Interesting article about cord cutting...

[dawgstudent]

Satellite TV is in some trouble.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e6c79d46-4104-11e5-9abe-5b335da3a90e.html#axzz3j2HSkHel

 

[bulldogcountry1]

What frustrates me about the satellite companies are the new customer deals. They lure people in with these steep discounts, and two short years later, your bill suddenly goes up by $30. It shows no appreciation for customer loyalty, and I think that's what leave a bad taste in people's mouth's. And it's not like hundreds of thousands of people are finding something better for less. Most people are sacrificing something to cut the cord, even if they are saving money. If the providers would just simplify things at a decent price without so many options, add-ons, and bogus fees, then I think they would be fine. As it is, I feel like Directv goes out of their way to deceive. Just look at your bill. I doubt Dish is much different.

 

[patdog]

Yep. When people do cut the cord for TV, they still have to have Internet. Cable companies have some of the best Internet connections you can buy (the story even references that Comcast now has more Internet customers than TV customers). But without TV, the satellite companies are nothing.

 

[DesotoCountyDawg]

Directv has already gotten in trouble for deceptive advertising. That's why you don't see the Rob Lowe adds anymore.

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

When I switched to Uverse, I looked but both dish companies lied to me, a lot. Don't believe a word they say to you, if they don't know the answer they'll lie and say what you want to hear. I had one promising me that they would have SECN by opening day last year, and when I said "awesome, I'm recording this call, FYI" they immediately transferred me to a supervisor, and said what they told me on the phone was not "contractually obligated", and all sorts of other nonsense. Sorry, but I'm not signing a two year contract.

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

Yep, and ATT and DirecTV will soon be one company, making it even more enticing to get cable if you're only planning on getting Internet.
I recently got DTV and Uverse and the salesman never once mentioned how my bills would change after the first 12 months. When I brought it up they were very helpful and broke it down to the penny and sent me emails breaking it down for me with exact dates. I know my price is going to surge and I probably won't change my plan because I enjoy watching TV. I don't watch it a lot but I like it.

 

[msstate7]

Directv has already gotten in trouble for deceptive advertising. That's why you don't see the Rob Lowe adds anymore.

Replaced him with Eli manning and tony romo. Same type commercial

 

[aTotal360]

I'm convinced cable companies will get together and significantly limit how much data you can use before a hefty surcharge. Goodbye cord cutting when that happens.

 

[dawgstudent]

Yea - it's coming. Right now - Cspire is unlimited on their bandwidth usage for their 1 GB fiber line.

 

[bulldogcountry1]

Directv has already gotten in trouble for deceptive advertising. That's why you don't see the Rob Lowe adds anymore.

About every 6 months, I go through all my bills to make sure everything is in order and to try to trim some fat. It's mainly because of Directv. This time last year, my bill suddenly went up about $50. I looked a the details, and they had charged me for an installment of Sunday ticket without my permission. In the process, I discovered they were charging me for an additional TV set (and had been for months), and some bogus $9.99 protection plan.

They agreed to refund me for the additional TV, but they charged me $8 to stop charging me for the protection plan. Then, they transferred me to someone else who could take care of the Sunday Ticket charge because they just weren't capable of doing it themselves.

 

[Miss.Stake]

To have all of the ESPNS and SEC Network + Sunday Ticket I spend an extra $1200 a year..... and I get the sunday ticket package for "free". Its ridiculous.

 

[uptowndawg]

Yea, the cable companies will still provide the service that lets you watch anything not on dvd, vhs, or bunny ears. They're gonna get theirs.

 

[mstateglfr]

I'm convinced cable companies will get together and significantly limit how much data you can use before a hefty surcharge. Goodbye cord cutting when that happens.

As one who lives without cable, I absolutely know this will happen- its just a matter of when.
Data prices will increase and it wont be worth the cost to stay away from cable. I really hope its many years from now and that some other technologies are implemented before then to keep data costs down.

 

[Lucky Dawg]

Absolutely. And the continued consolidation in the industry is just making it that much more inevitable. I'm of the opinion that the telecoms should get some reasonable amount of time (10-20 yrs) to own the infrastructure they build (cable, telephone, fiber, etc) before it is turned over to the public and opened up to any company who wants to provide the service. Remember, they're given a "natural monopoly" in a given region because they are required to provide service (i.e. infrastructure) to the boonies. These days, with satellite communications and the ability to send multiple types of communications (TV, phone, internet) along a single wire, that's less of a logistical challenge than it used to be.

I vividly remember staying with a friend in Paris in 2007 who paid $50 US per month for 200+ cable channels, 100mbps internet, and unlimited worldwide calling. Meanwhile, I was paying $50 or $60 for 6mbps internet alone. The difference: the infrastructure is publicly owned and any telecom has access to it. There are hundreds of competitors.

 

[FirstPoetsThenSunDoggy]

I'm looking at getting an antenna. I'll just watch whatever the hell is on, just like I grew up.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

I just switched from Dish to Directv after 15 years with dish. My bill had gotten to $159 (top 250, HBO, Hopper 4 tvs) So I decided if i am paying that much it would be about the same going to Direct for the next 2 years but I could watch NY Jets games. So after the install, I call Dish to cancel and they were willing to lower my bill to like $69 dollars for the next year.

The lesson is threaten to walk and they will lower your bill. I do it with Sirius each year and get at least a 50% discount from their normal pricing.

 

[JackShephard]

What frustrates me about the satellite companies are the new customer deals. They lure people in with these steep discounts, and two short years later, your bill suddenly goes up by $30. It shows no appreciation for customer loyalty, and I think that's what leave a bad taste in people's mouth's. And it's not like hundreds of thousands of people are finding something better for less. Most people are sacrificing something to cut the cord, even if they are saving money. If the providers would just simplify things at a decent price without so many options, add-ons, and bogus fees, then I think they would be fine. As it is, I feel like Directv goes out of their way to deceive. Just look at your bill. I doubt Dish is much different.

Dish has been good to me. They will tell you exactly what your bill will be during and after promotional rates if you just ask them. Direct will not. Over 6 years, I have had to call every 6 - 10 months to get a better rate, but they always cut it back down if you act like you're leaving. It's a pain, but it works. 6 years, never had a high bill. I have their next highest package right now and I'm under $50/month (including taxes and fees). You just have to be willing to play hardball. It's annoying, but it is what it is. 1 hour of my time twice a year (at most) for hundreds in savings...yeah, it's worth it.

 

[Dawg1976]

Back when I was a kid, we got 2 channels. Maybe a 3rd but it didn't come in well. I get 10 with an antenna today. People in larger cities can get double that or more. I do cheat with Sling TV but if the internet gets way over priced as it probably will, I'll just drop all that too and go with just local.