VMC Satellite, Inc. ripoff fraud Fairfax Virginia

I recently signed up for the free Dish Network deal. VMC sent the certificate to us and we scheduled an appointment w/a technican for installation.

When the installer came, he said that we couldn't have Dish TV service because we had too many trees.

When we sent back the certificate (after all sorts of delays (office closed, on hold, etc.), we only got a refund less ten dollars. When I complained about this, they replied like this:

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the shipping and handling charges. Your question is very valid and we wanted to explain the costs involved with processing your refund:

1) Before we ever mailed your certificate to you, we had to pay a shipping fee for Dish Network to ship your certificate to us first.

2) We also had labor costs involved in unpacking the certificates we receive from Dish Network and warehousing them prior to shipping to you.

3) There were additional labor costs in pulling your certificate from our inventory, properly addressing it, and mailing it to you.

4) There were postage costs as well as cost of other materials (envelopes, paper, etc.) used to fulfill your order and mail it to you.

5) When we received your certificate back from you, there were additional labor costs to us in opening your package, noting our computers, issuing your refund, etc.

6) We must now send your folded and "used-looking" certificate back to Dish Network and ask them to exchange it for a new one that can be used for another customer. There are labor costs in doing this, as well as properly tracking this function. There are also new shipping costs to us when we send your certificate back to Dish Network for exchange.

7) While Dish Network will gladly exchange your old certificate for a new one, we will once again have to pay them a new shipping charge for the new certificate to be sent to us.

8) We will then have a new set of labor costs associated with receiving, unpacking, and inventorying the new certificate from Dish Network.

As you can see from the time consuming processes above, we invest more in labor and real postage/shipping costs than most people understand.

Shipping and handling charges only partially defray some of our expenses. We didn't even mention bank fees, accounting charges, etc., that are also required to process a return.

While the certificate you returned to us may seem like nothing more than "a piece of paper," it is still valuable merchandise that must be properly inventoried and controlled. Each certificate carries a unique serial number.

If certificates are lost, we lose money. We must buy each certificate that we send to customers like you.

It is important to note that most Dish Network dealers do not issue refunds on certificates they sell. We're different. We truly care about our customers.

We understand why you were concerned about the shipping and handling charges.

We truly hope that this information has helped you to better understand the very real costs associated with your transaction.

We have found that our customers are honest and reasonable people. It has been our experience that the explanation above helps our customers understand the situation better.

We would also like to remind you that you agreed to our Terms and Conditions when placing your order. The shipping and handling costs are clearly outlined in the very first paragraph of those Terms and Conditions. The charge is also explained on our order page so that you are reminded before you submit your order. You can review our Terms and Conditions at the
following location:
http://www.vmcsatellite.com/channels/terms.cfm

Now is this a rip or what?

Tony
East Fishkill, New York