Big Numbers for DirecTV

I have been with Direct TV since 1998 and love everything about them. They are the only one's to have NFL sunday ticket & my favorite NASCAR Hotpass. the customer service people are great & the tecnitions that have helped me set up after a move (4 times!!) have always made sure that everything was perfect before they left. I have had free showtime, HBO & Starz on different occasions & have my DVR for free because I am such a loyal customer. I would never ever consider leaving them....DISH network is behind the times and cable tv is to expensive and get's more expensive every month....

Dish Network is always getting into program
disputes with their program distributors.
It gets annoying.I have never had to worry whether or not if my local channels would be carried or not.The retrans dispute with Fisher Communcations is still ongoing for 5 months now.Why would anyone want to pu up with an incomplete channel slate?

Check out DISH's feud with Fisher Broadcasting...of course their numbers are dropping: Check out KOMOTV website, click on DISH information

I have been with direct TV fir almost 6 years and I have no complaints, I got my HD DVR for free twice now and I have one in my living room and one in my bedroom and they only charge me for one DVR. 5 STARS in my book Direct TV!!

I know someone who has Dish and they hate it, the picture is not up to quality like direct TV. Plus our 5 year with Direct TV they gave us Showtime free for a year. I will always stay with Direct TV!!

In a bad economy Americans get really peeved calling dish and talking to a third worlder who has never seen the product. Charlie is a huge democrat/OObama koolaid drinker yet ships jobs overseas. My commitment with Dish is over and after the season I\’ll dump the unamerican traitor Charlie!

I\’ve been with DISH for almost 5 years and have watched things get progressively worse. No MLB but they said I don\’t need it, I can watch baseball on the Internet. (yeah sure, watch on my 19 inch computer monitor instead of on my 42 inch LCD TV in HD). Rude and uninformed customer service which is worthless when you get someone in India, DISH say some channels are in HD, when all they have done is stretch the picture to fill the screen. I can do that myself with the lower left format button on their remote. The other day I went to watch something on the Smithsonian Channel, which was in true HD and guess what, no Smithsonian Channel. Just a note on the screen saying it\’s gone but it\’s no big deal because they added a channel that shows old network crime show reruns instead.

I want to dump them and switch to Direct TV, but I can\’t because if I do, I\’ll lose all the programs recorded on my 622 HD DVR, some to watch later but also some, like music concerts to save forever. I also have about 300 GB of programing saved to an external 750 GB Hard Drive which isn\’t compatable with Direct TV. Can anyone tell me how I can switch from DISH to DIRECT TV and be able to transfer and watch the programs on my 622 HD DVR and on my external Hard Drive. I feel trapped.

I work as a DishNetwork tech but subscribe to Direct Tv. Direct Tv\’s format is more user friendly and equipment more reliable. Dish is dumb for charging for locals and not having your phoneline connected to a receiver. But in the end they blame the techs.

I agree with most of what RiffJim said. However 1)I don\’t think simplifying should include yanking HD only. Many of Dish\’s HD only subs would hate to see their bill suddenly go up $12+ for SD we don\’t watch. Roll HD into the \”classic\” packs (easier names, please!), then offer a discount for not getting SD. I think people would love seeing discounts, not fees, on their bills. 2) Agree, simplify fees. One DVR fee per account is a great starting point. And nobody understands DDA. 3) (your 4), I don\’t think HDlite has much if anything to do with Dish\’s problems. Most customers have trouble telling the difference. More important (as to some other\’s points), add more HD channels. Until all of Fox, Viacom, Comcast, and Rainbow are added, Dish\’s HD lineup is hugely incomplete. Add those, and they would have lapped DirecTV.

Also, as others have pointed out, kill foreign call centers. Chats are OK, but keep phone calls in the US.

I am new to your blog and have enjoyed it thus far. I am a bit surprised however by some of the comments posted by the other readers. I have in the not too far past, during my collage years, sold both DirecTV and dish network and at the end Comcast service. I can\’t imagine everybody contacts all the different CS depts. from any of the competitors here on regular basis to have a good understanding of each company (I guess everybody thinks they are an expert, including me or grass is always greener…) However, I can tell you from experience, including a few recent ones, that nobody compares to DN in that dept at least not the 3 I mentioned. Calling DTV you more often than not find a person that when asked a more technical question (at least for a normal person) get a regurgitated answer from some script. For example, I called DTV 3 times when thinking of switching and for my own amusement asked how many hours can their DVR record. I would get an answer of I think 55hr (don\’t really remember now) then I asked if that is for HD or SD programming, they insisted it’s for both. I found it funny and frustrating at the same time because I had to end each call as I would not deal with somebody that does not know what they are selling.

As for the other stuff, I agree the disputes are annoying but they keep the price lower. DN is cheaper than the rest.

Separate fees for dvr? Everybody is charging for them so thats not a good reason. If anything dual tuner DVR save you money. I recently switched from from 522 and 2 311 to two 722 with the top packages available for SD and HD no premium channel s total after all the promotions are over @ $146.00 DTV was $10 more as well as Uverse, Comcast $20.

DISNNETWORK IS THE CHEAPES CAN’T BLAME THEIR PERFORMANCE ON PRICE.

Everyone has confusing plans Dish is not any better or worse.

There is only ONE reason Dish is losing to DTV and that is sports programming and although many do not pay or care for the NFL or MLB packages that DirectTV name is always in front of their face and when customer call they generally will call DirectTV first and rarely do they comparison shop.

EVERY DAY THAT GOES BY WITH NO NEW HD PROGRAMING ADDED WILL CAUSE DISH TO LOSE CUSTOMERS.PATIENCE HAS EXPIRED.PUT UP OR SHUT UP.

I'm a DirecTV subscriber btw

ok that makes sense. i bet its because they offered HBO, Showtime and Starz free for 3 months to new customers. I subscribed in October '08 and got that package. Also I'm still not paying the HD access fee and my DVR was free.

Mike, you bring up some very good points. Also, people should not forget that Verizon FiOS TV added 303,000 customers and AT&T U-Verse added 264,000 new customers during the 4th quarter. This does not bode well for Dish Network\’s who, in my opinion, could easily lose almost 100K customers.

Dish Network was once the HD Leader, but their HD-Little/HD-Lite mentality, confusing programming packs, nickel & dime fees, and losing their Telco partnership (no Triple Play) basically has them back-peddling to remain competitive. Thanks goodness they still make the best HD DVRs in the marketplace.

Anyway, here\’s the fix:

1. Scrap all the goofy Bronze, Silver, Gold, TurbHD, etc., plans. Go back to offering a Family, AT100, AT200, AT300 and roll HD in the these plans…no additional charge for HD or HD receivers.

2. Get rid of the nickel & dime fees.

3. Only ONE DVR fee per account.

4. Put an end of HD-Lite…it started in October 2005 with a…ahem, reported fiber optic problem with the VOOM HD Networks channels…and it infected their entire HD lineup. Stop HD-Lite!

TomCat4680 commented: \”It\’s probably because of MLB Network not being on Dish Network as well as the new AT&T / DirecTV contract, and the fact that Dish Network just removed Smithsonian Channel HD without explanation.\”

**** The DirecTV sales numbers are from 4th quarter 2008. All 3 of the items indicated above occurred in 2009 (or on 12/31/08 in regard to MLB network launch).

I\’m sure Direct\’s excellent subscriber growth had nothing to do with their outstanding 4th quarter marketing deals, including a $23 monthly discount for first 12 months of service and finally cutting the upfront price of their HD-DVR to $0 (it was $199 in 2007 and $99 for much of 2008).

oops I meant MLB Network

its probably because of MLN Network not being on Dish Network as well as the new AT&T / DirecTV contract, and the fact that Dish Network just removed Smithsonian Channel HD without explanation.

The problems DISH are having are directly related to a number of things.

1. Lack of Hd channels and sports that DIRECTV has .

2. Stop with all the retransmission fueds that eliminate customer\’s favorite channels.

3. Confusing programming packaging including : A. renaming all programming packs to something else like TURBO blow hd packs .

B. Renaming all receivers to new confusing names with no model numbers. Like dual tuner dvr or solo tuner receiver.

3. Ever growing list of FEES that they alone created to make subs pay more on their \”low priced \” programming packs.

4. Confusing ways to add the programming together so can get what you really want. It takes a degree in economics to figure out what you need to even get dvr advantage pack.

DISH needs to get back to what made it great and added them subs:

1. IMPROVE customer service and eliminate all foreign call centers . This pisses off American subs when they can\’t understand or be understood by the foreign csrs.

2. SIMPLIFY all programming packs and eliminate all the EXCESS created FEES that are nickel and dimeing your subs to death.

Dvr fees should be eliminated on all dvrs if you have the dvr advantage pack. This keeps most people from subbing to more than one dvr because of the $5.98 dvr fee PER RECEIVER.

K - keep

I - it

S - simple

S - stupid

CHARLIE !