If you are interested in getting satellite television you can see our review of Direct TV below and also check out our Dish Network review.
If you can't make a decision between the two check out our Direct TV & Dish Network Comparison Chart.
The review below first goes over a few general questions about the services available through Direct TV and then addresses a few red flag issues.
What Is DirectTV?
Direct TV is a company that provides television viewers with a paid satellite TV service. With over 18 million subscribers and the most HD channels Direct TV is the premier satellite TV provider in the United States.
What Type Of Picture Quality Do Direct TV subscribers get?
Direct TV broadcasts all channels in digital which means that you get the best picture quality available. Direct TV also has the most HD channels which allows you to get an even better picture in case standard digital TV is not good enough for you.
How Much Does Direct TV Cost?
Direct TV is slightly more expensive than Dish Network but is often cheaper than cable TV. Packages from Direct TV range from around $30 per month for 50 channels to as much as $100 per month for over 250 channels. For most of these packages you can get a new subscriber special that cuts the price significantly for the first 6-12 months.
How Many HD Channels Does Direct TV Have?
Currently DirectTV boasts the largest number of HD channels in the television industry at around 130.
How Does Direct TV Programming Options Compare To Other Services?
Direct TV has several exclusive packages that can only be purchased through their company. They also have the largest selection of sports channels to choose from. These channels includes NHL Center Ice, NBA League Pass, and MLB Extra Innings, plus much more. One great thing about Direct TV is that you can choose inexpensive packages that include as little as 50 channels or if you want it all you can pay more and get over 250 channels.
Does Direct TV Have Any Special Exclusive Channels?
Direct TV is the exclusive provider for NFL Sunday Ticket, NCAA Mega March Madness, and Nascar HotPass. All of these are separate from standard packages and are available for an extra fee. NFL Sunday Ticket is great because it gives subscribers access to all NFL games during the season.
What Equipment Is Required For Direct TV And How Much Does It Cost?
In order to get DirecTV satellite television subscribers need a satellite dish and a receiver for each room where they want to watch TV. In most cases new customers can get all of the equipment for free by agreeing to a 12-24 month contract. Usually this also includes free installation. If you do not get a special it could cost you several hundred dollars for equipment and installation. If you want to upgrade to an HD receiver or DVR then you might have to pay a couple hundred dollars. In most cases you can find specials that include one or both of these for free after a mail-in rebate.
Does Direct TV Require Subscribers To Sign A Lengthy Contract?
Direct TV requires all subscribers to agree to a service contract between 12-24 months.
Does Direct TV Run A Credit Check On New Subscribers?
Yes, Direct TV has a fairly strict policy regarding who can be accepted for a service contract. Credit checks are ran on all new subscribers before they are accepted.
Are There Any Red Flag Issues That Current Or Former Subscribers Have Ran Into With Direct TV?
All Direct TV customers should be aware that there will be a early termination fee if you decide to cancel your service before your contract is up. One thing that we have noticed is that some customers seemed to have though that they would be able to easily get out of their contract if they moved. Getting out of any contact with Direct TV is going to be difficult and everyone should be careful before agreeing to a long service contract. If you are concerned that you may be moving to an area where Direct TV isn't available you need to check out the terms of the contract before you sign it. If it doesn't say that you can get out of your contract in the contract then don't count on it. Don't count on it even if an uninformed customer service rep told you that you could get out of your contract if you moved. The only thing you can count on it what is written in your contract.
Another issue to check out is whether you have a clear view of the southern sky. If you do not then you shouldn't even bother getting satellite TV. This is a requirement for getting a good signal with any satellite TV provider. Without a good signal you will get bad reception and at times you may get no reception at all.
If you get Direct TV you need to be ready to deal with customer service agents that aren't not the most intelligent people on the planet. If you have any issues and have to call customer service you should be able to get your problems worked out but it may take a bit longer than it should because you may get an incompetent rep on the phone. In general Direct TV does a good job of dealing with most customer service issues. You however will see a ton of complaints on the Internet, partially because some people are idiots, partially because no company is perfect (Yes, Direct TV does make mistakes and has flaws in their system), and partially because they have over 18 million subscribers and there is no way you can keep everyone happy.
If you would like to purchase directv we think that it would be a pretty good choice. It pretty much boils down to the small things. All satellite and cable providers have similar customer service and reliability but each one of them has small variations in the channels, HD packages, and DVR features that are available. It just a matter of deciding exactly what you want. If
24 Comments/Reviews:
Switch from Dish to Direct TV when I purchase 2 56" LCD HD TVs from best buy approximately 6 weeks ago. Have had trouble with Direct TV ever since. First off, the technician that installed my system was inexperienced and took 12 hours to complete the job. When we contacted Diect TV initially to subscribe,nothing weas said about not be able to acquire the local channels or about needing any special equipment to view On Demand.Called customer service and no one seemed to know anything and were very rude.My system has shut down at least twice since the initial instillation and to top it off, they sent the same inexperienced technician to fix it. Its been a nightmare. They also nickel and dime you to deathPackage that I signed up for had NFL Sunday package included free for 5 months,BUT, what they failed to mention was that it could only be viewed via SD. HD would be another $20/ mo. times 5 payments.Their lack of truth in advertising lacks alot to be desired, to say the least. Would not recommend Direct TV to my worse enemy.
Luckily I figured out how bad their false advertising is before paying for service. I went through the whole signup process online, reading every word about the pricing, deals, etc. The process took me to the very end, even past their credit check (thanks guys), BEFORE they disclosed that the four receivers they said were included were not really, and would be an extra $5 mo, each. For the same price as cable and with even worse customer service, I'll skip the dish attached to the house. They are bad bad bad.
Woe is you if you try to cancek service. First you are subjected to long winded sales pitches to get you to keep the service. Then they do everything they can to inconvenience you so you give in and keep the service. In the end I will be left without service for a week so that they can ship a box to me for receiver return. They won't ship the boxes early so that you can have service until you are ready to move and then box stuff up and return it. Also they will npt allow returns to a store that handles DTV. My mind is made up about what type of service I will have when I'm ready to restart and it won;t be Direct TV.
I just spent the week from hell trying to get my direct tv set up. I thought it would be a good idea to bundle my tv and internet with my ATT cell phones.... wrong.
Although the people at the ATT store were very nice they new little about Direct TV. They could not answer my questions about On Demand and special channel options... this should have been a clue.
When the techs came to install Direct TV it took over 4 1/2 hours and they were all over my house... creating a giant mess! Just as was to sign off on the install papers I asked about how my On Demand worked... and I was informed I would have no On Demand services. I told the techs that I had been promised at the ATT store that I would have On Demand and their response was, "Well, we don't work for ATT." "Well" I said, "I don't care who you work for..." Needless to say I did not sign the install agreement... thank goodness.
I spent the following week trying to get get my service to work correctly... during which time I had no TV service even though the tech promised to back the next day to fix it. Warning... they lie, the techs, customer service reps, account set up reps... all lie to get you to sign the Direct TV contract and lock you into a big money scam. They will try and charge you for everything!!! Hundreds and hundreds of dollar for things they promised to be part of regular service.
I will not torture with the rest of the horrible details but I did get out of the contract only bc I did not sign the install agreement. However they still have not come to remove the dish from my roof. They say "it" is mine now... well I don't want it... I am still trying to get them to remove it... but I will wait to see if that happens.
My words of advice... if you are thinking about switching do not do it!!! Direct TV is a scam, their customer service is the worst, and they will lie, cheat, and steal from you. They should be put out of business
I just recently had DIRECTV installed at my home,also in my son's home on 12/19/09. We have had nothing but trouble at both address's, they lied to me about getting a specifc channel, i asked about it right off in there sales pitch,the guy didnt say that they dont have the channel (cbc windsor station) he got all excited and said "oh! I know exacatly what channel your'e talking about,never disclosing they dont have it. I also setup autopay, so we could get the $100.00 visa card they offer, but asked what exact date the withdrawl would be and was told it would be the 6 or7th of the month, my spoken concern was for it not be before that time because social security is posted on the 3rd of month and wanted it there a few days before directv took there pmts out, i received my bill summary along with my customer agreement today 12/28/09 stateing they will be taking pmts on or about 1/3/2010, When asked about cancelation time they said we had 24hr's after instalation to cancel, but i see know where on the install papers we signed or the customer agreement that states that.I was given a po box to write to to dispute my termination fee. I am prepared to contact the ex office on this matter, i will persue with the BBB,state rep and the senator also. I just read an article where a guy from new your contacted his senator and directtv suddenly decided to let out of his contract. It may not do me any good but i'm prepared to go to all those levels if i have to, they may not let out but they will know that im a diisatisfied customer for the next 24mths and anyone i come in contact will know what liars and cheats they are. For my lifetime!
Really you are being too nice to Directv. I have found that they really will give you false information simply because they don't care about their customers. Please if anyone is out there thinking of Directv DO NOT ORDER IT. Yeah some people are idiots - I don't mind a contract but I DO mind not getting the service that they are contractually obligated to give me.
do NOT recommend DirectTV if I had it to do over again I would not sign a contract with these people.
List of problems:
1. Overcharges -- double charges for Showtime & HBO when I hadn't signed up for either services. They were only going to remove charges for the last 60 days because it was my responsibility to check monthly and make sure they were charging the agreed to amount.
2.
2 broken receivers, which means no cable. Here's the kicker if though it is their product that breaks down no fault of you, customer pays shipping. First time I paid for service for the days I didn't have cable, this time I got them to credit my account for lost time. The first time it broke they assumed it was the remote so first they tried replacing the remote . . . about a month into service I finally got cable.
3. Watcha the promises they make when trying to get you to sign a contact they will say whatever it takes and then not follow through. I told them no HBO or Showtime and I did not want to have to call & cancel after three months, I was told no problem, only to find out they added it and started charging my account.
4. Not if you Google DirectTV call the number so sign up, it might be a 3rd party so DirectTV will take no responsibility for the false promises.
5. The dish does not work during big snowstorms & blizzards, so those days you get off work because of a blizzard your cable won't work. Nobody tells you this.
Note, by many people I've been told I have infinite patience, but really DirectTV has warn my last nerve. DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THEIR SERVICES!
Trying to get my dvr to work. put in 30plus calls to directv this morning. Only two got thru and at the end of the automated service I was told to hold and both times got disconnected. Sent them an email asking for help. If not reply in 24 hours I will cancel this service. It is so frustrating not being able to get thru to customer service. I have to agree that they suck.
SWITCHED FROM TIME-WARNER CABLE TO DIRECT TV...........WE LOVE IT!I'LL NEVER GO BACK TO CABLE!I'VE NOW CONVINCED MY 2 DAUGHTERS AND THEIR HUSBANDS TO DO THE SAME.GREAT SERVICE,PROGRAMMING IS OUTSTANDING,WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?BOTTOM LINE.......GOOD AND BAD IN EVERY COMPANY(I WAS A TIME-WARNER EMPLOYEE FOR 13 PLUS YRS.)TRUST ME!
We recently signed up for Direct tv. The total installation went very smoothly and the tv is function as it should. The only complaint I have at this point is when we received the first bill the sales tax was wrong. The sales tax for my state is 6% and they charged over 10%. I called and was informed that is was a different dept. that handled that. They gave me an email address because there is no phone and it would take 4 weeks to get a response. What a way to run a business. I hope the rest of my experience with direct goes more smoothly.
I realize that there are only two satellite companies to choose from but, I see only one that goes above and beyond in all areas especially equipment and customer service. I have been appalled with the prices and quality I have seen for service through Direct TV. Not only do they NOT have dual receiver technology but they charge $99.00 per room since their receiver is only capable of supporting one TV. This can get very expensive if you need multiple rooms connected. Direct is not able to bring local news and weather to every market in the US, and are willing to charge an extra $10/monthly in some areas. I have also noticed that they offer fewer programming choices and do not offer movie channels like; HBO Comedy, HBO Family, HBO Latino, EPIX, and Turner Classic Movies to name a few. HD options are also depleted and the cost is unreasonable for certain sports channels. I happen to work for DISH network but I have been a customer long before I joined the DISH team. I have one DVR for the two rooms I need service in and I don't pay extra for the second room. I can also pause and rewind live TV therefore I don't remember the last time I had to watch a commercial. Honestly, I have been so happy with my DVR and the all the special features available that I would never give up those features for technology that is less than par. I have been really happy with DISH network and with everything they do to make the entertainment experience special, I will give my thanks by continuing to be a loyal customer for years to come!
It's pretty lame that I can't even shop around for tv where I live, direct tv is my only choice take it or leave it. Well, it has come time to cancel the service and just settle for no tv at all, as the frustration of dealing with them is no longer worth it. They siphon additional money each month (for no actual service provided) with trick billing, where every three months they force you to pay an additional $18 for b.s. "service" fees, upping the price of basic cable to the mid-$70 range. I have tolerated all this in my desperation to have basic cable, but that has come to an end as of today. It is just no longer worth it. I changed my billing account info online in December 2010 (due to change in primary checking) and discovered yesterday (February 11) that my account is overdue and they have been persistently trying to debit the money from my old account. I have entered the new billing info on the direct tv website three times now and as of my last check five minutes ago, they continue to stubbornly refuse my new account info (though they accepted the info to pay my b.s. "past due" amount for two months) and my old account info still remains. I sent them several emails calling their attention to the issue, though I don't have high hopes they will make the proper changes in the future. Meanwhile, their attempts to debit my old account cause "overdraft" costs, as I no longer use that account to pay utilities and once I shut that account down completely, maybe direct tv will finally step in and do the right thing? I guess they will if they wish to be paid. I am DONE with this silliness. NOT recommended, even if you are totally desperate. Good thing I like to read...............
THIS IS THE MOST UNFRIENDLY COMPANY TO WORK WITH.
1.PEOPLE THAT PUT IT IN STOLE THINGS FROM BEDROOM.
2.CUSTOMER SERVICES IS A JOKE.
3.IF YOU ARE A LONG TIME CUSTOMER THE DID NOT CARE.
4.THE CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE WILL LIE TO YOU ABOUT EVERY. AND IF YOU ASK FOR A SUPERVISOR THEY ARE JUST A STUPID AND WILL NOT HELP.
A local DA told me that Direct TV could do nothing to him if he quit them. He said that it is a future services contract and that he would sue them if they put it on his credit. He also stated that his judge would laugh them out of court if they tried to get a judgement against him. He went on further to say that he would only have to pay the month he was in and return all equipment(documenting both). The satellite companies greatest ploy is to require a credit card number to process your account, even if you never planned to pay with a credit card. They will hit your account whethewr you pay off contract or not.
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DirectTV has disappointed me and charged me unbelievable charges. If you don't pay you bill by their billing dates, you will never get caught up with payments. They trick you into products and customer service say they will take care of billing problems but decieve you. They charge for everything. They approached me about their NFL Ticket I called to cancel but they say they don't have a record about me callin. Now they charge me for the NFL Ticket and I told them I don't watch NFL, but they said I am in a contract and I called too late to cancel. The bill became outrageously high and I wouldn't pay so they cut my DirectTv off. I called customer service to cancel some of the services and they said I can't cancel until the bill is paid. I refused to pay the bill because they won't cancel the NFL Ticket. I should have the right to cancel services I don't want but they still charged me for the NFL Ticket. I have sent my complaint to my attorney for them to contact DirectTv. I want them to pick up their boxes, and satilite dish because I don't want their services anymore. They won't accept my call until I pay the bill, I've only talked to their auto service and not a live customer service representive. That is a bad way to treat a long time customer.
Direct TV is a huge scam. They got me on a promotion last year and then wiggled their way out of it screwing me out of 20 dollars a month. Everytime I call in I get another person who straight lies to me. I have a few more months with them and then i'm switching to anybody else...I don't care if I even have to pay more. Aweful company and terrible customer service
I live in the country and only have dish or directv as a program provider, no antenna stations available. I have had both dish and directv over the years with no major problems. This all changed when I signed up for directv through my telephone service. I wouldn,t recommend directv to my worst enemy let alone a friend. I told them up front all I wanted was the basic package no sports, movie, or premium channels have paid more this year for service than any other time in the last 15 years. Is dish as bad as directv? If so am I stuck with the lesser of the two evils.
Direct tv offers you some promotion then changes your rate on your promotion. What ever they say to you please do not belive it! they lie and will cheat you out of your hard earned money. they do not honor their contracts unless it is to charge you extra fees and cancelation charges. their servce is the worst in the industry. don't buy don't buy don't buy!!!!
Why ? Direct TV internet access service, which seems to be provided by Claro infrastructure, cuts off my connections repeatedly, for minutes at a time, whenever connected. Absolutely unacceptable to pay for a guerrilla-type service. Will dump it along with TV service (bundled, of course) as soon as possible. I tell everyone I know about Direct TV's guerrilla tactics.
Direct tv sucks....Every person from customer service that i talk to tells me a different story and solution. I cancled my services and told me it was 180 dollar charge for cancling, ok fine. I get the bill and they charges me 440 dollars. i call cuz they charges my bank a random amount when i had no money in my account. I was told that i had to write a letter to disbute that charges cuz whoever cancled my account did it wrong. I had to speak to a superviser in order to get it fixed and i just think its wrong for a company to just take money out of your account when you cancel. they say its in the agreement and its legit but i just feel that its wrong. no other company that i know does that. never will go back i hate them with a passion
It's great to see so many negative reviews against DT. I signed up with them for 12 months (was never told I was signing a 2 year contract) and the "get you to sign up price" would only last the first 12 months. Within these first 12 months I had several billing issues with this company. Bogus charges, over charges for services not received, ect (I think enough people have expressed these same issues). I call on my 13 month to see if there is anything they can do for me as a continuing customer (since they are offering a REALLY low offer to new customers) and looooooong story short - there is NOTHING they can do, & if I want to cancel my service? $20/month for every month left on the contract...so $200 to cancel?? Wow. I'm speechless.
Tried to get Direct TV. last week I call Century Link to get internet and TV as I am sick of the crapy service few channels for a huge price from our cable provider (we only have one option there) WHAT A NIGHTMARE the internet was easy at first but the idiot customer service person screwed up the TV portion and couldn't get it to go through so I had to call back a couple days later to add the TV now I have it all "purchased" and hey it only took THREE HOURS ON THE PHONE! should have known it was a sign. I recieved the "stuff" in the mail and the internet tech called to tell me he was on his way to install but it was 3:15 I was on my way to work after waiting ALL DAY for him unfortunately he left a message and no call back number so he wasted a trip. I called the company and tried to save him the trip but NO ONE seems to know what the heck they are doing! I get off work that night and have a message telling me to call this number for instructions on how to return the Direct TV equipment since I canceled my service!!!!!!!!!!! I DIDN'T CANCEL IT! so I called century link the next day after ANOTHER 2.5 hours on the phone I have the internet rescheduled and the Direct issue solved GREAT. not so fast! the next day the calls and emails about returning the equipment start AGAIN! I have now discovered the "customer service" I origionally purchased this through is a 3RD party contracted with century link and Direct and I have to cancel my Direct TV because they don't have a tech in my area!! but why is their truck next door then? Oh she said that's Direct TV we use our own techs!!! and we are in NC and don't have anyone in your area so you need to cancel and we can help you deal directly with Direct TV!!!! OK DONE but until I see my money back I WILL NOT DO ANYTHING WITH DIRECT TV they contracted with these idiots who sold me a product they can't even provide!! I have spent 8 hours trying to get this taken care of and am sick of it the only help I have had is a couple of REAL century link CSM have done what they can but like I keep telling them it is NOT THIS HARD TO GET TECHNOGOLY INSTALLED IN YOUR HOME!
Moral of this story is TV off a old fashion tower isn't so bad and do I really need internet in my home if it's going to cause this kind of stress in my life? NO NO NO NO NO NO!
Please dont sign up for direct tv. Reading the comments above i feel a lot of similar scenarios happened to us too. Their service is bad and they didnt stick to their offer and made it very difficult to talk out issues.
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