Kasey’s Dish Network contract was up, and he was interested in signing a new contract in order to get one of those sweet, sweet new Hopper DVR systems. An online chat representative made the deal with him, and that’s how he learned that it’s always a good idea to save your own customer service chats whenever possible. The new monthly rate was much higher than what Kasey had agreed to, but now he had no proof of what that lower original rate had been.

He sent an e-mail to Dish Network CEO Charlie Ergen, copying a Consumerist staffer.

Mr. Ergen, my name is Kasey [redacted]. I have been a Dish Network customer for over two years. My two year contract was up in November of 2012, so on January 10th I contacted online sales at dishnetwork.com in regards to renewing my contract so I could get the new hopper system for my house. After talking to the online representative, they agreed to let me get the new customer pricing for the top 200 plan to keep me from having to cancel my current service only to resign again. I asked at least three times if that price would be my new monthly bill, and I was assured each time that yes that would be the bill.

After we paid what we thought was just a higher first month’s bill, we received a second monthly bill that was equally scary. So like most people nowadays, we contacted your online support that basically told us their hands were tied since that’s not how it works if you are an existing customer (which we were just now being told.)

So this evening after that bad chat online I decided to call the phone service line. After 3 transfers (final one being to executive loyalty) we were told that the burden of proof was on us. After informing the gentleman that was bait and switch and if I would have been emailed a copy of the chat (like Sprint online support does) I would gladly have sent that to him. But unfortunately I don’t have a copy of the chat. I also told the gentleman that I was told by the tier1 lady I spoke to when I first called customer support that they could look it up. She even asked me the exact date to make sure they know which chat I was referring to.

After being told “oh well” by this gentleman, I asked to speak to his manager so I could speak to someone that could fix this issue (after hearing his colleagues sing happy birthday to some one and cheer about something) he said that “it didn’t matter if I had been a customer for 18 years, without me faxing him this chat he couldn’t do anything for me and he would forward my call to his manager.” At this point and time the gentleman forwarded me to a voice-mail box that had no name or greeting and not an actual person.

Mr Ergen, all I’m asking for is what I was promised by your own representatives and nothing else. Please help me resolve this issue at any way possible.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.