DISH vs. DIRECT satellite TV service?

[Bibbyman]

We've had DISH TV for maybe 10 years.  We pay annually and it's about time to pay for the next year of service.  Mary thinks it's time to switch to DIRECT TV.   I've looked at the offers and they are both so convoluted and contain so many conditions and fine print, it's hard to understand just what you would gain or lose by switching.

One of the things that burn my butt about DISH is that for about 12 hour of the night they have "paid programming" on about 2/3 of the channels.  If I pay for TV service, I don't want to see paid programming!  Is it as bad with DIRECT TV?

What about the HD and DVR options?  They say they are free but it looks like there is a monthly service charge.  That don't sound free to me.

[york]

Hi,

well,i have Directv-the price keeps going up and i get all the paid stuff too and is really bad on weekends.....Have total plus-the local stations-cost is up to 56.00/mo.

Bert

[Norm]

I've never had dish but have had directv for many years. First the programming is almost indentical except for the hd offerings. HD is an extra charge also as is having their dvr service. If you sign up with directv they will have you make a 2 year commitment but have offerings as to so many months of free service to new customers. Both companies are hungry for customers especially for ones that come from a competitor. You may want to dicker with the phone rep to see if you can get a better deal.

[Sunfield Hardwood]

We've had Direct tv for maybe 12 years, When I;ve heard other people talk about dish tv Ive always been glad I had direct. It just seemed there were more channels I was interested in. But direct certainly has its share of infomercials, and it seems to be getting worse. I bought the dvr about a year ago and love it, it costs me 5 bucks a month I think but it is great, from recording movies to watch on your schedule, to skipping commercials to pausing shows to do anything {answer phone,get a drink etc.] to replaying scenes you want to hear or see again. I did'nt pay for HD because more and more shows are already in HD and I most will be. I never thought is was right to pay for tv and then have so many commercials on top of that, but what are ya gonna do? It sure is nice when theres nothing interesting on, to scan through the list of recordings and watch something you've saved and watch it in half the regular running time by fast forwarding through the commercials.Bill

[Dana]

We had Dish Network for years. Last year about this time they had a small rate increase, so I decided to check into Direct TV.  As you mentioned Bibby, the fine print is excessive. From what I read on their website,  I could get a compareable package to Dish Network for a considerable bit less, so I ordered the package.

Here is what my experience with them was. The installation was scheduled for a Saturday morning. The guy didn't show up and phoned at 1200 or so to say he would have to reschedule. To his credit, when he did show up the installation went well and I have no problems with that. At the end of the installation he has the actual contract to sign. If you think the print is small and excessive on their website wait till you see the contract. I didn't read the contract while he was there, as he assured me it was the same as what their internet operator had sold me. After he left I read the contract and it said that the price was 34.99 for the first year and then the remainder of the contract would revert to their higher than Dish price of 50 something. >:( So I called them up and ask why would I switch to them to pay more than I did with Dish? I ask them to keep the price at $34.99 for the entire 18 months or they could take the system out. The operator was really nice and said he was sure that they could work with me. But it was the weekend so they would get back to me on a week day to discuss it.
So the first part of the week goes by and no call from Direct TV. I call them and the tone is a lot different now. They tell me I signed the contract and they aren't going to do any changes. I told them to pull the system then. The said fine, but I would be charged a proration on the remaining contract. It turns out that there was only so many days to cancle the contract without penalty. i believe that they knew this when they didn't call me back.

When this 18 month contract runs out I will be switching back to Dish Network. Sorry for the long rambling post.

[PineNut]

I have had DirecTV since they first began their business. At one time, you could go to their website and get information on services and prices. They have now started doing what most marketeers have started doing. They put out a lot of words that don't say anything. You can't get the price of any of their services easily. There have been a couple of times I was looking at some different service but after going to their website, I gave up on it. They want you to call them and let some high-pressure salesman try to sell you something that you don't want. Marketeers, huskeyteers, racketeers. What is the difference? Just the degree as to how legal it is.

As for the HD with DirecTV, I am sure there is a monthly charge. I believe it is around $10 a month but not sure. I have been trying to find out prices of the necessary equipment but have been having problems getting the complete information. They give partial prices but leave you out in the cold when you try to get it all together. As for their fine print, I have found that it is a waste of time to read it. You already know that it takes away everything that they have previously said in their advertisement. I have looked at DISH but find they are just as bad about saying a lot of words that have no meaning, just confusion.

As for switching, I have no idea as to which is the least worst. Seems that once each year, DirecTV has been jacking their prices up.

Good luck at trying to make something from the marketeering info.

[Dana]

I forgot to add you should go to the Better Business Bureau website and compare the two providers. I did after the fact and found a lot of negative on Direct and very little on Dish.

[SwampDonkey]

When they killed C-Band, I said to heck with them. I could pick and choose what I wanted, not a package with one good channel supplemented with a lot of fluff channels. There was no contract, no obligation.

[thurlow]

Hey...........C-band's still around;  I've had it since Fido was a pup.  No contract;  just pay..........monthly, quarterly, yearly..........for whatever package or a la carte programming you want.

[SwampDonkey]

thurlow, yes NPS is still providing channels, but they are most all gone to digital now with the 4DTV sidecar or standalone 4DTV receiver. Those old Video Cipher II boards are getting old now and irreplaceable. There is a support forum out there as well. But the industry isn't selling brand new c-band analog receivers and big dishes. It's a die hard support network. ;D

[pineywoods]

Might better try to decipher the fine print. Unless they have changed, dish owns the equipment, direct you either buy your own or lease it from them. I own my direct tv equipment, have for over 10 years, installed it myself.. Don't know about dish, but direct will sorta work without a telephone line, just can't do pay-per-view. I know they both charge extra to use the dvr, or watch hd channels.
I got a promotional flyer from dish last week offering a $9.95/mo pkg. You get about 35 channels, most of which are just sales pitches, price jumps up a bunch after 30 days..With either one, anything worthwhile is gonna cost $50 plus. Also be aware of possible connection fees.  I get 150 channels, only watch about half a dozen...

[beenthere]

Both have websites to compare the channels and prices.
Looked hard at the Dish site yesterday, as it was the day a tech was to arrive to install new Directv dish and receivers to allow us to have the local channels (on our older but adequate TV's). Yesterday was also the day the flier for combining our phone service, DSL internet service, and a Dish TV along with a free TV, into one package. The total without DVR was $108 a month, for 12 months of the 24 month contract.    Warning right there.

So we are back to keeping Directv, as we have been satisfied with its service and programming. (cancelled the tech coming just to take time to look closer at the Dish/phone/internet package, but local TV isn't a problem because of the extended deadline for digital)

I suspect there to be a toss-up (like chainsaws and cars) between the two, as they are in stiff competition with each other, so have to be very close to the same ball of wax in service and pricing.
And pricing and programming is certainly part of their game, along with the trickery to get people to sign up for a package that looks good on the surface, at least.

I don't like having to play their game, but having the TV in the house or not isn't my decision, or it wouldn't be  ;D ;D ;D
(just keep hands off my computer... )

[thurlow]

SD......C-Band is all digital;  last of the analog went away as of the 1st of the year.  I've had a 922 receiver for several years;  got one of the old analog receivers gathering dust; it's worthless............far as I know.  If I didn't already have the equipment, I'd go another route because of the initial cost of the receiver. (You can buy a 10 ft dish for almost nothing or most folks will give you one just to get it removed.)  My sister lives about 200 yds up the road and has one of the small dish packages (Direct TV, I think).  There's ABSOLUTLEY no comparison with the quality of signal and reliability of the 2 systems.  There are only a few hundred thousand of 'us' left;  don't know how long NPS will continue to offer services, but I see no sign of them quitting in the near future.............

[Tim L]

I've had Dish network for 5 years now and it's been fine. I just wish I could hand pick what I want and get rid of home shopping and foreign speaking channels I don't watch.

[Radar67]

Unless they have changed, dish owns the equipment, direct you either buy your own or lease it from them. I own my direct tv equipment, have for over 10 years, installed it myself.

They have changed, we had a problem with some of the receiver's transponders going out. I called to get authorization to go buy another receiver, they informed me that they no longer sold them outright, you had to lease them. I guess in the long run it is a good deal...they get hit by lightning, Direct has to replace them, they own it.  ;) Oh, I owned my equipment and did my own installs since they started... :(

[Radar67]

Thurlow, it's good to see you back and posting again.  8)

[SwampDonkey]

Radar, that is a good thing. On my old Cband dish there is a tiny gold antenna inside a block of porcelain that the lightning would take out every summer. $75 for it. If the price of the 4dTV receiver is any indication of the actual cost of those stationary dish receivers, they are very pricey in deed.

[DouginUtah]

It's actually worse than Dana said.

Bibbyman, if I hated you I still wouldn't advise you to go with DirecTV.

The only way I was able to get any help was to say "Cancel" every time their phone system asked for voice input. They specifically lied to me twice. They also cheated me out of the DVR. You can't get to talk to a supervisor--they just hand you off to another flunky who pretends to be a supervisor.

And I have a new rule. I will never sign up for any contract longer than one year. Never, ever, even if I have to do without.

If you do ignore the advice given, be aware that the lower initial price is only available by an (undisclosed) time-limited rebate.

Pm me if you want to know how I really feel about DirecTV.  ;D  :D  :D  :D

[thecfarm]

I think with the new installation of Dish HD you need to buy a new HD TV.I said the NEW installed HD.NEW is the key word.We have the regular dish and is working fine.My Penny pinching FIL is at it again.I guess he needed a new remote through Dish.He could get this new HD installed for free.What a deal and save himself $45.There's a fee of $5 more per month too and he had to buy a new TV.Kinda closed lip on the whole thing but he mentioned how his TV would not work with the new installed HD.Kinda hard to get info from him when his penny pitching deals go wrong.Lots to read and he did mention they do not have to tell you your old TV will not work with the new insatlled HD.
We went with Dish when we first moved here,just because they would install it free and Direct was $50.No complaints with it,except the price keeps creeping up,like they all do.The only thing that bothers me is every time they have to change the dish they charge for it.Like when we finally got local channels,$39.99 please.But if we did not have Dish they would and installed the whole thing for free.Even my wife could not get this one done for free.

[Norm]

Well since Doug broke the ice on this I've had DTV try to screw me more times than I can count. An example is the last time when I upgraded to HD receivers, when I got the bill it included an insurance fee for their receivers. When I called and said no way did I agree this they took the fee off only to see a fee on my next bill for me canceling the insurance. I have many other complaints about their billing and deceptive practices but I think you can get the point.

When my contract runs out I'm running to their competitors.

[CLL]

Bibby, we have had both DirectTV and Dish, on all reality its 6 of 1, half dozen of the other. The big factor I have found is who installs it, try to get someone local as a lot of people sell Dish and Direct. Prime example, when we moved they sent a guy from Blue Springs, when he got here we ask for a written price, it was almost $300. We called Direct and they sent another installer and he put 2 HD recievers, a new HD dish and about 100' of line for FREE. Price wise there within a couple of dollars of each other. Look at their literature and see which channels you watch most, then decide. Dirct has the most HD channels, which we like because we watch a lot of Discovery, learning, animal channel, and sports programs. Direct does charge $10 a month for HD, but all do one way or the other.

[SwampDonkey]

If everyone would just go along with the same type of tactics as these dish people use and tell them that my eye sight can't distinguish between HD or regular, then them fees would go away.  :D 8)

[beenthere]

As said earlier, haven't had a bad experience with Directv, but from the sounds of others, I've just been lucky.

Maybe the best thing to do is change to the other provider after every contract runs out...that should keep them on their toes. However, free installation is being paid for by the customers..eventually. Just like the bailout gazillions.

Think I will contact my phone co. now and inquire about a contract for the full contract period, not just a year, that includes phone, internet broadband, and Dish. It would have to be the 200 package to get Fox News and some other things like the music (wonder if it is XM?).

[Burlkraft]

I must be lucky too.....


I've had DirecTV for 12 years now and never had a problem with them.
I just went to HD 6 months ago. I called them and they came out the next day installed the new dish on the roof, did the wiring and hook up. They sent me a free HD DVR receiver via Fed Ex and when the guy came he said he had a new receiver for me. I said I already had one. He said well now you got 2.  He put the new HD DVR receiver in the shop. So now I have HD and DVR in the shop and the house.

I get stuff in the mail from them all the time for free receivers for new installs. I called them up one day and asked why they don't give free stuff to their long time customers? They gave me 10 free PPV movies and an upgrade to a DVR receiver, which I did not have at the time.

I got nuthin' but good to say about 'em  ;D

[Gary_C]

I guess I must be the only one that has come out ahead with Direct TV.

Many years ago I bought my own receiver and had a contract for two years. But like others we did not watch too many channels and were so busy most of the times we were lucky to watch the ten o'clock news at night. After the contract ran out, Direct TV tried to screw me and claimed we did not pay one month and disconnected me. I am sure it was because I was grandfathered in a package they did not want to continue giving me. So I just ignored them and finally when they tried to collect additional charges for the disconnect, I sent them a copy of my cancelled check and threatened to turn it over to the attorney general for fraud. They cleared my bill right quick and even determined that I was due a refund. But then I said to send me the refund and I have never gone back. Haven't had satellite TV since then.

Now last week I got a check in the mail from Direct TV for seventy dollars with no strings attached.  :D   The did have a survey included asking what they could have done over the years to get me to come back and listed a bunch of promotions. I checked non of the above and sent it back.  :D

The check was good so you guys that subscribe just contributed to my TV fund.

Still do not have satellite or cable and am looking forward to this digital switchover and expecting more chanels and choice for the over the air stations. I currently get 5 regular stations and two PBS stations. With the new digital switchover I should get up to 28 channels from those seven stations. What more could you need? I think both Dish and DIrect TV are worried and that is why they are trying to lock in everyone to long term contracts. Not me!!!  :D :D