Considering Digital Home Plan

[rad]

It doesn't really matter to me. I want something for cheap that I can rent. Dish will let me rent the equipment with a 49.99 charge. DirecTV wants 299.00 to purchase the friggin box. I already have Voom, so I'm not trying to make a huge investment so another company can give me one additional HD channel.

Myself and another poster mentioned that DirecTV will sometimes upgrade people to HD for $99, which includes a STB and the phase III dish. We haven't seen you mention if you called the retention department as mentioned in the thread I supplied in the link in my earlier post. Just wanting to make sure that you've checked since you might be in for a unpleasent surprise moving from D* to E* for the 811.

 

[JohnDoe#2]

...do you have numbers that prove your statement that 'most 811 users are getting along with them just fine'?

Exactly 60 clients, either new subs or existing subscriber upgrades, with DISH 811s installed (up to this moment) plus my showroom unit which is on constantly.

Exactly 1 DISH811 was exchanged due to complete failure (no "turn on" after ~2 months service.) Coincidently, the same customer reported loss of OTA reception today so his replacement may also be exchanged if a hard reboot doesn't solve the problem (...still waiting to hear). And this particular customer (an executive with FOX TV) isn't stressed out about it either.

A few early 811 clients have called for tech support after "freeze-ups" or EPG download recycles. No complaints after power reset instructions.

So, in my experience, <1% failure, >99% 811 users "getting along."

Maybe, just maybe, the folks who have all the time to repeatedly post their complaints & put-downs in the various dbs forums on an hourly basis aren't typical of the millions of satellite subscribers with real jobs, real lives and the ability to enjoy TV on a daily basis without melting down if they experience an occasional glitch with their equipment.

 

[cameron119]

So all I have to do is order and schedule an install for the 811 and 522 for 49.99? Then the 49.99 is applied to my 1st bill? That's hard to beat.

 

[cameron119]

What are some good sites from which to order the DHA?

 

[AndyMon]

What are some good sites from which to order the DHA?

Try clicking on the little ad for Dishstore.net at the top right corner of this page.

 

[cameron119]

Try clicking on the little ad for Dishstore.net at the top right corner of this page.

Curious:

By clicking on the Submit Order button, you are certifying that you agree to our Terms and Conditions. Within 24 hours a Dish installation professional will call to schedule an installation and confirm your programming options. The cost of this service is $39.99.

Does that mean just having them place the order will cost me an additional 39.99 on top of the 49 activation fee?

 

[snathanb]

I used getdish.com. I spoke with them several times and they were great. No retailer contract period, only the standard activation fee that was rebated when I started up.

 

[snathanb]

Myself and another poster mentioned that DirecTV will sometimes upgrade people to HD for $99, which includes a STB and the phase III dish. We haven't seen you mention if you called the retention department as mentioned in the thread I supplied in the link in my earlier post. Just wanting to make sure that you've checked since you might be in for a unpleasent surprise moving from D* to E* for the 811.

They offered several times to upgrade me for a "net" of $99, but it involved them charging something like $450 to my credit card, then receiving monthly programming credits, for a year, to net out at $99. I know some reported they were able to get the $450 charged to their d* account, but I couldn't, even talking to several different retention reps over a period of a month. That's after being a 9 year credit card autopay subscriber, never missing a payment, and ording NFL and NBA packages in each of those 9 years.

It also involved committing to a year of D* service. I didn't want to do that, particulary since I was keeping a close eye on what voom was doing (still am)

Switching to E*, I got it for free (other than the $49 activation that was credited back the first month), and did not have to commit to anything.

 

[mini1]

It doesn't really matter to me. I want something for cheap that I can rent. Dish will let me rent the equipment with a 49.99 charge. DirecTV wants 299.00 to purchase the friggin box. I already have Voom, so I'm not trying to make a huge investment so another company can give me one additional HD channel.

but lets see, how many times are you going to pay for the 811? just like with cable, a rental makes you pay for something over and over. with the 49.99 fee you have already half purchased a DirecTV HD receiver for $99. then you own it, you can sell it, you can modify it. something you can't do on a rental.

 

[AndyMon]

Curious:

By clicking on the Submit Order button, you are certifying that you agree to our Terms and Conditions. Within 24 hours a Dish installation professional will call to schedule an installation and confirm your programming options. The cost of this service is $39.99.

Does that mean just having them place the order will cost me an additional 39.99 on top of the 49 activation fee?

No, I don't believe so. I think they offer the usual $49 deal for $39.
Give 'em a call and find out for sure!

BTW, you'd think some of the guys on this board get a referral fee for steering people away from E*. Take what they have to say with a shaker of salt. They're like prosletyzing evangelists, definitely a turn off for me when I see people do nothing but bash a particular provider even when it has nothing to do with the original question. It gets old after a while and their rabid, hateful agenda is all too obvious and weakens any good points that they have to make. Sheesh.

 

[bigthrust]

The number of people who post in these forums, or any internet-based forum, are but a small percentage of "users" of any equipment.

Remember, "no news is good news". People don't post stories too often about their GOOD experiences with products.

I agree. I'm a happy user. Yes...I had to tweak my entire set-up to get the right picture settings, but after that was done, I have had no problems. Some people complain simply because they think they have a problem, but what the real problem is that they do not know what they are doing.

 

[bigthrust]

but lets see, how many times are you going to pay for the 811? just like with cable, a rental makes you pay for something over and over. with the 49.99 fee you have already half purchased a DirecTV HD receiver for $99. then you own it, you can sell it, you can modify it. something you can't do on a rental.

Yeah...when it breaks YOU pay for it! Somethimes ownership is not ones best option.

 

[GaryPen]

Some people complain simply because they think they have a problem, but what the real problem is that they do not know what they are doing.

I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, when it comes to audio and video setup and operation, I know what I'm doing. There are definite and numerous problems with the 811...period. That is a fact.

IMO, people that think they have no problems with the 811, either do not know enough to recognize them if they bit them on the ass, or are blinded by brand loyalty.

 

[bigthrust]

I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, when it comes to audio and video setup and operation, I know what I'm doing. There are definite and numerous problems with the 811...period. That is a fact.

IMO, people that think they have no problems with the 811, either do not know enough to recognize them if they bit them on the ass, or are blinded by brand loyalty.

GaryPen, that may true with your 811; but with my 811 (aside from a b-weekly reset) all is working well. So when you refer to 811 as a whole, you may want to consider those of us that are enjoying our problem free 811 devices. Oh, and I too can say without a shadow of a doubt, when it comes to audio and video setup and operation, I know what I am doing.