DirecTV vs. cable

CRedskinsRule · 04-18-2014, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by over the mountain

i have been without cable for the past 2 months (until we pick and settle in to a new place in baltimore) and i have watched very little TV.

to be honest, i miss it. cable tv adds a quality to life bc after my daughter goes down, me and my lady would normally watch something together snuggled up in bed and now maybe we read next to each other or watch a seinfeld dvd but the bonding act of flipping through the channels and jointly picking what to watch is gone and it is different.

fighting over the remote, making concessions to let her watch what she wants etc is good fodder for couples to have light talk that isnt about bills or feelings or anything heavy and head-achy.

cant wait to get me some cable

rant off

I'm definitely not in the same place as you, divorced, no one else sharing anything etc etc. That said, I got a Roku box, and PS3 (which I NEVER use) and still sometimes like putting a cable channel on and just letting it run.

I also have a Netflix, Amazon instant prime account, and an Aereo account, which lets me dvr the latest and greatest over the air episodes. So I could see just not using the cable box, but somehow, cable takes away a level of thinking about what to watch that is kind of nice after a long day.

MTK · 04-18-2014, 12:05 PM

I just got hooked up with the Genie whole home DVR. So now I'm totally blown away with all the new features and on demand stuff. It's almost too much to choose from.

Giantone · 04-19-2014, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mattyk

I just got hooked up with the Genie whole home DVR. So now I'm totally blown away with all the new features and on demand stuff. It's almost too much to choose from.

I have Comcast and their On Demand stuff with HBO ,Showtime and Stars ,I have over 600 stations .I might watch 3 .

over the mountain · 06-25-2014, 01:13 PM

just signed up for cable and internet w comcast.

$129.98 a month for their double play preferred package (hbo plus 220 channels, 2 HD boxes 1 of which is dvr as well, im supplying my own modem).

normally i can negotiate a discretionary discount but this time it was tough, the sales people literally wouldnt budge on anything. i was able to get them to reduce the professional installation fee from 69.95 to 39.95 but that was it (new building, never had cable set up, the guy will probably have to install boxes and wires etc in the basement = pain in ass).

my last hope is to call them in 29 days and say i am unhappy with the service and see if i cant get a discount or at least free showtime or something.

direct tv really isnt an option since Comcast is the only internet provider for Baltimore = how is that not a monopoly? how is the govt' allowing ppl to get bent over the barrel? this is ridiculous and getting out of hand.

skinsguy · 06-26-2014, 09:51 AM

Honestly, I would rather assume have a roof top TV antenna than to pay for cable or satellite. While there are a couple of TV shows that my wife and I like to watch on cable TV - you can catch most of those shows on that station's website.

My only reason for having DirecTV is having access to NFL Sunday Ticket. I can't watch all of the Redskins games down here - and good or bad - watching each game is very important to me. I don't subscribe to any premium channels. I do have a couple TV shows that I like to watch on cable, but you can honestly watch just about anything you want to on that stations' website.

I have considered going the route of unhooking from DirecTV altogether, just having the TV antenna, and buying the NFL recap games on iTunes or that NFL replay thing for $50 a season (I believe that's what it is.) But I don't know if I could stand not being able to watch the game as it's played out live.

over the mountain · 06-27-2014, 03:03 PM

holy freak have I had one of those horrible comcast experiences you hear and read about.

I have never had any real problems w comcast or direc tv. I have had some probelms here and there that were resolved but nothing incomprehensible.

yesterday i had an installation set for 3-5 pm at my new apartment in baltimore. I took a half day off work and drove to baltimore (45 miles). I called comcast at 2:45 to let them know and to put a note in my account that I was there and waiting at the installation location. I also confirmed my appointment the 4 times comcast's automated appointment confirmer called me.

At 3:24 p i get and miss a call from the technician. (my daughter had set my cell phone to do not disturb). I call teh tech back at 3:29, he doesnt pick up and I leave a message saying im here and please turn around. I call comcast and let them know, the agent said he left very very quickly and he shouldnt have. They try emailing him (only way to commuinicate w techs?) but he doesnt respond.

4:45 a manager calls me back and says a tech will come and I should hold tight. He said he cant give me an ETA but someone will come and he will call me to make sure eveything went okay and he gets off at 9 pm so he will be there to make sure everything goes well. His name is Eton.

6:30 i call comcast bc no one has come and see if they can give an ETA. i am told that the "go back" order was done incorrectly and I would need to reschedule for tomorrow. I ask to speak with Etan the manager I spoke with before. I am told they cannot send me to a specific manager, I am put on hold and then told it will be a long wait and the next manager available will call me and it wont be more than 20 mins.

7:30 i call comcast (go through 5 mins of automated BS every time i call) and am told a manager will call me in 20 mins, I say I will wait instead. I wait a long time and speak with a manager (having to explain my story to every new person I am transferred to). I am told there is nothing he can do for me re. comps but i can have installation set up for tomorrow and he transfer me to "customer solutions" so i can get comps like free installation and my $20 missed appointment credit. I hold and wait 5 mins for "customer satisfaction" to pick up bu then the call just drops.

8:45 this morning, I call (go through automated BS and have to retell my story to 2 different people). ultimately I am told they cannot do installation until wednesday. i tell them i am cancelling my order and want the charges on my credit card reversed and credit of $20 if they cant do the install today. I am told that they will try and will have a manager call me in 20 mins.

9:45 (automated BS, explain story to new person again). they say they will see what they can do, I say "this is where you tell me a manager will call me in 20 mins". She says "no i didnt tell you that, i am going to put you on hold and get you on the line with a manager". 5 mins of waiting, she gets back on the line and says "I have alerted the manager assigned and he will call me in 20 mins". i laugh and cry.

10:45 i call (automated BS, re-tell story) and say i just want to cancel and get charges reversed. she says "let me see if i cant get a manager to help you set up installation today' ... i tell her to just cancel. she does, charges are reversed and i get a $20 credit.

direct tv is coming on tuesday, it is actually cheaper, i get more channels, the genie, free sunday ticket plus voice. they also threw in free 1 yr of showtime after my hbo, showtime, cinemax 3 mos trial is over.

the problem - will i did miss the techs phone call by 5 mins, comcast customer service is horrendous.

1. they shouldnt use W VA subcontractors for afternoon installations in MD. they did call at 3:24 but he booked it right to the highway to start his drive home and miss the rush hour traffic avoiding all "come back" calls.

if you do the bare minimum in customer service you are doing horrible customer service. this guy wanting an early jump cost comcast having to spend literally hours on the phone with me, a disgruntled customer who will tell his comcast horror story to anyone that will listen plus they actually lost money bc they had to pay me $20.

2. they need to be able to contact the sub-contractors over the phone directly. emailing him as the only way to communicate with him? thats absurd.

3. they need to assign a problem account to a specific manager and the managers shouldnt lie. Etan, the first manager i spoke with, seemed to have resolved the problem early on and said he would call me back and check on me = he never did. to have me transferred to a new manager every time is time consuming and frustrating.

4. they should have done the "come back " order correctly and this would have all been avoided.

Giantone · 06-27-2014, 07:24 PM

Sorry to hear it , I honestly have not had a problem with Comcast at all here in Maryland .

mredskins · 06-28-2014, 06:08 PM

After my experiences with Comcast OTM your experience sounds like a feel good story.

skinsguy · 06-30-2014, 12:32 PM

They must have some rule that states if the customer doesn't answer, they automatically reschedule them.

over the mountain · 06-30-2014, 01:26 PM

i admit i missed the guy's phone call by exactly 5 mins.

everything after that is on them:

1. He could have rang my door bell.

2. He could have waited a few minutes. (i confirmed I was there multiple times multiple ways)

3. He could have answered my call to him 5 mins later. I assume he could see that it was the customer whom he had just called.

4. He certainly could have read my text msg.

5. He could have responded to comcast dispather's emails telling him to go back.

6. The manager could have done the "come back" order properly and had another sub-contractor come by.

7. Comcast could have done the installation the next day like they said.

either way - it cost them $20 and a ton of time spent by their call agents and managers. that cant be a sustainable business model.

if we only had true capital market competition instead of treating these assholes like they arent a monopoly of a public utility.

mredskins · 07-01-2014, 07:40 AM

I have Fios. Love it zero issues.

Ruhskins · 07-01-2014, 10:57 AM

I have FiOS too and have no issues with them. After having a baby, I am looking to downsize, and I wish they had a deal similar to Comcast's where you can have HBO Go with an internet plan.

over the mountain · 07-01-2014, 04:22 PM

direc tv arrived.

cant install satellite bc our building is "historic"

i am going to cry

i have to grovel back to comcast.

i am defeated

i give up

nothing is going my way with this issue

htownskinfan · 07-02-2014, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by over the mountain

direc tv arrived.

cant install satellite bc our building is "historic"

i am going to cry

i have to grovel back to comcast.

i am defeated

i give up

nothing is going my way with this issue

damn that sucks,what a pisser

over the mountain · 07-02-2014, 11:39 AM

update:

apparently the direc tv guy told my lady that he knows a guy who works for comcast and can set us up quickly.

i called him and apparently comcast has special regional sales agents who handle local accounts. why this info is not widely known or used i am not sure.

he is hooking us up with a better package than the comcast one we were signed up for before, waiving installation fees, throwing in all premium channels for as long as i have comcast and giving me a $100 credit (since i am leaving direc tv).

the catch is that it is a 2 yr contract with a starting $240 early termination fee which gets reduced by $15 every month i keep comcast (after 12 mos = early termination fee is 240 - 130 = 110)

04-18-2014, 12:05 PM	#77
MTK \m/ Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: NY Age: 51 Posts: 99,427	Re: DirecTV vs. cable I just got hooked up with the Genie whole home DVR. So now I'm totally blown away with all the new features and on demand stuff. It's almost too much to choose from. __________________ Support The Warpath! \| Warpath Shop

06-25-2014, 01:13 PM	#79
over the mountain Playmaker Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: close to the edge Posts: 4,926	Re: DirecTV vs. cable just signed up for cable and internet w comcast. $129.98 a month for their double play preferred package (hbo plus 220 channels, 2 HD boxes 1 of which is dvr as well, im supplying my own modem). normally i can negotiate a discretionary discount but this time it was tough, the sales people literally wouldnt budge on anything. i was able to get them to reduce the professional installation fee from 69.95 to 39.95 but that was it (new building, never had cable set up, the guy will probably have to install boxes and wires etc in the basement = pain in ass). my last hope is to call them in 29 days and say i am unhappy with the service and see if i cant get a discount or at least free showtime or something. direct tv really isnt an option since Comcast is the only internet provider for Baltimore = how is that not a monopoly? how is the govt' allowing ppl to get bent over the barrel? this is ridiculous and getting out of hand.

06-26-2014, 09:51 AM	#80
skinsguy Pro Bowl Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Greensboro, North Carolina Posts: 6,766	Re: DirecTV vs. cable Honestly, I would rather assume have a roof top TV antenna than to pay for cable or satellite. While there are a couple of TV shows that my wife and I like to watch on cable TV - you can catch most of those shows on that station's website. My only reason for having DirecTV is having access to NFL Sunday Ticket. I can't watch all of the Redskins games down here - and good or bad - watching each game is very important to me. I don't subscribe to any premium channels. I do have a couple TV shows that I like to watch on cable, but you can honestly watch just about anything you want to on that stations' website. I have considered going the route of unhooking from DirecTV altogether, just having the TV antenna, and buying the NFL recap games on iTunes or that NFL replay thing for $50 a season (I believe that's what it is.) But I don't know if I could stand not being able to watch the game as it's played out live. __________________ "Fire Up That Diesel!"

06-27-2014, 03:03 PM	#81
over the mountain Playmaker Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: close to the edge Posts: 4,926	Re: DirecTV vs. cable holy freak have I had one of those horrible comcast experiences you hear and read about. I have never had any real problems w comcast or direc tv. I have had some probelms here and there that were resolved but nothing incomprehensible. yesterday i had an installation set for 3-5 pm at my new apartment in baltimore. I took a half day off work and drove to baltimore (45 miles). I called comcast at 2:45 to let them know and to put a note in my account that I was there and waiting at the installation location. I also confirmed my appointment the 4 times comcast's automated appointment confirmer called me. At 3:24 p i get and miss a call from the technician. (my daughter had set my cell phone to do not disturb). I call teh tech back at 3:29, he doesnt pick up and I leave a message saying im here and please turn around. I call comcast and let them know, the agent said he left very very quickly and he shouldnt have. They try emailing him (only way to commuinicate w techs?) but he doesnt respond. 4:45 a manager calls me back and says a tech will come and I should hold tight. He said he cant give me an ETA but someone will come and he will call me to make sure eveything went okay and he gets off at 9 pm so he will be there to make sure everything goes well. His name is Eton. 6:30 i call comcast bc no one has come and see if they can give an ETA. i am told that the "go back" order was done incorrectly and I would need to reschedule for tomorrow. I ask to speak with Etan the manager I spoke with before. I am told they cannot send me to a specific manager, I am put on hold and then told it will be a long wait and the next manager available will call me and it wont be more than 20 mins. 7:30 i call comcast (go through 5 mins of automated BS every time i call) and am told a manager will call me in 20 mins, I say I will wait instead. I wait a long time and speak with a manager (having to explain my story to every new person I am transferred to). I am told there is nothing he can do for me re. comps but i can have installation set up for tomorrow and he transfer me to "customer solutions" so i can get comps like free installation and my $20 missed appointment credit. I hold and wait 5 mins for "customer satisfaction" to pick up bu then the call just drops. 8:45 this morning, I call (go through automated BS and have to retell my story to 2 different people). ultimately I am told they cannot do installation until wednesday. i tell them i am cancelling my order and want the charges on my credit card reversed and credit of $20 if they cant do the install today. I am told that they will try and will have a manager call me in 20 mins. 9:45 (automated BS, explain story to new person again). they say they will see what they can do, I say "this is where you tell me a manager will call me in 20 mins". She says "no i didnt tell you that, i am going to put you on hold and get you on the line with a manager". 5 mins of waiting, she gets back on the line and says "I have alerted the manager assigned and he will call me in 20 mins". i laugh and cry. 10:45 i call (automated BS, re-tell story) and say i just want to cancel and get charges reversed. she says "let me see if i cant get a manager to help you set up installation today' ... i tell her to just cancel. she does, charges are reversed and i get a $20 credit. direct tv is coming on tuesday, it is actually cheaper, i get more channels, the genie, free sunday ticket plus voice. they also threw in free 1 yr of showtime after my hbo, showtime, cinemax 3 mos trial is over. the problem - will i did miss the techs phone call by 5 mins, comcast customer service is horrendous. 1. they shouldnt use W VA subcontractors for afternoon installations in MD. they did call at 3:24 but he booked it right to the highway to start his drive home and miss the rush hour traffic avoiding all "come back" calls. if you do the bare minimum in customer service you are doing horrible customer service. this guy wanting an early jump cost comcast having to spend literally hours on the phone with me, a disgruntled customer who will tell his comcast horror story to anyone that will listen plus they actually lost money bc they had to pay me $20. 2. they need to be able to contact the sub-contractors over the phone directly. emailing him as the only way to communicate with him? thats absurd. 3. they need to assign a problem account to a specific manager and the managers shouldnt lie. Etan, the first manager i spoke with, seemed to have resolved the problem early on and said he would call me back and check on me = he never did. to have me transferred to a new manager every time is time consuming and frustrating. 4. they should have done the "come back " order correctly and this would have all been avoided.

06-27-2014, 07:24 PM	#82
Giantone Gamebreaker Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 13,652	Re: DirecTV vs. cable Sorry to hear it , I honestly have not had a problem with Comcast at all here in Maryland . __________________ ....DISCLAIMER: All of my posts/threads are my expressed typed opinion and the reader is not to assume these comments are absolute fact, law, or truth unless otherwise stated in said post/thread.

06-28-2014, 06:08 PM	#83
mredskins Gamebreaker Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 12,528	Re: DirecTV vs. cable After my experiences with Comcast OTM your experience sounds like a feel good story. __________________ When life gives you paper jams, turn them into paper footballs!

06-30-2014, 12:32 PM	#84
skinsguy Pro Bowl Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Greensboro, North Carolina Posts: 6,766	Re: DirecTV vs. cable They must have some rule that states if the customer doesn't answer, they automatically reschedule them. __________________ "Fire Up That Diesel!"

06-30-2014, 01:26 PM	#85
over the mountain Playmaker Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: close to the edge Posts: 4,926	Re: DirecTV vs. cable i admit i missed the guy's phone call by exactly 5 mins. everything after that is on them: 1. He could have rang my door bell. 2. He could have waited a few minutes. (i confirmed I was there multiple times multiple ways) 3. He could have answered my call to him 5 mins later. I assume he could see that it was the customer whom he had just called. 4. He certainly could have read my text msg. 5. He could have responded to comcast dispather's emails telling him to go back. 6. The manager could have done the "come back" order properly and had another sub-contractor come by. 7. Comcast could have done the installation the next day like they said. either way - it cost them $20 and a ton of time spent by their call agents and managers. that cant be a sustainable business model. if we only had true capital market competition instead of treating these assholes like they arent a monopoly of a public utility.

07-01-2014, 07:40 AM	#86
mredskins Gamebreaker Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 12,528	Re: DirecTV vs. cable I have Fios. Love it zero issues. __________________ When life gives you paper jams, turn them into paper footballs!

07-01-2014, 10:57 AM	#87
Ruhskins Living Legend Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 22,221	Re: DirecTV vs. cable I have FiOS too and have no issues with them. After having a baby, I am looking to downsize, and I wish they had a deal similar to Comcast's where you can have HBO Go with an internet plan. __________________ R.I.P. #21

07-01-2014, 04:22 PM	#88
over the mountain Playmaker Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: close to the edge Posts: 4,926	Re: DirecTV vs. cable direc tv arrived. cant install satellite bc our building is "historic" i am going to cry i have to grovel back to comcast. i am defeated i give up nothing is going my way with this issue

07-02-2014, 11:39 AM	#90
over the mountain Playmaker Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: close to the edge Posts: 4,926	Re: DirecTV vs. cable update: apparently the direc tv guy told my lady that he knows a guy who works for comcast and can set us up quickly. i called him and apparently comcast has special regional sales agents who handle local accounts. why this info is not widely known or used i am not sure. he is hooking us up with a better package than the comcast one we were signed up for before, waiving installation fees, throwing in all premium channels for as long as i have comcast and giving me a $100 credit (since i am leaving direc tv). the catch is that it is a 2 yr contract with a starting $240 early termination fee which gets reduced by $15 every month i keep comcast (after 12 mos = early termination fee is 240 - 130 = 110)

DirecTV vs. cable

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