Guys I need some opinions.
I have had suddenlink for the last 6 years. I had a decent special for the last 12 mos but that ran out and now my bill went up like $40. I have never had a problem with the service, and their customer service has always been courteous. I have been looking into DirectTV and Dish Network and they both have quoted me at considerably lower prices.
The problem is that I have heard a lot of complaints about both companies. Customer service, hidden fees, raising the bill unknowingly, etc.

I would like some opinions from you guys about dish, esp those that switched from cable to dish.

Your input is really appreciated.

I had Suddenlink cable/internet for a couple of years, and their crappy internet connection and horrible customer service (must have talked to different reps than you! haha) made me switch, plus the fact they wanted to charge me a $60 fee for me moving. I had to keep internet with them since they have a monopoly on my area, but switched to Dish for TV. Much better.

They gave me the HBO/Starz/etc. for 3 months free, took it off when I asked them too (once it wasn't free). Also got Cinemax for a penny for 1 year. I got the Silver 200 (I think?) which is 200+ channels plus all the Sirius music ones for about $60/month (after the promotions and stuff ended the first year), and their customer service is better for the most part. They do tend to not mention when your promotion is going to run out so the price may go up, but if you carefully check your bills anyways, you'll catch it.

Double check with your landlord first though and get it in writing that you can put up a satellite, some are jerks about it (like mine was even after he said it was ok, didn't get it in writing and he's made me move it around).

I think it was worth it, but be aware there's a 2 year contract with Dish. But they move it for free.

Cool thanks. Yea I had the same issue when my promotion ended. No notification or anything. Luckily I remembered before I was stuck with a much larger bill.

Anyone else have any opinions? Anyone get internet through satellite (verizon or whatever)?

Just something to consider you are probably getting promotional pricing for dish/direct as well. I am currently with directv and its about the same price as suddenlink when not in eithers promotion. They all have their advantages/disadvantages in the end it makes them all equal imo.

I keep suddenlink for the internet because dsl is horrible in my area (so I can't go back to suddenlink under their promotions). Satellite internet is not even an option for me..... its way too slow for my purposes and you can't play online games via satellite because of its horrible latency (which is important to me)

[This message has been edited by jagouar1 (edited 4/13/2010 8:55p).]

I've had Dish Network for 10+ years and the rates have gone up very little since that time. They are WAY cheaper than Suddenlink. I've had one bad DVR that I had to send back and their customer service has a lot to be desired but overall I've been very happy with them. Like everything else they have their little fees they like to charge for different things but whatever. We only lose the signal when the bad part of a storm is coming through which is a minor inconvenience.

I've heard good and bad about both Direct and Dish. To me they're both about the same on service and price.

I was paying about $80 month-to-month w no contract when I signed up for Dish. Two-room HD DVR.

Now I pay $110/mo for ONE digital cable receiver. No DVR, no ND. Any additional box would cost me another $10. Suddencrack will nickle and dime you to death. I hope that place sinks into the soft C.S. sand (overnight of course).

I had suddenlink phone/net/expanded basic and paid $140/mo. Switched to Dish and now pay $57/mo with HD, DVR, and local channels. Like someone else said, when the free HBO promo ran out, they removed it when I asked. Add $40/mo for home phone/DSL and I came out with more services for less with Dish and verizon, after some headaches with getting Verizon's DSL connected.

My experience has been the same as just about everyone else here. I switched last year back to Dish and have no regrets (now that they've added ABC in HD). I'll add that Dish's equipment features, especially the DVR and the guide layout, are much better than Suddenlink.

We switched from suddenlink to dish about a year ago, and so far, it's been one of the best decisions I have ever made. With two HD receivers (each one controls two seperate rooms), one being DVR, we come out paying $5-$10 less a month than we did with suddenlink, and that's after the promo period ends.

There is no comparison between the functionality of dish's equipment/guide and suddenlink's. Dish has two-room DVRs, ability to control the DVR from the Internet, and guides that actually work (record what they are supposed to). Not mention Dish's DVR has waaaayyyy more capacity, plus the ability to hook up an external hard drive if you for some reason need additional space.

We rarely notice a loss of signal or service, even in bad weather. It certainly isn't any more frequent than suddenlink was.

I haven't had any reason to call their customer service, so I can't speak to the quality of it. I guess if you were really unhappy about something, you can just drie over and yell at them; I know that they outsource at least part of their customer service to West here in CS.

I hope this info helps, just let me know if you have any other questions. If you decide to switch, dish also pays $ for a referral program, so if you don't have anyone to refer you, email me at <-username at gmail and I can send you a referral code so we could both get extra money off our bills.

I have seen the ups and downs of both I guess. With Suddenlink, I like the idea of a local office. While their service does have problems from time to time, usually they are on top of it as soon as they are aware of it. The average service time is typically 1-2 days out. Where I have seen dish tell us it will be two weeks before a technician can come out and fix an issue. I suppose if you compared them in price, then yes Dish would be cheaper. But in service, I think I would go with the local folks.

[This message has been edited by TotalTech (edited 6/3/2010 8:20a).]

I would bet that Suddenlink would continue to honor your promotional price if you call and tell them "I want to keep your service, but because you are no longer honoring this promotion I am going to cancel". Might be worth a shot if you want to keep their services.

Direct is the way to go. I had Suddenstink and dropped them quickly, then had Dish. They charged for EVERYTHING, and treated my wife VERY badly when coming on a service call. I was not at home when they came, but when I called them back to finish their work, they were sweet as sugar. When I told them I wanted their names and their supervisors number, they walked out. I switched that day to Direct, and their service was superb.

Several years ago, I made the switch from DirectTV to Cable and have been very pleased.

Everytime bad weather pushed through the area, which is often here in the fall + spring, we lost all reception from DirectTV. And my parents, who live in the area, have experienced nightmare service & treatment from Dish.

-Mike Stulce


Champion Firearms - Aggieland's Premier Gun Source Since 1993!

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Direct is the way to go. I had Suddenstink and dropped them quickly, then had Dish. They charged for EVERYTHING, and treated my wife VERY badly when coming on a service call. I was not at home when they came, but when I called them back to finish their work, they were sweet as sugar. When I told them I wanted their names and their supervisors number, they walked out. I switched that day to Direct, and their service was superb.

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They only charge for a service call if you don't have the insurance that they offer. However if once they got there, your wife wanted extra outlets put in and such, then they would charge per outlet. So if by EVERYTHING you mean the cost of the service call, they yes without the insurance you would have had to pay for that call. Secondly, most of the technicians there are very pleasant and only become rude when the customer gets an attitude with them. Most people because they are upset with the company will take it out on the tech that is there to help them. These guys are not the complaint department for your wife or anyone else to unload on. And the only reason they are ever allowed to just walk out of a customer's home is if the customer is being unreasonable and threatening towards them. And if you asked for their supervisor's number, they will give it to you. So I would have to question the accuracy of your story there. I think there is probably more to it than stated.

Just to let you know I have worked for cable companies and dish companies in other states for over 7 years up until I moved here. I can tell you from first hand experience that the story that the husband is fed from his loving wife between the time the tech was first out and the time the hubby gets home, is usually dramatically different. So if the tech that was there is reading this, don't sweat it man, you will see it often in your line of work. Some people just want things done their way and if they can't have it, it is always your fault and your company is always wrong. You did the right thing by leaving. Some people are meant to be dish customers that's all.

Nope, Dish needed to replace the receiver, and forgot to leave any remote.

And my kids were there to verify.

Excuses don't work.

[This message has been edited by atm86 (edited 6/4/2010 9:33a).]

I have been with direct for 7 years and like it fine.

If you are looking for cheap, then plan on changing providers every 2 years to get the SPECIAL 1 year rates.

After the special expires all the providers will go up in price!!!

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Nope, Dish needed to replace the receiver, and forgot to leave any remote.

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The way your post read, I thought you were saying Suddenlink treated your wife badly. LOL my bad.

If it was Dish, it differs from state to state, I have seen good techs, and I have seen bad techs. The problem with some areas over others is that in some places, the techs are independent contractors. In that case, you may experience some issues if they are not in-house techs.

But my advice to the techs out there stands the same...even if the customer is always right, they can be wrong from time to time. Just accept that and move on to the next one.

[This message has been edited by techy1973 (edited 6/4/2010 5:08p).]

If you watch a lot of tv and it is important to you, Directv is your best buy.