Whoa! $200 install fee for new satellite customers

[jcrandall]

I guess it’s the end of an era, website now shows an install fee for new customers on satellite - a $200 fee. Crazy, I guess they want you to stream or pay full-fare. Satellite new customers promo is also $5 higher than the stream via internet new customer price.

 

[b4pjoe]

I guess it’s the end of an era, website now shows an install fee for new customers on satellite - a $200 fee. Crazy, I guess they want you to stream or pay full-fare. Satellite new customers promo is also $5 higher than the stream via internet new customer price.

An incentive for new customers go with via Internet.

 

[slice1900]

Do they offer self installs?

I think they should have gone to charging for installs long ago, offering a rebate equal to the install after a year instead of locking people into contracts.

All free installs did was raise the monthly price they had to charge, with all customers paying to subsidize the cost of installs. When cord cutting started in reaction to high prices, having basically an extra $5 or $10 a month on everyone's bills to subsidize new customer installs was only hurting them.

Should have pushed OTA too, allowing people to drop their locals if they wanted and save the full cost of that. It was only a couple of bucks 10 years ago, but the local station groups were clear in their goals to raise prices by 200% with each renewal so they knew where things were going.

There's nothing that could have stopped subscriber losses from cord cutting, but Directv's management sure seemed to make all the wrong decisions to accelerate them.

 

[John2021]

Wonder how this will affect current sat subs moving service. Ide go for it as long as there's no contract

 

[CSM]

If they want $200 for the satellite install for new customers and they are maybe doing that to encourage new customers to go with DTV via the Net or DTV Stream, why bother buying Dish? DTV Satellite won't survive with that $200 install fee. Unless they think their streaming services will survive?

 

[Bruce]

If they want $200 for the satellite install for new customers and they are maybe doing that to encourage new customers to go with DTV via the Net or DTV Stream, why bother buying Dish? DTV Satellite won't survive with that $200 install fee. Unless they think their streaming services will survive?

Their streaming services barely have a million subscribers combined.

What this will do, is cut down on new subscribers, which they need to offset the losses of the older subscribers, which will increase in the 4th quarter following the upcoming price increase ($8-10 a month) in October.

This also shows, if the rumors are true, that if they buy Dish Network, the plan would be to move them to Internet TV also.

Step one is persuade new customers to get the internet version, that $200 charge will do it (or talk them out of getting DirecTV).

Second, is switch them over, due to the aging equipment and Satellite fleet.

 

[robjlevin]

I'd like nothing more than to move to streaming, but until such time that the channel lineups are the same, or the last of the birds falls from the sky, I'm sticking with satellite.

 

[lefatman]

I'd like nothing more than to move to streaming, but until such time that the channel lineups are the same, or the last of the birds falls from the sky, I'm sticking with satellite.

I agree 100%. The only reason that I stick with DTV is sports and until all those packages are included in streaming, I'm stuck with satellite. I did some exploring during the dispute and no one can come near the sports available on DTV.

 

[CSM]

Their streaming services barely have a million subscribers combined.

What this will do, is cut down on new subscribers, which they need to offset the losses of the older subscribers, which will increase in the 4th quarter following the upcoming price increase ($8-10 a month) in October.

This also shows, if the rumors are true, that if they buy Dish Network, the plan would be to move them to Internet TV also.

Step one is persuade new customers to get the internet version, that $200 charge will do it (or talk them out of getting DirecTV).

Second, is switch them over, due to the aging equipment and Satellite fleet.

Then Dish should cancel that satellite order.

 

[alnielsen]

Do they offer self installs?

I don't know. But today, it isn't as easy to align a dish as it was when Directv was young.

 

[Bruce]

Then Dish should cancel that satellite order.

‘duh.

 

[John2021]

i did a pretend order it came back as the 200.00 install fee, called in and asked the rep. well the rep said it was based on credit. then i can't imagine paying the 200.00 install fee with an 850 fico and my bill was paid on time in full before it was due. if that's the case then i should not have to pay the 200.00 install fee!!! i told the rep it was a way to get people to avoid directv all together lol. if we move we get a free move since we paid our dues plus they will knock an extra 20,00 off our bill if we move. now that's a new one!!! maybe they will start treating loyal customers better than the new ones.

 

[John2021]

If they want $200 for the satellite install for new customers and they are maybe doing that to encourage new customers to go with DTV via the Net or DTV Stream, why bother buying Dish? DTV Satellite won't survive with that $200 install fee. Unless they think their streaming services will survive?

i doubt there streaming service will survive between rate hikes dtv seems to up the rates the most and paying the receiver fee for the ospry box no thank you

 

[prushing]

i doubt there streaming service will survive between rate hikes dtv seems to up the rates the most and paying the receiver fee for the ospry box no thank you

RSNs are the seller right now. It may change in the future but the RSNs currently are cheaper than needing to pay for them separately every month because of the per subscriber fee.

 

[Bruce]

RSNs are the seller right now. It may change in the future but the RSNs currently are cheaper than needing to pay for them separately every month because of the per subscriber fee.

Stream is not that inexpensive any longer, with the price increase next month, the Choice plan, Stream’s cheapest plan that includes regional sports networks, will increase from $108.99 a month to $114.99 a month.

Second, the RSNs are not a big draw, as proven by the ratings, for example, in 2023, the NY Yankees averaged 231,000 Households, not individuals.

The NY City Household Metro Population is about 8 Million.

That means the Yankees average less then 3% of the audience.

For the other teams, about 1-3%, here is the link-

Baseball’s Most Valuable Teams 2023: Price Tags Are Up 12% Despite Regional TV Woes

Last season’s record revenue for Major League Baseball translated into all-time-high valuations for its teams.

www.forbes.com

 

[slice1900]

It may be a little more difficult to align a dish than it used to be, but it is something you only have to do once for a fixed install. Most people subscribing to Directv today probably already have a dish anyway.

 

[skinnyJM]

Let's say someone has an event that requires reflector realignment or replacement, how much is that going to cost now? I think in past a realignment was $99 for those without protection plan.

 

[Joe The Dragon]

Let's say someone has an event that requires reflector realignment or replacement, how much is that going to cost now? I think in past a realignment was $99 for those without protection plan.

offer an free switch to streaming?

 

[jcrandall]

i did a pretend order it came back as the 200.00 install fee, called in and asked the rep. well the rep said it was based on credit. then i can't imagine paying the 200.00 install fee with an 850 fico and my bill was paid on time in full before it was due. if that's the case then i should not have to pay the 200.00 install fee!!! i told the rep it was a way to get people to avoid directv all together lol. if we move we get a free move since we paid our dues plus they will knock an extra 20,00 off our bill if we move. now that's a new one!!! maybe they will start treating loyal customers better than the new ones.

I think this may be the case and the website had an issue for a while. I tried a pretend order tonight and there was no install fee. Could change and add one if someone has bad credit after they submit their info, but it is no longer applying a $200 fee to everyone in the cart. Glad to see this is not necessarily a shift in their pricing strategy.

 

[John2021]

I think this may be the case and the website had an issue for a while. I tried a pretend order tonight and there was no install fee. Could change and add one if someone has bad credit after they submit their info, but it is no longer applying a $200 fee to everyone in the cart. Glad to see this is not necessarily a shift in their pricing strategy.

i just tried another pretend order there was no install fee. though when i explained it to the rep they were willing to credit that back.