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Also consider what type of contractual commitment you're willing to sign. Dish and Directv lock you in for two years, and Dish has a lot of programming disputes where channels might go off the air temporarily or permanently. Oftentimes, cable is contract free and you can "walk away" basically at any time, though I hear some cable promotions from some companies are starting to require contracts, so you might want to look into whether you can get any good price promotions contract free in your area.

In your shoes, I'd probably drop FIOS and switch to contract-less cable offering for your current apartment. Then, if you want a dish, get it at your new place. The main reason for doing cable now and Dish later? There is often a moving fee for the second setup at the new place. If you wait to get it until after the move, you may get free installation (Though an important caveat here is that Dish runs a credit check on you and makes some people pay for install- cost me $99 despite their advertising and they didn't give me HD equipment, and, yeah, I'm still a little bitter), and there is no possibility of a moving fee.

Another factor to consider: Where are you getting your Internet? The Dish/Direct bundles are usually with DSL- which is relatively slow even at it's best, and can be really difficult to deal with if the telephone wiring infrastructure in your area has gone to hell (Which is beginning to happen more and more as people switch to using cell phones as their only phones and the telephone companies don't put the money into keeping phone lines in as good of repair as they used to, or at least that's what it seems like).

Right now I have Dish for TV and the local cable company for Internet. That works out because I have a great promotional rate for the Internet. Once that rate expires, I will get hit with a non-bundling fee, and because there is no FIOS in my area and the phone lines weren't even good for voice calls when I had a landline, I may wind up switching my television to cable in part to get a bundling promo. I do think there is one Internet package that doesn't have a "no-TV" fee, but it's a little slower than standard and costs a little more, so I'm not sure whether it's worth it (Might be worth trying for a while to find out).

I guess my post is kind of sounding pro-cable, but that's not necessarily the vibe I'm trying to send. I've had issues with cable too. Comcast didn't carry the alternate games of a local regional sports network in my area, even though they do to the east, west, and south of me (Not kidding). Then Comcast added it for a season. Then Comcast took it away the next season. And no one I talked to even seemed to know what I was talking about when I called to complain. And when I cancelled my TV and Internet with them and went back to get Internet 6-7 months later because the wireless broadband card thing I had from another company was horrific, they claimed my address didn't exist (Even though I had service with them at this same address 6-7 months prior) and I went through hell trying to get Internet back up (Only a slight exaggeration- a zilllion phone calls, two or three office visits, two or three visits to my apartment, a missed installation appointment, a letter to the consumerist, a bunch of e-mails, more phone calls, and finally an appointment I only agreed to because they sweetened the pot and made the deal impossible to pass up- otherwise I would have told them to forget it after going through all that).

One thing I'll say about Dish positively is that- despite their contracts, their discrimination against people with low credit, their implying your first year rate is locked in when it's not, and their frequent programming disputes that lose you channels you need- they are actually fairly easy to deal with. When I called to install, they had people out here within a couple days. Service calls, the same. I can switch programming packages right on the Internet. That is one area that they are way better than cable in.

If you want BBCA, cross Direct off your list. Amazing to me they don't carry it. And I could never get mad enough at Dish to switch to D* because of that. Rather have BBCA than AMC !!!

Mojo, yer amazing. Thanks for the extensive research. I know it's been a month, but I'm funny that way. Hell, I haven't even called uverse and bitched about the picture quality (too busy). I thought I HAD to make a fast choice; but given my druthers, I don't like being forced into fast choices, and typically don't do them.

So right now I'm still in limbo and just dealing with uVerse. Hanover, it ain't FIOS, not even close. The only good thing is I don't lose signal during bad storms; otherwise, the picture quality is as described before (crap), and the Internet service is crap--supposed to be 6Mbps, but it rarely sees better than 4, and it has these "pauses" that pretty much interrupt any decent form of TV viewing or web surfing. >_<

Mojo, I haven't forgotten this, and I'm going to bookmark the thread so I can find it.

Hanover, thanks for the post, it's good information. A word of advice: when shift like what you experienced happens, DEMAND THE SUPERVISOR. Kick that stuff so far upstairs they're tasting it for breakfast. AND DON'T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER. If they want to keep their customer, they will eventually capitulate. And that applies to just about anything, not just cable or dish.

Mojo, one last thing: if you have any pull with the site owners, ask them to make posted links show in another color, on my iPad they're all the same, I can't tell what's a link and what's not.

Thanks guys! <3

Tex Arcana said:

Mojo, one last thing: if you have any pull with the site owners, ask them to make posted links show in another color, on my iPad they're all the same, I can't tell what's a link and what's not.

Thanks guys! <3

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I am sorry, but I do not have any pull with the site owners. I did update my app the other day, but I'm not sure if that will fix the issues with the color. The links are somewhat close in color to the regular text. I am not sure if you can go into the app or the iPad to change link colors. I am also using an iPod right now; sometimes I get frustrated with the iPod and jump on the PC.

If Dish needs someone for programming help, I would love it (if I could do it online from home)

If I where in your position, I would just put up with that Uverse garbage for another few months till your ready to move.

Then you can do a brand new customer offer with either DISH Network or Directv and get all the correct equipment the first time.

Anything you get installed now is just going to be a hassle in 3 months when you try to do a mover deal, and add or upgrade your equipment when you move into your new home.