DirecTV 2013 Price Increases

[RLDreams]

I got the notice from my nascar media friends yesterday that effective immediately D* has cancelled their NASCAR sponsorship and hotpass channels. So along with the price increase they are cutting channels.

I wish they had given a clue about this before I signed a new 2 yr contract last summer. I would have given more thought to switching providers instead of fighting with big D to get the setup I wanted installed and had been waiting 2 years for them to install.

 

[whitewolf8214]

IMHO Directv seems to have more family type channels aligned in the proper packages than DISH does. We were able to go from the AT200+ (only because of Nick Jr were we in that package) to the Entertainment package with Directv and even after the promo ends we will be saving money compared to what our bill was with DISH, plus Directv has Disney Jr; something DISH does not have.

I agree Neutron 100% on everything you said

 

[Mr Tony]

Just got the e-mail today


Dear DIRECTV® Customer,

We would like to thank you for being a loyal customer and let you know we truly appreciate your business. We are excited about the New Year and our continued commitment to deliver additional value to your DIRECTV service as we launch more HD channels, introduce new technologies and continue to bring you award-winning service. DIRECTV works continuously to deliver maximum choice and value that's indicative of our reputation as the must-have premium video service.

We are writing to let you know about an upcoming price increase for 2013. This is a letter we never like to write because, if it were up to us, our choice would be to never increase your bill.

Unfortunately, there are many external factors at work that make this a reality for not just DIRECTV, but all TV providers who must do this every year. The biggest of which is that almost all programmers who provide channels to the DIRECTV platform are increasing their rates at a level we've never seen before. On occasion, some negotiations of new and existing channel contracts have become public recently so you can see we are doing all we can to make sure you do not suffer unfair price increases as a result of unreasonable demands in these disputes. By holding firm, we've held our annual price increases on average below those of cable competitors.

In 2013, the programming costs we pay to owners of television channels will increase by about 8.0%, but we have chosen to adjust the prices our customers pay by an average of only 4.5%. On February 7, 2013, new pricing will be applied to DIRECTV programming packages and services. Click here for more complete details.

But rest assured, as a DIRECTV customer you get many extra benefits and perks and we are always looking at ways to add to and improve the service. We plan to build on many of the achievements delivered in 2012 which continued to make DIRECTV the best TV experience available, such as:

The launch of DIRECTV Everywhere. Now watch movies and shows anywhere-on your TV at home, on your computer, tablet or smartphone at no extra charge.^
New SD and HD channels were added with BBC America, Disney Jr., DIY, E!, Nat Geo WILD, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, beIN SPORT, TWC SportsNet, TWC Deportes, and others.
The DIRECTV on DEMAND library expanded to over 10,000 shows and movies.
NFL SUNDAY TICKET was available at our lowest price in nearly a decade!
DIRECTV and Viggle partnered so you can earn great rewards just for watching DIRECTV with the free Viggle app for your smartphone or tablet.

We are committed to delivering the highest quality entertainment service and value, and we look forward to continuing to provide you with the very best DIRECTV have to offer. Thank you for your continued loyalty.
Sincerely,

Ellen Filipiak
Senior Vice President of Customer Service

 

[whitewolf8214]

Thanks for sharing ice I will probably get mine later today and I know my bills is only going up $5

 

[DetFan]

All these providers are out of control. The line we hate writing these letters is bs. They write it every year.

Sent from my Galaxy Note II

 

[n4uaj]

Yeah, HBO is now $18/month. Even the 3 month free Cinemax toss in doesn't make that much easier to swallow.

With the quality of HBO on demand and HBO go now, I view me subbing to HBO just one or two months a year and catching up on any of their series I like at one time.

That sounds like a good plan there. At one time I was only subbing to HBO during the Sopranos. Now they done got smart and stagger out their good shows like once Boardwalk is over then here comes Girls and before you know it GoT will be on. In our house the quality of the HBO shows does make it worth it in the long run. Luckily Homeland is the main show I hold out for on Showtime so generally a three month free promo will take care of that.

 

[dtro77]

I still never got an Email, I guess when my rate just increases that will be my notice.

Lucky for these Forums. I know my bill is going up $10

 

[lsilvest]

I'm on autopay with a credit card and they are real good about advising me of changes when I get my bill - which is a day after they ding my credit card. This outfit is the worst to deal with financially than any company I have ever seen. No problem with them with programming and technology, but they are not trustworthy on a financial basis.

 

[nvguy38]

I still never got an Email, I guess when my rate just increases that will be my notice.

Lucky for these Forums. I know my bill is going up $10

+1

Still waiting as I've not received any formal notice either. Thank goodness for Satellite Guys!!!

 

[Jimbo]

+1

Still waiting as I've not received any formal notice either. Thank goodness for Satellite Guys!!!

I don't know that you will get a notice.
I'm not sure I have ever got a email regarding the price increase.

 

[acostapimps]

I didn't get an email either, maybe just expecting to surprise me on the bill, if it wasn't for this forum I wouldn't know much would the increase be for, but I would know about yearly increase every February or March, Luckily I have a few credits plus HD waived for 12 months

 

[Mr Tony]

weird as I got an e-mail...
http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/300923-DirecTV-2013-Price-Increases?p=3071194#post3071194

 

[lsilvest]

I called in to see what my new bill will be since they charge my credit card before I ever get a statement. I'm in the 12th month of my contract so I was expecting an increase anyway. Since I only have the service mainly for sports and specifically college football and some college basketball, I really hardly watch anything during the rest of the year. I have an antenna and 2 HTPCs for recording and watching so I'm not without entertainment. My college of interest is in the Pac-12 so I'm not getting any of their games (except for a couple that were on ESPN) for basketball and missed about 3 football games for same reason last year (which considering the outcomes may have been a blessing). So, after taking everything into consideration when I got the new price, I went ahead and cancelled and will just eat the $240 for early termination which actually doesn't make my cost for the 1st 12 months even close to what the new rates are. In all, I had questions to start with about the value I was getting and the lack of Pac-12 really was the capper.

 

[raoul5788]

Geez, a well thought out decision made with logic. What is this world coming to?

 

[upsss]

If I sign a 2 year contract as a new customer this week, would my rates go up the following week?

 

[lparsons21]

No since the rates that are showing on Dish's site right now already are at the new rates.

 

[Mr Tony]

No since the rates that are showing on Dish's site right now already are at the new rates.

umm...this is the Directv area...I think you took a wrong turn

 

[lparsons21]

Ooops!

that'll teach me not to post before the 2nd cuppa!

 

[Mr Tony]

This is interesting...and dont know if its true

I called D* to see if there was a fee if I changed my programming package more than once within 30 days. Like lets say drop to Entertainment (from say Ultimate) and in 2 weeks move up to Choice. No fees

But the rep mentioned something I've never heard before. He mentions I'm on an old plan (Choice Xtra Classic) and if I move off of it I can move back to it within 30 days. After that I can no longer get that package back. I've never heard of a "30 day" rule to get back on a grandfathered plan. Anybody else heard of this?

 

[lsilvest]

This is interesting...and dont know if its true

I called D* to see if there was a fee if I changed my programming package more than once within 30 days. Like lets say drop to Entertainment (from say Ultimate) and in 2 weeks move up to Choice. No fees

But the rep mentioned something I've never heard before. He mentions I'm on an old plan (Choice Xtra Classic) and if I move off of it I can move back to it within 30 days. After that I can no longer get that package back. I've never heard of a "30 day" rule to get back on a grandfathered plan. Anybody else heard of this?

I'm on the same plan and if I remember right when I called to cancel the other day the rep said I could restart everything if I did it before I sent my DVR back which is within their 21 day window. Not the same but sounds like he meant same plan.