# Good Riddance DirecTV



## JPdeJager (Jan 28, 2004)

Was a DirecTV customer since June 2004. The accumulation of bad service, bad and sloppy install/'repairs' (miles of excess cable stuffed under the house and deck), price increases, was finally topped of when the anniversary 'gift' of a free PPV movie wasn't honored, because we ordered the movie a week too late. They'll give new customers 5 months free, but are willing to lose a customer over a $5 PPV? Yeah, I know we had 3 months to use it, but this was only the 2nd time ever we ordered a PPV. It was the proverbial straw.

FYI, when I called to cancel, the first response was they could knock $20 off our bill each month for a year. Translation: they are currently pocketing $20 extra per month on all of you, unless you've received this 'generous' offer. The CSR became extremely rude (spoke poor English) once it became clear to him my mind was made up, actually using threatning language in reference to final payment and sending boxes back.

Going with Comcast for a while. I know grass and greener and all that, but it's cheaper (Saving almost $60/mo) for same package. No contract either.


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## doctrsnoop (Nov 20, 2007)

I'd pay 60 dollars a month to avoid having to use Comcast's equipment on a daily basis, but to each their own. Hopefully they've improved their boxes for your region. I remember minute long response times for channel changes that make a bogged down HR21 seem instant in comparison. One response in particular of 3 minutes was the final straw and I've been DTV since. I believe you can also get a Tivo HD or Tivo Premiere and get cable cards which help get over the box issue.


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## joshjr (Aug 2, 2008)

Hope their DVR's have the same recording space. Also how does Comcast HD channles offered compare? If its cheaper and takes care of your needs then you should go for it. Depending on where you live you might get some sports you couldnt with D*. As for me the cable co here is a joke. I could save alot of money but not have hardly anything I want not to mention their DVR's are a joke and like $12 a month each I believe. No thanks.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

JPdeJager said:


> FYI, when I called to cancel, the first response was they could knock $20 off our bill each month for a year. Translation: they are currently pocketing $20 extra per month on all of you, unless you've received this 'generous' offer.


Every consumer should investigate their options and keep an eye on what is best for them.
With this said, are you surprised DirecTV is a "for profit" business?


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## dcowboy7 (May 23, 2008)

JPdeJager said:


> was finally topped of when the anniversary 'gift' of a free PPV movie wasn't honored, because we ordered the movie a week too late.


If it was too late then why did you order it ?

Your sloppy.


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## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

My response in this thread is good riddance, but not to DirecTV.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

dcowboy7 said:


> If it was too late then why did you order it ?
> 
> Your sloppy.


I too had one of these gifts, but with it didn't come any time frame to use it, so I wouldn't go so far as to call this "sloppy" unless you're referring to DirecTV.


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## Eskimo (Aug 2, 2010)

I had to use a Cable DVR box again the other day.. I practically kissed my equipment when i got back home.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

You have to do what is best for you. As a happy DirecTV customer since 1994, I am sorry you felt compelled to do this but it is better for you to find a vendor that you can be happy with than to be miserable with one you can't.

I wish you the best of luck with your new vendor.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

JPdeJager said:


> Going with Comcast for a while. I know grass and greener and all that, but it's cheaper (Saving almost $60/mo) for same package. No contract either.


Wait. You didn't post here for a year and you came just to say you are leaving. I find that very...wait, valuable is not the word...


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

tonyd79 said:


> Wait. You didn't post here for a year and you came just to say you are leaving. I find that very...wait, valuable is not the word...


Let's not go down this road, please.
The OP has as much right to his post as yourself.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

doctrsnoop said:


> I'd pay 60 dollars a month to avoid having to use Comcast's equipment on a daily basis, but to each their own. Hopefully they've improved their boxes for your region. I remember minute long response times for channel changes that make a bogged down HR21 seem instant in comparison. One response in particular of 3 minutes was the final straw and I've been DTV since. I believe you can also get a Tivo HD or Tivo Premiere and get cable cards which help get over the box issue.


We had a Comcast DVR at a vacation rental in Lake Tahoe last summer. Slowest box I have ever encountered. Fortunately watching TV wasn't a big priority that week.

I've had one big hassle with DirecTV that took three months to sort out, but I'm happy with them now and even committed to another 24 months when they offered a second DVR free last June.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

veryoldschool said:


> I too had one of these gifts, but with it didn't come any time frame to use it, so I wouldn't go so far as to call this "sloppy" unless you're referring to DirecTV.


I have never seen one without a time limit.. Its small print, but its there.. Of course, its also always been 3 months...


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## cariera (Oct 27, 2006)

JPdeJager said:


> ...was finally topped of when the anniversary 'gift' of a free PPV movie wasn't honored, because we ordered the movie a week too late. Yeah, I know we had 3 months to use it, but this was only the 2nd time ever we ordered a PPV.


C'mon on, really? You had the opportunity to order a free PPV and all you had to do was follow the instructions and you couldn't successfully do that? And then you blame the company for your "sloppiness"



> FYI, when I called to cancel, the first response was they could knock $20 off our bill each month for a year. Translation: they are currently pocketing $20 extra per month on all of you, unless you've received this 'generous' offer.


Translation: They valued you as a customer and instead of giving you a $4.99 credit which you didn't merit based on your confession of not abiding to the offer terms, they offered you $120



> Going with Comcast for a while. I know grass and greener and all that, but it's cheaper (Saving almost $60/mo) for same package.


The only way the "same package" is $60/month cheaper is if you have a bundling option (and the total for your bundled services is cheaper) or you are on a discounted "new customer" price that will change.

Good luck.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

JPdeJager said:


> Was a DirecTV customer since June 2004. The accumulation of bad service, bad and sloppy install/'repairs' (miles of excess cable stuffed under the house and deck), price increases, was finally topped of when the anniversary 'gift' of a free PPV movie wasn't honored, because we ordered the movie a week too late. They'll give new customers 5 months free, but are willing to lose a customer over a $5 PPV? Yeah, I know we had 3 months to use it, but this was only the 2nd time ever we ordered a PPV. It was the proverbial straw.
> 
> FYI, when I called to cancel, the first response was they could knock $20 off our bill each month for a year. Translation: they are currently pocketing $20 extra per month on all of you, unless you've received this 'generous' offer. The CSR became extremely rude (spoke poor English) once it became clear to him my mind was made up, actually using threatning language in reference to final payment and sending boxes back.
> 
> Going with Comcast for a while. I know grass and greener and all that, but it's cheaper (Saving almost $60/mo) for same package. No contract either.


Like I've told others, I'm sure you'll be missed when you leave.


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## Scott Kocourek (Jun 13, 2009)

JPdeJager said:


> Going with Comcast for a while. I know grass and greener and all that, but it's cheaper (Saving almost $60/mo) for same package. No contract either.


The nice thing about the no contract is it is very easy to switch back, I got PO'd and switched to cable a few years back and then realized why I got rid of cable within a few months of having it again.

Good luck.


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## Manctech (Jul 5, 2010)

For the love of god, if you decide you hate comcast which is very likely, DO NOT call D* back in 2 weeks and setup a service call to have your service restored. Make sure its a former customer install. 

Tired of getting paid for a service call to basically re-install a whole system.


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## zimm7778 (Nov 11, 2007)

I am on the other end of the spectrum. I lost my job in July so we had to cut off Directv. Since cable is included in our HOA payment we have them for now and they suck! Darkhouse is the worst company outside of when AT&T Broadband existed that I have ever had! One of the first things we're doing when(or if) I find a job is dumping this crap and going back to D*. I dislike this company so much we are going to cancel Internet then as well and go with Verizon.


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

JPdeJager said:


> Was a DirecTV customer since June 2004. The accumulation of bad service, bad and sloppy install/'repairs' (miles of excess cable stuffed under the house and deck), price increases, was finally topped of when the anniversary 'gift' of a free PPV movie wasn't honored, because we ordered the movie a week too late. They'll give new customers 5 months free, but are willing to lose a customer over a $5 PPV? Yeah, I know we had 3 months to use it, but this was only the 2nd time ever we ordered a PPV. It was the proverbial straw.
> 
> FYI, when I called to cancel, the first response was they could knock $20 off our bill each month for a year. Translation: they are currently pocketing $20 extra per month on all of you, unless you've received this 'generous' offer. The CSR became extremely rude (spoke poor English) once it became clear to him my mind was made up, actually using threatning language in reference to final payment and sending boxes back.
> 
> Going with Comcast for a while. I know grass and greener and all that, but it's cheaper (Saving almost $60/mo) for same package. No contract either.


Is that an introductory rate?

I checked the rates with Comcast (SE Connecticut) and it would cost about $60 more than I'm paying right now for the same hardware (3 HD DVRs and 1 HD receiver) and programming.

Mike


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

MicroBeta said:


> Is that an introductory rate?
> 
> I checked the rates with Comcast (SE Connecticut) and it would cost about $60 more than I'm paying right now for the same hardware (3 HD DVRs and 1 HD receiver) and programming.
> 
> Mike


A bit part of that would be your three DVRs.

But to the OP, if it is an intro rate, be sure you know what it is when that expires. And to be honest, I don't know of a commercial TV provider that doesn't have price increases every year. And honestly, it's not just them wanting more money. The companies that offer the channels, like Disney, Fox etc want more money so it gets more and more expensive to have a channel in the lineup. DirecTV and the others can't just absorb increase after increase, even if they can negotiate it down from what the provider wants.


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## Jimmy 440 (Nov 17, 2007)

I said the same thing about Comcast in the spring of 1999.I have never looked back.D is leaps and bounds above Comcast.


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## DodgerKing (Apr 28, 2008)

JPdeJager said:


> FYI, when I called to cancel, the first response was they could knock $20 off our bill each month for a year. *Translation: they are currently pocketing $20 extra per month on all of you, unless you've received this 'generous' offer. *The CSR became extremely rude (spoke poor English) once it became clear to him my mind was made up, actually using threatning language in reference to final payment and sending boxes back.


I fail to see the logic of that conclusion.


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## raoul5788 (May 14, 2006)

JPdeJager said:


> Was a DirecTV customer since June 2004. The accumulation of bad service, bad and sloppy install/'repairs' (miles of excess cable stuffed under the house and deck), price increases, was finally topped of when the anniversary 'gift' of a free PPV movie wasn't honored, because we ordered the movie a week too late. They'll give new customers 5 months free, but are willing to lose a customer over a $5 PPV? Yeah, I know we had 3 months to use it, but this was only the 2nd time ever we ordered a PPV. It was the proverbial straw.
> 
> FYI, when I called to cancel, the first response was they could knock $20 off our bill each month for a year. Translation: they are currently pocketing $20 extra per month on all of you, unless you've received this 'generous' offer. The CSR became extremely rude (spoke poor English) once it became clear to him my mind was made up, actually using threatning language in reference to final payment and sending boxes back.
> 
> Going with Comcast for a while. I know grass and greener and all that, but it's cheaper (Saving almost $60/mo) for same package. No contract either.


Let's see if I got this right. You are mad they wouldn't honor a $5 ppv, but they are willing to give you a credit of $240 over the course of a year. You didn't think that was good enough so you are leaving? Do I have the facts right?


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

Good luck with your new provider, I hope they satisfy your requirements. Obviously, most people in these forums prefer DirecTV over other options, but equally obvious is that all of the other providers also have many satisfied customers.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

raoul5788 said:


> Let's see if I got this right. You are mad they wouldn't honor a $5 ppv, but they are willing to give you a credit of $240 over the course of a year. You didn't think that was good enough so you are leaving? Do I have the facts right?


It's only taken another 13 posts for someone to again start down this road.
This type of post does this forum no good. The OP wanted to rant a bit and we all have a need to at times.
"I'd say" this $5 was the "last straw".


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"veryoldschool" said:


> It's only taken another 13 posts for someone to again start down this road.
> This type of post does this forum no good. The OP wanted to rant a bit and we all have a need to at times.
> "I'd say" this $5 was the "last straw".


Both questions that you questioned were legitimate.


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## bjlc (Aug 20, 2004)

Hey.. I have seen LONG TIME posters here threaten to leave D* over a FOOTBALL GAME BLACK OUT.. 

don't give me any of this .. hey you haven't posted for a year..

D* should take care of this LONG TERM Customer .. they should value him.. 
and yet you are throwing crap on him.. 

wait until its YOUR TURN.. and trust me.. some of you wize guys have posted almost the same post over the past number of years here..


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

JPdeJager said:


> Was a DirecTV customer since June 2004. The accumulation of bad service, bad and sloppy install/'repairs' (miles of excess cable stuffed under the house and deck), price increases, was finally topped of when the anniversary 'gift' of a free PPV movie wasn't honored, because we ordered the movie a week too late. They'll give new customers 5 months free, but are willing to lose a customer over a $5 PPV? Yeah, I know we had 3 months to use it, but this was only the 2nd time ever we ordered a PPV. It was the proverbial straw.
> 
> FYI, when I called to cancel, the first response was they could knock $20 off our bill each month for a year. Translation: they are currently pocketing $20 extra per month on all of you, unless you've received this 'generous' offer. The CSR became extremely rude (spoke poor English) once it became clear to him my mind was made up, actually using threatning language in reference to final payment and sending boxes back.
> 
> Going with Comcast for a while. I know grass and greener and all that, but it's cheaper (Saving almost $60/mo) for same package. No contract either.


I think we all want to get what we think is coming to us as we'd expect. Your situation is not all that uncommon on a lot of fronts. A more personal approach from DirecTV would have been to honor the free PPV eventhough it was "out of date" from what is written on the piece of paper. It was clear from DirecTV when they sent it, they wanted to honor your commitment to them, so why not extend the use of it? That would have certainly made you a happy camper in this situation. Not everything is "black and white" there are those shades of gray.

Please try to ignore some of these folks. I suspect if they were actually in your shoes they would be more willing to understand the situation. I appreciate your candidness and sense of humility in bearing your soul to us. I sincerely hope you get what you value most by moving on. You'll have to keep us posted as to how the transition goes.


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## Xsabresx (Oct 8, 2007)

smiddy said:


> I think we all want to get what we think is coming to us as we'd expect. Your situation is not all that uncommon on a lot of fronts. A more personal approach from DirecTV would have been to honor the free PPV eventhough it was "out of date" from what is written on the piece of paper. It was clear from DirecTV when they sent it, they wanted to honor your commitment to them, so why not extend the use of it? That would have certainly made you a happy camper in this situation. Not everything is "black and white" there are those shades of gray.
> 
> Please try to ignore some of these folks. I suspect if they were actually in your shoes they would be more willing to understand the situation. I appreciate your candidness and sense of humility in bearing your soul to us. I sincerely hope you get what you value most by moving on. You'll have to keep us posted as to how the transition goes.


smiddy, I have to disagree here. Somewhere along the way someone denied the free PPV offer because it was late. Most likely someone following orders. The OP called to cancel and Directv offered them 40 times the original offer. It is difficult to be understanding when Directv seemingly (we dont know exactly what went down on the call(s)) went above and beyond to appease a customer, and the customer appears to still be bent over the situation.

Having been in a call center in the past and handling escalated type calls, too many times there are clear instructions for the customer to do "A, B, and C". The customer decides they are going to do as they please because they know (or they think they know) "I'll just call in and they'll fix it, I have been a customer for XXX years and they want to keep my business". When things dont go as they planned, it is the company's fault. Where is the line?

There are some people you just can't appease. I have a feeling that if Directv would have said "you know what? you are right, here is your $5.99 back" it would have just delayed this thread until the next time a mistake occurred.

The OP is perfectly free to do whatever they feel is in their best interest, but at the same time they can't expect a ton of sympathy from other members of a board dedicated to Directv and based on an original topic that reads as very petty.


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## JPdeJager (Jan 28, 2004)

Thanks for your kind reply Smiddy, and a few others.

To the rest of you, I know Comcast isn't as fantastic and technologically advanced, but at least they showed up, did a clean install, rewired *neatly* and didn't use my lawn for their U-turn.

Being self employed I don't have time to post daily on a board, but the few times I have posted, I did notice a rather snobish response from quite a few... I was mostly a lurker, I'll admit, but I didn't know there was a code that lurkers couldn't complain. Sorry if I offended the supreme lords of DBSTalk. Truth is, TV isn't that big part of *my* life that I have to sit here daily typing on this or other forums about the latest thing a receiver can or cannot do. I also don't watch as much TV as some of you DBSTalk Lords, I guess, so I don't care about it as much. My bad for having a busy life.

This wasn't a decision just because Directv didn't care to honor a $5 PPV. It was because they didn't care when I complained their installer ran over my lawn (we have a rather large driveway he managed to miss). They didn't care I complained their installer screwed up drilling holes to attach the dish, leaving me with extra holes in the wall. They didn't care when their repair guy had to come three times because signal strenght remained low such that HD didn't work. He had connected 4 pieces of cable, which ultimately was the cause, but as a result we paid for over 2 months of HD without being able to watch HD... Now, I don't care I had to watch some programming in SD, but don't make me pay for something I can't access! This summer I got on the roof for some maintenance, and I found the installer had left cables, connectors, and other crap on my roof. When you're paying over $120 per month for a service that has provided more and more aggrevation, PQ, HD, features, and all that become irrelevant.

I may leave Comcast soon enough. I figure in a year or two most TV I do care about can be gotten over the internet. I think that's the future, and eventually it will replace satellite and cable all together, especially in urban areas.

As for the person questioning whether I knew D* was a for profit company: Duh. I just thought it was rather surprising how I could barely finish my sentence to the CSR about wanting to cancel service, when he threw that $20/mo at me. The replacement cost of a customer is far greater than keeping existing customers. Regardless, the cost of what they offered vs. the value of what they offered was no longer in balance for me.

When you get as frustrated as I was, all they told me is that *not until* I told them adios, were they interested in keeping me. As I described above, there were plenty of opportunities for them to prove they indeed appreciated me as a customer. The standard CSR phrase "I see you are a long term customer and we appreciate it" is meaningless when they ignore repeated, legitimate complaints. So when my commitment was up, it really was up, as they made it clear they never were committed to me as a customer.

So farewell to D* and ditto to this board.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

JPdeJager said:


> Thanks for your kind reply Smiddy, and a few others.
> As for the person questioning whether I knew D* was a for profit company: Duh. I just...


Being "that person" and trying to stay in the middle, I seems to be taking crap from both sides in this thread. :nono:


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## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

:wave:

I don't think I'd revisit an internet message board after a year's long absence just to tell people I was...leaving. After that long, I'd probably just stay gone.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

veryoldschool said:


> Being "that person" and trying to stay in the middle, I seems to be taking crap from both sides in this thread. :nono:


Fanboy.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

spartanstew said:


> Fanboy.


Take your lousy 7k posts and go fix that shelf for your router. :lol:


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## matt (Jan 12, 2010)

zimm7778 said:


> I am on the other end of the spectrum. I lost my job in July so we had to cut off Directv. Since cable is included in our HOA payment we have them for now and they suck! Darkhouse is the worst company outside of when AT&T Broadband existed that I have ever had! One of the first things we're doing when(or if) I find a job is dumping this crap and going back to D*. I dislike this company so much we are going to cancel Internet then as well and go with Verizon.


You might try just suspending your D* account, that way if you get another job within 6 months, you can just call and have it turned back on.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

zimm7778 said:


> I am on the other end of the spectrum. I lost my job in July so we had to cut off Directv. Since cable is included in our HOA payment we have them for now and they suck! Darkhouse is the worst company outside of when AT&T Broadband existed that I have ever had! One of the first things we're doing when(or if) I find a job is dumping this crap and going back to D*. I dislike this company so much we are going to cancel Internet then as well and go with Verizon.


That is flatly illegal. Your HOA can NOT include a bill for cable in their fees. This was passed by the FCC in the last year or two, and when it was passed, terminated all contracts immediately. If I where you, I'd find out how much they where charging you, and tell them I want it to stop, per the LAW, and see if it isn't enough to sign up for directv, even if its just he family plan or something.


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## Av8r (Aug 3, 2010)

JPdeJager said:


> Thanks for your kind reply Smiddy, and a few others.
> 
> To the rest of you, I know Comcast isn't as fantastic and technologically advanced, but at least they showed up, did a clean install, rewired *neatly* and didn't use my lawn for their U-turn.
> 
> ...


I completely sympathize with you. According to some of these vets here, I probably shouldn't be allowed to voice my opinion either since I'm new.

I'm a new D* customer and I love the service but I'm amazed at their shortsighted attitude towards customers. I made a ppv mistake in my first week as a customer. I was certain that it would be credited when I called and couldn't believe it when they said no. I went from being a customer who was gushing about how great D* was, to not saying anything to prospective new D* customers. From now on, I'll just get whatever I can from them, and certainly won't be recommending them to my friends. Multiply my situation, and I'm sure their attitude costs them way more than the measily few credits they can dish out to keep customers happy. Most smart companies have discovered this, but apparently not D*.


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## gphvid (Jun 19, 2007)

My solution to this PPV problem is to simply not order anything PPV. Not worth it, really. And with the aggravation with CSRs, not worth that either.

But on the whole, DirecTV has been great since I started in 1994. My only issue was with my upgrade to HD years ago. That was when D10 just got going and the first new batch of HD channels were going online. The installer could not figure out how to get the signal from D10 peaked. So, after a couple of calls, I got their dept that deals with problem issues and got a tech out here who knew what to do and the problem was resolved.

I wonder now if the OP was nice initially to the CSR and/or even tried Retention before signing off on his account...


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

JPdeJager said:


> Thanks for your kind reply Smiddy, and a few others.
> 
> To the rest of you, I know Comcast isn't as fantastic and technologically advanced, but at least they showed up, did a clean install, rewired *neatly* and didn't use my lawn for their U-turn.
> 
> ...


You did not mention the above in your original post. Your posts are as different as night and day. Had you been as specific in your original post everyones' response (including my own) would have been different. Even though you are leaving DirecTV I would report this to [email protected]. Good luck with Comcast.


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

MysteryMan said:


> You did not mention the above in your original post. Your posts are as different as night and day. Had you been as specific in your original post everyones' response (including my own) would have been different. Even though you are leaving DirecTV I would report this to [email protected]. Good luck with Comcast.


I think that's the point he originally tried to make, this was only the straw that broke the camel's back, be it right or wrong. It simply was a frustration that put his decision into gear. We can never put down in words, unless we take several pages, all the aggravations we endure daily. We're all welcome to our particular rants now and then. Would we all handle it differently, perhaps? I found myself angry at a particular cable company for saying one thing and not delivering, it changed my life and my house drastically. Is there service just that, yep? It is just entertainment when you boil it all down. I thinnk everyone needs the opportunity to rant once in a while, it is healthy and provides perspective into how we can change ourselves to potentially make things better.


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

Xsabresx said:


> smiddy, I have to disagree here.


...and you're quite welcome to disagree with me.


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

JPdeJager said:


> Thanks for your kind reply Smiddy, and a few others.


Not a problem!  That is why I'm here, to be supportive...or help where possible.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

MysteryMan said:


> You did not mention the above in your original post. Your posts are as different as night and day. Had you been as specific in your original post everyones' response (including my own) would have been different. Even though you are leaving DirecTV I would report this to [email protected]. Good luck with Comcast.


Bingo!

The post came out of nowhere and he was ranting about $5 and left after they offered him a lot more. Normally the type of thing that makes you think that something doesn't smell right. And yet, somehow questioning a random post on an open forum that has all the earmarks of trolling makes someone a bad guy.


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## BKC (Dec 12, 2007)

JPdeJager said:


> Thanks for your kind reply Smiddy, and a few others.
> 
> To the rest of you, I know Comcast isn't as fantastic and technologically advanced, but at least they showed up, did a clean install, rewired *neatly* and didn't use my lawn for their U-turn.
> 
> ...


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

tonyd79 said:


> Bingo!
> 
> The post came out of nowhere and he was ranting about $5 and left after they offered him a lot more. Normally the type of thing that makes you think that something doesn't smell right. And yet, somehow questioning a random post on an open forum that has all the earmarks of trolling makes someone a bad guy.


And yet it doesn't look like he was trolling, so jumping to that conclusion wasn't the right thing to do.
In the second post, most of his issues all seem to come from a bad installer. Who hasn't had one of these?
I know I had the installer from hell back in Mar '06 for my HD upgrade. Besides having to have every bit of his work redone over the next few days, he managed to back over my mailbox as he left, which I only found by checking the mail a few mins later. :eek2:

Then there is a CSR experience, which can be a crap shoot, or why it has the name of CSR Roulette.

If it wasn't for this forum, I'm not sure I'd still have DirecTV.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

veryoldschool said:


> If it wasn't for this forum, I'm not sure I'd still have DirecTV.


+1

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have DirecTV.

The help here has been substantially better than anything I've received by calling DirecTV. So I certainly understand the OP's frustrations.


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## doctrsnoop (Nov 20, 2007)

veryoldschool said:


> And yet it doesn't look like he was trolling, so jumping to that conclusion wasn't the right thing to do.
> In the second post, most of his issues all seem to come from a bad installer. Who hasn't had one of these?
> I know I had the installer from hell back in Mar '06 for my HD upgrade. Besides having to have every bit of his work redone over the next few days, he managed to back over my mailbox as he left, which I only found by checking the mail a few mins later. :eek2:
> 
> ...


Which takes us back to this summary of DTV.

A working system is a great thing. Good boxes, good picture, good programming, lots of different good features. IMO the best total package around. But getting there or staying there can be a nightmare, with wildly varying and random level of CSR and installer experiences. People of this forum often have to make the system work for them through "gaming" or DIY.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

doctrsnoop said:


> Which takes us back to this summary of DTV.
> 
> A working system is a great thing. Good boxes, good picture, good programming, lots of different good features. IMO the best total package around. But getting there or staying there can be a nightmare, with wildly varying and random level of CSR and installer experiences. People of this forum often have to make the system work for them through "gaming" or DIY.


SAT service is simply more complex than Cable. I'd imagine Dish has some of the same problems.


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## WhoRu (Nov 27, 2008)

dcowboy7 said:


> If it was too late then why did you order it ?
> 
> Your sloppy.


 Speaking of sloppy, is there anyone out there who knows the difference between "your" and "you're" ?

Let the slamming commence.


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

dpeters11 said:


> A bit part of that would be your three DVRs.
> 
> <snip>


Of course. I would not want to go to another provider without maintaining my current capabilities...and even with three DVRs from Comcast I would still not have the same recording capicity. At $14.95 per HD DVR, $7.95 for the HD receiver, and $8.70 for HD service...that comes to 63% over what I pay with DirecTV ($5x3+$4.99) for hardware and HD service. It's still almost another $40 more in programming costs making it $70+ more the my current DirecTV bill. Of course that doesn't include any new customer discounts. This is just head-to-head.

Now, in general it's a shame that DirecTV can sometimes frustrate the heck out of a sub and they leave because of it. IMHO, fixing customer service problems should be DirecTV's number one area of concentration. When the last straw comes down to $5 you know the frustration level is already very high.

Mike


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

WhoRu said:


> Speaking of sloppy, is there anyone out there who knows the difference between "your" and "you're" ?
> 
> Let the slamming commence.


Hey at least it wasn't U R.


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

veryoldschool said:


> Hey at least it wasn't U R.


!rolling


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

veryoldschool said:


> SAT service is simply more complex than Cable. I'd imagine Dish has some of the same problems.


DirecTV, Dish, Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, etc. ALL have good installers and CSRs, and all have BAD installers and CSRs. I've dealt with them all. It is very unfortunate that that's the case, but it is what it is. I've talked about WHY this is true many times already, but bottom line is: you'll find good and bad from all providers.

And, it is also true that the installation of these increasingly-complex systems is a major key to the resulting customer experience with the company. A quality install is almost always going to result in a positive customer experience, while a hack install has a FAR higher chance of creating a very negative customer experience. And, yes, this is still true with cable, though it is certainly true that satellite systems have a higher level of technical requirements.

Every customer needs to evaluate their provider and make sure that provider is the one that best meets their needs, whatever those needs are. For some, it is a particular channel. For others, a particular feature (DVR, Sling, MRV, etc.). Still others may be shopping purely on price. Whatever your motives, it only makes sense to re-evaluate your needs on a regular basis. But it is also important to do this with your eyes fully open.

Many folks have gotten frustrated with something, switched providers, and quickly came running back to their original provider (often at significant cost) because they made a lot of assumptions about the provider they switched to that turned out to be false, and had a bad enough experience that their frustration with their original provider turned out to be much less objectionable than staying with the new provider.

So, do your research, folks!

I have a rule for myself. If something costs less than $100, I probably won't research the purchase a whole lot, but anything that costs more than $100 requires research before the wallet comes out. If you follow that rule, it's hard to make BIG mistakes.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

BattleZone said:


> Many folks have gotten frustrated with something, switched providers, and quickly came running back to their original provider...


!rolling
After three years with DirecTV and "my fun" with the installer from hell, before I changed to the leased DVR and programing commitment, I tried my local cable, hoping very much to say goodbye to DirecTV.
I had both services for almost a week and then suspended my DirecTV account on Friday. On Monday, I reactivated my account and took the cable DVRs back to the cable office.


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## Tom_S (Apr 9, 2002)

"veryoldschool" said:


> And yet it doesn't look like he was trolling


To which I say "so what". If you start out with a post spewing all sorts of crazy garbage be prepared to get some in return. I know I have be guilty of that and got my own comeuppance in return. It was perfectly reasonable to assume "and I am not sure he isn't" a troll. He had not posted in a long time and then posted a long rant.

I mean, what did he really expect anyway?


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

Tom_S said:


> I mean, what did he really expect anyway?


I have no idea what he was expecting, but "I was expecting" this thread to turn into a downhill spiral fairly quickly, which doesn't help anyone or the forum for that matter.
I don't know why some seem to think they need to become the troll police here, when the Mods do a great job.
It didn't take long before there was a post questioning the OP's post count.
I'm the fourth highest poster here, yet this shouldn't/doesn't mean someone with 5 or more posts shouldn't have the same access/rights to post here as myself.


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

veryoldschool said:


> I'm the fourth highest poster here, yet this shouldn't/doesn't mean someone with 5 or more posts shouldn't have the same access/rights to post here as myself.


Ive been hanging out here, trying to help answer questions, testing, and learning for quite a while now, but it seems in the past 6 months or so, a small number of people have made it their quest to harass, belittle, and argue... every point or post. And oh my God, if someone starts a thread that in any way doesn't put DirecTv on a pedestal...

I get so tired of reading some of these posts, I have started adding those people to my ignore list, which then detracts from MY ability to learn anything new from posts they might make that actually contributes to this forum.

Kinda reminds me of the school...wasnt good enough to have teachers, and hall monitors for some, they had to make it their job to try and replace the hall monitors. Now we have to use taxpayer dollars to have police in the schools to replace the hall monitors.

It just follows the same direction the country as a whole is taking these days, away from being helpful, and courteous... to a Fox News approach of blaming everyone else, and harassing the heck out of people who dont agree with your personal views. Very sad.


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## tonyd79 (Jul 24, 2006)

"veryoldschool" said:


> I have no idea what he was expecting, but "I was expecting" this thread to turn into a downhill spiral fairly quickly, which doesn't help anyone or the forum for that matter.
> I don't know why some seem to think they need to become the troll police here, when the Mods do a great job.
> It didn't take long before there was a post questioning the OP's post count.
> I'm the fourth highest poster here, yet this shouldn't/doesn't mean someone with 5 or more posts shouldn't have the same access/rights to post here as myself.


Pot. Kettle. Black.

Come on. You are saying posters shouldn't criticize other posters thinking they may be trolling then you decide to police a thread that was not very uncivil, turning it into an argument.

The OP made himself clear on a latter post. You have just made the thread more noisy.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

tonyd79 said:


> Pot. Kettle. Black.
> 
> Come on. You are saying posters shouldn't criticize other posters thinking they may be trolling then you decide to police a thread that was not very uncivil, turning it into an argument.
> 
> The OP made himself clear on a latter post. You have just made the thread more noisy.


And just like you, I have the right to post, though I try to help more than criticize.
Trying to steer a thread away from attacking other members seems like "helping". YMMV


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

Davenlr said:


> Ive been hanging out here, trying to help answer questions, testing, and learning for quite a while now, but it seems in the past 6 months or so, a small number of people have made it their quest to harass, belittle, and argue... every point or post. And oh my God, if someone starts a thread that in any way doesn't put DirecTv on a pedestal...
> 
> I get so tired of reading some of these posts, I have started adding those people to my ignore list, which then detracts from MY ability to learn anything new from posts they might make that actually contributes to this forum.
> 
> ...


It does seem to be going this way to some degree and it's a shame as it helps no one or the forum as a whole.
Some come here and instead of being welcomed, find they're missing some secret decoder ring to be able to play. 
I only have one member in my ignore list and simply will add threads to it instead of limiting my viewing of the posts.


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

See, learn something new all the time. Didnt know you could ignore threads. Problem is, I use iSPY, so the threads show up even for the blocked ones (persons), but may not for threads. Will have to investigate further. Thanks.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

Davenlr said:


> See, learn something new all the time. Didnt know you could ignore threads. Problem is, I use iSPY, so the threads show up even for the blocked ones (persons), but may not for threads. Will have to investigate further. Thanks.


I use Firefox and ffvb add-on


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

Did an add on search for FFVB and didnt find anything. You get it from the firefox add on site?


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

Davenlr said:


> Did an add on search for FFVB and didnt find anything. You get it from the firefox add on site?


https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7023/


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

Thanks


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## MartyS (Dec 29, 2006)

inkahauts said:


> That is flatly illegal. Your HOA can NOT include a bill for cable in their fees. This was passed by the FCC in the last year or two, and when it was passed, terminated all contracts immediately. If I where you, I'd find out how much they where charging you, and tell them I want it to stop, per the LAW, and see if it isn't enough to sign up for directv, even if its just he family plan or something.


I'd like to see a link to that one. Many HOA's and Condo associations have negotiated a "group" contract with a cable company or a satellite company. In those cases, basic service is included in the monthly assessments. If an owner wants additional services above and beyond basic, then they contract for that individually.

I know our HOA brought it up about 2 years ago, and we as homeowners did not want a negotiated contract, since many people had other options for TV service, so our board didn't get into one.

Back to my original point, Jeff... I'd love to see a link where it says that associations can't negotiate and include costs in monthly assessments.


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## zimm7778 (Nov 11, 2007)

Don't get me wrong, I despise this cable company but in my current situation it's really about the only option we have. That said, our monthly HOA is only like $33-35, so the cable isn't costing a great deal of money.


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

MartyS said:


> I'd like to see a link to that one. Many HOA's and Condo associations have negotiated a "group" contract with a cable company or a satellite company. In those cases, basic service is included in the monthly assessments. If an owner wants additional services above and beyond basic, then they contract for that individually.
> 
> I know our HOA brought it up about 2 years ago, and we as homeowners did not want a negotiated contract, since many people had other options for TV service, so our board didn't get into one.
> 
> Back to my original point, Jeff... I'd love to see a link where it says that associations can't negotiate and include costs in monthly assessments.


He's right. The FCC ban on exclusive contracts went into effect in Nov '07.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/130977-FCC_Bans_Exclusive_MDU_Deals.php

It was appealed by the National Cable & Telecommunications but the ban was up held.

http://www.martindale.com/communications-media/article_Davis-Wright-Tremaine-LLP_721838.htm

IIRC, if there was an existing contract between an HOA and a cable company when the ban went into effect that contract remains in effect (with the exception of the exclusivity clause) until it expires but can't be renewed as an exclusive contract. I could be wrong about this but it would explain whey some people are still paying the fee.

Mike


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## MartyS (Dec 29, 2006)

MicroBeta said:


> He's right. The FCC ban on exclusive contracts went into effect in Nov '07.
> 
> http://www.multichannel.com/article/130977-FCC_Bans_Exclusive_MDU_Deals.php
> 
> ...


Mike, thanks... I just wanted to see the links for myself, since a lot of folks down here in condos and HOAs are still under contracts that they're paying for each month.

IN fact, my in-laws up in Chicago, just told me that their HOA is entering a contract with a Sat company (I don't know which one) to provide service to the entire complex of about 700 townhomes. I suspect that it'll be in their maintenance fees, but I'll have to find out more.

But thanks for the link... that's what I was looking for.

EDIT....

Here's what I read... and maybe I'm wrong... but just bear with me....



> The Commission argued it had authority to ban exclusivity clauses under Section 628(b) of the Communications Act. Section 628(b) declares it "unlawful for a cable operator &#8230; to engage in unfair methods of competition or unfair or deceptive acts or practices, the purpose or* effect of which is to hinder significantly or to prevent* any multichannel video programming distributor from providing satellite cable programming &#8230; to subscribers or consumers."


If an HOA or MDU contracts with a cable company for service at a fixed price, but doesn't exclude the homeowner or resident from contracting with another service provider, would that not meet the letter of the law?

Reasoning would be that even though they're paying for basic cable service (let's say) in the monthly assessment, if the HOA or condo association doesn't restrict a satellite company from installing and providing service at the homeowner's cost would that contract be a violation of the law?


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## trainman (Jan 9, 2008)

MartyS said:


> If an HOA or MDU contracts with a cable company for service at a fixed price, but doesn't exclude the homeowner or resident from contracting with another service provider, would that not meet the letter of the law?


I am not a lawyer, but my understanding is that it would be perfectly fine -- the issue is _exclusive_ contracts, where the HOA won't allow another provider to offer service, period.

I lived in an apartment complex like that from 1999-2000: the complex had an exclusive contract with a private company to provide cable service, and wouldn't allow the local franchised cable company in. Which means residents didn't have the option to see, for example, city council meetings -- that's the kind of thing that piques the FCC's interest.


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## MartyS (Dec 29, 2006)

trainman said:


> I am not a lawyer, but my understanding is that it would be perfectly fine -- the issue is _exclusive_ contracts, where the HOA won't allow another provider to offer service, period.
> 
> I lived in an apartment complex like that from 1999-2000: the complex had an exclusive contract with a private company to provide cable service, and wouldn't allow the local franchised cable company in. Which means residents didn't have the option to see, for example, city council meetings -- that's the kind of thing that piques the FCC's interest.


That's the way I read it too, Jim... If it's not EXCLUSIVE it's not a problem.


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

MartyS said:


> That's the way I read it too, Jim... If it's not EXCLUSIVE it's not a problem.


Do you know if that applies to town-ships setting exclusive rights to a town? I don't like that since there is better services for ethernet out there and I am relegated (or I think I am) to two poor choices.


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## MartyS (Dec 29, 2006)

smiddy said:


> Do you know if that applies to town-ships setting exclusive rights to a town? I don't like that since there is better services for ethernet out there and I am relegated (or I think I am) to two poor choices.


Smiddy, I'm pretty sure that this doesn't affect cable "franchises". City's have always negotiated and settled on a single company to provide service to that city or county (or whatever governmental entity they're dealing with).


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

MartyS said:


> Smiddy, I'm pretty sure that this doesn't affect cable "franchises". City's have always negotiated and settled on a single company to provide service to that city or county (or whatever governmental entity they're dealing with).


Yeah, that kind of defeats the competitive edge within a city doesn't it. I'm not sure I like it...


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

MartyS said:


> Smiddy, I'm pretty sure that this doesn't affect cable "franchises". City's have always negotiated and settled on a single company to provide service to that city or county (or whatever governmental entity they're dealing with).


That's begining to change. We have towns around me that have up to four choices...Comcast, MetroCast, Uverse, Thames Valley Communications(this one is run by the City of Groton).

Mike


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## JeffBowser (Dec 21, 2006)

Nice thread! I too am always on the edge of leaving DirecTV. It happens every time I have to contact them. However, this forum has left me capable of doing most of my own work, and I simply don't watch so much TV that minor and/or transient tech issues bother me. Therefore, since DirecTV is best of avail providers in my area, I simply do everything humanly possible to avoid contact with them, and I can keep my anger at their asinine mgmt policies at a low simmer instead of a boil. I do wish, however, that folks weren't so "cliquish" up here, "fanboys" and "fanboy"-haters alike (and I do hate that word fanboy.....) It can be intimidating to new members and low count posters alike.


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## mike7 (Feb 16, 2009)

Yeah, I just had D*tv out last week to replace a faulty HD DVR receiver and had a sloppy technician that knew far less about what he was doing than he should have known. Of course he works for a contractor that installs for D*tv, so I called D*tv to report the situation and they had the supervisor of the install contractor call me within the hour to explain the situation, which I did and he acknowledged that they had just hired some new people and not all of them had time be fully trained, etc. I completely get it being a business owner myself, sometimes we are forced to use under-trained personnel when we would like to have only the best people available for every single job, it just does not always work that way. I have been with D* for 15 years and am not leaving anytime soon. I have Comcast cable internet service, (previously had cabletv and phone with them as well, but never canceled D*) and don't like their equipment, quality, programming, etc. and find their CS lacks a lot to be desired, but their install technicians are the absolute worst!


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## Xsabresx (Oct 8, 2007)

JeffBowser said:


> I simply do everything humanly possible to avoid contact with them, and I can keep my anger at their asinine mgmt policies at a low simmer instead of a boil.


Sadly it is getting that way with every company. Seems anymore that every company I deal with I do everything I can to avoid actually talking to their customer service.


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## MartyS (Dec 29, 2006)

MicroBeta said:


> That's begining to change. We have towns around me that have up to four choices...Comcast, MetroCast, Uverse, Thames Valley Communications(this one is run by the City of Groton).
> 
> Mike


I was referring to cable companies... and it looks like you have several in your area which is good. I didn't include Uverse, because that's more on the line of satellite, where AT&T is using existing phone systems to provide services, unlike cable companies that have to string some form of wire or fibre to get the signals to the homes.

In that case they're making a significant investment, so the "franchise" model works for most cities. That said, I would not be surprised if they're forced to "lease" their lines to other companies, ala the telcos that had been forced to do so in the past.


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

MartyS said:


> I was referring to cable companies... and it looks like you have several in your area which is good. I didn't include Uverse, because that's more on the line of satellite, where AT&T is using existing phone systems to provide services, unlike cable companies that have to string some form of wire or fibre to get the signals to the homes.
> 
> In that case they're making a significant investment, so the "franchise" model works for most cities. That said, I would not be surprised if they're forced to "lease" their lines to other companies, ala the telcos that had been forced to do so in the past.


I wonder if Uverse should be considered the same as cable. It's definitely competition to cable and unlike satellite there is no additional infrastructure or equipment to install outside the house. The only difference is that it uses phone lines and not coax. :shrug:

One thing to note is that Thames Valley is run by the Groton Utilities. There seems to be more and more municipalities that are getting into broadband and cable TV. When we had Century Communications for cable (the only cable company in CT to ever lose their license from the Public Utilities Commission) the City of Norwich was considering getting into cable TV. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues.

Mike


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## TBoneit (Jul 27, 2006)

smiddy said:


> Do you know if that applies to town-ships setting exclusive rights to a town? I don't like that since there is better services for ethernet out there and I am relegated (or I think I am) to two poor choices.


I think every town has three choices. Cable, DirecTV, Dishnetwork.


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## TBoneit (Jul 27, 2006)

Where I live I have a choice of Cable, Fios, DirecTV, Dishnetwork, OTA for TV

For Internet, Fios, Cable up to 101Mbs speed, DSL, Satellite Internet. I'm not including Dial-Up for obvious reasons.

Maybe I'm just lucky that way? Living in NJ has to be good for something. I used to catch Broadway matinees every weekend, Now I work 6 days a week due to the economy doing two peoples work .


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## smiddy (Apr 5, 2006)

TBoneit said:


> I think every town has three choices. Cable, DirecTV, Dishnetwork.


For internet? :nono: I don't think so...I want fiber, which is available all over my state, but not my city.


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## MartyS (Dec 29, 2006)

MicroBeta said:


> I wonder if Uverse should be considered the same as cable. It's definitely competition to cable and unlike satellite there is no additional infrastructure or equipment to install outside the house. The only difference is that it uses phone lines and not coax. :shrug:
> 
> One thing to note is that Thames Valley is run by the Groton Utilities. There seems to be more and more municipalities that are getting into broadband and cable TV. When we had Century Communications for cable (the only cable company in CT to ever lose their license from the Public Utilities Commission) the City of Norwich was considering getting into cable TV. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues.
> 
> Mike


I don't know where I'd put Uverse or FIOS. However, the city running the cable system is interesting. I wonder who they "buy" programming from. I haven't seen that, but I suspect that they don't have the resources to negotiate with the networks for service, so they might be just forwarding on someone else, like Comcast or TWC.... is there any branding on the cable signal that Groton sends out?

Not making a judgement or statement of fact, just trying to understand what the city does when they "take over" and get into cable TV and broadband.


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

MartyS said:


> I don't know where I'd put Uverse or FIOS. However, the city running the cable system is interesting. I wonder who they "buy" programming from. I haven't seen that, but I suspect that they don't have the resources to negotiate with the networks for service, so they might be just forwarding on someone else, like Comcast or TWC.... is there any branding on the cable signal that Groton sends out?
> 
> Not making a judgement or statement of fact, just trying to understand what the city does when they "take over" and get into cable TV and broadband.


I'm not sure how Thames Valley Communications (Groton Utilities) does this. I'll have to check on that. They do have digital cable, high speed internet, and digital telephone. They are a "Division of Groton Utilities" what ever that means and is considered a "community antenna television system". :shrug:

Mike


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