[AT] OFF Topic: 4 month Verizon WAR... now DirecTV

[Dean VP]

I know we are getting bent over but as soon as we can find something better we can change and drop
DirecTV at any time we want without penalty. I asked the question very clearly to the representative
on that very issue on the chat line. I'd rather pay the $80 a month to keep the wife happy. Right now
our only way to get TV local or otherwise is through Satellite.   I intend to reduce the number of
channels soon and see if a little squeeze using the Dish ploy  will reduce the cost down a bit to
maybe $50 a month.  We only use the Satellite TV 7 months a year here since we are in AZ 5 months
where there is cable TV included in our rent there.  So at $80 a month x 7 months we are paying out
$580 a year to Directv.  The rest of the year it is on vacation hold at no monthly charge.  I don't
know what Dish's policy is on Vacation holds but I do know that we would have to go to a 2 year
minimum contract  to switch to them.  Actually, DirecTV has given us everything we have needed and
more with really high quality High Definition programing including RFD. .   Maybe once a year we might
lose signal due to a heavy rain storm but it has been so dry here this summer that hasn't even
occurred. Well, just this week we got heavy rain. Driest summer that we have ever had here in NW WA
since we moved here in 1975. I wish we could get fiber run out here. 

Dean VP
Snohomish, WA 98290

"Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent
virtue is the equal sharing of misery."  . Sir Winston Churchill


-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of
Mike
Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2015 10:37 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] OFF Topic: 4 month Verizon WAR... now DirecTV

Ask yourself how much you're paying per show Dean, and I think the 
obvious answer is you are getting bent over.  She didn't do you a favor, 
she sucked you in for another $1000-$1200  a year "free". Great deal 
though................................ Hope the wife is happy.

On 9/2/2015 12:52 AM, Dean VP wrote:
> A side issue to how this started. We had a pretty violent lighting and wind storm here a couple days
> ago and power was off for almost two days.  Out 5500 Watt Honda generator again paid for itself with
> less than 5 gallons of gas used.  However, we had one electrical failure that caught me a little by
> surprise in as much as it has been installed and used reliably since 2007.  Our HD Direct TV
Receiver
> H20-100 went belly up.  That is the first time I've had an electronics failure in a long, long time
in
> fact so long I can't remember a previous failure from a power issue. I use surge protectors on all
of
> our audio, video and computer gear. But upon further inspection, somehow the DirecTV Receiver was
> plugged directly into a wall outlet not into a surge protector.  After a bit of soul searching I now
> remember running out of sockets on the surge protector that I use for all the audio and TV equipment
> and temporarily plugged the receiver into the wall with full intention of fixing that later.
Well....
> I never got a "Round Tuit" or forgot about it or both.  So I guess that little episode might make a
> good case for having surge protectors on ALL electrical equipment.
>
> So reluctantly I started trying to find out what a replacement receiver was going to cost.  I very
> seldom even watch TV but my wife has some favorite shows. So I thought I better get busy before the
> boss gets really unhappy. Checked on eBay, and a few other retailers so I had a feel for what a used
> receiver was going to cost and then got on the chat line with Direct TV.  A NEW replacement receiver
> was going to cost $19.95 shipping and handling.  Which in reality was a much better deal than
anything
> I had found used anywhere else but I thought I would push my luck a little. I asked the nice young
> lady how long we had been Direct TV Customers. Took a while but she responded that we had been
> customers since 1999 which was exactly right.  I then just happened to mention that DiSH would be
> happy to have our business and they would install all the equipment free.   She instantly responded
> that since we had been a long time customer that Direct TV would send us the new receiver Free of
any
> charge and would arrive in two days Fed Ex. . No other charges or contract changes or anything. It
> didn't take me very long to accept that deal.  Believe it or not it did cross my mind to ask for
some
> relief on the monthly charge but I figured I better not push my luck that far at this time.  I'll
wait
> for another more appropriate time for that one.  Just mention Dish and the whole conversation
changes
> instantly.
>
> Too bad we can't buy tractor replacement parts that way. I think if we were standing at a parts
> counter today at a John Deere dealer and mentioned that we could get a much better deal at the
Farmall
> dealer they probably would not even know who that was?  I'm fortunate that we still have one older
> Parts Counter guy to deal with that knows some of the old tractors a bit.  But JD's prices on old
> tractor parts have gone up so much (triple or more) the last few years that I only buy from JD
Dealers
> if it is a complete last resort.  JD Corporate would rather not have to deal with the old parts any
> more just like they don't make equipment for the smaller family farms anymore. Even 25 year old
Garden
> Tractor equipment is considered obsolete as far as JD dealers are concerned. I suppose if I was at
the
> other end there could be a case made for that but they sure get a lot of free advertising from the
> tractor collectors that somehow you would think they would appreciate. But I guess the "bean
counters"
> can't see that. Such is life.  It's a throwaway society now unfortunately,
>
> Dean VP
> Snohomish, WA 98290
>
> "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent
> virtue is the equal sharing of misery."  . Sir Winston Churchill
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf
Of
> Mike
> Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2015 8:51 PM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] OFF Topic: 4 month Verizon WAR
>
> As I said before Charlie, I recently cut the cord, and couldn't be
> happier. I have a roof top antennae, ($40) , and I have have Netflix and
> Hulu, each $8.00 per month. We have not run out of stuff to watch, and
> were quite frankly getting sick of the PC crap the networks were
> cramming down our throats. My wife gets up early for work, and by the
> time we get evening chores done, we have about 1 hour for TV. It will be
> years before we run out of content, if ever. It saved me about $1000 per
> year, that's  a nice tractor implement each year. :)
>
> Mike M
>
>
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