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Thinking of ditching DirecTV

6K views 99 replies 23 participants last post by  sregener 
#1 ·
I've been with DirecTV since 1996, but I'm thinking it's time for a change. I'm under contract until December, 2013 but I'll pay the ETF if it's worth it. I had been playing the game of calling in to get credits in order to lower my bill, but DirecTV is now cracking down on that, and as a result my monthly bill has increased considerably over the past 12 months as various credits have expired and prices have increased. I want to see if taking advantage of new customer pricing will have a significant advantage if I drop DirecTV and move to Dish. I realize that each service has its pluses and minuses, but at this point cost is becoming more of a concern than anything else.

Here's what I have now, and I would like to retain the equivalent capability if moving to Dish:

-4 HD DVRs (1 x HR20, 2 x HR22, 1 x HR24), including one (HR22) being used with a SD TV

-HD programming

-DVR service

-Whole Home service

-TOTAL CHOICE programming package

My current monthly bill is $110.87 before the credits that I have still remaining are applied. As credits have expired and prices have increased over the last 12 months, my bill has increased by more than 38% for the exact same service. Obviously, I'm hoping to take advantage of "new customer" pricing to save some money. I realize that most (if not all) of the new customer pricing is only good for the first 12 months of a 24 month contract.

I've looked at the Dish website to get some idea of what's available to new customers, but much of the available technology is different than what I have now, and it's not clear what the charges are for extra stuff.

-Is there a monthly charge for DVRs? HD DVRs? If so, how much?
-Is there a monthly charge for the Dish Whole Home service? If so, how much?
-The Dish website says that new customers "may" be eligible for free HD for life. How does a new customer qualify for this?
-Will I pay upfront equipment costs as a new Dish customer? If so, how much?

Thanks to anyone who can provide information, even if it's just directing me to an existing thread.
 
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#27 ·
lparsons21 said:
Dish is just like Direct in that respect. The lease fee is for receivers/clients after the 1st one.

So if you got 2 Hoppers + 2 Joeys, your monthly bill would be:

$21 for lease/mirroring fee
$10 for DVR+MRV

And then add in your programming charge.
Don't forget about HD $10 fee, if he doesn't do Autopay, or the $99 up front Free HD fee.:lol:
And the $99 on the 2nd Hopper up front fee.
 
#29 ·
lparsons21 said:
Dish is just like Direct in that respect. The lease fee is for receivers/clients after the 1st one.

So if you got 2 Hoppers + 2 Joeys, your monthly bill would be:

$21 for lease/mirroring fee
$10 for DVR+MRV

And then add in your programming charge.
Thanks. That would be a wash for me then, because I currently pay $3 less in receiver fees, but $3 more for DVR+ Whole Home.
 
#31 ·
damondlt said:
Don't forget about HD $10 fee, if he doesn't do Autopay, or the $99 up front Free HD fee.:lol:
And the $99 on the 2nd Hopper up front fee.
I suppose there are those that wouldn't want to do autopay and instead pay $120/year, but I don't actually know one stupid enough.

Non-issue.

Of course he can do auto-pay or whatever he wants and not get HD free with D*. :)
 
#33 ·
I think you may want to really research what your doing when switching providers .

Cause you never save money switching when under a contract. Sorry but Impossible.

I don't care what free equipment you get, With ETFs and the minimal price differences,
I can't ever see this saving money inside of 5 years
 
#34 ·
dcandmc said:
Thanks. That would be a wash for me then, because I currently pay $3 less in receiver fees, but $3 more for DVR+ Whole Home.
I've done extensive comparisons, and after all the new customer stuff runs out, the cost differential isn't much between the two services.

The one kicker that is twitchy with D* is the HD fee. Some are getting it past the 24 months, some aren't with no real rhyme or reason behind it.

With the fee structure both services have these days, the only way to save anything significant for sure is to switch every couple of years.
 
#36 ·
lparsons21 said:
I suppose there are those that wouldn't want to do autopay and instead pay $120/year, but I don't actually know one stupid enough.

Non-issue.

Of course he can do auto-pay or whatever he wants and not get HD free with D*. :)
Thats harsh, Stupid, Stupid are the ones that do it, and complain when their card is charged more then was supposed to be.
 
#37 ·
dcandmc said:
Hmmm... what is this "$99 up front Free HD fee"? Are new customers subject to this, as well as a $99 up front fee for a second Hopper?
Thats if you want the Free HD but don't want to do autopay.
 
#39 ·
lparsons21 said:
I suppose there are those that wouldn't want to do autopay and instead pay $120/year, but I don't actually know one stupid enough.
I'll raise my hand here, and now you know one who's stupid enough. Although, I don't think it's stupid. I prefer to think of it as insurance for not being screwed over.

lparsons21 said:
Of course he can do auto-pay or whatever he wants and not get HD free with D*. :)
I had the 24 month free HD with DirecTV (for existing customers), and then the credit expired. I called in, and they reinstated it for 6 months. It expired again, I called in again, and they reinstated it for 3 months. This is part of the games that I mentioned earlier, and that I'm getting tired of.
 
#40 ·
damondlt said:
I think you may want to really research what your doing when switching providers .

Cause you never save money switching when under a contract. Sorry but Impossible.

I don't care what free equipment you get, With ETFs and the minimal price differences,
I can't ever see this saving money inside of 5 years
This thread is the beginning of the research that you recommend. Obviously, the less of an ETF you pay, the better off you will be when switching. If I choose to leave DirecTV, the timing will be a big part of the decision. Maybe I'll determine that switching doesn't make sense until I'm no longer subject to an ETF.
 
#41 ·
lparsons21 said:
With the fee structure both services have these days, the only way to save anything significant for sure is to switch every couple of years.
I think that I'm coming to the same conclusion. Also, pricing aside, the only way to really determine if your personal preference is for one service or the other is to experience each service for a substantial period of time.
 
#44 ·
dcandmc said:
Thank you; all good points. I watch the Red Sox frequently, so I would need NESN (New England Sports Network) in full-time HD. My DMA is Portland, Maine so I'm assuming that NESN would be available to me. I'm also assuming that local Portland channels are available in HD.
Your NESN is only part time according to the list of HD channels here. It would be a deal breaker for me. I was only getting 50% of the games in HD. You also lose ESPNU and ESPNews in HD if it matters.
Link to HD channels...http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=196101
 
#45 ·
dcandmc said:
So is there an upfront fee for new customers who want HD service? Please explain.
No thats if you want the FREE HD OPTION, and don't want to do auto pay.

Otherwise you Pay $10 per month
 
#46 ·
Also Keep in mind you MAY have to pay $99 for the 2nd Hopper.

When I checked they wanted me to pay the $99 for it.

Sorry if you're demanding anything with sports, I wouldn't even look at Dish. Directv has the Dual live feeds in HD dish not even close, And when Boston plays the Yankees at Yankees, you will be twiddling your thumbs since Dish gave up totally on the NY market.

Directv as Many Alternate NESN channels , Dish not squat!
 
#47 ·
Each Hopper and Joey, after the first receiver, is $7 per month. I have auto pay setup with several companies and I've never had an issue with more that the allotted amount being taken from my account. Most people do not listen closely to the disclosure that are given to them when they sign up for new service. All disclosures are provided to each customer when changes are made to their account or when setting up a new account. Thanks.

dcandmc said:
Thanks Ray; I appreciate the quick response. I don't mind paperless billing, but autopay would be a concern. I've heard too many horror stories of companies screwing up autopay and charging/deducting more money than they were entitled to. I prefer to retain complete control of when and for how much my credit cards are charged or my bank accounts are debited.

Does Dish have a monthly charge per receiver? If so, how much is it?
 
#49 ·
I feel like I have to clear up a few things. First though. I'm not suggesting you do or don't switch. If you were coming from Cable I would say you can't switch fast enough. But Direct TV would be my second choice to Dish if I had to switch. That said, yes you can save money by switching, just as you could if you switched from Dish to Direct, but only for a short time. Then while Dish can be a little less, it isn't by much, and at times not at all, depends on equipment. As other have pointed out check out the packages.

1. ESPN, ESPN2 are in HD. There is good indication Dish and Disney will come to an agreement to get the other ESPN channels to HD, but they are not now.

2. Red Sox. I can tell you from being on the boards a very long time, and having NESN, that NESN on DISH carries virtually every game in HD, and that includes day night double headers. Dish quite possibly carries the equal or highest percentage of games in HD on NESN than any other RSN. And this past year DISH was carrying most RSN's games in HD. Ditto Bruins or Celtics so that includes CSNNE.

3. If you do get autopay and online billing, the HD charge is free for life, as long as you do not cancel DISH. There is no guesswork to it. And should you need to, Dish has a couple of very affordable packages to stay a customers and keep getting the locals in HD. You do not lose the HD free if you switch back to an all HD package.

4. Not mentioned (I don't think) while two HOPPERS have six tuners, if you use PTAT, one tuner records all four Networks at the same time, very possibly in effect adding tuners. I do strongly suggest two HOPPERS.

Unfortunately or maybe fortunately for you, packages, price and equipment are the important factors, and you can throw in service, and while DISH and DIRECT handle all in different ways, they are in my opinion the best providers. So you are choosing among equal but different choices.... If you had FIOS I would include them as a choice, except for cost, even though I consider Verizon to be even more evil than ATT..... lol
 
#50 ·
camo said:
Your NESN is only part time according to the list of HD channels here. It would be a deal breaker for me. I was only getting 50% of the games in HD. You also lose ESPNU and ESPNews in HD if it matters.
Link to HD channels...http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=196101
Yup, that would be a problem. I see that the PDF document that's attached in the link you provided was last updated with a new channel at the end of last month; can anyone confirm that NESN HD status on Dish is still part time?
 
#51 ·
Ray C@DISH Network said:
That charge is waived with AT 120 and above programming package for new customers. Thanks.
Thats good, Cause it wasn't when I wanted top 250.:)
So 2 hopper and 2 joeys are free then to all New customers?
 
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