I am posting this to share something some of you may not know. I've been a Directv customer for 12 years and didn't know till recently that you can customize your own package the way you want...(they really don't want you to do this)...anyways, you can't do it on-line, you must call them and say, I know someone that doesn't have your base package at all, and they said they customized their own package, and then tell them you want to do the same thing...(It was like pulling teeth for me but they finally did it!)...I got HBO, Showtime, The HD Package, and the music channels...all that for $34.99...(the locals I pick up via outside terrestial antenna)...Just thought I'd give a few the heads up!....sincerely, the Chuckster.

I currently pay $12 for HBO, $10 for Showtime, and $11 for HD, a total of $33. I did not know that this was a special. However, I did ask for this from the beginning.

$34.99 for how many HD channels? I count 8 or 9 at best from Directv vs 30plus from Voom for $39.90. Hmmmmm-----

I've called and asked them at least twice for what your talking about and got nowhere. I'll have to be more insistant.

keithf...when I first tried to switch from my basic package they said I couldn't do it!...I literally had to speak with a supervisor and tell him, "How can you give a customized package to one person and not another"?...Then he wanted to know who I knew that had a customized package of just premium channels only!...(so I told him)...finally he caved in and re-did my whole package...BE PERSISTANT!!!

I see you have been a customer for 12 yrs. They probably value a long term stable customer history.

I cant imagine any new/potential customers such as myself have had any luck saying they are new to HD and want the ala carts or they will go to Dish or Voom?




J W

Everybody,

Please keep this up. This is the market place at work. Currently my family does not have any cable or satellite--but we do have HD . Why? I have never wanted their packages. And with most of them to get HD you have to bend over backwards and get every other special feature. But I would happily pay a reasonable price for that which I want. Sure, they don't want to offer programming a la carte but if enough people request it, they will offer it.

I would like to try the line, "I know...... and you gave him ......." or I would even say, "I don't have anything right now, but if you give me what I WANT, then I will become your customer."

Of course my desires would be different then others, I don't need HBO or Showtime, but I do want HD Stuff, Discovery, National Geographic, and my wife would love to have CMT again. Fox News and CNN would be nice too, but I have no need for ESPN of MTV...

The customer is, after all, always right. Now all I need to do is get the funds together.

Fred

I'm hearing everyone talk about a Customized Package. Here is my question. I recently had HBO for 6 months at $2 a month. I refuse to watch any of the HBO SD channels. I rarely watch HBO-HD, but occasionally, i do for a good movie. Everytime I've called to ask for JUST the HD channel, they say I have to order the package. I can't justify spending the money for a bunch of channels I will NEVER watch. Has anyone had experience with this? Any tricks to get just the HBO-HD feed through DTV?

Wouldn't it be nice if they came out with some package that says pick the 40 channels you want and here is your price. I'm sick of having 200 hundred channels when I only watch maybe 20 or 30.

TonyB...It sounds like you would be better off just going to Directv on line and buying the particular movie that you want to watch...(you can do that you know). I think the way it works is you have to have at least 2 premium orders...for example> HBO and Showtime...or, Cinemax and Starz...etc. To me thats the best way to go. Obviously if your a HD fanatic (like most of us)...you'll want HBO and Showtime...and perhaps the HD package...(I love the high def cameras in the helecopters) [ie "over Ireland" etc"].

chuckken.....I didn't know you could order individual movies from HBO....I'll have to keep an eye on that. I do have the HD Package. I like it, but still not quite worth the price yet. I'm just happy to have CBS-HD through DTV I can't stand it. CSI, Without A Trace, Cold Case, Joan of Arcadia in HD....super. I'm not a fan of ESPN-HD yet. Maybe when they have material (not a basketball fan), but there just isn't enough football yet. HDNET and Discovery HD look great, and I like to show people, but rarely watch it. At least it's a start for DTV. I just hope they don't increase the HD package as they add more and more channels. Do you know what the total cost is for DTV if you have the top package with all the pay channels?

I think the top package for "literally everything" is approximately $85.00