I switched from Comcast to Century Link over a year ago because Comcast was too expensive.

This past Christmas Eve Comcast "slammed" us and canceled our TV, phone, and internet and switched them back over to them without a third party verification. So we had no TV on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

Centurylink got our services back up and running on the day after Christmas :-)

I usually call Comcast for 'a deal' here in The Villages and up north in VT. You have to do it every year but I think it pays off. By the way, I understand that Brighthouse Communication (a top rated cable company according to Consumer Reports) is in parts of TV. Wouldn't it be great to see Brighthouse vs Comcast in all of TV. Competition is ALWAYS good.

Dish benefits
 

We've had Dish network for years, brought the DVR with us when we moved, so we kept all the recordings that were done before.
Their DVR system was one of the deciding factors for me. Other companies did not allow you to record on TV2 and then watch the show on TV1
This allows us to have 2 recordings happening at the same time, while watching a third. If or when ATT Uverse becomes available I will look carefully at them.
A relatively new feature with our package is "Blockbuster at home"; sorta like netflix, you create a queue of movies and get DVD's mailed to you. We used that to catch up on Downton Abbey seasons 1 & 2 prior to the start of S3.

We started with Centurylink Prism in 2011 but it never would work right so we switched to Direct TV. We have 4 Tvs and can record on either and watch from either room! I think it's called, Whole house DVR! We rarely lose a signal due to storms and have been very happy with everything but the price. We honestly don't watch TV enough to justify the price (almost never watch movies so we don't subscribe to any movie services) but our bill (with all the various taxes, etc) runs well over $130 per month. We find we only use TV in 2 rooms so well probably ditch a couple of the DVRs when our contract is up!

Directv and Comcast for internet
 

When designing our house I requested a line in our 2nd bedroom for cable and another line for Directv. Designer told me no problem so I didn't give it a second thought. But of course now (3 weeks from closing) I am thinking about it especially reading through this thread.

For those who have both, do you know how each company set it up? Any extra charges? I want the internet installed the day after closing....

Directv will be installed when we become permanent later on in the spring....

Do they allow the dish on the house of does it go on a pole on teh side of the house....

Have had house built but not yet down to live. I had an extra line run from panel in garage to bedroom I will use as office. This I will use for HISPEED INTERNET cable. Rest will be connected to DirecTv.

FCC said no HOA rules can limit where a satelite receive only dish can be placed. Came out when new. What we have now in MD is dish on top of roof to clear trees. Third dish, each one higher. Added due to more satelites and to receive HD. HOA in Villages says that it can be placed where needed, but prefer on a pole. I hope to put dish on a pole if it can be done. Looks better and easier to maintain.

I probably have it all wrong but when I find a service, an insurance company or a repairman that responds relatively well then i see no sense in switching.
I have been with comcast since I arrived. They have served me well. And yes I understand that loyalty went the way of chivlary but then my chosen username is instructive.

Dish
 

We've had DISH for 3 or so years. Before that COMCAST. We switched because of the pricing difference. Very happy with Dish for now. Good luck!

Prism Cold Call
 

I had a knock on the door the other day by a woman peddling Centurylink's digital services--I think they call it Prism. My initial reaction was to "say goodbye" and let her get on with her door-to-door marketing. But I invited her in and went into my den.

I told her that any interest I might have would be totally dependent on how fast their internet broadband service was. She brightly, quickly and enthusiastically told me, "...our speed is terrific--we get up to 10 mbps." I laughed and turned to my computer where I ran a speed test on my Comcast broadband service. Actually, I ran it twice and got the same results both times...download speeds in excess of 25 mbps, 2-1/2 times as fast as Prism.

The sales rep quickly and wisely got up, thanked me for my time, and said that there was no way they could match that speed.

Just something to consider for those of you considering DSL broadband service.

I thought there was a "no solicitors" policy in TV.

Bill :)

Unfortunately, ATT U-Verse will probably never come to the Villages because it requires rather large V-Rad distribution boxes. These are installed on existing telephone poles around 30,000 feet apart in neighboorhoods. No poles in TV, so no U-Verse. Too bad, since U-verse makes Comcast, Dish, Direct TV, Centurylink and Brighthouse look primitive by comparison.

I have been a Direct TV customer since 1997 and say they are the best of all sources for complete TV watching. They do have the most HD programing no matter what their competition says. Dish, Bright House , Comcast can't hold a candle to Direct in my opinion.

Truly Dislike
 

I truly dislike Comcast and will at some time change. I understand they are
currently concerned about Apple future entry into the market. The other evening my TV had some problems and needed "reset" . I made 7 calls to get
help and each time they either said (after 5-10 minutes) they could not take
any calls and/or the line just went dead as happens when someone hangs up.
I finally got through when on one of their meaningless prompts I said I wanted to talk regarding cancelling their service. Within 5 minutes I had someone on the line. THey are by far the least "Customer Service" company in the country and don't deserve to have customers.
We will change over shortly..:(

"Just Stopped By"
 

She said she was next door doing an interview on why my neighbor discontinued Prism after two weeks of problems in favor of DirecTV and thought she'd "just stop by". Seems like a dumb cold call when my neighbor just cancelled their service.

I think she was giving you the "light bulb test" - checking to see how bright you were! Glad you caught on to her tactic.

I can't believe a CenturyLink company rep (or somebody from ANY type of similar company) would actually take the time to get in their car, drive who knows how far to a now-former customer's home, and hope to interview them about why they dropped the service. Such a personal touch is logical......but I have a hard time imagining her story is legit. Or maybe it IS for real but it's to give them the excuse to go knocking on doors.

JMHO

Bill :)