Thinking about dumping DirecTV

[MommyX8]

I have had enough of paying $82 a month. We barely watch TV. And what we do watch we can watch online. Admittedly, it will make us change how we watch TV. I will miss Judge Judy, The People's Court, and Dr. Oz (although that is the biggest selling point with my husband, no more Dr. Oz.)

 

Anyone dump satellite and cable?

[Luckymama]

We did, almost four years ago. If there's something we must watch we'll watch online, through Hulu or get a redbox movie. We did pay for one month of VPN service to watch the Olympics streaming.

 

Dh and I hardly ever watch something tv-ish. Dd17 is the biggest Hulu consumer in the house.

[RoughCollie]

We dumped DirecTV a year ago. Now we have Netflix streaming and Hulu Plus, and it is a lot cheaper! We don't watch much tv, and no one misses DirecTV enough to complain about it.

[Ellie]

We did, a year ago in March. We bought a computer and dedicated it to the TV.

 

We have an antenna, which gets the three local network affiliates, three PBS stations, and a local, independent station. I can watch the People's Court and Swift Justice. :)

 

We have Netflix, streaming and DVD. I'm totally spoiled now by watching my favorite shows with no commercials, not even any that I can skip through.

 

Mr. Ellie has found a couple of our favorites on-line somewhere that he saved onto the desktop--Primeval and Doc Martin. He's looking for some others. :-)

[AndrewsDK]

We ditched it about 18 months ago.

 

I watch exactly 2 shows online (Amazing Race and Survivor) everything else, we live without. I really really really missed not being able to see the Olympics. Other than that, we are fine with the movies we have and Netflix.

[MommyX8]

Not that we are a sports family, but my husband does like NASCAR. But not as much as the $1,000 it costs for it.

[KRG]

we did a little over year ago and have not regretted that decision at all! We have a roku, netflix streaming and huluplus.

[Laura in NC]

We did it a few months ago. We have Netflix and HuluPlus. It is having us $100.00 a month. We love having that money to buy better health insurance for our family.

[OK Family]

I called today to cancel directv, they offered us a less expensive package but I believe tomorrow I will call again to cancel. My husband will miss a few news channel, but other than thatno big deal.

[Mommyof4ks]

We have never had satellite or cable. Dr. oz and Judge Judy come on major networks, and they come in with an anntena. People's Court used to, but I have not even flipped channels in the AM in over 6 years due to homeschooling lol, so it might still be on there.

[mellifera33]

We use rabbit ears and a converter box, and are able to receive our local ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox affiliates, plus qubo and a few others. Between that and Netflix, we do not feel like we're missing anything.

[stansclan89]

We stopped paying for cable/satellite about 6 years ago and have done fine. We stopped being able to pick anything up on an antennae 3 years ago and have still done fine. We have a Roku box/Wii, Netflix (streaming only), and watch Hulu online.

[phathui5]

I would love to cancel. Dh wants DirecTV so he can watch football, but I hate how much we're paying for it.

[ktgrok]

Yup, almost 3 years ago. We got a Roku box and use it to stream Netlfix, Hulu, and Amazon. Now we have a new tv that is internet ready and don't need the Roku, the tv has buttons for netflix and such right on the remote. Love it.

[bettyandbob]

We got rid of cable three weeks ago. So far, I don't miss it. We have Netflix, hulu, and a free trial of amazon prime. We will dump amazon prime too.

 

I was watching Big Bang Theory way too much. It was on three channels. I ort of miss morning news. I will miss some football and hockey. Dh doesn't watch sports.

 

I'm not tempted to stay too late watching junk. So it's easiest get up nd eerie n the morning.

[AvasMom]

Call them and tell them you want to cancel because you can't afford it. They will wheel and deal with you. We have the $82 a month package and are only paying $52 for it. ;) They gave us a $10 a month credit and a $20 a month credit for a year. After the year is up we will call to cancel and see what they can do for us then. They are great about discounts!

[DawnM]

20 months and counting! I thought I would miss it, but we don't! We have Roku boxes and Netflix and Amazon streaming.

 

We also have an antenna for local channels.

 

No problems at all.

 

Dawn

[Scarlett]

I have had enough of paying $82 a month. We barely watch TV. And what we do watch we can watch online. Admittedly, it will make us change how we watch TV. I will miss Judge Judy, The People's Court, and Dr. Oz (although that is the biggest selling point with my husband, no more Dr. Oz.)

 

Anyone dump satellite and cable?

 

Funny you mentioned this. I just had the most insane conversation with Direct TV today. We just moved here...no cable....I miss the news and HGTV and a few things. When I call the price is not too bad...around $50 a month for the family plan. But they want to lock me into a contract for 24 months. I say no.

 

She says why? I say because I don't want to commit to a company that I've never dealt with before. She says, 'I don't understand, you are a homeowner and if you move you can transfer it, so what is it about the 24 month contract that bothers you?'

 

I said, 'the 24 months.'

 

LOL

 

I had to eventually hang up on her. She wanted to email me the offer so I could look it over. Great I said! Oh, but wait, she wanted my debit card number first. Um, no.

 

Talk about high pressure. I put her on speaker and ds12 and I had a good time listening to her.

[Brilliant]

We ditched cable about 4 years ago. Now we watch Netflix streaming.

 

I'm afraid if we ever got cable again, the news networks would be on from the minute hubby got home every night, until we went to bed...!

 

I really shouldn't just blame hubby. Remember Lacy Peterson and Natalee Holloway? Yes, I watched about 3 hours of TV EVERY night for months during those horrible events. So really neither of us can be trusted with cable. :tongue_smilie:

[MrsMommy]

We're chronic cable dumpers!

 

Every few years, we think how nice it would be to have cable again. And it's great, for a few months. Then we realize how much we're paying, and how little we're watching, and get rid of it. Until the next Olympics...because that's pretty much when we decide we want it again!

 

Oh well...at least we're predictable!

[YARNacademy]

We are 2wks away from giving back our cable boxes and buying 2 Rokus and a digital antenna. We have Netflix, HuluPlus, and Amazon Prime...we NEVER watch the $180 worth of cable we're paying for. I'll be glad to stop making that useless payment.

[Dirtroad]

We cut the cable for about 13 years.... then got it on a "good package deal" for one year.... then price doubled and we dropped it again.

 

Haven't missed anything but news... .and I can search online for it.

 

I have also noticed the smart mouth that my daughter was developing is curbing itself (thanks to Nick & Disney, it was getting ridiculous). I haven't been able to fight the wanting to dress like you are 25 that was instilled in her that short 12 months... but some of it may be her age and not just the overly fashioned teens, preteens on the shows.

 

Cut the cable.... you will find it is LIBERATING! Plus, you can get so much more reading done!!!

And save $$$$$.

[MommyX8]

Alright, this sounds like a go.

 

We all have laptops that have WiDi, so we can all sling our computer screens to a TV. We already do this for Netflix. And we don't even have standard DVD players. And we have Amazon Prime to boot.

 

I did speak to DirecTV a couple of days ago. I spoke to 4 representatives who all gave me 4 different answers. They kept me on hold for 20 minutes and I never did get to speak to a supervisor.

[Scarlett]

Alright, this sounds like a go.

 

We all have laptops that have WiDi, so we can all sling our computer screens to a TV. We already do this for Netflix. And we don't even have standard DVD players. And we have Amazon Prime to boot.

 

I did speak to DirecTV a couple of days ago. I spoke to 4 representatives who all gave me 4 different answers. They kept me on hold for 20 minutes and I never did get to speak to a supervisor.

 

Did they ask for your debit card number? My conversation with DirectTV yesterday was mind-boggling. Talk about high pressure sales. One would think if they need that much pressure they would be willing to waive the 24 month prison I mean contract they insist they put you in.

[MommyX8]

Did they ask for your debit card number? My conversation with DirectTV yesterday was mind-boggling. Talk about high pressure sales. One would think if they need that much pressure they would be willing to waive the 24 month prison I mean contract they insist they put you in.

 

No they didn't ask. But then again, I already have their equipment so they know where to find me.

[LaxMom]

We dumped cable a few years ago. We have an antenna and get network stations from DC and Baltimore (as well as the "off" stations like Ion and some random re-run, old B movie showing channels), and PBS from DC, B'more and Philly. We have Netflix and Amazon Prime, too.

 

If there's a Redskins game he can't get (Fox out of DC is fickle sometimes), he will either go to the Y and run while he watches, or walk down to the pub.

 

I can't say we miss it at all.

[Scarlett]

No they didn't ask. But then again, I already have their equipment so they know where to find me.

 

Well, I gave her my address and ss number so she could run a credit check on me. Once she did I was 'qualified for their best rate!' :glare: Ds12 was highly amused by all the free stuff she kept offering me after I told her I wasn't going to sign up. I think he learned a good lesson on negotiation...he was telling dh later that in the future he would act 'not interested' so he could get a better deal. :D

[Mergath]

We haven't had cable in years. We have an antenna and get over thirty channels with that, but we never watch them. If we do watch tv, it's on Netflix.

[MommyX8]

Just checked what stations we can pick up with an antenna.

 

PBS

 

Guess that we don't need an antenna.

[Scarlett]

Just checked what stations we can pick up with an antenna.

 

PBS

 

Guess that we don't need an antenna.

 

How do you check that?

 

The lady from Direct TV just called me back. :glare:

[MommyX8]

I found a link from the Best Buy site so that you can check. Search for antenna and it is should come up.

[justLisa]

We have an antenna. We buy whatever shows we want to watch on Amazon. We also have Netflix.

[MommyX8]

How do you check that?

 

The lady from Direct TV just called me back. :glare:

 

Is she offering a better deal or just wants you to sign up?

 

I am trying to think this whole thing through. I get my lunch and flip on the TV to watch People's Court. I will get sucked in for the 43 minutes. I am trying to visualize what I will do with the time that I found.

[Faith]

None here... we use an antenna and Netflix streaming. Redbox if we want DVDs.

[Scarlett]

Is she offering a better deal or just wants you to sign up?

 

I am trying to think this whole thing through. I get my lunch and flip on the TV to watch People's Court. I will get sucked in for the 43 minutes. I am trying to visualize what I will do with the time that I found.

 

Well if you are like me you will trade tv time for WTM time. Just saying. But at least it is free.

 

She still wouldn't waive the 24 months which is my sticking point...but she did offer to only charge my debit card $1 and so 'everything' is free up front for me.

[Jann in TX]

When our college girls lived with us they NEEDED certain stations... and we caved-- so our bill was pretty big.

 

Now with only one at home (who has limited TV privileges anyways due to age) we dumped it.

 

We do LOVE our TV (DH and I)-- but the only show we will miss is Dr Who-- and we plan on watching that as our 'summer show'.

 

We have an OLD (over 10 years) TV antenna in our attic for local stations-- BETTER reception than with Dish!). DH hooked up a computer (one of our OLD ones) to the TV and purchased some sort of box (not sure which one) for under $100. This allows us to record from the antenna OR from the box (Hulu and such). We also have Netflix and Amazon Prime... we are set!

 

To compensate for people like us leaving 'subscription TV service' (cable and satellite) the trend is to charge a token amount to view shows even from the network websites the 'day after' (they used to be free).

 

Even if we have to pay the token amount ($1-3) we will still save $$$ every month!

[Scarlett]

Is she offering a better deal or just wants you to sign up?

 

I am trying to think this whole thing through. I get my lunch and flip on the TV to watch People's Court. I will get sucked in for the 43 minutes. I am trying to visualize what I will do with the time that I found.

 

Well if you are like me you will trade tv time for WTM time. Just saying. But at least it is free.

 

She still wouldn't waive the 24 months which is my sticking point...but she did offer to only charge my debit card $1 and so 'everything' is free up front for me.

[Lady Florida.]

We ditched it almost a year ago and have not been sorry. When I first called to cancel, they offered me a discount deal, and we took it. Our contract was up, and since we didn't get new equipment we could take the deal without committing to a contract. Once the deal ended though (it was for several months but I don't remember exactly how many), I cancelled. I let them know that we were not at all unhappy with the service but just didn't think it was worth the cost. We had to cut expenses somewhere and that was a logical place to start.

 

We have Roku boxes and an antenna. We get a lot of local stations with the antenna, and use Roku mostly for Netflix and Amazon. We use a combination of Netflix and Amazon Instant Video. We tried Hulu Plus but weren't watching it enough to warrant even the small fee they charge.

 

Not that we are a sports family, but my husband does like NASCAR. But not as much as the $1,000 it costs for it.

 

I'm not sure, but I think Roku has some sports seasons you can buy. I don't know if NASCAR is one of them, but you could check into it. We don't watch sports so it's not an issue for us. We missed the 24 hour news stations at first, but we got over it. News is available 24/7 online anyway.

[xxxxxxxx]

Did you know that you can change your package every day?

 

We thought about getting rid of it altogether but then found out we could just play around with the packages.

 

We have the cheapest package during the summer.....we don't watch a lot of tv then. Right now we have the $50 (approx.) package. When my dh wants to watch the game and we need more sports channels we up the package a few hours before the game and call or get online and go back to the cheaper package after it is over.

 

The bill looks crazy sometimes with all the changes but for us it is worth it.

 

Just a thought before you dump it.

[MommyX8]

Did you know that you can change your package every day?

 

We thought about getting rid of it altogether but then found out we could just play around with the packages.

 

We have the cheapest package during the summer.....we don't watch a lot of tv then. Right now we have the $50 (approx.) package. When my dh wants to watch the game and we need more sports channels we up the package a few hours before the game and call or get online and go back to the cheaper package after it is over.

 

The bill looks crazy sometimes with all the changes but for us it is worth it.

 

Just a thought before you dump it.

 

I'm pretty sure that there is a $5 charge every time you downgrade.

 

I could certainly use the extra time. I am so over blaming homeschooling for my inability to lose weight. I am down 55 pounds simply by finding the "me" time that I had given up. No TV means more "me" time. More time to work on the other 55 pounds that needs to go.

[MommyX8]

Got my package dropped and the DVR service fee dropped. I can still cancel (which I will) but I will take any concession that they will give along the way.

[Scarlett]

Got my package dropped and the DVR service fee dropped. I can still cancel (which I will) but I will take any concession that they will give along the way.

 

Cool!

 

I looked up the stations I can get with an antannea and there are a lot! Wow! I might have to talk to dh about this. Antanneas are not even that expensive....hmmmm...

[tots2teens]

There are about a bazillion things I cannot stand about Directv. We are 1 year into our 2 year contract. I would give anything to be able to get out of it (except paying the over $200 it would cost to get out of it!). I would HIGHLY encourage you to go another route because once you sign their contract, there is no going back!

[thefragile7393]

I'm getting to that point but some things arent on hulu, netflix, or amazon prime as of yet. I want to get to that point. I SO wish cable/satellite companies would figure out that many people would understand how many people would pay for a la carte. I would gladly pay for certain channels and not 1000 infomercial channels

[MommyX8]

We use the Internet for finding shows. You can find everything out there (which sometimes is NOT a good thing.)

 

I'm not a fan of Hulu as I don't like to pay for commercials. But then again, I do that with DirecTV, now don't I? Although, I do watch the Insanity and P90X infomercials a lot. It gives me the courage to press play. In fact, I am going to start P90X in October, just after I turn 49.

[Barb_]

Cool!

 

I looked up the stations I can get with an antannea and there are a lot! Wow! I might have to talk to dh about this. Antanneas are not even that expensive....hmmmm...

 

I just got a Mohu Leaf and it's amazing. Only $40 and made in the USA. They also have a Leaf available with a built in amplifier for about $75, but we didn't need it. The rule of thumb is 35 miles from the broadcasting stations. Less than that, a regular antenna is fine and over that, look into the amplifier. We get 65 stations with the regular leaf and we are about 30mi from the broadcasts at the closest. Granted, about 80% of our stations are Mexican, LOL...

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Thin-Leaf-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B004QK7HI8

[Barb_]

We use the Internet for finding shows. You can find everything out there (which sometimes is NOT a good thing.)

 

I'm not a fan of Hulu as I don't like to pay for commercials. But then again, I do that with DirecTV, now don't I? Although, I do watch the Insanity and P90X infomercials a lot. It gives me the courage to press play. In fact, I am going to start P90X in October, just after I turn 49.

 

You don't pay for Hulu. Hulu Plus is paid, but with no commercials.

[Scarlett]

I just got a Mohu Leaf and it's amazing. Only $40 and made in the USA. They also have a Leaf available with a built in amplifier for about $75, but we didn't need it. The rule of thumb is 35 miles from the broadcasting stations. Less than that, a regular antenna is fine and over that, look into the amplifier. We get 65 stations with the regular leaf and we are about 30mi from the broadcasts at the closest. Granted, about 80% of our stations are Mexican, LOL...

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Thin-Leaf-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B004QK7HI8

 

Thank you!

[katilac]

You don't pay for Hulu. Hulu Plus is paid, but with no commercials.

 

Sadly, Hulu Plus does have commercials. You aren't paying for no commercials, but rather for more shows.

[HistoryBuff]

We have only rabbit ears and what comes over on tv that way. However, we use the computer to get programs.

 

We also go to the library and get dvds or use Redbox.

 

Do you really need all those channels? I remember in our last house we paid over 100 dollars a month for cable/phone/internet. We thought we needed it, too.

 

What a waste.