DishNetwork or DirectTV?

[bcbmommy]

We have Dish right now, but are wanting to add a tv for my daughter, so....I'm checking Directv as well to see if they have any better deals. I'd love some opinions as to whose service is better, and also, how much of a pain is it to send in the rebates for the extra amount off? Thank you!!!

 

[Friendly Frog]

I don't think I will be of much help, but my mom has had Direct TV for years and she has been happy with them.

 

[marcemc]

We had Directv for years & then decided to try Dish when we moved to AZ about 2 years ago, thinking it was a better deal. We didn't liked it, their customer service department was terrible & very slow, the signal poor, you name it & we had it with Dish, 2 months later we went back to Directv and we are happy with it. I still think it's expensive, considering we don't watch tv a lot, occasionally the have some good offers.

Anyways, just my 2 cents.

 

[jedijohn]

I love my DISH service. My favorite feature is that one DVR works in two rooms, so I don't have to worry about having two boxes. The HD channels are free. And I have never had trouble with a signal except during when we are having tornado weather (hail, lightening, heavy rain, high winds). When I evaluated DISH vs DirectTV a few years ago, DISH won out in channel selection and price, which are the things I cared most about.

 

[minnie10]

We have been with Dish for several years. Yesterday we switched to Direct Tv. The deal was better and we received updated equipment..We filled out the rebate forms on line and honestly it took about a minute. So far everything is great. We had Direct TV in the past and was pleased with it then also.

 

[NWOhioAngela]

We had Directv for years & then decided to try Dish when we moved to AZ about 2 years ago, thinking it was a better deal. We didn't liked it, their customer service department was terrible & very slow, the signal poor, you name it & we had it with Dish, 2 months later we went back to Directv and we are happy with it.

We had the exact opposite experience. HORRIBLE service with DirectTV and spotty service at best. Been very happy with DISH.

 

[sam_gordon]

If you're relying on opinions to sway you, you might as well flip a coin. What may/may not be deal breaker/sealer is content. If your family is big into football, DirecTV has the Sunday Ticket package. Dish Network is bigger on movies.

You don't say where you are, but see if one or the other has your local broadcasters available in HD.

Also, while you can have a Dish receiver (with or without a DVR) feed a TV in the same room as the receiver AND a second TV can watch something different, the 2nd TV would not be HD. That may or may not be important.

Check out http://www.satelliteguys.us. A message board with dedicated Dish & Direc areas. Some of it may be a little technical, but you'll get some information (for and against both).

For the record, I've had Dish for 12 years now.

 

[DenMig]

I had Direct TV at one time and I am currently a Dish subscriber. I have been happy with both. What I really like about Dish is I have the DVR in one room and don't need a box for the second room. Dish also purchased Sling, so for $99 I have a sling adapter which allows to me to log on to my dish network account and watch my tv from anywhere. I have the app on my ipod touch and can do the same anywhere I have wifi. I miss the football package, but with the 1 box for 2 rooms and the sling adapter to watch tv anywhere I"ll be with Dish for a long time.

 

[Jeff_G]

Dish rubbed me the wrong way big time! Last year my father in law passed away from leukemia, two days before he died he paid the next month of Dish service, the service period did not begin until a week after he died going for the next 30 days. We called and canceled service three days after death and they said that they would terminate service and stop billing as of the date of death. They needed us to fax a copy of his death certificate to fully cancel the account and issue a refund, and told us there would be a $15 charge to return the receiver, ok so be it…

I ended up having to fax the death certificate five times to three different office locations because they kept loosing it. In the end I mailed it certified return receipt (should have done that to begin with) and wow they finally managed to not lose it, so they terminated the account… However we then found out they billed him for 1/2 of the next month, which was two weeks even after they received the certified mailing. So they flat out lied to us about terminating his account on death. Every other company we dealt with terminated the billing as of the date of death as I believe they are legally required to do so.
When we called and question the charge, they said that it was their policy to bill a canceled account for ½ of the next month’s service…
We didn’t feel like fighting them on it but they sure won’t get my business…

We have Directv ourselves and we are looking at the fourth straight year in a row of price increase, I will call once again and see if they will extend a credit I have for another year and if not I will cancel service…

 

[HHSTigerFan]

If you are into sports, go with Directv ... if you aren't, take the best deal.

 

[bcbmommy]

Wow! Lots of opinions. Thank you all! One more question regarding HD. I honestly don't understand the whole high def thing. Does it make the picture look much better? Will I notice a difference?

 

[jedijohn]

Wow! Lots of opinions. Thank you all! One more question regarding HD. I honestly don't understand the whole high def thing. Does it make the picture look much better? Will I notice a difference?

It really depends on your TV. If you are using an older tube tv or a smaller LCD then you probably won't notice a difference. If you have a large LCD/LED/Plasma tv, then you probably will notice the difference. HD typically makes the picture sharper and more detailed.

 

[bcbmommy]

Thank you! I think I'll call Dish tomorrow and see if they can give me any incentives for staying with them.

 

[MomRN]

We have had both DirectTV and Dish, and honestly cannot tell a difference. We currently have Dish.

Right now, we pay close to $190 a month for phone, internet, satellite... and that's with nothing flashy or special, no premium channels.

I started working on a way to reduce these unnecessary costs... cancel home phone service, bundle, negotiate. Dish did say they would upgrade our equipment, free HD, free Starz, and $5 off my bill per month for 12 months. I almost went for it.

Called the phone company and they were offering a bundle of the 3 for $104.99, but it's DirectTV. With having extra tvs and taxes I'm sure it will be closer to $140. Plus we get a free 32 inch HDTV. Goes up $10 in a year, but it still cheaper, and we were looking for a new tv anyway, so.....

I hope it all works out.

 

[ORDisneyfans]

I believe both companies are owned by the same parent company. We have had Direct tv for over 12 years. I have called to cancel and they just give me a better rate, free premium channels, $10.00 off my bill free Dvr etc. I called them yesterday because I am not too happy about the Fox Network problem they are having. I was quickly offered a $100 credit on my account which is about 1 1/2 mnths of free service. They are always so nice I hate to cancel! All you have to say is "cancel" and they will transfer you to their customer retention dept and they will do whatever it takes to keep you. I always say I have to check with my husband etc. and they up the ante. I don't know if this works with Dish. I don't really want them putting new equipment on my roof again so it is easier to stay. They will also put your account on hold for as long as you want while you explore your options, go on vacation whatever. My DD really wants to switch to Charter so we can bundle with internet. I guess when she starts paying the bill she can decide that LOL!

 

[sam_gordon]

I believe both companies are owned by the same parent company.

This is NOT true. Actually, it may be true that YOU believe it. But they are two independent companies. They do NOT have the same owner.

 

[ancestry]

Bad experience with Dish Network and Cable TV. LOVE LOVE LOVE Direct TV and would highly recommend them.

 

[ICF]

Currently with Direct, but have had both....

I've been happy with both, but went to DTV as they had a better new promo offer to upgrade to HD a few years ago.

As others mentioned, DTV is the only one with NFL Sunday TIcket and the MLB Extra Innings package. Both packages cost extra, but if MLB / NFL is important it may influence your decision.

I'd go with the company that can give you the best offer.

As a side note, if you are a AAA member you can get a $10 discount / mo for 2 years if you are a new customer with DTV.

 

[mom of princessx2]

We had Dish and now have Direct. We switched to save money but are only saving about $12 per month. Can not wait to switch back. The equipment alone is far better with Dish. There is such a delay between the remote and the system it can be quite annoying. We also liked having 1 box to run 2 TV's with Dish. Direct you have to have a box in every room. Also we have 2 TV's hooked to 1 DVR but the second TV can not pause or rewind in live TV. With the Dish, both TV's hooked to 1 DVR could do the same things.

Only 19 months left in our Direct TV contract and it is back to DISH for us

 

[Planogirl]

We have Dish and everything is fine. We've never had Direct TV though.