We were customers of Dish Network out in rural Ohio. We contacted Direct TV after their claims that (semi) local programming was available in our area. We asked and asked again to confirm before going through the hassle of changing. They assured us and we switched. Within 30 days we received a letter stating that, due to some arbitrary Nielson Survey, our zip code was no longer part of their DMA (designated marketing area).
I called them and explained, first off, zip codes don't watch television, people do. Second, my mailbox sits in another zip code, as I live on the far end of a county line. In the early 1960's, when the US postal service switched to 5-digit zip codes, they closed the small post office here and routed the mail 16 miles NW of here. There are no television channels that come in clearly out here, but my zip code says there are. Again I called customer retention at Direct TV and their new response was, "The FCC sets the guidelines based on the Nielson surveys, and besides, we reserve the right to change programming." Blah blah blah...
I contacted the FCC. That letter follows:
You are receiving this email in response to your inquiry to the FCC.
The FCC does not regulate the cost charged for satellite programming, nor does it control how this programming is sold or packaged.
* Satellite-delivered video programming is transmitted on a nationwide basis using satellites owned and operated by private companies. The two major providers currently serving customers are DIRECTV and Echostar (Dish Network.)
RULES: None; the FCC does not regulate the cost charged for satellite programming. Advise you satellite providers have a great deal of flexibility in their programming and billing practices, so that the industry can grow to be a real competitor to cable. In the few years since its introduction in 1994, satellite television has become a very popular service and is beginning to emerge as a viable competitor of cable TV. The FCC continues to believe that over-regulation of satellite providers will hurt this growth.
Rep Number: TSR50
These people lie, directly. They have no desire to satisfy the public based on people or needs. They make up stories to try to pacify people and smooth things over, even going as far as blaming it on the government. They make empty promises, they lie, they bait and switch, and they feel good about it!
Find an alternative! They will not deliver what they promise, or if they do, they will take it away with nothing more than a lie to cover themselves.
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