Dish Network Corporation Charles Ergen Laura Sanchez Dylan McMichael Bait and switch deceptive business practices and extortion Englewood Colorado

Dish Network Corporation engages in illegal bait and switch deceptive business practices, as well as delays canceling services for an additional billing period after these practices are brought to Dish Network Corporation’s attention and cancellation is requested, as well as extorts additional payment from their customers specifically for not wanting to do business with a company who practices these illegal and unethical business practices.

On July 12, 2013, we spoke with a Dish salesperson who sold us satellite television service for $20 a month for one year, and then $54 a month onward, with a 24 month contract. Understanding our service is “America's Top 120” that may ordinarily be billed at $29.99 per month, our salesperson promised us the price of $20. When we spoke to this salesperson we were informed at the beginning of our call that it was being recorded, so Dish has a recording of this verbal contract.

As we were reviewing our various utility bills in October of this year (we had just moved into our new home in July and have been too busy with work and settling in since then to look carefully at this bill), we noticed Dish has been charging us $29.99 per month since July 12th, instead of the $20 per month fee that was promised to us by Dish when we purchased this service.

On October 23rd, we called Laura Sanchez, Office of the President, Dish Network Corporation, (888) 826-8137 x 53342, who told us our fee would be $29.99 per month, “regardless” of what their salesperson told us. Ms. Sanchez did not offer to look into our claim in any way, including simply and reasonably contacting their salesperson to ask him the price he gave us. Ms. Sanchez also refused to provide us with the name of the Dish salesperson we spoke with on July 12th. It was only after we told Ms. Sanchez that we would make a formal complaint to the appropriate regulatory agencies if we were not charged the fee we were promised on July 12th, that Ms. Sanchez said she would investigate the matter and call us back in 7 - 10 business days. However, Ms Sanchez never called us back and most likely did not investigate this problem further.

Furthermore, Dish Network Corporation charged us for an additional billing period before they canceled our service. On November 27th, we left a voice mail with Laura Sanchez canceling our Dish service effective November 27th, “specifically” because of Dish Network Corporation’s bait and switch tactics, and Laura Sanchez’s refusal to look into this problem. Laura Sanchez’s voice mail indicates she returns customer calls within 72 hours, but she never returned our voice mail, and Dish did not cancel our service until December 30th.

On December 3rd we mailed Charles Ergen, President, Dish Network Corporation, a return-receipt letter documenting the above information, and reiterating our cancelation of service, effective November 27th, to which we received no response.

On December 20th, we left a second voice-mail with Laura Sanchez asking her to call us back by December 24th to resolve this problem, otherwise we would go to the local Prosecuting Attorney’s office. Laura Sanchez ignored this voice-mail as well. That was the forth (4th) time we tried to resolve this problem directly with Dish Network Corporation, at the highest level, the President’s Office, with not even a single response.

On December 26th, we filed a formal charge of bait and switch deceptive business practices against Dish Network with the local Prosecuting Attorney’s office.

It was not until December 31st, over two months since we brought this problem to Dish’s attention that we received an email from Dylan McMichael, Dish representative. When we spoke with Dylan, his response was that not only were we supposedly mistaken about our billing, but also that we would be charged a “cancellation fee” for canceling our service. When I asked Dylan for a copy of the voice recording of the conversation between us and the Dish salesperson who sold us their service, Dylan told me we would have to get a court order to hear it.

We took written notes during our July 12th phone conversation with Dish’s salesperson and we are certain we were promised a $20 monthly fee and that we are victims of illegal bait and switch deceptive business practices.

The result of not wanting to continue service with Dish Network Corporation specifically due to their illegal bait and switch business practices, and that ignores their customers when those practices are brought to their attention, and that ignores their request to cancel service for a full billing period in order to get an additional month’s revenue, is that we will now be charged an additional cancellation fee and will be extorted with having our bill sent to a collection agency, ruining our perfect credit history, if we do not pay it.

It is unfortunate we chose to conduct business with such a corrupt and non-responsive organization.  Do not make the same mistake we did.