More problems with Dish Network than DirecTV

[AVMe]

I think there are several reasons why Dish Network is losing customers right now.

Dish Network has always tried to be the value satellite service, so perhaps more of their customers are having financial difficulties and going to basic cable or OTA to save money. DirecTV has always marked themselves as the premier service where you pay more for packages, so perhaps more of their customers are able to keep service now.

The bundle that AT&T had with Dish Network ended and AT&T went with DirecTV. That could be a significant part of that 100,000 lost Dish subscribers if AT&T customers want to keep bundling so are switching to DirecTV to continue that.

DirecTV has always paid for good advertising with big name stars while Dish Network, in my opinion doesn't have good TV ads. Perhaps some new subscribers have been convinced by the ads. After all, that's the point, right?

I stay with Dish Network because I have almost all of the HD programming available that I want, I prefer movies over sports, I love the VIP series of DVRs, and my service has been nearly flawless over the years.

I hope that helps you.

Thanks for your post. This is the kind of discussion I intended with this thread.

 

[Cold Irons]

I'm fairly new here and noticed that there are 40,311 threads under the Dish Network Forum but only 19,498 threads under the DirecTV Forum (at the time of this writing). DirecTV is a much larger company with millions more subscribers than Dish so I conclude that Dish has a lot more problems with its products than does DirecTV. User ratings in Consumer Reports back this up.

I have experienced many problems with my Dish signal and receivers over the last 12 years and my new VIP722 is apparently incompatible with my high-end home theater audio system.

I prefer the useability features of Dish's DVRs over DirecTV's but what good is that if Dish's hardware/software/signal is more problematic?

People I know who switched from Dish to DirecTV report fewer problems with DirecTV.

This is probably the reason why DirecTV is growing and Dish is rapidly shrinking.

Anyone care to comment?

As a mathmatician & engineer, that's gotta be the funniest thing I've read today. Don't know much about survey design & random sampling I guess. Such internet forums really tell you nothing about overall statistics.

....but my 722 is compatable with my high-end home theater system, so I guess this is proof that all is well....

 

[Laddyboy]

As a mathmatician & engineer, that's gotta be the funniest thing I've read today. Don't know much about survey design & random sampling I guess. Such internet forums really tell you nothing about overall statistics.

....but my 722 is compatable with my high-end home theater system, so I guess this is proof that all is well....

+1 My 722 seems to be compatible with my system as well.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I think there are several reasons why Dish Network is losing customers right now.

Dish Network has always tried to be the value satellite service, so perhaps more of their customers are having financial difficulties and going to basic cable or OTA to save money. DirecTV has always marked themselves as the premier service where you pay more for packages, so perhaps more of their customers are able to keep service now.

The bundle that AT&T had with Dish Network ended and AT&T went with DirecTV. That could be a significant part of that 100,000 lost Dish subscribers if AT&T customers want to keep bundling so are switching to DirecTV to continue that.

DirecTV has always paid for good advertising with big name stars while Dish Network, in my opinion doesn't have good TV ads. Perhaps some new subscribers have been convinced by the ads. After all, that's the point, right?

I stay with Dish Network because I have almost all of the HD programming available that I want, I prefer movies over sports, I love the VIP series of DVRs, and my service has been nearly flawless over the years.

I hope that helps you.

BINGO we have a winner!:up

 

[cosmo_kramer]

The bundle that AT&T had with Dish Network ended and AT&T went with DirecTV. That could be a significant part of that 100,000 lost Dish subscribers if AT&T customers want to keep bundling so are switching to DirecTV to continue that.

This part is incorrect. I was a bundled AT&T customer until recently. I unbundled, not because I had to, but because I wanted to take advantage of Dish offers that weren't available to me as a bundled sub. I would still be with AT&T if I did not do that. Existing bundled subs can stay with AT&T, it's just there won't be any new Dish customers added.

I'm saving more and getting more services and programming by unbundling and staying with Dish than I was saving from any AT&T package discount....

 

[Airblair]

You seriously don't think they are good anymore? Wow, just wow. I admit that I prefer my 20 year old Mac speakers over their current speaker lineup, but their electronics (amps, preamps, etc.) remain world class second-to-none. And...they are so beautiful to look at...those gorgeous blue meters..... ahhh...excuse me while I go relieve myself...

OK, so we're not talking about a Mac computer. Got it. You had me confused there for a bit.

Back on topic please.....

No problem!

Let me throw something else out there regarding the discrepancy between the number of E* vs D* threads, both here and at the other site: Scott seems to be pretty wired into E*; he must have some great contacts inside the company. The dude even got a sitdown with Charlie Ergen.

Thus, this site is really good at getting us the inside scoop on developments at Echostar, whether we're talking about new hardware, programming, or the strategic direction of the company.

Hence, a lot more Dish Network subscribers hang out here.

I haven't paid too much attention to the D* side of things, but it seems to me that that's not the case there. I don't even know if they have the equivalent of the uplink reports. Those drive a lot of traffic; I know I wouldn't log on here daily if it weren't for the possibility of catching a glimpse of what Dish Network has in store for us (and even if new CONUS MPEG-4 channels are encrypted, it's a lot of fun to speculate on what could be coming down the pike.)

 

[MikeD-C05]

THe main reason why the satguys has more DISH posts than the DBSTALk website is the moderator of dbstalk :JAMES LONG. He discourages all rumors are talks about anything about DISH. IF you dare to criticize him or DISH he promptly cuts the post out or stops the thread entirely. He is like a nazi and runs people off the site every day. I had been a member of that web board by more than a month than he has, but I got tired of all his pms giving me warnings if I dared to question his authority on anything. Been gone now for close to 2 years as a regular poster. IF you look at the DISH threads on dbstalk and look at the number compared to DIRECTV you will see about 20-30 threads at any given time for DISH and pages of DIRECTV threads.

THe difference is the moderator here. SATGUYS was opened up by Scott G. to give a more open, fair balanced site so people can openly discuss things about DISH -good or bad or even speculation or rumurs without the retribution that is applied by people like James Long.

 

[AVMe]

THe main reason why the satguys has more DISH posts than the DBSTALk website is the moderator of dbstalk :JAMES LONG. He discourages all rumors are talks about anything about DISH. IF you dare to criticize him or DISH he promptly cuts the post out or stops the thread entirely. He is like a nazi and runs people off the site every day. I had been a member of that web board by more than a month than he has, but I got tired of all his pms giving me warnings if I dared to question his authority on anything. Been gone now for close to 2 years as a regular poster. IF you look at the DISH threads on dbstalk and look at the number compared to DIRECTV you will see about 20-30 threads at any given time for DISH and pages of DIRECTV threads.

THe difference is the moderator here. SATGUYS was opened up by Scott G. to give a more open, fair balanced site so people can openly discuss things about DISH -good or bad or even speculation or rumurs without the retribution that is applied by people like James Long.

Okay. I'm new here and thought it odd that there are so many more Dish threads than DirecTV. Given that Dish is losing customers while DirecTV continues to grow and Consumer Reports rates DirecTV a little higher than Dish, I thought the disparity in thread numbers could shine some light on why. That was the purpose of this thread. Could be wrong.

 

[Toddwsu2005]

It doesn't surprise me at all there are more dish threads. There are plenty of passionate people on this board who enjoy echostar and have for many years.

To me the reason people are so critical of dish on this board isn't that dish sucks but that it could be so much more.

Technology is vastly superior and as were seeing they ares till being innovative. Sling on a DVR is a fantastic idea. So is the 2 tvs for 1 dvr. The dishnetwork website if you ask me is one of the simplest and best laid out ones your going to find. Yet you are able to do tons of things to make your life easier.

Dish has a chance to blow the competition out of the water yet they seemingly find ways to mess that up. It can be frustrating I think to watch.

 

[dmendenjr]

Okay. I'm new here and thought it odd that there are so many more Dish threads than DirecTV. Given that Dish is losing customers while DirecTV continues to grow and Consumer Reports rates DirecTV a little higher than Dish, I thought the disparity in thread numbers could shine some light on why. That was the purpose of this thread. Could be wrong.

IMHO, I'd like to take every copy of consumer reports and flush em down the toliet. Working appliances and electronics, their recomendations are suspect at best. Case in point, the give a Kenmore Washer a top recommendation, but the EXACT SAME MODEL with a Whirlpool nameplate is ranked half way down the page! (The washers roll off the EXACT SAME assembly line, how is one being exclusive to sears and k-mart make it 10 items better??)

Anyways, (for the present moment at least) there IS a heckuva lot more to talk about in terms of dish over direct. with dish you have: the tivo fiasco, new channels being added, the 922, Charlie, new HD not being put into turbo, sling guide, nfl lawsuit, fisher lawsuit, indy finally getting locals, voom lawsuit, new hd channels with no hd, ceil 2 not blowing up, channels being taken down... a LOT to discuss.

With direct, it seems rather stagnant at the moment. Although dish is loosing subs, with the tech cut backs and lack of new programming... it's hard to not wonder if direct isn't feeling the times a little more than dish is.

 

[Charise]

This part is incorrect. I was a bundled AT&T customer until recently. I unbundled, not because I had to, but because I wanted to take advantage of Dish offers that weren't available to me as a bundled sub. I would still be with AT&T if I did not do that. Existing bundled subs can stay with AT&T, it's just there won't be any new Dish customers added.

I'm saving more and getting more services and programming by unbundling and staying with Dish than I was saving from any AT&T package discount....

Thanks for the clarification, Cosmo!

 

[AVMe]

IMHO, I'd like to take every copy of consumer reports and flush em down the toliet. Working appliances and electronics, their recomendations are suspect at best. Case in point, the give a Kenmore Washer a top recommendation, but the EXACT SAME MODEL with a Whirlpool nameplate is ranked half way down the page! (The washers roll off the EXACT SAME assembly line, how is one being exclusive to sears and k-mart make it 10 items better??)

Anyways, (for the present moment at least) there IS a heckuva lot more to talk about in terms of dish over direct. with dish you have: the tivo fiasco, new channels being added, the 922, Charlie, new HD not being put into turbo, sling guide, nfl lawsuit, fisher lawsuit, indy finally getting locals, voom lawsuit, new hd channels with no hd, ceil 2 not blowing up, channels being taken down... a LOT to discuss.

With direct, it seems rather stagnant at the moment. Although dish is loosing subs, with the tech cut backs and lack of new programming... it's hard to not wonder if direct isn't feeling the times a little more than dish is.

I agree that Consumer Reports is not the be-all-to-end-all. However, they actually test products and base their findings on consumer experience/surveys from subscribers like me.

You mention many issues that Dish faces. I like Dish and its innovations but I sometimes wonder if Charlie Ergen is a bit of a shyster, especially in stealing TiVo technology. (Flame suit on.)

 

[Kevinw]

Bundling with AT&T saved 5 dollars.
Dish lost 100k customers. So what. Times are tough. Dish has the lowest cost for entry as a satellite sub. Nearly everything is free. Out of the Millions of subs, they lost those who could not truly afford the product. More than likely those that signed up and them quit paying the bill anyway.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Bundling with AT&T saved 5 dollars.
Dish lost 100k customers. So what. Times are tough. Dish has the lowest cost for entry as a satellite sub. Nearly everything is free. Out of the Millions of subs, they lost those who could not truly afford the product. More than likely those that signed up and them quit paying the bill anyway.

Sounds exactly what the housing market bubble did for people who really couldn't afford their mortgages ,except for satellite tv. THats it! DISH is experience the satellite bubble burst!

 

[Kevinw]

Sounds exactly what the housing market bubble did for people who really couldn't afford their mortgages ,except for satellite tv. THats it! DISH is experience the satellite bubble burst!

Great analogy. Direct has out of pocket costs, while Dish does not. Zero down or 20 percent, who is more likely to default.