Too many choices makes things to dang complicated

heiney9

As I get older I sound more and more like "old" man. Just trying to figure out what digital TV provider to go with. I am currently a Comcast customer w/ regular SD TV service as well as internet.

DishTV is running a special for new customers. Being this is 2010 I don't typically call customer service or a sales phone number, I prefer to look and purchase on-line. Well I'll be damned if I can make heads or tails of what my monthly charges will be if I decide to become a "new" DishTV customer.

My favorite phrase from the website.

Get up to 3 additional HD recievers at no add'l cost*

*New Dish Network customers can get 1 HD DVR reciever and up to two add'l HD recievers for no add'l upfront costs. To me that means free.

WTF does "no add'l upfront costs" mean? To me it means I have to pay some sort of lease charge. But, nowhere except in the terms and agreements does it state what the "lease" amount might be and then in the terms and agreements they say "if applicable".

How do I know if it's "applicable" and why lead with a statement: Get up to 3 additional HD recievers at no add'l cost.

No where on the the DISH TV website do they mention what it costs per month to have the HD DVR or the extra HD recievers.

Don't even get me started about Comcast and it's website. I am a current customer and can't make head or tails what they woud charge me to add HD content and a DVR.

I know.......................they do this on purpose. I guess I have to call an 800 number, be put on hold and bascially beaten over the head with a bunch of sales BS.

//END RANT//

H9

Knucklehead

I agree, Im glad Cox Cable is tolerable in my area. Nothing worse than having to learn a whole new channel line up.

steveinaz

Brock, I'm not sure how Dish does its billing, but I can give you a point of reference with Directv. We have the Family Choice package (second from the best) which simply doesn't include any premium channels (HBO/Starz/TMC, etc), we have 2 hi-def boxes (not DVR's), and 4 standard def boxes. We pay about $105/month for this service--but that includes $5.99 maintenance agreement, $9.99 for HD service, and $4.99 for 4 supplemental HD channels (Smithsonian, UHD, MGM, uhhh, umm, can't remember the last one).

We've had them for about 2years now and been very pleased with the service/quality of the picture. Lightning seems to effect it far more than wind/rain/clouds, as our only outage was due to lightning--and only lasted about 15 minutes.

In the early days of satellite TV, you paid for own equipment. They don't do this anymore, but the equipment doesn't belong to you as a consequence. It's leased. For example, I had a standard def box in the master bedroom, so when I got an HDTV in there, I had to buy the HD receiver ($99)---but, it's property of DTV, it's not mine. Which is really inconsequential anyway, because it won't work with any other system. Bottom line, you don't own your equipment. I'm sure Dish is exactly the same. Upon cancellation, this equipment has to be returned to the provider, yes that includes the receiver I bought.

Hopefully I'm not being Captian Obvious, just wanted to inform...

bobman1235

I've toyed with the idea of satellite a few times, and totally agree that it's near impossible to figure out what you're going to be charged until you actually go through the sign-up process. I'm sure this is by design.

steveinaz

I'm paying no more than I did for standard def cable (Cox cable), and I'm getting HD and a boatload more channels.

billbillw

Some of your questions are answered here:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/faq/default.aspx

Typically, the first receiver is free, and there is a lease/access fee for each additional box. Same basic thing as cable.

Having no up-front cost is pretty significant because a few years back, you would have to pay for each receiver out of pocket and still have to pay an access fee for each.

Kex

heiney9 wrote: »

... Get up to 3 additional HD recievers at no add'l cost*

*New Dish Network customers can get 1 HD DVR reciever and up to two add'l HD recievers for no add'l upfront costs. To me that means free.

WTF does "no add'l upfront costs" mean? To me it means I have to pay some sort of lease charge. ... [/I]

It looks like you figured it out to me:

- The HD receivers will be free (up to three). That's the special deal.
- You will pay a monthly lease fee on each one, except the first one.
- HD service is always $10/mo. extra, depending on which standard package you subscribe to.

Note that special offers may be directly from Dish Network, or from a local installer, and they may be different.

So, if you check the basic package, America's Top 120:

- The website shows this costs $39.99 with locals included.
- After taxes, in CA, this works out as $40.87 exactly.
- There is nothing else to pay. The first receiver fee is included.

A) If you add HD to America's Top 120, then you get 70HD channels for $10.
If you add HD to America's Top 200, then you get 85HD channels for $10.
C) If you add HD to America's Everything Pack, then you get 120HD channels for $10.

SD: http://www.dishnetwork.com/packages/programming/customer.aspx
HD packages: http://www.dishnetwork.com/hdtv/customer.aspx

Thus, in each case:

- Determine which standard package pricing will apply, from $25-$100.
- Add $5 for each additional SD receiver, beyond the first.
- Add $10 to the SD pricing for HD, depending on which package you chose.
- Add $7 for each additional HD receiver, beyond the first.
- You only add HD or SD receiver charges, not both.

Check the fee schedule of P.3 of the Residential agreement:

http://www.dishnetwork.com/downloads/legal/RCA.pdf

What's confusing is that they just recently changed their pricing structure completely, so it's not clear to me if the $5.98 DVR fee will apply to the new package pricing. I don't see any "with DVR" packages any more, which would have determined whether or not the fee applied in the past.

The cheapest HD package would be $40 for the Top 120, plus $10 for HD, no additional fee if only one receiver, so $50 plus taxes of about $1. Add $7 per extra receiver to that, and you may have to add $6 if one of the receivers is a DVR as well.

I did know their pricing quite well until they changed it, but I think the only thing that is not clear at this point is the DVR fee, and whether it still an extra fee, or whether it is now inluded in the receiver fee.

dkg999

I got rid of the cable TV altogether and am very happy. I watch what I want when I want from the available online content via my Roku box. It's not the ultimate solution, but $115/mo vs $13.95/mo for Netflix is good! I still have broadband internet through my cable provider, so that expense hasn't changed.

dorokusai

Doesn't it remind you of another hobby Brock?

Kex

billbillw wrote: »

Some of your questions are answered here:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/faq/default.aspx ...

Actually, this totally confuses me! The fee structure for the receivers is not the same as in the Residential Agreement. They need to update that!

The FAQ section shows that:

- Each single tuner "solo" receiver is $7, SD or HD.
- Each single tuner "solo" DVR is $10, SD or HD.
- Each dual tuner "duo" receiver is $14, SD or HD.
- Each dual tuner "duo" DVR is $17, SD or HD.

At least it clears up the DVR fee question: it's now included in the DVR lease, for $3 extra, and the receiver fee is now identical for SD and HD, instead of the previous $2 premium for HD receivers.

heiney9

Thanks for the feedback. It seems Dish Network is a MUCH better deal than Comcast at this point. Comcast want's $15.95/m for an HD DVR receiver. In my area Comcast doesn't seem to have a tier in between the 100ch package and the 200 ch package which also includes a bunch of pay (Starz, HBO, Cinemax, etc) channels I have no interest in.

Comcast wants $74 for the 100+ HD channels including local plus $15.95 for the DVR receiver

Comcast wants $$115 for the 200+ HD channels inclduing local and a bunch of pay channels I have no interest in. plus $15.95 for the DVR receiver


Dish Network is $60/m for 12m for the 200 HD pkg including local and one DVR receiver. Then $75/m for 2nd year of the contract. Now I haven't looked into any installation fee's or equipment shipping fees.

I assume if I find a local Dish Network installer these things are free, especially the equipment. If I order off the internet they charge $19.95 shipping for the dish and $9.95 shipping for the receiver.

H9

Kex

Just because it was in my "junk mail" recycle bin, you could see if these guys operate in your area, or check your own junk mail!

www.infinitydish.com

I don't know anything about them, so they may be a band of crooks for all I know.

reeltrouble1

I would go for which ever one has tubes............................oh, I guess that would be well, none, your screwed.

RT1

reeltrouble1

dkg999 wrote: »

I got rid of the cable TV altogether and am very happy. I watch what I want when I want from the available online content via my Roku box. It's not the ultimate solution, but $115/mo vs $13.95/mo for Netflix is good! I still have broadband internet through my cable provider, so that expense hasn't changed.

I am sure I am going to be sorry I asked, but what the hell is a Roku box, does it have anything to do with Baukagon.........and hit points??????.

RT1--SpongeBobSquarePants

dkg999

RT1 - the Roku box is this little black box that connects via your wireless (or wired connection) router to your Netflix, Amazon, Pandora, etc. accounts and lets you watch movies from your Netflix and Amazon instant/online accounts and music from your Pandora account. And yes it could have it's digital or analog outputs go into something that involved tubes.

heiney9

I thought about canceling TV service and using my Roku as well, but there are just too many things I watch so it's not really an option.

reeltrouble1

heiney9 wrote: »

I thought about canceling TV service and using my Roku as well, but there are just too many things I watch so it's not really an option.

like what?? paying for sattelite is getting old and our thriving metropolis cant pick up a TV station with an attenna under 100 feet or so. I can hardly watch sattelite anymore unless its a recorded show, 4-5 minutes of commercials is just sooooooooooo aggravating.

then I was watching the ball game the other night, the coach called a twenty second time out, after which three one minute commercials played, huH?? If I could find an alternative..........., but it would have to have the wife's stuff, soaps, HGTV, Lifetime......and the networks.

RT1

heiney9

Sports, Food Network, Top Gear on BBC channel, PBS, I do like things on Discovery and The Learning channel, History channel, AMC, FX and a few sitcoms, etc. Bravo, etc. Wish I could pick my top 50 and be done with all the other crap those goes with it.

reeltrouble1

yea, I got to have Discovery and the History Channel for sure, damm the bastages are gripping my sack uncomfortably, paying over 1600.00 a year to watch television, well, sattelites are not cheap, but then all those damm commercials.......makes me go listen to music....which is not a bad thing I suppose.....

RT1

billbillw

I pulled the plug on satellite last fall. Now I'm OTA only (plus Netfix). No regrets really. I use stand alone HD Tivo boxes to record my antenna and I'm networked in to get Netflix instant downloads. I pick up more than a dozen channels (more if you count all the sub-channels) with my rooftop antenna. My wife didn't complain at all. We both realized that 95% of what we were viewing was available OTA.

The only thing I miss at all is college football on ESPN (still plenty on local channels), SciFi network (I guess I'll wait till DVD release for Caprica), and hockey on Versus (screw Comcast anyway).

Most of the nerdy science stuff that I was watching on Discovery/History is just as good, if not better, on PBS. Kids shows are better on PBS also.

So, instead of paying Directv more than $75/month (and that was with discounts for bundled, etc), I'm paying Tivo $20/month for two DVRs and paying Netflix about $9/month. I bought my HDTivos used off Ebay for less than $200 for both. I made back my investment in the Tivo boxes in less than 4 months.

I originally thought I would just do this to save money for a year or so, but I honestly don't see myself going back to cable or satellite for a long time.