# Don't want to leave D*TV, but Dish giving much more for much less



## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

I've been very happy with DirecTV the past 4 years. Reliability has been excellent, picture quality great, great people over the phone. They lowered my bill tremendously a couple of years ago when I honestly *needed* to cancel. My bill will go to $100 in a few days after the last $15 credit expires. I have a HD-DVR and a HD receiver (2 total tuners). 

By switching to Dish I can get the Hopper with Sling and a Super Joey for about $65/month. That extra $35 in savings + much better technology is just sounding too good to pass up. 

I called Direct to see when the best date to cancel is. They suggested to lower my package. I said well I think I'll go to Dish so I won't have to lose channels that are important to me, and I can get the newest equipment. She just said sorry, she wishes they could do more. I had a feeling. I'm on auto pay so of course every payment has been made. They probably have a flag in the system saying no more "big savings" as this customer has already had one for a whole year. I didn't expect them to offer "the genie" or anything. I thought maybe they could match Dish's $60 price though. Apparently not.

Direct will be missed, but I look forward to seeing what Dish is all about.


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## litzdog911 (Jun 23, 2004)

It's nice to have choices. Good luck with Dish.


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

litzdog911 said:


> It's nice to have choices. Good luck with Dish.


Thanks. If money was not a factor, I'd be sticking with Direct.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

maverick22 said:


> Thanks. If money was not a factor, I'd be sticking with Direct.


Of course, you will probably be switching back to DirecTV® when the promo period expires with Dish. That is just the "game"


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

A Hopper and super joey is 5 tuners.
That's a big improvement over your old directv system.
Just be sure you have all of your fees figured out.
I'm not sure the monthly charge on the super joey, but I think it's 10-12 dollars per month.


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

damondlt said:


> A Hopper and super joey is 5 tuners.
> That's a big improvement over your old directv system.
> Just be sure you have all of your fees figured out.
> I'm not sure the monthly charge on the super joey, but I think it's 10-12 dollars per month.


I've been told a couple of times:
America's top 200 = $39.99/month
Hopper = $12.00/month
Super Joey = $10.00/month (or I may go with wireless Joey for $7/month)
Total= ~$60.00/month for first year ($90 for 2nd year)


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## mexican-bum (Feb 26, 2006)

maverick22 said:


> I've been very happy with DirecTV the past 4 years. Reliability has been excellent, picture quality great, great people over the phone. They lowered my bill tremendously a couple of years ago when I honestly *needed* to cancel. My bill will go to $100 in a few days after the last $15 credit expires. I have a HD-DVR and a HD receiver (2 total tuners).
> 
> By switching to Dish I can get the Hopper with Sling and a Super Joey for about $65/month. That extra $35 in savings + much better technology is just sounding too good to pass up.
> 
> ...


I have had both, directv first, then switched to dish, now back with directv. I will say overall I like directv a bit better but honestly had a good experience with dish and never regretted the switch to them, just like I haven't regretted switching back. All about the $$$$$$


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

mexican-bum said:


> I have had both, directv first, then switched to dish, now back with directv. I will say overall I like directv a bit better but honestly had a good experience with dish and never regretted the switch to them, just like I haven't regretted switching back. All about the $$$$$$


What do you like better about Direct? Thanks


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## mexican-bum (Feb 26, 2006)

maverick22 said:


> What do you like better about Direct? Thanks


The channel organization, picture quality on HD, and doesn't fade in rain as easy. SD picture quality on dish is better than directv's. I can't think of what else but they where just minor subjective things. Only non subjective thing was rain fade, Dish's HD channels rain fade easily but SD stays up just like directv.


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

mexican-bum said:


> The channel organization, picture quality on HD, and doesn't fade in rain as easy. SD picture quality on dish is better than directv's. I can't think of what else but they where just minor subjective things. Only non subjective thing was rain fade, Dish's HD channels rain fade easily but SD stays up just like directv.


Those are pretty significant factors. I've seen those same ones posted on here. Kinda worries me, but I really don't have much of a choice. Doesn't rain a whole lot in Dallas anyways.


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## mexican-bum (Feb 26, 2006)

maverick22 said:


> Those are pretty significant factors. I've seen those same ones posted on here. Kinda worries me, but I really don't have much of a choice. Doesn't rain a whole lot in Dallas anyways.


I am sure you will be happy with Dish, unless you have Directv and Dish on the same TV side by side PQ is hard to tell much difference. The rain fade can be annoying but its not terrible... just not good, still need a decent rain for it to fade.


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

Yeah, as I posted over in the Dish forum where you were investigating, I was happy with Dish but just switched to Directv.for a much lower cost for the first two years, about the same after discounts are gone (Genie + 2 minis.) I'm not sure I'd call the Hopper better technology than the Genie (I prefer the 5 independent tuners over the PTAT + 2 tuners) but it is certainly better than what you have now (would Directv not give you a free upgrade to the Genie?)

But I was happy with Dish and moved for Sunday ticket. PQ is indeed a bit better with Directv and rain fade is for sure better with Directv - not sure why that is but have seen it. They are different - wish I could have the best of both systems!


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

fudpucker said:


> Yeah, as I posted over in the Dish forum where you were investigating, I was happy with Dish but just switched to Directv.for a much lower cost for the first two years, about the same after discounts are gone (Genie + 2 minis.) I'm not sure I'd call the Hopper better technology than the Genie (I prefer the 5 independent tuners over the PTAT + 2 tuners) but it is certainly better than what you have now (*would Directv not give you a free upgrade to the Genie?*)
> 
> But I was happy with Dish and moved for Sunday ticket. PQ is indeed a bit better with Directv and rain fade is for sure better with Directv - not sure why that is but have seen it. They are different - wish I could have the best of both systems!


The rep I talked to today only suggested for me to lower my plan/package haha. I'll call one more time Wednesday when the last credit expires, and then I'm done.


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

maverick22 said:


> The rep I talked to today only suggested for me to lower my plan/package haha. I'll call one more time Wednesday when the last credit expires, and then I'm done.


That is really odd. When you called, did you say "when does my contract expire?" to get a retention specialist? In my experience over the years, with both Dish and Directv, Directv has been MUCH more aggressive with offers than Dish to keep me. I would try again, and tell them what you said here, let them know you'd love to stay with Directv but feel you can't afford to turn down Dish's aggressive offer and ask if they can do anything. Also mention you've seen the Hopper on TV and it looks very cool and that is one of the attractions - hard to believe they won't upgrade you to the Genie + two minis.

Oh one other thing to check out that I didn't think of but was happily surprised by when I moved to Directv from Dish - DTV actually had a couple of local stations Dish did not carry.. Directv carries the local CW and a local sub channel that is old TV shows, etc. - Dish only carried the "main" local networks and no subs. Just so you aren't surprised, just in case.

But yeah, a customer service person who says lower you plan as the only incentive to not cancel and move to their rival does NOT sound like a retention specialist!


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## mexican-bum (Feb 26, 2006)

maverick22 said:


> The rep I talked to today only suggested for me to lower my plan/package haha. I'll call one more time Wednesday when the last credit expires, and then I'm done.


When you call, tell the automated system cancel service, that way you will be talking to a retention rep. I have had good luck with them.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

In terms of OTA, on DirecTV it's all dependent on the database, so what's available in one market doesn't mean anything for another market since scanning isn't allowed.


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

mexican-bum said:


> When you call, tell the automated system cancel service, that way you will be talking to a retention rep. I have had good luck with them.


Agreed - sounds like he just got a customer service rep and not a retentions rep. No way a retentions rep is going to let a customer go without a major effort to keep them with discounts, equipment upgrades, etc.


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

dpeters11 said:


> In terms of OTA, on DirecTV it's all dependent on the database, so what's available in one market doesn't mean anything for another market since scanning isn't allowed.


Understood, but I was surprised that Directv carried a couple of locals here that Dish does not carry - I assumed they'd both carry the same.


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

fudpucker said:


> That is really odd. When you called, did you say "when does my contract expire?" to get a retention specialist? In my experience over the years, with both Dish and Directv, Directv has been MUCH more aggressive with offers than Dish to keep me. I would try again, and tell them what you said here, let them know you'd love to stay with Directv but feel you can't afford to turn down Dish's aggressive offer and ask if they can do anything. Also mention you've seen the Hopper on TV and it looks very cool and that is one of the attractions - hard to believe they won't upgrade you to the Genie + two minis.
> 
> Oh one other thing to check out that I didn't think of but was happily surprised by when I moved to Directv from Dish - DTV actually had a couple of local stations Dish did not carry.. Directv carries the local CW and a local sub channel that is old TV shows, etc. - Dish only carried the "main" local networks and no subs. Just so you aren't surprised, just in case.
> 
> But yeah, a customer service person who says lower you plan as the only incentive to not cancel and move to their rival does NOT sound like a retention specialist!





mexican-bum said:


> When you call, tell the automated system cancel service, that way you will be talking to a retention rep. I have had good luck with them.





fudpucker said:


> Agreed - sounds like he just got a customer service rep and not a retentions rep. No way a retentions rep is going to let a customer go without a major effort to keep them with discounts, equipment upgrades, etc.


Automated prompt
Me: cancel service
Prompt: are you moving?
me: No
prompt: One moment please...

Does that sound wrong?


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

maverick22 said:


> Automated prompt
> Me: cancel service
> Prompt: are you moving?
> me: No
> ...


That SHOULD have gotten you to a retention rep - but no retention rep is gonna just let you walk like that. Who knows, you may have gotten someone who had 3 minutes left on their shift!


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## Billzebub (Jan 2, 2007)

I hope you get a good offer to stay but I wouldn't be terribly surprised if you didn't. Your post indicates that you have been with Directv for 4 years and your bill is going up to $100. I think you'll find many of the posters here who get really good deals are long term customers with significantly higher monthly bills. That doesn't mean they like them any better, just that they're more profitable for the company. That would make Directv more reluctant to lose them.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

fudpucker said:


> That SHOULD have gotten you to a retention rep - but no retention rep is gonna just let you walk like that. Who knows, you may have gotten someone who had 3 minutes left on their shift!


At one point they made it more difficult to get to true retention. Ive heard the gamut of dealseekers, and not just for sat service. If some are to believed, they can take it to a ridiculous level. But each company has to decide which customers are worth fighting for, and it's not always who we think it is.


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

fudpucker said:


> That SHOULD have gotten you to a retention rep - but no retention rep is gonna just let you walk like that. Who knows, you may have gotten someone who had 3 minutes left on their shift!


Ha ha..I forgot her title when she said her name...__ specialist. I was driving and couldn't hear her title well. I don't think she was in a hurry to get off her shift at all. She went on and on about her kids and what they watch! Thought I was never going to get off the phone with her & get what I called for.


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

Billzebub said:


> I hope you get a good offer to stay but I wouldn't be terribly surprised if you didn't. Your post indicates that you have been with Directv for 4 years and your bill is going up to $100. I think you'll find many of the posters here who get really good deals are long term customers with significantly higher monthly bills. That doesn't mean they like them any better, just that they're more profitable for the company. That would make Directv more reluctant to lose them.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk





dpeters11 said:


> At one point they made it more difficult to get to true retention. Ive heard the gamut of dealseekers, and not just for sat service. If some are to believed, they can take it to a ridiculous level. But each company has to decide which customers are worth fighting for, and it's not always who we think it is.


Yes, I know there are customers out there that have been with them much longer & with much higher bills. That's fine. I really wasn't expecting much when I called today. Well I did think they'd price match Dish at least ($60/month) with no equipment upgrades. I would stay if that was the case. Not trying to complain or anything. Direct has been good to me. I know there's only so much they can do with certain accounts, and I know I'm not considered one of their "top customers" based on monthly bill and longevity with the company.


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

Billzebub said:


> I hope you get a good offer to stay but I wouldn't be terribly surprised if you didn't. Your post indicates that you have been with Directv for 4 years and your bill is going up to $100. I think you'll find many of the posters here who get really good deals are long term customers with significantly higher monthly bills. That doesn't mean they like them any better, just that they're more profitable for the company. That would make Directv more reluctant to lose them.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I agree, your $100 per month bill is still under what the average Directv customer is paying.

I spend $60 per month alone, just in Fees.
$25 A DVR
$24 for 5 rooms
$8 for Protection plan
$3 RSN fee.
PREMIER $129.99

I get $41 per month in credits,
Plus MLB EI and still spend $180 per month.

I would be a little ticked if Directv gave a customer 50% off discount with only a $100 per month bill.


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## anex80 (Jul 29, 2005)

I price out both options regularly just to compare and for me Dish is more expensive:

Dish
Top 200 = $70
Hopper fee = $12
Super Joey = $10
HD Fee = $10
Total = $102

DTV
Choice = $67
Genie = $10
Genie Client = $6
HD Fee = $10
Whole Home DVR = $3
Total = $96

What's more is that when you factor in this difference and add the Multi Sports Pack with NFL RedZone, Sunday Ticket at sticker price is only $124 more.

I realize there are many discounts and promotions with both providers, but when comparing the full retail cost of each, this is what you get.


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

anex80 said:


> I price out both options regularly just to compare and for me Dish is more expensive:
> 
> Dish
> Top 200 = $70
> ...


The top 200 is $40 (at least for now). The HD fee is waived. Not sure how these are broken down the 2nd year for me, but I have been told by 2 different Dish reps that the price would go up $30 more in 2nd year ($60 1st year; $90 2nd year).

Thanks for breaking it down!


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## Bronxiniowa (Apr 14, 2013)

For me it's all about the programming -- not the hardware. DISH simply doesn't have the sports programming (soccer) I want to watch.

And yes, I priced out my DirecTV programming with DISH comparable (as best they can) programming, hardware and services after the promotional year. DISH was more expensive, gave me one fewer tuner, and no soccer (no UEFA channels, no NBC Extra Time). For me the choice was simple, despite the hassle of having to call DirecTV every few months to wheedle for discounts.

Good luck to you; I hope your choice works out for you.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

anex80 said:


> I realize there are many discounts and promotions with both providers, but when comparing the full retail cost of each, this is what you get.


It is also important to note that the pricing structure for new signups is significantly different on the DIRECTV side than it used to be.

If you sign up now and get any kind of DVR, you pay a TV fee for all boxes and a $15 Advanced Receiver Service fee. It would appear that the monthly fee structure is now somewhat less than it is for long-time customers.

I'm by no means convinced that Choice (150+ channels) is the equal of AT200 (220+ channels). The closer match would probably be Xtra (205+) that goes for $4 more than AT200. To reach the channel count, you'd have to go to Ultimate (225+ channels at $12 more than AT200).


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## anex80 (Jul 29, 2005)

harsh said:


> I'm by no means convinced that Choice (150+ channels) is the equal of AT200 (220+ channels). The closer match would probably be Xtra (205+) that goes for $4 more than AT200. To reach the channel count, you'd have to go to Ultimate (225+ channels at $12 more than AT200).


You can't go by the channel count advertised as a lot of that is music and informational channels. The total channels listed on both provider's most recent publications are as follows:

Dish Top 120 = 70 channels
Dish Top 200 = 119 channels
Dish Top 250 = 152 channels

DTV Entertainment = 96 channels
DTV Choice = 124 channels
DTV Extra = 150 channels
DTV Ultimate = 169 channels

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

anex80 said:


> I price out both options regularly just to compare and for me Dish is more expensive:
> 
> Dish
> Top 200 = $70
> ...


Fixed for you.


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## anex80 (Jul 29, 2005)

Thanks Peds. I'm still on the old plan.


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

I guess the HD fee could be crossed out for Dish as well as it's free for 24 months, correct? That would bring the total down to ~$92 Dish vs. $96 D*Tv.


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## anex80 (Jul 29, 2005)

It's a 24 month promotion so I left it out as I was trying to capture the pricing less all discounts and promotions.


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

anex80 said:


> It's a 24 month promotion so I left it out as I was trying to capture the pricing less all discounts and promotions.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Cool-thanks for clearing that up. Didn't know. You probably mentioned it but been reading so much lately..get things mixed up


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## acostapimps (Nov 6, 2011)

If the correction peds did is correct it would $2 less $94
Sorry the math nerdyness came out :righton:


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## acostapimps (Nov 6, 2011)

Wow hopper fee alone is like 2 receivers monthly fees combined.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

acostapimps said:


> Wow hopper fee alone is like 2 receivers monthly fees combined.


And I believe they significantly raised the fee on additional Hoppers, though won't affect the OP.

High fees and you can't even change the tine on the mandatory nightly reboot (unless they changed that recently.)


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

anex80 said:


> The total channels listed on both provider's most recent publications are as follows:


What "most recent publications" are you referring to?

I was citing numbers from each providers website.


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## anex80 (Jul 29, 2005)

harsh said:


> What "most recent publications" are you referring to?
> 
> I was citing numbers from each providers website.


The PDF Channel Lineups published on each providers website. I went through each package and counted the channels listed.

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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

What is the wait to become a new customer again? Thinking of canceling and doing without TV for a couple of months. Would I get new customer offers after about 2 months? Still weighing my options. Still have a bad taste in my mouth after an unpleasant phone call with Dish!


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## WestDC (Feb 9, 2008)

Don't know about being a "NEW" Customer -But they will throw lots of Gifts at you for coming back anytime you leave


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

What do you mean "gifts"?


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## litzdog911 (Jun 23, 2004)

maverick22 said:


> What is the wait to become a new customer again? Thinking of canceling and doing without TV for a couple of months. Would I get new customer offers after about 2 months? ...


Nope. I think it's at least a couple of years.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

anex80 said:


> You can't go by the channel count advertised as a lot of that is music and informational channels. The total channels listed on both provider's most recent publications are as follows:


I can understand not wanting to count music channels ... although they are content that people use. The info channels also come down to making judgement calls on "what is a channel". Are you including the public interest, religious and shopping channels?

Counts are less important ... as long as the channel one wants are in the package one can afford it doesn't matter what the other hundreds of channels are on the system.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

maverick22 said:


> What do you mean "gifts"?


They tend to make offers. I think Diana was offered a gift card and some other things. I thought it was a pretty good offer if someone was looking to come back.


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

I guess i've just been lucky over the years, every time I asked about leaving Directv (or Dish) - usually when we were moving, but also when I left DTV in 2009 because Dish carried the local in HD and they did not, and a couple of weeks ago when I moved back to DTV to get Sunday Ticket - every time, I have been offered some nice discounts, etc. to stay. When I called Dish a couple of weeks ago to cancel, and told them I was happy with Dish but just wanted Sunday Ticket, they immediately offered me free upgrades to the Hopper and Joey system and $40 off my bill for a while. In terms of how long you have to have cancelled, I have gotten "please come back" offers within weeks - heck, I'm getting them from Dish almost every other day now. And I "only" spend about $120 a month.

I have noticed that it seems like most Directv customers on here have some kind of running discounts, people talk about how many they have - that's something that I didn't really notice with Dish. After my initial enticement offer expired, the price was the regular price, period, and I think it was that way for most (unless they thought you were leaving!)

FWIW


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

dpeters11 said:


> And I believe they significantly raised the fee on additional Hoppers, though won't affect the OP.
> 
> High fees and you can't even change the tine on the mandatory nightly reboot (unless they changed that recently.)


Would love to see harsh opinion in this very crappy "feature"


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

I think that's also how most of us are. We pay whatever the price is. Now, I do admit I get a discount based on a partnership my internet provider has with DirecTV, but that's it.


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

dpeters11 said:


> I think that's also how most of us are. We pay whatever the price is. Now, I do admit I get a discount based on a partnership my internet provider has with DirecTV, but that's it.


i forgot about that. I could actually bundle with Uverse Internet and save $10/month. Funny the rep I talked to a couple of days ago when I said I was going to cancel did not even provide that option!


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

peds48 said:


> > High fees and you can't even change the tine on the mandatory nightly reboot (unless they changed that recently.)
> 
> 
> Would love to see harsh opinion in this very crappy "feature"


I wonder how many people outside of Internet forums see it as a problem. The only people tripping over the nightly reboot are night owls who are watching and not recording (recordings delay the reboot until the recording is finished) or people who locate their Hopper in their sleeping room and hear it reboot at night. The nightly reboot is a part of the pre-Hopper receivers as well.

I'm sure that there are people for which the non-moveable reboot issue is the worst thing on planet Earth, but there are plenty of pet peeves to go around. We are in a special place here ... we complain about companies we willingly pay hundreds of dollars per month. We're not the average customer.

Among customers who are not night owls or sleep with their receivers I wonder if they even know there is a nightly reboot ... let alone be annoyed by it.


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

I never minded the nightly reboots, the VIP worked fantasic.
No need for Clearmybox, and multiple reboots, just to make the HR'S usable.


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## Diana C (Mar 30, 2007)

dpeters11 said:


> They tend to make offers. I think Diana was offered a gift card and some other things. I thought it was a pretty good offer if someone was looking to come back.


Correct. We cancel DirecTV on July 2nd (in our case we have switched to FiOS TV with TiVo DVRs and Minis). I have since received at least a half dozen offers to come back. The most recent was deeply discounted programming (for 12 months, moderate discount for the next 12), a free Genie and up to 3 Clients, Sunday Ticket, * and a $200 gift card*. If it were not for the fact that to equal our TiVo setup we would need 2 Genies, 5 clients, and 2 3TB external hard drives (a configuration DirecTV can not even support) we might have taken the offer.


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## Bronxiniowa (Apr 14, 2013)

dpeters11 said:


> I think that's also how most of us are. We pay whatever the price is. Now, I do admit I get a discount based on a partnership my internet provider has with DirecTV, but that's it.


The issue is that many of us -- myself included -- don't sign up for premium channels or services until they're discounted, say "3 months of HBO and Cinemax for $XX.99." So when the price goes up after three months, and the total bill amount rises, we're on the phone to DirecTV to ask about what happened or to drop services. Then the CSR offers us additional credits for programming we already have. Those expire after X months, the bill goes up, we're back on the phone to DirecTV again, and the routine continues.


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## bmetelsky (Mar 1, 2009)

litzdog911 said:
 

> Nope. I think it's at least a couple of years.


I started receiving offers a soon as I cancelled. This was one of my issues with DirecTV. I actually wanted to stay, but when I called in prior to switching providers, they were not willing to deal at all. I had actually arranged for DISH to install just prior to my disconnect from DirecTV. Lo and behold, as soon as I cancelled, the phone calls and mailings started. I probably should have called a second time, at least, prior to switching to DISH. I did take DirecTV up on one of their offers 4 months ago, and came back. The deal I got was reduction of cost for two years, with the reduction in the first year being more significant. Free premiums for 3 months, free NFL ST. Also free installation, free Genie upgrade, and a prepaid VISA for the cost of the ETF with DISH. I'm glad I'm back.


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

Diana C said:


> Correct. We cancel DirecTV on July 2nd (in our case we have switched to FiOS TV with TiVo DVRs and Minis). I have since received at least a half dozen offers to come back. The most recent was deeply discounted programming (for 12 months, moderate discount for the next 12), a free Genie and up to 3 Clients, Sunday Ticket, * and a $200 gift card*. If it were not for the fact that to equal our TiVo setup we would need 2 Genies, 5 clients, and 2 3TB external hard drives (a configuration DirecTV can not even support) we might have taken the offer.


How soon after you canceled with Direct did they start sending these? That sounds like a pretty good comeback offer!


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

bmetelsky said:


> I started receiving offers a soon as I cancelled. This was one of my issues with DirecTV. I actually wanted to stay, *but when I called in prior to switching providers, they were not willing to deal at all*. I had actually arranged for DISH to install just prior to my disconnect from DirecTV. Lo and behold, as soon as I cancelled, the phone calls and mailings started. *I probably should have called a second time*, at least, prior to switching to DISH. I did take DirecTV up on one of their offers 4 months ago, and came back. The deal I got was reduction of cost for two years, with the reduction in the first year being more significant. Free premiums for 3 months, free NFL ST. Also free installation, free Genie upgrade, and a prepaid VISA for the cost of the ETF with DISH. I'm glad I'm back.


You sound like you're in the same boat as me with Direct. I've hinted at canceling two times now and have gotten no offers from them. What was your setup like with them (how much was your bill/month)?

I think I'll cancel tonight. I can't decide if I should just try to do w/out cable/satellite for a couple of weeks or just go ahead and give Dish a try. Have a feeling Direct may not even get me to try to come back. I'm pretty "bare bones" when it comes to TV.


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

litzdog911 said:


> Nope. I think it's at least a couple of years.


They do call with offers and incentives soon after you leave. You may not be able to come back on your own but they will try to get you back. 

Mike


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## bmetelsky (Mar 1, 2009)

maverick22 said:


> You sound like you're in the same boat as me with Direct. I've hinted at canceling two times now and have gotten no offers from them. What was your setup like with them (how much was your bill/month)?
> 
> I think I'll cancel tonight. I can't decide if I should just try to do w/out cable/satellite for a couple of weeks or just go ahead and give Dish a try. Have a feeling Direct may not even get me to try to come back. I'm pretty "bare bones" when it comes to TV.


At the time, I had a Slimline SWM dish, 2 of their HR-24 DVR's, and I think the Choice package. My monthly bill was around $115. Honestly, they were calling me just a few days after cancellation and then the mailings started. You could always call them again and try to get a deal, cancel if not, and then wait a few weeks before getting into a contract with DISH.


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## anex80 (Jul 29, 2005)

I left Dish for DTV in 2011 and I've been getting offers to return ever since. The most recent one included a $200 gift card, free sports pack, and about $35 in programming credits for a year.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

Any advice for canceling when one is on auto-pay? I've heard/read horror stories when people try to cancel services that are on auto-pay. 

Thanks!


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

maverick22 said:


> Any advice for canceling when one is on auto-pay? I've heard/read horror stories when people try to cancel services that are on auto-pay.
> 
> Thanks!


As long as you pay your final bill on time and return any required equipment, there should be no horror stories


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## 242424 (Mar 22, 2012)

Cancel the CC they have and avoid any "computer glitches"


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

Well, it's official. I asked for the third and last time if they can match Dish for similar service ($60).
Direct said not able to. It was difficult to do, but I canceled!

I think I'll give it about a month & see if Direct sends me any good offers. If not I'll go with Dish.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

maverick22 said:


> Well, it's official. I asked for the third and last time if they can match Dish for similar service ($60).
> Direct said not able to. It was difficult to do, but
> I canceled!


Good luck on your new "endeavors"


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

peds48 said:


> Good luck on your new "endeavors"


Thanks! I'm going to try going without satellite for about a month. If I hear from Direct with a good offer, I'll sign again. If not, I'll just go with Dish.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

maverick22 said:


> Thanks! I'm going to try going without satellite for about a month. If I hear from Direct with a good offer, I'll sign again. If not, I'll just go with Dish.


Awesome. Keep us posted


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## Diana C (Mar 30, 2007)

maverick22 said:


> How soon after you canceled with Direct did they start sending these? That sounds like a pretty good comeback offer!


They started as soon as we canceled (the first one came before we received the return kits for the receivers they still wanted back). The value of the offers ramped up to this last one with the $200 gift, which came about 2 weeks ago. I'm traveling in Mexico this week, so I don't know if any more have arrived.


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## Diana C (Mar 30, 2007)

maverick22 said:


> Any advice for canceling when one is on auto-pay? I've heard/read horror stories when people try to cancel services that are on auto-pay.
> 
> Thanks!


We were on auto-pay...no problems at all. We ended up with a credit, which they sent by check, about 2 weeks after cancelation.

I kept the tracking numbers for the equipment return and kept a record of the access card numbers from the 2 HR21s they didn't want back, and HR24 I owned. Didn't need them in the end.


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## dudester (Feb 16, 2012)

I called earlier today. I have been with them for at least ten years, all my original hd equipment, except what has been replaced when one went out. H20, hr20and nothing newer than 2 h21's in which i had to buy my own am21's for. 8 receivers in all. All service and Installed done by me. Its not rocket science. Cant do nothing for me except wave the 10.00 hd fee. Told me i was getting a break on the advanced receiver , but its actually grandfathered in my premier plan. $ 200.00 a month before any discount for the last 10 years, and i cant get but a additional 10 for only 6 months. I'm done! Maybe I'll play the game and switch every two years. and get the free sunday ticket, free hd, gift cards and who knows what else by then and all new up to date equipment. I even referred a customer for them three months ago and they said i would get the referral credit but that has never appeared either. They did however tell me they could cut my package back and lower the bill. I said great cut out channels 70- 190 or wherever the shopping ends. Evidently that isnt a option on their end.


Sent from my iPad using DBSTalk


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## WestDC (Feb 9, 2008)

Enjoy your New DIsh Service :rolling:


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## Glenee (Sep 22, 2007)

If you have a Auto-Pay with anyone. After cancellation the next thing you do is notify the CC and tell them you are not going to be responsible for any charges by XXXX from this point on. Then verify in writing (email). They are then resposible for any charges they allow.


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

It is kinda baffling to me, these reports of Directv customer retention specialists not offering anything to keep someone from leaving, I mean, you read the thread on Sunday Ticket, people are calling and saying "check contract status" and getting a customer retention rep and they aren't threatening to leave, yet they are getting free Sunday Ticket and hundreds of dollars of discounts. Why are they willing to give those people better offers than people saying they are considering leaving? I'm confused.


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

fudpucker said:


> It is kinda baffling to me, these reports of Directv customer retention specialists not offering anything to keep someone from leaving, I mean, you read the thread on Sunday Ticket, people are calling and saying "check contract status" and getting a customer retention rep and they aren't threatening to leave, yet they are getting free Sunday Ticket and hundreds of dollars of discounts. Why are they willing to give those people better offers than people saying they are considering leaving? I'm confused.


Well, for one, Direct gave me a very generous offer already for one year. That's probably in their notes (saying no more great deals for this customer).


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## SomeRandomIdiot (Jan 7, 2009)

maverick22 said:


> Any advice for canceling when one is on auto-pay? I've heard/read horror stories when people try to cancel services that are on auto-pay.
> 
> Thanks!


Use autopay, but use a service that generates a custom credit card number for you.

When you cancel service, kill the number.

After all the hacking issues, I use a custom credit card numbers for virtually all online accounts.

You can specify how long the card is good for (2-12 Months) and the total amount that can be charged to the card - even set up recurring monthly payments like DirecTV to x amount per month, so even if you allocate $1,800 to them for a year, they can only charge your card for $150 a month (or whatever you specify).

Easy. And even better, once DirecTV makes the intial charge on the card, only charges from DirecTV will be accepted in the future.

In other words, if DirecTV was hacked and people started ordering things from Amazon, your card would get rejected as it was first charged by DirecTV.

Also wonderful for Apple iTunes or Google Play for kids. Makes sure they cannot spend more than $10 on a phone, lol, but allows them access to store and free downloads.


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## jaydarl (Sep 16, 2014)

Just finished my two year contract with Directv and decided to try one of the Comcast Double Play (TV-Internet, I look at the combo as one budget item) offers I always get in the mail. After calling Comcast to get a total price for HD, whatever easy profit fees, taxes and what not. The price was $40/month cheaper than what I was paying for Directv and the Comcast Internet I already have. A Comcast installation appointment was available the next day, but I opted to schedule it for the next week. I called D* to cancel, effective the day after the Comcast installation. I told the CSR that I enjoyed D* and let her know the exact offer I was leaving for. She made a weak offer of a package of D* and AT&T dsl. It was still $30 more, plus I did not want dsl. The cancellation was then scheduled.

Two hours later I get a call from D* and they came strong. The offer for one year was still a combined $10/month more than Comcast, but they also threw in three months of HBO/Showtime/Cinemax, Sunday Ticket Max, and a $200 gift card. I took it, as I am quite satisfied with D*, and really did not want to leave, however I was willing to move on.


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## Diana C (Mar 30, 2007)

The real issue for anyone switching providers is the quality of the alternatives. Both Dish and DirecTV are consistent across the country. Verizon is consistent on the product, but pricing varies a bit by market. The cable companies, however, are highly variable. Comcast in Massachusetts may be great, while Comcast in Texas might be terrible (or vice versa). If you happen to live in a FiOS region you have at least 3 viable options of equal quality (Dish, DirecTV and Verizon FiOS).

Here in the NYC Market, Verizon's price is well below either Dish or DirecTV. Their Ultimate HD package (equivalent to the DirecTV Premiere tier) starts out at $40 less expensive (in NY, that includes all the premiums, elsewhere HBO/Cinemax is extra on FiOS). But once you add on fees like outlet fees, RSN surcharges, DVR fees, etc., the two end up only about $10 apart, before new subscriber discounts.

It gets more complicated if you have a "non-standard" setup. For example, a lot of Verizon FiOS subs are signing up for the new VMS1100 home video server. This is nearly identical to the Genie (except it has 6 recordable tuners instead of 5) and supports IP Clients just like the Genie (although not over wireless yet). Verizon has a "premium" setup that includes 2 VMS1100s and up to 12 IP clients all with no upfront cost. DirecTV will offer a Genie and up to 3 clients for no up-front cost, but charges extra for anything beyond that. Since they can't give you two Genies, you'd need more DVRs (at $199 each) to get to the same 12 tuner count. Consider the TiVo Roamio 6 tuner DVRs and their Mini clients and the analysis becomes even more complicated.

When we were weighing our options it took a couple of months of research and number crunching in a spreadsheet to really determine which was the better deal. I can't imagine most people taking that much time. Most people will simply go with the easiest option, or the one that quotes the lowest initial cost, and then just stay there forever.


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

jaydarl said:


> Just finished my two year contract with Directv and decided to try one of the Comcast Double Play (TV-Internet, I look at the combo as one budget item) offers I always get in the mail. After calling Comcast get a total price for HD, whatever fees, taxes and what not. The price was $40/month cheaper that what I was paying for Directv and the Comcast Internet I already have. A Comcast installation appointment was available the next day, but I opted to schedule it for the next week. I called D* to cancel, effective the day after the Comcast installation. I told the CSR that I enjoyed D* and let her know the exact offer I was leaving for. She made a weak offer of a package of D* and AT&T dsl. It was still $30 more, plus I did not want dsl. The cancellation was then scheduled.
> 
> Two hours later I get a call from D* and they came strong. The offer for one year was still a combined $10/month more than Comcast, but they also threw in three months of HBO/Showtime/Cinemax, Sunday Ticket Max, and a $200 gift card. I took it, as I am quite satisfied with D*, and really did not want to leave, however I was willing to move on.


I wonder is something has changed within DTV in the last few years. We moved every 2 or 3 years for a while, and each time we moved I'd call Directv, tell them we're moving, so we're considering our options for the new house in the new city. The rep on the phone would switch me to a retention rep, whose job was clearly to keep me from leaving, and they would pile on the offers to keep us.

It sounds like the people that people are talking to are not retention experts, i.e. these are customer service reps but have no real motivation to try to keep a customer. Since people asking about Sunday Ticket are routinely getting better deals than these people!


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## maverick22 (Jan 5, 2011)

fudpucker said:


> I wonder is something has changed within DTV in the last few years. We moved every 2 or 3 years for a while, and each time we moved I'd call Directv, tell them we're moving, so we're considering our options for the new house in the new city. The rep on the phone would switch me to a retention rep, whose job was clearly to keep me from leaving, and they would pile on the offers to keep us.
> 
> It sounds like the people that people are talking to are not retention experts, i.e. these are customer service reps but have no real motivation to try to keep a customer. Since people asking about Sunday Ticket are routinely getting better deals than these people!


I asked that specific question on here. When the prompt says how can we help you, I say "disconnect service." Prompt then asks "are you moving"? I say "no." Then it transfers me. It's been that way 3x.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

jaydarl said:


> Two hours later I get a call from D* and they came strong. The offer for one year was still a combined $10/month more than Comcast, but they also threw in three months of HBO/Showtime/Cinemax, Sunday Ticket Max, and a $200 gift card.


So you'll remain with DIRECTV and Comcast HSI?


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

harsh said:


> So you'll remain with DIRECTV and Comcast HSI?


Yep, looks like Dish is not getting this one&#8230; Sorry&#8230; !rolling


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

maverick22 said:


> I asked that specific question on here. When the prompt says how can we help you, I say "disconnect service." Prompt then asks "are you moving"? I say "no." Then it transfers me. It's been that way 3x.


You know, the line people are using in the Sunday Ticket deals thread is "check contract end date." For some reason, that is getting retention reps that are giving Sunday Ticket free or at a big discount plus throwing in other discounts.


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

And then we see posts like in this thread, where he reports calling in and saying cancel and immediately gets a bundle of deals.

http://www.dbstalk.com/topic/206404-anyone-call-directv-and-reduce-their-bill-share-stats-here/page-22


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

fudpucker said:


> I wonder is something has changed within DTV in the last few years.


The "something" is also known as Mike White. He was hired to improve DIRECTV's operations and profitability such that they could find a buyer. To that end, a lot of leaks were plugged.

More recently, as Diana C's experience indicates, they're may be a change in the wind.


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## fudpucker (Jul 23, 2007)

But what's odd - read the thread in this forum on getting your bill reduced. As recently as the last day or two, people saying they got $25 per month off their bill, offered a Genie, etc. As you would expect. Then others saying they are told, basically, hey, you wanna leave, we don't care.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

fudpucker said:


> But what's odd - read the thread in this forum on getting your bill reduced. As recently as the last day or two, people saying they got $25 per month off their bill, offered a Genie, etc. As you would expect. Then others saying they are told, basically, hey, you wanna leave, we don't care.


freebies on DirecTV depends on your account history with them


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## acostapimps (Nov 6, 2011)

I've got plenty of freebies with Directv HR44,C41W,H24 and HR24, Only paid for a HR22 when I upgraded from the R16 SD DVR
That was 5 years ago, So it depends on account history and years with Directv, but it also depends who you talk to,

Mostly through retentions i've got free upgrades and credits, and others through CSR's as well, Now they will reluctant to give more credits if you already have some, until one of them expires, They'll just tell you to call back when any current credits expire
To see if you're eligible for more.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

acostapimps said:


> I've got plenty of freebies with Directv HR44,C41W,H24 and HR24, Only paid for a HR22 when I upgraded from the R16 SD DVR
> That was 5 years ago, So it depends on account history and years with Directv, but it also depends who you talk to,* or who you work for*


 !rolling


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## jaydarl (Sep 16, 2014)

harsh said:


> So you'll remain with DIRECTV and Comcast HSI?


Yes, I will be staying with Directv and Comcast HSI. I really like Directv, but I was all set to go to Comcast to try out their X1 platform.


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