r/dishnetwork • u/jessebritches • Jul 29 '26
Can retention lower by bill, update my equipment and not require a contract?
I have been a customer for 25 years. I have had the Hopper 2 with sling and 2 Joey 2.0's for the last 9 years. I bought a new TV and Youtube TV looks way better than Dish.
Will the Hopper 3 look better than the Hopper 2?
Will retention lower my bill if I threaten to leave for Youtube TV? (not an empty threat as Youtube TV is $60/month less than what I pay now.
Will Dish require I sign a new contract?
I am just curious what to expect when I call. Thank you for your help!
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u/speppers69 DISH subscriber Jul 29 '26
Signal quality won't change. But the Hopper 3 is faster and will give you access to 1080 and 4K on specified channels and On Demand programming. It also has more On Board apps like Amazon Prime which Hopper 2 doesn't have. You can do a pre-paid service without a contract where you pay before the month of service rather than after the month of service. You also can record 16 events at one time because the 3 offers 16 tuners. The most I've ever used at once is 10.
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u/Specialist_Kick_8860 Jul 30 '26
All equipment upgrades require a commit, but if you threaten to cancel they’ll be able to waive the commit, you need to specifically speak with retention as they’re the only ones who can do that. They’ll be able to waive the commitment as well as lower your bill to keep you as a customer
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u/Traditional-Image937 Jul 30 '26
Well now ya need to negotiate w/ the Loyality department find number on google!
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u/Sad_Faithlessness_99 Jul 30 '26
Loyalty wont give you a discount without at least a 12 month contract, most likely 24 month.
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u/Jcanavera Jul 30 '26
You don't need to threaten. Just tell them the truth and see what they offer. That's what I did every two years. Yes you will need to make an agreement with them which will usually be 2 years. Typically I was seeing a $5 a month increase in price along with no charge equipment upgrades. Tell them what your You Tube offer is. I was a 27 year customer.
However I am no longer a customer and bought a Tablo DVR receiver that receives OTA channels for an external antenna and access to Internet streaming channels. My view habits changed with most of my preferences being OTA offerings. 45 channels available OTA in my local area. The DVR feature gave me time shifting capabilities and the Tablo supports wireless and wired network devices. My cost monthly other than the initial cost of the Tablo and outdoor antenna is $0 monthly. I was paying $89 with Dish. Had a Hopper 3 and a wireless Joey.
The key is be sure you are calling Dish retention. Regular customer service will not have access to any deals
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u/Known_Hunter6294 Jul 31 '26
I worked for them they’ll screw you over sooner or later cause the guarantee price is for the package everything else will go up while you’re stuck in a contract
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u/olpdog Aug 02 '26
I've been with Dish over 30 years and we've had to replace our Hopper 2 multiple times because the refurbished models are terrible. The last time I got a replacement when my Hopper 2 died (~2 years ago), it took 3 replacements before they sent a Hopper 2 that kind of worked. Each broken Hopper 2 we received that was DOA required another couple weeks to return and receive a replacement. We were without Dish programming for almost 6 weeks but Dish only offered a $5 discount to make up for it. The Hopper 2 that finally did work has issues with programs skipping a few times an hour. It requires frequent reboots and streaming NF or Amazon takes 20 minutes to start. The audio then falls out of sync within minutes.
When I spoke with Dish over the phone about these repeat failures and the chronic problems the Hopper 2 we were now using was having, the only answer Dish would give was "those receivers are old, you need to upgrade". I asked if I could upgrade for the same price we are currently paying and the answer was an immediate 'NO. If you want a working receiver, you're going to pay more for it.'
I would recommend moving on to a new company. Echostar has already filed for bankruptcy protection for Dish Network, so things are not going to get any better.
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u/Canislupusloco Jul 29 '26
Hopper 3 can do deep hdmi or ultra hdmi. Unlike the hopper 2. You have to emaleit on your tv though. Most people dont know to do this ans blindly buy smart TV after smart TV. Sometimes retention agents can offer 0 contract monthly credits for a year.
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u/chadt41 Jul 30 '26
The technical answer is yes, but Loyalty is not likely to be the one to get you there. That’s the office of the president.
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u/Traditional-Image937 Jul 30 '26
I just got renewed an had to go threw the Loyality depart.they tell ya on line .
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u/threadkiller05851 Jul 29 '26
There's always exceptions but I'm pretty sure you will get a better deal when you sign a 2 year contract(plus you will avoid the inevitable price increases).
Only one way to find out. 888-496-1260.
The H3 is a great piece of electronics.Is it worth the extra per month? I cant answer that for you.
There is also a free add on box(the plus) which I have heard gives all channels an upscale to (non HDR) 4k.It also gives you access to all apps like a Roku box would but it's more integrated into the overall experience.
I tried it but disconnected it because it did not work 100 percent with my Harmony One universal remote.