New DISH Subscriber With Questions
We took delivery of the new MH a couple of weeks ago and are on its maiden voyage. Banana Boat III is equipped with a Winegard Trav'ler automatic satellite dish and a DISH network Vip722k receiver/DVR. The system is setup to watch/record two different programs simultaneously...one on the front TV and another on the rear TV. This is our first encounter with satellite TV in general and with DISH in particular.
We purchased the receiver and set up the accounts with Solid Signals, an authorized DISH network seller and they have been super. The dish works well and overall we're happy. But there have been a few hiccups for which I am getting conflicting answers. So I'm turning to those of you who are more experienced with DISH network for some straight answers.
* local channels: I made it clear to the DISH guy and to Solid Signals that the service was for an RV and that we wanted to be able to get whichever local channels/networks that were available wherever we might find ourselves. Both DISH and the Solid Signals customer service reps told me..."no problem" and that all I needed to do was call DISH and change my service address whenever we needed to. They added that the address needed to be a valid USPS address.
On our first night out I called DISH and asked to change my "service address" and that everything else in the account was staying the same. The off-shore CSR asked for the receiver ID and then promptly told me that the Vip722k was not compatible with that request. I asked for a supervisor and got the same response. The next morning I called the CSR at Solid Signals who set up our account. She told me that there are many DISH TV CSR's who are ill trained or lazy and either don't know how to or don't want to change a service address and that I might need to call 3 or 4 times in order to get the change made. sound about right?
Tonight we're in a different location and I tried again. This time a DISH CSR in NYC said "no problem" but it took about 20-minutes for him to make the change. Should it take that long? He said he had to get someone to "override" whatever he was doing. ???
Which is going to be my typical response from DISH when I call to change the service address...the argument I received on the first night, the 20-minute call the second night or something else? are there any "magic words" I should be using when I call them?
* Once the DISH CSR said that the service address change was made he said I had to re-load the guide and package by entering our local zip code in the installation menu (MENU:6:1:1). He said that was to ensure the dish antenna on the MH could lock onto the proper satellites. But the Trav'ler antenna had already locked onto sats 110, 119 and 129 and I had a picture and all of my channels prior to my calling DISH. Once I did enter the new zip code the receiver did a re-load that took about 15-minutes to complete and when done I had the new locals.
What's the real purpose of changing the zip code??? Will doing that get the local channels without having to make a call to DISH? Do I even NEED to change the zip code or is it just a good idea to do it? Is the real reason for the zip code to force a re-load?
So, what's the real skinny on all of this???
We purchased the receiver and set up the accounts with Solid Signals, an authorized DISH network seller and they have been super. The dish works well and overall we're happy. But there have been a few hiccups for which I am getting conflicting answers. So I'm turning to those of you who are more experienced with DISH network for some straight answers.
* local channels: I made it clear to the DISH guy and to Solid Signals that the service was for an RV and that we wanted to be able to get whichever local channels/networks that were available wherever we might find ourselves. Both DISH and the Solid Signals customer service reps told me..."no problem" and that all I needed to do was call DISH and change my service address whenever we needed to. They added that the address needed to be a valid USPS address.
On our first night out I called DISH and asked to change my "service address" and that everything else in the account was staying the same. The off-shore CSR asked for the receiver ID and then promptly told me that the Vip722k was not compatible with that request. I asked for a supervisor and got the same response. The next morning I called the CSR at Solid Signals who set up our account. She told me that there are many DISH TV CSR's who are ill trained or lazy and either don't know how to or don't want to change a service address and that I might need to call 3 or 4 times in order to get the change made. sound about right?
Tonight we're in a different location and I tried again. This time a DISH CSR in NYC said "no problem" but it took about 20-minutes for him to make the change. Should it take that long? He said he had to get someone to "override" whatever he was doing. ???
Which is going to be my typical response from DISH when I call to change the service address...the argument I received on the first night, the 20-minute call the second night or something else? are there any "magic words" I should be using when I call them?
* Once the DISH CSR said that the service address change was made he said I had to re-load the guide and package by entering our local zip code in the installation menu (MENU:6:1:1). He said that was to ensure the dish antenna on the MH could lock onto the proper satellites. But the Trav'ler antenna had already locked onto sats 110, 119 and 129 and I had a picture and all of my channels prior to my calling DISH. Once I did enter the new zip code the receiver did a re-load that took about 15-minutes to complete and when done I had the new locals.
What's the real purpose of changing the zip code??? Will doing that get the local channels without having to make a call to DISH? Do I even NEED to change the zip code or is it just a good idea to do it? Is the real reason for the zip code to force a re-load?
So, what's the real skinny on all of this???
