A Thank You to Directv :)

[directv newb]

It is so easy nowadays to say how bad a service is and to gripe about things, but I would like to take a moment and thank Directv. These are just my personal thoughts being with Directv for 7 years(not long compared to many on here I know). The greatest guide in the business, simple, clear, to the point, no picture tiles all over the place just a GREAT GREAT GUIDE. Try using the Verizon Fios TV guide once and if you can survive the massive headache you will get you will understand how GREAT the Directv guide is. Super HD picture quality and Dolby. I have always had a decent to great experience with customer service and retention, if I call retention and don't like the sound of the person on the other end I just hang up and call back. The service is ROCK SOLID. I can't for the life of me remember having a problem, one replacement DVR and that was from a 34 to 44 and that is it. Do I get a little rain fade every couple months, yea maybe for 30 seconds every 3 months or so BIG DAMN DEAL. I love the HR44, it does every single thing I could ever want it to do. I think 5 tuners is plenty, 1tb is plenty, and I think the hr44 has been awesome. I am one that likes a separate streaming device for all my major streaming (Roku 3), I have seen boxes try to integrate it all into one and it is usually problematic so I like what the 44 does and what it leaves out. So, in ending this I would like to say Thank You to DIrectv for putting out what I consider to be a great TV experience. If anyone has any things they want to add to the list of GREAT Directv attributes feel free

 

[raoul5788]

Well said, I agree with everything you have said.

 

[Jw2016]

Also agree. been a subscriber since 1997, nearly 20 years!. Had PrimeStar and was converted to Directv after they bought them. I have a couple of times in the summer with rain fade and it only lasted a few minutes. My neighbor was giving me a hard time saying when it rains
I have no signal for hours. We had a big storm that brought down Comcast's lines and my neighbor lost his service for about a week. Went over to him I asked him how is your Xfinity service working for you?. Their prices are lower than Comcast and have NFL Sunday Ticket which I sub to every football season. Their retention department is wonderful, they kept me as a subscriber even when Comcast was running package deals enticing me to switch. We are moving this summer and one thing in the list is that the home must have LOS for my dish.

 

[Soccernut]

Agree with everything you said except for a couple of things you didn't say, the cost of service and fees are out of control. I believe that will be the downfall of the business, but I think it's a problem with all the TV services right now, most people are just going to go were they can afford without breaking the bank. That means less TV watching.

 

[ncted]

And definitely thanks for not switching to Rovi for they guide data. At first I regretted not going with Dish because of the better hardware and Slingbox functionality, but not any more. Directv isn't perfect, but I think it is the best game in town these days.

 

[jwolf]

I agree. As others have said, I wish the cost could go down, and that I could dump ESPN and save some $. I'm happy with directv, I was with dish and the difference between the two is night and day! Thanks Directv!

 

[ncted]

I agree. As others have said, I wish the cost could go down, and that I could dump ESPN and save some $. I'm happy with directv, I was with dish and the difference between the two is night and day! Thanks Directv!

If you don't want to pay for ESPN, get the Select package, unless there is some other channel or channels you want that aren't in Select?

 

[jwolf]

If you don't want to pay for ESPN, get the Select package, unless there is some other channel or channels you want that aren't in Select?

There would be channels I'd miss out on.

 

[dishman1]

Agree with everything you said except for a couple of things you didn't say, the cost of service and fees are out of control. I believe that will be the downfall of the business, but I think it's a problem with all the TV services right now, most people are just going to go were they can afford without breaking the bank. That means less TV watching.

totally agree I have had DTV service over 15 years way over priced cut my service from 265 monthly to 113 now

 

[IcEWoLF]

A lot of people switching to streaming plans by getting Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime Video and those alone are usually enough to keep people entertained, then if you need little more there is slingtv and psvue, soon these companies will start putting the hurt on big providers like directv, the more competition the better, it will help bring the prices down.

Smart people switch providers every two years and save tons of money since they get new customers deal, I haven't done that in a while because directv goes above and beyond to keep me as a customer since I buy stuff like Sunday ticket yearly or NBA league pass, and those services usually get heavily discounted for me. Last year I think I paid like $100 total for Sunday Ticket Max, but been super busy, don't have the time to watch games 8-10 hours on Sunday's.
I do however enjoy basketball, don't watch it every night, but when I have free time I'll sit down and watch. Now when the playoffs starts, the real fun begins.

 

[Jimbo]

A lot of people switching to streaming plans by getting Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime Video and those alone are usually enough to keep people entertained, then if you need little more there is slingtv and psvue, soon these companies will start putting the hurt on big providers like directv, the more competition the better, it will help bring the prices down.

Smart people switch providers every two years and save tons of money since they get new customers deal, I haven't done that in a while because directv goes above and beyond to keep me as a customer since I buy stuff like Sunday ticket yearly or NBA league pass, and those services usually get heavily discounted for me. Last year I think I paid like $100 total for Sunday Ticket Max, but been super busy, don't have the time to watch games 8-10 hours on Sunday's.
I do however enjoy basketball, don't watch it every night, but when I have free time I'll sit down and watch. Now when the playoffs starts, the real fun begins.

Smart People change providers every 2 years ?
No, smart people don't want to have to change out equipment and channel line ups every two years ...

There are other ways to not spend 200 a month than that.

Making your Family change like that is ridiculous.

 

[ncted]

Smart People change providers every 2 years ?
No, smart people don't want to have to change out equipment and channel line ups every two years ...

There are other ways to not spend 200 a month than that.

Making your Family change like that is ridiculous.

Change is good for your brain. I creates new neural pathways. I change about every 2 years, and my wife hates it, but as long as we are getting the best deal, she is on-board. Admittedly, we may gain or lose a few channels every time we switch, but with Netflix and Amazon, we don't watch enough obscure cable shows to make anything more than the based packages necessary anyway. It isn't like 15 years ago when we didn't have a DVR and needed something to watch with lunch on Sundays, so we ended up watching Trading Spaces because that was the only thing entertaining on at the time. We always have high quality entertainment to watch when we need it these days, no matter who our TV provider is.

 

[sswheeler]

I have to agree. I also came from Primestar and have had DirecTV ever since. No gaps, no switches, just continuous service. Have been extremely happy with them. When I have equipment problems, they take care of it and that is that. Things are great, I love the fact that DirecTV loves to be the first out of the gate with new technology, like 3d, that didn't make it. That wasn't DirecTV's fault, it just didn't catch on with the public. I love the 4k that they are providing, it's a beautiful pic and can't wait to see what mare is offered. So what they are hiccups in service, it happens to everyone. I very rarely get rain fade and when it snows, the dish is low enough to where I can get to it with a broom.

Thank you DirecTV/AT&T

 

[hedm2005]

We do the best we can. I won't speak for everyone, but when dealing with the customer service at DirecTV... just try to remember that we're human beings, too. And, as the old adage goes... you'll get more flies with honey than vinegar.

 

[Jimbo]

Change is good for your brain. I creates new neural pathways. I change about every 2 years, and my wife hates it, but as long as we are getting the best deal, she is on-board. Admittedly, we may gain or lose a few channels every time we switch, but with Netflix and Amazon, we don't watch enough obscure cable shows to make anything more than the based packages necessary anyway. It isn't like 15 years ago when we didn't have a DVR and needed something to watch with lunch on Sundays, so we ended up watching Trading Spaces because that was the only thing entertaining on at the time. We always have high quality entertainment to watch when we need it these days, no matter who our TV provider is.

By the time you add all the 9ther stuff, Netflix, Amazon, PS. .... and their charges it's really Not the sav8ngs everyone thinks.
I want to turn the TV on, go to my show instant to watch and be done with it.... Not search the internet for a show I might want to see ...

I also am a strong supporter for Current Live TV .... if i want to watch reruns ill turn on USA.

 

[ncted]

By the time you add all the 9ther stuff, Netflix, Amazon, PS. .... and their charges it's really Not the sav8ngs everyone thinks.
I want to turn the TV on, go to my show instant to watch and be done with it.... Not search the internet for a show I might want to see ...

I also am a strong supporter for Current Live TV .... if i want to watch reruns ill turn on USA.

To each his own, but as a point of comparison, I am paying $87.48 for DirecTV, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO Now (or Starz, etc., it changes throughout the year). That is still more than I want to pay, but it is manageable. Compared to some of the prices people are quoting around here, it seems pretty good.

Regarding "Current Live TV," a lot of the new content we watch is actually on HBO and Netflix, so very current. Less and less is on DirecTV channels, and most of that is the 6 big broadcast nets. I watch a handful of shows Live throughout the year -- probably in the single digits. Actually finding things to watch on streaming is just as easy as using the DirecTV search functionality in my experience.

 

[edisonprime]

A lot of people switching to streaming plans by getting Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime Video and those alone are usually enough to keep people entertained, then if you need little more there is slingtv and psvue, soon these companies will start putting the hurt on big providers like directv, the more competition the better, it will help bring the prices down.

Smart people switch providers every two years and save tons of money since they get new customers deal, I haven't done that in a while because directv goes above and beyond to keep me as a customer since I buy stuff like Sunday ticket yearly or NBA league pass, and those services usually get heavily discounted for me. Last year I think I paid like $100 total for Sunday Ticket Max, but been super busy, don't have the time to watch games 8-10 hours on Sunday's.
I do however enjoy basketball, don't watch it every night, but when I have free time I'll sit down and watch. Now when the playoffs starts, the real fun begins.

The only problem with that is is that you can't "move" unless you are using satellite.

 

[edisonprime]

And definitely thanks for not switching to Rovi for they guide data. At first I regretted not going with Dish because of the better hardware and Slingbox functionality, but not any more. Directv isn't perfect, but I think it is the best game in town these days.

That's what drives me crazy about my TiVo for my OTA antenna. I wish they stayed with Gracenote.

 

[Jimbo]

To each his own, but as a point of comparison, I am paying $87.48 for DirecTV, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO Now (or Starz, etc., it changes throughout the year). That is still more than I want to pay, but it is manageable. Compared to some of the prices people are quoting around here, it seems pretty good.

Regarding "Current Live TV," a lot of the new content we watch is actually on HBO and Netflix, so very current. Less and less is on DirecTV channels, and most of that is the 6 big broadcast nets. I watch a handful of shows Live throughout the year -- probably in the single digits. Actually finding things to watch on streaming is just as easy as using the DirecTV search functionality in my experience.

Guess thats where the customer has to decide whats important to them.
I use my DVR to record the shows I want to see, I usually will watch Live Network shows, I like to watch them shortly after they are over (skip commercials that way) ... like I said before ... if I want stuff thats not current, I'll turn on any of the Rerun channels.

 

[Jw2016]

By no means DirecTV maybe perfect. Ever sense AT&T bought them out, customer service has taken a slight downward trend in quality but I rarely have to call them. The most time is for remote control replacement as the keys get worn out with all the channel surfacing. They ship the correct model I need rather quickly which is great. Retention does not seem to offer great deals since before the sale but I do not call up threatening to switch and try to get something for free monthly but do call them yearly to see what they can offer since I have been a subscriber a long time. Usually it's a little bit but hey it cuts the bill down which is getting higher since the programmers are jacking up their carriage fees along with the broadcasters for the LIL. There is no way I am going with Comcast PERIOD or the streaming services as well.

Al La Carte would be nice for channels I don't watch and they are not even in my favorite lists.but don't hold your breath, the programmers are fighting this tooth and nail to keep it from happening. I would rate DirecTV's service 4 out of 5 stars. Along time I had DISH with just locals and DNS (which I really shouldn't have had) and it was great to have a couple of cities locals in case our trues ones pre-empted them for panic the viewers weather coverage. Since DISH was naughty and got caught I dropped them and DirecTV is very strict on DNS availability.

P.S. Satellite makes it easier to "move" if your in the spotbeam for different or a second set within a significantly viewed DMA. Don't tell them though, it's been so handy to have them.