Direct TV vs cable
 

The discussions I am finding on this site are over a year old. Much has changed with Direct TV, Dish, Prism, etc. in a year. We are looking to switch from Comcast to Direct TV for a bundled package--cable, internet and landline. Brighthouse is not available where we live. Any substantial NEGATIVES from users of Direct TV?

Any satellite-based signal will get affected by storms that are between your antenna and the satellite itself. Thus Dish Network would be impacted as well. Tons of current threads mention that as a concern. The storms don't seem to bother the SD channels - those threads mention the workaround for that.

Other than that, nothing else I can recall really stands out as being an across-the-board issue for many regarding DirecTV.

Bill :)

We have substantial negatives in dealing with DirecTV, most of which are attributable to intentionally deceptive communications. They will say anything to get you to agree (over the phone) to an installation...they just won't answer a straightforward question in the language of a TV user/viewer. Their phone reps (sales people) obviously have a script...and when you ask a question, they answer with an excerpt from their script. And if you persist in asking a question that they can't/won't answer, they grow frustrated and short with you. Part of their process is to have a "verifier" confirm your order; but on every one of our calls, their sales reps speak English as a second language which just compounds the communications issues.

So, when they show up at your door to do anything, it's after you've "verified" your order (which you've never really understood because they intentionally mislead you) and when you learn from their installation technician that what you thought you ordered/bought isn't going to deliver the service you expected...you pay for it anyway because you've verified the order.

A current example is that there's an ad that has been running in the Daily Sun (and which arrived at our home in a mailing from Value Pak) that offers a special deal for the Genie. But only after the technician arrived and it turns out the service is not going to be what we expected that we call DirecTV AGAIN, and after a very long conversation we find out that the special will ONLY work if you have a Samsung TV...but nowhere in the print ads (newspaper or mail) does it say ANYTHING about being only good with a Samsung TV.

In my opinion, DirecTV is INTENTIONALLY misleading consumers with their print ads and their phone-based sales representatives. They might provide good TV service if you can ever understand what you are ordering, but you are going to go through hell dealing with them. They will do their best to wear you down. My wife was on the phone with them over an hour yesterday trying to order Genie and then on the phone with them over an hour and a half (total on two calls) today trying to straighten it out because they don't tell you the whole story.

I strongly recommend...if you've never had DirecTV before and are not already familiar with all their service options and just transferring your existing service from another house to your new home...then choose any other service provider if one is available.

Just my two cents...:rant-rave:

I've had DTV for over 12 years and have been satisfied with them. Just yesterday I had my system upgraded so that I could watch any programs saved on my dvr in any tv in my house regardless of which dvr recorded it. I can also record 5 shows at the same time.

John

I just switched from Dir. tv to Dish tv because of dvr capability of 6 shows at once, dir tv wanted to charge $150 for there new genie, we got the hopper from Dish for free which is better and no more commercials on prime time dvr'd programs. With new hook up from Dish also reduced payment for a year by $35 month.

John, you are probably one of the special target audience for whom DirecTV is probably a good provider...because you are already familiar with their offerings and their language/jargon. And I might (eventually) become a member of their special target audience as well. I don't have a problem with their occasional outages during storms...not a problem for me...I don't expect 100% reliability. Again, the big problem I have is when my wife asks a simple question like "I want to hook up three TVs and be able to watch each one"...and their response is from their script completely in their jargon...and then when they install their dish and their box, it turns out you only get service on one TV...and they act surprised and say, "well, no, of course, you've got to have another box for each TV at a cost of another $X to install and $Y per month". If I knew what the true costs were for their service I might still choose them, but if they intentionally mislead their customers - which we are convinced they are doing - then I don't trust them.

We are moving down in February, and need to select our TV service. If we want TVs in several rooms, do we need a DirecTV box with each TV, at an additional charge per TV? Is it the same with Comcast? Thanks.

We are super excited about finally making our permanent move, but wow, lots of decisions! :a040:

Each TV needs its own tuner box, and you will use its remote control for on/off and channel selection. Tuners come in standard definition (SD) and high def (HD). If you have HD flat screen TVs, the picture won't look so good with a SD tuner, but might be tolerable to some people. A digital video recorder (DVR) is a tuner with a recording disk and programming controls. One of the advertised features of the system is "whole home DVR. However, it only works if all the tuners are HD. The regular DVR will only record two shows concurrently. Direct TV also offers a high-end DVR called Genie which is advertised to record up to 5 shows concurrently.

I am a satisfied Direct TV customer, with whole home service and the regular DVR. However, the startup cost can be high, since there is a one-time cost for each individual tuner box. That's why they usually offer discounted packages for new customers. At one point, we upgraded from 2 TVs to 4 TVs and a DVR box. We got a break on some of the additional equipment by talking to a representative in the Customer Retention dept. Also, note that Direct TV has a 2-year contract, so there are hefty penalties for early termination.

I have to admit that, if you are used to a simple cable installation from your old neighborhood, then selecting a satellite TV system can be very confusing.

Buzzy, thanks so much for your detailed reply. We were DirecTV customers, until we sold our house here in MN in September, but we only had one TV hooked up to their service (HD). We put our DirecTV account on hold in Sept., and our now renting a townhouse with Comcast, with only one HD TV, until we retire February 1st. I need to start making some phone calls to see what our best option is, but I really appreciate the information you gave me -it makes things a little clearer.

We recently switched and I was strongly against it when my hubby proposed it. But I have to say, the picture quality is better and we can record more shows. (I hate commercials) We been on it for six weeks now and so far no dramas!! Plus, we are saving a bunch of money on the first two years. No guts, no glory.

Here are the guidelines:

http://www.districtgov.org/departmen...e%20Dishes.pdf

Bill :)

We now have Comcast and the rates are horrible - thinking of switching to Direct. Had it in our motorhome and were really happy with the service except when we pulled into a site with trees (lots of going back and forth to pick up the signal) or when a storm came through. Was happy with the service and liked their music channels better. Hope the service here meets our expectations.

That's what bothered me most, storms impacting signals, when I decided against satellite. When we have a hurricane approaching us and conditions are getting worse and worse, that's when we need our signals the MOST. I don't want to be loosing my weather channels then.

Direct TV - beware
 

Direct TV needs to have a page on their website that reads "if you have never had Direct TV, what you need to know."
You can do your research and ask questions, but still not have the correct info. I asked for one receiver and 3 other TVs hooked up to the wall. Impossible with Direct TV all the televisions need a box/receiver, OR if you have Genie, they need a Client (a small box that can be hidden behind the TV set). So Direct TV took the order sent out one receiver and I have only one TV hooked up because no one told me that this is not like Comcast cable where the other televisions in the house can receive the basic 100 channels without a box.

I am working with Customer Care to get this straightened out, but I have had 3 phone calls so far with the order people with no satisfaction. And they do not automatically direct you to Customer Care. I found out this was the avenue to take by the technician.

On the other hand, I love the Direct TV system on my one primary television. And yes, the other day when it rained hard, I did lose the picture for approximately 20 minutes. But I can live with that.

I have Comcast and each TV has its own box and unless I have the "big box" I only pick up some channels. Am I missing something?