Dish Network’s Virtual Joey on the PlayStation 3 Drawing Ire

App's usefulness remains in question.

Earlier this year, Dish Network announced a new way for its subscribers to view their content. The Virtual Joey companion app was unveiled as a forthcoming downloadable option for PlayStation 3 and 4 owners to watch live TV, On Demand, and digital video recordings stored on their existing Hopper receiver. The wait is now over as the app was quietly released for the PlayStation 3 (still scheduled for the PS4) during a recent update.

However, buyers beware.

Although it might not come as any surprise that an existing Dish Network subscription and Hopper receiver equipment are required to utilize the new app, consumers have been taken off guard after realizing that an additional $7/month charge would be added to their Dish Network accounts. A Dish Network customer service representative described the Virtual Joey app as essentially having another Joey receiver in the home, and therefore is subject to the additional monthly fee.

This was an unexpected surprise, and one that seems counter-intuitive to another, very similar (and free) mobile app – Dish Anywhere. Connecting to an existing Hopper with Sling or through a Sling adapter, Dish Anywhere provides access to live TV, thousands of On Demand titles, and all of your DRV recordings on your iPad or PC over an internet connection. Sound familiar?

Removing any tethers to a TV, the Dish Anywhere app comes across as both more convenient and technologically advanced than the new Virtual Joey that is available for the PlayStation. Why then is Dish Network charging the additional monthly fee? Add to this a total lack of proper advertising and consumer education by both Sony and Dish Network, and it's a safe bet tat their service lines have been lighting up with an abundance of confused, irritated, and upset customers.

Source: PlayStation Blog

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