I'm a 10 year Dish customer and I need advice.
I currently have as Current Programming
America's Top 250
DVR Service
HBO
Monthly Charges: 86.99 (excludes taxes/credits)
Because of the FOX and MSG situation I am looking at my monthly bill and have to lower it.
Should I call DISH with my concerns or should I call DirectTV and see if they will work with me and offer me a better deal. I still have a 522 and I will finally be getting a flat screen this week so I will need HD.
Any suggestions on how to lower my bill and if I should stay with DISH?
Thanks
Regular Prices
Base Packages:
Choice $58.99
Choice Xtra $63.99
Choice Ultimate $68.99
Premier $114.99
DVR service $7.00
HD Service $10.00*
It is possible to get it free with Choice Ultimate and Premier.
Whole-Home DVR+HD $20.00*
It is possible to get this for $10/mo. with Choice Ultimate and Premier.
I hope that helps with your decision.
To be fair, the first year promotional prices are:
Choice $29.99/month
Choice Xtra $34.99/month
Choice Ultimate $39.99/month
Premier 5 months free with NFL Sunday Ticket and then $59.99/month [not sure how this one works in terms of price at the beginning...I am guessing that you would pay for NFL Sunday Ticket]
Of course, the promotional prices require a 24 month agreement.
Good luck with whatever you choose. I do suggest looking at the channel lists to ensure that you are happy with your service.
^I told this to someone else, and I figured it would apply to your situation as well.
Let us compare DirecTV and Dish.
DirecTV
Choice Ultimate $68.99 (if you still want Encore and TMC. No TMC Xtra but Sundance included along with TMC East in HD. No Fox Soccer Channel or Si TV from what I understand....not sure what is important to you.)
DVR Service $ 7.00 (unless you want whole-home DVR & HD...then it is possible for $10 instead of $20 wtih Choice Ultimate)
HD $ 0.00 (It is possible to waive the $10 fee with Choice Ultimate and Premier)
HBO $14.99 (no HBO Comedy, HBO Family HD feed, HBO Latino HD feed, or HBO Signature HD feed)
Primary Receiver $0.00
2nd Receiver $4.99 (may be $5 now...not sure) [I should also add that if the 2nd receiver is SD, then you will not get downcoverted HD (480i) channels like you would on Dish with a TV2 connection.]
SUBTOTAL: $ 95.97 after 1st year
- $ 29.00 1st year promotional credit with 24-month agreement
$ 66.97
Dish:
America's Top 250 $64.99
DVR Service $ 6.00
HBO $16.00
SUBTOTAL $86.99
You could try to make some type of bargain with Dish especially right now with the whole Fox dispute especially if you are out of contract. I am not sure how many TVs you want. It seems like two TVs unless you are using your Duo just for PIP. If you want just one TV, you could try to get a 211 Solo HD receiver. This would cause the DVR fee to go away, but there would be a $39.99 DVR activation fee. You would also need an EHD. You should also be able to get a 3-month HD Platinum Free credit (I would think since it seems to be common at this time). Starz should also be coming up for a promotion of 3 months fee according to CSRs for those on autopay and paperless billing. If you still want 2 TVs, then it would make sense to just get an HD Duo DVR. However, if you want 3 HDTVs with DVR capability, then it would make sense for 3 211s at this time. Of course, it would make your bill $8 more a month since it would be $14 in extra receivers. However, that is better than another receiver fee in most cases such as another $17 for a Duo DVR along with $6 DVR fee. I hope that helps, but my guess is that you have 2 TVs with the 522 anyway. I am sure that you should get some type of loyalty promotion from Dish not to switch to DirecTV.
Just an FYI with the 1 211 Solo HD receiver:
America's Top 250 $64.99
DVR Service $ 0.00 (one time $39.99 fee......so upfront fee and the need for an EHD)
HBO $16.00
SUBTOTAL $80.99
[My guess is that you want to lower your bill, but I wanted to point out that America's "Everything" Pak is $99.99/month. You are subbing to HBO, but this would also include Starz, Showtime, and Cinemax. However, I would not blame you for not wanting to spend any extra money, and you never know if an increase is around the corner. I also like America's Top 250. We do not have HBO; instead we have HD Platinum. We enjoy the movie channels on it for $10 more a month such as IndiePlex HD, RetroPlex HD, Sony Movie Channel, EPIX 1 HD, EPIX 2 HD, HDNET Movies, MGM HD (although this one may have one or two short commercial breaks). There is also Shorts HD, but we do not watch that one as much. Universal HD sometimes shows an uncut movie from time to time. If you want to learn more about the HD Platinum add-on, you may want to visit this site:
http://www.dishnetwork.com/hdplatinum/ (Sony Movie Channel is not listed since it just got added.). I wish I knew more about what you want. You may have HBO for movies or for a series like Tru Blood. I am also not sure if the switch is mainly sports related and if you are willing to pay more after the DirecTV promotions. I would suggest looking at the channels from each provider before doing anything. That is just my opinion. I think you should go with whoever has the programing you want.]