black

sorry, that was a mistakie.

http://www.f2atv.com/

You can search through. I find Captive Works have the best box for the dollars. The trick is finding the right LNB's. You can go to ebay too and search for good deals. If anyone is interested they can pm me.

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JeffGollin

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"EVERY "NEXT GAME" IS A "MUST GAME."
Later (GBR/RIP40)

bratwurst

Here's my long winded experience over the past couple weeks with the company I used to like...

I finally got an HDTV and ordered a new HD-DVR from Directv about 3 weeks or so ago. They insisted that it must be installed by a professional. They scheduled it the next week, on a Wednesday.

So I get a phone call the following Sunday, by the installer's scheduler who wants to figure out when I want the thing installed. I'm a bit baffled as I'm pretty sure its already set to go for the upcoming Wednesday afternoon. Installer says, "huh I don't see anything about that. Lets check to see if we can get it done before Wednesday." So 10 minutes later after scheduling the whole thing she says to me on the phone, "ok let me verify your address..." uhhh... wrong address. I haven't lived there in over 3 years. Directv somehow sends me a Virginia installer, and I'm in Maryland. She says, hmmm... I better call them and get it figured out.

So I get back on the phone with directv, tell two people the story, get transferred each time to a new person and by the third person I'm about as livid as can be. This is my Sunday getting killed here by incompetence.

So the guy who finally helps me with my problem has to cancel the prior order and refund my card, and charge it again for a new order. This takes about 45 minutes, during which I get stuck on hold 3 times for extended periods. I ask for something in return for the mistake, I get offered absolutely zilch.

Installer somehow still is going to make the same Wednesday time slot.

So he comes by, sets the whole thing up, and takes off. Wife is shown a working picture on the tv. But after he leaves, she notices that none of the HD signals are coming in, with a couple exceptions like ESPN. She calls me up, and I tell her to call dtv since she's in front of the tv. They can't fix it and she gets fed up and gets off the phone with them and tells me to deal with it. She tries calling the installer to come back but he doesn't answer his phone.

So I get home and sure enough, about 90% of the hdtv feeds are not working, they say searching for signal. I call directv, wade through the ridiculous prompt menu and finally get someone on the phone. After reading through her script, checking things, she finally turns a couple pages and realizes "installer didn't put b-band converters on the cables" to allow the new mpeg4 signals or something to be usuable by the new box. So the guy didn't do his job. I say, "well send him back here with them tomorrow". She says that it would go into the queue and he'd probably take a week to get back here. I'm going crazy at this point. She says, I can priority mail these to you before he'd be back. Setting up this mailing of these things takes her a good additional 30 minutes. That was 8 days ago today.

So last night, I call them up and say "ok, the installer supposedly was going to take a week to get back here to bring me two small line converters, but the new ones were to be shipped and be here within two days. Its been over a week, and I have no converters." Guy checks the prior order and bang he drops this one on me, "uh... I don't think they even shipped them yet." So he cancels the prior shipment that never was and puts in an order for a new shipment. My concern, if the prior order never shipped, or was in some line to get shipped, did I just go to the back of the line? He can give me no assurances or reasons why the previous converters did not get to me. I ask for his supervisor, who does absolutely nothing to quell my concerns, except to tell me to call back the next day to make sure they've got a tracking number to know they'd actually sent them. She offers me $30 off (in $5 increments over 6 months!) for my trouble. I ask for some help on reducing the cost of superfan instead and she says no way, they can't do it.

So I think at this point for this order I've been on the phone for probably 5 hours (no joke) with directv on hold, or in queue, or talking to someone or a 3rd party installer and this crap still doesn't work. And I've been told I have to call back again to check on them to make sure they're doing what they told me they'd do!


Directv better never lose that exclusivity with the NFL, because is the only thing that has kept me from cancelling. These guys used to do a great job, but now their prices are horrible and their service sucks.

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BurqueCardFan

That's no joke. The last time I dealt with them to install my HD equipment about a year ago, I went through the same song and dance. I don't know why Dtv does not have their own install division. The way they run it using independent installers just gives them an excuse to pass the buck back and forth when a problem arises. The service has definately gone downhill.

MigratingOsprey

agreed - the only time it worked in my benefit is when my installer showed up for a bunch of equipment I purchased and told me I would be smart to cancel this order as they had new technology coming out the next monday

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"Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities."
Samuel Clemens

Ouchie-Z-Clown

well, that settles it. dish for me. sunday ticket be damned. i'll watch my cards in a bar with cheese.

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Been clowned by the cards since 1989!

gusmahler

Cancelling because someone else had installation problems is pretty silly. I've never had installation problems and there are thousands others who never had a problem with it. They have more HD than any other provider and the best sports coverage. Yes, they do overcharge for Superfan. Other than that, I think they are fine. If Comcast/Cox were to win Sunday Ticket, I wouldn't even consider switching back to cable (assuming DirecTV also had Sunday Ticket.)

red desert

The way I handle this is slide the install guy a fifty or so to be on call for any problems. When I've had a problem, they rush right back and take care of the problem. Trust me, these guys have no loyalty to Direct TV.

It sucks that you have to do this, but it's woth it IMO.

That said, I just ordered my HD upgrade. Let's hope thinks go well.

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The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.

- Dolly Parton

MrYeahbut

I basically went thru the same things...except it was to just get the new 5line dish. Short story is about 10 different phone calls, 3 missed appts by service man, finally got it installed about 3 weeks late...bam..lightning strike fried all the fuses in my big screen TV..another $500 to get that fixed, but I'm now livin' large.

conraddobler

Direct TV is like a super hot bubble headed GF.

Looks great, aggravating as hell, still worth it mostly.

Zeno

I finally got Directv today, complete with the HD DVR. Woohoo, no more going to a sports bar every Sunday and having to watch the game on a small TV with no sound more often than not.

Screw cable

Stout

You know what? Ditto! The good news is that, just for buying the Ticket, we get 4 months of everything else FOR FREE.

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Veni, vidi, vici--this goes out to all our NFC West chums

Thank you for breaking the circle of suck, Bidwill--Stout, December 7 2008.

SeattleCard

DTV is expensive... but man, the picture is better than anything else out there...

SteelDog

I actually do this every single year with DTV. You have to be a "A" rated customer and get through to the retention department. I just did this today as my yearly routine with them. I told them I was going to cancel NFL Sunday ticket.

I received the following:

NFL Ticket Discounted: $189.00
Super Fan = Free
Showtime (3 Months) = Free
2 HD DVR's = Free

I always have a great experience when dealing with their retention department. No hassle at all.

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Favorite Serenity (Firefly) Quotes:
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Mal - "Do you want to run this ship?"
Jayne - "Yes!"
Mal - [caught off guard] "Well.........you can't"
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Zoe - "Preacher, don't the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing?
Book - "Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps."
__________________________________________________ ___________
Wash - "This landing is gonna get pretty interesting."
Mal - "Define interesting."
Wash - [deadpan] "Oh God, oh God, we're all going to die!?"
Jayne - "We're gonna explode? I don't wanna explode!"
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Kaylee - "Goin' on a year now I ain't had nothin' twixt my nethers that weren't run on batteries!"
Mal - "Oh, God! I can't *know* that!"
Jayne - "I could stand to hear a little more.
__________________________________________________ ___________
Jayne - "SHINEY! Let's be bad guys."

Twist18

I used to have the # to it. But lost it.

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