Jackass Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 So Comcast just raised my cable bill to some ridiculous amount and i called Direct TV and they seemed to offer a pretty good deal. More channels for less money. Am i missing anything here? Are there any downsides that i need to be aware of? Is it easy to switch to and later from the service if i change my mind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westvirginia Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 I just moved from a Charter to a Comcast area, and I freakin' love it. For $60/mo, we get HD w/free HD dvr (that my wife didn't get cause she thought it cost extra - so no DVR for me) HBO, the sports package and 7-meg internet. It's $40 for the cable, $15 for the internet and $5 for the sports package. And it's a bazillion times more reliable than charter ever thought about being. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skylive5 Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 Have had DirecTv for about 8 years I guess. I have no complaints. If something goes a bit awry all I need to do is unplug the box from the wall socket for 5 mins and then plug back in. Takes about 5 mins for it to reset. Have never had to unplug anything else. Happens about three times a year. Usually involving them upgrading their software. Snow on the dish is a bit of problem when it is heavy wet snow. Which we seldom get here. I would never go back to cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Controller Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 Agree with everything Skylive said. We've had Directv for about 6 years and love it. It doesn't hurt that they have the NFL Sunday Ticket, and their Redzone chanel is now all I watch on Sundays. In my experience, Directv's customer service is much better than Comcast's, which still isn't saying much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Like Soup Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 I've had Directv since '02 and love it. Their customer service is pretty good too. I called and asked about the Superfan add on for Sunday Ticket subscribers and the lady hooked me up. The same happened last year. I really haven't had any issues. The DVR is slow accessing other channels, but it isn't like you are waiting for glacial movement or anything. Coming from cable, however, you will notice it. I've only had to unplug the receiver a couple of times and that has rectified any lockups that I've had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oriole33 Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 So Comcast just raised my cable bill to some ridiculous amount and i called Direct TV and they seemed to offer a pretty good deal. More channels for less money. Am i missing anything here? Are there any downsides that i need to be aware of? Is it easy to switch to and later from the service if i change my mind? Weather and wind can wreak havoc with DirectTV.Also, line of sight issues in the summer when trees are in full foilage. We switched to Verizon and got FIOS, phone and full cable (SHO, HBO, TMC, etc.) for $120/mo for a year. After your contract is up, you have to play the "I'm going to switch providers" game with your cable company. Bitch about the rates they are offering new customers. If they don't drop the rate- SWITCH! Too much competition for you not to take advantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicCEO Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 I switch back and forth. No problems with either. I usually go with what's cheaper except that now I'm kinda stuck because I need broadband and Qwest is teh suxxorz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted November 5, 2009 Share Posted November 5, 2009 - we bought the maintenance/insurance monthly fee thing cuz if the dish goes out of alignment, it costs money to have it re-aligned. That's happened once so far. not if you sweet talk 'em. I just had a guy out to do that gratis on monday, matter of fact. the lady on the phone told me that their sort of unofficial policy is that if you're a good customer they'll come out once per calendar year to fix these sorts of issues and eat the costs themselves. - if the signal is lost (weather, alignment, whatever), you can't access DVR recordings. definitely not true. our reception was out completely during that blizzard for about a day and a half (partly the weather, but also partly the fact that we were out of alignment) and I spent the time plowing through old stuff on the DVR. - we've had to disconnect the entire system and cables (including the HDMI between TV and box) twice to reset the system. there's a little red button on the front that does it for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennykravitz2004 Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Consider me a poster child for DirecTv. Been with them since '00. Had Charter and lost the feed of the women's World Cup literally right at the end - I missed seeing Brandi Chastain's infamous sports bra. DirecTv was out to install the next week and have been there ever since. I've moved twice. Leave the old dish so they can signup a new customer, and they install all new stuff at each new house. I've had good installers w/ no problems. Customer service has been good for the most part. A couple of instances in almost 10 years, and a second call fixed what wasn't done the first time. My dish goes out in heavy storms, which usually means "grab a radio and go to the basement". Otherwise, solid signal. Ton of HD channels. And Sunday Ticket (and SuperFan HD) is the greatest thing in the history of ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zooty Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 I've had it since Dec 99 and have only had occosional issue. Unlike Opie We lose reception in very bad thunderstorms 5-20 minutes maybe. Luckily with our box we can still watch stuff on DVR I can channel surf Never had to readjust the dish. I guess just make sure the bolts are tight I have instant access to on-demand cause we use the wi-fi to connect to the phone line Rarely (once every 2-3 years) have to rest the system (5 minutes) Don't miss Versus Having had cable prior to this I'd say the amount of time the DTV was out was equal to cable (we once lost cable for 3 days till they got around to fixing it) and with their limited channels, I'd never go back. And once your initial contract is up canceling if free (kind of like cell phone contracts) and you weasel free stuff out of them (like pay channels for 3-6 months and discount on the NFL ticket) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beaumont Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 The only time I had to readjust was after Hurricane Rita. Made it through Humberto and Ike fine. Love DirecTV, have to have NFl ticket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentastic Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 This is my 3rd straight year of Directv and the full Sunday Ticket. I love it for the Ticket but as others have said, it's definitely slower to change channels etc... BUT I had more technical issues with Comcast. Any type of storm (rain/snow) will not allow you to watch HD but I can still view SD - not a big deal really unless you got the DVR on an HD channel. Bonus Question: I'm watching the NFL network on directv and they're doing a 'Top 10 Gutsiest Performances'. #9 is: _____________ (no cheating or spoiling answer if you're watching). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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