Battle of TV Providers over Free HD for Life

[RadioMan203]

Up until a few days ago I had been a subscriber of DirecTV for the past 6 years. With all the hoopla regarding various providers offering "Free HD for Life" I made my query with DirecTV's customer service.

The first email response was a mostly propaganda-filled email proclaiming the shortcomings of their satellite competitor, Dish Network. Of course, this did nothing to answer my question so I once again placed an email inquiry. I received a phone call from one of the customer service drones where they said the best they could do was offer a $10 per month credit for 12 months. Well, even a eight year old can figure out that 12 months does not equal free HD for life.

I did a little investigation online and discovered the email address of DirecTV's Vice President for Customer Care. I was then treated to a call with another customer service drone and they offered the $10 per month credit for 24 month. Again, the math geniuses at DirecTV could not comprehend that 24 months does not equal free HD for life.

Last weekend I called the company that does my contract antenna and satellite work to install some gear for an alternate provider. A couple of days ago I called to cancel my DirecTV service after 6 years. The woman could not understand why I wanted to cancel. I explained that when you treat long time customers like dirt that they give them little reason to stay. She inquired to which provider I went to. I declined to offer that information as if they weren't interested in providing on-par offerings with their new customers they had no need to know to which provider I decided to move to. She also voiced that she hoped I would consider being a returning customer in the future, which I told her it would be a snowball's chance in hell that I would ever give them my money.

Now my question is, does anybody else vote with their wallet when it comes to their television provider? Why would one consider being raped by these companies instead of exercising their freedom of choice?

 

[philosofy]

And in order to get the "HD for free" promo from Directv you have to agree to have them auto-bill you as well. No thanks. I refuse to give any company direct access to my bank account or credit card.

 

[landtuna]

I dumped DirecTV early last year after 3-4 years. Their service wasn't the issue and I wasn't interested in HDTV over the pizza pan (since it really isn't HD at all). It was simply that I watched so few services but could not select them ala carte. My $70/month bought about five services which was too much on a per-channel basis.

Do I miss some of the services? Yes, but I've found alternate ways to watch some of them so it's not cold turkey.

BTW, direct-billing to a credit card is almost foolproof as you can review and dispute any incorrect billing easily and you are protected against fraudulent activity as if the card was being used in the normal way. I would not recommend anyone provide direct billing to a checking or saving account or using a debit card for this service however.

 

[RadioMan203]

You bring up a great point which I thought very little about. If you look at the channels you actually watch and divide the monthly cost into it you wind up paying a ridiculous cost per channel. Most of the channels on these services are either duplicates or junk (and I'm not a sports fan so a bunch of sports channels does little for me).

I've been able to fill the gap with a variety of less expensive options between free-to-air satellite, internet, etc so I won't miss the $70/month bill from DirecTV. The silly thing is if they waived the $10 fee permanently I would have probably still kept their service in spite of not being a great value for my household. In all reality, they did me a favor as I would never go back to them again. Believe it or not, while Dish Network and even (gasp!) Comcast have a "C" rating from the Better Business Bureau, DirecTV has a big fat deplorable "F" rating.

I'm waiting to see if I get the credit that was on my bill or if they will somehow magically make it disappear.

 

[KML0224]

I currently pay Comcast $19.70 a month (after taxes) for my limited basic cable, which is just the locals in HD, TBS and QVC in HD, the so-called P.E.G. access channels (public/educational/government) and a couple of others including NECN (New England Cable News). Oddly enough, I haven't had to give Comcast one red cent in 2010 so far. They were charging me at my expanded basic rate, which was fine, since I was still getting USA, CNN, ESPN, YES (Yankees/Nets) and the others. Several months later on a given Tuesday morning, I was cut down to just the above service with no real notice. I was about to call and complain, but then I got my next bill. It read "CR - $XXX.XX", meaning they suddenly owed me money.

In the end, the limited choices and the internet really changed my viewing habits. In fact, I didn't even have my HDTV or DVD recorder plugged in for a few weeks! I ended that last night so I could watch some of the NFL game on NBC. I'll plug it in back on Sunday to flip between the NFL on FOX and CBS. Why waste the electricity when I know it'll only be on a couple times a week now? (The only network shows I bother with now are Family Guy and Saturday Night Live, depending on who's hosting the show.)

 

[RadioMan203]

It sounds like Comcast at least owned up to the discrepancy and credited you. That gives me some confidence that perhaps I may consider them in the future. Comcast in my area took over a very mismanaged Tele-Media franchise and the equipment and service were sub-par when compared to other Comcast franchises as well as Charter and Cablevision systems in neighboring communities.

I would be interested in knowing if cable systems price HD as part of their package offerings or if they try to screw their subscribers like DirecTV.

As I predicted, DirecTV is attempting to rip me off. My account had a $28 and some change credit that was due me and they decided to credit me a whopping $2.15. Hello? These guys take the cake! I am ready to file complaints with the state Attorney General, the better Business Bureau and anywhere else that can make their life miserable. It makes me glad I dumped them with their questionable business practices.

No wonder the BBB rates them an F.

 

[KML0224]

I just checked with an old Comcast number (a toll-free number dating back to the TCI Cablevision days here in central Connecticut). They still owe me $49.97, which means, barring any other changes to my level of service, I'm good until at least Halloween. Spooky! (LOL)

 

[RadioMan203]

At least Comcast acknowledged your problem and applied the credit accordingly.

After I fired off an email stating that if I didn't get the correct credit applied by the end of the business day today I was prepared to exercise all legal avenues available to me. Besides having a screen shot of my account credit I had an email stating what the credit amount was. I got an email stating that they applied the credit to my payment method (charge card) but it could take up to 30 days for my bank to process it - what a bunch of bull! A call to the bank confirmed that it would be posted as soon as it is applied so there's another swindler trick by DirecTV.

While preparing for legal action I discovered that DirecTV is no longer licensed to do business in the state of Connecticut. I think depending on how long it takes to get my credit I may rattle a few chains with the state to have them peruse this issue.

KML, how would you rate the quality of HD on your Comcast system? Also, do they charge differently for HD service?

 

[KML0224]

That I can't answer Bill, as I didn't have a converter with them these last couple of years. As for picture quality, it looked nearly the same with the QAM tuner and the few times I had an indoor antenna hooked to the TV.

 

[JeeperOne]

I came WITHIN MINUTES of being able to remove the proverbial umbilical cord that is cable (Comcast/Xfninity here) in favor of DISH Network just yesterday after moving to my new apartment.

What stopped me? Issues from building management of the highrise building I now live in with where the dish was physically located & the inability to get a signal in the one place the management DID NOT object to a dish being located.

I mean, all the technicians had to do was bolt the tripod down to a set of concrete cinder blocks & WALK AWAY The box was already activated as it had finished its process before they got to working on the tripod.

This move would've saved me OVER 60 PERCENT of what I pay now for the umbilical cord from Comcast/Xfinity had I had a successful installation. But alas I didn't so.....

Just my opinion.....

Cheers

 

[Skynet74]

Now my question is, does anybody else vote with their wallet when it comes to their television provider? Why would one consider being raped by these companies instead of exercising their freedom of choice?

Definitely! I dropped my cable 18 months ago and bought a couple of high quality indoor antennas. Now I get plenty of Free HDTV. I get every major Network from two different cities. I also connected my laptop up to my television. I'm more entertained with this setup than I ever was when I was paying $60 a month for cable.

 

[kenglish]

Care to elaborate on the "OK vs Not-OK" spots?

 

[RadioMan203]

For renters and those who are covered under Home Owner Associations (HOAs) like condo dwellers you should read the FCC Fact Sheet regarding antenna placement, where many restrictions imposed by a landlord or HOA may in fact be illegal. There are exceptions which the fact sheet addresses.

 

[Fieldtech1]

No cable in my household for 4 years now. Antenna for locals in HD, a bluray player that streams Netflix and Youtube, and torrents for movies and shows not available on netflix streaming. I dont pay for internet either, i bridged my router using a outdoor panel antenna with a built in wireless bridge to a nearby buisness that has open access.

 

[flytrap]

I have free HD for life. Its on top of my roof. Its called an ANTENNA. I have not and never ever will pay $70 a month for over 100 channels of crap. I can get all my crap for free over the air. I will never pay for channels that I never watch. Many of the cable/dish customers I know are paying to watch local stations (in glorious standard definition) While I watch the same channels (including subchannels that aren't even on cable) in glorious widescreen (not stretched) high definition.

 

[RadioMan203]

flytrap, keep in mind some people have limited to very little choice. I, for one, live in an area where the surrounding terrain prevents me from getting any appreciable reception over the air. I get two off-air channels. The local Shop at Home station operated by Multicultural Broadcasting, whose HD-2 is Chinese (pretty much a waste of a signal as far as I'm concerned) and thanks to a new and much improved antenna on the roof, the local ABC affiliate. ABC's programming has declined in recent years (at least in my opinion) so I use it for local news mostly.

I am using alternate means of getting programming including internet and FTA satellite. After seeing what DirecTV has put me through and the way they treat existing customers over new ones it was time to vote with my wallet. I may not get many programs in HD but I'm not helping somebody else with a lack of regard for their customers get rich either.

We were talking with an NBC affiliate engineer yesterday at a local hamfest and he even commented on the state of over the air HDTV and how their power had been reduced from their previous analog power. Areas that got the station before won't get it now. It seems the FCC screwed the pooch on this one.

 

[Skynet74]

I'm aware that certain areas just can't receive Over the air signals. But if you happen to live in the many areas where you can get free TV, it's a great way to save money. I have a neighbor who pays $150 a month for Cable. He's got a ton of movie channels that he never watches. He's got expanded basic service where most channels go unwatched. He pays a monthly fee for a DVR box and more money for a remote control. Then of course he signed up for their Service assurance plan which allows him to pay more money every month. Then they will come fix any problems for free. I find it funny that they say free, but they charge you an extra fee every month for it. He also signed up for their bundle package because they convinced him that he could save money that way. It would seem to me a better way to save money would be to call them up and say "Cancel Please". My neighbor is on a fixed income too. He only makes about $700 a month. So he's spending about 25 percent of what he makes on CABLE! That's INSANE!

The scary thing is that he's not the only one. There are a lot more people just like him. One of my friends can barely afford food. I told her to cancel cable and she'll have money to eat. But then she backtracked her story and said that she can afford food. Apparently the thought of canceling her cable TV was to much for her to handle. People are crazy!~

You can go to the poorest neighborhoods in the land. But the one thing that poor household will have is FULL CABLE TV!

 

[RadioMan203]

I would rather have a full belly than television. Heck, you can always rent a Redbox for a buck!

Now if these systems could figure out that people will indeed drop them over such "silly" stuff as of lack of HD for free. Maybe somebody should toss them a quarter so they can buy a clue.

I did have a positive experience this weekend. I caught a Nascar race on ABC and with the off-air station signal is was fantastic. I had seen HD from some of the providers and it appears they much compress the hell out of their signals as it didn't look as vibrant as what I saw coming from over the air.

Makes me glad I gave DirecTV the heave-ho!

 

[Fieldtech1]

I had seen HD from some of the providers and it appears they much compress the hell out of their signals as it didn't look as vibrant as what I saw coming from over the air.

Correct on providers compressing channels, I dont have the exact info to quote but some posters on AVSforum said that some cable providers had hd channels with bitrates as low as 7mbps. OTA can go as high as 19.38 mbps

 

[flytrap]

When refering to people who are paying big money to people who spend way to much money for cable when they can watch free tv over the air. I was mainly refering to people in the local area and not people who live in the sticks or an apartment. From my experience, if you live within 30 miles of a transmitter you can get good reception and a much better picture than the compressed picture on cable. If you are withing 20 miles you may be able to use rabbit ears as long as there aren't lots of trees, hills or buildings in the way. But you'd be surprised what you can pick up if you get your antenna up high enough. I took a TV on Clingmans dome in TN and picked up stations over 100 miles away with the little radio style antenna. I would love to see what could be pick up with a real antenna. I know people who live literally with in view of the towers that are content with watching local stations in SD. They could literally use a paper clip for an antenna to get HD. Some cable and dish systems don't even carry subchannels such as Create. This, and RTV. I've had visitors over at my house wondering what I'm watchiing and assume I have cable because of this.
As for poor people having cable, we used to laugh at people who were living in a shotgun shack with cardboard covering the broken widows, but would have a brand new "color" tv antenna on the roof and a cadillac in the driveway.
Now you drive past a trailor park or run down neighbor hood you see a satelitte dish and a cadillac in the driveway. (not to mention Iphones, broadband, netflix etc)