Laid off , need to save money and downgrade .

[hd28vsb]

I need some advice , I have been a Directv subscriber for 7 or 8 years and have the Total Choice Plus package. I need to watch my budget closer now since I am unemployed but would still like to have some satellite tv.
I was comparing the Directv Family vs. Dish Family package. To me Dish Family has Directv Family beat on programming and cost . I understand that if I switch to Dish I will be locked into a contract . Will Directv negoitate prices any if I tell them I want to drop them ?
Any suggestions on what I should do ?

Thanks

 

[djmeaney]

I switched to Dish from Direct about 3 months ago. You can avoid getting into a contract if you are willing to pay the $99 installation -- otherwise its a 2-year contract. (I know paying the $99 would probably eat many months of potential savings but its an option).

Before leaving Direct we did go down to the Family plan. It wasn't that bad. I missed not having our regional sports network (NESN for the Red Sox) and wife missed the Lifetime and Lifetime Movie channels.

I hope you're back to work soon.

Dan

 

[wh5916]

I need some advice , I have been a Directv subscriber for 7 or 8 years and have the Total Choice Plus package. I need to watch my budget closer now since I am unemployed but would still like to have some satellite tv.
I was comparing the Directv Family vs. Dish Family package. To me Dish Family has Directv Family beat on programming and cost . I understand that if I switch to Dish I will be locked into a contract . Will Directv negoitate prices any if I tell them I want to drop them ?
Any suggestions on what I should do ?

Thanks

I'd be very surprised if DirecTV offered no type of temporary inducement to get you to stay. Dish Family is the better and less expensive of the lowest priced packages that each service offers, but call Direct to see what they might do.

I switched from Direct to Dish because of rising prices a couple of years back, and there hasn't been a month in recent memory when I haven't received a "Come Back to DirecTV" mailing. Typical inducements have included the Choice package for $29.95 a month for one year, along with new equipment and free installation. I don't know why they wouldn't be wiling to extend a similar package discount to keep a current customer. Give them a call...it can't hurt.

 

[boba]

Directv dosen't seem to realize there is a recession going on. Instead of redoing contracts with programmers so they can offer a low price package they just keep increasing the cost of their packages.

 

[mitchflorida]

I would switch to dish for only $9.99 for the first six months, plus free HBO, Starz, and Cinemax for 3 months. If you get a referral, I think there is a rebate of some kind as well.

 

[satjay]

If you overall are happy with Directv, maybe you can look into suspending your account for a few months untill things get better?? Or as recommended on one of the posts contact them and see what they can do

 

[jcrandall]

Call and ask if they can do anything for you. Perhaps you can get a promo rate or drop to family and get something with it or something. Tell them your situation and that you're considering Dish and see what they can offer before you switch.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

I'd be very surprised if DirecTV offered no type of temporary inducement to get you to stay.
.

Get ready to be surprised. They are buckling down hard now. They are only Giving 1 Bill extention for every six months now, and if your service gets interupted from non payment you Must pay the FULL amount Due on the Account instead of Just the Past Due Balance, before D* will flipp the switch back on. Times are tough.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

This might also be a route if your thinking of getting Dishnetwork.
Dish Network Programming 9.99 & up

 

[Rey]

This might also be a route if your thinking of getting Dishnetwork.
Dish Network Programming 9.99 & up

hey those are pretty good :up

 

[Hemi 6.1]

hey those are pretty good :up

I would take the $14.99 pack over Either D* or E* family packs. I could live with this line up if I had too.

 

[gadgtfreek]

$11/mo and a buying a tivo for OTA is real cheap

 

[Jhon69]

hey those are pretty good :up

Yea $9.99 and three of the channels are shopping channels that pay to be on satellite anyways.So I guess that's double dipping,they pay,you pay.

 

[dishrich]

I have been a Directv subscriber for 7 or 8 years and have the Total Choice Plus package.

FYI - do keep in mind that TC is a grandfathered pkg, & that once you get rid of it, you can't get it back. The pkg that replaced it, Choice, has about a dozen FEWER channels in it than TC has, so just some food for thought before you pull the trigger.
I'd try calling & getting some sort of discount before I chucked your existing pkg.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Yea $9.99 and three of the channels are shopping channels that pay to be on satellite anyways.So I guess that's double dipping,they pay,you pay.

Yea How many shopping channel are in D* family pack. Way more then 3 I bet. And the rest are Cartoon and Church channels.

 

[bgothard72]

I called CS because I had to downgrade to the Family Package as well. After talking to 3 different CSR's and getting no where with them about my hours being cut and that I had been with them since 2004 and was never late on a bill, begging them to give me some help because the Family Package sucks, I had to threaten to cancel. They transfered me to the Retention dept and the only thing they offered me was to cancel and pay $20 a month for 9 months to get out of my contract, or go back to my original package with $10.00 off. NOT a big saving!

 

[D700]

I was thinking the same thing. Why dont you call Dtv and tell them.

They gave me free starz and showtime for 6 months along with free HD access and the HD package.

 

[Mike500]

I'd buy a Dish 322 and install it myself. Then, I get the Family Package. You'll have two outlets, if you have a phone line connected.

Don't know which dish you have with DirecTV. But, you can use the DirecTV 18 inch dish with a dual lnb to get only 119. Correct me, if I'm wrong, but you can get everything on the Family Pack on 119.

Also, ditch the locals on Dish and get a cheap OTA antenna.

The secret to survival is no long term commitment.

Further down, get a prepaid Dish Network system, self install and use prepaid cards. If you don't have funds, it's only OTA for that time period.

 

[clayface1000]

I suggest looking at Directv's little known, Preferred Choice package. It runs $3.00/month more than Family, but gives you many more popularly viewed channels like ESPN (1 & 2), CNN, TNT, TBS, etc. Only catch is, being an international programming offering, you must subscribe to SOME kind of foreign language service. The cheapest is a Filipino music channel that costs $5.00/month. You'll be asked to upgrade your dish, but you can decline it unless you actually want this channel. So the bottom line is $8.00 more per month for a vastly superior package to Family at far less than Total Choice.

 

[Mike500]

The most important thing is that you want to be able Cut and Run, at will.

You need to go to the public libary and check out two very informative books on money management by Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren.

The Two Income Trap and All Your Worth.

This is the time that you do not want to commit to any contuous and long term contracts.