It’s not all bad. As far as the interface goes, DirecTV wins against other providers. Their interface is much prettier, easily searchable and provides the most meta-information. You can also see programming two weeks in advance, which makes searching for and scheduling recordings much easier.
If you’re a sports fan, then DirecTV has few rivals. Their exclusive sports packages can be pricey, but you can watch every game from every team of practically any sport, regardless of where you live.
If you’ve never been a DirecTV customer before, then you can get in on some great deals that may make you re-evaluate your existing cable provider. Just as I mentioned previously in this article, they treat you like royalty at first. But when you want to upgrade to their newest technology you’ll end up paying for the new equipment. Since I am an existing customer, they want me to pay hundreds of dollars to upgrade to their new Genie HD DVR.
In spite of some of these issues I pointed out, DirecTV is the iPhone of entertainment services, but like the iPhone comes with a premium price. If you don’t mind increasing your monthly bill, then the polish of DirecTV can be impressive.
There was a time when DirecTV offered much better quality and service that just couldn’t be rivaled. Other providers have caught up and offer the same quality and service for less money. In some cases, cable providers can offer more and better services, such as true On-Demand programming.
DirecTV has forgotten their humble roots and in my opinion has gotten too big for their britches. Loyal customers such as myself are treated like second-class citizens when it comes to negotiating price, and customer service has gotten steadily worse over their years of growth.
DirecTV became a big player because they offered a lot of choice. Now other companies can offer the same or better technology for less, without the blackouts due to weather or contract negotiations.
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