Direct TV Billing March Increase

cabster13

I know the usual discussion centers around the annual "get the Ticket" free program on here. I also know many Betting Talk participants are Direct TV customers so if you have not noticed your monthly bill just went up between $4 and $5 per month with your March billing. I just happened to catch the increase this evening as I was looking at the bill and realized it was up about $4 over what I have been paying since I got discounts last Sept. when I also received the "Ticket" for free for last season.

My bill for March contained a $2 increase in my base service charge and they also added a $2 local sports fee. I called a few minutes ago and was told my January bill as well as e-mails informed me of the "slight increase" that would go into effect in March. Simply told them I had agreed to a reduced rate last September for 1 year and I would not pay the additional fees on my bill until at least September. As usual was switched to "someone who could better help me" and after a couple of minutes and finally just saying just cancel my service they agreed to credit my sports package an additional $5 to offset the March increase. These cable and dish type services are such a racket and while most just accept "or never even notice" the $4 increase it means tens of millions more for the service provider. Just a heads up as I imagine everyone got a minimum $4 per month increase and when I already pay over $900/year for freaking TV I refuse to pay another $50 per year because they want to charge me more!

ChemicalAT

yeah, it's a helpless feeling. but what can we do? you need a massive movement threatening a boycott in order to change it. do you want to handicap or use that time to organize the revolt? we're screwed. i hate my dtv bill, but i love dtv.

helmut

I wish they would just do away with these stupid packages. Why do I need to pay for 150 channels when I only watch 15-20 of them. I should be able to just pay for the channels I watch.

TommyL

helmut wrote: »

I wish they would just do away with these stupid packages. Why do I need to pay for 150 channels when I only watch 15-20 of them. I should be able to just pay for the channels I watch.

The issue is that you'd end up paying 10x more for those specific channels than what you pay today, and at the end of the day your bill probably wouldn't look all that much different.

BuckyBadger

On a more positive note, I just received the new "Genie" DVR System upgrade for free. They even called me to tell me that I was eligible for the upgrade for being a long time customer (since 1995). Usually I have to call them to get anything new or free (ie the NFL Superfan Package) Also, I was somewhat surprised that there is no additional monthly charge or fee to upgrade to this new equipment

Old-Timer

They treat me very well with discounts and sports packages. I spent about 2k a year but I haven't paid for the NFL package the last two years I didn't pay for the NBA package this year and I just got 1/3 off the baseball package + an additional $10 off a month from one year. My only beef with them and I told them is that they never send me a notice that my package or anything is going up I check my bill on line every month and that's how I find out. The only advice I can give is always talk to the retention dept but do it nicely by listening to the clerk and see what she say's and then ask for the retention dept. I've been a customer almost as long as Bucky and please don't give them an or else I'll leave because if you think about they are by far the best and there's really nowhere to go. To me they make up there raise's in different ways and lets face it there's not to much you can do about it.

wcf1214

Its coporate america holding all the cards,mergers limit your options and the only way not to pay is not use their srevices or buy their products,and now airfares will rise again,with the merger of AA and us air,its large companies using the political and financial muscle they have to be so profitable at the expense of the consumer, ..nothing can be done to change it

BetThemDogs

If they're going to raise the bill-- at least they could give us the Pac 12 Network.

newcombe

I stuck with Cox Cable. they dropped their price so damn low when I said I was going to move to Direct that I couldn't resist. cox is awful good IMO but just doesn't have the NFL package.

BetThemDogs

newcombe wrote: »

I stuck with Cox Cable. they dropped their price so damn low when I said I was going to move to Direct that I couldn't resist. cox is awful good IMO but just doesn't have the NFL package.

I read that Direct TV was dropping the Sunday Ticket package next season.

ct5320

BetThemDogs wrote: »

I read that Direct TV was dropping the Sunday Ticket package next season.

DirecTV's deal with the NFL last through 2014. They've said that it doesn't bring in the subscribers like it once did so they are considering dropping it or signing a non-exclusive deal.

Old-Timer

BetThemDogs wrote: »

I read that Direct TV was dropping the Sunday Ticket package next season.

That sounds a little like when they were going to drop FX Do you know how many bars and sports books have the NFL package and how much money they make with all the sports packages just from Vegas That's why they can give it away to right customer or charge a decent price they just got greedy where people just couldn't afford the NFL package anymore.

IMO without going into a long story when the baseball package first came out there were a lot of black outs it's now so much better and well worth the money but my point was I had a friend set me up with cox just in the office so I could get just the basic because all I wanted was channel 50,6,36 for the west coast games that directv always seemed to black out and to me the was no comparison in the picture. True that was a long time ago and I'm sure that Cox has come a long way but if your going to get something if it's in your area Directv is it. Cox Modem for your computer the best out there

newcombe

OT, cox digital is pretty legit nowadays. a laundry list of HD channels currently and sports packages are right up there with others. I was on the brink of switching but I've been a customer for ages so they gave me a deal I couldnt' refuse for my digital TV and cox modem bundled package.

Old-Timer

newcombe wrote: »

OT, cox digital is pretty legit nowadays. a laundry list of HD channels currently and sports packages are right up there with others. I was on the brink of switching but I've been a customer for ages so they gave me a deal I couldnt' refuse for my digital TV and cox modem bundled package.

I figured as much I'm talking long ago before Cox when digital. As I was saying about my office I had a workman come down to change out my cox modem to the new at the time surfboard or something and they insisted that someone come down and noticed I had Cox in the office and he took it away. I couldn't believe it bothered him like he was Mr. Cox or something. I was going to say does $20 keep it like it was but then I figured maybe this guy turns around and say's we're going to have to charge you for the time is was connected so of course I played stupid and said How that happen wow didn't know you can have both at once.