow. It's the same with any business. If the cost of water chestnuts rises today, I might not see my lunch bill go up today, but, eventually, it will go up.
But I'm not talking about that here. I'm simply saying that people feel ripped off because they have to pay for a bunch of channels they don't want, so, if any channels go away, then they feel that their bill should go down. Personally, I don't watch ESPN, and I deeply resent having to pay so that someone else can watch, so, if ESPN was dropped by my provider, you can bet that I want that money back. Personally, I'd prefer that they allowed me to drop them from my lineup and get that cash back now, but I'm not holding my breath for that to happen. |
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| said by ISurfTooMuch:No, rates don't go up as channels are added, but the cost to the provider eventually rises, and that increase must be covered somehow. It's the same with any business. If the cost of water chestnuts rises today, I might not see my lunch bill go up today, but, eventually, it will go up.
That is exactly what I explained in one of my posts earlier in this thread. Also, if the providers costs go up with channel additions and down with channel removals, the net effect would be reflected in the next price increase. Most channel removals due to negotiation disputes are temporary, and the channels are returned to the lineup within a short period of time.
By the way, unless you subscribe to some channel on an a la carte basis, you subscribe to a package not to channels. The provider has the right to add or remove channels from that package. You have the right to be unhappy when this happens, but you are not entitle to a price adjustment because of changes in the channel lineup. The provide might decide to give temporary credits to those who complain, but once the credits go away, you are back to paying the regular rates. |
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jmn1207Premium
join:2000-07-19
Ashburn, VA
kudos:1 | reply to Rangersfan
said by Rangersfan :said by jmn1207:The reality is that they actually do increases our prices when new channels are added (and even when they're not), but due to system limitations and to avoid an accounting nightmare, it is not done this way.
No they do not. Price increase typically occur annually not when each new channel is added. In fact, Dish Network did not have a price increase this year despite the fact that new channels have been added on the past couple of years. Also, I'm not arguing about anything. I'm simply stating the facts. Right, no direct price increases that consumers can easily identify, yet they did find a way to squeeze more money out of a significant number of customers.
Here is where Dish is making increases in 2012.
Bundled Premium Movie Networks
DishLATINO Basico
Multi-Sport Pack
Box Return
Late Charge |
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| said by jmn1207:Right, no direct price increases that consumers can easily identify, yet they did find a way to squeeze more money out of a significant number of customers.
Here is where Dish is making increases in 2012.
Bundled Premium Movie Networks
DishLATINO Basico
Multi-Sport Pack
Box Return
Late Charge
The cost to acquire programming is only one component of the operating costs of a TV provider. There other costs incurred to operating any business that increase just as your total cost of living tends to increase each year. |
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 skeechanAi OtsukaholicPremium
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170
kudos:2
 ·Cox HSI
 ·Clear Wireless
| reply to Rangersfan
That $120 will buy you the few shows on AMC worth watching. I think on iTunes, Walking Dead was $35/season in HD. So if you only watched Breaking Bad and Walking Dead on AMC, you are still ahead $50. Me, I only watch Walking Dead so if Cox did this and gave me a $120 credit I'd be some $80+ ahead. |
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| said by skeechan:That $120 will buy you the few shows on AMC worth watching. I think on iTunes, Walking Dead was $35/season in HD. So if you only watched Breaking Bad and Walking Dead on AMC, you are still ahead $50. Me, I only watch Walking Dead so if Cox did this and gave me a $120 credit I'd be some $80+ ahead.
Don't forget Mad Men and the Killing. |
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