DirectTV vs. Cable: The Outcome
I mentioned last week that I was considering subscribing to DirectTV and the NFL Sunday Ticket. I did quite a bit of research, including talking with DirectTV subscribers (my neighbors) and to the guy at Circuit City (where their sign up deal wasn’t nearly as good as the one on the DirectTV website) and to my family. I called DirectTV twice before ordering and also spoke with my cable company to insure I had all the information to make an accurate comparison before making my decision.
After confirming with DirectTV that I could indeed receive my local channels and that I could receive my locals in HD, and after deliberating for quite awhile about whether to get an HD/DVR all in one unit, or to get two separate receivers and spend the money I would have spent on the HD/DVR lease for a second TV, I finally decided I had enough information and had verified all critical points.
So I subscribed.
The woman who took my order was wonderful. Cheerful and informative, she verified again that I would receive my locals in HD. She took down my information and said it wasn’t a problem that I didn’t have a phone line in my home (I only use my cell phone currently) she’d just make a note on my account. When I asked what the phone line was needed for she said it was used to order Pay Per View shows. I said that wasn’t a problem, as I didn’t use PPV. She not only gave me the current promotional price (saving me $15 a month over cable in the long run), she also told me how to receive $10 more a month off my bill for the next 15 months. I was thrilled.
But I was also concerned. My condo has northwest exposure. The satellite dish needs to face southwest to receive the signal. My neighbor pointed out that he still had a second unused dish attached to his balcony, (from a neighbor that had since moved out) and perhaps they could simply run the wires from there.
The installer came out 3 days after I placed my order and was confident that he could not only run the necessary cables from the already attached dish, but he could tuck them up under the edge of the siding so the condo association wouldn’t even notice (it’s not against the regulations, but with my association, they’d find a way to make it a fineable offense). I was thrilled. He asked me where the phone line was that would hook up to the television. I reiterated that I didn’t have an active phone line in the home, and even if I did, it was across the entire living space from where the TV was, so I didn’t want it hooked up. He said he would call that in and let them know and would make a note on my account. He went on to install my new HD/DVR.
Once the dish and cables were in place (threading them over the porch roof and into a window), once the HD/DVR was in place, the installer asked me what channel I had been watching prior to setup. I said, NBC/HD. He said, “you realize you won’t be able to get your locals in HD now.” I said, no, they had checked and I was able to. He said I should call Customer Service because he didn’t think I could.
He ran the setup for the HD/DVR and got me mostly squared away before departing.
I immediately called Customer Service to ask about the HD local channels. I was passed around from one attendant to another until I got to Mike. Mike told me that indeed, I do have local channels AVAILABLE in HD in my area, but because I have the HD/DVR receiver (as opposed to just an HD receiver) the dish that’s required to get the locals in HD isn’t able to communicate with this receiver so NO, I don’t have locals in HD. He assured me this was something that DirectTV was working on and they would have a new receiver available in the fall that would be capable. I said that doesn’t do me any good now. All my Sunday night football games are on NBC now and I wouldn’t have them in HD. “Lost” is on ABC and wouldn’t be in HD. Nascar is often on NBC and likewise, would not be in HD. This was a problem. He assured me that the DirectTV signal was better than cable anyway, even if it wasn’t in HD and that I might still enjoy the clarity even if it wasn’t HD. Uh huh. He asked what he could do for me. He said he couldn’t assure me that I could get a new receiver for free when it became available but he’d put a note on my account to do “everything possible to work with me” to get one. Uh huh. He also offered to compensate me by not charging me the $10 HD service fee for the first four months. I thanked him, but explained that the HD service was already FREE for the first four months with the package I had ordered. He said my account didn’t currently reflect that. I said, it’s your standard promotion that’s on your website, how can it not reflect that?!
So, I was frustrated but figured I could manage to not have locals in HD for a couple of months. (The real downside was that with DirectTV there aren’t “non-HD” channels per se, so the screen had to shrink with bars on each side to accommodate the channel if it wasn’t broadcast in HD. Comcast didn’t do this.) I called Comcast and canceled my cable now that everything seemed to be working and was the best it could be. It was, afterall, still cheaper than my cable even if I didn’t get the locals in HD.
Last night, one night after having the service installed, I went to the guide to see what movies I might want to record from the myriad of premium channels I was getting for the first four months (might as well fill up that DVR before I cancel all the movie channels!) When I tried to record a show, I received an error message saying that in order to finish set-up of my DVR, I needed to hook up a phone line and place a test call. It went on to explain that a phone line was necessary for DAILY updates and service for my DVR. Uh huh. I was not thrilled.
I called DirectTV.
The long and the short of it is that after being transferred to SEVEN different people, in a phone call that lasted more than an hour, and after getting contradictory information from multiple people, the conclusion is this: It is true that I cannot get my locals in HD with the receiver I currently have. Even though it is an HD receiver. Even though the rep and the two technicians that I spoke with thought otherwise. Nope. No deal. It is also true that the DVR REQUIRES a phone line for operation. Despite the fact that the rep and the installer both had this information and did not for one moment suggest it would be an issue.
I asked to cancel my account. I was transferred again. After much waiting, and learning that their system was “down” and he would have to “manually take this information” they explained that they would “send a box for me to ship the HD/DVR receiver back in”. I said, “When will they come to take the dish down and to get the cable off the roof?” Oh, they don’t do that. They just leave the dish up. I said, “No. You will come and take it down and make it just like it was before you were here.” Well, he just didn’t know if they could do that, it wasn’t standard practice…but a rep would call me tomorrow to tell me how to ship my DVR back and I could talk with them. Uh huh. I was not thrilled.
I asked when my account would be credited. He said he didn’t know because he was taking the information manually. After going back and forth for several minutes I told him I would call back tomorrow to verify that my account had been credited and to schedule a time for someone to come take the equipment back.
I called Comcast. The woman at Comcast immediately canceled the order to terminate my service and asked if someone had counter-offered when I had called in to cancel originally. I said no, they just set up the cancellation. She put me on hold and came back with an offer to reduce my cable bill for the next six months as a thank you for coming back to them. I thanked her profusely.
The outcome? After all is said and done, I went from paying Comcast $80 a month to an offer from DirectTV that would have ultimately cost me around $60 a month, to now paying $40 a month for the next six months.
This morning at 8:15 I received a call from DirectTV. It wasn’t the rep calling to arrange pick up of their equipment, it was a woman welcoming me to DirectTV. I said, “I canceled last night.” She said, “oh” and hung up. Uh huh. I was thrilled.
After confirming with DirectTV that I could indeed receive my local channels and that I could receive my locals in HD, and after deliberating for quite awhile about whether to get an HD/DVR all in one unit, or to get two separate receivers and spend the money I would have spent on the HD/DVR lease for a second TV, I finally decided I had enough information and had verified all critical points.
So I subscribed.
The woman who took my order was wonderful. Cheerful and informative, she verified again that I would receive my locals in HD. She took down my information and said it wasn’t a problem that I didn’t have a phone line in my home (I only use my cell phone currently) she’d just make a note on my account. When I asked what the phone line was needed for she said it was used to order Pay Per View shows. I said that wasn’t a problem, as I didn’t use PPV. She not only gave me the current promotional price (saving me $15 a month over cable in the long run), she also told me how to receive $10 more a month off my bill for the next 15 months. I was thrilled.
But I was also concerned. My condo has northwest exposure. The satellite dish needs to face southwest to receive the signal. My neighbor pointed out that he still had a second unused dish attached to his balcony, (from a neighbor that had since moved out) and perhaps they could simply run the wires from there.
The installer came out 3 days after I placed my order and was confident that he could not only run the necessary cables from the already attached dish, but he could tuck them up under the edge of the siding so the condo association wouldn’t even notice (it’s not against the regulations, but with my association, they’d find a way to make it a fineable offense). I was thrilled. He asked me where the phone line was that would hook up to the television. I reiterated that I didn’t have an active phone line in the home, and even if I did, it was across the entire living space from where the TV was, so I didn’t want it hooked up. He said he would call that in and let them know and would make a note on my account. He went on to install my new HD/DVR.
Once the dish and cables were in place (threading them over the porch roof and into a window), once the HD/DVR was in place, the installer asked me what channel I had been watching prior to setup. I said, NBC/HD. He said, “you realize you won’t be able to get your locals in HD now.” I said, no, they had checked and I was able to. He said I should call Customer Service because he didn’t think I could.
He ran the setup for the HD/DVR and got me mostly squared away before departing.
I immediately called Customer Service to ask about the HD local channels. I was passed around from one attendant to another until I got to Mike. Mike told me that indeed, I do have local channels AVAILABLE in HD in my area, but because I have the HD/DVR receiver (as opposed to just an HD receiver) the dish that’s required to get the locals in HD isn’t able to communicate with this receiver so NO, I don’t have locals in HD. He assured me this was something that DirectTV was working on and they would have a new receiver available in the fall that would be capable. I said that doesn’t do me any good now. All my Sunday night football games are on NBC now and I wouldn’t have them in HD. “Lost” is on ABC and wouldn’t be in HD. Nascar is often on NBC and likewise, would not be in HD. This was a problem. He assured me that the DirectTV signal was better than cable anyway, even if it wasn’t in HD and that I might still enjoy the clarity even if it wasn’t HD. Uh huh. He asked what he could do for me. He said he couldn’t assure me that I could get a new receiver for free when it became available but he’d put a note on my account to do “everything possible to work with me” to get one. Uh huh. He also offered to compensate me by not charging me the $10 HD service fee for the first four months. I thanked him, but explained that the HD service was already FREE for the first four months with the package I had ordered. He said my account didn’t currently reflect that. I said, it’s your standard promotion that’s on your website, how can it not reflect that?!
So, I was frustrated but figured I could manage to not have locals in HD for a couple of months. (The real downside was that with DirectTV there aren’t “non-HD” channels per se, so the screen had to shrink with bars on each side to accommodate the channel if it wasn’t broadcast in HD. Comcast didn’t do this.) I called Comcast and canceled my cable now that everything seemed to be working and was the best it could be. It was, afterall, still cheaper than my cable even if I didn’t get the locals in HD.
Last night, one night after having the service installed, I went to the guide to see what movies I might want to record from the myriad of premium channels I was getting for the first four months (might as well fill up that DVR before I cancel all the movie channels!) When I tried to record a show, I received an error message saying that in order to finish set-up of my DVR, I needed to hook up a phone line and place a test call. It went on to explain that a phone line was necessary for DAILY updates and service for my DVR. Uh huh. I was not thrilled.
I called DirectTV.
The long and the short of it is that after being transferred to SEVEN different people, in a phone call that lasted more than an hour, and after getting contradictory information from multiple people, the conclusion is this: It is true that I cannot get my locals in HD with the receiver I currently have. Even though it is an HD receiver. Even though the rep and the two technicians that I spoke with thought otherwise. Nope. No deal. It is also true that the DVR REQUIRES a phone line for operation. Despite the fact that the rep and the installer both had this information and did not for one moment suggest it would be an issue.
I asked to cancel my account. I was transferred again. After much waiting, and learning that their system was “down” and he would have to “manually take this information” they explained that they would “send a box for me to ship the HD/DVR receiver back in”. I said, “When will they come to take the dish down and to get the cable off the roof?” Oh, they don’t do that. They just leave the dish up. I said, “No. You will come and take it down and make it just like it was before you were here.” Well, he just didn’t know if they could do that, it wasn’t standard practice…but a rep would call me tomorrow to tell me how to ship my DVR back and I could talk with them. Uh huh. I was not thrilled.
I asked when my account would be credited. He said he didn’t know because he was taking the information manually. After going back and forth for several minutes I told him I would call back tomorrow to verify that my account had been credited and to schedule a time for someone to come take the equipment back.
I called Comcast. The woman at Comcast immediately canceled the order to terminate my service and asked if someone had counter-offered when I had called in to cancel originally. I said no, they just set up the cancellation. She put me on hold and came back with an offer to reduce my cable bill for the next six months as a thank you for coming back to them. I thanked her profusely.
The outcome? After all is said and done, I went from paying Comcast $80 a month to an offer from DirectTV that would have ultimately cost me around $60 a month, to now paying $40 a month for the next six months.
This morning at 8:15 I received a call from DirectTV. It wasn’t the rep calling to arrange pick up of their equipment, it was a woman welcoming me to DirectTV. I said, “I canceled last night.” She said, “oh” and hung up. Uh huh. I was thrilled.
Comments
Well it all worked out in the end. You should charge Direct TV for the phone call and your time...send them an invoice! If only...
When is LM coming home?