Direct TV and CenturyLink Internet versus COX (sales, to buy)

[Endevor]

Hello Everybody,
Has anyone had any negative experience with Direct TV and CenturyLink Internet? How reliable are the two and their customer service compared to COX. Thank you.

[AZgarden]

I have had all three and have century link Prism right now. It has been the least likely to go out or give me problems. But it is also the most expensive (after the initial honeymoon period) and I tried to get them to decrease a bit, but got a solid no. The others were more willing to work with me to keep me on their service/plan. But, I was always calling them for one reason or another, and I like this one the best.

[AlohaFriday]

Cox customer service is horrible. Instead of fixing your problems, they try and sell you stuff. We switched to Century Link for internet and Direct TV for cable, and they're ok. Each has gone out in the few months we've been signed up, and we've had repairmen come out to fix the problems. On the bright side, they actually send techs out. Cox would just try and convince you it's your fault and get you to buy new equipment.

If you do switch to Century Link, know that they outsource part of their customer service to the Philippines. They're very nice and polite on the phone, but they're not always the most helpful or honest. There is another, US-based line that offers better customer service, so be sure to use that one.

So both have definite cons. I like Century Link and Direct TV because Cox just doesn't care about their customers at all.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by AlohaFriday

Cox customer service is horrible. Instead of fixing your problems, they try and sell you stuff. We switched to Century Link for internet and Direct TV for cable, and they're ok. Each has gone out in the few months we've been signed up, and we've had repairmen come out to fix the problems. On the bright side, they actually send techs out. Cox would just try and convince you it's your fault and get you to buy new equipment.

And I have had just the opposite experience, poor service from the telco and no problems with Cox.

[Voebe]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

And I have had just the opposite experience, poor service from the telco and no problems with Cox.

But "no problems" isn't the same thing as good customer service. You don't find out how bad the customer service is until a problem crops up.

[azriverfan.]

The only reason to get DirectTV in my opinion was for the NFL Sunday Ticket. I used to subscribe to both just to get that. But now Direct TV is selling it as an online subscription with limitations. You can also stream it through a PS4, PS3 and X-Box. Ultimately, they will make it available to everyone.

Price is not my main concern. My biggest frustration with satellite is the delay in channel changing, susceptibility to weather changes and setting up the dish. DirectTV has struggled recently. They've been offering the Sunday Ticket for free the last 2-3 years just for signing up with DirectTV. In the past, you still had to pay $200-$300 on top of signing up with DirectTV. Also, Cox is going to make its 1 gig service available to everyone. I just don't see how DirectTV/Century Link offers any competitive advantage at this point.

[esiebert7625]

+1 on Cox, always had great service from them.

[azriverfan.]

My particular DirectTV sales rep really tried to haggle with me. I didn't like how I couldn't get a straight answer. I just asked about a basic price assuming it was like Cox where the packages were listed. It wasn't that simple with DirectTV. I finally got fed up with the act and walked away and then he chased me down and did the typical cheese sales tactic of "Well, what if I removed this fee and this fee and this fee, would this entice you then" It was like getting a gym membership. He included a lot of extraneous fees and then "removed" them to give me the false perception that I was getting a deal. No thanks, that type of process doesn't work for me.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by Voebe

But "no problems" isn't the same thing as good customer service. You don't find out how bad the customer service is until a problem crops up.

Perhaps it was poorly stated, I have encountered situations where I needed help from Cox, and the customer service that I received was not problematic, i.e. they did a good job of taking care of my needs.

I take exception to comments (about any company) like "customer service is horrible" unless they are preceded with "my experience has been that".

[stevek64]

I've used Cox for internet only for many years now and I've had nothing but a very reliable connection from them. They also deliver above and beyond the advertised speed I pay for. The few times I've needed customer service, they were great to deal with. They didn't rush me off the phone and did whatever it took to address the problem at hand.