Might switch to direct tv, advice?

[Staggerlee]

Ok so long story short, I pay $100 a month to time warner for internet and cable. If I go through direct tv I can get pretty much the same channel package, with sunday ticket free for the first year, as well as 6 meg internet through att, for about $80 a month.

The ONLY thing that worries me is direct tv is a 24 month agreement. I'm worried that they are really going to try to stick it to me in the second year. Has anyone had experience with them? It seems like such a better deal than what I have through time warner (whom I hate very much).

 

[Duane]

Document all your discussions, date, time, name, etc... They screwed me over on a DVR when I wouldn't renew my service.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I have heard the internet is a huge step down speedwise from cable.

I have thought about signing up for direct tv or dish but I keep coming back to three things.

1. Internet speed is a big drop off.

2. People have told me that the loss signal due to weather is not a problem any more but I have seen it first hand at the house next door just a year or two ago during a heavy rain.

3. Why should I have to sign up to a contract that requires me to keep a service for an X amount of years. I don't like that at all because if it sucks I don't want to be stuck with it or have to pay a bulk fee to get out of it. With my cable I can have it turned off at any time and not have to worry about paying a balance of remaining time like I would for direct tv.

 

[jnday]

There will be price increases the second year. Most of the time it is not that much. I have never let the two year contract bother me. Time flies and it will be over soon. My parents have had cable for years, and they are thinking about switching. The internet speed is the only down side to changing.

 

[Staggerlee]

Concerning the internet speed, if my internet service through time warner is only 4-6 megs and the service through ATT is up to 6 megs, what drop off will there be? Does the service through ATT never actually come close to 6 megs?

Time warner sucks so bad. I have little 10 second internet outages at least once every hour, every day. As long as the ATT internet is fast enough to stream netflix that is all I care about.

EDIT: I just ran an internet speed test and got 13 Mb/s so maybe my time warner speed is higher than I initially thought.

 

[Faerluna]

We have DirecTV and have experienced weather outages, but usually not for long. Once it was snowing heavily and we had to go out and sweep off the dish.

When they install, they give you the option of having it on your roof or on a pole in the yard. Go for the pole in the yard. I don't want anyone bolting things onto my roof and if we ever had a snow issue again, I'd never be able to get to the dish, so we'd have to wait for it to melt enough to restore the signal.

We have Fios for Internet so that aspect doesn't affect us.

 

[NorthTexan95]

We have DirecTV and have experienced weather outages, but usually not for long. Once it was snowing heavily and we had to go out and sweep off the dish.

When they install, they give you the option of having it on your roof or on a pole in the yard. Go for the pole in the yard. I don't want anyone bolting things onto my roof and if we ever had a snow issue again, I'd never be able to get to the dish, so we'd have to wait for it to melt enough to restore the signal.

We have Fios for Internet so that aspect doesn't affect us.

I like Direct TV for all of the different sports packages available. I completely agree about having the pole in the ground. It's a toss up as to how good your installer will be so I wouldn't trust them on my roof or side of my house. Also, if it's in the ground then you can easily get to it to brush off snow, leaves, etc. The only negative is loss of signal during a storm.

I don't believe Direct TV offers internet directly. They basically partner up with another provider: either a DSL line or satelite internet. I would stay far and away from satelite unless it's your only option. Satelite service can easily be interrupted and if you use VPN your speed will drop to below dialup speed. The DSL package might be find but you may be able to get a better deal going directly with the DSL provider. You just need to price out your options.

 

[Wimbo]

yes, let me refer you & we both get some money. Use this link to get the deal- an extra $100 off. http://refer.directv.com/a/clk/4hzbz3

I have had Directv for many years. the only time i felt I was screwed was when they auto enrolled me to an elevated version of Sunday Ticket. One call & they corrected it.

 

[CashMan]

I've had DirecTv for a little over a year, and use Comcast for internet. In the beginning like 2-3 times when it rained, I love the signal, but you just reset it on the box. Since then, we lost picture 1 time it was for like a sec with a lightning storm. Other than that no prob, and I like by Chicago so we do not get great weather.

As for the price, go to the website, and you can see what it will be each month for all 24 months. It will be cheap for the 1st 3 months then jump like $20-30 for the next 9months, then it will jump again for the final year, depending on the package. I have the NFL package and every movie channel package. It is about $110 a month for TV. I would not go back to DishNetwork or Comcast.

 

[The30YardSlant]

I would get your cable through Directv and your internet through Comcast. Comcast has the fastest internet out there (you'll find a lot of reviews about it aslowing down a lot, but that is mainly for people in more rural service areas) but it is expensive to bundle it together with cable if you want their better TV packages.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Ok so long story short, I pay $100 a month to time warner for internet and cable. If I go through direct tv I can get pretty much the same channel package, with sunday ticket free for the first year, as well as 6 meg internet through att, for about $80 a month.

The ONLY thing that worries me is direct tv is a 24 month agreement. I'm worried that they are really going to try to stick it to me in the second year. Has anyone had experience with them? It seems like such a better deal than what I have through time warner (whom I hate very much).

I don't know, as I have always gone with Dish, but all my friends have told me that they get people by offering a really great deal that first year and then they stick it to you by raising your rates beyond that.

 

[Idgit]

The only issue I've had with dTV is their cheap dvr/receiver boxes breaking and needing to be replaced. At one point the equipment used to be your responsibility to replace, but I believe they roll it into a $5/month surcharge if you want coverage now (it's been a while since I've discussed my bill with dTV). I've had three boxes die on me, so the coverage is something I'd consider.

Having NFL ticket, though, pretty much makes dTV essential for any Cowboy fan. At least us out-of-state ones.

 

[CashMan]

I don't know, as I have always gone with Dish, but all my friends have told me that they get people by offering a really great deal that first year and then they stick it to you by raising your rates beyond that.

It is not sticking it to you, they back load the contract. When people shop they want the lowest price, and the do not pay attention to the rest of it.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I have been thinking about switching my cable from comcast to ATT but I'm not touching my internet.

Comcast has really pissed me off. Half of my HD channels don't work. I get a message saying that the channel will be available please check back in a few minutes. An hour later it says the same thing.

They have also raised the price almost $50.

 

[Nomad]

Yeah Directv is way better than any cable for TV, but you usually have the drawback of having lesser internet.

I had a similar conflict when I moved a year ago. I had Directv and an ATT DSL at the old place, I loved the DirecTV and the internet was ok but kinda slow. When I moved I switched everything to Charter cable including phone to keep it simple, the internet is ridiculously fast but the TV is horrible. It took over 3 months to get the HD channels to come in because they had to upgrade the line/hub for bandwidth, the guide is all weird and they tier things like NFLN.

If I were you I would switch to DirecTV and try the ATT internet, it might not be too bad.

 

[Muhast]

yes, let me refer you & we both get some money. Use this link to get the deal- an extra $100 off. http://refer.directv.com/a/clk/4hzbz3

I have had Directv for many years. the only time i felt I was screwed was when they auto enrolled me to an elevated version of Sunday Ticket. One call & they corrected it.

You are allowed to have 10 referrals a year, so you can literally have no bill if you can get family,friends,coworkers to get DTV. You save 10 a month, and they save 10 a month. Pretty cool. If your signing up and don't know anybody in your family or friends that has it, you really should use one of us as a reference, we both save money that way. If you know a family member or friend, obviously pick them though.

I would get your cable through Directv and your internet through Comcast. Comcast has the fastest internet out there (you'll find a lot of reviews about it aslowing down a lot, but that is mainly for people in more rural service areas) but it is expensive to bundle it together with cable if you want their better TV packages.

Agree completely, Comcast internet, DTV tv. Thats the way to go.

 

[hairic]

I have been thinking about switching my cable from comcast to ATT but I'm not touching my internet.

Comcast has really pissed me off. Half of my HD channels don't work. I get a message saying that the channel will be available please check back in a few minutes. An hour later it says the same thing.

They have also raised the price almost $50.

Get your cable signal checked; you probably need an amplifier. HD channels either work or don't work as there's a pretty small tolerance for lost data. If it's too bad, it can't be decoded correctly at all and won't display.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

DirecTv is so much better than cable you won't believe it.

I don't know what you mean about the two year period. That second year cost is just the normal price... The first year you get big discounts. If it's anything like here, the total two-year cost will be less than cable, and the service is tons better.

 

[Cajuncowboy]

I have had DTV for over 15 years and wont be without it. I have no issues with the ATT Uverse internet so no problems there. If we get a HEAVY downpour then I lose signal but usually those downpours only last a few minutes then my signal is back. doesn't happen enough for it to be an issue.

And if you are an out of state Cowboys fan like a lot of us, it is essential to watch the Cowboys on Sunday ticket.

Also, if they raise your price beyond what you think is reasonable, then just call and ask for customer retention and they will take care of it.

Just make sure you pay your bill on time. When giving you deals or negotiating, that is the one thing they look at at first along with your tenure with them.

 

[hutch1254]

I switched to DirecTV about 3 years ago. I am fortunate enough to be able to pay for that and keep my internet on Time Warner. I did not want to change my internet due to the drop off in the quality of speed and consistency.

I have had no issues with DirecTV. My experiences have been good. Once I had to have my dish reinstalled due to a wind storm (80 mph) that knocked it way out of alignment and actually pulled the bolts out of the roof slightly. They came and reinstalled everything fresh and in a new location that provides a little shielding from the wind. I have had no reception issues, even in lousy weather. In the winter I will spray the dish with Rainx, this keeps the heavy wet snow from building up, slides right off, prevents reception issues due to possible build up. I've enjoyed my time with DirecTV and do not plan on going back to cable any time soon.