topic Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With? in Electronics

Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

Mama Mia — Fri, 30 May 2014 21:01:20 GMT

We have so much trouble with Cable One lately and are thinking of changing to DTv, but I hate giving my CC # to them, so that scares me about it, and the extra charges.

Any comment would be appreciated.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

okiebug — Fri, 30 May 2014 21:23:06 GMT

Why would it scare you to give them your cc# any more than the cable company? Directv has been around for years. I've had Directv for 15 years, had no more issues with Customer Service than any other company. Have had to have someone come out for repair maybe 3 times in those years, not counting the times we upgraded our receivers and dish. I get a bill every month so have the option of paying by check. You get free installation as a new customer. I don't have cable available to me so can't compare what "extra" charges you are talking about. You pay for the channel package you want, monthly rental on the receivers, and the federal FTC charges and tax. I would assume that would be the same as cable.

About the package, I'm grandfathered in on an older package, but it's about mid-priced. We don't have any of the premium channels. Still have over 300 channels and a lot of music channels. There are some channels that are exclusive to Directv - QVCPlus, AUDHD (concerts).

On the other hand, you can get an HD antenna - all local channels broadcast over the air and have multiple channels. That would be totally free.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

Mama Mia — Fri, 30 May 2014 21:32:08 GMT

Thanks, Okie bug. It scares me because the way it appears now, to me, it you have to let them charge your ckg acct, or CC. they can make mistakes and then I would have a hard time getting that fixed. I would rather have a statement each month so I can see it first.

Also, the extra charges are equipment rental etc, and a fifty dollar service charge if they have to come out to service your equipment. So that is why I wanted comments.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

Kachina624 — Fri, 30 May 2014 22:57:48 GMT

My Direct TV is bundled with my phone and Internet service and I pay it on my phone bill. For a long time I was billed and paid them directly and never had a problem. I have a medium level of service without HD or movie channels. I've had some real idiots come to do installation and repair. I threw one guy out of the house, called and spoke with a supervisor and asked that someone else be sent. Guess who showed up the next day? Same idiot who I sent away. It eventually got fixed to my satisfaction and I've lived happily ever after. If you do get a dish, have it put where you can sweep snow off of it, if you have snow. It blocks the service.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

Kachina624 — Fri, 30 May 2014 22:59:13 GMT

I forgot to add that I have a service contract with Direct TV and don't pay for service calls.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

goodstuff — Fri, 30 May 2014 23:03:17 GMT

I have DirecTV, and we get a monthly statement in the mail which we pay just like our other bills. We have the Choice Package, which has most things we want to watch, but no premium movie channels like HBO or Starz. It does have Turner Classic Movies, Fox Movie Channel, and several other non-premium movie channels, plus HGTV, Food Network, Travel, SciFi, History, local channels, many music channels, and many others.

I'm not sure why they'd need your SSN to sign you up or why they'd require you to charge it to a CC. Ask about other billing arrangements. They offer a prepaid service plan if you're not interested in paying for individual service calls. We've had DTV for years, though, and have had them out only a couple of times. It has been quite reliable.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

CalminHeart — Fri, 30 May 2014 23:14:21 GMT

I had cable for 30+ years and got so frustrated with their lousy service and ever-increasing costs that I went with Directv 2.5 years ago. I haven't looked back. They've been very easy to work with and I've never had a problem with my credit card. I actually gave them my credit card number, not debit, as there is some protection that way.

I have the genie hd dvr in the living room with a connection in the bedroom. I have a plain satellite receiver in the spare room.

I have the second highest channel plan but no movie channels at all. I actually get more channels with dtv than I did with cable and my bill is about 65% of what cable charged me.

DTV emails my bill to me. Having auto-pay set up saves me $10 per month, no expiration. It also gave me some freebies with my dvr and saves me $5 per month on that, no expiration.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

Teddixat — Fri, 30 May 2014 23:45:42 GMT

I have had DirectTV for almost 20years. I love DirectTV. They have great customer service and great selections. They are not cheap but neither is cable.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

okiebug — Fri, 30 May 2014 23:56:06 GMT

On 5/30/2014 Mama Mia said:
Thanks, Okie bug. It scares me because the way it appears now, to me, it you have to let them charge your ckg acct, or CC. they can make mistakes and then I would have a hard time getting that fixed. I would rather have a statement each month so I can see it first.

Also, the extra charges are equipment rental etc, and a fifty dollar service charge if they have to come out to service your equipment. So that is why I wanted comments.

mm

You pay a fee for each receiver for your cable don't you? Same with Directv. As for the service call charge, get the service plan, a few dollars a month and service calls are free. Worth it. You don't have to have direct pay, you can be billed each month. You can always see your bill online.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

patticakes — Sat, 31 May 2014 00:05:53 GMT

Direct is wonderful. Would never go back to cable. Their customer service is top notch. We, too, have the service contract. Well worth the little bit you pay for it.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

jetts_mom — Sat, 31 May 2014 00:06:23 GMT

I've had DirecTV at this house for 8 years now, and previously had been a customer for probably 10 years.

I have a Choice package too, where I have a lot of channels but none of the premium movie channels. I also have an HD dish and one HD receiver.

As for billing, I get a bill every month and can either pay via paper or online, which I usually prefer. Maybe I'm grandfathered in to that arrangement? I've never had a problem with them billing the wrong amount, but as was said by lousgirl, they're not cheap. I don't like paying the fee every month for multiple receivers, especially since I originally bought one of them from Best Buy, when I got back onto their services again. And as for the other 2 receivers, well, at that rental rate for 8 years, they were paid for long ago.

I signed up for the service contract so I don't pay for calls, but they are very difficult to get scheduled.The phone help, when I've had to call, hasn't always been the most helpful.

The biggest pain for me is that when the weather is bad - whether snow in the winter or storms in the summer, you lose the signal. When you need it most, it's not there. Between the horrible winter storms and cold temps we can have in MN winters, then tornadoes and nasty storms in the summer, it is a big pain point.

I've gotten to the point that between the cost and the frequent satellite signal loss, I'm looking at other options. Our phone/internet provider took on digital TV a year ago and reviews are very favorable. They have bundled packages that are VERY attractive. These are basically the same reasons we dropped it before.

So while I wouldn't worry about billing errors so much, I would recommend shopping around to see if it's really your best deal, and if you live in an area with a lot of storms, do keep it in mind that you will likely lose your signal for the duration.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

Big Sister — Sat, 31 May 2014 02:54:54 GMT

Can someone tell me what is their process for ""installing"" Direct TV in your home?

Is it an appliance on the roof or something in the house? I have no idea but would like to know. TIA

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

goodstuff — Sat, 31 May 2014 03:18:34 GMT

On 5/30/2014 bigsister said:
Can someone tell me what is their process for "installing" Direct TV in your home?

Is it an appliance on the roof or something in the house? I have no idea but would like to know. TIA

They have to put a satellite receiver on your property to receive the satellite signal, and they also put a receiver box in your house. There are newer wireless formats now, I think, but we have the older, wired-in boxes. Where they install the satellite dish depends on the configuration of your house and property, what trees and other barriers exist, and where they can put it to get a "clear shot" to the satellite. Sometimes it's mounted on the roof, the deck railing, or elsewhere. Ours is on the ground near the back of our lot.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

Silverandgold — Sat, 31 May 2014 03:28:02 GMT

I had Directv for about 7 yrs & was reasonably happy with them. But after about 5-6 yrs & I guess losing some customers around my me, they saw fit to keep raising my rates every six months - no extra services, just price increases. I called them, I spoke with their retention dept (asked if any promos were available for loyal, longtime, good paying customers) & they were very rude & matter of fact insisting I had good rates for years, now they had to raise me - when it was going up approximately 60% I cancelled. The day after I had cable reinstalled, Directv decides to call me & offer me 'a promo' -- well at that point, forget it. I didn't like the way they did business, long time customers aren't treated well. I guess it depends on how much of the market they have in certain developments. I would suggest you pay the $5 for the insurance on the dish each month just in case something happens & they have to come out; then you pay a repair bill if you don't have the insurance coverage & it can be considerable. I always had the insurance, but I know people who didn't & got stuck with larger bills. When you don't want DirectV anymore, you also are stuck with the dish. They don't want to have any liability for removal so it's up to you to remove & dispose of, along with all the wiring thru the house.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

hckynut — Sat, 31 May 2014 20:39:37 GMT

Had them for many years and their tech got so bad I ditched them for Dish Network years ago. Their tech people only knew how to read a script and nothing about answering specific questions that I needed answered and I could probably have fixed my own problems, had I only know what exactly they might be.

Dish has savvy techs and my bill is cheaper. I also like that the Dish Hopper has a 2tb hard drive and also is capable of recording 6 different programs at the same time, while watching a 7th. The Hopper/Joey combo is far from what I would like to see it be as far as components driving a 2tb hard drive, but it works well and in any of our 3 tv rooms we can watch whichever show we choose at the same time.

Though my wife and I like the same type of programs for the most part, she works and I do not so she can watch a show in the master bedroom while I am watching what is happening in dc in the patio room at the same time.

I got a big package, including NHL Center Ice Package because that is my thing. My entertainment, so to speak, I get mostly inside our home. For the price for being able to watch all my NY Rangers NHL hockey games? There are 82 season games and so far 20 post season games played? If I figure out my cost per game ticket in the most comfortabe seat I can have to watch? Right now that would be $1.32 per ticket, and most of it is in High Definition.

Will stick with Dish until they give me a good enough reason to change.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

RedTop — Sat, 31 May 2014 20:51:17 GMT

I have been with DirecTV for over 15 years, and have never had a single problem that has made me think along the lines of switching satellite service. We have always enjoyed great reception, and have never been without service. Even during severe storms our reception may only be affected for a few minutes at a time, nothing to ever complain about. We have the PREMIER monthly package at a rate of $129.99, pay $7.99 for the protection plan, and $6.00 for three additional televisions. We receive a monthly statement to pay our bill. I have never been tempted to switch, which is good, because there is no comparable service for this area of southern West Virginia.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

brandiwine — Sat, 31 May 2014 20:52:44 GMT

We had Dish and they had lousy CS. Switched to Direct almost 14 yrs ago. They have very good CS and service. I can't remember the last time we even had any problems with our service. We did have a receiver go bad and they had one here the next am. We have the option of paying our bill by check, cc, or have it in a bundle with our phone and internet. I have no idea what you are talking about with extra charges. The only extra thing is if you purchase a movie or special event. They don't have hidden fees.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

Mama Mia — Sat, 31 May 2014 21:19:23 GMT

Sorry, don't feel so good today, but I wanted to read your answers, and appreciate your input very much! One thing I was worried about was tech service and calls, but many of you have the protection plan which we would want for sure. We had DTV when we were RVing, and never had a problem, but that was fourteen years ago. I guess the part that scared me was the charges for some of the equipment, but I this isn't a problem, I see.

Most all of you have good comments, which helps a lot, and we live in snow country, so that is a good tip about where it goes.

Actually, we had Cable One go out six times in two weeks, and one actual outage, plus my internet then I would call and demand it be fixed, so then you get the wait til nine for them, night I mean, well, they don't come to the house, they fix the main signal box. When he called the last time and he told me that, I told him to come to our house, and DH would follow him to the box.

He didn't like it, but he did it. So when they got there the guy said what do you want me to do? Stupid. DH said fix it, so the guy said what he thought was wrong, and DH said, well, then change it out, and DH watched as he got a new one, still in plastic, and changed it out.

Then they would call me to see how it was. One night, alright so far, but if it happens again, we will change too. You are so great to share yours with me!!

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

this is my nic — Sat, 31 May 2014 21:29:05 GMT

We've had DirectV for years and think they offer good service. Whenever we've had a problem, someone was able to fix it by talking us through it over the phone or sending out a repairman. We have the BIG(my name for it) service, get all the movie channels plus lots of others. The only thing we don't get are the full sports offerings; those are too expensive.

Re: Who Has Direct TV? What Package? Are They Hard To Work With?

hckynut — Sat, 31 May 2014 21:50:44 GMT

On 5/31/2014 brandiwine said:
We had Dish and they had lousy CS. Switched to Direct almost 14 yrs ago. They have very good CS and service. I can't remember the last time we even had any problems with our service. We did have a receiver go bad and they had one here the next am. We have the option of paying our bill by check, cc, or have it in a bundle with our phone and internet. I have no idea what you are talking about with extra charges. The only extra thing is if you purchase a movie or special event. They don't have hidden fees.

Just to clarify my comments on DirecTV. My problem was with people that are supposed to know the technology of the devices they rent or sell to their customers. Dealing with just "customer service" like questions on programming or billing? Not a problem. But I am into electronics and I expect those in a position of being called a "specific technician for a specific device/unit" to know more about it than I when a problem arises.

Glad you are happy with DirecTV and you are wise to stick with what has worked best for you. Just wanted to let some know it was not Customer Service issue.