Direct TV vs. Comcast (Lake Ridge: credit, home, neighborhood)

[ACWhite]

Hi, Comcast has again raised my prices and I've never been thrilled with their service. So I priced what I believe to be an apples-to-apples package, with the desired channels, 1 HD DVR and two other HD receivers (Direct TV imposes a $200 one time charge for the DVR, but lower monthly fees for the receivers).

It appears to me that Comcast charges approximately $45 more per month for the package I want, than DirectTV, AND, DirectTV has a 12 month promotion at a further discounted rate, resulting in more savings.

If you have DirectTV, what has your experience been with them? Any other comments?

Based on this discussion I may go back to Comcast and tell them what the competition is offering and see what happens. I called them yesterday and went on their site and was told both places that the current deal I have is the best they can do for me unless I want to give up some of my channels or receivers. (In the past they offered discounts simply when I called to tell them the price was too high and I wanted to see what specials they had, but not this time).

[HokieFan]

My only complaint about DirecTV - and satellite tv in general - is that the weather affects the signal. When it rains or snows hard, we lose our signal. We lost signal on Wednesday morning and throughout the day due to the rain/snow (I live in Lake Ridge, and it snowed more than in areas north of us).

No a huge deal - but if you're really into the show you're watching, it can be pretty frustrating. Especially if it's something like the Super Bowl. That would be a crisis situation.

DirecTV customer service is stellar. Major points for their customer service call center being in the U.S. No communication/language barrier problems.

Two of our boxes have "gone bad", we call DirecTV and they sent us a replacement within a few days. We package the old box up and send it back. One time, we had an issue with the box connecting with our internet. DirecTV customer service told us to reset our internet - BIG MISTAKE. Internet would not reconnect, we had to call Comcast who charged us $80 to remotely "fix it". We called DirecTV and explained what happened, they gave us an $80 credit towards next month's bill.

[metclubin]

I have no experience with Comcast but have been a DirecTV customer for the past 3 years and have been extremely satisfied. Their PQ of HD channels is best if compared to Fios HD. The customer service will generally give good deals with $ off for few months or free premium channels for limited time during renewals. The DVR storage is greater than any of the cable providers. If you are a new DirecTV customer make you get their new Genie HD DVR. You will be able to record upto 5 shows at one time.
Check out more on this receiver DIRECTV Genie - The Most Advanced Whole Home HD DVR

[jillybean720]

When I lived in Lake Ridge, we started out with Comcast. HATED them. Our monthly bill kept creeping up and up even though we weren't changing anything as far as our services, channels, hardware, etc. And their customer service was terrible! We compared a few options and ended up going with Dish Network. We stuck with Dish for a few years, and I would say we only ever lost service maybe three or four times, and not for long stretches of time. And their customer service far surpassed any sad excuse I'd ever gotten for such from Comcast.

Once Verizon FiOS was available in our neighborhood, we switched to that and have never turned back. Love it.

[newnewsmama]

DirecTV has much better service than Comcast. That's my experience.

[Middlin]

We have had DirectTV since 2000 and their customer service is great. We get free movie channels for a couple of weeks at a time for being a loyal customer. When we moved into our current home in 2009 my husband was in the midst of setting up all kinds of stuff in the basement. The guy that came out spent HOURS in our basement with my husband getting everything just right. He was there so long he had dinner w/ us. My husband plans on trying to get them to upgrade our receivers to the genie for free.

[ACWhite]

Thanks to everyone for your very helpful advice. Do any of you have to go out and adjust the satellite dish (as the Comcast ads accuse)? I am not good on ladders and roofs.

[spleuchan]

I've had Comcast, DirecTV, DishNetwork, and now Verizon FIOS. I liked DirecTV better than Comcast, but actually liked DishNetwork better than DirecTV. With DirecTV, you do lose the signal sometimes in storms. This almost never happened with DishNetwork. I never had to adjust the satellite with either.

[ACWhite]

Thanks for the additional info. Unfortunately our neighborhood isn't scheduled to get FIOS in the near future -- maybe never. (This is one reason why Comcast feels free to gouge us, I'm sure).

[ArtyGuy]

I'm not currently a satellite tv customer but when I had satellite tv in the past (California, Indiana and New York) not once did I have to adjust my dish. I was stationed at FT Irwin, CA where winds are very high and FT Drum, NY averages 100+ inches of snow a year--- neither of those elements moved my dish, requiring me to get up on the roof.