There’s an extra bounce in my step today, perhaps a little extra change in my pocket (as to whether it goes jing-a-ling-a-ling, that’s for another story, perhaps one set in 1986). On this weekend of love and romance and Valentines, I’m celebrating a break-up that’s been a long time coming.
Today, I ended my two-year relationship with DirecTV.
I couldn’t be happier.
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DirecTV’s timing couldn’t be worse.
Just days after starting the pre-planning toward leaving satellite TV for the futuristic territory of online service, I received my latest DirecTV bill. Despite not having ordered any new programming, this month’s bill was almost $20 higher than last month’s. Perhaps they learned of my not-so-secret scheme to leave the company and put in place a plan designed to milk me for a few extra dollars.
Or, more likely, they are just continuing the overall poor performance and customer service I’ve received, literally, since my first day of service.
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I’m finally ready to join the future. Too bad technical issues are standing in my way.
Almost as soon as I signed up for DirecTV two years ago, I was ready to leave (poor customer service, expensive programming packages, general shoddiness), but I had to wait out the entire contract or pay ridiculously high penalties. So, I waited (and fumed), all the while compiling information about my next TV-watching step. I considered the following options (listed in order of likelihood): a) moving back to Time-Warner Cable; b) converting solely to online content through Hulu and Netflix; c) starting my own cable/satellite company; or d) keeping DirecTV.
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It’s been chic to bash network TV the past few years, and to be fair, ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC have deserved every bit of it. Smart, challenging shows (I’m thinking specifically of Freak and Geeks and Arrested Development) weren’t given room to breathe and grow, while dreck like Two and a Half Men still continues to air.
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So ... there I was 