Direct TV

[FishaHallic]

Now I have had Direct TV for a couple of years and I do like there service and the quality of the picture and what not.  I do however have 2 big problems with Direct TV, one is that they will start billing you for services you did not know you were paying for.  I signed up 2 yrs ago and got the NFL package for free as part of a deal to sign up.  That was fine I watched it a little but it was free so I was not worried about it.  Part of this is my fault but evidently when you sign up and get the free football package they automatically enroll you the next year and start billing you for it in the fall.  Well my wife never and I mean never looks at the bills she just pays them  .  So after the second year football season is almost over I look at the bill and see they are charging us like $40 a month more for the Football package.  I called Direct Tv and begged, pleaded and cussed and the best I could do was get 1/2 my money back for the package and I never watched a game because I did not even know I had it.

They also started charging for 3 high def channels that were free, so I called and complained about that and she said that was new and she would give me a free 3 month trial period which was fine, I really did not even watch those channels much.  Low and behold after 3 months they just start billing me again for those channels and I did not even ask for them.  Always check your Direct TV bill line by line or else you will be taken.

The other problem I have is when I went to cancel my service because I was moving back to Florida they would not let me out of my contract?  I am like I had a 2 yr contract when I signed up so my contract should be up but NOOOO.  Evidently when I called to upgrade a receiver they upped my contract another 2 yrs and never told me.  Now they want me to pay like $300 to get out of contract which I said NO WAY.  So I did so internet searches for how to get out of contract and found some help.  Now, I won't say what I had to do to get of the stupid contract but it was out of desperation that I did it.  If they did not rip me on half a football package and start billing me for stuff I never wanted I would not have gone down that road.

Anyway before you do get direct tv I would check some internet sites to see some of the problems people are having with them because there are a lot of problems.

Good luck

[digginfool]

See?  You try long enough and you'll eventually post something I agree with.     I had DirecTV in my motorhome and you are right on the money; they are thieves.  Over the five years I had it, they ramped up the rate every single year while at the same time, dropped their rates in their advertisements.  When I finally cancelled the service (kids never watched tv anyway; they were either outside, watching a DVD or hanging on the back of my seat asking if we were there yet), they dropped the rate to less than half of what I was currently being charged.  I told them to go jam sand.  If they could drop their rate that much to keep me, they should have dropped it (or at least kept it level) while they had me.  The other thing I don't agree with is the charge for each additional outlet.  Cable and telecom operators were outlawed from doing that years ago.  Why isn't Congress raising hell about satellite providers doing the same thing?  No, you can keep the satellite service.  Between rain, leaf, mountain and bridge fade, the product sucks (at least for mobile applications).

[AintSkeered]

The bounty those pirates get from you trickles-down to create jobs, doesn't it? And, don't forget that your friends/family would need an awfully long cable to leech off of your cable subscription(for only $4.95/mo.). You'd also need a very long cable for mobile/camping/River Ranch applications. If you simply use an antenna, you can't get continuous Fox News. We won't mention the fact that literally millions of people were pirating DirecTV during it's first several years of operation. They're still pirating Dish Network and you can still get Free-To-Air satellite service, too.

[FishaHallic]

We won't mention the fact that literally millions of people were pirating DirecTV during it's first several years of operation.

In a little over a week I will be back in Clearwater and I can't wait to get back to Brighthouse cable.  I wish I could say I don't watch much tv like Diggin but I can't I have to have my Fox ne.................MSNBC  .

[FishaHallic]

This is unbelievable, I just got my bill and they are charging me AGAIN for the football package.  After the last time she swore up and down that they had it marked in my info NOT to start anything on my account and the asses do it again.

STAY AWAY FROM DIRECT TV, but if you must have them, WATCH YOUR BILL LIKE A HAWK!!!!!!!

[Young Gun]

DirecTV has awesome features, but they definitely do fishy things. They will call you every once in awhile offering something such as three popular channels in HD for free for the first 3months. Little do you know that you will be charged in advance for the 3months after those free ones during that time lol.

[FishaHallic]

If you take them up on the offers it will extend your contract another 2 yrs from that date, that's how they keep you from leaving.  I really like the service but the underhanded billing issues is on the edge of being a scam in my book, if you have a good service there is no need to do the things they do.

[Shotgun]

They only thing they have going for them is NFL ticket. Can't get it anywhere else. It's the only reason I have them. Of course cable and dish are just as bad.

[Really Sorry]

I've heard the same thing from many others aside form here. I found that being persisant on the phone with them goes a long way also.

[250rsith]

Used to have direct tv, you guys are lucky getting a hold on them for any kind of service. I spent month and a half withpout service when I moved, because we were trying to get a hold on them to let them know we moved, but, ja no luck at all, we had to go to one of their reps at a shopping mall making believe we wanted new service just to talk to them & let them know we moved so they could send a tech so we could get the service. But yeah, I agree they have a good coverage but the service SUCKS

[AintSkeered]

I don't like the 2-year commitment for any products, including DTV, Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, etc. Especially, when DTV is also charging you $5/mo. lease on the receivers! I don't know what # you're calling, but, DTV sent me a card with their number on it. I've never had trouble getting issues resolved via telephone with DTV. In fact, it takes me only a few minutes and no waiting. Saturday, I called them when I relocated an HD receiver from one room to another and some channels wouldn't come in. They quickly diagnosed I'd forgotten to re-install the B band filter, duh! Right now, DTV's offering me free HD receivers and/or $99 HD DVRs with free installation, so I'll have them on every TV. You can take your DTV camping with you or to your summer home, you can watch NFL Ticket live on your iphone(beach, park, etc.) and you can hook up your son's apartment(just don't hook the phone line to any receiver which is not at your primary residence). Bye the way, have you seen the commercial where U-Verse claims you can record up-to 4 shows simultaneously? Well, your family will only be able to watch 1 of them at a time. If they're recording or watching a U-Verse DVR recorded movie, household internet service will be slowed down(since it's all traveling on 1 phone line). Maybe they'll compress the signals down the road? It's advertsing spin, just like those Verizon 3G coverage ads, claiming greater 3G coverage. They don't tell you that your Verizon phone won't work at all in the white areas of the map/country, where AT&Ts phone will still work(but just not in 3G).

[greenmachine]

ALL satellite tv in Florida SUCKS. If it rains hard you lose TV. This is Florida, I remember a few years ago I missed half the national championship game because of rain and Direct TV. They SUCK and I would never buy their service again no matter what.

[AintSkeered]

National Championship Game not on local TV(antenna) in your neck of the woods? Hook a cheap antenna  to your receivers and simply watch channel 4-1 vs. 4, for example. The newest HD 5lnb dishes are better(not perfect) than the original round Standard Definition dishes.