Q. I’ve read your stories about DIRECTV and Dish losing subscribers. I’m surprised that more people don’t drop them. Dish is always losing channels and DIRECTV’s customer service is horrible. Why do people stay with them? I don’t get it. — Tony, Las Vegas.
Tony, Dish has lost roughly one million subscribers since the end of 2018 while DIRECTV has lost between 3-4 million during that time period. (AT&T, which owns DIRECTV, does not break out sub numbers for the satcaster and U-verse, choosing instead to lump them together.)
The losses are not terribly surprising when you consider that Dish has been involved in numerous carriage disputes over the last two years, triggering long-term blackouts of several popular channels such as HBO, the Fox-named regional sports channels and the NFL Network. (The Dish-NFL fee fight was finally settled yesterday after nearly three months.)
And DIRECTV has been the target of numerous subscriber complaints regarding its customer service since AT&T purchased it in 2015.
However, despite those two developments, both Dish and DIRECTV have raised programming prices every January for the last several years.
Considering that there are other viewing options now, such as Netflix and live streaming services like YouTube TV and Hulu Live, it’s reasonable to ponder why more people don’t drop DIRECTV and Dish.
But there’s a good reason why they don’t. And it’s the reason why Dish and DIRECTV don’t do more to address customer concerns.
And that reason is…the two-year contract.
We don’t know exactly how many Dish and DIRECTV subscribers have signed up for two-year commitments as part of their subscriptions. But it’s a requirement for new customers, and many long-time subscribers have agreed to renew their subs for two years in exchange for certain incentives such as free equipment upgrades.
While I have long argued that the two-year agreement is a bad deal for consumers, many people can’t resist because both Dish and DIRECTV offer tantalizing perks as part of the deal. Dish’s two-year agreement for new customers includes a price guarantee for two years while DIRECTV’s commitment includes free Sunday Ticket and HBO Max for one year as well as lower prices in year one.
The problem with the agreement, however, comes when something bad happens during the two years such as a blackout of a favorite channel, or a bad customer experience. The subscriber under the two-year agreement may want to drop service, but that would trigger a $20-a-month ‘early termination’ penalty for the remaining months left in the contract.
That’s a serious handcuff. For example, if you dropped service after one year, you would have to pay $240 in penalties.
DIRECTV and Dish know that the two-year commitment gives them leverage over their customers, which often leads to them being taken for granted. You can almost hear the executives saying, ‘They’re not going to drop us; they can’t because they would have to pay the penalty.’
If it were not for the two-year agreement, you can only imagine how many subscriber defections there would be for Dish and DIRECTV.
Again, I can’t underemphasize the importance of not signing a long-term agreement for any service, but particularly a pay TV service. Don’t give up your flexibility and leverage as a consumer.
Tony, hope that explains it. Happy viewing, and stay safe!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
Why customers don’t leave? For some no internet available, or familiarity with the equipment and if you have a sling box integration.
Mr. Swan, if you haven’t noticed ALL cable companies place you in a 24 month contract to start. Difference is, only DISH gives the promo price for the full 24 months. And regardless of channel lineup, prices go higher because BROADCASTERS raise the rates on the providers. The story is the same everywhere. When’s the last time car prices didn’t go up year over year?
I hate to disagree with you, but this past July when I finally dropped Dish Network and decided to add Xfinity(Comcast) TV to my package since I already had Comcast for internet I only had to agree to 12 month for the TV package. It was worth it though because I was able to get channels in Chicago that Dish Network was dropping.
The Only reason we don’t drop Directv is because we Do Not have Internet Service that will work for good reasonable service. If you don’t live in the city, country people are at a huge disadvantage! We would love to cancel Directv but it is what we can get in our area.
So you people are truly so entitled you do not realize that in some places there is little to no access to true Broadband? Really?
I understand your proclivity for asphalt and concrete.but to be so self centered?
Where I live: 20 miles from a 1.3mil city….I have almost 4 acres of land…i see 4 endangered animal species at least weekly… But my BEST available HSI is at about 10-12 MB. Hardly enough to truly stream. Comcast and other cable companies don’t want the cost to drop wire.
I’m not complaining…Id rather run in the yard with the kids and dogs… Watch the wildlife and enjoy some of THE GREATNESS OF AMERICA… We have Dish because it’s available much more reasonable than Direct TV.
Not Spectrum. Spectrum will also buy the contract out from Dish or Direct TV.
Spevtrjm has no contracts.
I was directvs biggest fan . Had it for over 20 years . 3 years ago I started getting overcharged month after month and ended up spending over 25 hours on this he phone with customer service. I finally threw in the towel and drop them . I hate the company with a passion . Att ruined directv
Yes, ATT did! I’m wanting to switch, but Dish is my only option, and it’s not much better than DTV
Same here. Was a customer of Dish first then went to DTV . Love it and was very reasonable compared to cable. Once ATT bought them out it went to crap. As usual with anything ATT touches
Agree, ATT stinks. When we cancelled Direct TV they made us pay thru to the billing period, wirhout service (in the fine print) or would send us to collections s and ruin our credit. ATT must need money, hope they go under!
I had prime star and loved it. Then direct tv took it over. Loved that, too. Now that ATT has taken it over, the cost is atrocious. Some minor stations are only available with the full package. I watch 3 to 5 HBO shows a year, but I must pay for the whole shot to see them. I live in the country, and I’m in a four mile radius of no decent phone lines, no cable lines, and I must have satellite internet also. It is too slow for netflix and on demand takes hours to load. I refuse to move.
I have heard rumors that Dish is buying Direct TV in 21
I love Direct tv. It never goes out and on the occasion that it does I just switch to the internet
Don’t take my direct tv away.
This comment’s about DirecTV. My husband and I have had DirecTV for at least 20 years going on 21 now. We love DirecTV. Depending on how much spendable income we had at the time we either had a basic program or we had a deluxe program. However, how many channels can you actually watch? We had a home in Florida and one in Pennsylvania and they both had DirecTV. I’m kind of upset because I keep hearing about AT&T selling it off and then I don’t know who’s going to be in charge of it and that bothers me a great deal. We have always had impeccable service – they’re prompt to get to our house when we need them and they always solve any problem we have.
I have had Directv for over 30 years. True, it can get pricey, the Customer Service has gone down hill. But if you call and not “blow up” at the Customer service tech, you can get bill credits. Like everything else, it costs money to get good services
Direct TV is the worst on this earth …you are correct they pull u in with the two year plan promise and than they over charge u for services…and for call sake never call them for tech services…they will charge u up the behind….I hate thier service….the worst move I ever made my life. I’ve shared my bad experience with all my family and friends. Awful Service 🙄😞
Dont care to have an internet connection is why I have satellite tv. My phone is my internet
That is the absolute reason. The only service worse than satellite is internet which where I live is far too slow and unreliable to stream anything. For us to cancel Directv would be to cancel TV.
Many including me have no other alternative worth switching to for Internet..
If I dropped direct TV right now, what is the next best service to go to. Spectrum sucks, their services are terrible. Are there any good cable companies to go to?
Reason I don’t drop dish? It’s simple, to obtain the same channel line up of the channels I watch would cost more money. Youtube tv + netflix + what ever add up to $50 buck more. In addition we travel about 50% of the year by RV. So internet is limited or none existent, we RV in rural areas.
They don’t leave because there is no fast internet to stream programs anywhere near them….period
Unfortunately I live in an area that only offers two carriers, which both are horrendous with way too high prices. Yes, AT&T customer service is awful!!!! I’m still hoping that Comcast will rescue us.
We won’t leave Dish because their service is fantastic and the price is reasonable. Also, where else can you get a 16-channel DVR, wireless hookup to your remote TVs, and integrated Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon Prime video? We got a two-year contract with a guaranteed price for both of those years. At the end of our contract (over a year ago), we saw a slight increase in our bill and haven’t had an increase since. Drive up and down our street and you will see a Dish antenna on every house. (And NO I have no connection to Dish other than as a satisfied customer).
Dish sucks. I can’t get abc because of all the greediness on both sides.
I have been grandfathered in at $30 a month – so it is far cheaper than anyone else. I am sticking with them until they stop. Its not great, but is cheap! I remember the promise of cable TV – low cost and no commercials. Now we have internet alternatives that don’t cost $200 a month.
Since the merge ATT has always added illegal charges on my bill. It was said on TV that the price ATT was responsible for refunding customers.They have foreigns that can’t speak English out of USA handle your account. The have been showing outdated programs since 2018 yet they blame it on the Tv stations. And send high bills to tell you the promotion ran out still over charging you. They have have taken hundreds from me. I don’t even look at TV anymore.
Directv works every month to find a promotion for me.
My Spectrum cable internet is very unreliable so i keep Directtv so I can watch a movie without it constantly buffering then I get a notice that the internet speed is to slow to load the movie. I have to keep Spectrum 200mbs if I want Internet but I will keep the Directtv and hope it stays available.
Swanni, I believe there is another huge reason people like me stick with DTV – Playback control.
All streaming services are still a pain to rewind, fast forward, and general ease of playback, not to mention the awful spinning circle that we have to just wait to stop.
With DTV there are no streaming annoyances.
Years ago TiVo changed the playback experience.
I am certainly hoping that in the coming years we all have access to Gigabit download speeds and better streaming features that mimic the ease of TiVo style controls. When we reach that juncture, DTV and Sat services are toast.
Totally agree with Neil about playback control.
All streaming services are still a pain to rewind,
fast forward, and general ease of playback,
I have Netflix and it is almost use-LESS
My DirecTV is Fantastic.
This is the reason. I watch very little live TV & its hard to playblack on most services.
I stay with U-Verse because where you going to get all the content you need all in one place?…I don’t have the patience to teach my wife to learn how to stream from four different sites..Such a hassle and a pain in the ass to do so..We love the convenience of U-Versre’s simplicity.. My wife is 70 yrs. old and not tech savvy at all…She just wants it real simple to sail through the menu guide..They say “Happy wife,happy life”..So I will continue to pay $213.00 a month for the Internet,The Hallmark Channel,Starz,The Movie Channel and Showtime for as long as she breathes..In some situations,It’s not always about the money!!
You were absolutely spot on Mr. McGovern. We have had U-verse and DIRECTV for a very long time and are generally very satisfied with the TV lineup, and the service is about as good as anyone else offers. We too are paying about $200 a month, and it will be hard to find something so simple at such a reasonable cost.
Not everybody has access to fast broadband. Putting up a roof antenna is a non-starter due to topographical limitations. In other situations the streaming services still don’t offer much sports. In my opinion DirecTV is still better in sports offerings.
Many subscribers to Dish and Direct live in Rural areas where there is little choice. With no or little internet streaming services are not a good option. Perhaps in time rural areas will get access to internet and then have more options on programming.
One word- Convenience.
I have been a satellite TV customer for over 25 years now. 20 plus with Dish and now with DirecTV, primarily because they carry our local sports (YES, SNY, MSG) and Dish did not; although Dish Networks, equipment, interface and customer service were superior to DirecTV. I believe another reason many people do not switch is because they either have poor TV and Internet service and/or because streaming TV (although getting better) is still not the same as Cable TV or Satellite. My personal reason for keeping satellite TV is because in a state of emergency when power lines, cable TV and Internet lines are down I can still get the news an information as long as I have power from our backup generator. Now that we have all lived through 2020 I am sure that many people will see that logic.
My name is Daniel Martinez I live in Lake Charles Louisiana is survive a category 4 hurricane it’s been going on 3 weeks now I have no
DirecTV I no Suddenlink internet I have been on the phone for multiple days trying to talk to customer service for both of these companies the first thing they tell me is you can go on the internet and we can troubleshoot it from there I am using a prepaid AT&T phone my phone service goes from full signal to no signal even if I don’t move because I am living in a disaster Zone so when you make a comment saying that you will have information in news by having a satellite you are completely wrong I thought maybe the category 4 winds moved the satellite from its position so I said on the phone talk to customer service and they pretty much wanted me to unplug the push the reset button go to the little box that has the cable going to it coming out and having its own power supply to make sure that everything is tight and then if that does not work to unplug it for 15 seconds I’ve been living off of generator for weeks so the Box turned off every morning unless I stay up late trying to do some work around this house so what I’m saying is my generator runs out of gas in the morning time well I proceeded to ask the question what direction should my satellite be facing when I live in Lake Charles Louisiana customer service representative cannot answer that question because the technicians now this is the first call so I tell them I would like to get a take me to shampoo come out I was told that it would be October 9th before a technician would be available summer service representative told me that they were going to cut my service until then I beg them not to do it at this time because if I could get it to work I would at least be able to watch something different other than the same DVDs that I am because I feel like it is a war zone where I live I have never seen so much devastation some businesses look like God put his hand right in the middle of it and pulled back and said goodbye so I proceeded to move the dish to the direction I believe it’s supposed to go in because it is around a month before I would see the person they’re singing to fix my system I even asked them do I need to have power to all the boxes because I’m only cowering I never once got told yes or no next day I moved the dish in faces the way I believe it should be and the error code that I was seeing change and it was telling me to do some troubleshooting so I proceeded to call them on the second say long story short customer service representative tells me that they cannot help me because I only have power going to one box and they cannot do anything with a generator powering the device so until then goodbye The 3day I call because of the last service provider said if you get power please let us know maybe we can help you I got power so I called in while I’m waiting on hold I come to the realization why is one of the most largest company in the United States not able to send a technician sooner than a month and I get mad because I proceeded to tell the customer service representative I have power so all my boxes are on I pacifically checked Master sitting there frown on how long and running the same test that I’ve been doing with everybody else they send me to a specialist because I am so man and they cannot answer my questions in my questions are how many technicians are you bringing in from out of state how many technicians do you have currently working on these issues because this is a disaster Zone and I only paid maybe $100 more whenever me and my family are around for holidays are summer I have no way possible to count the different truck different companies electrician from other states there are literally campsites made in parking lot places that have rodeos their parking lots are full wonderful human being that are willing to risk their life in the middle of a pandemic to restore power I only seen a handful of trucks that literally carry the logo the power company that I pay my bill to trucks that I see literally almost pulling to the spot in front of me at Sam’s parking lot and since I have the most terrible reception right now because of this disaster Zone whenever I am traveling to get gas or food is some of the only times that I can call my daughter my mother my sister and niece and nephew cuz we all live in the same house I would say my father that the veteran but he passed away less than three weeks before this hurricane hit so I did not get out to talk to this person he just looked at me and takes his hands up about a half a foot and when into sand pictures of how his truck was over the line the truck he was driving was so nude didn’t even have license plates it had a paper plates but even though the Energy company that I rely on almost hit my vehicle still have more respect for them then anything else because I never evacuated from Lake Charles Louisiana whenever I was told that the storm surge would be over 20 feet there was no time to evacuate whenever they said this hurricane has now passed all weather hurricane to hit Louisiana because it was not done intensifying I was already stuck I was hoping that it would go either to the left or the right of my city but instead it went straight through the area I live in so instead of evacuating because I had no chance of it started putting for measure light picking everything off of the ground that was electronic moving things that I might need like power tools batteries food in water Plus put my second generator in the air with a cane to make sure after the hurricane even if I lost one I would still have another even gotten ready to maybe go to the attic in case I was getting flooded because I had proper tools to cut the roof from inside in case I got trapped one of the main reasons why I didn’t evacuate is I have a 82/100 lb female pit no Hotel would allow that breed of dog I also had a little Chihuahua and two cats outside I sent my daughter my mother sister and niece and nephew to safety just got prepared all the way until the hurricane hit when you would hear the wind blowing by the walls would Breathe they would move in and out the close Windows would be rain water I had to tie down the front glass door by pulling a rope the handle and then closing the regular door on it proceeding to put screws through the Rope to hold it then I put screws between the door and the frame all the way around because that was the only thing holding it I never want to be in that situation again if you would give me time to prepare I would do it but the aftermath of a hurricane of this magnitude is the real hardest thing to survive you have to rely on people to tell you what gas stations are open so you can put gas in cans to run your generator you got to rely on the people the company the businesses and your neighbors for support food water for the first couple of nine generator wired to the breaker with a junction box but when I finally got the box wired up correctly to the generator I finally had an idea of how much power the generator was using and then I had to make choices choices I mean hot water the stove the dryer these things were unable tooo run because of the power that they use I chose to keep my refrigerator running and air conditioning and I was able to take a bath in cold water because I also had the water pump enable to wash clothes and hang dry them and also and also turn on a TV with PlayStation4 to watch movies that I own oh yeah after the hurricane path I had to jump into high gear and try to stop the roof from leaking around the next evening around midnight I am on my roof to cover it with plastic I did not pay attention to how bad I was feeling where is the humidity it is here in Louisiana whenever it says a hundred degrees it feels like a hundred and ten are even higher because we have humidity of 90% 80% almost everyday when I got to my roof at the very edge I started realizing that I was having heat stroke even though it was nice night it took me three days to recover sorry for rambling on I don’t have no DirecTV are internet other than my prepaid AT&T phone and I am blessed to at least have it I just have no reception sometime even if I don’t move my reception bar goes from Full to 0 whenever it feels like so I can make my phone a hotspot and string some Netflix some Amazon Prime but 75% of whatever I’m watching we’ll load up again our tell me that it has lost signal but to get to the point DirecTV customer service representative could not tell me
how Mini people working on the issues they could not tell me how much they have to support the people in This Disaster Zone like water food I explained to the person I understand that it is a pandemic but all they really had to do was donate these items because they have multiple companies that would send them out for them that are already here I seen all of these electric company on the day after the hurricane I have yet to see one DirecTV truck 1 DirecTV tent Ford support of the public I proceeded to tell this person that I do not understand why it’s going to take a month what am I doing wrong they told me I was doing nothing wrong and the truth was that it was issues with their satellite is that the severe weather moves the satellite from its orbital path and that that was the reason why it would take a month before the technician would come out because I told them I am talking to you right now with full power in my house and I do not think you understand I can go wherever you want me to go and do whatever training you give me to become a technician it would only probably take a week or two so I could fix my own problem the person had no comment right now it is September 15th at 1:25 in the morning I have full power can take a hot bath I can wash and dry my clothes I can cook on stove but I cannot watch DirecTV I cannot get on my Suddenlink internet they will send a technician for my internet in another week so I am stuck with AT&T phone company that owns DirecTV it’s pretty much impossible to do anything on the internet without having time it’s taking me over two hours to write this alone so I am certain experience with DirecTV in a disaster Zone you may have connection but you also might be just like me without a connection for 2 months now I will say I am blessed to be alive I appreciate every breath I take and the reason why I believe that my household has not changed from did poor company is that my dad was for my mom because my mom likes watching Spanish channels and where I live it is the only service provider that carry the one she likes to watch so after I get out of this war zone on living I’m going to re-evaluate the companies that I pay money to and waste my dealing with is my cell phone bill isn’t outrageous I Mike Keith AT&T because it’s been the only way that I can get any type of news and a Lifeline in case I get hurt because I am by myself and the only way that I can check in with my family to see if they’re safe but I am also considering getting rid of the AT&T phone to because it is the same company that is not here taking care of the public that mean there’s a pandemic going on so all companies are trying to stay away from people pictures of people in this area are willing to risk their life to give complete strangers a hot meal are say they have lost everything in this time of need all anybody want is somebody just to listen to them because they know that not everybody can actually help them I would like to personally say thank you to everybody that has brought me hot meals and at least talk to me the Church of Latter-day Saints the Mormon the ones that come to your door and askew about Jesus they came from Houston Texas help me clean my yard I will never forget God will bless y’all and I will never be disrespectful to your brother that spend their time trying to reach everybody they can if the Salt Lake City chapter here’s I know that that is where the head of the churches and I appreciate you allowing your brother to come and help in this time of need in pandemic y’all will always have a friend in me with the exception of my neighbor across the street nobody would give the time to speak to me let alone come 3 hours away from their home to put in work hard work for somebody like me I thank God for putting people like you on this Earth oh yeah all of my animals did survive and I will apologize for any words I might have Smithfield are said incorrectly
Amazing punctuation….🤔😁
I have Dish because of no high speed internet is available in this rural area. Even cellular service isn’t an option. Have had both Directv and Dish. Dish has better equipment. Also, after your first 2 years are up, you are not recommitted for another 2 years and you can change your package as often as you want. With Directv, every time you made any change, I was told I would be committed for another 2 years from that date.
Same here. I’m surprised to read so far to see this reason for not dropping brought out. There is no other option for some. We are off grid – there are zero services/utilities. We have Dish for TV (dropped DTV two+ years ago). We have HughesNet for internet so there is no streaming here due to speed and data quotas. Overall we enjoy the quality of life much more than the gadgets.
Why we have to pay sports fee of $9.99 amonth I tried to cancel it they said I couldn’t cancel it cause it was the area I was in I had to pay that
Directv has the exclusive deal with the nfl Sunday ticket. It’s the only reason I’m still there. Once the deal is cancelled, I’m out.
Ed…I agree 100%. I am anxiously awaiting the day when I have another option for watching my favorite out-of-market team and any other game I choose. It’s the reason that I signed up with DirecTV in the first place. I am ready to cut the cord as soon as I have another quality NFL streaming option.
Most streaming snobs dismiss the shortcomings of internet TV.Lack of easy to use DVR and content all from one source is a deal breaker for me. My wife would be more than unhappy to have to relearn how to watch TV.Many proponents of streaming also seem to forget many folks don’t have reliable broadband.
No high speed internet and only one channel over terrestrial antenna. As soon as I can get internet service over 1mbs Dish will be gone!!
Oddly enough I just got att wireless internet plan they don’t really advertise much. Its basically a wireless router similar to a hotspot that I get 50gb of unlimited unthrottled data on for $50 a month and since I am a DTV subscriber I get 100gb data for 50GB price. Its not Spectrum speed but I do get 25MBPS down and 5 up consistently. (Trust me I test all the time since I had 14 days to return) Finally I can stream in the sticks. Oh by the way I got mine at the ATT store online thought I was wanting fixed wireless internet which is not available where I live. I couldn’t get them to understand their own product they sell. Oh its no Contract as well.
I’m with DISH, I’m out of contract, I’m staying because I love my hopper. Also, I know if I call and say I’m going to cancel I’ll get a great deal.
Agree. Being able to dvr ALL shows we want (at same time) is the best. No way to do that other than Dish. Lots to complain about, but Direct doesn’t offer all that taping. Dish or Direct are our only options in our location. Plus, Dish has been great with response to issues.
Wow ! It’s a no brainer we live in rural America with no other choice since our internet is so bad we’re left with no choice pay through the ass for direct tv or pay less for a low rate service like dish network which has very little to offer compared to direct tv that’s extremely over priced Thanks corporate America for looking out for us
I keep seeing comments about paying through the ass for DirecTV. My husband and I have had DirecTV for over 20 years and we pay $31 and some change every month. If they try to raise the price we call them and talk to them about how long we’ve had it what good customers we’ve been and they put us right back down to the same price – so we’re very happy.
The only reason I don’t disconnect from DirecTV is because I like the football and baseball panels where I can get any game I want. I don’t know of any other place to do this
The only reason I don’t disconnect from DirecTV is because I like the football and baseball channels where I can get any game I want. I don’t know of any other place to do this.
Well I know why the people in my neighborhood stay with Dish, because we have extremely poor internet and we live too far from the broadcast stations to get them over the air. If it weren’t for the dish I’d have two stations!
And even if I could get half way decent internet I still couldn’t get local stations with most streaming services. I don’t care about Netflix movies.
As a former subscriber to. DirecTv and Dish, I can offer why I dropped them. I had been heavily invested in DirecTivos I owned and DTV obsoleted them. So I left them after 10 years and went to Dish. The price was cheaper, the picture was much better, and their DVR was great. But I left them too, and paid the early term fee to save money. That’s all. I loved Dish and cheered them on every time they went to war with networks or the local stations. They were champions at keeping the costs low.
After Dish, I had no satellite or cable for years. Cable was terrible and there wasn’t even a line to my house. I had awful AT&T DSL and forget streaming on that.
Then I moved. My new place doesn’t allow sat dishes but we have Comcast and it’s OK. The internet speed is great. I don’t get their TV package. Just internet. There are so many free options for streaming, I’ve never needed to pay for anything. Network TV has never had any appeal to me so I have zero use for CBS All Access or Hulu or HBO or Peacock. I’m good with just Pluto and use Twitch a lot. Watching real-time gaming in action where anything can happen blows away scripted entertainment. There’s no comparison.
I’ve started with a big dish in the country the only decent tv available. Then I moved to town used comcast always going out always raising prices. Switched to Direct Tv with dvr and whole home loved it still love it and it works anyplace I go. The internet is still limited by location.
I have had direct TV for 6 years and I’m sick of it’s service. Yes, the bill continues to get higher, for God sake it’s t.v… there customer service is poor to say the least. There reps need to be trained!!! Every time you call they tell you something different, and I have to ask them to notate the account cause if you don’t you are screwed. I resisted getting a smart tv, but I rather do that now and stream then continue this bad customer service crap!!
If you live in a rural area, as I do, you typically don’t have any other choice other than satellite. Then if there’s a thunderstorm or even simply raining many times you lose the signal. Don’t even get me started on rural areas’ lack of high speed internet choices either.
I haven’t left direct TV only one reason. Convenience. Knowing the system. I’ve got a few streaming services being used freely but they are all glitchy and aren’t nearly as easy to use as something with built in guides and ability to record for convenience…simple as that for me. BTW..I’m on no contract…
NO decent fringing INTERNET available in the boondocks!!! Only Hughes Net or Viacom….
I wish someone would do an article no why no one and I mean no one ever brings up why those companies are allowed to breach their own contracts but are still able to fine customers of leaving. It’s our dirty rotten corrupt so called justice system that allows these illegal contacts to do unchallenged.
I don’t find the 2 yr contract attractive or loss of channels but the new incentives to remain got me. Another important aspect of Dish and Direct TV is the broadcasts are true HD with 5.1 Dolby Surround. This is not available with Hula, YouTube TV or any other streaming services. These streaming services have no plans to upgrade with these services.
I have had directv for 8 years. I keep it for a number of reasons but the main ones being I get the easy coast feed for all cable channels plus the 30 second skip feature. Additionally, each time they up my price I call in and they lower it for a year.
My cable internet has a data cap. Adding a package to remove that cap and use something like You Tube TV means I pay way more than just keeping DirecTV. It isn’t perfect but with the FCC fine with data caps and the paying more to remove them – consumers continue to get screwed.
Direct tv is great they don’t raise the prices like crazy. Been with them for awhile and happy with them.
I’m a DirecTV customer an my bill this month was $198 an I asked them why an they couldn’t tell me Soni told them if someone doesn’t tell me what the hell is going on with my bill I’m switching to spectrum cuz this is in called for it’s way way to high an it’s never in 3 years been this high. But I got nothing out of them an I had to pay the bill so I did an now I’m turning it off an getting spectrum tomorrow.
Have been a Direct TV customer since 2006 and recently moved to a new location. Direct TV installed a new dish at the new house pronto. I can understand some people’s issues as I read here. Disasters are really terrible for us and the service providers too. Why I love Direct TV is in addition to the vast number of channels and high quality picture and sound, when disaster strikes, I fire up my camping generator and we were watching the news and anything we wanted on Direct TV. When cable internet is down, I can still watch my Direct TV. Even people in remote areas without cable can watch Direct TV. How cool is that!
Bull! It’s all a hook!! I just cancelled DirecTV because we were being charged $160/month. Using Hulu Live now for $59 and get all the channels we use.
I just tried to leave Directv and spent over an hour being transferred to 4 different people. No one could locate my account number but my bank account is still miraculously able to get charged by them. There customer service is so bad it makes it nearly impossible to quit (potential other reason).
Don’t assume that everyone can easily stream what they want to watch and get rid of Directv. We’ve threatened to drop it for months but can’t get a good internet provider that’s not extremely expensive. Sticking with it until we can join the rest of you who have that convenience.
You might realize that many customers live in rural areas where we have little or no options. Satellite is our only option. Satellite internet is unreliable and only work part of the time. I’m a DTV customer have been for 7 or 8 years. I left Dish for poor performance issues.
I guess you don’t realize this but most of “rural” America does not have access to high speed Internet. I live 32 miles from a major city and the options out here don’t really exist. So streaming options like Hulu would be buffering all the time.
We travel in an RV. We can not depend on local or cable TV, especially in State Parks. We are lucky to get cell service in some. But, we have been able to use the satellite to watch the tornado warnings in a few states now. If we were to give up satellite, there is no alternative. Forget streaming. I am lucky I get email out some places. But I will say that since ATT took over Direct, customer service went way down hill.
I’m stuck with dish, because we have no other options. We live in a rural area. Internet is only available by Hugh’s net, or a service that is a middle man for Hugh’s net. Direct TV could not get signal here because of the landscape. I wish there were more options. We have ordered a hd antenna in hopes to cut our bills by removal of the local channels, especially since ABC has been cut.
I would never even consider DirecTV (or DISH because of DirecTV). Their receiver went out and they replaced it. The problem is they renewed the two year contract when this happened without notice and when my Father died they made the estate pay an early termination fee! He had that receiver for over ten years! I have banned all satellite services for life!
I lost my job, as many others did, called dishnet to cancel service, trying to cut household costs, $350 early termination fee. So they suggested I just suspend it for $5 a month. Now my daughter is moving back in with me and said get it turned back on. So I called Dish and everything was good UNTIL he said my monthly fee would be $95 a month. I said wait what? It was $61 for the 2 yrs. But, since I suspended it I no longer get that rate!!! I was completely unaware that this was the case. It’s a crock of BS to just rack people over the coals!! By the way it was suspended for a week! ONE WEEK…
Rake not rack
We has Direct for almost 20 years but dropped them last year due to bill increase every few months of 20 dollars. We switched to Dish with more channels half the price and yes the contract can be handcuffing. We live in a very rural area and the service is the best. Streaming is nearly impossible in our area and internet services are also very primitive.
I loved direct TV , when at & t took over it was a disaster. I was constantly on hold , couldn’t even pay the bill , finally gave up too aggravating. How or why would att buy them at blow all the money they paid . If someone else bought direct TV I would go back in a minute!!
Dish’s picture quality on SD channels was incredibly better than any cable provider in my area, and they were growing HD the fastest. Once HD was on almost all channels I stayed because I loved their Hopper DVR and with their USB port external drive support had a huge archive of favorite shows, including local events that would never be on a national streamer. The external archive could only be watched through the Hopper so that kept me subscribing at least 3 extra years. I only finally left when my internet provider lied and said the super low price he quoted WAS the total cost… After all the hidden fees I saved almost nothing. I was so angry that I cancelled the service and bought a huge antenna and Tablo DVR. (A new Dish account would not “see” the old drives, so no incentive to go back.)
Rural areas dictates TV options. Internet services don’t have streaming speeds and we’re the lucky ones that have a tower. We’re only 3 miles from town. An antennae gives us 4 channels.
We did something unusual…Instead of cutting the cord we actually upgraded our existing package. We had the stripped out hidden FAMILY option which we were grandfathered into for over 15 years ( and is no longer available for new subscribers anyway.) We also stream on very weak DSL at less than 6 mbs (TiVo4K and Firestick dongles) so it is hit or miss in HD with lots of annoying buffering sometimes…Amazon Prime works fine but the other platforms not so good. So the reason we stick with Directv is by paying that subscription it allows us access to piggy back streaming individual channels such as Paramount, NFL, NBC, etc, on all our devices authenticated via the Directv Account user name and password. It is a one stop shopping experience with the additional benefit of a reliable satellite feed on the big screens plus all the TiVo DVR benefits. Still a very good value at this time.
I am not under contract and I love Dish and their customer support. I just went a month without NBC, but that’s because Dish was fighting a corporation that took over the channel and was demanding more money- which would have been passed on to me, the consumer. I dont need 300 channels of garbage so I have Dish’s Welcome Pack. I have two DVRs with all the bells and whistles and pay under $50 a month. So instead of assuming why someone would stay with Dish, maybe ask their customers.
I love Dish. I love primetime automatically recording those 5 channels because who has a recording device anymore. I’ve found shows there that I wouldn’t normally watch. Don’t have to worry about setting the timer. Love the ability to records 16 or more shows at a time. I love that Netflix, youtube, amazon prime are all channels in my guide and I don’t need another remote to access it. Yes, I had to sign fir 2 yrs when I first got but I had to when I had Comcast too and they SUCK! I am currently contract free after the 2 yrs so I could cancel but why?
I would gladly drop directv but as someone else stayed, if you don’t have reliable fast internet, you don’t have many options. We have satellite internet and it’s the biggest rip off going! It’s slow, expensive and unreliable.
There’s a lot more people than you think that don’t have reliable internet service, even close to big cities. I’m actually in the city limits, but all we have available is Suddenlink, which goes down for hours, days or sometimes weeks at a time. People just a few blocks away have Xfinity, but they say they can’t provide service to us. So even though DirectTV has poor customer service, we’d like to keep it until streaming services are just as good for everyone, with high quality picture, no dead air when you’re searching for something to watch, all local channels, etc. The prices are very high though.
I haven’t left because I live outside of the cable coverage area and I don’t have reliable enough internet to move to an all online option. Basically, I stay because it is my only option. Same reason I was with Hughenet internet for 4 years until a new company started covering my service area. Many rural customers have no other options.
We don’t cancel because either Dish or DirecTV are our only options. We do not have internet, which some people find hard to believe.
I would have liked to have Spectrum Cable/internet. But they only went one street over from where I bought a home. My only choice was AT&T or watch the stars come out every night for entertainment. It wasn’t a matter of choice.
I have Directv and AT&T. Directtv for my cable TV and AT&T for my phone and internet. I am not under contract anymore and my services all come on one bill.. As much as their customer service sucks because of AT&T, I just like my Directtv. I also have Hulu and Netflix and all of that. For me, it’s not the same. So. To each their own I guess.
I dumped it because they started gouging me on the cost. Didn’t want to give me any discount after a lot of years. Went to fast cable, added Hulu, and pay about the same as I was. Also use Amazon Fire Recast for locals. Really miss the DVR on the sat receiver. The Recast for locals is OK, but Hulu and Sling need a lot of work for ‘DVR’ functions. Haven’t tried any of the others yet, but there are definitely some conveniences I miss.
My mom and dad are kind of stuck with sat. Their internet isn’t great at home, and they travel in a motorhome for several months a year. At least they can watch TV when they are out having that. Maybe when 5G or Starlink is commercially viable, they can go to internet style then.
I’ve watched AT&T destroy DirecTV from the inside. AT&T simply does not care about customers. Longtime DirecTV employees haven’t had raises in 5 years and they aren’t even assigned to help with DirecTV anymore.
The main reason we haven’t dropped DISH is that we can’t get cable and can only get 10 Mbs on DSL broadband. Sure we could pay $150/mo for faster throughput via satellite but then we’d still have to pay $60-$80/ mo for streaming to get all the channels we want.
I hate DISH but we’re stuck out here in the boonies since none of the cable companies will bring fiber optic cable out to our area. And we’ve maxed out on DSL speed in our area. None of the streaming services recommend less than 20 Mbs for their services, especially if you want to watch things on more than 1 TV at a time.
I have DirecTV only bc I live where it’s hard to pick up channels but the price goes up soon and I just gave basic rightnow I pay 96.00. No internet out here if they do they chg u an arm and leg. I’m at eddyville ky at the lake. Out of city limits. I guess I have to pay it if I want tv.sad they chg like this for just basic tv
I switched back and forth between Direct and Dish years because there was no other option for TV or internet in my neighborhood 8 miles outside the city limits. Last year AT&T finally ran fiberoptic in our area, and I’m not exaggerating when I say that everyone in my neighborhood dropped their satellite TV and internet & gladly paid the early termination fees.
In other words, it isn’t necessarily the fees that keep people using satellite. It’s the lack of any other option.
I live in the mountains and I am constrained by limited data from a satellite. Cable is about 1/2 mile away. I can only use Dish or Directv. Streaming would suck up my bandwidth.
I’ve been a DirecTV customer for the better part of 20 years. I’ve also been with AT&T since the iPhone 3G was released almost 12 years ago. When AT&T bought DirecTV, I immediately jumped on the combined billing discounts and have been enjoying the discounts every year since that time. So, why don’t I switch from DirecTV when they keep raising their prices? The answer is because my bill is ridiculously low, and always has been. I pay $65/mo for the DirecTV Choice Standard for 2 TVs including HBO MAX with DVR, HD, 4K, whole house, etc included. $65 a month….you can’t get an intro streaming package for that price anymore. I also get free new equipment upgrades every 2 years and I have never paid for their equipment protection plan. Yes, I agree to another 2 year commitment to stay with them, but why would I leave when I’m paying less than everyone else?
As for my cell phone service through AT&T, I’m on the Unlimited Plus plan which includes full HD streaming. As for their “We may slow speeds after 22GB message”, I’ve NEVER experienced any slowing and I live the Phoenix area. My personal best is 190 GB of data in 1 month during the MLB playoff season when I had games going all day long, streaming in full HD and experienced no slowing…EVER. I pay $190/mo for 4 lines of unlimited data (that’s $47.50 per line).
The secret to continually low prices is to contact their LOYALTY DEPT each year and just ask for any discounts they are currently offering. Let me repeat…the LOYALTY DEPT is the ONLY dept you want to talk to at DIRECTV. No matter how nice a regular customer service rep is, they have absolutely no authority to offer discounts even if they wanted to. The primary goal of the LOYALTY DEPT is to keep you as a customer and they do a GREAT job of that.
…and that’s why I’m not leaving DirecTV anytime soon.
My reason has nothing to do with a commitment. DirecTV has always been very responsive to my requests for bill credits to make the service more affordable. That, plus NFL Sunday Ticket…
I have Direct TV for one reason. NFL Sunday Ticket. When the contract runs out in 2022, I’ll drop Direct TV like a bad habit and go with whomever gets the neal NFL deal.
I dumped Direct TV. It is ridiculous to pay such high prices & be treated so poorly by any company. I got a Roku stick & we like streaming much more than Dtv. Plus I am paying $100.00 less per month!
Same as many above… I live just outside a bigger city but can get nothing better than DSL or point to point with same speeds as DSL but more latency.
I would love to not have DTV but really have no other choices for what we want to watch and how we want to watch. I am looking forward to the possibility of Starlink and have signed up for beta but no word yet and it may not even work better but it is at least a hope.
I had DTV for several years. Price continued to go up for no added benefit so cancelled. Agent tried to intimidate by mentioning 6 month termination fee. I told him glad to pay it. Also DTV has stated they are not replacing satellites as they fail. I am sure they plan to put everyone on their internet based service. People without decent internet will be SOL.
Robert
I was charged a 400.00 deposit to get services with att. They were HORRIBLE FROM START TO FINISH. I left the contract and ended up owing them. 582.00. They do not apply the “deposit” to those fees. Which would have been 182. Which I would have gladly paid just to end the nightmare. So at some point I will have to pay the 582.00 and they stole a 400.00 deposit from me. So Essentially a 982.00 penalty for leaving their horrid services.
Don’t do att!!
Leslie-that is terrible. You might report the case to Better Business Bureau. They helped resolve a case where seller was trying to overcharge.
Robert
Its cheaper to pay the early cancellation fee,I was paying over $150 a mo. And yes customer service:SUXS! Plus Directv always has black out on alot of channels🤬
Directv hardly ever blacks out channels. DISH network however seems to have disagreements with broadcasters from year to year. I find it infuriating with that megalomaniac Charles Ergen running the company!
I stay with DirecTV for three main reasons: YES network, MSG and whole home DVR. The one minor reason is cord cutting leads to a constant battle of switching from one service to another and a lack of consolidation. I sense that the costs are also rising (e.g. YouTube TV’s recent price hike).
We switched from Directv after 20 years to Dish due to their terrible service from AT&T!! We stay with Dish to have local channels.
Where I live those are the only two choices I have for TV service without having internet.
We are stuck using either DirectTV or Dish. We live in rural SD where we cannot get good internet (dont mention HughsNet – that’s a whole different discussion) so we cannot stream. We don’t have access to a cable provider…so all we have is either DirectTV or Dish. I wish we did. I dont care for DirectTV but we have no other option.
I’ve lived at this address for almost 8 years, for the first two years we had Dish, I dropped them because they would not let you extend your service at all for payment they would shut you off. I am now with Direct Tv and I am very unhappy with it but I have no choice, i’ve been with Direct Tv for about five years now. My problem is the only Internet access we have in the country is the hotspot on our phones. We get 15 gigs for $10, So to run a streaming service on our hotspot would add up a lot a month. I have the lowest basic package and I pay about $160 a month. Direct Tv will work with you and give you an extension and they are better than dish with that they really are, but they know we’re stuck and we have no other alternative that’s where they’ve got us. If they would make cable Internet available to people that live in rural areas, Direct Tv would go broke.
Try easy tether or similar app and don’t pay for hot spot.
My internet is also satellite with no other choices but it doesn’t woek well with Netflix or any other program. We are stuck
I don’t drop Satellite service for one main reason, I love having a DVR. I’ve gotten so spoiled to zipping through commercials I would be lost w/o it. I’ve had DirecTV for years and now Dish with the Hopper for a long time.
I didn’t read all the comments, too many. The reason I haven’t canceled is that I live in a rural area and only have access to a wireless internet provider at 5 Mbps but often under 1 Mbps. Can’t reliably stream at those speeds. I will switch to StarLink when it is available and dump my wireless provider and DirecTV. By the way, I am not on a two year contract, I’ve been a customer for 20 years. My fee increased this year by over $30.
This is BS. Sure direct TV on a large scale is supposedly not doing well. But where I live I see a lot of direct tv dishes. I think their lineup is top notch and being able to stream the channels on my phone makes it more attractive. Especially when I can screen share on a tv and watch. Plus the free Sunday Ticket I have been getting is nice. So think what you will. I hope they stay in business.
I have fiber internet and Netflix, Hulu, Disney +, ESPN+, Prime, and Directv. The contract has nothing to do with it. If you pay $80 a month, that’s $960 for 12 months. Id rather pay $240 to leave, than stick it out. That’d be cheaper. The reason I don’t cancel it, or cut the cord completely is sports. The picture quality isn’t as good. Looks like I’m watching on a computer when I have a QLED. Also, dvr is unbeatable.
i have spectrum they are terrible the cable box goes out very often and they a two week turn around they charge for a service call without telling you
i hate if
After the contract they tried to charge me twice as much. I kept same price for another year. The year after that, the same thing. But this time it only went up $10. You have to do this every year. But i don’t want to go $10 every year either.
It’s hard to cancel when the guy on the other side doesn’t want you to leave. Then you come to an agreement.
Picture quality. I have DTV and Spectrum and satellite is a better picture hands down.
Rural America uses way overpriced satellite companies because THERE IS NO OTHER OPTION. Even if we have internet access, there are no streaming services that offer local channels.
The tv experience is a thing. Do your research and look at the hopper with Sling and hopper 3 specs. Dish is the standard.
Because my internet is worse than in a third world country which means I can’t give up satellite. My internet can’t handle it.
I have had both Dish and Direct for that last several years. The thing I hated most about Direct was when you had to call for a service issue or maintenance problem. I had the maintenance plan but they have to walk you through several tests before they decide you know what you are talking about and a tech must come to fix your problem! I have switched to YouTube tv and absolutely love it. No contract and I get all of my channels for $66 a month!
I would pay to get out of my contract with Directv, but it doesn’t matter. The only thing available in my area is DirecTV and dish. The only internet is satellite, which isn’t good enough to stream and is expensive. Comcast comes to within 3 miles of my house but refuses to come any closer.
Cable can be as much or more than satellite. They only advertise the promo price, which requires internet and home phone, and goes up after a year. it can be impossible to find the “after promo” price, then you start putting together an order and: want hd=$ want dvr=$ of you have 2 tvs=$. You quickly get up to $100 range on spectrum just for 2 tvs with dvr and a basic package.
The only reason I’m still with dish because I’m not in two year contract an the channels I have I prefer,if they ever remove my ID channel I’m canceling