Nickel and Diming me to Cable

[dmheitz]

I am a little concerned about DTV tiering some of the HD channels (see HD EXTRA PACK). I recently switched to the HR21 because I wanted my locals in HD and ALL of the other new MPEG-4 channels. Now to my great surprise, I was only witnessing a Free Preview of these channels.

I've been with Directv for over 10 years, through the USSB days, was an early adopter of Tivo, Sunday Ticket, SuperFan, Full Court, Mega March Madness, HD access and others. I have always felt it was OK to pay extra for premium services.

But at the same time, I've always hated the way Directv nickel and dimes you.

- I wanted it in multiple rooms, so I bought more receivers ($$$)

- More receivers means mirroring fees ($$$)

- I now need locals ($$$).

- Check out this new thing called Sunday Ticket ($$$)

- Check out this new thing called Tivo, new receiver ($$$)

- But there is a Tivo Fee ($$$)

- Check out this new thing called HD, it needs a new receiver ($$$)

- But there is an HD Access Fee ($$$)

- Wow Football in HD !!! (but you need SuperFan) ($$$)

- You can have HD, but no Tivo, I bought (leased) an HR10-250 ($$$).

- Hey we switched to MPEG-4, so I bought (leased) an HR-20. ($$$)

- And now HD EXTRA pack. ($$$)

I see an all HD future, I just don't know how much it will cost.

[ebonovic]

Ya think cable is any different?

It's called choice and options...

So you as a consumer can choose, and pay for what you want to pay for.
Instead of just having the same higher bill accross all customers

[shibby191]

I could pretty much change most of your list to apply to cable as well. They are the nickle and dime kings. Want a DVR? $9/mo bucks. Oh, you want it to be HD capable? That's $14 then. Oh and then there is a $4 a month HD "enabling" fee on top of that. Want another for another room? Well that's another $14 thank you very much. Oh I'm sorry, you wanted remotes with those? That's $1 a month each.

I could go on. ;)

[pmturcotte]

I could pretty much change most of your list to apply to cable as well. They are the nickle and dime kings. Want a DVR? $9/mo bucks. Oh, you want it to be HD capable? That's $14 then. Oh and then there is a $4 a month HD "enabling" fee on top of that. Want another for another room? Well that's another $14 thank you very much. Oh I'm sorry, you wanted remotes with those? That's $1 a month each.

I could go on. ;)
Same with Fios or any other service provider and a lot of them have higher fees for a lot of this stuff. And still none of them offers the Sports subscriptions or HD options that DTV does. So while I hate the costs as much as anyone - the NFL/Superfan package is absurdly priced - it is what it is.

[Indiana627]

Reminds me of the old ads for a tire store about how other stores charged extra for valve stems. "We'll give you a great deal on new tires, but the valve stems are extra." Cable, FIOS, Dish Network are just the same. The only TV provider that won't $.05 & $.10 you is OTA.

[Adam1115]

Ya think cable is any different?

It's called choice and options...

So you as a consumer can choose, and pay for what you want to pay for.
Instead of just having the same higher bill accross all customers

Earl speaks the truth.

ALL providers are the same in this regard. Rates will go up, customer service will suck, you will get nickel and dimed.

I remember when I first signed up for Dish, they were WAY cheaper than cable. They were proud that they hadn't raised rates in years.

But, their product wasn't as competitive. No LIL for example. No that they offer a comparable product, they can also charge comparable prices. :(

[rminsk]

It's not the same as cable. What DirecTV has done is taken channels we already received and removed them from the HD package. In the past they have always grandfathered you. DirecTV prices were stable for years and years but once Rupert took over about every 6 months there has been some sort of pricing change. Now they are remove channels that we already had.

[Adam1115]

It's not the same as cable. What DirecTV has done is taken channels we already received and removed them from the HD package. In the past they have always grandfathered you. DirecTV prices were stable for years and years but once Rupert took over about every 6 months there has been some sort of pricing change. Now they are remove channels that we already had.

Guess you didn't talk to anyone who had cable during the Green Bay / Dallas NFl game...?

I know a lot of people who were mad when Comcast moved the NFL Network to the sports package....

Or didn't know anyone who had a channel moved from analog to digital...?

Not to mention people who just flat out LOST HD channels because they were moved to SDV...

[shibby191]

It's not the same as cable. What DirecTV has done is taken channels we already received and removed them from the HD package. In the past they have always grandfathered you. DirecTV prices were stable for years and years but once Rupert took over about every 6 months there has been some sort of pricing change. Now they are remove channels that we already had.

Hmmm, cable does this all the time.

Oh, you want SciFi now? Sorry, we moved that to the "extended" tier, suck it up.
Oh, we just moved a dozen channels to the digital tier. Yep, you'll need to upgrade to that and pay for a digital receiver.
Yea, we replaced Discovery HD Theater with the Discovery HD simulcast. Nope, we aren't going to carry both.

I could go on. ;)

[stevel]

Oh, you want a remote control with that cable box? Another $2/month, please...

[ebonovic]

It's not the same as cable. What DirecTV has done is taken channels we already received and removed them from the HD package. In the past they have always grandfathered you. DirecTV prices were stable for years and years but once Rupert took over about every 6 months there has been some sort of pricing change. Now they are remove channels that we already had.

Cable did that in my town about two years ago.

They removed a bunch of the most popular channels from their extended-basic lineup, and moved them to the more expensive digital lineup (which also required a digital box upgrade/cost).

SCI-FI, Golf Network are the two I can recall off the top of my head, as they are the two that caused my father in law to switch carriers.

As for the "channels" that were removed....
Yes, they did move 3 channels to a different plan/tier, that were part of a plan/tier that you had for a long time.

There is no disputing that... but cable, and a lot of other carriers have done the same thing.

[mamosley]

Same with Fios or any other service provider and a lot of them have higher fees for a lot of this stuff. And still none of them offers the Sports subscriptions or HD options that DTV does. So while I hate the costs as much as anyone - the NFL/Superfan package is absurdly priced - it is what it is.
With Fios you pay extra for the hd stb, but not the hd content.... yet.

[TonyTheTiger]

tried to buy a car for the price advertised lately?

[magnus]

no fake

tried to buy a car for the price advertised lately?

[itzme]

tried to buy a car for the price advertised lately?

I sure hope you guys aren't actually paying anywhere near the advertised price of a car (MSRP)... even with the options. But if you are, I have some land...

[TonyTheTiger]

I guess you didn't get my reference. I meant the "Come see us and buy a new <insert model here> for $6999!" or "We guarantee $10k for your trade" type ads, not MSRP.

I bought a new car on Monday (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=385782) and saved around $4.5k, so I know what it's about (I hope!).

[tucsonbill]

I am a little concerned about DTV tiering some of the HD channels (see HD EXTRA PACK). I recently switched to the HR21 because I wanted my locals in HD and ALL of the other new MPEG-4 channels. Now to my great surprise, I was only witnessing a Free Preview of these channels.

I've been with Directv for over 10 years, through the USSB days, was an early adopter of Tivo, Sunday Ticket, SuperFan, Full Court, Mega March Madness, HD access and others. I have always felt it was OK to pay extra for premium services.

But at the same time, I've always hated the way Directv nickel and dimes you.

- I wanted it in multiple rooms, so I bought more receivers ($$$)

- More receivers means mirroring fees ($$$)

- I now need locals ($$$).

- Check out this new thing called Sunday Ticket ($$$)

- Check out this new thing called Tivo, new receiver ($$$)

- But there is a Tivo Fee ($$$)

- Check out this new thing called HD, it needs a new receiver ($$$)

- But there is an HD Access Fee ($$$)

- Wow Football in HD !!! (but you need SuperFan) ($$$)

- You can have HD, but no Tivo, I bought (leased) an HR10-250 ($$$).

- Hey we switched to MPEG-4, so I bought (leased) an HR-20. ($$$)

- And now HD EXTRA pack. ($$$)

I see an all HD future, I just don't know how much it will cost.

So I went to the supermarket yesterday -- and I couldn't believe the price of

eggs
beef
onions
tomatoes

What do you think; that the price should be what it was ten years ago.

Yeah, i've watched my prices go up in the last ten years with D*.

But when I started out there was no HD.
There was no DVR -- tivo or otherwise.

I guess the message is the same one you'll see reflected in this forum and that I constantly tell my wife -- the bottom line is the bottom line. If you don't like the price don't pay it.

[TyroneShoes]

Google "market economics", because that's the basis for DTV and every other business. Supply and demand. Have you priced a gallon of gasoline lately? A fillup costs more than a blowie.

[dmheitz]

Ya think cable is any different?

It's called choice and options...

So you as a consumer can choose, and pay for what you want to pay for.
Instead of just having the same higher bill across all customers

I agree cable is probably just as bad (I haven't looked at their offerings for 10+ years). However, I respectfully disagree with your assessment that we pay for what we want, instead of just having the same higher bill across all customers. The early adopters just help them recoup their investment. You'll pay now or later, but we'll all end up paying.

Superfan is not costing them a penny to offer in HD, but they soak us.

Mirroring fees should be a crime (for cable too). After I have paid for the access card, it should stop.

The HD access fee is ridiculous. In 10 years, when its all HD, will this go away. Not a chance.

Leased hardware for $299 in a closed market is bordering on a monopoly.

I am not looking for reform, I am not looking for sympathy. I'm just vocalizing my frustration with the amount I've invested in Directv. It seems that every incremental move that Directv has made to HD, has cost me more money.

Maybe the problem is "must carry", I don't know.

I just wish there were more choices like Slingbox out there. You pay $250 once and enjoy it. Maybe FIOS will be better. Thats it.

[shibby191]

Superfan is not costing them a penny to offer in HD, but they soak us.


While I don't like the cost of Superfan for HD games either I *do* understand that the 2 new satellites that enable them to actually offer the HD games cost near a billion dollars. You think they build and launch those things for free? ;)

[dmheitz]

While I don't like the cost of Superfan for HD games either I *do* understand that the 2 new satellites that enable them to actually offer the HD games cost near a billion dollars. You think they build and launch those things for free? ;)

I agree that the satellites are a big investment, but they didn't launch a billion dollar satellite for 16 days of NFL HD per year, nor were they launched exclusively for the subset of subscribers who have Sunday ticket. I am willing to pay for HD access, and I am willing to pay for Sunday Ticket.

Why do I have to pay for NFL in HD? Yet when I want to watch my local team in HD, they black it out and force me to watch it on my locals (which I have to pay extra for and buy a new receiver to get).

I just don't like all the double-dipping.

(and while I know I have a choice to go to cable, for Sunday Ticket there is no choice, its a monopoly)

[sjberra]

I agree cable is probably just as bad (I haven't looked at their offerings for 10+ years). However, I respectfully disagree with your assessment that we pay for what we want, instead of just having the same higher bill across all customers. The early adopters just help them recoup their investment. You'll pay now or later, but we'll all end up paying.

Superfan is not costing them a penny to offer in HD, but they soak us.

Mirroring fees should be a crime (for cable too). After I have paid for the access card, it should stop.

The HD access fee is ridiculous. In 10 years, when its all HD, will this go away. Not a chance.

Leased hardware for $299 in a closed market is bordering on a monopoly.

I am not looking for reform, I am not looking for sympathy. I'm just vocalizing my frustration with the amount I've invested in Directv. It seems that every incremental move that Directv has made to HD, has cost me more money.

Maybe the problem is "must carry", I don't know.

I just wish there were more choices like Slingbox out there. You pay $250 once and enjoy it. Maybe FIOS will be better. Thats it.

1. Superfan is an option - someone has to foot the cost that directv is paying to have exclusive rights to this, want it? you will subsidize that cost if you subscribe

2. Mirroring fees you have never bought the access card, you are paying a monthly reoccurring cost on the card

3. Leased hardware - current cost is lease then 199 or less depending on where you get it, not 299. If you have ever leased a car in 99.9999 percent of the cases there is a upfront cost associated with that vehicle lease that is not returned at the end of the lease, again, no difference then what directv is doing.

4. welcome to the real world in associated costs for a luxury item. You want the bells and whistles, you will need to pay the price, if you want budget, get a antenna and watch OTA. FIOS and Uverse are no different. TANSTAAFL.

Slingbox is nothing but a repeater, you still need to pay the piper if you want something other then OTA being passed to the other set.