Opinions on DirectTV?

[Glenn Quagmire]

I would actally check out dish as they don't have the sunday ticket but, they do have a red zone channel (for $7 a month) that allows you to watch games where a team is in the scoring zone (in real time not just the replay).

Their overall costs are cheaper, you don't need a cable box for each TV and their customer service is much, much better.

Just a thought but, I have had both DTV and Dish and am much happier now.

Thanks, Bob. I think I wasn't giving Dish much of a chance because most people I know prefer DirectTV over Dish, but based on your post I will check them out some more. Also, I know my next door neighbor has Dish so I will get his thoughts, too.

Does your TV often go out when the weather gets bad? It seems like some of the DirectTV guys were saying that was a problem.

 

[OAKAS]

Glenn. Been a Directv subscriber for 8 years and really like it.

Definately spring for the Sports Package for 12 bucks a month.

I have had the Extra Innings Mlb package for 3 years and could not live without it. Every MLB game every night for the whole season.

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

Glenn. Been a Directv subscriber for 8 years and really like it.

Definately spring for the Sports Package for 12 bucks a month.

I have had the Extra Innings Mlb package for 3 years and could not live without it. Every MLB game every night for the whole season.

That does sound pretty sweet. Honestly, I have no idea what to think at this point. I've been reading reviews for both Dish and DirectTV, and apparently both companies have Satan as their CEO/Founder. :142smilie I know most people who leave reviews just have an axe to grind but, sheesh, some of those reviews are downright frightening. :scared

 

[vinnie]

That does sound pretty sweet. Honestly, I have no idea what to think at this point. I've been reading reviews for both Dish and DirectTV, and apparently both companies have Satan as their CEO/Founder. :142smilie I know most people who leave reviews just have an axe to grind but, sheesh, some of those reviews are downright frightening. :scared

y u even looking to switch if ur not interested in the sport packages :shrug:

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

y u even looking to switch if ur not interested in the sport packages :shrug:

DirectTV and Dish are cheaper than Comcast. And Comcast's service has been REALLY bad in this area lately, so that's what got me curious about other providers. It's possible that Dish and DirectTV would have the same amount of outages here too though, so who knows. :shrug:

 

[vinnie]

DirectTV and Dish are cheaper than Comcast. And Comcast's service has been REALLY bad in this area lately, so that's what got me curious about other providers. It's possible that Dish and DirectTV would have the same amount of outages here too though, so who knows. :shrug:

and don't put that thing on the roof :142smilie

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

and don't put that thing on the roof :142smilie

The sad thing is, I honestly wouldn't know not to do that. I've never had satellite TV in my life. The dude next to me has his mounted on the side of his house. :shrug:

 

[vinnie]

The sad thing is, I honestly wouldn't know not to do that. I've never had satellite TV in my life. The dude next to me has his mounted on the side of his house. :shrug:

Put it on the ground on a 1 5/8 inch galvanized steel fence post pipe the ones used in chain-link fences.

 

[Old School]

mine has been on the roof for 15 years..

durning hurricane Isabell I never lost a signal..

believe what you will..

a good installer will put the damn dish where it will serve you best..

speaking of service..

no company that I have ever dealt with has given me better customer service than Directv..

in fact after a mixup in billing they made amends by giving me 1 year free HD ..

hd dvr and watch your favorite shows after recording and send the commericals to the depth of hell..

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

Didn't lose a signal during a hurricane? :scared Damn, now that's a ringing endorsement.

 

[vinnie]

Didn't lose a signal during a hurricane? :scared Damn, now that's a ringing endorsement.

If u want try keeping da dish inside out of da weather u might try pointing it out through da window @ the satellite:142smilie

 

[Old School]

Glenn no system will be fail proof..

but I can tell you..

snow will give you trouble..

you can take the broom and brush it off..

in some cases high winds will interupt service..

the trade off is what you get ..


there is no OTHER provider who has the NFL Package.

red zone ..spread zone..it isn't every friggin game LIVE IN HD


KEEP IN MIND..with an inexpensive free air antenna you can have a backup to local programing..if your local stations have antennas anywhere near by..

I get free air hd from antennas over 30 miles away..

free air antenna smaller than the old rabbit ears..

enjoy whatever you choose..

 

[vinnie]

Glenn no system will be fail proof..

but I can tell you..

snow will give you trouble..

you can take the broom and brush it off..

apply heat tape to the back of the dish and when it snows turn it on. :00hour

 

[fletcher]

Glenn no system will be fail proof..

but I can tell you..

snow will give you trouble..

you can take the broom and brush it off..

in some cases high winds will interupt service..

the trade off is what you get ..


there is no OTHER provider who has the NFL Package.

red zone ..spread zone..it isn't every friggin game LIVE IN HD


KEEP IN MIND..with an inexpensive free air antenna you can have a backup to local programing..if your local stations have antennas anywhere near by..

I get free air hd from antennas over 30 miles away..

free air antenna smaller than the old rabbit ears..

enjoy whatever you choose..

I have had DTV for 11+ years out here and have it in FL, have lost sig a few times in bad bad storms in fl only for about 10 mins and here we get win at times over 55 mph for 2-3 hours with higher gust and never have gone down, my dad had it back home in wv and his dish had a heating type thing on dish for winter that keeps snow off and he never had problems unlike we both had with cable. My dishes are on side of roof put up real good by dtv and they work fine and keeps people from screwing with them (like breaking them off turning them) only ones I have seen on post is dish. I have seen both many of times i like dtv much better. My sister had dish went out all the time in snow.

DTV will work all kinds of nice extras and deals just ask them and be real nice, you can't go wrong IMO with dtv.

 

[Old School]

fletcher,

if Glenn plays interested and a little hard to get while being yes mame no mame polite he could end up w/2 free hd dvr's w/the top of the line package and the NFL PACKAGE FREE..

BASICALY GRATIS FOR THE FIRST 6 MONTHS..

a 2 year contract with whatever package one wants would insue..

first time customers get the whole cookie jar at Directv

 

[bleedingpurple]

I had Dish, had poor service and poor reception. Always would go out for long periods during stroms.. Switched to Direct and service much better and also it was only out for 10 minutes or so during bad storms.. Much better sports packages..:0074

 

[usbbroker]

Had to chime in...

I have had Directv for a few years now and threre are definitely a long list of pros and cons. I have also had basic cable (comcast, and charter). Directv definitely has the edge when it comes to the number of HD channels offered. My two biggest knocks against Directv is that my signal goes out when it storms, and their billing. Go over your bill every month, twice i have caught them trying to slip some BS charge on there. When I called them and confronted them, it of course went away as quick as it appeared. They have a lot of extra little fees that add up. For instance, if you dont have a phone line hooked up and want to order a movie. They charge you an extra $5 for ordering through their operator. That is in addition to the $4.99 it costs. If you pay for anything over the phone they will throw in an extra charge. As for the signal going out, I guess that is to be expected with a satellite. I dont have a choice which carrier I use because my Condo building has an exclusive contract with Directv to be the only provider here (which does lower our bill).
My one piece of advice if you order directv is make sure the installer is over the age of 18 and actually knows what the hell he/she is doing. Ask him how many installs he's done before. If you even get a whiff that he doesnt know what he's doing, call directv and request another installer. Otherwise you will be on the phone with them a lot over the next few months until they get it right. I speak from experience there. GL!

 

[vinnie]

Had to chime in...

I have had Directv for a few years now and threre are definitely a long list of pros and cons. I have also had basic cable (comcast, and charter). Directv definitely has the edge when it comes to the number of HD channels offered. My two biggest knocks against Directv is that my signal goes out when it storms, and their billing. Go over your bill every month, twice i have caught them trying to slip some BS charge on there. When I called them and confronted them, it of course went away as quick as it appeared. They have a lot of extra little fees that add up. For instance, if you dont have a phone line hooked up and want to order a movie. They charge you an extra $5 for ordering through their operator. That is in addition to the $4.99 it costs. If you pay for anything over the phone they will throw in an extra charge. As for the signal going out, I guess that is to be expected with a satellite. I dont have a choice which carrier I use because my Condo building has an exclusive contract with Directv to be the only provider here (which does lower our bill).
My one piece of advice if you order directv is make sure the installer is over the age of 18 and actually knows what the hell he/she is doing. Ask him how many installs he's done before. If you even get a whiff that he doesnt know what he's doing, call directv and request another installer. Otherwise you will be on the phone with them a lot over the next few months until they get it right. I speak from experience there. GL!

check out this install the guy almost struck out :142smilie

 

[Glenn Quagmire]

Thanks again for the comments, fellas. There's some really good info in this thread.

OS,

It hardly ever snows where I live, and when it does it's usually only one or two days and we typically only get a couple of inches, at most. It does however rain a lot (I know, I know, real shocker there) and it gets pretty windy at times.

usbbroker,

One of the biggest complaints I've seen in reviews on the Net is overbilling. That's shady as all hell, if you ask me. It's amazing that a company would try to rip off their employees like that. I would bet that in a lot of those instances the customer just didn't understand the fees they would be charged, but I believe you when you say they tried to sneak some in on ya. Thanks for giving your firsthand experience.