# why do people expect so much out of DIRECTV?



## lee espinoza (Aug 21, 2002)

I see some people were there cable company lets them down they do not get mad but when the same people have DIRECTV and DIRECTV lets them down they are mad as HELL why? 

why do think DIRECTV is any different than any cable company?
to me the only difference between DIRECTV and cable company are SATS in the sky and price.


----------



## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

lee espinoza said:


> why do think DIRECTV is any different than any cable company?
> to me the only difference between DIRECTV and cable company are SATS in the sky and price.


These days you're right. DTV has become cable from the sky. People get upset because that wasn't the case until recently.

DTV offered better quality at a better price with better customer service than the vast majority of cable providers. That's why many of us switched to DTV to begin with. So we're not supposed to be upset when DTV stops delivering what we signed up for?

Many of us are frustrated and disappointed in the DTV's recent moves because it's going to leave us looking for alternatives. There are difficult choices ahead.


----------



## lee espinoza (Aug 21, 2002)

nrc said:


> So we're not supposed to be upset when DTV stops delivering what we signed up for?


that is not what i am saying, what i am saying is why do people expect more out of DIRECTV than cable. that just unfair they should be on the same playing field with any cable sat or etc...


----------



## morgantown (Mar 29, 2005)

I think _historically_ we have been spoiled.

Cable Co's are catching up and lots of us want to feel as if we are on the cutting edge, so to speak. I'm still satisfied, just not as much as I used to be. For me though, cable is still not a viable option. Rupert just adds a whole new dimension to the mix and I hope that he can bring DTV back to a leadership status.

More Fox channels (a'la REAL TV) is no where near meeting my hopes/expectations.


----------



## Boston Fan (Feb 8, 2006)

lee espinoza said:


> that is not what i am saying, what i am saying is why do people expect more out of DIRECTV than cable. that just unfair they should be on the same playing field with any cable sat or etc...


In many ways they themselves have heightened the expectations by the way they have marketed their brand. We are attracted to their service because they tell us that they are so much different from the cable companies. Look at their marketing campaigns: _*"Rethink TV"*_ (we are a new and different alternative to those old cable companies); _*"Somebody Up There Loves You...DirecTV"*_ (we sure love you, but not those lousy cable companies with their rotten customer service).

They have carved out their niche and made their name as a company the consumer should expect more from. When they start being just like the other guys (either because D* is slipping or because the competition is catching up), the consumer will naturally see less value in the D* product.


----------



## jmoak (Jun 20, 2000)

lee espinoza said:


> ... what i am saying is why do people expect more out of DIRECTV than cable. that just unfair they should be on the same playing field with any cable sat or etc...


In the 80's I lived in an area where I could not get cable. To get "cable" programming I had to use a big dish. It was a pain in the rear at times but I quickly got very use to the astounding picture quality and the huge channel selection. The "pain" was well worth it.

After I moved to florida in '88, I quickly dumped cable (as my main video source) and put the big dish back up. The reason was the poor picture quality. I kept using the big dish until about '98, when I had a chance to have directv in my home for a few months. (temporary roommate had a sub)

I found the picture quality to be almost as good as what I was getting via the big dish. You _really_ had to look close to see a difference and the ease-of-use factor of directv vs. big dish was easy to get use to. I got a directv sub within a week after he left.

Starting when they began their local into local service, their picture quality began dropping fast. It's now just as bad as my local cable. The only thing that has been keeping me with directv lately has been the sunday ticket and my dual tuner tivo's.

With the price increases, I will no longer get the sunday ticket anymore and directv has begun using a non-tivo, so far undependable, dvr platform, akin to the cable offerings.

I've got to agree, it's just unfair directv should be on the same playing field as any other cable or sat provider, but they've put themselves there.

I realize that to stay competitive with the local cable channels, they had to do it. Heck, the fcc told them if they wanted to carry any network programming at all they would have to offer the local affiliates instead of a national feed, so they started packing them in there. BUT the more they squeeze in, the worse they all look.

It sucks, but with the degraded picture quality, the over abundance of the commercial inserts that they've been doing lately and the so far inferior dvr platform switchover in the name of saving a dollar per subscriber, they're turning into just another cable company.

If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.

...no matter how much I want them to be an eagle again.


sorry my reply is so long


----------



## kepper (Nov 28, 2003)

Three years ago I was unhappy with my cable service, lousy picture quality, high prices, etc. So I switched to D* and it was a pain in the ass to get D* installed, but when it was finished I was very happy. D* had better picture quality, lower price, and the DTivo. 

During the last three years my cable company has installed fibre throughout the whole service area and the picture quality on both SD and HD now is better than I get from D*. With D*'s latest price increase cable is now slightly cheaper for comparable SD service and much more HD content. Watching ALL of the local HD channels with cable doesn't require an antenna like it does with D*. 

The HD DVR the cable company offers is not as good as Tivo, but its about as good as the R-15. My neighbor booted D* and went back to cable in November when he got a new HDTV which is what I'm basing my comments on. I've had a chance to watch his tv and mess around with DVR quite a bit. PQ is much better than D*, DVR is not as good as Tivo but still very functional. 

Am I mad with D*? No, but I regret that I'm in a two year commitment, because if I wasn't I would bail and switch back to cable. I suspect that I may switch back to cable in the next year or so unless D* pulls a rabbit out its hat with the mpeg-4 HD DVR. 

I don't expect more from D* than I do from my cable provider, I expect the same. I got rid of cable when D* was better; now I may dump D* if they don't catch up to cable. And switching back to cable will be a snap compared to installing the dish, running new cables, etc. for DTV. 

Kevin


----------



## Boston Fan (Feb 8, 2006)

kepper said:


> I got rid of cable when D* was better; now I may dump D* if they don't catch up to cable.


And that, in a nutshell, is the beauty of competition .


----------



## whalerfan (Nov 9, 2004)

One thing that makes DTV a bit worse than cable is on display here in central Connecticut. Our cable (Comcast) is up to $49+ per month for expanded basic. We're in the same ballpark with Digital Cable. Four years ago I dumped cable to go with Dishnetwork. This happened when the price was raised twice in one month and they eliminated the package I was subscribing to. That being said, I got a better picture and more channels for the same price as cable. I went with E* because at the time it was a better value and you could pay for a year in advance. Two years later I switched to Directv. This happened after a prolonged battle (in vain) to see the New York Mets. Echostar would absolutely not budge on letting us in this area see the Mets although they are on basic cable. I found out that DTV is the same. However, if I subscribe to the sportspack I can see Pedro and the boys play. This doesn't seem fair because as I said, they can be seen on basic cable. 

Another issue is I received a card in the mail telling me that if I wished to see the NY Knicks (which I don't) I'd have to subscribe to the NBA package. As you may have guessed they can be seen on basic cable. Ditto the Rangers. All this being said DTV right now is a better value than cable. They seem to be getting a bit big for their britches and had better watch out. Competition is everywhere, just ask those who are Vonage customers. But that's another topic altogether.


----------



## Boston Fan (Feb 8, 2006)

whalerfan said:


> Two years later I switched to Directv. This happened after a prolonged battle (in vain) to see the New York Mets. Echostar would absolutely not budge on letting us in this area see the Mets although they are on basic cable.


Wow, I didn't know someone would work so hard to see the Mets .


----------



## Rob00GT (Mar 10, 2003)

lee espinoza said:


> why do people expect so much out of DIRECTV?


Because I pay them $125 per month.


----------



## lee espinoza (Aug 21, 2002)

Rob00GT said:


> Because I pay them $125 per month.


I get that you should expect something from DIRECTV because you pay over $120 per month but i think would be wrong is if you expect MORE out of DIRECTV then if you were paying the same to a cable company.


----------



## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

lee espinoza said:


> I get that you should expect something from DIRECTV because you pay over $120 per month but i think would be wrong is if you expect MORE out of DIRECTV then if you were paying the same to a cable company.


DirecTV started out as a cable company alternative -- they marketed towards cable customers who were dissatisfied with the monopoly cable company they were forced to go with if they wanted anything mroe than OTA and (in some cities) one or two scrambled subscription broadcast movie channels.

DirecTV created the expectation; only relatively recently have they been failing to meet those expectations.

If all they strive for now is to be like any other cable company, they'll never be competitive because cable can always (potentially) offer more than DirecTV can. DirecTV can be part of a "6 of one, half a dozen of the other" mentality, or they can strive to offer something cable can't or won't.


----------



## Redux (Oct 19, 2004)

dswallow said:


> DirecTV created the expectation; only relatively recently have they been failing to meet those expectations.


Murdoch. Brilliant. Confused. Game Over.


----------



## tbeckner (Oct 26, 2001)

lee espinoza said:


> that is not what i am saying, what i am saying is why do people expect more out of DIRECTV than cable. that just unfair they should be on the same playing field with any cable sat or etc...


Just like everyone has been posting, we (long term customers, 12 years this year) have become accustomed to a better company than what DirecTV has become today. And the reason most of us are unhappy, is that DirecTV has become just like the cable companies and it never was in the early days.

And these changes are making us want what we once had and no longer have.


Redux said:


> Murdoch. Brilliant. Confused. Game Over.


I agree with Redux, but then again the company started changing for the worst when GM/Hughes decided they really wanted to sell DirecTV, and the changes have really taken a turn for the worst since Murdoch purchased the company, but then what should we have expected from Murdoch?


----------



## Mark W (Dec 6, 2001)

We expect more because we are used to more. For years, I always recommended DirecTV over cable to people that I know. It was clearly better. It was cheaper, better PQ, better equipment. DirecTV has been about stagnant in their services/offerings in the last 5 years, and most cable companies have advanced dramatically.

DirecTV has to be BETTER than cable, because cable is so much easier. No Dish, no line of sight, no antennas, no box on every TV, no money up front for HD, no commitment, etc..etc..

The internet discount that you get from cable is also a very significant thing. I know two of my DTV converts that are switching back to cable as soon as their commitment ends because of this combined with the fact that they don't feel D* gives them anything big that cable doesn't. DTivos are the only thing keeping me with D* right now.

DirecTV has to be BETTER than cable, NOT another cable company.


----------



## JJA (Feb 27, 2000)

D* will be remembered in history as the company that got cable to clean up their act. 

My grandchildren will ask what that round thing on the side of the house is, just like the roof top antennas basically bit the dust.


----------



## Diana Collins (Aug 21, 2002)

lee espinoza said:


> I get that you should expect something from DIRECTV because you pay over $120 per month but i think would be wrong is if you expect MORE out of DIRECTV then if you were paying the same to a cable company.


I only expect as much from DirecTV as they used to deliver in the past:

1) Better customer service than cable
2) Better video and audio quality than cable
3) Better selection than cable

DirecTV no longer offers these things, IMHO, even though they did so at one time. Today DirecTV offers no better customer service, equal or less quality, and an inferior selection. The ONLY thing that keeps me with them at this point is the ability to have 4 interconnected TiVos for $5.95 per month. When my DirecTiVos die, I'll switch back to cable (hoping that the Series 3 is available by then).


----------



## Markman07 (Jul 18, 2001)

Somethings are best left alone....once the wheel was invented there was no reason to try to make it better (on their own!) The networked Tivo has really brought it to my attention on just how sweet this technology is! (It is built right into the software and they chosen to block it)

Directv I feel is making a bad move on this one. The Tivo DVR very stable and dependable! The NFL ticket is my main reason behind the Tivo technology that keeps me with Directv, because as Dan said above they have fallen behind on the things that had made them the best!


----------



## FireMen2003 (Apr 1, 2004)

> I agree with Redux, but then again the company started changing for the worst when GM/Hughes decided they really wanted to sell DirecTV, and the changes have really taken a turn for the worst since Murdoch purchased the company, but then what should we have expected from Murdoch?


I agree, they missed up after they were put on the market...then they put everything on the back burner with the deals with Echostar and FOX. Those 1 or 2 years really put them behind the curve....


----------



## JWThiers (Apr 13, 2005)

lee espinoza said:


> that is not what i am saying, what i am saying is why do people expect more out of DIRECTV than cable. that just unfair they should be on the same playing field with any cable sat or etc...





Dan Collins said:


> I only expect as much from DirecTV as they used to deliver in the past:
> 
> 1) Better customer service than cable
> 2) Better video and audio quality than cable
> ...


I would also add at a cheaper price than cable. That would be the reason that most LONG time customers would give. Now in my area everything is about the same with the exception being HD programing and cable beats out D* there. When series 3 TIVO gets hear I will have to reevaluate my priorities.


----------



## lee espinoza (Aug 21, 2002)

They are adding over 1million subs a year so they must be do something right.


----------



## SpankyInChicago (May 13, 2005)

The issue is, as others have stated, DirecTV has set high expectations for its customers that it is *better* than cable. If they aren't better than cable, why go with DirecTV? There are so many downsides to the DirecTV implementation vs. cable that their product has to be superior to the cable product. If the DirecTV product is only equal to the cable product, then by default cable is a better option because cable is such a vastly superior delivery system (in areas with reliable cable delivery systems.)

For those of us who have been with DirecTV for 10+ years, it is a real shame to see a product that was once a leading-edge product fall to the point where it is now only equal to (and sometimes inferior to) cable.

I think I expect so much and complain so loudly because I remember what DirecTV once used to be: a product far superior to the cable alternative. DirecTV is no longer "far superior" to anything.

If / when the Tivo Series 3 comes out, I just can't see why I would stay with DirecTV any longer.


----------



## SpankyInChicago (May 13, 2005)

lee espinoza said:


> They are adding over 1million subs a year so they must be do something right.


Are those net adds or gross adds?


----------



## Boston Fan (Feb 8, 2006)

SpankyInChicago said:


> Are those net adds or gross adds?


There was a thread posted recently regarding D* profitability. The thread quoted an article that indicated D* netted 200,000 subs in the 4th Q after accounting for churn. Not sure what they did in the other 3 quarters of 2005.


----------



## lee espinoza (Aug 21, 2002)

SpankyInChicago said:


> Are those net adds or gross adds?


I am talking about Platform Subscriber Additions after Churn.


----------



## lee espinoza (Aug 21, 2002)

Boston Fan said:


> There was a thread posted recently regarding D* profitability. The thread quoted an article that indicated D* netted 200,000 subs in the 4th Q after accounting for churn. Not sure what they did in the other 3 quarters of 2005.


After accounting for churn, DIRECTV U.S. added 1,193,000 net subscribers in 2005.


----------



## tivoupgrade (Sep 27, 2000)

lee espinoza said:


> They are adding over 1million subs a year so they must be do something right.


Anheuser Busch sells a lot more beer than the smaller brewers, but I'd still choose a Sam Adams over a Budweiser. Just as I'd choose a TiVo over a DirecTV+ system without hesitation. So, "right" isn't right for everyone...

I think the *pain* many of us are feeling is the shift DirecTV is making as they move to a more mainstream/commodity approach; its a different audience they are appealing to moving forward; and its not us.

I've been a DirecTV customer for nine years and the level quality and service has definitely slid faster in the past 24-months than the previous seven years...


----------



## tbeckner (Oct 26, 2001)

lee espinoza said:


> After accounting for churn, DIRECTV U.S. added 1,193,000 net subscribers in 2005.


But if you review the subscriber information for the past three years, DirecTV grew more in 2003 than 2004, and more in 2004 than 2005. The rate of subscriber growth has been slowing down the last three years and the churn rate has been increasing every year, which reflects what everyone has been posting on this thread.

DirecTV has taken a TURN FOR THE WORST.

As much as we have loved DirecTV in the past, the patient is now sick and there is a possibility that they will never recover.


----------



## lee espinoza (Aug 21, 2002)

tbeckner said:


> But if you review the subscriber information for the past three years, DirecTV grew more in 2003 than 2004, and more in 2004 than 2005. The rate of subscriber growth has been slowing down the last three years and the churn rate has been increasing every year, which reflects what everyone has been posting on this thread.
> 
> DirecTV has taken a TURN FOR THE WORST.
> 
> As much as we have loved DirecTV in the past, the patient is now sick and there is a possibility that they will never recover.


No that is a sign of increased competition and stricter credit policys and monthly churn was 1.70% in the fourth quarter of 05 compared to 1.89% in the third quarter of 05.


----------



## dspyder (Jan 11, 2005)

I think from my perspective as it relates to Tivo.... from DirecTV, we are getting a box (hardware) that is fully capable of doing several features that we would like to have (HMO, MRV)... yet we are NOT ALLOWED those features because DirecTV doesn't want us to have them.

I've never had great customer service from any cable or sattellite or telephone company, but would it be so hard to expect that too?

--D


----------



## tbeckner (Oct 26, 2001)

lee espinoza said:


> No that is a sign of increased competition and stricter credit policys and monthly churn was 1.70% in the fourth quarter of 05 compared to 1.89% in the third quarter of 05.


As you noted yourself, INCREASED COMPETITION is a problem, and that is based upon the fact that DirecTV has become less of a competitor and the cable companies have become better competitors, and you should also note that DirecTV NO LONGER makes it a point to point out their JD POWER & ASSOCIATES Customer Satisfication rating, in fact they lost their position as the award winner in 2005 to WOW!.

*JD POWER Cable/Satellite Television Ratings *

If you review the JD POWER ratings, Cox (Cable) and the Dish Network had the same Overall Satisfication rating as DirecTV.

_"Although satellite providers continue to gain market share, *overall customer satisfaction among satellite subscribers has declined while satisfaction among cable subscribers is up*," said Steve Kirkeby, senior director of telecommunication research for J.D. Power and Associates. "Overall, satellite customers are still more satisfied with their service than cable subscribers, but if satellite providers want to continue to attract subscribers away from cable, customer satisfaction is a critical area where they cant afford to lose ground." _

But the 1.70% churn rate is still higher than the historical churn rate, and even DirecTV has remarked in their SEC reports that their current churn rate is a lot higher than their historical churn rate.

And DirecTV's 2005 churn rate for the full year is higher than their churn rate in either of the two previous years, 2003 and 2004.

There is no doubt, it doesn't matter how you PAINT the picture, DirecTV is currently ONE SICK PUPPY.

Theyll survive, but I am not sure that offering FREEBIES to make up for their bad customer service and some of their very bad decisions will keep the churn rate down for very long. I would watch the second quarter numbers as an indicator, but they could be off because of change to a leasing/rental model.


T-Halen said:


> Same here.
> 
> I sent in a picture quality complaint via the form on directv's web site and they cancelled my service!
> 
> No call, just a simple E-Mail saying that my service had been cancelled and thanking me for my past business. I thought that was pretty rude! Gheesh, all I wanted was a better picture on the locals (Olympics especially)....


Now that is GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE.

The past six months, I have been waving my arms about TRUE VOD that the cable operators can offer, that DirecTV can never offer through their satellite service and here is a quote by JD POWER & Associates that brings this home.

_"Clearly the industry needs to continue to educate subscribers about VOD," said Kirkeby. *One of the most compelling findings in the study is the significant increase in overall satisfaction exhibited by users of VOD services compared to non-usersnearly 30 index points.* Service providers must do whatever it takes to ensure consumers know the ordering process and charges, if any, associated with VOD. In some instances, cable companies are offering free VOD programming that their customers are apparently unaware of."_

Additional Edit:

*JD POWER & ASSOCIATES Customer Satisfication Rating Winners*

2002 DirecTV
2003 DirecTV
2004 Dish Network
2005 WOW! Cable

Notice the trend, my gosh the Dish Network beat DirecTV in 2004, right after Murdoch bought out DirecTV. Now you can see the trend, right?


----------



## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

lee espinoza said:


> After accounting for churn, DIRECTV U.S. added 1,193,000 net subscribers in 2005.


Considering that the US population grows by about 3-4 million people each year, that's at least better than average.


----------



## Diana Collins (Aug 21, 2002)

lee espinoza said:


> They are adding over 1million subs a year so they must be do something right.


So, what does THAT have to do with what we expect from the company?

They may add 1 million net subs a year, but they are really signing up 1.7 million per year. The problem is that they lose about 750,000 a year too.

Population growth is not the right way to look at the market either. The number of HOUSEHOLDS is the key, not the number of people. The number of households is falling, and will continue to fall for another 20 years or so.


----------



## mtchamp (May 15, 2001)

Switched to DirecTV in 1994 not because it was cheaper, but because it was better PQ, better channel packages and better customer service.

When the DirecTiVo came out with dual tuners, that was the crowning jewel. DirecTV was the best, hands down. Now that DirecTV was bought out and the new owners won't upgrade the TiVo service and now supply a generic DVR that's been pretty much a disaster compared to TiVo, I feel DirecTV can't be counted on to provide the best customer experience any longer.

Now is as good a time as any to look forward to the TiVo Series3 SA which will afford me a certain amount of control, a bunch of new features. I'll try cable again because cable looks like the future of TV same as DirecTV did 12 years ago.

Shame on the new owners of DirecTV for squandering the goodwill the original DirecTV had created.


----------



## BillyBob_jcv (Feb 21, 2006)

Easy: Cable started in the depths of h3ll and can actually be observed at least trying to improve. (Things got better for me as soon as Rigas was put in an orange jumpsuit!) D* started at the top of the mountain, rose into the clouds when Tivo was added, and now seems to be trying very hard to plummet into a deep, dark crater.


----------



## dobeman (Feb 21, 2005)

As someone said earlier, I was largely drawn to DTV because it was new and it was better than the fuzzy reception all my neighbors got. Don't get me wrong, I still love it, but DTV seems to have been gliding on that love for too long without ever "showing me some quan" (Jerry McGuire).

For instance, how about providing the same basic service other TiVo subscribers can get by remotely telling their DVR to record from the Internet? You can do it from Gargle for the love of all things digital!

Now the rates are going up and suddenly, their technology isn't a notch above the rest.

That's why we expect so much from them.

-Dobeman


----------



## ClayMan (Mar 20, 2004)

Well the only thing i expect from Directv is:

1. GOOD customer service (which they lack) - since day one of being with them.. i get people on the line that don't understand or even know what they are talking about. If the phone volume is high you get connected to an overseas telemarketing unit and THEY DEFINETLY don't know what the heck they are saying and trust me you can't understand what they are saying.

2. Good Service/ Quality product - I got the the R15 full of bugs and glitches with promises of sending me a software patch to correct it. What do i expect? It to work RIGHT and record when i ask it too. Is that too much to EXPECT?

I never had ANY reasons to call my cable company of all the years I had it. I had a great DVR that worked all the time... no problems. If I had any billing problems they were easily and quickly resolved. So, when I switched to DirecTV you know what.. i simply expected the same - nothing more nothing less. So yeah no big expectations.. but not the run around i've gotten from them and the lack of concern (except for saying "i'm sorry sir" which from them means LITTLE). 

It's just been a headache and i'm trying very hard to make it work b/c i'm STUCK for 2 years... and i expect to just be able to enjoy all the channels and be able to record as i chose. That's all.


----------



## Redux (Oct 19, 2004)

ClayMan said:


> i'm trying very hard to make it work b/c i'm STUCK for 2 years


It's a good idea to try to make it work. If, at some point, it becomes hopeless, I don't think you'll find the 2 years an issue. Explain your dissatisfaction to DirecTV and you'll probably find they'll let you go. You will be among many, many thousands of Tivo users and my guess is they will make a corporate decision to take the loss quietly and keep State Consumer Protection departments and the press out of it.

If not, keep in mind that the "judge" in the case will be your credit card company. With the burden on DirecTV after you've disputed the charge. Collect your supporting data: your personal experiences documented and the voluminous information accumulating in TCF and elsewhere.


----------



## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

I love my Directv-Tivo. I also think Direct does a pretty good job with customer service. But, I hate rate increases and I hate paying for locals. I think Direct should grandfather everyone at their sign up rates and not raise those rates unless the person changes their subscriptions. Locals should always be free. They could raise rates for new people. With that said, these latest rate increases will be the last straw. As everyone said here, cable is catching up and can include broadband. So, when my Directv-Tivo dies, "you'll be looking for me on another label." BTW- Directv replacing TIVO with their own DVR will be a classic case study in graduate business schools.


----------



## Matt9876 (Sep 1, 2001)

The new HD mpeg4 birds are starting to go online and this will change the way many of us will watch TV forever. also many new products are in the pipeline.

I think DirecTV is just having growing pains now but needs to very mindful of price and quality of their service. also give the long term customer a break when upgrading to the new stuff.


----------



## kubedawg (Aug 26, 2005)

I personally think directv wants to be like cable, because cable doesnt have to deal with all those installations for the dish, and with directv moving over to a leasing option, and their own products without the middle man, i think it was a good choice. now i say this looking forward into the future, but right now, directv has a lot of catching up to do, especially since everyone wants a tivo, not some generic off brand(dtv) pos.


----------



## dswallow (Dec 3, 2000)

kubedawg said:


> I personally think directv wants to be like cable, because cable doesnt have to deal with all those installations for the dish, and with directv moving over to a leasing option, and their own products without the middle man, i think it was a good choice. now i say this looking forward into the future, but right now, directv has a lot of catching up to do, especially since everyone wants a tivo, not some generic off brand(dtv) pos.


The leasing option is actually a negative.

The leasing option didn't lower entry costs; the prices are the same advertised prices people have been paying to own the equipment.

The leasing option didn't get rid of the commitment; the commitment still exists -- and actually has been extended to two years in some cases (though that extension occurred earlier than the leasing option did).

The only thing the leasing option did was change ownership of the equipment to DirecTV -- so now what yesterday got you equipment you owned tomorrow gets you equipment DirecTV owns and you must return when you end service.

But if you want to own the equipment, now you have to pay more for it. And while you won't have a commitment, you also won't get an subsidy either.

So really there's nothing positive about this change except for DirecTV's financial statements.


----------



## Tilllinderman (Mar 12, 2005)

Just my two cents, the way I look at directv being like any other cable company brings to my mind a car analogy. Like several people have said in this thread we expect more from directv because they've always delivered better quality than cable kind of like If you bought Honda's your whole life and you were used to the quality and dependability they offered then suddenly their product was just like the crappy car down the street (don't want to offend anyone) that wouldn't make you angry?? and further wouldn't make you consider other options??


----------



## SpankyInChicago (May 13, 2005)

Matt9876 said:


> The new HD mpeg4 birds are starting to go online and this will change the way many of us will watch TV forever. also many new products are in the pipeline.
> 
> I think DirecTV is just having growing pains now but needs to very mindful of price and quality of their service. also give the long term customer a break when upgrading to the new stuff.


I think many people question whether MPEG4 makes DirecTV better or simply allows them to keep up. Certainly an argument could be made that MPEG4 serves only to keep DirecTV in the game as opposed to keeping (?) them out in front.

I think DirecTV needs to really consider its position when 10+ years customers / evangelists are screaming as loud as we all are now.


----------



## blips (Oct 20, 1999)

SpankyInChicago said:


> I think DirecTV needs to really consider its position when 10+ years customers / evangelists are screaming as loud as we all are now.


You would think that makes good business sense, but it doesn't now a days. What matters is how MANY customers are screaming and yelling. 1% or 10%? That is what will affect the bottom line. As eluded to several times in this thread, most people don't care or pay attention enough to care.


----------



## mczolton (Aug 6, 2003)

I know I will seriously consider switching to cable when the Series 3 Tivos come out. Not because I am disappointed with DirecTV in general, but because I feel Tivo is such a vastly superior product compared to DirecTV brand DVRs. 

Mark


----------



## crkeehn (Mar 1, 2005)

Dan Collins said:


> I only expect as much from DirecTV as they used to deliver in the past:
> 
> 1) Better customer service than cable
> 2) Better video and audio quality than cable
> ...


Unfortunately, a sweeping generalization like that doesn't always work very well. We know that DirecTV is fairly consistent, the same is not true of Cable. Yes Cable in *SOME AREAS* has made tremendous strides and is as good if not better than satellite. However, in other areas, Cable hasn't made any great strides. I live in such an area and people in our development are signing up for small dishes in droves. In the past year, nearly half the houses on our street have switched from cable to small dish, a change from a couple of years ago when there were two dishes on the street, one of them mine.


----------



## SpankyInChicago (May 13, 2005)

blips said:


> You would think that makes good business sense, but it doesn't now a days. What matters is how MANY customers are screaming and yelling. 1% or 10%? That is what will affect the bottom line. As eluded to several times in this thread, most people don't care or pay attention enough to care.


Where you at in Bartlett? I am on West Bartlett about 1.5 miles west of 59.


----------



## tbeckner (Oct 26, 2001)

lee espinoza said:


> I see some people were there cable company lets them down they do not get mad but when the same people have DIRECTV and DIRECTV lets them down they are mad as HELL why?
> 
> why do think DIRECTV is any different than any cable company?
> to me the only difference between DIRECTV and cable company are SATS in the sky and price.


Do you work for DirecTV?

Are you a DirecTV Shill?

See Post: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=3800543#post3800543


----------



## macnificent (Feb 16, 2002)

I have been a DirecTV subscriber since the very begining (My account #is less that 28000) and as others have posted I left cable due to poor customer service and low quality picture and constant rate increases. I love my DirecTivos and overall am happy with DirecTv but Dish network is eating their lunch and Verizon FIOS is breathing down their neck and with the price increases of the last 2 years and the delays in implementing a full slate of HD programing I will be leaving DirecTV in the near future.
I have Verizon FIOS broadband currently and as soon as Verizon get's regulatory approval to broadcast video in my area I will be LEAVING Direc Tv.
If you do some research into FIOS I don't think there is any way that DirecTV can compete . they have over 1000 channels of on demand movies and the prices are much lower ,the HD is gorgeous and the broadband speeds are smokin.


----------



## malloryd (Jan 24, 2003)

macnificent said:


> I have Verizon FIOS broadband currently and as soon as Verizon get's regulatory approval to broadcast video in my area I will be LEAVING Direc Tv.
> If you do some research into FIOS I don't think there is any way that DirecTV can compete . they have over 1000 channels of on demand movies and the prices are much lower ,the HD is gorgeous and the broadband speeds are smokin.


I, too have Verizon FIOS in my area, and the town right next to mine has FIOS/TV now. After my last bout with D* Customer Service, where I was basically treated like a piece of garbage, I will be out the door as soon as Verizon says their TV product is available to me. I'm sure their DVR won't have the same functionality of the DirctTivo units, which is why I went with D* in the first place, but there comes a time when its best to cut your loses and run.

Just my 2 cents...

DCM


----------

