Dish Networks India

SaveOnDish.com launches Discussion forums at www.saveondish.com/forum/ for all its visitors, you can now go to the forums and talk about Tata Sky, Dish TV, Reliance BlueMagic, Bharti Airtel and all other DTH networks in India.

You can use the forum for:

• Registering your complaints against DTH Networks
• Voicing out your consumer opinion
• Giving your highly valued opinion on the DTH service you use
• Helping others in need
• Reading tips, tricks, get arounds etc. like catching FTA channels on your STB, downloading games on your device and more.
• Reading guides posted by members
• Get Customer support

We have initiated talks with the customer support of Tata Sky and DishTV and their customer support officials will be regularly coming to the forums to answer your questions and queries if you post them in the forum, they will also offer you online customer support!

Following are the links to the categories inside the forum:

• Tata Sky Forum
• Dish TV Forum
• Reliance Blue Magic Forum
• Bharti Airtel Forum

All you need to do to post is to register here

So if you have any complaint against your Dish Provider, have a suggestion for them, need customer support from Dish TV or Tata Sky or just want to give your consumer opinion on your DTH provider, just go the forum and do it!

Arun Kumar Kapoor, CEO of DishTV India has been quoted as saying by The Financial Express that decrease of subscription charges of DishTV packages is totally out of question.

Mr. Kapoor justifies the stand saying that the prices which are currently being offered by DishTV are the lowest in the whole of world when we take other DTH providers in the foreign countries in comparison.

The prices will most likely shoot up in the coming times as the DishTV subscribers grow in number, we may put a price tag on our active services which are currently offered free of cost, pushing up the subscription rate. Mr. Kapoor said.

So this basically means bad news for us DishTV subscribers eh guys? But with Bharti Airtel and Reliance coming right into the direct competition with DishTV, if the prices are not slashed, DishTV is going down the drain.

Lets hope that the other DTH providers don’t join the bandwagon and increase their prices. I am sure that at least the new players will start off cheaply.

Be optimistic!
Mr. Channel

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The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has given the Letter of Intent to Reliance ADAG for operating a Direct To Home (DTH) service in India. A letter of Intent is basically a go-ahead signal which is given after a comapany is approved for providing such services.

Reliance has completed the few formalities which were remaining for this work and has submitted them to The ministry, and it is now waiting for its license, which it will receive in a few weeks.
Reliance had applied for the license back in 2005 and it is now that they are finally on the verge of receiving it, however Reliance is completing all its arrangements to launch Reliance Blue Magic with a blast. Current arrangements include the purchase of STB’s, branding etc.

So lets hope for the best! When Reliance comes in, there sure is going to be a decline in prices and a rise in quality! Be optimistic.

Mr. Channel

A few days back. When I was browsing through some channels on DishTV, it started showing “Please Check Smart Card” and all of a sudden I couldn’t view any channels.

I was quite shaken (obviously) and went on the DishTV website to check out my account balance, which was Rs. 850/-, this meant that I need not pay till the next month.

Now, what happened was that I called up the DishTV Customer care and they insisted I go to the dealer and have the smartcard checked out, I was like… Fine probably something to do with an error.

As soon as I reached the Dealer, who is a good friend of mine, I noticed at least four or five people with their smartcards, which explained the situation, many people were having the same problem.

The dealer took our cards and put them into his STB, they started working fine, so he gave the cards back to us. I came back and put the card in my STB and it worked just fine. So I continued browsing through the channels like I always do.

End one hour and I received a call on my cellphone, DishTV customer care was on the other end, a girl asked me “Sir, did you like our customer service?”. I said yes and counter questioned her asking “Was this exercise to prove that your customer service is top notch?”, the phone was hung up!

So people, sometimes this could happen that your SmartCard could stop working, if you have not paid your bills, then its that issue, but if you have paid/have balance, then don’t worry about it because it might just be another DishTV customer care exercise, just insert the card in another STB and take it out and it will work just fine.

Mr. Channel

I received this Rant as a comment, but I felt it deserves to be a seperate article.

This is NOT my article, it was written by Nanur of Kolkata about the poor service and signal quality he received from Tata Sky staff in Kolkata

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TATASKY AND THE DTH GO TO HELLLLL
Nanur, Kolkata

They have totally cheated us here in CAS affected Kolkata at least.I (a resident of CAS affected locality in KOLKATA) bought two tatasky digicomps(as part of my multiroom service) on the 28th DEC 2006 and was told that it would be installed the next day AND YOU KNOW WHAT ? It took them over 10 days to install it (after repeated reminders amounting to over 30 phone calls to their helpline numbers which are NOT toll-free).

For most of my neighbours, who ironically bought the service, have a similar harrowing story to tell. (for many of them, it took nearly 15 days to installthe dish antenna and others..) The picture quality of a number of the channels (esp. ZEE group of channels and also HBO) leaves a lot to be desired.The picture quality of ALL the ZEE channels and HBO are of poor quality VCD.

After comparing with the quality offered by our local cable operator’s set-top box I can definitely state that the quality of these channels are far better in my neighbours set-top boxes. And STEREO SOUND ???

I have fitted the logitech THX certified speakers to the digicomps and even tried the old and faithful headphones. Only ’star movies’ offers somewhat good quality stereo sound. For the rest, I can say the sound quality is no doubt stereo,but clarity is not so superior as claimed -mainly ’FM quality’.

And after it all, I found that I am not able to watch the Ind-W.Indies cricket matches- just because all on a sudden NEO-SPORTS disappeared from their network. On the 21st January 2007,the day of the ind-W.Indies first one-dayer we tried contacting the helpline at least 20 times, but nobody responded.

My local cable operator CAS based set top box delivers better picture quality of most of the channels, not to mention that all my neighbours are able to view all the cricket matches (NEO-SPORTS is available there).

Moreover there are no good english movies/music channels (Hallmark, Zee MGM, B4U etc) and no foreign language channels in the so called ’superior technology’ DTH service- all of which are available in my neighbours set-top box of the local cable operator- all at a much cheaper rate too. I have heard that Hallmark was available about 4 months back but suddenly disappeared from their network.

A large majority of the 100+ channels which TATASKY show us are the regional language channels which are mostly free to air I do not think that I require so many channels of other states.

The same applies to people in other states too-say a person in Gujrat-shall he require so many Tamil/Kannada/Oriya etc channels ? In this respect I am to state that here in Kolkata, our local cable operator offers 9 bengali channels; Tatasky offers only five.

In order to hide so many deficiencies, Tatasky is advertising so much about the so called ’active sports/active news’ and the absolutely nonsense ’showcase’.

WHAT IS THE USE OF ’ACTIVE SPORTS’ IF , DESPITE PAYING THE PREMIUM, YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO VIEW THE POPULAR SPORTING EVENTS BEING HELD IN OUR OWN COUNTRY - TAKE FOR EXAMPLE THE INDIA-WEST INDIES SERIES? Going by their service, I would not be surprised that by the time the WORLD CUP arrives, ESPN-STAR SPORTS too all on a sudden disappears from their network.

Moreover would a subscriber pay 300 bucks per month for only entertaining their children with the video games provided in the package ? And about their showcase ??!!? It is simply an advertising gimmick- how many people would, I wonder spend Rs.75/- to see a movie JUST FOR ONE DAY and that too only a few restricted hindi movies, no English?!?

In this respect I can compare Tatasky parallel to a mobile service operator who advertises a lot about the ringtones they offer, but is mum about the coverage area.

For an average customer what matters is the quantity and quality of channels which the provider should give. For quality, tatasky is satisfactory, but for quantity— too much overpriced.

I therefore feel that in CAS areas like us in kolkata, the public must stick to their faithful old cable operator, instead of jumping to the traps of DTH cheats like TATASKY ( which inspite of the ’towering advertisements- claiming to be superior to the cablewallahs’ are simply tall talks ) - who I feel, should be dragged to the consumers courts.

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4 Responses to “ A Tata Sky Rant (Kolkata) ”

Comments:

1. Dimu says:
   January 28th, 2007 at 3:53 pm Well my experience in email support is great. They normally reply within 24 hours.
   Also Neo Sports is back on air now.
   ESPN or Star Sports won’t dissapear from Tata Sky as they belong to Star network & they are the Co- Partners of Tata Sky
2. Mr. Channel says:
   January 28th, 2007 at 3:59 pm Hmm I wonder why Star Movies is missing from Tata Sky? When the Star Network is a partner, they should provide all the channels, right?
3. Atul Kumar Rohatgi says:
   February 1st, 2007 at 10:50 pm My experience with TATASKY was not so great. After installation on 10 Jan, the digicom became defective on 25th.(1-238860649 comp no.)
   This could not be repaired till 30Jan evening, inspite of several reminders and telephone calls when i decided to to go back to cable TV.
   Now i am waiting for refunds.
   Not what i may call exciting
4. Mr. Channel says:
   February 4th, 2007 at 8:36 am Thats sad to know Atul, really…

   There is a huge contrast in the customer service offered by Tata… all over the country.

   Where are you from? and if you could elaborate further that’d help more.