When will the new Primestar sat launch?

[igator99]

Now that I have your attention I was wondering what killed this sat service? I remember their pitch was you don't have to buy your own equipment. I knew of one person that had it and he seemed to like it. What killed it or did it merge with D* or E*?

 

[charper1]

It was dying and Hughes (DirecTV parent at the time) bought them up; in 1999 and the service was shut off.

PrimeStar, unlike modern high-powered DBS systems, was a medium-powered DBS-style system utilizing FSS technology that used a larger 3-foot (91 cm) satellite dish to receive signals. PrimeStar was owned by a consortium of cable television companies. PrimeStar was also more limited in its ability to add new channels to its system. PrimeStar used the older DigiCipher 1 system for digital compression of analog satellite signals.

 

[RLuyster]

They also had the best quality DBS video that I've ever seen, IMHO. I was a subscriber and was switched to Directv when they took over. They had their problems but did deliver an excellent viewing experience.

 

[Brewer4]

They also had the best quality DBS video that I've ever seen, IMHO. I was a subscriber and was switched to Directv when they took over. They had their problems but did deliver an excellent viewing experience.

They were my first sat. Receivers were leased at the time so I didnt have the large up front cost so I went with them. They gave me national networks too (both east and west coast). I loved the quality and service. :up

 

[Joe Diamond]

Primestar,
I sold and installed it. There were "Primestar Partners" who used the dish solution where it was not practical to run their CATV plant. I was involved with the Comcast operation and it got goofy after awhile. Imagine a Comcast cable customer following me to an install to place an order so they could cut the Comcast cable off the building. Comcast ,as a Primestar Partner, was competing against itself. I think they were cross training their in-house techs to splice cable and fix the Pstar rigs.

Go figure.......CATV built its' main competitor.

Joe

 

[Stargazer]

There was a service after Primestar that came out with the same size dish with two eyes on it, reminded me exactly of Primestar, but they did not last that long. This was a company called Charter anywhere that put these in where they did not have cable service at but around their territory. I do not know why they flopped so fast after they came out. They were around for around a year and lots of people were getting the system. They charged maybe $50 if that to get it installed.

 

[TV Junkie 12]

They also had the best quality DBS video that I've ever seen, IMHO. I was a subscriber and was switched to Directv when they took over. They had their problems but did deliver an excellent viewing experience.

I'll add my complete agreement with that statement. Not a ton of channels but the video was great for it's time and I was also rather partial to the DMX music service they offered. Customer service was good too-no charge for sidegrades or downgrades and VERY easy qualification for DNS. I used to see a lot of blacked out football games in those days. Even my wife was sorry to see Primestar go.

 

[Claude Greiner]

The thing that did Primestar in was that at the time they required little to no money upfront , and had no credit check requirements for a long time.

I remember back in 1998/1999 they where signing up deadbeat customers all over Detroit, the non-pay disconnects is what did them in!

I remember back in 1999 when Dish made the big push to have us go out and convert primestar customers over. The customers would have to give us a copy of their bill and very seldom I would get a customer who wanted to covert over who didn't owe some large past due bill!

I was stupid back then, and actually did a few of them who gave me disconnect notices, and I got charged back on every single one of them!

 

[Claude Greiner]

The thing that did Primestar in was that at the time they required little to no money upfront , and had no credit check requirements for a long time.

I remember back in 1998/1999 they where signing up deadbeat customers all over Detroit, the non-pay disconnects is what did them in!

I remember back in 1999 when Dish made the big push to have us go out and convert primestar customers over. The customers would have to give us a copy of their bill and very seldom I would get a customer who wanted to covert over who didn't owe some large past due bill!

I was stupid back then, and actually did a few of them who gave me disconnect notices, and I got charged back on every single one of them!

 

[Claude Greiner]

BTW, im glad to see them gone!

 

[chadzx11]

There was a service after Primestar that came out with the same size dish with two eyes on it, reminded me exactly of Primestar, but they did not last that long. This was a company called Charter anywhere that put these in where they did not have cable service at but around their territory. I do not know why they flopped so fast after they came out. They were around for around a year and lots of people were getting the system. They charged maybe $50 if that to get it installed.

Not sure what you are talking about......2 eyes? Charter and Classic (gone now) both used the HITS 2 Home system with motorola recievers that combined their digital satellite signals with their analog cable service. I have never seen a H2H system where a cable co did not have analog coverage.

Back home, Classic tried to hire me to install those things for $9/hr. I passed because that was what they were paying their unlicensed men to jerry rig them. I was licensed and I turned them in to the state for running unlicensed satellite techs.

 

[chadzx11]

The thing that did Primestar in was that at the time they required little to no money upfront , and had no credit check requirements for a long time.

I remember back in 1998/1999 they where signing up deadbeat customers all over Detroit, the non-pay disconnects is what did them in!

I remember back in 1999 when Dish made the big push to have us go out and convert primestar customers over. The customers would have to give us a copy of their bill and very seldom I would get a customer who wanted to covert over who didn't owe some large past due bill!

I was stupid back then, and actually did a few of them who gave me disconnect notices, and I got charged back on every single one of them!

I won a trip (airfare and hotel) from P* for running the most disconnects (sad ain't it?). I pulled hundreds of disconnects from a neighboring contractors territory (for some reason they were not doing their disconnects). The boss got it approved so we could get control of the recievers, which we needed for installs, and turned me loose.

I got 36 in less than a week. Catching up with deadbeats is challenging. Another challenge was that if the cx balked and called P*, they would let them keep the equipment. I called BS on one CSR and customer, right in the customer's living room. They owned $650! I told the CSR if the cx was gonna pay the bill, it wouldn't have gotten so far behind in the first place, and we needed the recievers. Nope.

To combat that, I would grab the dish if the customer wasn't home. Take the dish down, and the deadbeat has to come current AND pay a reinstall fee to get their dish back. Usually, they would give up the motorola after that. :

I was mean, too. I cut many wires off at the poles. What do I care? The only thing I gained from getting the dish was not having to build one later. Pay for recievers only! Anyway, our competitor was a company called TCI, and they had 100% hack installers. We were under Time Warner and they QC'd the hell out of us. TCI didn't ground anything.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Claude,
That is what I saw. Folks who moved often would run up an account debit with the cable company,telco, electric and housing owner would just move to fix their problem. The Primestar sales leads often led to vacant apartments and trailers. The explanation I got at the time was to go out and perform the installation. It was one more address that would never be a cable customer.

However Comcast was the Primestar Partner running the cable system. The installation & sales folks at Prinestar wanted numbers. Just prior to striking an iceberg a large ocean liner held a deck chair inspection. As the iceberg and the ship got closer a memo was sent requesting more deck chairs.

When Directv bought Primestar they seemed to be more selective about who they "converted" and may have shed many no pays. They still seem to have a need for numbers from time to time. Same reasons.

Joe

 

[iafirebuff]

I am glad they are gone too..... I LOVE to use the old Primestar dishes for Ku band

 

[Stargazer]

I remember doing the Primestar switchovers to Dish Network. They did not switch out all their good customers or had BAD judgement. One that got left in the dark paid one year in advance on their Dish Network bill and I never received a backcharge on that customer. That does not sound like a good decision by Directv to me on that customer.

 

[digiblur]

If I remember right they were on a Telstar bird that was in an inclined orbit for a while. Once the bird was swapped out they increased their capacity. I knew a few that had it. I laughed at them because I had my 10 footer CBand kicking!

 

[charper1]

Same here!

 

[chadzx11]

One of the companies I used to work for......The owner figured out that if you had one fail the credit check, you could put in one that you made up and get it to pass. Holy ID theft batman!

We had one serial non payer. The cx would wait to pay the bill until a DC was issued. Then she would right us a check. Easy $25, but I got tired of chasing her down and told her next time I got the DC order, I was yanking the dish (even though I knew where to find her at work).

She started paying her damn bill. $25 seems like a lot until you have to drive an hour to go get it. The other guys thought it was the gravy train.

 

[stevo/65]

The good old days of primestar IMO "great customer service"
We use to install customers that i knew for a fact was going to be a charge back for a company that did not care.
I remember going to a house where the water meter was yanked out so i had to use the neighbors water to mix the cement and while the baby was outside running around wth a dirty diaper that you know hasnt been changed in days the mother was inside all hungover with one tit sticking out looking all nasty from partying all night and you can tell she has not showered in days as well.
Even without water and gas they still get to watch tv....thanx to primestar

 

[charper1]

I am now scarred for life. Thanks to that imagery.