Community Forums

volvik · 10-08-2014, 08:05 PM

I'll try and keep this short...

I started pay as you go last May and read tonnes of posts on how to suspend/cancel etc your account when you stop travelling. I did just that towards the end of August prior to my next billing period. My account is NOT auto pay so each time I got a bill I had to manually go in and pay it with my cc. At the end of Sept I receive an email bill from Dish for Sept but I was on them quickly going over how I had stopped the service. They were adamant that the bill does go out even though I had cancelled and confirmed that my account was 'on holiday' until such times as I activated it again.

So my wife and I are on our way to Long Beach WA for a few days and tonight I thought I'd put the Travler up just to give it some exercise and ensure it still works. Well to my surprise I saw Dish TV on my screen......with a message saying my service will end in the next 48 hours unless I pay.

Huh?? I stopped the service at the end of August and haven't paid since and haven't had the receiver on since then. This 48 hour comment on the screen doesn't even coincide with my old billing period anyways.

Anyone else had this happen to them? Very odd.....or should I knock rock the boat? I know some have cancelled other satellite services and not turned their device on for some time only to find that when they did turn it on they were still getting that service....without charge.

Ron

Clayobx · 10-08-2014, 08:12 PM

Huuuum? No, we've had the service for two years and not experienced this memo? Maybe it's something new. We simply don't pay the next months billing and when we need the service call give them a cc and repeat every month. Never a problem.

volvik · 10-08-2014, 08:17 PM

Well...lol, not that this is a problem just weird. We stopped it as our trips would be brief and in frequent in late fall to early spring. To have it this weekend, apparently for free, is a bonus.

Dennis4809 · 10-08-2014, 08:18 PM

I use Dish also and have had pretty good luck. Had it on vacation stop for several months and then received a bill. Seems that vacation is limited to I think 5 months. At that point, it resumes normal service. Have to call and update the vacation status.

volvik · 10-08-2014, 08:47 PM

Yes but the question is why am I still getting TV when it's on vacation..lol...just curious, not complaining.

luckyd · 10-08-2014, 09:10 PM

OK... first let me say loud and clear..........YOU ARE A CANADIAN
Americans need not answer.

If you are on Dish "Pay as you go", you do not need to put
your account on hold. Just do not pay.

If you put it on hold you are treated as having an American account
and you will pay additional fees.

I have used Dish Pay as you go for several years.
I activate my account when I enter the USA and quit paying
when I leave......NO PROBLEM.

Quit trying to complicate the issue and it works.

Americans ......,please do not jump in on Canadian issues.

volvik · 10-09-2014, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by luckyd

OK... first let me say loud and clear..........YOU ARE A CANADIAN
Americans need not answer.

If you are on Dish "Pay as you go", you do not need to put
your account on hold. Just do not pay.

If you put it on hold you are treated as having an American account
and you will pay additional fees.

I have used Dish Pay as you go for several years.
I activate my account when I enter the USA and quit paying
when I leave......NO PROBLEM.

Quit trying to complicate the issue and it works.

Americans ......,please do not jump in on Canadian issues.

LuckyD:

......I get all that and yes I have read the threads ad nauseum, my question was if anyone every had this experience of continuing to get their signal despite the fact that they HAVE NOT been paying.....regardless of your country.

Again....the question is NOT about how to cancel, stop, suspend etc your account.

Triker56 · 10-09-2014, 06:21 AM

Quote:

OK... first let me say loud and clear..........YOU ARE A CANADIAN
Americans need not answer.

Sorry to say!! Americans always need to answer any question on theses forums. If they have the right answer or not.

Or if answer is even not close to be about the question.

Maybe you need have a Canadian only forum started.

volvik · 10-09-2014, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triker56

Sorry to say!! Americans always need to answer any question on theses forums. If they have the right answer or not.

Or if answer is even not close to be about the question.

Maybe you need have a Canadian only forum started.

Agreed..... and had the question been specific to the Canadian Dish clients I would have started in the Canadian Regional forum.

I thought I made it pretty clear what the question was, which was definitely not country specific AND nor was it anything to do with how to cancel the pay as you go plan....sheesh! I appreciate people trying to help out however when they comment on things that are not relevant it can muddy the water and make it even more confusing.

Oh well....

Clayobx · 10-09-2014, 07:50 AM

Correct, I think!!

Statcman4414 · 10-09-2014, 10:56 PM

My two cents from a technology perspective. Satellite communication only happen in one direction for cases like this. From them to you. So subscriptions are based on your receiver getting an activate signal from space. These signals are sent up in batches and all receivers get them, and are set to only pay attention to the ones with their address. So once a signal activates the receiver, it will keep working until it gets a deactivate code. Most are also set to only work for say 48 hours if it has not been given a recent activation instruction for more than a couple days. When they turn off the units, the receiver must receive a signal to deactivate. If your receiver is off when this signal is sent, then it will not get it. So when you turn it on a year or two later even it could in theory still work. Therefore the companies resend deactivate batches repeatedly every so many hours. To try to deactivate all units that need it. So best case you might make it the 48 hours that is says or it may get the deactivate signal in a batch before then. More than likely if it has been a while since you deactivated, it will work for the next 48 hours and stop. The satellite companies have no idea if your receiver ever deactivates because the signal only goes in one direction. That is why they place that 48 hour window code in place so it will work and should get the activation signal within the 48 hours if it has a legit subscription. If not it just shut down then even though it never got the signal to deactivate when it was originally sent up.

volvik · 10-10-2014, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Statcman4414

My two cents from a technology perspective....................................... ..........

Well....thanks for very much for addressing my question!

Your explanation makes perfect sense, I had heard or read somewhere some years ago about the 'kill code' that would be put in the stream for ones de-activation and that if your IRD/receiver was off then you might be in luck if it remained off for sometime.

Regardless, my locals did drop off the next day leaving me with about a dozen random channels none of which are very good. I did hear back from another member who described a similar situation and he too continues to get some channels even with his pay as you go plan stopped.

Nice to know that if I was away for a couple of days while off the plan I could still use it albeit with some channels that would surely put me to sleep....

Thanks again...