Why Does Sonic.net Need My Social Security Number?

[aw]

I wonder, would Dish be a better option? Anyone have any experience and an opinion?

You'll have lots of angry fans of zombies and 60's ad agencies, as Dish is dropping AMC.

[rcoaster]

When I had DirecTV for several years, I had reasonably good customer service from them, though I only ever called "customer retention" for service, usually when I found about another way to get credits or deals...

Dish versus Direct is pretty much a wash as far as (mediocre) quality is concerned, but Dish Network (specifically, its owner Charlie Ergen) has a reputation for playing "hardball" with other businesses (including program providers, to the point of losing channels for customers or nearly so, several times), so I would not hold high hopes for working with them.

[torstenb]

I wonder, would Dish be a better option? Anyone have any experience and an opinion?

I was a Dish Network customer for 2 years before I "cut the cord" entirely and switched to over-the-air broadcast. Overall I had a rather positive experience.The SSN was an issue with them also, though. I had to argue long and hard to avoid that. As I recall it, what made it possible in the end was leaving my credit card on file for automatic billing.

If I could voice a preference, though, I would accelerate what you're hinting in your other post and/or explore partnership opportunities with Aero or maybe even Verizon? If there's no or not much overlap with Sonic.net's market and Verizon FiOS market, maybe there's a way to send a scaled down version of Verizon's IPTV offering through Sonic.net's Fusion Broadband connections?

It's all about being able to control all aspects of the customer experience. The moment you hand over parts of it to a partner your risk of damage to your own brand increases significantly.

[cataha]

I wonder, would Dish be a better option? Anyone have any experience and an opinion?

I have a DishNetwork w/international package
Wellllllllll let me tell you before a year or so ago Their programing was O.K. but only until 2011 thereafter every show i seem has been outdated way past 5+ years ago and on top of that it's repeating show i watched a cooking show and i swear i have seen same dish been prepared for at least 30 times per 1-2 months(with same person mentioning the same date and month on a show-big mistake on a show part)
Also many other channels goes same way.. i watched BBC TopGear and it's basically UN-concurrent reruns of it
Say today is Jun 27 2012 so today they'll run from dec 2x 2006 tomorrow Jun 28 2012 they'll rerun from Oct 2x 2008 after tomorrow they'll rerun from Sep 1x 2010 and so on......
The only channels seem to stay current are Rt.com, France News 24, CCTV(china news), G4(now this channel has disappeared from my receiver) and couple of others...... but overall Suck big time
And on top of that the commercial(s) are a killer, i seen a Blockbuster commercial(sameone every 5-7 minutes
) for past 2-3 years
I have called then couple of times and they basically said that they are a BUS for tv stations and they are not liable nor responsible for a programming so take it or leave it!
So I called to a tv stations couple of times and they also said it take it or leave it.
After talking to DishNetwork and TV Stations individuals I then realized that TV in general is going down the hill for good and soon to just gain tv viewer they must produce shows like
how to be a pimp in a ghetto
how to rape young kids
how to prepare drugs fast and easy way
how to kill another competitor quick and easy way by choosing our recommended weapons of choice
and so on...... to get popularity since nobody YET is daring to run it or doing so (YET is the key word)

Since congress knows that they will lose the no internet cap law suit so they went on and outdid them self's THIS TIME by producing counter-laws for tv since they are afraid that if no cap on internet will be passed then tv will extinct it self
Comcast has lunched a law suit against a cap limitations and so congress in return passed no penalties and no regulations against tv stations for a nudity language and other things
That's when i concurred with my self-predicted future of tv shows for gaining costumers as to how far will station go

[cataha]

.....but Dish Network (specifically, its owner Charlie Ergen) has a reputation for playing "hardball" with other businesses (including program providers, to the point of losing channels for customers or nearly so, several times), ..........

I concur to that,
they have lost many GOOD channels and they are still doing so one by one on yearly bases

Also they have changed / switched channels for no reason at all
And when i called and inquired on it why i'm paying for 12 channels but only getting 6 channels they would say well we gave you another 6 of China channels WTF i don't speak Chinese nor watch nor paid or signed up with China channels in a beginning and channels that i'm paying for not even on a same continent for that matter
Yeah so i would never recommend DishNetwork even to my enemy

[cataha]

I concur to that,
they have lost many GOOD channels and they are still doing so one by one on yearly bases

Just now i went down stairs to check what i have today on my channel list and here it goes....
Yesterday i watched a Channel G4 (cops) Now receiver said i don't have that channel no more.....
I'll check in couple of weeks see if i get it again or not since i had that happen to me on a BBC one week it's there and the other week it's not there
And conclusion is on this topic / opinion is:
If you like to be ripped of,
If you like to gamble,
If you like to waste your money
Go with full trust ahead to DishNetwork (i'm removing that sucker in a month or two since i got tiered of paying for nothing, have to constantly gamble on channels and so many things that i had gone trough for past 3-4 years of been with them and moving back to books / stone age as an entertainment --method/mechanism )

[aw]

Are you referring to Dish or DirecTV? Your first post changes halfway through.

[cataha]

Are you referring to Dish or DirecTV? Your first post changes halfway through.

My is a Dish Network
Thanks for correction

[Guest]

I have recently attempted to acquire service from both Directv and Dish and both of them wanted my social security number so badly that Directv denied most of their advertised savings incentives AND required me to pay an additional $300.00 for what they called a "deposit". Dish Network denied me ALL of their new customer savings when I refused the credit check!

Like other postings above, Directv and Dish both promised to deduct $5.00 of my "deposit" each month from my billing until the $300.00 was used up. In the first place that is NOT a deposit, it is actually called an advance payment plan! I find it really insulting that these bozos think I'm stupid enough that I don't know the difference!

As far as the equipment being so precious to them due to the cost of the equipment, this too is a complete load of CRAP! I had Directv in Florida for three years (I did NOT have a credit check OR pay this so called deposit). When I moved out of Florida, I notified Directv of the move and returned the receiver to them in a prepaid mailer. Directv left the dish and all of the cabling on the outside of the building, never came to remove it and it was still there as of a month and a half ago when I was back down there. Obviously this particular piece of equipment and about 150 feet of copper wiring wasn't THAT important to them!!

Let's be completely realistic here. It should be obvious to all of us that these companies want our social security numbers very badly.

Why? What could possibly be the real reason for this? Here's the news that nobody wants us to know (including our cable providers); they SELL these numbers to information brokerage companies who in turn, sell them to marketing companies. Once they have your SS number, they can research your entire buying history, credit limit history, purchasing trends, etc. They then concentrate their sales efforts specifically to your prior history as a consumer.

This is very BIG business. If companies can manage to acquire enough of them, our SS #'s can mean big profits . Why should you care? If this should happen to you, your credit rating can possibly be severely impaired due to all of the potential inquiries and credit offers that will surely result from what seems like a very innocent request.

BE AWARE - THESE SATELLITE COMPANIES ARE RUNNING A SCAM ON ALL OF US! Proceed doing business with these companies at your own risk! I personally will continue to pay my somewhat higher cable bill and stay as far away from these scam artists as I can.

Have a great holiday season and please, lets educate ourselves and NEVER stop asking WHY.

[dane]

I think it's pretty clear why DirecTV and Dish both want an SSN: they are deploying anywhere from $250-$900 worth of equipment in a home, and they want to assure they have the leverage to collect on that if it is not returned.

As you note, both DTV and Dish care little for the metal dish, mounting bracket and coaxial cable. They do want back the LNB (low-noise block; the thing on the dish that receives the signal) as well as the set-top boxes and DVR equipment.

Modern DVRs are expensive. Try to buy a TiVO lately? They list for $499, but are sold for around $250, plus a $15 to $20 monthly fee (or $499 one-time, PLUS the box!) The newest Dish and DirecTV gear includes four to six tuners, large disks, whole-home capabilities, etc. It's a risk for them, so they want to check credit, and also to be able to engage in collection action if the equipment disappears.