Advice wanted: To switch or not to switch?

[flyingsquirrel]

I have been with Dish through thick and thin for the entirety of the 21st century.

But the way they dealt with the Big Ten Network upset me enough to compare Dish to Directv. Ultimately, the Big Ten thing gave me a case of "conflict fatigue".

I have a 622 and a 612. I have no contract. I want to go to a whole house solution, either a Hopper and two Joeys or a Directv HR34 and two HD tuners. I have no interest in Sunday Ticket. AMC is minor issue. But it is an issue for my wife and kids.

Without some kind of deal, The Hopper deal with Dish looks like about $130 a month for the programming I get. The Directv deal looks like it will be $105 after the "deals" run out.

So I have a couple questions:

Should I call and say I am going to drop dish first to see what they will offer?
What is Dish likely to charge me to send my equipment back?

 

[HangingOut]

Without some kind of deal, The Hopper deal with Dish looks like about $130 a month for the programming I get. The Directv deal looks like it will be $105 after the "deals" run out.

Why pay $25 extra per month for DISH when you get AMC and can pay less with DirecTv?

 

[Tampa8]

Maybe a little more info on exactly what you compared. On the face of it I don't see Dish costing $25 more under any circumstance, discounts not included. Unless you including the cost of the upgrade with Dish in the monthly amount over two years? (The length of the Direct Contract) If so that I can see. And that might be the way to approach Dish when you call.

 

[flyingsquirrel]

Maybe a little more info on exactly what you compared. On the face of it I don't see Dish costing $25 more under any circumstance, discounts not included. Unless you including the cost of the upgrade with Dish in the monthly amount over two years? (The length of the Direct Contract) If so that I can see. And that might be the way to approach Dish when you call.

This is what I have now:

AT250
HBO
Sho
Blockbuster at Home
HD DVR
Protection plal
DVR service

Total would be 128 and change

Directv would be:
Choice Ultimate
HBO
Sho
Advanced Recvr service and three TVs

At the end of the promotion period, that comes to about $110.

 

[andy_horton]

I have been with Dish through thick and thin for the entirety of the 21st century.

But the way they dealt with the Big Ten Network upset me enough to compare Dish to Directv. Ultimately, the Big Ten thing gave me a case of "conflict fatigue".

I have a 622 and a 612. I have no contract. I want to go to a whole house solution, either a Hopper and two Joeys or a Directv HR34 and two HD tuners. I have no interest in Sunday Ticket. AMC is minor issue. But it is an issue for my wife and kids.

Without some kind of deal, The Hopper deal with Dish looks like about $130 a month for the programming I get. The Directv deal looks like it will be $105 after the "deals" run out.

So I have a couple questions:

Should I call and say I am going to drop dish first to see what they will offer?
What is Dish likely to charge me to send my equipment back?

To send the equipment back, you will pay 17 dollars per label you use to send the equipment back. You can try to find it cheaper through UPS or postal service. I would call them and give them the comparison of the prices for the services offered and see what kind of discounts they will offer you. They will match or beat the price by a few bucks....probably. Assuming you have paid on time for the most part and have something higher than the "smart pack" as it seems like the less services you have either they want to add something or "offer" you something. My expierence is you have to stay on top of them as far as the discounts being added to your bill as I have had problems in the past where that is concerned. Good luck.

 

[KAB]

I've been close to changing as well. But do your homework on matching your equipment configuration. For me, I'd be out of pocket $225.00

 

[Scherrman]

Unless you really enjoy Blocter@home do what I did, drop it and upgrade to the Hopper system. By doing that I was able to add an extra HD TV and my bill only went up $4. I'd also consider getting the everything package. I think you get a little more for your money compared to adding a couple movie channels to the top 250. Those are just my thoughts though. I switched to the Hopper and have never been happier with my setup.

 

[mdram]

look at your recording and viewing habits
with 1 hooper and 2 joeys you will have 3 total tuners
with the hr34 and 2 hd tuners you will have 7 tuners

you may need a seond hopper to meet your needs

 

[Scherrman]

If you went with the Hopper you should go with two Hopper receivers. I think anyone that gets the Hopper and does a decent amount of recording should automatically get two Hoppers.

 

[ross9]

If you went with the Hopper you should go with two Hopper receivers. I think anyone that gets the Hopper and does a decent amount of recording should automatically get two Hoppers.

Ditto