DISH Network and other companies that provide various services to consumers often have to recruit dealers from around the country to handle certain aspects of the business, such as installation. It would not be practical for DISH Network to open offices in every city in the country, so they partner with dealers who are able to take care of service and installation issues.

Some of these dealers also market DISH Network, and like any other company that wants to market to consumers, they are supposed to abide by the law. In this case, we are talking about the “Do Not Call” laws, which were actually some of the most sensible measures ever passed. I’ve never been a fan of telemarketing – to say the least – and the “Do Not Call” laws have cut my telemarketing calls down to almost nothing.

The problem that DISH Network has run into with some dealers is that they do not seem to care about the law and were making telemarketing calls to people who were registered on the “Do Not Call” list. This, as one would expect, did not make the consumers who received these calls very happy – something I can certainly relate to.

Although these dealers were authorized DISH Network retailers, making telephone calls to consumers who are on the “Do Not Call” list and claiming to be from DISH Network would not be a good idea. Many consumers may have been tricked into believing that the calls were coming directly from DISH Network.

Something all consumers should keep in mind is that caller ID data can be “spoofed.” In other words, just because you get a phone call that displays “DISH Network” on your called ID, does not guarantee that the call is actually from DISH Network. For more information on caller ID spoofing, check out this definition on Wikipedia.

DISH Network has severed ties with certain dealers that have engaged in illegal activities like this in the past and will likely continue to do so in the future. The trouble caused by the rogue dealers also results in trouble for DISH Network which can also find itself in the crosshairs of the authorities and have to devote resources to deal with lawsuits that result.

Most recently, a company called Vision Quest, LLC and another called New Edge Satellite, Inc. agreed to settle a lawsuit brought against them by the Dept. of Justice at the urging of the FTC. Both were charged with making telemarketing phone calls to consumers who were on the “Do Not Call” list.

Vision Quest agreed to pay a civil penalty of $690,000 and New Edge Satellite agreed to pay $570,000. Ouch! There have also been claims that DISH Network itself has made telemarketing calls that violated the “Do Not Call” laws, but that issue is still being argued in court.