Directv or dish?

Topic: Directv or dish? (Read 1231 times) previous topic - next topic

Directv or dish?

April 23, 2012, 11:33:16 am

Sorry if reposting but search On this phone not easy. Am wanting to get a satellite receiver installed, HD, not in motion. Any reasons to get one over the other? It does seem Dish will let you connect and pay month by month whereas Direct only twice per year you can turn off. Great weather in Fredericksburg tx, four FTs here. Mike

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #1 – April 23, 2012, 11:48:53 am

Sort of not your question. But someone mentioned they turn on their in-motion when they first pull up to the office. It goes to work, and then they just watch the signal strength meter as they try to find open sky parking. I never thought about how the treed sites can be a total pain for mounted systems, and figured you had to still have a walk out unit sometimes.

We are just happy that FOT found out our antenna head was bad, even with power, and we now get channels over the air. Guess someday we will move onto a dish, till them we do Netfliks when we have a connection.

I am hoping you get some great answers, sure to follow in your steps, as we like to camp places that are not getting good phone and internet service.

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #2 – April 23, 2012, 12:04:33 pm

I have had Dish and Direct. Dish a whole lot easier to deal with if you want occasional service, plus really cheap if you use dish at home (just add reciever to home bill - non HD is $5 per month,

OI like Traveler from wineguard and dish, had in motion and direct, also wineguard and Dish at same time - got rid of in motion (not HD for the one I had) and kept Dish/Wineguard.

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #3 – April 23, 2012, 01:12:35 pm

Mike: I would use what you have at home. I have Direct TV. The bad thing about direct tv is they charge for each receiver every month and /// and they will cut off service to any receiver not on in a 45 day period. Sometimes when I bring my coach out of storage I have to go on line and reactivate the signal for the receiver in the coach. Easy to do but just a pain.
DAN

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #4 – April 23, 2012, 01:31:53 pm

Small but Big point. The Directv normal bird is at 101 degrees, Dish is at 119 degreea.
Does not sound like much, however the 101 is much higher in the sky and much more reliable to get a good signal while traveling.
BTDT
Dave M

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #5 – April 23, 2012, 01:47:30 pm

I am not very happy with Directv. We had been with Directv since 1990 through 2010. Last fall after my spinal surgery we reactivated Directv during my recovery at our house in Oklahoma. We had cancelled it when we went on the road full time the previous year. We already had the Directv dish on the house and a Directv DVR at the house so instead of setting up new Dish Network equipment like we use in the motorhome, we just reactivated Directv with the understanding that it would be month to month service, no contract and no new equipment.

After cancelling the Directv in December, they said they would bill me for a $400 Early Cancellation Fee, EFT. I explained that they didn't supply any new equipment when I reactivated my account and due to the circumstances agreed I could cancel whenever I wished. The agent even contacted a supervisor and they agreed to no EFT. Next month I found they had billed my credit card for the $400 EFT. After several more phone calls they took the EFT off of my credit card. Two months later they started billing me directly and now have started collection calls. My conclusion, DON'T USE DIRECTV.

Dish is super easy to use and to change local channels to wherever we are with only a phone call. Once we finally got set up with Dish, getting setup was difficult, their customer service and technical service has been twice as good as Directv ever was.

I CHOOSE DISH NETWORK, hands down.

By the way, I have a Winegard Carryout portable auto signal dish with Winegard tripod for sale for $500, $800 new last year, if anyone is interested. It is set up for Directv but can converted to Dish at no cost. It is great if trees are blocking your signal. The Carryouts are only SDTV on Directv but HDTV on Dish.

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #6 – April 23, 2012, 02:02:43 pm

We also had serious billing issues with DirecTV. I won't bore you with details but the experience was similar to Kent's. Even their level 2 support was hung up on by their own people during a conference call with us to straighten things out.

Dish has been very RV friendly in the 5 years we've had it, including shipping us a replacement receiver to an RV park (under the optional monthly equipment protection plan). They also have an RV-specific package through Dish For My RV: Mobile, RV, Satellite Dish Systems, Guides, Antennas, Receivers, if you don't need/want Dish at home. We just upgraded our old 311 receiver with the Vip211k that's used for the RV package (we move it from house to RV and back) and thus far we really like it. It has built-in tuner capability for OTA digital signals including a signal strength meter which has proven quite easy to use.

Michelle

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #7 – April 23, 2012, 02:18:50 pm

Dave -

Does that affect you more as you move south or north in the US?

Only trouble I ever had was in Tampa FL with a lock on issue with Dish the first year, subsequent years NP, with no changes...

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #8 – April 23, 2012, 02:30:00 pm

Quote

I am not very happy at all with Directv. We had been with Directv since 1990 through 2010. Last fall after my spinal surgery we reactivated Directv during my recovery at our house in Oklahoma. We had cancelled it when we went on the road full time the previous year. We already had the Directv dish on the house and a Directv DVR at the house so instead of setting up new Dish Network equipment like we use in the motorhome, we just reactivated Directv with the understanding that it would be month to month service, no contract and no new equipment.

After cancelling the Directv in December, they said they would bill me for a $400 Early Cancellation Fee, EFT. I explained that they didn't supply any new equipment when I reactivated my account and due to the circumstances agreed I could cancel whenever I wished. The agent even contacted a supervisor and they agreed to no EFT. Next month I found they had billed my credit card for the $400 EFT. After several more phone calls they took the EFT off of my credit card. Two months later they started billing me directly and now have started collection calls. My conclusion, DON'T USE DIRECTV.

Dish is super easy to use and to change local channels to wherever we are with only a phone call. Once we finally got set up with Dish, getting setup was difficult, their customer service and technical service has been twice as good as Directv ever was.

I'm having a similar problem with DirecTV. I'm sure it will go to collections soon. They'll never get a penny.

best, paul

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #9 – April 23, 2012, 03:17:47 pm

Dish is not above trying to collect money they are not entitled to. I had a big row with them a few years ago and they suddenly started calling my office cell phone trying to collect on a bill they were not entitled to. I may use them again... but probably not.

Craig

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #10 – April 23, 2012, 03:48:34 pm

Tim, I found Dish to be nearly unusable driving on interstate roads if any trees along the road side, where Directv does great until your on a highly forested with leaves on roadway and mostly if headed E & W, N & S are not nearly as affected in general. Many variables to both, but the Directv does much better when mobile due to the bird being so much higher in the sky instead of down low near the horizon.
Been playing this game with the old MCI bus and now with the FT, results the same.
Today, I do not use it at all, now I use the Sirous/XM radio, listen to either Fox or NASCAR.
Cheers
Dave M

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #11 – April 23, 2012, 04:27:41 pm

Yes Direct TV will pursue you for any fees for equipment, early cancellation etc. I had a neighbor who took 2 months to straighten out their Direct TV bill and I am not sure he ever got the credit for the equipment he sent back with their control nr. He received some new equipment which he did not order. He put in his garage. They kept billing him for the equipment which he never ordered. Finally, he got a return authorization and sent it back. They never acknowledged that he received it by mistake. All these large service companies are hard to deal with if you have a problem, yet they spend thousands of dollars pursuing your business. DAN

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #12 – April 23, 2012, 05:46:33 pm

Quote from: Steve & Michelle – April 23, 2012, 02:02:43 pm

We also had serious billing issues with DirecTV. I won't bore you with details but the experience was similar to Kent's. Even their level 2 support was hung up on by their own people during a conference call with us to straighten things out.

Steve/Michelle, this may need to be a new thread.

Here is what I have found out about resolving problems with DirecTV.

The Chairman of the Board for DirecTV is Michael White

He is located at:

2230 East Imperial Highway
El Segundo, CA 90245

The phone number to that office is 310-964-5000.

When I sent a copy of my appeal to DirecTV's dispute address in Colorado, I sent a copy to the Chairman's office. If I do not get a positive reply I will start my telephone campaign on the Chairman's office. I don't believe the board would condone treating long time customers in this manner. I will let everyone know how this program works out for me.

Quote from: Paul Smith – April 23, 2012, 02:30:00 pm

I'm having a similar problem with DirecTV. I'm sure it will go to collections soon. They'll never get a penny.

best, paul

Paul, what they don't realize is that we don't need credit anymore. They have no power over us. I am confident that the Good Guys will prevail.

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #13 – April 23, 2012, 05:48:43 pm

Got it, don't do in motion on Dish, usually only me in bus and can't text , drive and watch tv at same time!

Just kidding everyone...... Zx

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #14 – April 23, 2012, 05:50:02 pm

Sweet! I predict a resolution this week..,

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #15 – April 23, 2012, 11:03:24 pm

After I installed my Winegard DirecTV Trav'ler, I used to carry a separate dish and tripod for use when obstacles blocked the signal. After carrying them around for two years without ever needing them, I gave them away.

We maintain two DirecTV accounts-home and RV, turning each on when we turn the other off. Welll, last December I forgot to turn off the home account, and didn't realize it until March. I had been billed for both for 3 months! One call to DirecTV was all I needed to get a $465 credit.

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #16 – April 24, 2012, 12:59:43 am

Brett's experience is the same as ours... we installed the Winegard DirecTV Trav'ler last April and have never had the need for a separate dish on a tripod. We've been in some areas where we were certain we would be blocked, but the Trav'ler seemingly found the bird right through the trees!

And also like Brett, we have two DirecTV accounts - a new account for the new winter home (four months now!) and one for the coach, which is in suspension until next month when we leave for 5.5 months of travel. When I put the coach account in suspension last December, they suggested I "guesstimate" the date to reactivate, and I've received both an email and a snail-mail postcard reminder of this fast-approaching date. They also explained that I could change this "guesstimated" date easily and without penalty.

One odd side note... when I opened the second account for the winter house, I received a $30/month "new customer" discount for 12 months! Of course, they don't suspend the credit while we're traveling and restart the clock when we return to the winter home, which means the credit will run out at the end of December. But that's still 6 x $30!

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #17 – April 24, 2012, 07:19:54 am

With the Traveler - I have been blocked once in four years - it does seem to see through the trees.

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #18 – April 25, 2012, 08:16:22 pm

I would like to add to the Dish VS DirecTV discussion. Based on the thread, I was not looking forward to contacting DirecTV today.
We winter in Mission, TX where our development offers Dish and a cable modem connection the web, at the approximate price of our DirecTV, For the past 6 winters, we have suspended our DTV service and go with the development's CATV (Dish). We expect to be at Xtreme for 3-6 more days and our DTV expiration ends tomorrow. The DTV rep we spoke to last month said she cannot extend the suspension. However, an up-line supervisor might be able to. So, today I made the call and within a few minutes, and talking with only two DTV people, I was able to continue the suspension for one month. Our DTV service can be restarted by calling them and using their automated system.

Bob
2000 U270

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #19 – April 25, 2012, 08:26:45 pm

Bob, you'll have to change your Avatar soon. Your "New Coach" (full paint job) is looking great.

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #20 – April 25, 2012, 11:23:52 pm

Update: I got program information on my first call to directv. I can suspend twice in year for a total of six months and no fee whatsoever unless I have a second receiver.

After three days and five calls to Dish I got real help. I can discontinue service with them month-by-month and no fees. Or for lower cost I can sign a contract and get essentially
the same six month suspension program as with Directv.

From technology standpoint, I gather from replies in this thread that the Directv may be a little better due to satellite elevation.

Directv did talk about that as I travel the four major networks would stay with me (east coast). I need to revisit that aspect. Would one provider be better as we travel as they would access local news on the four major networks.

Thanks to all for your reports.

Mike

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #21 – April 26, 2012, 09:19:31 am

We have had DirecTV from the outset. We have always had the "Traveler" package that is tailored to RV use, as we had a different setup in our Stick built home. When we joined DirecTV, I opted for the East/West package, which gave me feeds from both New York and Los Angeles for the major channels (ABC,NBC, CBS, Fox, etc). Later, DirecTV discontinued that option, and you had to pay a fee to be "grandfathered" in and keep it, otherwise you had to choose just one ... east or west. I have kept both (because I am like that) but I will tell you that your "local" news that you are used to seeing in Nacogdoches will only be available to you when you are actually in that home area. Otherwise, you will be getting either the NY or LA feed that you have chosen, along with their weather and traffic reports. I can tell you what the rush hour in downtown NYC is doing, but not Philadelphia, which was my "home" area ... unless I am actually sitting in SE Pennsylvania.

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #22 – April 26, 2012, 09:22:18 am

Ok, after reading all of this, here's my take.

We have Directv and really love it. We had dish in the past and when we bought the FT, we switched everything to Directv, house included. We pay one monthly fee for the service and use it everywhere. We do have one receiver in the coach that stays in the coach and we pay a small monthly fee ($5-10) a month for it. It is not a DVR but we could have one in the coach.

When we are traveling we only get local (ABC,NBC,CBS Austin area) within a 200 mile radius, but if we want those stations outside of our range, we use our antenna for HD locals.

Yes, the signal needs to be sent to the receiver in the coach if it has not been on in 45 days but that can be done over the phone or via the internet. It's a simple process.

Customer service with them from our perspective has been great. And we feel that the picture quality is better than DISH. Also, we only have to "Learn" one guide as it's the same as in the house!.

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #23 – April 26, 2012, 09:53:34 am

I have not heard it mentioned but if you can receive a Dish Network signal, which I have always been able to, you can get HDTV. With Directv you may only be able to receive Standard Definition TV unless you have a coach dish 2006 or later or a Winegard Traveler dish.

The Winegard Carryout will only give you SDTV on the Directv network.

Being able to get local tv Weather with Dish wherever we are is particularly important when dangerous weather is around.

Re: Directv or dish?

Reply #24 – April 26, 2012, 09:55:41 am

I've mentioned this before, so pardon the redundancy, but Direct TV has a special telephone-number for RV owners; 800-769-4635. Not too well-known for some reason, but we've [generally] had great support turning service on-and-off - even partial months, etc.

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