Satellite TV vs Blue Ridge (Philadelphia, Monroe: houses, to buy, taxes)

[ferraro1958]

Hi Everybody,

I live in Chestnuthill and was wondering about switching to satellite tv. Blue Ridge is just getting too expensive. I am concerned about the reception though. If any one has satellite tv in the area could would you let me know if you've had any problems and which provider that you use. Thanks.

[Wells5]

You'll have to identify exactly where and what "Chestnut Hill" is. Google the name and it comes up as a section of Philadelphia.

[ferraro1958]

Oh sorry, I live the Effort area of Monroe county off of Rt. 115. Thanks.

[DavidWebb]

From experience of friends who have had it and another friend of mine that live in the outback of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where they have nothing I don't recommend you switch to satellite because, in their words, "The service just sucks no matter which provider you go with!!"

I contemplated it awhile back also because I thought Blue Ridge was too expensive but after doing numerous comparisons Blue Ridge is actually cheaper....what many don't realize when switching to satellite TV is that when the promotions are over you're going to be paying a TON OF MONEY for severely poor service especially when it rains or snows....and lets face it....there's no escaping them 2 up here in NEPA....if you are a senior I would suggest asking Blue Ridge if they give a discount to seniors....if not then maybe paying quarterly or every 6 months may work out better if you can do it....but do the comparisons, just like I did, with all the major satellite providers before making any final decisions....because once you switch you're locked in for the duration of the promo which sometimes can be 2 or 3 years depending on who you switch to....good luck!!

[ferraro1958]

Thanks so much for getting back to me. I think you're right, will just stay with Blue Ridge. The weather can be a bit of a problem here. I see sat. dishes on some houses in my development and wondered. The houses are mostly weekenders though.

[padad1]

Ferraro...I am in your same exact area. We looked into changing to satellite but after adding all the channels that I "couldn't do without" it ended up being the same price (if not more in some instances) as blue ridge. Plus with cable the service does not go out as much as it does with Satellite. On an aesthetic level you also will not have the dish posted somewhere on or nearby your house. Our next door neighbor has direct tv and anytime it gets real windy (like this winter was by us) they lose service. I have tried to get rid of cable (trust me) because blue ridge keeps increasing dramatically.

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by padad1

Ferraro...I am in your same exact area. We looked into changing to satellite but after adding all the channels that I "couldn't do without" it ended up being the same price (if not more in some instances) as blue ridge. Plus with cable the service does not go out as much as it does with Satellite. On an aesthetic level you also will not have the dish posted somewhere on or nearby your house. Our next door neighbor has direct tv and anytime it gets real windy (like this winter was by us) they lose service. I have tried to get rid of cable (trust me) because blue ridge keeps increasing dramatically.

We have the whole package from Blue Ridge and it runs a little over $3,000/year. That is the internet/premium channels and telephone.

I think what really gets me angry is that they take care of new customers better than old, loyal, customers. Everything is designed to get you hooked and then the heck with you.

[mathjak107]

our house had dish when we bought it .when i called to activate it again they said the surrounding trees grew since it was originally installed and now the trees grew and diminished the signal to the point it was to weak to qualify for activation . so we went blue ridge .

keep in mind if you have forest surrounding you it can be an issue .

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by fisheye

We have the whole package from Blue Ridge and it runs a little over $3,000/year. That is the internet/premium channels and telephone.

I think what really gets me angry is that they take care of new customers better than old, loyal, customers. Everything is designed to get you hooked and then the heck with you.

Why be loyal, dump them.... They stick it to you because they know you will keep paying for it.

• Buy your own modem and router, this is usually $5 to $15 a month.
• Switch the phone to Ooma or other service. Ooma is $99 to buy the box once and $5 a month afterward which all taxes..... You get all the features you would expect from most services, unlimited calling, caller ID, blah, blah,blah
• Dump the cable TV, how man channels do you actually watch? Local channels may be the only issue here if you have poor reception, if you have good reception it's higher quality than the cable anyway.
• If you can't get the the local channels with an antenna check to see if you cable company offers really low tier plan, Comcast has internet/TV package with local channels, HBO and a few other minor cable channels for like $80 month.
• Look st Sling or other services for the major cable channels you won't be paying the cable company for.
• Last but not least Sports can be an issue because the cable companies bundle local sports like the Phillies with higher tier plans. MLB has their own service, you can watch any game you want except the local ones. Local ones are time delayed for 90 minutes until the game ends. One side benefit is you can watch any of them including past seasons any time you want.

[fisheye]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

Why be loyal, dump them.... They stick it to you because they know you will keep paying for it.

• Buy your own modem and router, this is usually $5 to $15 a month.
• Switch the phone to Ooma or other service. Ooma is $99 to buy the box once and $5 a month afterward which all taxes..... You get all the features you would expect from most services, unlimited calling, caller ID, blah, blah,blah
• Dump the cable TV, how man channels do you actually watch? Local channels may be the only issue here if you have poor reception, if you have good reception it's higher quality than the cable anyway.
• If you can't get the the local channels with an antenna check to see if you cable company offers really low tier plan, Comcast has internet/TV package with local channels, HBO and a few other minor cable channels for like $80 month.
• Look st Sling or other services for the major cable channels you won't be paying the cable company for.
• Last but not least Sports can be an issue because the cable companies bundle local sports like the Phillies with higher tier plans. MLB has their own service, you can watch any game you want except the local ones. Local ones are time delayed for 90 minutes until the game ends. One side benefit is you can watch any of them including past seasons any time you want.

These are all great suggestions. If it was up to me I would get rid of Blue Ridge Cable or just get their high speed internet. I already have a TracFone which is good enough for 99% of my calls today. I only spend about $100/year on the TracFone. I watch very few TV programs. As a matter of fact; I could probably do without a TV considering the garbage they throw at us.

But this is not about keeping me happy. Sometimes there is another party in the house that wants to be kept happy! So, for the time being; I'll keep BRC - it's peaceful that way!