Nerdy Dork

Recently it seems all my extended family is switching to DIRECTV. We have all been Dish Network customers in the past. The reasons vary, but many are similar.

Why My Family Switched

It has been almost two years now that we have been with DIRECTV. We switched mainly due to reception problems that we starting having out of the blue with Dish Network. The technicians over the phone were a waste of time. I got really frustrated with them. They wanted to charge me to come out and look at the problem. I just told them to forget it and I ordered DIRECTV online and had it installed. When you make the switch you get all the latest hardware - most often for free.

Our package for DIRECTV was essentially the same price, but there are a couple channels we don’t get that we had with Dish Network.

My Mom Switched

My mom has been a long time Dish Network subscriber. She has always paid for more channels that we normally get, and she was the first person I knew that had a DVR and webTV. On occasion she will come to our house and baby sit. While watching TV she really like the features of our TiVo system - Especially watching two shows at once, or recording one show and watching another.

She wanted to get this upgrade with her Dish package, but in the process of pricing it, she also looked at DIRECTV. It has long since been assumed that DIRECTV is more expensive, but she found that for the channels she was paying for, it was actually cheaper. So making the switch was a no-brainer. She got all her equipment and 4 rooms installed for free.

My Mother-In-Law Switched

My mother in law recently switched as well. I’m surprised it took them as long as it did. They were having the same reception problems we were back when we switched, but they stuck it out until things got better. They were never completely better though. I remember a couple of occasions when it blacked out during the Super Bowl! Arg! We had suggested several times that they make the switch. They have had their equipment for about 10 years. Obviously their biggest concern was the hassle of making a change.

Finally, after dealing with frustrations with their old hardware, and also learning that for the channels they were paying for that they could get a better deal with DIRECTV, they also made the switch. They also got it installed in 4 rooms for free. They put DVRs in two of those rooms. I overheard my mother-in-law explaining all she was getting from DIRECTV to her mother. I heard this exclamation proceed from the kitchen, “And I’m paying $xxx for Comcast!” So soon my wife’s grandma will also be a DIRECTV customer.

The Complaints

OK, I can’t say it’s all been a fairy tale ending there have been complaints. The one I hear most - from everyone that has made the switch - is concerning the guide. Dish Network displays channels in red that you are not subscribed to. This makes it really easy to see. With DIRECTV it is more of a guessing game. You select a channel before it tells you that you don’t have it. This was the case 12 years ago when my parents first ordered DIRECTV when I was in high school. I thought back then that it was stupid, I think with all the advancements in 12 years they could have fixed this by now!

Other minor complaints are mainly with getting used to the “new” way of doing old things.

Making The Switch

If you want to make the switch to DIRECTV, I recommend Expert Satellite. Honestly, you will find the same deals and promotions through any subscriber you go through because DIRECTV regulates that with all their resellers. The one I went through is no longer doing service. My mother-in-law used Expert Satellite and was thoroughly impressed with the whole process. You can go to their website, or simply call them at 1-866-296-1516 (use promo code 777).

If you want to compare more features of Dish Network and DIRECTV side-by-side, I recommend visiting This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 24th, 2007 at 4:32 am and is filed under Satellite Television. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.