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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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#3 ·
The Hopper and Joey would be comparable to your current setup. The Hopper has 3 tuners, which are shared with the Joeys. The Whole Home DVR Service fee is $10 per month. This includes the DVR capability.

To qualify for the HDFFL promotion, you need Autopay and paperless billing setup on the account. HDFFL is good for the duration of your active account, which saves you $10 per month for the HD programming.

Most customers, who qualify, can have up to 6 receivers installed at no charge. Please let me know if you have further questions. Thanks.
 
#4 ·
Good luck getting a 3rd hopper, Cause thats what you'll need to compair with 4 HR's
 
#7 ·
Curtis0620 said:
Let me get this straight. You are concerned about a few dollars a month but will pay the $180 ETF?
If the difference is only a few dollars a month, then no. I'm pretty sure that Dish's new customer rates would save me more than a few dollars a month through the first 12 months though. And if I make the switch, it probably wopuldn't happen until this summer, which would bring the ETF down to $100 or so. At this point, I'm just starting to think about it and getting data to make a valid comparison.
 
#8 ·
dcandmc said:
If the difference is only a few dollars a month, then no. I'm pretty sure that Dish's new customer rates would save me more than a few dollars a month through the first 12 months though. And if I make the switch, it probably wopuldn't happen until this summer, which would bring the ETF down to $100 or so. At this point, I'm just starting to think about it and getting data to make a valid comparison.
What happens when their promo rates are over? How many months to cover the $100?

You will eventually have to pay someone the full price.

Also, you better make sure you are going to get the channels you want in the package you are looking at. You obviously don't care about ESPN/DISNEY in HD.
 
#9 ·
CCarncross said:
So it looks like you like your service you have but just dont want to pay the going rate for it...good luck with that.
I would like to pay less for what I currently have. Who wouldn't? Are you saying that with a new customer agreement with Dish, I can't save money compared to what I'm currently paying and getting from DirecTV?
 
#12 ·
dcandmc said:
I would like to pay less for what I currently have. Who wouldn't? Are you saying that with a new customer agreement with Dish, I can't save money compared to what I'm currently paying and getting from DirecTV?
you have to take into consideration the $180 ETF you'll have...well $20 per month. SO if you want to compare apples to apples you have to add $20 to each Dish monthly until December
 
#13 ·
Curtis0620 said:
What happens when their promo rates are over? How many months to cover the $100?

You will eventually have to pay someone the full price.

Also, you better make sure you are going to get the channels you want in the package you are looking at. You obviously don't care about ESPN/DISNEY in HD.
Well, if I save $20/month over what I'm now paying DirecTV, then it takes 5 months to cover an ETF of $100. Everything after that is gravy. And yes, after the promotional pricing expires, I will have to pay full price... until the 24 month contract expires, and I have the option to switch back to DirecTV and get their promotional pricing. Look, there was a time that I was loyal to DirecTV and wouldn't have considered switching. But that loyalty turned out to be a one way street. I didn't set up the current model of treating new customers better than long-time existing customers, but I have to live with it. If it makes financial sense to play the game, then I'll play.

I didn't realize that Dish doesn't currently have ESPN and Disney in HD; that is a concern. That's one reason I started this thread, to get the information that will help me make an informed choice. Is this ESPN and Disney thing due to a carriage dispute? In other words, is it something that might change once contract terms are agreed to?
 
#15 ·
dcandmc said:
Well, if I save $20/month over what I'm now paying DirecTV, then it takes 5 months to cover an ETF of $100. Everything after that is gravy. And yes, after the promotional pricing expires, I will have to pay full price... until the 24 month contract expires, and I have the option to switch back to DirecTV and get their promotional pricing. Look, there was a time that I was loyal to DirecTV and wouldn't have considered switching. But that loyalty turned out to be a one way street. I didn't set up the current model of treating new customers better than long-time existing customers, but I have to live with it. If it makes financial sense to play the game, then I'll play.

I didn't realize that Dish doesn't currently have ESPN and Disney in HD; that is a concern. That's one reason I started this thread, to get the information that will help me make an informed choice. Is this ESPN and Disney thing due to a carriage dispute? In other words, is it something that might change once contract terms are agreed to?
Make sure you look at the DISH channels and make sure the ones you need are in HD.
 
#16 ·
Curtis0620 said:
6 tuners for 4 TVs are not very many. I hope you don't use the 4 TVs at the same time.
I don't think that we've ever used all 4 TVs at the same time. Even so, if the majority of the viewing is from recorded content, the tuner limit will really only be a factor when considering how many shows can be recorded at once, right?

I don't have a clear idea about how the Hopper works, so maybe I'm way off base here. Again, one reason why I started this thread.
 
#18 ·
Ray C@DISH Network said:
The Hopper and Joey would be comparable to your current setup. The Hopper has 3 tuners, which are shared with the Joeys. The Whole Home DVR Service fee is $10 per month. This includes the DVR capability.

To qualify for the HDFFL promotion, you need Autopay and paperless billing setup on the account. HDFFL is good for the duration of your active account, which saves you $10 per month for the HD programming.

Most customers, who qualify, can have up to 6 receivers installed at no charge. Please let me know if you have further questions. Thanks.
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?
 
#19 ·
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?
$7
 
#20 ·
dcandmc look closely at your favorite channels, including locals and your RSN if you watch regional baseball games etc, and HD is important. Not sure of your viewing preferences but I found Direct offers better coverage like full time HD on my RSN while Dish was only part time. It was very frustrating trying to watch a Dback game in SD. Also one of the independent stations carried Suns road games and Dish only carried it in SD. Things like that can bite you if you haven't checked carefully before the switch.
Also double check the DVR fees, first one was free but after that they really jumped up when I had Dish prior to the Hopper era.
 
#22 ·
dcandmc said:
Is that for all active receivers, or just the ones in addition to the "primary" receiver (as DirecTV calls it)?

In other words, my monthly equipment charge with DirecTV right now is $18 (3 "additional" receivers at $6 per). Would 4 active receivers with Dish be $21, or $28?
Thats after the first, Just like Directv. It would be $21 for 2 hopper and 2 joeys.
 
#24 ·
camo said:
dcandmc look closely at your favorite channels, including locals and your RSN if you watch regional baseball games etc, and HD is important. Not sure of your viewing preferences but I found Direct offers better coverage like full time HD on my RSN while Dish was only part time. It was very frustrating trying to watch a Dback game in SD. Also one of the independent stations carried Suns road games and Dish only carried it in SD. Things like that can bite you if you haven't checked carefully before the switch.
Also double check the DVR fees, first one was free but after that they really jumped up when I had Dish prior to the Hopper era.
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.
 
#25 ·
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.
 
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