Q. Shouldn’t DIRECTV be in a breach of contract for not having my local channel 9? I got DIRECTV to watch all my channels and now they’ve taken my favorite one away. Isn’t that a violation of my two-year agreement? Shouldn’t I be able to cancel now without paying a penalty? — Jennifer, Landover, Maryland.
Jennifer, I have received similar inquiries in the last week from both DIRECTV and Dish subscribers after they lost local channels in two separate fee fights. I’ve addressed this issue in past columns, but let me tackle it again because of the recent actions.
When you made a two-year commitment to DIRECTV or Dish, perhaps you might have hesitated if you had known that some of your favorite channels would be pulled from the satcaster’s lineup, even if temporarily.
But that doesn’t mean you can break your two-year contract. Before I explain, a little background on the two-year agreement that many pay TV providers require, including Dish and DIRECTV.
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Like other companies, both in and outside the TV business, the satcasters use two-year agreements to keep customers from service-hopping. Without them, subscribers might switch to their local cable provider every time something bad happens, such as a channel blackout during a programmer fee fight or an increase in one’s bill.
To encourage consumers to sign the two-year deal, Dish offers such incentives as two-year price locks, meaning their prices won’t change during the entire 24-month period. In contrast, DIRECTV nearly doubles prices in the second year of the two-year agreement. However, DIRECTV provides free NFL Sunday Ticket, and premium channels such as HBO Max, as incentives to sign for two years rather than price guarantees.
Many subscribers agree to the two-year deals because the offers seem irresistible.
But as you now understand, Jennifer, the two-year commitment forces you to stay with DIRECTV (or Dish) if the company does something you don’t like. That is, unless you want to pay the cancellation fee, which, for DIRECTV, is $20 a month for every month left in the two-year agreement. (Dish in July reduced its fee from $20 a month to $10 a month for new customers.)
This is why I strongly advocate that consumers refrain from signing two-year deals.
But what if Dish or DIRECTV stops carrying channels it said it would carry when you signed that agreement, you ask? Isn’t the TV service in violation of the agreement?
No. The terms of the two-year pact expressly state that all programming is subject to change:
“All packages, programming, features, and functionality and all prices and fees not included in price lock are subject to change without notice,” Dish says.
“Programming, pricing, terms and conditions subject to change at any time,” states DIRECTV’s two-year contract.
So, Jennifer, you will have to ride it out unless you’re okay with paying the cancellation fee. There’s no loophole in the two-year agreement.
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NEWS FLASH PPL…
IF you are DONE with the fools at DISH or ever more, DIRECTV, then the ONLY thong you need do to break your “contract” is to
STOP
PAYING
THEM…
CANCEL your CARD and IGNORE the “calls”…
THEY CAN NOT RECOVER what you owr because it will COST THEM MORE to find you then they can possibly EVER hope to recover AND…AT&T will be in bankruptcy LOOOOOOOONG before they can “recover” anything you “owe” them.
IF you are going to DUMP AT&T and DISH then
JUST
DO
IT…
BLOCK ANY calls they make to you in the form of “collection” and you can be SURE they will NEVER be able to collect a PENNY.
GOOD BYE AT&T…DIE SLOW and spitting blood !
Charlie ? You can “pound sand” too…
SATELLITE TV is…
D-E-A-D.
(if you live in the “sticks” then it is time to go BACK to “whatever” you WERE doing for “entertainment” BEFORE the cancer of SATELLITE put that extra 50 pounds on you couch potato A**) !
“This is why I strongly advocate that consumers refrain from signing two-year deals.”
So how does a customer who has no option but satellite get service without the required two year contract? Both DirecTV and Dish seem to have it as mandatory!
There is a prepaid satellite TV service called Orby TV. You purchase the equipment. Local channels come from an included antenna. You pay month to month. Since it is prepaid, you can cancel any time.
I don’t have a contract but I can get rid of DirecTV
Dish charges $10 per month to cancel their contract, not $20.
They told me yesterday it was $20 per month!!
It is if that was in your agreement when it started.
We have dish are contract with be up in May. We are thinking about changing after the contract up. I just wish they would get channel back on.
Ron and Sue “B” in Va.. ?
I don’t know about other states, but Nevada is notorious about offering deals on a contract and won’t let you out. I had Dish for 5 minutes and nothing worked. I called them and a lawyer. Lawyer said in Nevada, you’re screwed. I paid nearly $500 to dump the lousy company. NEVER AGAIN.
If these are local channels it’s likely an add on to your service. You can stop paying for local channels. You can also reduce your plan to the cheapest available until your contract runs out.
I paid the early cancelation fee and literally paid just a little more than what I paid a month. I only had less than an a year left but it was worth it.
I downloaded an app called freetv I watched cbs Saturday Alabama vs LSU’s game it’s a free app
Ok ..Answer man..The ring you have on..looks just like a ring my husband got while was in Germany in world war two!!
“Can’t” is not a valid word in this selfish, greedy struggle. It seems to me Nexstar asking for $1 billion for FREE TV is just a bit much.
What if you are past your two year deal on Dish ? What can you do ?
You can get local stations without a 2 year contract it’s called Spectrum Cable. So you don’t need Directv or Dish Network problem solved
Dish and Direct TV is bs
How long will we be without
We love the channel 8 cause of general hospital our Chicago med fire are missed and all my shows we really would like this blackout to come back please help all of the fans thank you vmh
If dish I’d going to raise rates. They best give us back our local channels