Getting first DirecTV system...need some help!!

[klee]

Ok....so here is the deal...

I am moving from a condo in Laughlin Nevada (Cable) to a house in Mohave Arizona (about 20 min. away) as of Aug. 16......

I am renting the house from a lady that works with my wife....the current tenents are moving out but they already have DirecTV wired at the house with the Dish already on the roof....

All I have to do, apparently, is get the recievers and pay for the DirecTV services....

I was wondering if there were any good deals going on right now for first time DirecTV users....

I am leaning towards leasing 2 non-HD recievers (only want service on 2 TVs) should I just call DirecTV's 800 number directly or are there any good leasing deals on the net??

I suppose I could buy the recievers but I am afraid I may not quality for all the cool free deals because my credit is only so-so.......I would prefer not to put down a huge deposit and I assume only people with good credit can do so...is this a fair assumption?

Thank you

Kelly

 

[slacker9876]

You can see DirecTV's current offers here, leasing is NOT one of those options but you can get the equipment for free. The best bet if you're a football fan will be to go to a retailer like Circuit City or Best Buy and get the Sunday Ticket Offer, which you can also order on the Internet.

I do not know what the credit check entails but I am sure a minimal score is required.

 

[DTV TiVo Dealer]

Kelly,

Most dealers offer the receiver for free and since you have the dish a n cables already run you should be able to get a installation credit as well.

DIRECTV is fairly easy with credit approval and if you don't pass the credit scoring test the most DIRECTV will ask for is a $50. payment toward your first months bill and keep a major credit card or debit card with a MC or Visa logo on file to pay your monthly charges automaticly each month. No deposit will be required.

 

[klee]

Thank you very much

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

BTW if you need DirecTV equipment, I highly recommend http://www.valueelectronics.com

 

[klee]

OK so I went to my local DirecTV dealer and got turned down because my credit wasn't good enough

So now I have to buy the equipment myself and get them to activate it....they said that circuit city has sales on recievers for about $40 sometimes...

There is already a dish on the roof and it is all wired up...all I need is 2 recievers with cards in them....once I do that, I just give them the serial # and they will start the service

So where would the best place to get recievers with cards with them...I am just looking for basic recievers for a good price....I am not opposed to used items so would Ebay be a good option??

Which basic reciever brand/model number would be a good one to get??

Thank you

 

[Mr Tony]

So where would the best place to get recievers with cards with them...I am just looking for basic recievers for a good price....I am not opposed to used items so would Ebay be a good option??

Ebay won't activate a used receiver on a new account. You would already have to be a customer.

 

[klee]

Well, the DirecTV place said that I just needed to get the reciever and cards myself and then give them the all the serial #s and they would start my service....

They even said that I might be able to pick up a used reciever at a garage sale or pawn shop, but if I can get a 2 new recievers+2 cards for under $100 I would be happy...

BTW, I was searching around yahoo shopping and I was wondering what the differencese are between these 3 models??


RCA DRD435RH

RCA DRD455RH

RCA DRD485RH

Would any one of these models be a good choice???

I am looking for good reliable SDTV reciever with the least amount of reliablity problems (software/hardware bugs?).....there are tons of SD direcTV recievers out there from lots and lost of manufacturers, but I do not know which one are the most trouble-free and are the ones to look out for, value-wise....

I hope you guys can help me in this area?

 

[slacker9876]

Personally I do not like the RCA boxes ... but that is an opinion, not a statement of their functionality.

Did you try with D* directly? Seems odd as I know they do not require much in the way of credit. I got D* 2 months after I filed (discharged) bankruptcy. Heck my brother is a sub ... if they'll take him I would think they would let a homeless guy onboard.

VE.com ... you got anything to say about this? Can you help this guy out?

Scott ... spell check is broken ... said to let my admin know

 

[walkerjs]

Well, you could do what I did. I bought my DirecTV dish/3 receivers/cards as a package from Best Buy for $150, installed them, and called DirecTV to activate them. Once I had the dish mounted and lined up, the receivers wired/grounded, and everything in place it was but a 15 minute call that they started the service. That was for a three room thing, but I needed three rooms so I was willing to pay the $150 to make that happen. They might have fewer rooms for fewer $$$'s. It might sound redundant to get another dish, but you might want to consider an updated dish depending on what vintage the existing dish, uh, is. Of course my boss seems to be working just fine with his single LNB round dish with two connections coming out; presumably to two receivers but hey whatever works! I, like you, just wanted to get something that would give me the ability to subscribe to D* with little hassle.

 

[CablerMN]

If your local dealer turned you down .. it was via his credit check not DirecTVs. D* will not tell the dealer or installer the result of your credit check before your ready to activate unless something has changed over the past few days. Many dealers will run a self-initiated credit check and use that info to gage whether you will fulfill your one year agreement - and if they will be risking a chargeback.

It appears that if you are a site sponsor, its ok to advertise in the forum posts, so might as well call ValueElectronics and get signed up. You will more then likely be asked to prepay 50.00 to D* at time of activation via CC or check by phone - so don't let that you surprise you.

 

[klee]

Ok here is what I did last week:

I went to direcTVs site here:

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/NewHardwareHome.do

and I clicked on free 2room system....I am looking to get DirecTV service in my living room and the bedroom...

It then directed me to a page that looked just like the first page except it had this:

You live in an area where DIRECTV® service is provided by a local provider. To obtain their name and contact information and receive information on purchasing equipment, please click on http://www.localprovider.org. If you are a current DIRECTV subscriber, you can also call the customer service phone number on your DIRECTV programming bill.


Went to www.localprovider.org.... entered my zip code (86440) and it gave me this:


Search Result

Based on your ZIP code, 86440, your local DIRECTV provider is:

Mohave Cooperative Services, Inc.
2250 Hwy. 95, Suite 426
Bullhead City, AZ 86442
800-210-9190

Please contact the provider directly for information about programming, equipment, installation, or customer service.


So I went to Mohave Cooperative Services last week to see about perhaps leasing the 2 recievers but they say that I can only buy them.....they then do a credit check on me and they say I do not qualify for the 2 free room system and I have to:

1-buy the recievers and cards myself

2-contact them with the ID #s of both recievers and cards

Only then will I be able to get DirecTV service, according to them....

I do not mind doing this at all, but I would like to find 2 dependable recievers that don't cost an arm and a leg....

Another thing I am curious about is do I classify for new or exsisting DirecTV deals.....I never had DirecTV before but the house I am moving into *does* have a DirecTV dish and wiring....

Personally I do not like the RCA boxes ... but that is an opinion, not a statement of their functionality.

I am very curious to hear any feedback concerning recievers because I was thinking about just getting RCA recievers since those are the ones I have seen before....

Any better products for the same/similar prices???

 

[klee]

I now notice that there is more than one kind of dish used with DirecTV..a 18" dish and a 18"x20" dish...

What are the pros and cons of these dishes....

If, for example, I get a packedge with the 18"x20" but there is a "18 on the roof...would I just have to remove the old one and put the new one in its place, or is it more involved than that (wiring, satellite alignment?)

Also, what is the story with Value Electronics.....is this a good place to goto?

 

[slacker9876]

I now notice that there is more than one kind of dish used with DirecTV..a 18" dish and a 18"x20" dish...

What are the pros and cons of these dishes....

If, for example, I get a packedge with the 18"x20" but there is a "18 on the roof...would I just have to remove the old one and put the new one in its place, or is it more involved than that (wiring, satellite alignment?)

Also, what is the story with Value Electronics.....is this a good place to goto?

If you have the cash free right now I would get the 18x24, it has a built in multi-switch and the SAT "C" LNB

You could do what the other guy did (BB or CC) ... then do a self install or call VE and still self-install. While I do not have any personal experience with Valueelectronics .... you can note they are a banner sponsor of this site and I have not seen any complaints about there here. DTV TiVo Dealer ... he posted in this thread, is the guy who owns it (I am pretty sure).

Also a self-install is not so bad, if you feel you can do it (and have the tools or a buddy with them) odds are you can do it. My first one took about 2 hours ... subsequent ones (moving) less than an hour and my last one ... I pointed the dish based upon a neighbor and had a 68-level signal ... shooting blind, needless to say I still have to tweek it.

 

[Seawaves]

DirecTV sucks, run away now! Get Voom it's soooooooo much better! LMAO. J.K.

Get the Sunday Ticket Package if you like football, it is a great deal right now.

You may just want to go to the DTV web site and get it all for free from them. Good luck.

 

[Neutron]

Have you tried to qualify from Directv directly?

Call 1-800-Directv and see what they tell you.

 

[ckudrna]

Why not go to BB and get the two room package. You will get two Philips DSX 5500 boxes as well as the 3 lnb Dish.

You can leave the dish in the garage, leave it at best buy, sell it on Ebay, or throw it into a river, who cares, the point you will get the two recievers you need.

Here is the good part,

BB has a $50 rebate for one room, $100 for two rooms, and $150 for three rooms. If you buy the two rooms (which is $99.99 for two recievers as well as dish) you will get the rebate for $100 and you end up paying about $8 in tax.

If you were so inclined you could put the new dish on the house if it does not have the 3LNB dish up already and toss out the old one.

They will require a 1 year comittment to service as well as box activation within 30 days if you purchase from them.

You end up getting free equipment and you dont have to wait around for it like you do if you order online.

 

[klee]

I have an update

First of all, I would like to thank all who have participated in this thread....I am a total n00b to this stuff and your feedback is very helpfull....

I have to update you with some news that changes things....I will appologize in advance for the unintended misinformation on my situation...

So yesterday, I am enrolling my 9-yr. old girl into Mohave Valley elementary and I drive by the place again to check it out.....I look on the roof and nowhere do I see a dish of any kind

So I contact my landlord(who just bought the place and signed escrow papers recently) and it turns out the previous tenent (old lady) had digital cable and not a DBS system

My landlord is not really knowlegable about this stuff so he didn't catch the lack of a dish on the roof either

At any rate, this means I am open to any new DBS system, not just direcTV....

I went over to a local Dish Network dealer and it seems that Dish Network is a few dollars cheaper than DirecTV, plus I have the option to lease the equipment (unlike DirecTV)....they have this deal where you can get a dual-tuner reciever(dish 522 or 322) and watch 2 diffrent channels on 2 tvs (I only need a 2 room system anyway)....you don't even need a 2nd box in the 2nd room because you can control the 2nd station via an RF remote that can communicate with the Dish 522/322 reciever through walls!!!

They are running a deal where you get 180 channels+locals w/all the equipment and free install...they charge $50 on my visa card when it is installed and they reimburse it on my first bill....

So, to make a long story short (too late) is there a good reason why I should go with the (slightly)more expensive DirecTV instead of this deal??

Again here are my needs:

DBS system

2 TVs in 2 rooms

Standard Def TVs (no HD in the near term)

Independent viewing of different TV stations in each room

I want to have the max TV channels but I don't want/need any movie channels (HBO, Cinemax, ect.)

I like sports, but not enough to pay hundreds of dollars a year for NFL prime ticket...and DVR recording, while nice, is not necessary...

With this is mind, and with all thing being equal, which is better, DirecTV or Dish Network?