Long story short: Do not buy.

Words version.

Day 1: The technical guy installs my HD Dish and tears down a floodlight. He doesn't tell me, rather waits for me to discover it the day after. I call to complain and they tell me "Oh those are contractors, contact their company." I was bewildered at that response since my father owns a company and has several contractors and he personally takes responsibility and vouch for his workers, employees or contractors. They wanted me to fill out forms and fax people and take pictures. I reminded them that I'm talking about $20 here and I wasn't necessarily asking for money but just as an FYI. Whatever. I fixed it.

For the past 6 months, the receivers will periodically not turn on. You have to unplug it and plug it back in and wait for the 10m for the thing to boot. Recently, my HDDVR will only record one show at a time or let me view one show at a time and won't let me record. I called. After 1h where all I did was flip the input coaxial cables in the back, boot it up, and flip them back, it magically started working.

Fast forward to today. Same issue. I did the troubleshooting tips myslef. Nothing. I call and am very nice, but still agitated that I've spent $300 to lease an HDDVR and pay $100/mo for my various HD services.

I want out of my contract. Should've known they wouldn't let me do that. I offer to pay 1/2 the contract, nothing.

I talk to 3 people tonight... ALL OF WHICH CLAIMED THAT THEY KNOW HOW FRUSTRATING IT IS BECAUSE THEY'VE HAD ISSUES LIKE THIS TOO. A very nice lady told me that she would offer to replace my boxes for free since I had the $5.00 protection plan. She alluded to, self admittedly being honest, a software problem and boxes "slipping through the cracks." I kindly inquired of what happens to the customers that do not have the protection plan. She responded that THEY WOULD HAVE TO RELEASE A NEW BOX. Astounded I asked that since she admitted that there were boxes with defects (she stops me right here).

"I never said defects."
"You said some 'slip through the cracks'."
"yes, that is what happened."
"How is this not a defect?"
"We had a boom in business when you ordered your service and some slipped through the cracks."
"This is a circular argument. I see what your business model is now."

So they're charging their customers for what they recognize is their own defects. This is the biggest crock of shit I have ever known. It is a scam and don't do it. It's ashame too because I love the service. LOVE IT. But I am so damned aggravated that the shit simply doesn't work. And it's not isolated to one box, it's the entire system.

Time Warner Cable, I'm sorry and I miss you

2/25/2008 9:44:28 PM

does not compute

2/25/2008 9:47:33 PM

thanks for the warning

2/25/2008 9:47:49 PM

no offense but you are probably like the 5 people out of 100 that are not satisfied...you are in that group...sucks but tis life mate

2/25/2008 9:47:56 PM

TWC's DVRs and regular digital boxes are just as bad. and their contractors are just as bad

someone said in the other thread the recent firmware update fixed their DirecTV HDDVR

2/25/2008 9:49:36 PM

but twc is so terrible

2/25/2008 9:51:14 PM

I've never had a problem like that with DirecTV, their customer support, or their hardware. It's always been top notch service.

Sorry you're having problems.

2/25/2008 9:51:21 PM

customer service has been great. Minus the testy "defective" part, they've been great.

But the fucking box refuses to work... not one box TWO.

I turn on my computer and it works. My cellphone, it works. My servers, they work. My DVR, nada.

2/25/2008 9:53:45 PM

Still better than that sorry service DishNetwork has. Its either that or local channels.

2/25/2008 9:54:47 PM

i'll be a DTV subscriber for life

i love them and their products and their 800 channels

2/25/2008 11:01:03 PM

Why do people with satellite complain about local channels so mcuh? Do they not realize the technical difficulty of rebroadcasting local channels for every single local station in the country?

You're getting TV beamed down from a freaking satellite in space TO YOUR HOUSE-- THAT'S DAMN AMAZING , stop complaining about your local channels. People 50 years ago would have murdered their children to be able to say that.

2/25/2008 11:31:59 PM

but twc is so terrible

2/25/2008 11:38:44 PM

i'll be a DTV subscriber for life

i love them and their products and their 800 channels

2/25/2008 11:41:08 PM

TWC may be terrible but they don't fuck you in the ass nearly as much as Rupert Murdoch's Directv.

2/25/2008 11:42:25 PM

what if I like being fucked in the ass?

2/25/2008 11:43:16 PM

DirecTV is the best. That $5 insurance is pretty much required for my family. Our dish and receiver gets blown out by lightning around august every year. Its pretty crazy how many receivers that we have had to get replaced, along with 9 remotes laying around for receivers we no longer have

2/25/2008 11:55:57 PM

Quote :

"TWC's DVRs and regular digital boxes are just as bad (worse) and their contractors are just as bad someone said in the other thread the recent firmware update fixed their DirecTV HDDVR"

2/26/2008 1:40:12 AM

bttt for today's PSA

2/26/2008 8:53:00 AM

hi Oeuvre.

2/26/2008 8:58:44 AM

hi 7trax.

2/26/2008 9:32:23 AM

never had a problem with directv and I've been a customer for the past five years

2/26/2008 9:41:38 AM

Quote :

"Why do people with satellite complain about local channels so mcuh? Do they not realize the technical difficulty of rebroadcasting local channels for every single local station in the country? You're getting TV beamed down from a freaking satellite in space TO YOUR HOUSE-- THAT'S DAMN AMAZING , stop complaining about your local channels. People 50 years ago would have murdered their children to be able to say that."

In one way, I agree. However I think that people come to expect that they be able to get all their channels (local and premium) regardless of what medium they use (cable, satellite, fiber optic in the case of verizon's fios). Yea, it's a very high-tech way of getting TV to people, but in the end it's just that: a TV service.

I never cared about having my local channels, as long as I got some form of CBS, NBC, and ABC without having to change inputs on the TV and worry about an external antenna. I actually thought it was kinda cool when we would watch the NYC feeds of WCBS, WNBC, and WABC

2/26/2008 9:48:04 AM

This is why I still have rabbit ears. Yeah, they're shitty, but I know they're shitty, and they're cheap.

2/26/2008 9:50:08 AM

My parents used to have DirectTV, whenever a box malfunctioned (which was a lot because my parents abuse the hell out of their DVR) they would bitch to DirectTV, get a new box, and a free month of satellite. And they sure as hell weren't paying for a protection plan. You just have to know how to talk to companies like DirectTV.

2/26/2008 9:50:50 AM

so you got one woman to misspeak, and now you have directtv and their evil organization all figured out, and you're mad cause they're just like time warner cable.

2/26/2008 9:58:39 AM

Quote :

"but still agitated that I've spent $300 to lease an HDDVR"

why the fuck would you spend $300 to lease a hd dvr when you can buy one at best buy for $199

2/26/2008 10:13:17 AM

I actually paid $150 for it after I knocked them down by 1/2. THe story sounds better with a $300 price tag.


^^ No one misspoke. They were just honest about how their operations are. I also found it telling that all 3 people I did speak to alluded to their own personal problems with their DirecTV.


And what's all this mess about rabbit ears? I get local channels with my directv.

2/26/2008 10:22:35 AM

Dish Network
FTW

2/26/2008 10:29:36 AM

^yes.

DO BUY DIRECTV
because Oeuvre is full of shit.

2/26/2008 10:32:54 AM

I got a free DVR just by calling and askign for it

2/26/2008 11:01:26 AM

^ I did too... but then I needed an HDDVR when I got an HDTV. Since I was already a customer, they were a little less geared to give me a break.


I am a liar and full of shit.

2/26/2008 11:02:52 AM

Oeuvre is such a great guy.

2/26/2008 11:04:19 AM

I am a great guy.

2/26/2008 11:12:06 AM

You should get up on some of that dishnetwork and 2mb zbars man.

2/26/2008 11:21:44 AM

threaten litigation.


they'll listen.

2/26/2008 11:30:46 AM

I love DISH and could give a shit about local channels. They work fine for me.

2/26/2008 12:34:05 PM

I get 20 local channels in standard/hd quality with dish.

2/26/2008 12:40:25 PM

Quote :

"I've never had a problem like that with DirecTV, their customer support, or their hardware. It's always been top notch service. Sorry you're having problems."

Couldn't agree more. I love my Direct TV.

This could be on ID-ten-Tee error. (IDIOT)

2/26/2008 12:58:47 PM

Yea I've so far been very pleased with my service.

Installation is very important though.

2/26/2008 1:00:06 PM

tl;dr

2/26/2008 1:05:54 PM

Quote :

"I love DISH and could give a shit about local channels. They work fine for me."

i get all my local channels....why don't you?

oh and consumer reports or somebody like that rated DISH dvr better over Tivo

[Edited on February 26, 2008 at 1:15 PM. Reason : ]

2/26/2008 1:14:21 PM

it is no ID-10-T problem, I assure you.

2/26/2008 1:21:26 PM

I get my local channels, but I don't care that I don't have the Greenville CBS that the local companies carry. I'm happy with the Raleigh local channel content, and could care less about the bumfuck public access and TV20 unaffiliated local shit.

2/26/2008 2:25:10 PM

I got direct's new hddvr box when it came out last year. Took 5 different people to come out and get it right HAHA. software was buggy as hell. For the first few weeks you could turn to channels that I didn't get like hbo, showtime and while you coudln't see the show you could still listen to it thing would reset on its on and I about pulled my hair out the first months but they were pretty good about updating the software about every other week. I can't tell you how many times i had to hit that red button on it. but nows its been working pretty good for the most part. I lost signal on one of my tuners but a little problem solving i found i had a bad connecter on the back of my box. direct sent me a replacement for free.

2/26/2008 3:12:10 PM