Directv National Downgrade Day Feb. 28, 2005

[Ken101]

There not going to take back the increase. I hope in the future they will be a bit less though. No one here including myself is going to go bankrupt over $3.00, it's more the point that a 7% increase is a bit steep when you factor the rate of inflation at between 2% & 4% yearly. The other thing that gets me is that for years the satellite providers have nailed cable in commercial after commercial about rate increases that exceeded the rate of inflation and now here they are doing the same thing. It's no longer just the cable pig, he has a cousin now. I still love satellite tv and just don't want it to become like cable and that's what the last 2 rate increases from both providers has been.

 

[charper1]

$3.00, it's more the point that a 7% increase is a bit steep when you factor the rate of inflation at between 2% & 4% yearly.[/QUOTE

3% of $91 (Total Ch Prem w/local) = $2.73
7% of $91 = $6.37

$3 = 3.299% of $91

I won't see them as a relative of cable until they cost the same, or raise my rates WITHOUT an increase in services. I see the last two raises as the precursor to what we are all about to enjoy over the next 2 - 3 or so years. Do we really expect DBS to stay stagnant? Then they really would be just like cable. IMHO

 

[hdtvtechno]

I was going to call directv so they could do something to add some kind of contract to my account, but if directv will increase everyones bills, even with contract, then its not fair.

 

[Ken101]

Old price of Plus was $42.99 with locals. At 7% increase would be $3.01 (so the increase is just a hair under 7%.

 

[Ken101]

The only reason I brought up the poll on the tivo site, was that a previous post in this thread was saying how few were switching according to it. It's now over 16% who say they will either downgrade or cancel services. And my good friend in Boise who is a csr says that his supervisor has told him they expect the number of downgrades to be just into the double digits.

 

[wobbie]

It would be too sweet if the little guy at the end of the food chain would get a little bit of the rate increases. I'm talking about the guys that sale there products and in particular the guys out in the field installing the products. Once again, the Amereican way. Prices go up and pay goes down.

 

[ericg]

I'm "stuck" with DirecTV. Until my Cable Co. can offer 2 tuner TiVo functionality, I'm hooked. The point however, there was a time not too long ago when DBS companies were different that the big cable giants. The prices were lower and the rate increases were less frequent. That time my friends is gone. Thanks Rupe!

 

[JamesJ]

I'm "stuck" with DirecTV. Until my Cable Co. can offer 2 tuner TiVo functionality, I'm hooked. The point however, there was a time not too long ago when DBS companies were different that the big cable giants. The prices were lower and the rate increases were less frequent. That time my friends is gone. Thanks Rupe!

you my friend are off base, they are still different, much differt---

#1. Directv Stuff works 99% of the time, my cable company (time warner) I had them out here every week, once for video on demand (still dosent work), once for locals getting fuzzy because of a bad signal and them being analog, they looked like a antenna setup, it was horrible (still dosent work), and various other reasons

#2. Prices are not the same- I save over 40 a month, getting all the channels plus hdtv and dsl, with directv, then getting digital baisic, hdtv, hbo and showtime, and road runner, now take out the internet, and get the packages to as close to the same, and I save over 30 still, hmm, not the same there
#3. price increases, ahh you got me there, yes cable and dbs have raised the rates, once this year, once last year, but oh what, cable only added espn hd, and a music video on demand station, Directv has added new satellites, and several new stations, ENd discussion, as of right now Sat. is ahead of cable, and will be IMHO.

 

[JamesJ]

also no disrespect in my last post, just wanted to point out, that DBS is still and always will be different from cable, also Time warner did add digital phone with our last increase, but I dont subscribe to it, so that money increase benfited others, while I think it took away from my connection speed and video on demand, becuase they day they added phone service, our video and data, went down and diminshed from there out

 

[Ken101]

Other than NFL Network, what worthwhile non shopping channels has Directv added in the last year? Wait NFL Network was added a little more than a year ago. So no new channels additions, but Trio and CNN fn/International go away.
Yes satellite tv is still cheaper than cable, but were talking about a $8.00 difference in my area. I'm just afraid that by 2010 it will be down to just a few dollars differnce.

 

[Ken101]

Keep checking that Tivo poll. It's up to nearly 17% either downgrading or disconnecting services.

 

[video62]

I've been a D* customer for 15 months... I'm not going to be participating in 'downgrade' day as I think it's still better picture quality and reliability than my local cable, despite the increase - and, I don't really have any room to downgrade anyway.

Do any of you "yea, let's teach D* a lesson and downgrade" crowd ever rent movies at Blockbuster or suchlike? Could you possbily, just somehow, rent one less movie or game per month? If so, then you've covered your D* price increase. There, wasn't that simple?

Besides, if you do downgrade you're going to stop viewing certain channels and you may end up spending even more at Blockbuster!!

 

[JamesJ]

Other than NFL Network, what worthwhile non shopping channels has Directv added in the last year? Wait NFL Network was added a little more than a year ago. So no new channels additions, but Trio and CNN fn/International go away.
Yes satellite tv is still cheaper than cable, but were talking about a $8.00 difference in my area. I'm just afraid that by 2010 it will be down to just a few dollars differnce.

I love the 25 channels they added to the shopping list
actually when I wrote that I was thinking of future plans this year, Ithink if we give them say 6-7 months alot of people are going to be happy they are directv customers, other people will have to wait about a year, but trust me if everything I Have heard is correct ( and its been 100% up to this point) then we are in for one great ride, one that will blow cable to pieces! I cant wait to see what this mpeg4 conversion is going to look like and cant wait to see all the new boxes, but your damn sure I am not going to downgrade and take some money away from them as to hurt them in this process, cause all I know then is theyre are going to be alot of unhappy people if lets say 25% of directv customers downgrade, that is a chunk of change out of their pocket. and then all I will hear on these boards is alot more crying about service then I already do!

 

[colofan]

I would be okay with the mpeg4 if more than one brand of receiver is being sold. Monopoly in this case is bad. Just look at the samsung 360 problems. Imagine you had no choice except that receiver...thanks to the service.

Except for the support calls being more complicated why go to one sourced solutions? Must be a better financial model for D*.

 

[beast37799]

some of the samsung problems have been fixed . mainly the problem with fox-hd

 

[cbearnm]

Yes satellite tv is still cheaper than cable, but were talking about a $8.00 difference in my area. I'm just afraid that by 2010 it will be down to just a few dollars differnce.

Let's say it's:
$8/month for 2005 and 2006
$6/month for 2007 and 2008
$4/month for 2009 and 2010

24 mos. @ $8 per = $192
24 mos. @ $6 per = $144
24 mos. @ $4 per = $ 96
savings between now and 2010 $432, not bad in my book. This is assuming no increases in cable pricing in that period (fat chance!).

Here's to hoping your earning power outpaces the D* rate increases. (Mine outpaced the rate increases for any time period you want to pick)

And my good friend in Boise who is a csr says that his supervisor has told him they expect the number of downgrades to be just into the double digits.

Not sure what you mean by this ? At least 10 people? 10% ? You are saying the 'number' of downgrades will be in double digits. To me, this means 10-99 accounts total.

 

[JamesJ]

I would be okay with the mpeg4 if more than one brand of receiver is being sold. Monopoly in this case is bad. Just look at the samsung 360 problems. Imagine you had no choice except that receiver...thanks to the service.

Except for the support calls being more complicated why go to one sourced solutions? Must be a better financial model for D*.

okay I think this is where people are getting confused, arent the recievers still being made by others ie sony, samsung, rca, and just branded by directv, like my r10, was made by I think rca, but branded directv, I dont see a monopoly, and it is improper even if they did make all the recievers to call it a monopoly. Its there system, and there mpeg4 stream, if they want it to be all there recievers are the only ones that works more power to them. Its still better then dishes and cable companies boxes IMO

 

[colofan]

What I was implying is that if I want more or better features and I am willing to pay for I don't have an option to choose my receiver. One of the reasons I enjoyed D* so much was the different companies were selling different hardware and I could choose which one I wanted.

Yes D* has every right to say you will only buy this receiver for their system (just like the phone company use to do) but lack of choice makes me very nervous on the quality of the product since there is no competition to make a better product.

The example of the samsung 360 is a classic case that if that was the only receiver we could buy as a customer then I have no choice except quit D* and not have their service instead of going and buying a different brand.

Unfortuanely they are regressing back to what cable and E* does which is not a step forward from my perspective.

To me D* should focus on the service and not the STB's. Send the customer to the manufacturer for support. I just don't care for the lack of choice.

 

[slacker9876]

colofan, I am certain that even under one umbrella D* will maintain both innovation and functionality in their products. Hardware is also the reason I chose D* over E*, there is no contest between the two. However, look at the "crap" that E* puts outs!!! Even their loyalists hate their hardware.

I think the reason D* bought all products under their name is simple ... stop theft of service. MPEG4 will help them with this in the fact that not only will old data stream access cards be out of the loop but so will the hardware that allows theft of service. When they are able to tell the vendor "this is how it needs to be" it simplifies things for them as a whole. I think that Black Sunday proved what good motivation being a paid sub is!

I totally agree that service(s) should be the focus.

 

[JosephB]

Keep checking that Tivo poll. It's up to nearly 17% either downgrading or disconnecting services.

I don't know if you saw my earlier posts, but that poll is not reliable to predict even how the populace on the tivo forums will react.