[n2advnture]

Check this out. I was researching a new Directv receiver for a buddy of mine. So, I went to typical electronics store website(s) and found this new disclaimer for when YOU PURCHASE equipment to use for Directv.

Prices shown are "lease upgrade fees." Additional $4.99/mo. lease fee applies for each DIRECTV Receiver you add. Programming commitment required.

DIRECTV Hardware Lease Terms
Purchase of 12 consecutive months (24 consecutive months for advanced receivers) of any DIRECTV TOTAL CHOICE ($44.99/mo. or above), or DIRECTV PARA TODOS programming package ($29.99/mo. or above), or qualifying international services bundle, within 30 days of equipment lease. FAILURE TO ACTIVATE DIRECTV SYSTEM WITHIN 30 DAYS OF RECEIPT MAY RESULT IN CHARGE OF $150 PER DIRECTV RECEIVER NOT ACTIVATED. IF YOU FAIL TO MAINTAIN YOUR PROGRAMMING COMMITMENT, DIRECTV MAY CHARGE PRORATED FEE OF UP TO $150 FOR STANDARD RECEIVERS (UP TO $300 FOR ADVANCED RECEIVERS). RECEIVERS ARE AT ALL TIMES PROPERTY OF DIRECTV AND MUST BE RETURNED UPON CANCELLATION OF SERVICE, OR ADDITIONAL FEES APPLY. VISIT DIRECTV.COM OR CALL 1-800-DIRECTV FOR DETAILS. DIRECTV programming pricing, terms and conditions subject to change. Taxes not included. Equipment not transferable and may not be sold. Programming sold separately. Pricing residential. Receipt of DIRECTV programming subject to DIRECTV Customer Agreement; copy provided at DIRECTV.com and in the first bill. ©2006 DIRECTV, Inc. DIRECTV, the Cyclone Design logo, TOTAL CHOICE and DIRECTV PLUS are registered trademarks of DIRECTV, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

This is apparently a new requirement by Directv (it wasn't present when I replaced all my equipment to HD equipment about 7 months ago).

What a bunch of crap! YOU buy the equipment and they own it? WTF?!

Once my exisiting equipment breaks or become obsolete, I won't be renewing!

Just a head's up in case anyone was thinking of signing up.

~Mark

 

[Simon Templar]

Thats just messed up!!!!

 

[SeanGAR]

What a bunch of crap! YOU buy the equipment and they own it? WTF?!

Looks to me that you LEASE the equipment and they own it with that option, which is the way leasing works. There is no up front payment for the equipment based on what I read on directTV's site. There are other options available that do not involve a lease payment, but require subscription to HD or DVR services. In any case, cable and satellite both suck the big one. It would be nice if ONE provider wasn't out to jack you.

 

[NCRadioMan]

I have had directv for about a year and this has been going one since I signed up.

:ms NCRM

 

[n2advnture]

Looks to me that you LEASE the equipment and they own it with that option, which is the way leasing works. There is no up front payment for the equipment based on what I read on directTV's site. There are other options available that do not involve a lease payment, but require subscription to HD or DVR services. In any case, cable and satellite both suck the big one. It would be nice if ONE provider wasn't out to jack you.

The way I understand it and according to the Best Buy website, you pay $99 for the receiver that you do not own (ie "lease") or $299 for the HD receiver that you do not own (ie "lease").

Previously, you paid $99 for a receiver and it was your equipment to sell if you wanted to stop your service or to recoup cost for upgrading equip (which is what I did prior to going to the HD-DVRs)

~M

 

[DETROITPHA357]

Dang I just joined back up.

 

[autoguy]

time warner cable is the same way about leasing there equipment, i was looking in to upgrading my grandpa,s cable and it was a lease for the equipment too

 

[Hammerhead]

In any case, cable and satellite both suck the big one. It would be nice if ONE provider wasn't out to jack you.

Just what other options are there, other than BS generic soap-opera public broadcast fodder for the brain dead, pray tell?

 

[TU09]

Personally, I think it is time we take a more free market approach (that little thing we supposedly love here in the US) towards cable and actually allow for competition (principally a big overhaul of franchising laws similar to those in Texas). In any case, satellite and cable have to either change rapidly or die and so far, they aren't changing fast enough. I can go online and see any news feeds I want and, more often than not, any shows I have an interest in with the exception of sports (which I could do for a fee). At the same time, I can make phone calls over my internet connection and, with developing city wide wireless here in nola, could concievably make internet calls from a cell phone like portable device. It is only a matter of time until we have several consolidated service providers that provide the equivelant of cable, internet, and phone services assuming our good friends in DC step back from anti free market regulations and let business and technology progress as it is poised to do. The catch, while it saves the consumer money and simplifies our lives it runs counter to powerful lobbies, archaic federal regulations, and would mean the loss of a few jobs.

 

[Guest]

The way I understand it and according to the Best Buy website, you pay $99 for the receiver that you do not own (ie "lease") or $299 for the HD receiver that you do not own (ie "lease").

Previously, you paid $99 for a receiver and it was your equipment to sell if you wanted to stop your service or to recoup cost for upgrading equip (which is what I did prior to going to the HD-DVRs)

~M

My recieviers (4 regular) were all cost free to me when I signed on a couple of years ago, and basically free installation (paid a $25 fee, but got a $30 credit back). I pay a monthly fee on each of $4.99. Upgraded to a DVR on the main TV about 8 months ago. I asked, and they provided it at no up-front cost, also. Had lightening take the DVR out a couple of months ago, and Direct TV replaced it at no charge to me. All this was done straight through Direct, not through a retail store, so I don't know if that makes any difference.

Still cheaper than my area cable (which is still converting to digital), has ten times the channels, takes up less room than my big dish used to, and was way cheaper than the $2500 it was going to cost me to convert my big dish to digital capable!

I went with Dish Network for the first couple of years, but their customer service sucked the big green weenie. When I asked Dish to provide me with an upgrade deal similar to the one they were offering new customers (I was a two year customer of theirs), Dish Network personnel actually laughed at me on the phone. Direct TV immediately made me an offer that was better when I called, and has offered me upgrades when I have requested them, at equal or better terms than they are offering new customers.

I agree with SG, cable and small dish are often less than ideal. Any big storm that passes kills reception on the small dishes, and tends to knock out the local cable system. My old 10 foot dish required a heavy snow fall to interfer with the signal (and we don't get many of those down here!!!) But, when everyone went to digital, costs to convert were prohibitive, so now the ten-footer is gone, and the 18 inch hangs out of the way on the side of the fireplace chase. Lesser of three evils.

 

[n2advnture]

Very interesting SK, it must be a regional difference in customer service. My area is PACKED with people and takes 2 weeks to have someone come out at $110 to start.

Crazy

 

[Hammerhead]

Personally, I think it is time we take a more free market approach (that little thing we supposedly love here in the US) towards cable and actually allow for competition (principally a big overhaul of franchising laws similar to those in Texas).

We have a winner! Give that man a cigar!!!

I'd really like to see the equivalent of "subscription TV", where I can pick the channel(s) I like best, and pay for what I get. Discovery, History, TLC, AMC, SciFi (Battlestar Galactica) and a handful of others are really the only thing I watch. The rest of the stuff is all so much crap, the equivalent of the Ron Popeil Theater for the perpetually inane. A system like you propose would be truly a free market system, where quality programming is rewarded, and shitty stuff dies on the vine.

 

[AAlmeter]

We have a winner! Give that man a cigar!!!

I'd really like to see the equivalent of "subscription TV", where I can pick the channel(s) I like best, and pay for what I get. Discovery, History, TLC, AMC, SciFi (Battlestar Galactica) and a handful of others are really the only thing I watch. The rest of the stuff is all so much crap, the equivalent of the Ron Popeil Theater for the perpetually inane. A system like you propose would be truly a free market system, where quality programming is rewarded, and shitty stuff dies on the vine.

This idea of cafeteria style TV has been kicked around for a while now. Consider this, though...if you were to run for el Prez with that as a major part of your platform, you would not only get the conservative vote, but probably also the brain dead/couch potato/welfare vote as well if you could improve their TV.

The History Channel and the Playboy Channel could be the ticket to a 3rd party president.

 

[Guest]

Very interesting SK, it must be a regional difference in customer service. My area is PACKED with people and takes 2 weeks to have someone come out at $110 to start.

Crazy

Man, that's rough!!! I guess they know when they can get away with gouging, and take advantage of it! Wish I could offer some encourging words.

 

[Guest]

We have a winner! Give that man a cigar!!!

I'd really like to see the equivalent of "subscription TV", where I can pick the channel(s) I like best, and pay for what I get. Discovery, History, TLC, AMC, SciFi (Battlestar Galactica) and a handful of others are really the only thing I watch. The rest of the stuff is all so much crap, the equivalent of the Ron Popeil Theater for the perpetually inane. A system like you propose would be truly a free market system, where quality programming is rewarded, and shitty stuff dies on the vine.

The bad part of my past is, when I first installed my big dish (say 15 years ago), most of the programming was sold on a individual basis, and I could pay for only what I wanted. That changed after five years or so, and I had to buy a package, similar to the choices now on the small dishes. But, at least I got a lot of free stuff and tons and tons of feeds, until everyone went to digital!

 

[poker]

Pansat FTA is good thing

 

[IHT]

Looks to me that you LEASE the equipment and they own it with that option, which is the way leasing works. There is no up front payment for the equipment based on what I read on directTV's site. There are other options available that do not involve a lease payment, but require subscription to HD or DVR services. In any case, cable and satellite both suck the big one. It would be nice if ONE provider wasn't out to jack you.

:tpd:

i don't own my dish, nor all the boxes or remotes. that's why i pay for their "service" and have to pay for the "receivers".
when the hell did you "buy" the dish and receivers? i don't know anyone that's done that where i live. it's all leased.

hell, ALL the cable companies where i live, you LEASE the receiver and pay a monthly fee to use it (digital cable, that is).

there's no difference between DirectTV/DishTV/local digital cable in leasing the equipment.

 

[IHT]

Personally, I think it is time we take a more free market approach (that little thing we supposedly love here in the US) towards cable and actually allow for competition.

the problem with that is when all the competiting cable companies have to start running THEIR OWN WIRES to your house. if you have 4 local cable companies, imagine all the wire that would then have to be run throughout your city alone. now multiply that by however big the US is compared to your city.

sure, i agree that we should be able to pick what cable company, but who owns those cables? probably the BIG cable company, and they then LEASE the use of their cable (somehow) to the other companies...

we've got this problem out where i live. there's this new company in KC that a lot of my wife's co-workers are switching to (the package with phone, cable, internet - costing about $30 cheaper than time warner cable), but they aren't up to my city, and won't be for another 2 yrs cuz they have to run the cables up here.

sounds good, but would be hard to do. i'd hate to have another 4 cables running from the pole to the house (my house has above ground power lines and cable - which sucks).

 

[TU09]

the problem with that is when all the competiting cable companies have to start running THEIR OWN WIRES to your house. if you have 4 local cable companies, imagine all the wire that would then have to be run throughout your city alone. now multiply that by however big the US is compared to your city.

sure, i agree that we should be able to pick what cable company, but who owns those cables? probably the BIG cable company, and they then LEASE the use of their cable (somehow) to the other companies...

we've got this problem out where i live. there's this new company in KC that a lot of my wife's co-workers are switching to (the package with phone, cable, internet - costing about $30 cheaper than time warner cable), but they aren't up to my city, and won't be for another 2 yrs cuz they have to run the cables up here.

sounds good, but would be hard to do. i'd hate to have another 4 cables running from the pole to the house (my house has above ground power lines and cable - which sucks).

Actually, it works quite well.

It's not running cables that is the issue so much as the current franchising system. When the current regulations were put in place, federal regulators based their decisions on the idea that the cable industry is a "natural monopoly" meaning that it was natural that within a free market system, a single company would come to dominate the regional / local market and could outperform outside competitors by a wide margin. This is clearly false now but one can see how the reasoning might have made sense at the time. To deter competition and encourage cable industry investment in smaller markets, regulators passed franchising authority to the local governments which means a cable company seeking to expand to an area now has to seek franchiseing rights in thousands of localities to cover a given region which takes many years and substantial resources.

As far as the physical cables are concerned, leasing is not a problem and happens regularly. Once again, free market: a cable company could lease existing cables or negotiate with a locality to place new infrastructure in the public right of way. Also, localities still hold some sway over cable companies owning physical cables because the cables inhabit public ROWs allowing for negotiating pressure in potential leases.

A few states, led by Texas, have revised their franchising system to allow cable companies to franchise at the state level instead of the local level to encourage competition. The result: a couple of cable industry lawsuites (although most were happy with the law) and an average savings of 15% by consumers in areas where the legislation was passed not to mention increased choices and innovation spurred by competition. Congress has been considering a national version of this legislation which would bring us one step closer to where we need to be though I don't think the senate has passed it yet.

 

[SeanGAR]

Just what other options are there, other than BS generic soap-opera public broadcast fodder for the brain dead, pray tell?

Option 1. Buy rabbit ears. Hook them up. Enjoy three channels of snow and poor reception. In the bottom of the 9th with 2 out, I'd need to keep turning the rabbit ears to try and get decent signal. In disgust turn off and quit watching TV or proceed to option 2.

Option 2. Buy an outdoor antenna. Throw all the tools that I need onto the roof, lay the antenna up there and climb aboard. Spend an hour trying to decypher the installation instructions which were written by semi-literate sadists. Attempt to drill holes into the side of the house for the brackets and drop the drill. Climb back down and fetch it. Repeat. After 6 hours and three bloody knuckles, its time to head into the house to enjoy the game. Now I have four channels of snow and poor reception.