DIRECTV vs. Charter Cable TV
DIRECTV vs Charter
If you're shopping for television service, you have a choice. You can go with a cable company, like Charter communications, and deal with the same old problems. Or you can choose DIRECTV, America's leading satellite television provider.
Here are some common questions you may be asking yourself about your TV service:
Will I receiver good customer service?
DIRECTV has had 11 years of higher satisfaction ratings than cable. That's according to the 2012 American Customer Satisfaction Index, which ranks the largest national cable and satellite TV providers.
Is it a good value?
DIRECTV is better than ever, with 100% digital channels and worry-free signal reliability. You simply get more for your money. Cable’s pricing is often confusing and varies greatly from region to region. With DIRECTV, you get the same great channels and the same low rates no matter where you live.
Will I get the channels I want?
See our channel line up with pricing and compare to your cable bill! DIRECTV offers more channels at a better quality for less money. Judge the facts for yourself. With DIRECTV, local channels are included with every package, where available. You’ll also get the best selection of specialty, sports, educational, and premium networks.
DIRECTV has also been consistently growing in subscribers over the years. Cable can’t say the same. With a lot of the major cable companies posting losses over the past few years, it seems that a lot of consumers have realized they’ll get better service, more channels, and a better overall experience with DIRECTV — all for less than cable!
With DIRECTV, you're getting the best of both worlds: service and value. So the choice is clear. DIRECTV always has been and will remain the leader in high quality entertainment. If you want the best value while also getting the best entertainment experience out there, don’t keep paying high prices for mediocre service. See what you’re missing and switch to DIRECTV today!
Charter High-Definition vs DIRECTV HD Programming
Do you have a new HDTV or are you about to get one? Then you should know…DIRECTV is the leader in high definition programming with 190+ of the best HD channels. Charter Cable doesn’t even come close! Your HDTV is a big investment, don’t settle for a limited HD channel selection with Charter, get the best with DIRECTV. DIRECTV broadcasts every channel nationally, you get them no matter where you live.
With DIRECTV you watch all your local news and primetime shows in crystal-clear HD picture. DIRECTV offers HD Local Channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox) and HD Regional Sports Channels in most metro areas. Use our website right rail navigation to check Local Channels in your area.
Call us toll free and let our DIRECTV Experts help you make the right entertainment choice for your family and budget. Or click here for the latest DIRECTV New Customer Promotion.
Superior Technology
DIRECTV has made huge innovations recently with their technology and equipment. DVRs let you pause, record and rewind live TV from any room in your house. TV apps bring your favorite websites straight to your TV. Or share pictures, videos and more from your computer to the big screen with the touch of a button! DIRECTV is always on the cutting-edge of technology. Cable is just catching up.
DIRECTV Packages Beat Charter
DIRECTV’s packages have a luxury of choice. With DIRECTV you get award winning customer service, 100% digital-quality picture and sound on every channel, exclusive sports, 190+ full-time HD channels, access to more than 285 channels and much more. And the good news is that you now have a choice! Vote with a subscription to DIRECTV satellite TV and join our 19.5 million customers!
So don’t settle for cable, upgrade your television experience today! Call us toll free and let one of our DIRECTV experts help you choose the DIRECTV Channel Package that best suits your family and budget.
Charter is Criticized
Charter's history of very poor customer service, poor customer support and frequent billing problems, lead the Better Business Bureau to issue a warning to consumers about the company.
DIRECTV Ranks Higher in Customer Satisfaction than Charter Cable
In sharp contrast, DIRECTV has scored higher customer satisfaction ratings than cable for ten years running, among the largest national cable & satellite TV providers. 2012 American Customer Satisfaction Index.
DIRECTV prides itself on customer service, providing free installation and award winning customer and technical support. You can finally enjoy the television service you deserve — no more hassles and aggravation!
DIRECTV Customer Promise
DIRECTV strives to deliver the best television experience for you every day. Committed to the principles of honesty and integrity, DIRECTV employees are determined to provide you with prompt, courteous and excellent service. DIRECTV promises to do its best to resolve any issues that might arise as quickly as possible. And DIRECTV will continue to develop unique, innovative programming and services that you have come to expect and enjoy from DIRECTV.
This is DIRECTV's promise to you. What is Charter promising you?
DIRECTV: 100% Digital Quality
Not only does DIRECTV offer the biggest selection of sports and movies around, but you'll also get to watch every single channel with 100% digital-quality picture and sound. That means over 285 channels of crystal clear entertainment brought to your home TV.
DIRECTV Exclusive Sports
Do you love sports? If so, DIRECTV has your game, offering over 35 regional and specialty sports networks featuring action-packed programming from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS. Avid football fans can sign up for DIRECTV’s exclusive NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ to watch up to 14 NFL games per weekPlus, you can enjoy all the NFL action in high definition! Other exciting sports packages include MLB Extra Innings.
Charter's sports fans simply can't access this great action, though the cable company does offer a basic line-up of games from the major sports organizations, along with wrestling and UFC events on Pay-Per-View.
DIRECTV Original Programming
With DIRECTV you have access to world premiers of your favorite shows and series from national and premium channels such as National Geographic, Showtime, Starz and more. Plus, watch groundbreaking concerts and DIRECTV exclusive channels like the 101 Network. DIRECTV is your front row seat to a variety of DIRECTV-only entertainment. Simply, Charter just can’t compete.
DIRECTV International
DIRECTV brings you a unique mix of international language programming featuring the best in entertainment from across the globe. Whether you're looking to reconnect with your roots or explore a new culture, DIRECTV brings the world to your living room. DIRECTV broadcasts over 30 different language networks.These varied options include channels in Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Korean, Hindi, Russian, Greek, Portuguese and many more. This is yet another important distinction, as Charter offers only limited international programming.
DIRECTV Beats Charter Digital Cable TV. Compare for yourself: |
| FEATURE | DIRECTV | Charter |
|---|---|---|
| Free local channels | Yes | Yes |
| Highest # of channels | Over 285 channels | Over 100 channels |
| Customer service | Higher customer satisfaction rating than cable 11 years running. 2012 American Customer Satisfaction Index. Among the largest national cable and satellite providers. |
Very poor reviews; warning issued by Better Business Bureau |
| High Definition (HD) | 190+ HD Channels, with the capacity for 200! | Over 35 channels in HD, including local channels |
| Digital Video Recording (DVR) | HD DVR offers built-in dual tuner and can record up to 100 hrs in HD and 400 hrs in SD†† | Dual-tuner DVR |
| Whole-Home DVR | Yes — watch your recorded content in any room with a single DVR.^ | No |
| Sports programming | Variety of exclusive sports programming such as NFL SUNDAY TICKET™ | Major sports events; lacks exclusive programming |
| Installation | Free Standard Installation | Installation Fee |
| Music | Up to 84 SonicTap radio stations | 45 Digital Music Channels |
| International programming | Over 30 different languages represented | Very limited |
- DIRECTV
- Charter
Comments
been with charter for probably 20 years finally made the switch. had problems like above what the people said i am saving alot of money now direct is awesome. another thing i use to hat go paying for my bill with charter.all the years i went there and they always ask you for a id to pay your bill.silly who else is going to pay your bill. i use to laugh i go in and they said hi my first name than asked for a id crazy.charter sucks direct rules
I have the Charter Bundle -- internet, phone and tv.
My internet has been out for 3 days. They can't send a tech for 5 days! How can they even pretend to be competitive when they expect their customers to go without internet service for nearly a week.
I made 5 calls on this matter. The first was an automated reply saying they were aware of "difficulties in my area". The second was to an office in KY, where she said there was no problem in my area. The third call was to the Philippeans, where I was told there is a problem in my area. The forth was God knows where, where a "supervisor" told me that the problem was only with my service... that he couldn't fix problem any sooner because "he" wasn't a technician... The unmitigated gaul and audacity! He suggested I go to my local office and swap my router - me service myself! When i got there, I was told they can't do this!
CHARTER... YOU'RE FIRED!
My Cable bill is $180. I think it's time to switch.
I had charter cable for many years, happily ignorant, till suddenly I got a huge bill for movies I didn't order - their service reps were powerless, when I complained charter just flat out lied to the BBB - their business reps think every dispute is caused by their customers lying because Charter is perfect. yeah, right. I dropped them, went to satellite, and have been kicking myself for not switching years ago. I was walking my dog when I noticed that every other home in the neighborhood, every one, had a satellite dish. I was the last idiot to dump charter. Charter is a bunch of crooks and i'm glad their bankrupt. Satellite services compete with eachother, but charter acts like a monopoly - no wonder charter's service is awful and they have the business ethics of crack dealers.
i am leaving charter , going back to directv, cost to much, getting nothing for the money , poor service an channels dont work have of the time
Believe it or Not but I had Charter for about 6 years. It dawned on me that I was paying $89.78 a month for extented service. They had creeped the price up for no apparent reason. I talked to reps several times and they were taken back that I was concerned about such a high monthly bill with no premium channels and a little more than basic channels. FOOLS!!! Bye Bye Charter Hello Direct
how is Charter still is business? (Duncan, S.C.) How the hell is Charter still in business? When I got the cable in my name; all was well, until I lost my job; and my mom needed to get the cable in her name. They explained that they could not do that. (Not even paying the bill current and closing my "account" and opening up one for her didn't work). They then couldn't give a detailed account as to why our bill had shot up, (on one occasion after this,they couldn't even tell when we had upgraded. Now our internet service sucks the modem goes down just when ever, so I'm thinking ADVISING AGAINST USING THEM!!! P.S. If You are fortunate enough to have a tech come out, be blessed even if they didn't do anyhting.
Where do I begin about the number of complaints my husband and I have about charter.... Customer service: Like previous submissions have also noticed, I cannot understand a word they are saying, and the little I do understand does not make any sense. For example, last night I called to ask why my bill jumped from $65 a Month to $104.00. I wanted a breakdown of the charges, After being put on hold for 15 min!! the customer service rep came back and could not explain the jump in price, at which time she asked if she could put me on hold again...frustrated I hung up, called back and guess what, another rep i could not understand. Tired of all the Billing issues I have had with them in the past, I was transfered to an American Rep who was EXTREMELEY RUDE! I am so glad to finally get rid of this pain that we have had for 4 years!! DIRECT TV HERE I COME!!!
well, lets see.........tobegin with.....I have had charter for about 1!/2 years so far.......gosh......all of a sudden I have this huge bill......guess what.........that Package deal had expired.......and noone for warned me about it........now I picked up the phone, an got a song and dance about everything being extra now........told them i was on a limited income.......they didn't care at all......so we disconntinued a few things to bring the bill down...but not by much.....so here i am........checking out your web page........getting ready to make the switch................GOOD BYE CHARTER!!!
Horrid service, unkept appointments by charter techs (when he finally did show up with his friend he talked non stop to his girlfriend on his cell phone, meanwhile tearing up your carpet), misrepresentation of "Free Installation", horrible accounting of your account by billing, and when you call after being put on hold forever you will not be able to understand a word the representative says, and anything you do understand will be something completely different than the last operator told you! They will give you a lousy telephone number that must have been the numbers of people that had horrible credit, you will have non stop people/ biller collectors calling you for the previous owner of that phone number, their internet service sucks. Charter will not back up what their last representative said/promised or even acknowledge that you called previously. Be very very scared!Dont do it..
I have Charter,in Roanoke Rapids,NC. It is a franchise of Charter, it is the WORST ever cable product I have ever sufferd with. Gary is totally not happy here.
Problems include but not exclusive to: loss of signal and or sound, distortion, loss of sound and/or picture, partial cable pick up added to cable (or whatever sattelite they may use), poor (CC)captions usually out of synch and/or mis-spelled and characters consistantly missing.
I am not looking for `cheaper` as defines Charter equipment-CHEAP CHEAP CHEAPER,fix it with a band aid. I gotta go for less costs, where applicable,and quality, I am contacting DIRECTV today.
I just read an article about Charter accidentally deleting 14,000 e-mails in web based accounts.The e-mails that were in saved folders and in-boxes are said to be lost forever. The problem according to Charter occurred during maintenance over the past couple days. The company has said it is now taking steps to prevent such an occurrence from happening again. That's little consolation to those customers whose accounts were affected.
To all you Charter subscribers here's what you should be asking yourself. Why didn't Charter have controls in place right from the beginning of their foray into the networking business to prevent such an occurrence from ever happening? Doesn't Charter have a responsibility to it's customers to provide them with a quality service for which them are paying a tidy sum.
Personally for me I have my doubts about a company that doesn't have the foresight to have safeguards in place to prevent a problem like this from happening in the first place.
well, where should I begin? a quandry since I have had numerous issues w/charter.
unfortunately for a longtime they were the only provider in the area.have cable internet and cable hd tv.
approx. 2 1/2 years ..yep thats years, I called to upgrade to the 3mg. internet service. ok, they charged me for that but guess what ..signal stayed @ 1.5 mg. ..had it not been for my son checking the speed test I guess I would still be paying for 3 getting half that . well,called cust. serv. to ask for a supr. to locate my acct. ,due an audit and issue a credit for the overcharges ongoing for over 2 years . I have 3mg. now when its 2a.m but otherwise pitiful.
they informed me when I called for upgraded hd serv. that I would get a free dvr before Christmas. just got it last week.
I'm going elsewhere probably dish . heard bad reception when rain comes but hell thats no worse than now for no apparent reason just goes out a while .
I too had the same problem. When they first offered the 10 Mbps internet we upgraded and they came out and set up our network and everything. For several months I noticed that the speed was not ANY faster than 5 Mbps. I called and called and talked to no less than 20 people over the course of a few months who tried everything from resetting signal to sending out line techs to run a diagnostic. I guess finally they had 1 charter tech who is smarter than a chimp who told me that we weren't receiving signal for 10 but for 5. One would figure that with all the techs I talked to someone would have checked and caught the error sooner. So needless to say I forced them to correct this immediately and 6months were prorated. Charter is nothing but a bunch of imcompetent buffoons and I can't wait for Charter to GO OUT OF BUSINESS!
I currently have charter and I am having problems with the box, a service rep came out and told me we would have to run teh signal through our VCR to get the channels and I would not be able to record other channels while watching a differant channel, I called again to day and they wanted me to pay 75$ for them to bring me a new box out or I could drive a 185 miles to pick up a new one myself, they couldn't even locate the desler 15 miles from my home where I pay my bills
GOOD BY CHARTER