Re: Dish vs DirecTv

Nightowlz · ‎03-11-2010

We have had DISH for just over 21 yrs. Not switching to DTV. I compared prices between the 2 several years ago for the channels we want that I already have with DISH. It was going to cost us more money with DTV to get the channels we wanted.

Eventually we are going to put up another outdoor antenna for our local channels plus check out Netflix, Hulu, etc.

At some point we will probably get rid of DISH. DH is always streaming stuff & I don't watch 3/4 of the stuff I record. LOL!!!

We really have not had any issues with DISH. It does go out when it's storming sometimes. I recorded shows on SD channels instead of HD channels when it was storming Mon-Tues when DISH was going on/off but all the show was recorded. Does not make any sense.

They have SD & HD channels. The HD are clear the SD look fine but I can tell a difference.

mistylee · ‎03-17-2010

Have had Dish a long time. I wouldn't switch. They have always helped me with any problems and I was very pleased with that. The picture is very good also. Does go out when there is a strong storm or snow, but so does DT. No difference there. The prices are better with Dish also. I have checked with others on that. Hope this helps.

Bri369 · ‎11-03-2018

We've had Dish for over 15 years. The picture quality is fine. We have HD and newer TV's, so I don't know if that makes a difference.

I've had no complaints about Dish. Their customer service is excellent, and we rarely lose signal. We can always watch something from the DVR in that case.

vermint · ‎04-05-2010

We live in a rural area, lots of trees, no cable access, and have had Dish for years. Never been tempted to switch because some of our neighbors had DirecTV and had nothing but problems, including the price going up faster than Dish (both increase every year, even after promotion, but DirecTV has increased more). Dish Customer Service has always been very good.

Reception may vary by area, but we've always had a good, clear picture. No snow here, but even bad rainstorms rarely knock it out for more than 20-30 minutes. We do get a little interference in the spring/summer...when the leaves are on the trees, and the wind blows, it can cause a little problem. I love the Hopper, recording is so easy!

KKJ · ‎03-11-2010

@RedTop wrote:
@mspatmac,
I urge you to ask Dish customers near you about their satisfaction level before you switch. In my rural area of WV, the signal quality varies greatly. I have family who love Dish, and I have friends who fell for the cheaper price and learned it was a short term offer. I personally will never leave DirecTV.

I have had DirecTV service for 20 years, and don’t have a single complaint. We’ve never had anything but normal signal interruption related to storm activity, and I call yearly to ask for a discount on our bill.

I urge you to clearly understand the Dish offer that is tempting you because it is half the amount you pay right now. My friends from work fell for the cheaper rate, but soon realized they did not have the channels they were used to. In no time at all, their cheaper rate increased to what they paid DirecTV, due to the “special promotion” being over, and it was going to cost even more to get some of the basic channels (not movie channels) back. Everyone switched back to DirecTV and are very anti-Dish now.

I've had DirecTv for over 20 yrs but not impressed. Price of my pkg is outrageous & they never give me a discount--some thanks for being loyal customer. I must say they do hop on it whenever I've had tech probs & threaten to go to another carrier.

KKJ · ‎03-11-2010

Sorry, I directed this post to you to find out how you get your discount?

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

@KKJ,

I just simply call DirecTV and politely ask for a discount, because of being a long time customer. I asked for the current discount based on my husbands partial amputation on his foot and him being so dependent on TV for his daily entertainment during this long healing process.

Financialgrl · ‎03-13-2010

@RedTop wrote:
@mspatmac,
I urge you to ask Dish customers near you about their satisfaction level before you switch. In my rural area of WV, the signal quality varies greatly. I have family who love Dish, and I have friends who fell for the cheaper price and learned it was a short term offer. I personally will never leave DirecTV.

I have had DirecTV service for 20 years, and don’t have a single complaint. We’ve never had anything but normal signal interruption related to storm activity, and I call yearly to ask for a discount on our bill.

I urge you to clearly understand the Dish offer that is tempting you because it is half the amount you pay right now. My friends from work fell for the cheaper rate, but soon realized they did not have the channels they were used to. In no time at all, their cheaper rate increased to what they paid DirecTV, due to the “special promotion” being over, and it was going to cost even more to get some of the basic channels (not movie channels) back. Everyone switched back to DirecTV and are very anti-Dish now.

I was just trying to craft a response like RedTop's. I no longer live rural but when I did DISH had the better signal, etc. Regarding the better offers, whether it is satellite, cable, or FIOS, they all pull you in with these fantastic promotions and as RedTop said after those expire you end up paying more to get what you want.

Just went thru this with FIOS. two days ago My two year contract was just up and I was able to renew and pay the exact same for Verizon triple play but it took a lot to get the rep to get here. The rep kept pushing for the upsell and it was very clear (and I get that's their job). However, every time she'd come back with a new cost I'd say I need something cheaper and she wasn't too forthcoming. At that point I told her, "sorry but this is still too expensive" and I'm gonna check around to see if I can do better. Once I threatened to hang up, all of a sudden I got options more in line what I was looking for. It's the ole "a bird inn the hand" cuz if I'd have hung up she'd have lost the sale.

mspatmac · ‎06-10-2015

Thanks to all who took the time to respond. Lot's of things to consider. I can't believe this is such a hard decision, in the scheme of things it's "just TV" LOL.

SilleeMee · ‎05-22-2016

I'm a long time Directv customer and whenever my rates go up I call them and ask for their customer loyalty pricing. With just a few questions answered, like what channels I like and what type of programs I watch, then they give me a good discount that lasts for about 12 months. They tell me to just call back when the that time comes and another discount is waiting, but only if I call back...it's not automatic. My last discount is saving me $50 every month.