1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Anyone switched from DirecTV to Dish?

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by dixiehack, Dec 22, 2008.

  1. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    Any good? Bearable at least? I don't want to do it, but it may be the only way I can afford to get HD DVR to go with my new present. DirecTV wants me to pony up $199 up front to lease one, money I wouldn't have to pay if I were a new customer off the street. No good.

    From what I've seen of Dish, the programing guide sucks and I hate the idea of remembering what 4-digit channel my local stations are on. But to save two bills up front, I could deal with a lot.
     
    dixiehack, Dec 22, 2008
    #1
  2. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    I went the other way two years ago, Dish to DirecTV. Dish at the time was more expensive per month and had far fewer HD channels, and DirecTV sweetened the pot to switch. I think DirecTV has a better programming guide and a much better DVR, but again my comparison is two years old.

    Tell DirecTV you're planning on going to Dish if they don't waive the $199 or give you a reduced monthly rate (which over time could cover that fee) and you might be pleasantly surprised.
     
    playthrough, Dec 22, 2008
    #2
  3. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    The standing offer is to waive the $9.99 HD fee for a year, which essentially covers $120 of the $199 tab, but does so over time. I really don't have that kind of change lying around doing nothing at Christmas. For Dish, I would be looking at a $50 upfront charge (for a standard def DVR for the bedroom) that would be credited back on my first bill. Otherwise, I'd be paying within $2/mo. of what I would with DirecTV, and I'd get that rate into the second year of the deal instead of an increase.

    The DirecTV woman said to call back and see if they could match the deal. I hope they can, but if I have to pull the trigger, I will.
     
    dixiehack, Dec 22, 2008
    #3
  4. lantaur

    lantaur Well-Known Member

    How long have you been with Directv? Try to get to their customer retention department. They'll try to avoid transfering you there, but just keep insisting. The longer you've had it, the more willing they are to help you out.
     
    lantaur, Dec 22, 2008
    #4
  5. dixiehack

    dixiehack Well-Known Member

    After a second round of negotiation tonight, DirecTV still couldn't find a way to match the offer on the table. Their loss. I did learn that Dish's DVRs will work on two different TVs, which is nifty enough.

    We'll see how this switch works out.
     
    dixiehack, Dec 23, 2008
    #5
  6. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    No more love for Charter -- official cable provider for the radio show of my Jihad?
     
    slappy4428, Dec 23, 2008
    #6
  7. slappy4428

    slappy4428 Active Member

    Saw an ad for that too... how's that work with TV's on opposite floors or other ends of the house?
     
    slappy4428, Dec 23, 2008
    #7
  8. ondeadline

    ondeadline Well-Known Member

    Dixiehack: I'm a DirecTV customer and my suggestion is to keep calling them until you get a better offer. Amazingly, you rarely get the same offer from different customer-service reps (CSR). I had the same situation a couple of months ago and I eventually got a CSR who gave it to me for $99. Just keep calling and if they don't give you a better offer, politely decline and call back later.
     
    ondeadline, Dec 23, 2008
    #8
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page