Shady Pricing and More: 5 Reason People Keep Dumping Dish Network – The National Interest

Dish Network, like its chief competitor DirecTV and other legacy cable TV providers, has witnessed a mass exodus of subscribers due to the inexorable rise of online streaming services like Netflix, Disney Plus and Hulu.

In its most recent earnings report, the companys pay-TV business, which includes its satellite TV offering and Sling TV, shed 194,000 subscribers. The one silver lining was that this figure was fewer than the 334,000 subscribers it lost a year earlier.

The most troubling trend for Dish is that it lost 94,000 subscribers in its Sling TV streaming service, compared to an addition of 47,000 subscribers during the same period last year. It was the first time its OTT service lost subscribers since launching in 2015.

The downward trend is obvious, but what are the reasons behind these customers leaving Dish in droves? Here are five of them.

First off, Dishs customer service has been determined to be pretty shoddy by many people. Consumer Affairs has registered over 5,000 complaints about the satellite TV companys various mishandlings, from long waits on phones to outright rude behavior.

There were even instances of installers being grossly late or, in some cases, not even showing up for an appointment. Moreover, some customers had to endure the humiliating demands that they had to personally replace defective equipment.

Another reason thats driving away customers is Dishs long contracts. Many of the contracts are indeed for two years, so if you happen to move during that time or maybe lose your job, youre really out of luck. Early termination of your agreement means that you have to pay up $20 for each month remaining. Definitely a hard pill to swallow for many.

No. 3 on the list is Dishs deceptive pricing. Many customers have complained that when theyre offered promotions or discounts, Dish makes them sign up for the aforementioned two-year contract, but it does not disclose the important fact that these bargain rates will only be honored for the first 12 months. So, when month 13 rolls around, many customers have had their jaws drop to the floor.

Next up is the installation of equipment. OK, in this day and age, physically installing a satellite dish on top of your roof should have gone the way of the rotary dial phone. But if you do sign up for Dishs satellite service, this is something that you cant avoid and you will likely see a technician come to your home at some point to install it. This is a hassle that people just dont want to deal with, especially when you can just turn on your smart TV and stream your favorite content without jumping through hoops.

The final reason goes something like this: Bottom of the ninth inning, two outs, full count, the winning run is on third, here comes the pitch. Then, nothing. Thats one of the most annoying things about Dish as a satellite TV provider, because bad weather can in fact cause outages.

Yes, in many cases, the disruptions will last for only a short period, but it isnt uncommon to have your service go out for an hour or two. In short, when you cant prove that youre reliable, its hard to expect loyalty from your customers.

Ethen Kim Lieser is a Tech Editor who has held posts at Google, The Korea Herald, Lincoln Journal Star, AsianWeek and Arirang TV. He currently resides in Minneapolis.

The rest is here:
Shady Pricing and More: 5 Reason People Keep Dumping Dish Network - The National Interest