Sometimes It Works

Last Sunday, the household was gathered around the television watching The Chicago Bears beat the cowboys.
After that was over, Wife wants to watch the Chargers game, but the Chargers were blacked out, so I tried to find it on NFL Sunday Ticket, which I subscribe to, and it was blacked out there,too.

Sunday Ticket advertises "See Every Game" and "No Blackouts", so I called DishNetwork to complain and the gal on the other end offers her apologies, and cant explain why the Chargers were blacked out. Politely, I demanded a refund for that day, since I wasn't getting the day's service, and hopefully they will do better next time.

She's all good with that demand, and proceeds to credit my account for $15, at $5 a month for the next three months.
Oh no, I countered. I paid upfront for service and I wasn't going to accept a refund on time. I want it all, immediately.
Or, they could provide the service first, and I would agree to pay for it three months later. Fair is fair.

She wasn't authorized to do that and forwarded me to another department that had more options/authority at their disposal.

Once again, I stated the case, and requested either they enter the code and turn on my game, or accept any future payments over a three-month delay after service was satisfactorily rendered.

She countered me, explaining the presence of small print along the bottom of my screen during a Sunday Ticket ad, declaring that local blackouts do still apply.
Small print?
I called bullshit.
The voice over exclaims "SEE EVERY GAME!" and "NO BLACKOUTS!" and never mentions exceptions to these claims or references to difficult to read small print briefly flashed along the bottom of my screen.
I accused them of fraud and unfair practices, along with an explanation that the San Diego Chargers are not my local broadcast market in the first place and that I live in the Los Angeles broadcast market, where the Raiders actually played and the Chargers never have, but I can still receive the Raiders game despite their black out.

When it was all over, I walked away with a $120 credit to my account, representing a 40% reduction in the subscription price of the Sunday Ticket. Not a bad score at all, if you ask me.

Moral: Bitch. It might get you somewhere.