Dish Offers $250 In Savings If You Switch Providers

Dish is offering incentives to anyone willing to move from DirecTV, and they are so serious that said incentives comprise pretty heavy savings. The satellite provider is trying out a new marketing strategy where DirecTV customers can save $250 a year by switching to Dish. Customers who are able to prove at the end of the year that they didn’t save as much will get a refund.

The company has set up a website for customers who want a go at the promotion. Existing DirecTV customers can head over to Dishchallenge.com and avail themselves of the offer, which runs through April 8.

Chief Marketing Officer James Moorhead says the change in marketing tactics is based on the need to address aspects such as pricing and technology, so as to distinguish Dish from rivals. In recent years, Dish has been involved mostly in incorporating new technologies such as the Hopper DVR, as well as the controversial ad-skipping speed-up feature.

No until now has the company been this aggressive about marketing itself as a low-cost satellite TV provider, which is the main appeal it has garnered among the masses while climbing to the top of the Pay-TV arena. Moorhead said in an interview that “superior technology and the best price in the industry” could drive people to witch providers, and that the current approach is way to talk about both these things, “not one in isolation of another.”

Dish claims it has never used a savings/rebate strategy, and says this shows the rising challenges faced by the operator, especially in light of disputes with TV programmers. Moreover, Dish does not sell bundled TV, voice, internet services, the way phone and cable companies do.

Enticing customers buying lower-end services from DirecTV, their major competitor is a more logical step than trying to win back customers from Charter, Comcast, or Time Warner Cable. It is obvious that the Dish vs DirecTV battle is set to pick up momentum.

Potential new customers will need to register on its website, sign up for a 24-month contract, as well as submit for a credit check. If the first year’s savings falls below $250, customers can turn in their last monthly DirecTV bill for online verification. If this supports their claim and Dish agrees, they will get a $250 prepaid card.

Moorhead opines that this approach aims to win over both high-value customers and more cost-conscious customers. “Consumers don’t want to stay home on a Saturday and miss their kids’ soccer game to get a new pay TV provider installed in their house. You have to give them a real reason,” he added.