Verizon FIOS, DirecTV, or Dish Network?

[wrcousert]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaBears

Man that is insane speed! I only have Verizon DSL and they don't even offer FiOS here in San Bernardino.

Some parts of the country have gigabit speeds (up and down).

[ferretkona]

Ok, I have shared this before.
Get a cable internet connection. I have one for $29 a month.
Put a splitter on the cable directly to your tv for free cable tv. I am getting 70 channels free. No premiums but free none the less.

[Forever Blue]

I appreciate it guys, this is all very good info to know! I'll only have a need for probably 1 TV at the place I'll be moving to.

ferretkona, I've got to know more about this! What company do you have that offers cable internet? I've never heard of that exactly. I'm no techie type person, so getting a splitter & doing whatever you have to do with it, I'd have no idea how to do. How do I find out more? $29/mo sounds fabulous to me! Please PM me on how you hook it all up exactly.

[Forever Blue]

I'll be moving in less than a month to a Rancho Cucamonga apt. I don't really want Charter Communications again...unless it's really the cheapest out there. I heard Dish Network is old school & horrible in the strong winds. I heard Verizon FIOS is great & I'd love to try it, but I'm sure it's pretty high.

I need to find a company ASAP & get hooked up. My main concern is a good price, so what's the best: DirecTV, Verizon FIOS, etc.? I don't really want to keep switching companies to whoever has the best promotions at the time for the next year or two.

I don't need HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, etc. All I care about are the other channels: Discovery ones, Lifetime ones, the Tennis Channel would be nice, etc. I guess bundling the internet & cable is the best way to save. I don't want a landline phone, but if it's cheap enough in the bundle, maybe so.

[Forever Blue]

Hey, I guess I started the question again & got mixed up that I asked already.

First thing Mon morning, I'll going tostart calling around. I DO want Verizon FIOS though. I see they have a 2-yr lock-in price of $84 or $89/mo, but I don't want to be committed for 2 yrs. So does anyone know what they can do in that case?

[Dunbar42]

Originally Posted by Forever Blue

So does anyone know what they can do in that case?

Find out what the termination fee is and weigh your options. There really isn't much you can do other than switch back and forth. Or at least, be serious enough about switching that they cut you a break. I think the rate will go up $30-40/month outside of the promotional period. I like FIOS enough that I'd sign a two year contract. But being a new apartment you don't know if your rent is going to go up high enough that you'll want to move in a year.

[Forever Blue]

What if every year, I switch to different cable TV & internet companies to get their promo deal? Yes, I'll have to put up w/ having a new email address every year, but I guess that's OK if I want to save money.

If I had Verizon FIOS for year 1, then DirecTV for year 2, then Charter Communications for year 3, then did the same 3 companies again for years 4, 5, & 6, & kept repeating, will I always get their promo prices OR do they have some kind of rule like you can't be a past customer for the last 5 years or something?

If anyone knows, please let me know.

[Dunbar42]

Originally Posted by Forever Blue

If anyone knows, please let me know.

I wouldn't over think it. You can do FIOS to cable (or vice versa) and that covers the first two years which is a long time. You may be able to negotiate the price down when you call to cancel. You have to be willing to cancel though since they might call your bluff. I think DirecTV wants you to sign a two year contract to get the equipment for free. So if they only give you a price break for a year you are stuck in a contract. Also, read your lease if you do satellite and make sure you comply with the rules.

[bouncethelight]

Originally Posted by Forever Blue

I'll have to put up w/ having a new email address every year, but I guess that's OK if I want to save money.

Here's a tip - NEVER use the email address that comes from your service provider. It's just too risky. If you change providers, then you lose the email address - and any email sent to it will bounce, and never reach you.

Get a gmail account - or another free alternative. And pick your username wisely, since you'll have it for a very long time!

And if in the future, you pick up your own domain name - and you want to start using forever@foreverblue.com as your main email address? Not a problem! You can either forward that address to your gmail account, or you can forward your gmail account to your new account. Either way, you'll never lose a single email, because you "switched" email addresses.

[Forever Blue]

Thanks for the info guys. DirecTV was looking good, but I checked w/ my apt complex & due to the location of my unit, I can only go w/ Charter Communications, which is what I have now OR Verizon FIOS, in which I do have the most basic landline phone (not FIOS) w/ them now for less than $20/mo. I want to try Verizon FIOS.

I do have a free ymail email that I could use as my primary email, but I don't care to use the username I have for that since it tells the yr I was born, in which everyone will know my age...not that it's old.

I don't mind having a new email because I don't have to change it w/ that many people.

I guess I'm going w/ Verizon FIOS...probably! Any more comments?