How to Cancel Your DISH Network Account
Trying to cancel your Dish Network account? maybe the TV services didn’t live up to your expectations, or you have seen one too many unexplained increases on your bill. Whatever the reason, we have put together this simple guide to explain how to cancel Dish Network Services.
Dish Network has a relatively flexible cancellation policy compared to its competing cable company policies which allows you to cancel whenever you feel like it. But the catch is the early termination fee you pay for the flexibility of anytime cancellation.
DISH Cancellation Policy
While the cancellation policy from Dish Network is very flexible, they will go out of their way to retain their customers. In some situations these retention policies might be a better solution to you before you follow through with cancellation.
Pausing TV Services
If you simply need to pause your services call my Dish Network is one of the few telecommunications companies that will allow you to do so without very specific reasons. While other companies require that you be out of town or going on vacation to suspend your services temporarily, Dish Network is not one of them. Call 888-876-7918.
Changing TV Services
Right now you might have streaming services like HBO, Showtime, NFL, Netflix, Hulu or equipment upgrades you have never used. While they do not advertise this, if you are looking for a way to reduce your bill and change some of the services you have, call customer service at 866-974-3285.
Moving TV Services
Finally, if you are moving, Dish Network offers a special deal for those who decide to keep their existing services and install them at the new home. This package deal typically includes free installation, free equipment upgrades, and three months of special packages like the NFL sports channels and Showtime. If this seems appealing you can call 877-839-2110.
How to Cancel Your Dish Network Account
If these solutions do not work for you, then you can call Dish Network customer service where they will route you to their customer retention department.
Call 866-974-0769 between 8 a.m. and 12 a.m. EST, 7 days a week.
It is best to log in to your account before you call Dish Network. You might need your account number or account phone number to verify your account before you can cancel.
They will help you cancel your existing streaming services or other satellite TV or cable TV services and explain the subsequent steps for returning any equipment.
When you are done, you can view your final bill here. The final bill will reflect the cancellation fees and any credit balances after the equipment is returned.
Common Problems When Cancelling
The Dish Network BBB page shows that the most common problems customers face when trying to cancel services is just getting beyond the customer retention department and the fees.
You do not have to provide an explanation as to why you are cancelling your services so if the customer service agents ask, you can simply say that you no longer need their services and repeat this until they finally cancel the account. As for the fees, most customer complaints have to do with accounts that have multiple Services because the prorated early termination fee applies to every service you have individually. Therefore, if you have a package or a bundle with multiple services you will face a significantly higher cancellation fee than most other telecommunications companies.
Moreover, each piece of equipment not received by Dish network warrants another (often hefty) fee. Avoid this hassle by returning equipment with a tracking number, insurance, and signature requirement.
Cancellation Fees
When you cancel Dish Network Services, you face a range of cancellation fees in addition to the early termination fee. Again, the company makes it very easy for you to cancel but they make you pay for it.
- For new customers, early termination fees can be up to $480
- Cancellation fees for Dishnet Wireline can be up to $240
- Canceling Dishnet satellite can cost up to $420
- Cancellation fees for DISH’n It Up can be up to $480
- The preferred customer cancellation fees are up to $240
Credit with commitment from Dish network can result in early termination fees costing between $120 or $240.
All of the fees you face are prorated for each remaining month on your contract. Standard contracts for subscribers is a 2 year contract.
If, for example, you have 2 services through Dish Network and they each have 12 months remaining on the contract, canceling means you are charged the prorated amount for the 12 months remaining on each contract, for both services individually.
Equipment Fees
There are another set of fees that customers face when canceling, namely, the unreturned TV equipment fees. It is imperative that you return equipment immediately after canceling your account and that you do so with a tracking number and a confirmation signature upon delivery so that you can verify it was received by the company.
One of the biggest complaints from customers who have tried to cancel is being charged for equipment they purportedly returned. Therefore if you have any Dish Network equipment for your TV services, or satellite TV service, you likely pay a rental fee each month as part of your bill. If any piece of equipment is not returned, you will be charged the full amount listed below:
- Hopper 3 – $350
- Hopper with Sling – $300
- Hopper – $50
- Hopper Duo – $250
- 4K Joey – $50
- Super Joey – $100
- Wired Joey – $50
- Wireless Joey – $25
- Wally – $50
- LNB – $49
- Smart Card – $50