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Dish TV
I know my tolerance level for stupid is well below the threshold it should be. So consider the following observations with a grain of salt, unless you also are getting tired of stupid.
We are upgrading our whole house video / audio / security system. We originally planned on using the satellite receiver in the bus as the second receiver in the house, and then putting it back in the bus when we go on a trip. But after seeing that to do that I had to go back in and change settings both times (in and out) I decided to see if just adding a new second receiver in the house made more sense.
I also wanted to see if Dish TV could offer more than what we get from Direct TV at more competitive pricing.
So I called Direct TV and explained if I switched from Direct to Dish I would need a non DVR receiver for the bus, and two DVR receivers for the house. I got a gal who admitted she couldn’t give me the information I needed so she switched me to someone else, who switched me to the third person who switched me to the fourth, who was about to switch me again when I told him if he did I would hang up because I was getting tired of their ads on hold and the wasting of my time because Monday is their busiest day. (Add more people on Mondays you morons!)
Well Jonathon decided he would help me after all. I rexplained for the 4th time the receivers I needed and we agreed on a “package” of channels. Then he asked for my SS#. I carefully explained he is not getting my social so I can get a price. He then explained they have different pricing levels and if I had good credit, as a Direct customer they needed to do a credit check before quoting their absolute best prices.
When I suggested (quite calmly) that if I get a quote that makes me want to switch to Dish I would understand how they might need a credit check to begin service but that all I wanted was their pricing, and if I requested service at the price quoted, and my credit was unworthy they just had to refuse to provide service at that price. Apparently I was asking him for the keys to the kingdom because they are just unable to quote prices without a SS#.
Direct TV is providing my new 2nd house receiver at no charge because I didn’t tell them I wouldn’t ever deal with Dish because life is too short to deal with stupid. I just suggested I was considering Dish and they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
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24 Replies
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Jon, I have had both over the years and as frustrating as any of these type of outfits can be, Direct TV is infinitely less so. We had Dish in Milwaukee for many years and many times I repulsed an urge to drive to Illinois with home-made explosives. In Fla about 8 yrs ago we got Direct because of NFL ticket and have been home and bus happy since.
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I have been relatively happy with Direct, and with the exception of the time our receiver burned up internally (and the burnt electric component smell was overpowering) and they insisted we do their entire process to re-boot it and check our antenna, and whatever other inane checks they needed before they sent the new replacement we have been pretty happy.
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Similar experience with Direct and Dish in the past. Now we have no satellite or cable TV for the last 10 years. It is liberating. The lack of quality programming, the dumbed down news, 24/7 propaganda and aggravating medical and political ads are just too much for us. We do have over the air ATSC to catch local weather. Everytime we turn it on, we feel like in a scene from Idiocracy… Great, prophetic movie by the way.
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Threegreens, we’re with you all the way. TV land is Duce a waste of time.
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We have all been there, done that.
Possibly the only one worse would be XM radio.
One day I offered a supervisor that I would pay for there customer support to learn understandable english.
Not sure you need two DVR’s. Mine will record 2 or 3 shows at a time (or maybe more) and since I have a home network, I can watch the recordings in any room that I have one of there clients as they call them, not even a recieve.
This ability may not apply to your home but it might, and you want pay the second DVR fees monthly.
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We want to be able to watch 2 different shows at one time and the 2nd receiver seemed to do that for us, plus it doubles the ability to record as many as 4 shows at one time.
Di likes the blood and guts shows and I tend to go for the chick flix.
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“I tend to go for the chick flix.”
Next time I’m at Jeff Rowe’s I’ll leave a case of tissue for you to use during the flixs.
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Jon…
Do be sure you get the Genie DVR… can record 5 shows at once and will network to every TV in your house…
Directv is leaps and bounds ahead of Dish network in my opinion have had both.. for some reason DTV treats me with “kidd gloves” don’t know why unless its because we pay over $200 per month for years and years but I take everything they offer and have 22 receivers with them.
Cheers, Diane
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Hi Diane, … or do you really have 22 receivers?
I do agree with everything that has been said about customer service or lack thereof. I have had reasons to contact Dish a couple of times. Their CS is in some land far, far away. I think it may even be on another planet. They are trying so hard being nice to you that I wanted to throw up a couple of times. More importantly, they are usually clueless on the phone.
However, I have learned a valuable trick and do no longer fear contacting them. Even better, I get an almost immediate reaction from intelligent, English speaking people.
My solution is to go on to the Dish forum. They do have several moderators and one or more are available 24/7.
You post about your issue and receive a response back on the same day. These moderators can, with your approval, access your account and make changes or correct issues.
They are a pleasure to work with.
We have Dish HD service using a roof mounted Traveller 1200 dish. $69.95 per month for the Americas 120 (channels) package. Plus, we also get local channels (ABC, NBC etc.) We contact them when we get to a new city and stay there for a while and give our new zip code so that they can switch us over to the area’s local channels..
Cheers,
Ronald
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The REAL answer is to convince the Tivo company to do something for bus owners.
First, they have a phenominal product and second, they have the most friendly and helpful people.
Second, with integrated Netflix and Hulu, we now “binge-watch” (remember multi-night miniseries?) great shows like Breaking Bad on Netflix AFTER it is on cable long enough to know it won’t be cancelled after you become invested.
Their new DVR allows you to leave the box in the house and you can watch anything you record on your iPad anywhere you have WiFi. All that is missing is something like ChromeCast that would let you feed that to the motorhome TV – and a decent campground WiFi connection.
I think companies like Dish are horrible because they skirt the laws of business Darwinism. Tivo competes with cable company DVRs in every single house, so that have to be LOTS better for someone to pick them over the “default” answer. Dish and Direct have a captive audience in the vast rural areas with no cable.
Darwinism and capitalism are truisms!
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Ronald,
Yes I do have 22 receivers… 12 in our house, 5 on our boat in Galveston, 3 in our Vantare (for sale) and 2 in the Liberty… the 3 in the Vantare will go away after it is sold however.
Whenever I call I get superior service from them…
Originally had Dish Network but they would not let us have more than 6 receivers and they wanted to set up another account…$139 a month for each account so I told them to take a hike… the 6 receivers we originally had were on our boat as we had cable TV at the house and no RV, but when we got an RV they wouldn’t let me have another receiver without a new (additional) account, so I called DTV and they set it all up for the house too and one account, so that’s how it all started.
I have been very happy with their service, guess I am one of the luckier folks out there.
Cheers, Diane
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Don’t let Jon fool you.
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Is that one of his new updated HDTV flatscreens in the house ??????
Where’s the remote or does it work off his “CRESTRON” HE HE !!!!!!!!!
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Don’t forget Direct has an RV service line. A real person answers and I have had great luck.
Direct TV RV — 1-800- 769- 4635
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I cannot get Lawrence Welk or the Lennon sisters on a flat screen digital TV. It has to have a big glass tube, it has to weigh more than a Yugo, and it has to have knobs for tuning.
So I have my retro TV to go with my flip phone with a rotary dial. I’m thinking of getting a Princess phone when they perfect the technology.
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