DISH Network 311 Satellite Receiver

[0976]

If I buy the DISH Network 311 Satellite Receiver and the dish 500 dish, do I own it, or if I ever cancel do I have to give it to dish network?

and do I have a time limit to get it activated? because I think direct tv gives you so many days to activate and if you don't they charge your credit card.

[pmb1010]

I have never subscribed to any dish services (a long time cable user) but I'll try to give you an answer the best I can put together from reading.

1. If you buy from a reseller, they usually sell you a system at a big discount (ie: 3 room system for $49). In doing so, you sign a contract that says you will guarantee to subscribe to a level of programming for a set period of time, example Hot 100 channels for 1 year.
This is the example where they "charge your credit card" if you dont sign up. They are counting on you to supplement the cheap receiver prices by subscription guarantee. In these examples most often you own the equipement and after the 1 year, you can do what you want with it (sell it, cancel, etc). THere are also instances where you "lease" the equipment from Dish and they still own it. You pay in effect a monthly rental fee, sort of like cable where they retain ownership of the box, you just use it. Again, read your contract for particulars.


2. If you buy from 3rd party, a used system (ala Ebay) you should be subscribe to the service, without any commitments whatsoever. (at least it USED to be that way). You own the equipment, and you pay monthly fee, cancel when you want.
Someone else might want to comment about this, with all the baloney of signal theft they might have stopped subscribing used stuff, I dont know.

[Sadoun]

If you buy any of the Dish Network receivers from our website, you own the receiver and you never have to send it back to DN after you cancel your subscription. We don't impose a penalty for not activating it within a period of time since you are buying it at full retail price and not the promotional price for new subscribers.