Satellite customers, DirecTV and Dish Network..what do we do ?

I posted the letter to dish network. Let's get everyone who has Dish network or directTv to do so as well. It only took me 2 minutes.
 
E-mails sent to DishNetwork

We live in Truckee and Comcast is NOT available here. We have had DishNetwork for over 5 years with the DVR and are very happy with their service over the local cable company. We had made the decision to buy NBALP this year. So far I have sent off two e-mails requesting that DishNetwork picks up the Comcast station and also asking if the games would be blacked out to us on League Pass up here in the Sierras if they do not pick up the station from Comcast. I sent one e-mail last night to customer service and one today to Charlie Chat.
 
Variant said:
JB_Kings:
That's exactly how I understand it as well. Let us know what you hear back...
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Still waiting to hear back. I've submitted the same question to Direct TV, the Kings and the NBA. Susan Gonzales from Comcast would only tell me that the channel is being offered to satellite providers if they want - which we already knew. I did speak with Direct TV customer retention on the phone. The CSR agreed it should not be blacked out on NBA LP when carried by regional sports networks that require subscription. As always, the final answer could be at the whim of someone who's given it far less thought than we have.
 
I sent an email to Josh Dulac, the Sac Bee writer who published the article about the tv deal asking him if it can be picked up by dish and this is the response i got

Yes, there is a chance that DISH Network and DirecTV will pick up the channel. Spokespeople from both companies say they're interested in adding it - though they both caution that the asking price will have to be right.
Josh


Oh and VF21, i coped and pasted your letter to dish network..with a little edits....
 
Markezi said:
Comcast has already publicly stated that it will sell this station to other providers. DirecTV and DISH have already publicly stated that they are extremely interested in this station and will actively try to secure it because they know how important it is to their subscribers.

And if it doesn't happen by the start of the season? NBALP is still cheaper than the hell we will pay for having to switch back to the single worst customer service company in America: Comcast.
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Surely we can't be all that bad here at Comcast, however I remember back in the Sacramento Cable days your description would have been horrifically accurate. :) In all honesty I wouldn't be surprised if DirectV and Dish didn't pick up the channel not because they aren't interested. But because of the large price tag Comcast would likely place on it. Remember folks directv has the rights to NFL ticket and given the fact Cable still holds 70% of the market which is a larger base of the population than kings fans that isn't able to receive that package or channel of choice without switching service providers. The NFL knew this as i'm sure the maloofs when they signed the new deal with comcast and it doesn't sounds like to me Comcast is obligated to share this channel with the competition. I'm sure the Powers that be at comcast know that having sole rights to this channel places a strangle hold on this regions competition. Why would they be willing to give that up?
 
Kingscast23 said:
Surely we can't be all that bad here at Comcast, however I remember back in the Sacramento Cable days your description would have been horrifically accurate. :) In all honesty I wouldn't be surprised if DirectV and Dish didn't pick up the channel not because they aren't interested. But because of the large price tag Comcast would likely place on it. Remember folks directv has the rights to NFL ticket and given the fact Cable still holds 70% of the market which is a larger base of the population than kings fans that isn't able to receive that package or channel of choice without switching service providers. The NFL knew this as i'm sure the maloofs when they signed the new deal with comcast and it doesn't sounds like to me Comcast is obligated to share this channel with the competition. I'm sure the Powers that be at comcast know that having sole rights to this channel places a strangle hold on this regions competition. Why would they be willing to give that up?
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i despise comcast and even for my kings i'm not willing to go back to comcast. i'd rather go see my kings in a sports bar or a friends house. every 2 weeks my service would go down for hours. i'd call and complain and still wouldn't get the issue resolved (they always seemed to have problems w/the cable in that area) a few times the cust.svc rep actually laughed when i called in questioning about my cable "oh hahahaha that's been down for about 4hrs now" etc. yet they wanted to be paid on time but wouldn't consider giving me a credit for all that time i was w/o cable.
i flew to dishnetwork as fast as they could get it hooked up
 
The $180 for League Pass on DirectTV is more than worth not having to deal with those idiots over at Comcast, IMO. Not to mention that the money I'm saving qwith DirectTV probably pays from my league pass anyway.
 
monk said:
The $180 for League Pass on DirectTV is more than worth not having to deal with those idiots over at Comcast, IMO. Not to mention that the money I'm saving qwith DirectTV probably pays from my league pass anyway.
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yours is $180!! mines only $160. and i love my dish w/lp. i would've still got lp regardless, since i like to watch all the other teams as well
 
I'll switch to Comcast right after I go to the hospital and have my eyes removed so that I can't see the awful picture quality.
 
oldwitch said:
i despise comcast and even for my kings i'm not willing to go back to comcast. i'd rather go see my kings in a sports bar or a friends house. every 2 weeks my service would go down for hours. i'd call and complain and still wouldn't get the issue resolved (they always seemed to have problems w/the cable in that area) a few times the cust.svc rep actually laughed when i called in questioning about my cable "oh hahahaha that's been down for about 4hrs now" etc. yet they wanted to be paid on time but wouldn't consider giving me a credit for all that time i was w/o cable.
i flew to dishnetwork as fast as they could get it hooked up
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Ofcourse there are bad seeds everywhere but there are strict guidelines and laughing at a customers problems would call for termination. A lot of the problems customers experienced were rebuild related..(laying new lines to bring out high def/high speed internet/etc..) Especially in the davis,Merced, grass valley areas recently. As for credit, according to guidelines a customer must call in every day they are out of service and even if you are only out for 1 hour you will be credited for the whole day. However you couldnt be out of service for a whole week call in one day and say "hey, i've been out of service for the last week can I be credited." It is true that at comcast we do prefer to be paid on time but if you don't you actually have: 53 days before a $4.50 cent late fee, 65 days before your service is interrupted past your due date 80 days until you're fully disconnected: I'm afraid if you cant make a payment in 80 days you should probably stick to antenna service anyways.
In any case i'm excited about the new channel..Comcast is the job i do to pay for school the kings are my life. Last year was horrible unless you had league pass so i'm really looking forward to this year.
 
Kingscast23 said:
Ofcourse there are bad seeds everywhere but there are strict guidelines and laughing at a customers problems would call for termination. A lot of the problems customers experienced were rebuild related..(laying new lines to bring out high def/high speed internet/etc..) Especially in the davis,Merced, grass valley areas recently. As for credit, according to guidelines a customer must call in every day they are out of service and even if you are only out for 1 hour you will be credited for the whole day. However you couldnt be out of service for a whole week call in one day and say "hey, i've been out of service for the last week can I be credited." It is true that at comcast we do prefer to be paid on time but if you don't you actually have: 53 days before a $4.50 cent late fee, 65 days before your service is interrupted past your due date 80 days until you're fully disconnected: I'm afraid if you cant make a payment in 80 days you should probably stick to antenna service anyways.
In any case i'm excited about the new channel..Comcast is the job i do to pay for school the kings are my life. Last year was horrible unless you had league pass so i'm really looking forward to this year.
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again i loathe them, the prices, the cust svc the picture. especially the prices. totally outlandish. my parents even got away from them and my brother.

if i could i'd get surewest to go w/my home phone (they have a bundle package that would save me money) but it's not available to my complex yet.
 
Surewest is a good service(internet wise) but i hear from a lot of customers that their television service leaves much to be desired. That might be just because they're just starting out in this area. Imo I think direct is a good service I had them before and didn't have too many problems with them. Just a couple outages that were storm related but all in all not too bad. Trust me i've heard every comcast horror story, in fact sometimes I deal with them first hand. To me the top two is either Direct or Comcast but personally I would go with comcast because I would bundle it with internet. Directvs direct way still has a long way to come and surewest isnt avaliable in my area but the 10megs up and down does sound attractive.
 
Kingscast23 said:
Surewest is a good service(internet wise) but i hear from a lot of customers that their television service leaves much to be desired. That might be just because they're just starting out in this area. Imo I think direct is a good service I had them before and didn't have too many problems with them. Just a couple outages that were storm related but all in all not too bad. Trust me i've heard every comcast horror story, in fact sometimes I deal with them first hand. To me the top two is either Direct or Comcast but personally I would go with comcast because I would bundle it with internet. Directvs direct way still has a long way to come and surewest isnt avaliable in my area but the 10megs up and down does sound attractive.
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and i think dishnetwork is by far the best. i've never had any cabling issues w/them, my bill is always clear and easily understood and when i call i've always dealt w/very pleasant people and my question gets answered quickly.
if i didn't go w/dish i have heard many good things about directv so that would've been my second choice.
having already had my "experiences" w/comcast i'd have to say i'd rather pay for a satelitte dish instead ;)
 
Response I got from Direct TV:
If a local off-air broadcast channel (not ABC, NBC, CBS or FOX) or local cable system has the rights to broadcast a pro game in a certain region, customers in that area will be unable to receive that game through their DIRECTV® subscription(s). If a regional sports network that DIRECTV carries has the local rights to broadcast a game, customers within the region can receive that game through any DIRECTV® TOTAL CHOICE® or SPORTS Pack subscription, which includes customers' local regional sports network(s). Customers outside of the region will receive that game through the appropriate out-of-market pro sports subscription.
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So from this quote: "If a regional sports network that DIRECTV carries has the local rights to broadcast a game, customers within the region can receive that game through any DIRECTV® TOTAL CHOICE® or SPORTS Pack subscription, which includes customers' local regional sports network(s)."
Should we assume that if Direct TV does NOT carry the channel, then the blackout rule does not apply? I am inquiring further.
 
Boy, talk about double-speak. ;)

I read that response 4 times and I still don't understand it.

I have my pre-order in for NBA LP and I'm going to keep it until and unless I hear something definitive from DishNetwork.

One thing I am very pleased about is that, regardless of the kinks still needing to be worked out, there is a way for Kings fans to view ALL the Kings games this year. It's something we've needed and it's something the Maloofs accomplished. We have to walk before we can run. This lays the groundwork and I'm sure that before long DishNetwork and DirecTV will be getting in on the action. At this point, unless the cost is truly prohibitive, I would think they would rush to acquire the one thing that could cost them viewers in a particular demographic.
 
It's like talking with a rock. They can't understand my question because my regional sports channel is Fox Sports Bay Area and I should be able to receive the game on that channel.
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!
 
This is my e-mail to Josh du Lac (and Mark Kreidler) of the Bee, who wrote the original articles on the Kings TV deal:
I read your articles about the Kings TV deal this morning and I have a
question that wasn't answered in either article. I am a DirecTV customer
and I bought NBA League Pass last season. Let's assume that, for whatever
reason, DirecTV doesn't pick up the new Comcast channel. Will NBA League
Pass blackout the Comcast-broadcasted games in Sacramento?
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Josh's response:
Every Kings game will be blacked out on NBALP in the Sacramento market, no matter what happens with DirecTV.
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Seems pretty clear to me.
 
JB_kings said:
It's like talking with a rock. They can't understand my question because my regional sports channel is Fox Sports Bay Area and I should be able to receive the game on that channel.
AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!
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I was less than impressed with the response I got from my rep. She has NO CLUE.
 
And the beat goes on

This is my last response letter from DirecTV. This letter summarizes the situation. I am canceling NBALP post haste.


Dear Quick Dog,

You will not be able to receive the Sacramento Kings ames with the NBA League Pass due to blackout regulations. As you know, e make changes and additions to our programming line-up from time to time. Although we don't have any new information about contracting with Comcast for the Maloof Sports at this time, feel free to bookmark the News Releases section of our web site at DIRECTV.com/PR and check back from time to time for the latest announcements.

As the provider of the most comprehensive sports programming lineup in the digital home entertainment industry, it's challenging to describe the blackout rules for many different locations and sports briefly. Please visit http://directvsports.com/Blackout_Info/ for our general lackout FAQ, and click on the specific sports package you're interested n for more detailed information.

We realize blackouts can be confusing and disappointing to our customers. However, to honor our agreements with the leagues and other owners of broadcast rights, we must pay close attention to the restrictions that we are required to follow.

Thanks again for writing and stay tuned to DIRECTV.com for the latest news and information about our service.

Sincerely,

Carrie
DIRECTV Customer Service


I hope that thousands of DirecTV subscribers drop their subscriptions as a result of the Kings issue.
 
I've got a contract with them (DirecTV) through November. I called ComCast and they are hooking me up Saturday, 3 months- 19.99 per month. Free installation. I plan on paring back DirecTV services to the minimum I can get it to. If they do not resolve this issue by November, I will just stick with ComCast. (who, by the way, were very helpful) I'm doing this because I am less than enthusiastic with the Customer Service on this issue. They have done nothing to inspire any sort of confidence.
 
Well, at least their canned responses are all different, I'll give them that.

Dear Kingsgurl,

Thanks for writing DIRECTV. In our agreements to carry games produced by
various leagues and associations, we are subject to clauses that keep us
from carrying events near where the game is played, aired or broadcast
locally. In addition, national networks like ESPN or TNT have signed
contracts that prevent some events from being distributed by anyone else
in their franchise area. Please understand that sports blackouts and
game availability are controlled by the leagues, sports associations,
and networks that purchase the rights to broadcast individual games. To
protect their rights, we must enforce the blackouts and availability
mandated by them.

In some cases, if a game is blacked out from certain DIRECTV channels or
sports subscriptions, you may be able to see it on another DIRECTV
channel, or on one of your local broadcast channels. We hope you will
understand these restrictions that are placed on us and we're sorry if
they cause you any inconvenience.

Visit http://directvsports.com/Blackout_Info/ for answers to the most
frequently asked questions about sports blackouts. I hope you'll find
this information helpful.

Thanks again for writing, and stay tuned to DIRECTV.com for the latest
news and information about our service.

Sincerely,

Sherry
DIRECTV Customer Service
Click to expand...
 
How does this affect me? I am on the East Coast and i have Dish Network. Will my LP games be blacked out as well? Or can i get this comcast chanel and not worry about getting LP?
 
Kingsurl. I know it might not be an option because of your commitment through November with Directv, but Comcast should still have a deal where they will give you $25 off for 16 months ($400 altogether) if you let them take your dish and the reciever.
 
vj9999 said:
Kingsurl. I know it might not be an option because of your commitment through November with Directv, but Comcast should still have a deal where they will give you $25 off for 16 months ($400 altogether) if you let them take your dish and the reciever.
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Actually, ComCast very nicely is letting me have 3 months of service for 19.99, and I still qualify for the 'turn in your sat equipment deal' in November.:D
 
Markezi said:
And if it doesn't happen by the start of the season? NBALP is still cheaper than the hell we will pay for having to switch back to the single worst customer service company in America: Comcast.
Click to expand...
Can I get an AMEN?
 
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