Dish Network/Echostar Communications Dish Network wiped out my checking account 3 days before Christmas Englewood Colorado

I have never had a Dish Network account, satellite dish, or any sort of affiliation with this company. I would like to know how it is legal for them to charge my credit card for a balance due on someone else's account?

A really good friend of mine was running a little late mailing out some bills and asked if I could help her out by her giving me the cash and using my check card to pay her bills for her immediately, rather than wait for the mail to run. Since I get cash back for using my checkcard, I had absolutely no problem with doing this for her. She would've done it for me had the situation been reversed.

8 months go by. No worries. Then when balancing my checking account a few days before Christmas, I noticed a $580 charge to my checking account from Dish Network. This was money I was planning on purchasing Christmas presents with, so this was not good.

I called Dish Network and got the run around. They said they charged my card because I did not pay my bill. I explained to more than one person, that I DID NOT have an account with Dish Network, and I never had an account with Dish Network. They looked the info up by the card # and said, that yes, I had an account and that my name was (my friend's name), not mine. The woman told me that when I signed the contract, I gave them this credit card number and because I didn't pay my bill that they were not only charging me the amount due, but charging me for all the equipment.

I told the woman, "I am looking at the credit card. This card belongs to (me) not (my friend.) " She said, "When you signed your original contract, you agreed to let us charge this card if the bill was not paid." Again, I explained to the woman, "I DO NOT have an account with you. I did not sign anything! It's 3 days before Christmas, I need my money back!" So by paying 1 bills for someone, your card # gets attached to their account? Is that right?

Of course, Dish Network did nothing. If it wasn't for my bank and Visa's unauthorized charges policy, I probably would have never received my money back. Certain people did not get Christmas presents until mid-January.

I would like to know how Dish Network can do this without authorization in seconds, but it takes a month to get the money back. Is this legal? The only reason they had my card # was because I paid a bill for a friend. Can they keep it on file forever?

Basschic
Cincinnati, Ohio
U.S.A.