Are you kidding!

jon1redleg

I have Direct Tv and last week I got a phone call that my rate was going up by $40.00 a month,this why I am looking for Tv off the internet. I now see that they took 17 channels from my line up but still want me to pay
the increase WHAAAT!!

I am in a 2 year contract yet and know they will screw me if I call to drop but man this is BS!!! I just got out of
Dish Network because of this same crap. I think I'll drop and go antenna and just get local network channels
and use Hulu, Vulu etc... for movies and kids cartoons.

I'll save $117 a month $1400 a year thats new gear or a vacation or ...... well ya get my drift!

screw em !!!!

BeefJerky

If they're changing the rate that drastically, you should be able to get out of the contract without paying an ETF. I know that the wireless carriers have verbiage in their contracts with regards to those kinds of situations, and I would think that DTV would as well. They will probably try to deny waiving the ETF, but you just need to be persistent and work your way up the chain as necessary.

polkfarmboy

Thinking of going the same route jon1, most of the shows I watch are on hulu plus and you can turn your pc into a dvr for those local channels

VR3

I have not had any type of TV service for almost 2 years... dont miss it at all

Syndil

Dish is dropping AMC and its group of channels (IFC, WeTV) because AMC demanded more money. They were charging 25 cents per subscriber per month and now they want 75 cents, which is a hefty (300%) increase.

Similar things happening at DirecTV in a dispute with Viacom, which hold 26 channels that DirecTV will be dropping.

I've read up on it and I find it difficult to say one or the other is in the wrong. Both AMC's and Viacom's contracts with the satellite carriers have expired and they were up for renegotiation. In AMC's case, they had been charging a low-tier rate, because before AMC started putting out shows like Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, they were pretty much a low-tier channel. But now they have some of the highest rated shows on cable and are expecting to get paid in a manner that reflects that. However the price increase they are asking for is pretty big. It is in line with other channels that bring in the type of viewers that AMC does now with its premium shows, but it's a huge jump from what it had been charging.

Similar situation with Viacom and DirecTV.

Not sure about the DirecTV situation, but with Dish, Dish actually asked AMC for permission to continue carrying their channel while a new contract was negotiated, but AMC denied the request, forcing Dish to take it off the air. They subsequently put out an ad campaign and a Facebook campaign calling for customers to complain to Dish to bring back AMC. So it seems like AMC is putting the squeeze on Dish. But I do believe they deserve what they are asking for. I'll go ahead and say that Breaking Bad is the best TV show I've ever watched. Better than Game of Thrones, even.

Anyway, just glad my cable company is not caught up in any of this mess. Still have all my Viacom and AMC channels with Insight.

EndersShadow

With Netflix and Amazon on Demand, paired with regular TV shows being broadcast on the web now I have been debating cutting out cable for a long time.

One small cut to the tether in our lives might not be a bad idea. I think my wife and I are going to sit down and write out the shows we "really" like rather than the ones we just dont mind watching and then see what we can do.

pitdogg2

Syndil,
AMC also wanted Dish to pay for all the channels(programming) that Dish didn't ever carry. So the big jump in price was in essence a way to try and get Dish to show other programming AMC had. So in other words you're going to pay for it you might as well show it mentality. I would rather Dish and Direct do what they do instead of being bent over by these corporations. In my case Dish gave me 45.00 credit to Amazon to buy Breaking Bad when this coming season is over and the DVD comes out. plus they offered to upgrade me to Dish HD free for life with free new tuners and waving other charges I would of incurred. With dish you only get free HD if you have paperless billing and auto pay through an account which i refuse to do. so in the end it's all win win for me.....More companies need to step up like Dish and DirectTV do to these companies because in the end if all did the same NO ONE would watch their shows and then they'd beg for someone to carry their programming.

dkg999

I get a monthly call from Charter Communications because they cannot believe that I will pay for the fastest internet service they have, but won't bundle anything else with it. I'm not sure why they think I will pay a premium for cable channels when it's a time waster and not something that helps me have a more productive life. Hopefully the market will continue to educate them on their value proposition.

exalted512

Mine recently went up quite a bit after the 1 yr promotion deal went through. It was like $40, which was about $25 more than i was expecting. I wish I would have recorded the phone call with who I talked to to make that deal...so i decreased my plan. In which i lost a rebate, so the decreased plan (2 steps down) was like $.20 HIGHER than the plan i had. Called them up and they gave me a $15 discount.

When I talked to them originally, I wanted them to just average the cost over 2 years instead of it going up in year 2. They wouldn't do it. After this contract runs out, we'll be dropping them and going with Hulu and/or netflix to see how it goes. If we don't like it, we'll start shopping again between dish, direct, and the local cable company.
-Cody

SolidSqual

Hulu for TV. Netflix for Blu-Ray. HD Antenna for Local Stuff. 5MB Up and 30 MB Down through Road Runner. All for about $70 a month. I will never go back to cable or dish again.

SolidSqual

Plus, the real value in Hulu and Netflix is finding shows that no longer on television but you may have missed for whatever reason. I can't remember the last time I or my wife said, "what we gonna watch? There's nothing on TV." In fact, visiting my parents who have DirectTV further solidified the fact that I made the right choice . . . tons and tons of stations and all i could find was reruns of Law and Order.

zane77

Here's a link to the explanation I read
http://www.foxbusiness.com/business-leaders/2012/07/11/directv-customers-lose-mtv-nickelodeon-other-channels/

Face

MTV has been crap the last 10 years anyway.

Do you have FIOS available in your area?

cnh

The only place to go is "up". Prices don't come down. And that's an interesting fact that's hard to explain. But the piece above is interesting, in that it shows how "everybody" and his brother are trying to increase their fees. Cable, Satellite are always negotiating their packages, (which is not to say they don't price gouge--there is a modicum of looking at each other, if you are a conglomerate you don't want to be the 'one' whose prices are so out of line with the rest when that model makes you money!).

The whole cable/Sat thing is pretty messy. People keep saying you have a "choice" but in my experience, as far as where I am located, I don't find there to be "any" significant savings regardless of which service you choose. And ALL services have entry level discounts which terminate after 3, 6, or 12 months; at which time you're then paying whatever the "going" rate is for that service!

Now, many flock to the internet as a solution. OK, that will work for a short time until the scales tip in its favor, then I guarantee you that some form of non-competitive pricing for services will appear that "narrows" just how cheaply you can download or view certain content.

As for those with no cable or Sat service, I presume the majority of you have NO children. Or are like some of my academic friends, a very few of whom, don't even own a TV because, in their rather insulated lives they only need their Sunday Times and web access. Oh, but don't forget the cappuccino! lol

cnh

Mr. Sharpe

jon1redleg wrote: »

I have Direct Tv and last week I got a phone call that my rate was going up by $40.00 a month,this why I am looking for Tv off the internet. I now see that they took 17 channels from my line up but still want me to pay
the increase WHAAAT!!

I am in a 2 year contract yet and know they will screw me if I call to drop but man this is BS!!! I just got out of
Dish Network because of this same crap. I think I'll drop and go antenna and just get local network channels
and use Hulu, Vulu etc... for movies and kids cartoons.

I'll save $117 a month $1400 a year thats new gear or a vacation or ...... well ya get my drift!

screw em !!!!

If mine goes up, we're cutting it. I'm getting rid of it anyway for, like you said, NEW GEAR!;D much more important than the crap on tv nowadays. I didn't know about any contracts though, I was told it could be dissconnected any time.... who knows, maybe that's just a thing they do for us southern folks lol

mdaudioguy

So, they just called to say your rate is getting jacked up? And this was a complete surprise? Did it coincide with the end of a promotional offer? Sounds like you were getting some free or discounted movie channels. It would be helpful to know what you were paying for and what the deal was.

sucks2beme

at some point, we are going to pay per view for everything.
Too many channels are on that everybody pays for just because they subscribe.
That would weed out a lot of crap. What really amazes me is how a station that
goes out over the air charges $$$ for cable to carry their channel.
It's a war we can't win. Pay for what you watch is the only way it can work
long term. Given 40% of a hour long prime time program is ads, where is broadcast
tv going other than out of business? Welcome to the new world.

polkatese

Face wrote: »

MTV has been crap the last 10 years anyway.

Do you have FIOS available in your area?

Just switched over from DTV to FIOS (after 12 happy years with them). Broadband 30 MBP (subscribed to 25 MBP down speed) is the main reason. Beats DSL anytime anyday (obviously).

exalted512

no FIOS here
-Cody

dudeinaroom

I have been OTA for about 5 years now. As far as kids shows go, PBS has a 24 hour cartoon channel. Might not be what your kids are used to, but most of it is educational.

jon1redleg

SolidSqual wrote: »

Hulu for TV. Netflix for Blu-Ray. HD Antenna for Local Stuff. 5MB Up and 30 MB Down through Road Runner. All for about $70 a month. I will never go back to cable or dish again.

I seen the HD antennas , do they really work? I just signed up for netflix and was watching on blueray player
but can only watch on one TV. I went out and bought media streamer and set up in bed room, I am really impressed with picture and sound ( wi fi ). I am thinking to put one in kids rooms also $48.00 + tax, it came with 3 month free HULU.

jon1redleg

$20.00 a month for how many months left on contract plus other fees. Thats hat I was told.