Att possibly rebranding Direct tv

[maestro7]

If AT&T buys Directv, be afraid....Be very afraid...AT&T's customer service is non existent.
Customers cannot get someone to answer the phone( most times) and if they do, it's "pick up a weapon soldier, you're going into battle"...
Especially if satellite customers are treated like phone or Uverse customers "yes, we have your service outage appointment set...Three weeks from today. Is there anything else I can help you with today?"
I wonder if the service techs will be unionized ( no sorry I cannot do that. I have to get a supervisor to look at this")

Sorry, I disagree with the characterization of AT&T's wireless customer service (if that's what we're talking about) as being anything less than pretty darn good.

In the many years we've had wireless service with AT&T, I don't believe we've ever been on hold for more than 5 minutes (unless major issue occurred over the years). Then, I don't believe we've ever taken more than 15 minutes to resolve an issue in some way that it was mutually beneficial.

Then again, speaking only for myself, I try to approach call centers with a positive attitude and believe that anything can be worked out as long as both sides understand what the root cause of an issue is.

Just my experience here.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Remember when Dish was going to merge with Directv and charlie was even talking about dropping the Dish name and going all to Directv.

ATT's name is pretty much mud with a lot of people. It would be stupid to drop the name.

I could see the UVERSE name going away and calling that Directv also. It would work a lot better, because you could do a true double and triple play with the Internet

 

[maestro7]

Loving the responses here... so much that I'm going to give it another go:

AT&T will use DirecTV from the perspective of "DirecTV service from AT&T." The name "DirecTV" is simply too much of a marketing juggernaut to waste all of the goodwill associated with the brand to completely change it. Plus, after having read over at SeekingAlpha.com that Verizon's wireless network is now carrying 46% video traffic, AT&T certainly will not be foolish enough to mess with DirecTV to that extent at this point in the game.

Instead, I see AT&T consolidating its properties in DirecTV (with U-verse somehow being reverse integrated into DirecTV) and then taking said video content and being able to distribute that content via predominantly wireless (with some wireline) media.

This is not a play for expanding anything except content, and recent PR has indicated exactly this; AT&T wants you walking out of their store being able to consume media on any device that you own. And that media is very much becoming as much video content as anything else. Video content will become the key money-maker for the Big Boys (e.g.: T, VZ), where talk/text are merely an ancillary side-show.

The next challenge will then be how AT&T (and Verizon) fend off T-Mobile/Sprint regarding data allotments. Perhaps we'll see T/VZ invoking some semblance of "content favoritism" (almost anti-net neutrality) where video content from DirecTV will be "free data" when used on AT&T's network... or something.

 

[dishcomm]

Sadly you have no idea how the phone banks work ...
Murray Hill, NJ may have been local to you but the call you made was more than likely Not going there.
When you call that 800 number it could go to many different locations to be answered.

And No they are not any worse than any other ...

I was making a joke.
To reiterate, my view of AT&T's customer service is that just above ambulance chasing plaintiff's attorneys.

 

[Jimbo]

I could see the UVERSE name going away and calling that Directv also. It would work a lot better, because you could do a true double and triple play with the Internet

I don't see that happening ... The two services are so very different, you can't just lump them into one.

You have a Sat delivered service and a land delivered service, you would totally confuse 90% of the population in thier serving areas.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I don't see that happening ... The two services are so very different, you can't just lump them into one.

You have a Sat delivered service and a land delivered service, you would totally confuse 90% of the population in thier serving areas.

Not unless you realigned the services and packages so they where the same on both services

 

[Jimbo]

Loving the responses here... so much that I'm going to give it another go:

AT&T will use DirecTV from the perspective of "DirecTV service from AT&T." The name "DirecTV" is simply too much of a marketing juggernaut to waste all of the goodwill associated with the brand to completely change it. Plus, after having read over at SeekingAlpha.com that Verizon's wireless network is now carrying 46% video traffic, AT&T certainly will not be foolish enough to mess with DirecTV to that extent at this point in the game.

Instead, I see AT&T consolidating its properties in DirecTV (with U-verse somehow being reverse integrated into DirecTV) and then taking said video content and being able to distribute that content via predominantly wireless (with some wireline) media.

This is not a play for expanding anything except content, and recent PR has indicated exactly this; AT&T wants you walking out of their store being able to consume media on any device that you own. And that media is very much becoming as much video content as anything else. Video content will become the key money-maker for the Big Boys (e.g.: T, VZ), where talk/text are merely an ancillary side-show.

The next challenge will then be how AT&T (and Verizon) fend off T-Mobile/Sprint regarding data allotments. Perhaps we'll see T/VZ invoking some semblance of "content favoritism" (almost anti-net neutrality) where video content from DirecTV will be "free data" when used on AT&T's network... or something.

I agree more with what you have said here than a lot of others.

Something else to throw into the scenario, on a somewhat limited basis, U Verse is only is a small amount of areas, I don't remember exactly how many states, maybe 22, might be 13 I don't remember, however, U Verse is not available EVERYWHERE that U Verse is, meaning, it may be in 13 states, Ohio for example, but it is still quite limited, as it can be available to me (its not) but not to a friend a 1/2 mile away ...

This is a part of the reason for acquiring D*.

Now, for those that are all hung up on LANDLINES being dead, I know there are plenty of you out there ... Fwiw, your Cable Internet and Phone Line Internet still gets to you on a LANDLINE, theres a line coming to your home somewhere.

Anyways, If your in a U Verse area, that is supplied by a VRAD, that VRAD IS capable of running WIRELESSLY.

They haven't done it yet, but we were told about that way back when this all started to be put in.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I agree more with what you have said here than a lot of others.

Something else to throw into the scenario, on a somewhat limited basis, U Verse is only is a small amount of areas, I don't remember exactly how many states, maybe 22, might be 13 I don't remember, however, U Verse is not available EVERYWHERE that U Verse is, meaning, it may be in 13 states, Ohio for example, but it is still quite limited, as it can be available to me (its not) but not to a friend a 1/2 mile away ...

This is a part of the reason for acquiring D*.

Now, for those that are all hung up on LANDLINES being dead, I know there are plenty of you out there ... Fwiw, your Cable Internet and Phone Line Internet still gets to you on a LANDLINE, theres a line coming to your home somewhere.

Anyways, If your in a U Verse area, that is supplied by a VRAD, that VRAD IS capable of running WIRELESSLY.

They haven't done it yet, but we were told about that way back when this all started to be put in.

A v rad allows uverse signal to be used with the existing copper lines coming to your home

 

[Jimbo]

A v rad allows uverse signal to be used with the existing copper lines coming to your home

Correct.
Currently ....

 

[ZoSo925]

This merger will be somewhat like SiriusXM merger, but without the long drawn out legal hearings and NAB protesting.

It may take a few years to merge all the accounts together and same equipment with more rate hikes...etc. I hoped on to the Premier package, hoping I'll get some kind of possible grandfather deal.

In the years to come, there will be some amazing technology advances. Nokia owns 100% of NSN Networks, owns tens of thousands of WiFi, 4G, 5G patents and is doing lot of great things in the background and will all play a key role with DirecT&T. - Television and Telecommunications. There is a great chance Nokia may buy Lucent also.