Your Opinion on the Price Increase

[lorick]

What is your opinion on the March 2008 price increase?

[say-what]

I think that's answered in the main thread for those choosing to chime in: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=116102

[Earl Bonovich]

A LOT of opinions here:
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=116102

As for my opinion: expected... could be better, but could be a lot worse.
$3 a month is not the end of the world.... that is not even a gallon of gas

[Upstream]

I think 6% increase on Choice is steep. Especially since we are looking at a 56% increase in 5 years.


I also wonder what will be said in this thread which is different than what is being said in the other Price Increase thread.

[lorick]

I think 6% increase on Choice is steep. Especially since we are looking at a 56% increase in 5 years.


I also wonder what will be said in this thread which is different than what is being said in the other Price Increase thread.

Tell me, Has what you receive changed in those 5 years? A gallon of gas still does the same thing it did 5 years ago!!!

[sean10780]

I agree with Earl, $3.00 a month is not much anymore, so there isn't much complaint coming from my end. Could be much worse since they have turned on all these HD channels lately.

[DawgLink]

I personally don't think there should be one but I will pay it

[Upstream]

Tell me, Has what you receive changed in those 5 years? A gallon of gas still does the same thing it did 5 years ago!!!

Lorick -- you may want to read the other thread. I already posted the channel lineup changes for Total Choice/Choice from 1999 to today.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1396657&postcount=154

[goober22]

I voted a "4". Premium user, it will still be cheaper than what Comcast charges here, and on par with Knology. But I will still be receiving far more HD channels, more SD channels than both cable cos., a better guide, quicker software updates and features, more sports options and DoD, although Comcast does have VOD here but Knology does not.

[cdizzy]

While I don't mind I can't really say I don't care. Price increase is more money out of my pocket.

[venisenvy]

While I'm not going to cancel service or change my package I am not happy. Premier is going up by $5 and that to me is pretty substantial.

[Stuart Sweet]

Not a lot of money, rather not pay anything but what are you going to do.

[lwilli201]

I voted "I dont care". Everything is going up. Just the way it is.

[RegGeek]

$3 a month is not the end of the world.... that is not even a gallon of gas

Nor even a gallon of milk.

I'm not thrilled that my bill is going up, but I am happy enough with the service that I will pay it and continue to then happily play with the latest cool features.

[jodyguercio]

If $3-$5 dollars is going to make or break you, then maybe you should...

1) Cancel all together as your other bills are more important I can guarantee you that. It's just tv.

2) Change your package. Man HD is great or all those RSNs but you can only watch one thing at a time

3) Turn off some of your STBs. Is life going to come to an end because you cant watch 7 (insert favorite sport here) games at once.

Prices change for everything, milk (we still buy it and drink it), gas ( are any of us SERIOUSLY going to ride a bike to work). Why should Directv be any different?

[sunking]

If $3-$5 dollars is going to make or break you, then maybe you should...

1) Cancel all together as your other bills are more important I can guarantee you that. It's just tv.

2) Change your package. Man HD is great or all those RSNs but you can only watch one thing at a time

3) Turn off some of your STBs. Is life going to come to an end because you cant watch 7 (insert favorite sport here) games at once.

Prices change for everything, milk (we still buy it and drink it), gas ( are any of us SERIOUSLY going to ride a bike to work). Why should Directv be any different?
You really can't compare it to gas or milk because those are consumables and supply and demand driven. Yes, price changes for everything, however it doesn't always go up. By your argument we should all be paying more each year for a 50" TV because prices always go up.

[jodyguercio]

You really can't compare it to gas or milk because those are consumables and supply and demand driven. Yes, price changes for everything, however it doesn't always go up. By your argument we should all be paying more each year for a 50" TV because prices always go up.

I stand corrected on my general statment about price increase, but I was going more for the whole if you have to grip about the $3-5 bucks more then you need to re-evaluate things.

[bobnielsen]

It was to be expected. I'm sure all the new channels weren't acquired for free. The increase is eating up most of the increase in my Social Security payment. If the stock market drags my IRA down much more I may have to cut back on a few things, but that's life. I'd rather have the "I" word than the "R" word.

[bonscott87]

I don't care. It's expected every year and as always it is less then what cable upped their prices (and they did it twice in the past year).

[msmith]

It's more than I want, but other things are going up faster.

At some point DirecTV will raise too fast (faster than my salary) and I'll have to drop a receiver or premium. Or look at cheaper alternatives.

[ccr1958]

i give it a #4...i dropped premier & cinemax & regional sports

[TheRatPatrol]

I guess they have to pay for those new satellites somehow. ;)

I don't have any issues with it.

Ok stupid question, but what does the "2, 3, and 4" mean in the poll above?

Thanks

[dodge boy]

i think most people get atleast a $1.00 per hour raise every year, that translates into $40.00/week or $2080 per year so $3.00 per month realyy isn't anything..... I saved probably 10000X's that since I quit smoking 4 years ago. $3.00 isn't even 1 pack of Marlboros or 1 Molson's at the club.

[MIAMI1683]

Se for me its not 3 to 5 $. It's about your total monthly outlay. If I feel uncomfortable I will change it, and YES I don't buy gas I won't my car sits in the garage the company gives me a car and gas thank GOD cuse thats REALLY expensive here. like average 3.29 a gallon

[Araxen]

I don't know if I'm going to keep Premiere or not. I never watch any of the FSN's. One is enough imo, and the movie channels I watch sparingly. I'll make a decision when the new prices go into effect.

[dodge boy]

Se for me its not 3 to 5 $. It's about your total monthly outlay. If I feel uncomfortable I will change it, and YES I don't buy gas I won't my car sits in the garage the company gives me a car and gas thank GOD cuse thats REALLY expensive here. like average 3.29 a gallon

$3.29 ain't that bad, I am hoping to see $7.00 this summer so all the poor folks are on the bus and out of my way when I'm cruzin' in my Old Charger......:D

[MikeW]

I expected to see a price increase. I am more than satisfied as a customer and feel I'm getting my money's worth. Look at what has been added in the last two years...

HD, HD, HD and more HD
On Demand
Media Share
More HD coming (Can't wait for all of the HBO channels)
MLB SuperFan

DirecTV has been developing at a rapid pace over the last few years...what's a few bucks from each of us to keep the development going?

[TheRatPatrol]

Ok so what does the "2, 3, 4" choices in the poll above mean?

Thanks

[Fuzzybear]

I'm really not all that surprised!

[Carl Spock]

I'll gave it a 4, whatever that is. I'd call it a meh.

[PeaceOfMind]

I think Directv should raise the prices, whenever they feel like it...it's just business. I will pay, as long as I can afford it or until a better, cheaper service provider comes along. With no real competition(Dish and cable), do what you have to do Directv. Car lots, grocery stores, malls..etc., they all do it...it is just nice to have the freedom to choose to purchase a product at their asking price, or not.

[JeffBowser]

Hey, to all you statisticians out there (or wannabees) - as of this posting, there are 128 responses. DirecTV's subscriber base is, what - millions ? Guess what guys, we are statistically insignificant ! :lol:

[DawgLink]

we are statistically insignificant
We are changing the world. One poster at a time

[JeffBowser]

Ha. From a business standpoint, that number doesn't even register. We're not even a good hour's worth of churn. Of course, this site may have clout, given its visibility, and the class staff behind it, but from a purely business standpoint, 100-200 people out of some millions, are meaningless

[jjohns]

A LOT of opinions here:
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=116102

As for my opinion: expected... could be better, but could be a lot worse.
$3 a month is not the end of the world.... that is not even a gallon of gas


Somehow that doesn't surprise me.

[Upstream]

Hey, to all you statisticians out there (or wannabees) - as of this posting, there are 128 responses. DirecTV's subscriber base is, what - millions ? Guess what guys, we are statistically insignificant ! :lol:

Actually 128 responses is more than enough to project to the entire population within +/- 10% (see link (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PD006#TABLE_1))

The real problem with this poll is that the respondants are self-selected, and not random. That's what makes this poll meaningless, not the number of people.

[JeffBowser]

By my calculations, you'd need at least double that, assuming a pop size of 1mil, and I am sure the subscriber base is much bigger than that. However, your other points are very, very valid as well.

My overall point is - as much as we like to holler and scream up here - we are but a small, small batch of users.

Actually 128 responses is more than enough to project to the entire population within +/- 10% (see link (http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PD006#TABLE_1))

The real problem with this poll is that the respondants are self-selected, and not random. That's what makes this poll meaningless, not the number of people.

[rucknrun]

The $1 increase to HBO is what gets me. Do they think there service is that much better? 2 out of 3 HD channels are the same thing? I am probably going back to Starz.

[gunnarliden]

am i going to cancel no, but am i getting priced out of certain packages based on my budget, yes. I used to have HBO and the HD DVR package, and i have had to drop it to basic choice. i get it, more services, expanding channels and HD, i am sure it cost them more, thats what happens when you run a business. i just don't watch enough tv to justify those expenses in my budget.

[ansky]

Most people won't care about a few dollars here and there. I think the real question to ask is what is the breaking point that would cause you to cancel service altogether? What is the most you are willing to pay, per month, for your current level of service? As the price of my base package increases, I cut back elsewhere. I just cancelled Cinemax earlier this month - especially considering I just found one of those $1/night DVD vending machines in my neighborhood :)

[JeffBowser]

Agreed - I am cancelling HBO myself.

Most people won't care about a few dollars here and there. I think the real question to ask is what is the breaking point that would cause you to cancel service altogether? What is the most you are willing to pay, per month, for your current level of service? As the price of my base package increases, I cut back elsewhere. I just cancelled Cinemax earlier this month.

[Tom Robertson]

My increased cost for gas each week is larger than 6 months of the DIRECTV cost increase.

Thankfully, I also have blessed with increases in income...

Cheers,
Tom

[goober22]

Ok so what does the "2, 3, 4" choices in the poll above mean?

Thanks

You know, a scale. "On a scale of 1-5, please rate..."

With 1 being the lowest, 5 the highest, 1-2-3-4-5....

need I go on? :p

[Trak101]

Well, I've reached my limit. It's not just D*, it's all the prices that are going up. Gasoline, natural gas, electricity, food.... Three bucks here, five bucks there, pretty soon you're talking real money.

Over time, I've dropped HBO, cinemax, the RSN package, ST and I let the expanded HD package go without a fight.

I've been with D* since 1996 and I have no complaints, even my HR20-700 worked perfectly right out of the box. But economics demands that I make cuts somewhere (several places, actually) and for now, D* gets the boot along with Optimum Online as I go to a bundled phone, tv and internet package that saves me $40 a month overall.

I hate to leave D*, but 40 bucks is 40 bucks...

But to be perfectly honest, I'll probably be jumping back onto the D* bandwagon as soon as I can afford it again.

[DCSholtis]

Don't care. I'll pay it.

[Tom Robertson]

Well, I've reached my limit. It's not just D*, it's all the prices that are going up. Gasoline, natural gas, electricity, food.... Three bucks here, five bucks there, pretty soon you're talking real money.

Over time, I've dropped HBO, cinemax, the RSN package, ST and I let the expanded HD package go without a fight.

I've been with D* since 1996 and I have no complaints, even my HR20-700 worked perfectly right out of the box. But economics demands that I make cuts somewhere (several places, actually) and for now, D* gets the boot along with Optimum Online as I go to a bundled phone, tv and internet package that saves me $40 a month overall.

I hate to leave D*, but 40 bucks is 40 bucks...

But to be perfectly honest, I'll probably be jumping back onto the D* bandwagon as soon as I can afford it again.

Absolutely, $40 is $40. Don't blame you one bit. And we'll welcome you here anyday. :)

Let us know how the triple play goes in a year. Here, I would have been socked big time, IIRC. But not all cable companies are doing that, I think my brother and parents are still getting a good deal in WI.

Cheers,
Tom

[gfrang]

I was expecting 5 bucks so i guess i am 2 bucks happier

[lorick]

Still cheaper then cable here.

[4yanx]

Neither my wife nor I drink, smoke, do drugs, or gamble. I spend money on high-end audio and photography hobbies. She spends on TV/movies and gardening (orchids).

The D* bill is in the entertaiment budget and we can absorb $3. I might think differently if I couldn't afford it, but I can . I am a bit annyed in one sense, though. With all the delas given to folks who threaten to leave (me include) one wonders how much profit is made off an account in the first place.

[SPACEMAKER]

I won't even notice $3.00. I am so much happier with D* than I was with Comcast that I'd pay an extra $50.00 per month and not complain.

[Pink Fairy]

Well, I've reached my limit. It's not just D*, it's all the prices that are going up. Gasoline, natural gas, electricity, food.... Three bucks here, five bucks there, pretty soon you're talking real money.

Over time, I've dropped HBO, cinemax, the RSN package, ST and I let the expanded HD package go without a fight.

I've been with D* since 1996 and I have no complaints, even my HR20-700 worked perfectly right out of the box. But economics demands that I make cuts somewhere (several places, actually) and for now, D* gets the boot along with Optimum Online as I go to a bundled phone, tv and internet package that saves me $40 a month overall.

I hate to leave D*, but 40 bucks is 40 bucks...

But to be perfectly honest, I'll probably be jumping back onto the D* bandwagon as soon as I can afford it again.

Sad to hear that - and I hope that you do return in the future.

I am sure there will be a point where I can not afford the programming I currently have.

But for now, I will enjoy it.

The increase - while I understand it is necessary, I see why people would complain about it as well.

[curt8403]

Can't really make a lot of comments, but.
I think that the main reason for the price increase is that the cost to D* to supply the
programs that we like to watch has gone up. IE. the cost for history, or discovery, etc has gone up, so the costs are passed on to us.

This is only my opinion, and as far as the actual channels that went up in price, The channels I used are just for example, not that they are the ones that had a huge increase.

[skinnyJM]

I'm NOT happy, but it goes up every year, so I will get over it.
Plus, I'm too lazy to mess around with changing providers. :lol:

[Billsfan69]

I voted for a 4. I can't say I don't care, but it isn't going to break me, and it is still way less than I would be paying if I had cable.

[Billsfan69]

I won't even notice $3.00. I am so much happier with D* than I was with Comcast that I'd pay an extra $50.00 per month and not complain.

I wouldn't go that far, but I to am much happier with Directv than with my cable service, which in the Buffalo area is Time Warner. Since Directv has turned on Sportstime Ohio in Buffalo for my Cleveland Indians, I now have every channel I would desire except for CBS HD, but I simply put a run of the mill antenna on my tv and draw it in perfectly. I don't really DVR anything on the locals, so having it in my guide ain't a big deal.

[Pinion413]

Eh, $3 isn't that big of a deal to me now.

If it continued to go up along those lines year by year, that's another story.

[BattleScott]

(3) Since I have the HD Access, it doesn't bother me that much. I didn't figure all the new sats were gonna be free. On the other hand, if I was still an SD only sub, I would probably be little more po'd, since there hasn't been any real benefit to them.

[ActiveHDdave]

I wonder why the price for these channels keeps going up NBC CBS FoX are over the air free and all these networks have commercials something has gone wrong with this setup and it needs to be fixed

[bonscott87]

I wonder why the price for these channels keeps going up NBC CBS FoX are over the air free and all these networks have commercials something has gone wrong with this setup and it needs to be fixed

The networks are only 4 of 300+ channels that charge. ESPN alone is a couple bucks.

[Draconis]

Rack up another price hike to inflation. I cannot say that I am pleased but I do understand why this is happening. I’m also willing to bet that you will see increases across the board from the other TV providers so it would useless to go somewhere else. You may get a new customer promotion but you know how long they last.

Besides, I am currently happy with the service.

[hdtvfan0001]

I think that over time, as channels are added and packages re-arranged, this all kind of works out in the end.

I don't like paying the extra bucks either, but I do know that what I have in my package is $23.00 less than my neighbor with Comcast - and his HD offerings (18 channels) and picture quality are a constant source of his complaints and my giggles. He's close to switching.

[Tom Servo]

I'm ambivalent to the increase.

My only complaint is that cutting back really saves nothing if you're dropping Premier but want to keep all the movie channels. I don't need all the RSNs, but going the Choice Xtra HD + all movie channels = $107. Premier now is just $111 and that includes receiver mirroring fees. :(

[dmurphy]

To be frank, when I started with DirecTV back in '99, I had a single receiver, with a single-LNB dish, with the Total Choice package (there was no TC+). I believe my total bill was around $45 or so per month.

Now, I have 7 receivers, all DVR's, one of which is HD. That's 14 tuners in the house. I have the "Choice Xtra" package which includes channels I never would have dreamed of.

I have HD. I have DVR. I have loads and loads and loads of extra channels. 85 HD channels.

All sorts of great stuff! And now my bill is around $100/month. That's more than double what I was paying 8 years ago, but I have 7x the receivers, more than twice the programming, and, what is there to be said about DVR except that it's one of those life-changing technologies (really!)

It's freed me from broadcast schedules. I watch TV on *MY* schedule, not the network's!

[Billzebub]

i think most people get atleast a $1.00 per hour raise every year, that translates into $40.00/week or $2080 per year so $3.00 per month realyy isn't anything..... I saved probably 10000X's that since I quit smoking 4 years ago. $3.00 isn't even 1 pack of Marlboros or 1 Molson's at the club.

First, let me be clear, while I never like to pay more the $3 is OK with me.

What I really want to know is where all these people work. As a labor mediator I sit in on 50-60 different contract negotiations a year and I see very few, if any, $1 per hour increases.

[Sharkie_Fan]

I wonder why the price for these channels keeps going up NBC CBS FoX are over the air free and all these networks have commercials something has gone wrong with this setup and it needs to be fixed

There are alot of things that need to be fixed. Being a business owner, I can tell you that the costs are affected by ALOT more than just the programming that's on there.

Take Workman's Compensation insurance. We have 9 employees, and our workmans comp is like $20,000 per year. Health Insurance, $60,000.

We had an employee last year who "claimed" that he'd hurt his back. He never told us about it, never complained, until we decided we had to let him go. As soon as we gave him the news we wouldnt need him anymore, he started complaining about how his back was hurt, yadda, yadda, yadda. Legally, we had to give him Workmans' comp forms and send him to the doctor.

The Doctor actually called us, LIVID, that this guy was in there trying to collect Workmans comp. He took the number of our insurance carrier, and called to give them a piece of his mind. As the investigation went on, it became clear that this employee was just trying to work the system.

Despite the fact that his claim was denied as being fraudulent, my insurance rates went up.

That kind of stuff forces companies to raise prices. Not to mention that almost every deliver we receive right now we're charged a "fuel surcharge" to cover the costs of gasoline.

Given all that, I understand why prices keep going up each year. I'm not thrilled about it, but fortunately we're not to the point where its going to put undue strain on our budget.

I wish prices would stabilize a bit, but when all the variables outside of the control of DirecTV - and many of them being totally out of control - So be it. I just have to shrug my shoulders and say "whatever."

[RabbitEar]

Maybe if this price increase becomes too much of a burden...President Bush will propose a rebate for it. :nono:

[Sharkie_Fan]

First, let me be clear, while I never like to pay more the $3 is OK with me.

What I really want to know is where all these people work. As a labor mediator I sit in on 50-60 different contract negotiations a year and I see very few, if any, $1 per hour increases.

$1 an hour!?!? I must be in the wrong line of work!

If we give our employee's $.25 a year, that's an indication that we had a really good year!

[Milominderbinder2]

If a year ago DIRECTV would have offered me a deal for $3 more a month and have 74 new HD channels, I would have taken it in a heartbeat.

I still would.

Offer me another 74 HD for $3 and gosh I would pay it.

- Craig

[Pink Fairy]

My thoughts exactly Craig!

[curt8403]

this whole conversation has been odd in that D* has yet to officially announce any price increases. OH well.

El Diablo De Los Rio Muerto

[brownram]

i think most people get atleast a $1.00 per hour raise every year, that translates into $40.00/week or $2080 per year so $3.00 per month realyy isn't anything..... I saved probably 10000X's that since I quit smoking 4 years ago. $3.00 isn't even 1 pack of Marlboros or 1 Molson's at the club.

boy i wish i would get $1.00. I got .40 that's $16.00 a week and they up-ed my insurance contribution $10.00 a week. but my employer thinks i should be OK with $18.58 a hr. it don't buy much these days

[Pink Fairy]

I suppose things are different here in oklahoma - I make 30k a year at my job without any formal education (although that will be rectified)

And that seems to be good pay for that...makes me glad I DO live in Oklahoma

[ThomasM]

With the economy going into a recession, the stock market tanking, and many people out of work, I think it's DEPLORABLE that DirecTV is once again raising it's rates, especially since they reported RECORD PROFITS and SUBSCRIBER ADDS in the last half of 2007.

Well, you can push people only so far and then they make changes. Many folks posting to the "price increase" threads are adjusting their programming packages DOWNWARD or eliminating some premium channels. What is DirecTV gaining on those accounts, since dropping a premium is a lot bigger drop than $3/month.

With all the other options for TV viewing nowadays (NetFlix, over-the-air HDTV, cable, DISH network, internet) DirecTV had better be careful or they could lose the loyal customers that built their company to where it is today.

[RAD]

In the big picture of what's gone up in the past 12 months, $5 more isn't a show stopper. I do wish they hadn't pulled the HD Extra package garbage, I'm still in my three months of free, not sure yet if I'll cancel when it's up or not.

[rcoleman111]

If a year ago DIRECTV would have offered me a deal for $3 more a month and have 74 new HD channels, I would have taken it in a heartbeat.
- Craig

If you want all 74 of those channels, you'll have to pay more than $3 per month. If you have the Premier package and HD Extra Pack, it's an extra $10 per month.

[paulman182]

It's probably a good thing if the DirecTV price increases do push some people over to E*.

I'd hate to see them go out of business, and I certainly don't see any other reason to go with them right now.