NFL Sunday Ticket is like amazing delicious super crack. From the ability to watch whatever game your fickle heart desires, to the hypnotic decadence of “The Red Zone Channel,” NFL Sunday Ticket is well, radical.
directv
AT&T Looking To Purchase DirecTV?
By 10.25.07
The Wall Street Journal has it in their pretty little heads that AT&T is in the market for either EchoStar or DirecTV. And hey, why not? AT&T owns everything else.
By 10.10.07
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Our reader’s scuffle with DirecTV over their “informational” robots calling her, despite being on their do-not-call list, got a mention in the New York Times this weekend. [NYT]
The NFL Accuses Cable Companies Of "Curbing Competition"
By 10.3.07
Reader Sean forwarded the following email from the NFL, along with a note:Hi guys, Longtime reader of the site. Not sure how you see this email, but I find it to be insulting to my intelligence.
We Use Illegal Telemarketing Not To "Change Your Do-Not-Call Status," But To "Give You An Opportunity To Change Your Do-Not-Call Preference"
By 9.29.07
DirecTV is defending automated sales calls to Do Not Call List subscribers as “informational,” and “not telemarketing.” The satellite TV provider recently called customers to say: “Because you are on our Do Not Call List, we can’t call you with all of our super-awesome special promotions.” This bothered reader Nina, who fired off angry letters to both DirecTV CEO, Chase Carey, and FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. Nina received the following pigheaded reply from DirecTV counsel, Rose Foley:
DirecTV Calls Customer On Do-Not-Call List To Ask If They Want To Hear A Sales Pitch Anyway
By 9.21.07
It was an automated DirecTv call. “You have asked us not to call you. Because you are on our Do Not Call List, we can’t call you with all of our super-awesome special promotions…” The recording goes on to ask me to hit a button to opt-out of their Do Not Call List.
Beware Of DirecTV's Auto-Renewing Sports Packages
By 9.13.07
Reader Ted writes to us about DirecTV’s auto-renewing sports packages, specially NFL Sunday Ticket. He says his subscription was automatically renewed even though he canceled.
Appeals Court Says Hacking Your DirecTV Not The Same As Commercial Piracy
By 9.13.07
While piracy funds kills babies, we support the idea of people being free to modify devices they have purchased with they money they earned through blood, sweat and toil, so we were glad to hear that an appeals court said that hacking your DirecTV card shouldn’t be penalized under a more punitive clause of the Federal Communications Act.
FCC Talks "A La Carte" Cable
By 9.13.07
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin thinks your cable bill is too high.
Can TiVo Compete?
By 8.31.07
According to USAToday, Tivo failed to anticipate how quickly its customers would fall in love with HDTV—and out of love with TiVo.
Everyone But Me Gets To Watch TV, A DISH Install Horror Story
By 8.17.07
“July 25 – So, I recently moved and have had one hell of a time with DISH Network. Apparently my new apartment building has an “exclusive contract” with ATT. So I call up those guys to get some TV in my new apt. ATT tells me to call DISH directly (their partner) and I oblige because ATT doesn’t deal with apartment complexes. I get on the phone to DISH with a guy (I think his name was Sam) who happily placed my order, until he asked me what floor I live on and I told him third. Sam proceeded to tell me that because of insurance reasons their DISH installers will not install on third floor or higher. I was a little baffled by this and Sam told me to goto a DISH reseller, like Radio Shack.
Why Is DirecTV Calling Me About My HD Dish?
By 6.28.07
I just got some taped voicemail message from the company that installed my DirecTV last year.. Something about having to install some sort of converter by Sept. 1 in order to keep receiving HD signals… have you heard anything about this?
DirecTV Installer Needs Electrical Tape, Prefers Coke To Water, Is Concerned About Your Parenting
By 6.25.07
Christy is having the best time getting DirecTV installed in her home. Highlights of her hilariously tragic email include:
Calling DirecTV President Results In New, Non-Broken, HD DVR For Nearly Free
By 6.18.07
I’ve been a Consumerist reader going on a year now. I haven’t missed an article. Reading my Consumerist RSS feed is a standard part of my daily routine. Come to think of it, maybe I have a problem. Ha ha ha
DirecTV Installer Jokes That He's "Being Held Hostage," Dispatch Sends SWAT Team
By 6.4.07
Julie Pyle’s DirecTV installation was taking so long she decided to bake cookies for the installers. Sadly for Julie, the installation would not end with snack time. Julie was led at gunpoint out of her Savage, Minnesota home, ordered to the ground and handcuffed. Why? Her DirecTV installer had joked to his dispatcher that they were being “held hostage until they were done.”
DirectTV CEO's Contact Info
By 5.3.07
To send a valentine to DirecTV’s CEO, Chase Carey, email chase.carey@directv.com.
How Effective Is The Do Not Call Registry?
By 4.8.07
A report recently released by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hails the Do Not Call registry as “an effective consumer protection initiative.” Since its inception in 2003, the registry has grown to include 132 million numbers.
The agency said the program’s primary goal of reducing unwanted telemarketing calls is succeeding, largely due to a “high degree of compliance by telemarketers.” The report notes that while roughly 1.15 million complaints were received in fiscal 2006 from 374,937 registered phone numbers, that was the equivalent of only about one-quarter of 1 percent of the numbers in the database.
Telemarketers are required to pay an annual fee to access the list so they know whose dinner not to interrupt. Still, the FTC put down its fork and left the table to fine 28 companies, including DirecTV, for calling people on the Do Not Call registry.
