Convince Me That Dish is Better

[ThoughtsofTHATmom]

Convince me that, in the long run, Dish is better. Why should I go with them over DirecTv?

If we go with them, why is it better to purchase a receiver over doing a 2yr plan with them where they provide a rental receiver.

The promotions aren't as great for us thanks to over $41,000 in medical bills that have destroyed our credit. We can only get a promotional rate for 12 months with DirecTV & with Dish, we have to pay an "upgrade fee of close to $200" in order to get the promotional rate. If we purchased the receiver (HD DVR), we wouldn't get any special pricing with Dish.

I think that all made sense. The point is that DirecTV is actually around $40 cheaper over the 2 years of the contract period...but I can't seem to get myself to order through them. If the price were comparable or less, we'd have already signed up for Dish.

Convince me to spend the extra money. Tell me Dish is worth it.

Amy

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

The question is what do you watch?

If your a sports fan go with DIRECTV.

If you don't care about sports go with DISH.

 

[whatchel1]

Better DVR's

The E* EVR is a better unit than the D* unit. Sports fan go w/ D* Movie fan go with E*.

 

[DVDDAD]

Also go with Dish if you've got to have the best DVR's in the industry. If you just want a box that works and you want the NFL Sunday Ticket, MLB Extra Innings or the YES network (Yankees) then DirecTV.

 

[kstuart]

Convince me that Ford is better than Honda.

Convince me that Sony is better than Samsung.

Convince me that Dell is better than HP.

You need to compare the details.

Even the "DirecTV is better for sports" is not automatically true - for example, sports is our number one factor, and yet I currently prefer Dish Network ( Fox Soccer Channel is in HD on Dish and not yet on DirecTV - just one factor ).

I'm still waiting for someone who wants an answer to a question, who gives enough information to really be given a correct answer.

 

[dfergie]

Btw... Welcome to SatelliteGuys!

 

[Yespage]

Sounds like I'd recommend the bunny ears, hooked up to the tv and getting the free OTA stuff until you get finances in line. Neither service is cheap.

Personally, I did Directv for 8ish years. Was really happy, but saw that it would be cheaper to do Dish as a Soccer fan. Been with Dish for 1.5 years. The DVR has behaved much better than Directv's.

But as I've said, go OTA and hook up the antenna to your television until you can afford Sat. Good luck.

 

[kstuart]

Actually, I second that recommendation.

Get an OTA antenna and in Vegas, you should pick up all the networks.

You can get other things from hulu.com or other sites...

Neither satellite or cable is for anyone with financial problems.

 

[ThoughtsofTHATmom]

The question is what do you watch?

If your a sports fan go with DIRECTV.

If you don't care about sports go with DISH.

We are most definitely NOT a sports family! We homeschool so we want the educational channels: History Channel, Discovery Kids, Discovery Health, Animal Planet, National Geographic, etc. THOSE are the channels we care about...and are why we'll pay more for the higher tier plans.

Amy

 

[scottbakertemp]

If you want multi-room viewing and the ability to stream to your PC (in house), I'd go with D*. E* doesn't have multi-room and there are so many caveats and issues using the 922 as a sling box.

 

[ThoughtsofTHATmom]

Convince me that Ford is better than Honda.

Convince me that Sony is better than Samsung.

Convince me that Dell is better than HP.

You need to compare the details.

Even the "DirecTV is better for sports" is not automatically true - for example, sports is our number one factor, and yet I currently prefer Dish Network ( Fox Soccer Channel is in HD on Dish and not yet on DirecTV - just one factor ).

I'm still waiting for someone who wants an answer to a question, who gives enough information to really be given a correct answer.

Well, for starters, our current 1998 Ford Windstar Ltd has just over 270,000 miles & is still going strong. My friend's 2000 Honda Odyssey went out of commission permanently a year ago with only 190,000 miles. Something tells me you didn't really want an answer to that, though.

What info do I need to give you? I apologize. I didn't tell because I don't know what you needed. I promise. You ask, and I WILL tell.

Amy

 

[ThoughtsofTHATmom]

Btw... Welcome to SatelliteGuys!

Thank you.

 

[kstuart]

What info do I need to give you? I apologize. I didn't tell because I don't know what you needed. I promise. You ask, and I WILL tell.

Amy

You've made a good start now, by at least telling us what you want to see on your TV.

Hmm... Vegas PBS KLVX only has one channel... some areas (like Los Angeles) have several subchannels in their PBS that have extra educational programming. So, while that is still a viable option, it has less substance.

Interestingly, on satellite, the educational programming in HD is only in the expensive packages, while the just-for-fun kids programming is in the cheapest packages.

Okay, so you need to compare the packages in Dish and DirecTV that carry those channels, and see the difference in price, and which provider carries which channels.

 

[am7crew]

one word, HD.

 

[kstuart]

one word, HD.

That's two words.

 

[TigerpounceTN]

If you want better picture quality, go with Direct. If you just want a few extra channels and a better DVR, go with Dish. It isn't worth a $200 fee just to start service though.

 

[kstuart]

why is it better to purchase a receiver over doing a 2yr plan with them where they provide a rental receiver.

If you stay with them for two years, then it is better to just get the leased receiver (assuming that it is significantly less money).

The purchased receiver has only the advantage of being saleable if you change your mind in six months.

Just like with a car, compare the total cost of leasing over the period of subscription versus the purchase price minus the selling price.

PS If a satellite or cable company stops using a particular receiver (or set top box) on their system, then it becomes worthless...

 

[ThoughtsofTHATmom]

Sounds like I'd recommend the bunny ears, hooked up to the tv and getting the free OTA stuff until you get finances in line. Neither service is cheap.

Personally, I did Directv for 8ish years. Was really happy, but saw that it would be cheaper to do Dish as a Soccer fan. Been with Dish for 1.5 years. The DVR has behaved much better than Directv's.

But as I've said, go OTA and hook up the antenna to your television until you can afford Sat. Good luck.

Gee. Thanks for the unwarranted financial advice. I don't recall saying our finances WEREN'T in order. I said that our credit was crappy thanks to over $41,000 in medical bills. Unfortunately, we weren't able to pay all $41,000 in bills off all at once. As a result, they ended up on our credit. Again, unfortunately, things that are on your credit STAY on your credit for WAY too long after you've paid them off...especially with medical bills (in my opinion).

Trust me, while we were paying the bills off, we made sacrifices that MOST won't make today...like having our ONLY vehicle be a vehicle that has over 270,000 miles...and not having cable or satellite for most of the past several years while we paid the bills off.

Someone having bad credit (especially when it's SOLEY because of medical bills) is NOT someone who is financially irresponsible. Talk to me when YOU can pay $41,000 in medical bills in 1 year...or are willing to say no to blood transfusions & other treatments for your child to avoid those bills.

Seriously!

Amy

 

[ThoughtsofTHATmom]

Actually, I second that recommendation.

Get an OTA antenna and in Vegas, you should pick up all the networks.

You can get other things from hulu.com or other sites...

Neither satellite or cable is for anyone with financial problems.

Again, see my response to the other guy. NO WHERE in my original post did I say that we "have financial problems" I said that our credit is crappy "thanks to over $41,000 in medical bills". Which it IS! And there's NOTHING we can do about that!

We wouldn't even be CONSIDERING this service if we still had $41,000 in medical bills. We'd still be doing without!

I'm sure you guys are just trying to help when you post this, but you're talking to someone who has lived bare bones for 4 years to get every penny of this paid off. All the while, we've had people telling us how we needed a 2nd car & how could I grow most of our own food & why didn't we just file for bankruptcy? We shouldn't have to pay that much anyway. We should have been able to get help from the government. They know so & so who did...whatever & the government paid all of it. What? Why can't you go out with us AGAIN! You haven't been out in 2 years!

So, I'm sorry if I came off as harsh. I've just been doing this for years while we worked our butts off to pay off every penny of that debt. We don't have a car loan, we don't carry credit cards or any other debt. We paid cash years ago when I went to nursing school. We just had the medical bills. The total of those bills that year was close to $60,000. We exhausted our entire savings paying as much as we could, and had to pay out the rest....while living with a child who needed food & meds that cost $3500/month for 6 months. And then $400/month for a year after that.

Again, please forgive my harshness. I'm just weary of it.

Amy

 

[ThoughtsofTHATmom]

Btw... Welcome to SatelliteGuys!

Thank you.