Direct TV anyone?

[Stich8818]

DW and I were at Sams Club today and there was a rep there showing the deals they would have coming up. We are kind of interested in getting it.But I have heard diffrent stories about the service,it going out during storms.. So the questions I would have is..

- How is the service?
- Does it go out often..ie storms etc.
- Customer service?
- Channel selection?

[EyeLuvDisney]

I have had cable, Dish Network, and DirecTV. Each service has issues. When I had cable I would have unexplained outages and frequent price increases. With Dish I did not feel I was getting the best service. The satellites all have times during rain storms and severe wind that causes signal interruption. However, shortly after the signal comes back. However, with cable, if a line goes down it could be hours or days before it is restored.

My personal opinion is that it has the best customer service as, I have used all three, is certainly DirecTV.

As far as channels and selection they are all pretty comparable. One may have package A as better, but another may have Package B better.

What has sold me for over seven years now on DirecTV has been their great service.

And no I don't work for any of them but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

[btharvey]

DirectTV occasionally goes blank during bad thunderstorms ... where the electricity in a severe thundercloud will come between you and the satellite. Otherwise, it works wonderfully! We've done cable and DirectTV, and overall, DirectTV stays up the most. Cable's great -- except then there's a problem, then all the stereotypes apply.

[d_m_n_n]

- How is the service?
- Does it go out often..ie storms etc.
- Customer service?
- Channel selection?


We have had DirecTV for 13 years and have never considered switching.

The service - You call and schedule any kind of service and they are there when they say they will be!! I have never had to wait more than a few minutes and the service man always calls when he is on his way.

Customer service - they definitely have a staff that knows what's going on. If the CSR can't help you out, they will find someone who can.

Channel selection - IMO, they are pretty much all the same...

Service going out - This is the only downfall. It doesn't go out much, but when it does it always seems to be when we need it most (tornado warnings, etc.). In that time, we just switch the tv back to antannae and watch the local news from there.

My only gripe would be that they nickel and dime you for everything. The basic packages are pretty reasonable, but then you start adding $5/month for DVR, $5/month for local channels, $5/month for HD, $5 for the service plan and it really starts adding up. :thedolls: But from what I have found, I think most services are like that...

[IamBelle]

I have Direct Tv and it is good. It gets a lot of channels, but when it starts to rain or snow, it goes out pretty quick

[estein80]

I have DirecTV. It was definitely the way to go for us. We live in FL and even with the many thunderstorms during the summer, I prefer DirecTV. Yes, the service does go out during a bad storm, but I know that it will be back on quickly. The problem we have with cable is that you never know why it's out or when it will be coming back. After having no cable for 2 weeks in 2005 after Hurricane Wilma, it seemed like a no brainer. The DirecTV was working as soon as the power was back.

I will tell you the only problem we had, was the independent contractors who came out to install our satellite. They messed up big time and the managers who came out said it can't be fixed. The other problem was that they told me they need a check made out to cash. I thought it was weird at the time, but did not know what had been worked out with my dh. We called DirecTV soon after they left and I got an apology and a check from the "lovely" person who had the nerve to ask for the check in the first place. This was a problem with the contractor not DirecTV. I just suggest keeping an eye of things or asking for an experienced installer.

[alphamommy]

We've had DirecTV for 12 years, and have been very happy with it!

It does have issues with reception during severe rain storms, but they haven't been bad enough for us to go back to cable.

I notice that you (OP) live in Ohio, so I will let you know that our biggest reception problem with it has been wet snow. If the snow sticks to the dish, the reception goes out. Interestingly, we tend to be able to pick up our local channels longer than the others, even in snow/rain.

Overall, I would highly recommend it!

Good luck!

[DisneyDog]

We have had DirecTV for about 2 years. We have had Cable and the Dish Network too. I think Directv is great and we rarely have outtages. The picture is very clear.

That being said, getting the service setup was an absolute nightmare. I don't really have a temper, but I had screaming arguments with these people. IMHO, you have to have an IQ of about 10 to work there. They sent someone out to my house who did not know how to dril through a wall. The guy admitted it. He had no clue how to do the installation. So, I called Directv (he wouldn't call for me) and they said they would have someone call to reschedule and send someone else out. The next installer never showed up. Screaming arguments ensued. They said they would have to charge me to have someone else come out. I said it wasn't may fault their installer was incompetant. It was ridiculous and went on for weeks.

[Coach48]

Love my DirecTv.The weather has to be really bad for you to lose the signal and even then its short lived.Remember,with satellite TV if anything goes wrong its usually in your equipment.With cable there are untold miles of wire,fiberoptics and the like before it even comes into your house.I have had DTV for 9 years and would never consider going to cable.That to me is trading down IMO.