Select Service cost

The Family package is $29.99 before receiver services, TV fees, taxes, etc. Depends on everything you have on what the total is. Also when you change the package, it prorates as you were still on Select for part of the month. So your bill should reflect a partial credit for Select and a partial charge for Family from the day the change was made to the end of the service month.

Family and Select are not $5 difference with each other. They are more $30 to $40 depending on the current price of Select (not counting discounts).

The Family package is not advertised. You have to call to discuss it as it is the lowest they have. Not part of their intro offers, and doesn't qualify for most discounts in the first place.

Always check the channel lineup before changing the package. What's the point of lowering it if there is not enough you like to watch?

Family Package Channel Lineup

I think it may be  finally time to switch services. When they have to lie to compete they lose any faith in their service. Here is a screen grab from ATT's website. Does anybody actually pay those prices?

@jimjumper 

So those prices have nothing to do with the Family package. Those are INTRO offers. Notice the fine print. Also that is not the entire bill as there are receiver services and TV fees depending on how many TVs you get and level of equipment.

There are no lies there. You have to read all the information. And intro offers are one-time deals, you don't get them again.

To find out your options you call to discuss your existing account. Once they finish updating the AT&T site with integrating DirecTV account information you should be able to compare there as well. But you must be logged into your account, otherwise you are only going to get intro information.

I guess the only way to discuss rates is to call and haggle with a service rep over the phone. I feel like Im buying a used car. I think Ill just cancel and start over with Dish Network. I have been out of contract for a long time and i might as well get the their intro rates even if it is a bit inconvenient.

I guess I'll be leaving then. There isn't any sense to be paying full rates when all I need is a basic package. I not interested in haggling like this is used car but the bill of $115 for Select isn't competitive against Dish or even Amazon which I already have. I'll call when I get the chance today and cancel. Thanks for the response though.

Months ago, their CEO announced that discounts would be pulled back. They were never intended to be permanent, only a temporary perk. They apparently had too many customers at risk of operating at a loss (or actually were) because of too much in promotions. So after that situation is resolved discounts are expected to return, though in moderation. So not a used car situation as you are not haggling a final price, that is not how it works.

So to reduce cost, you reduce service. That is the reality. You choose the level of service comfortable for your budget.

You pay full rate regardless if you have a "basic" package or not. Networks charge TV providers a lot to carry them. That is why nobody keeps the intro price as that is not sustainable.

For me DirecTV has been cheaper than Dish. This is because DirecTV has their package and receiver services for the account and then a flat additional TV (mirroring) fee to each extra TV you have. With Dish the cost per TV increases based on the level of box it is. If you go to their residential agreement and look at the last page you will see all those additional costs (changing package, returning receiver, activating external hard drive, increasing cost per level of box, etc.). Certainly go where it works better for you, just read through the information first so you don't get a surprise later.

As a note, you pay for the entire service month regardless of what day you choose to stop using it. So for any new service make sure it doesn't start until after your DirecTV service month ends so you don't pay for overlapping service.

The thing is, my contract was completed long ago. What would prevent me from cancelling service, then contracting new service. I'd get the intro rate plus new DVR and satellite and you guys get to pay for the new installation. Seems to me, a little effort toward keeping your current customer base might be a better plan than chasing new subscribers with unsustainable rates.

You have to wait 2 years or more before you become a new customer with DTV after you close your account.  The contract only states you will kept DTV for 2 years or pay a fee if canceled early there is nothing keeping you from changing service before it is up other then the ETF/ECF.

@jimjumper 

What would prevent you is you are not a new customer. You must be canceled at least over 2 years before you would start over. This is to prevent customers attempting fraud to get a undeserved intro discount again.

It is cheaper to give a big intro discounts for a few new customers, then to give the same again and again for their existing customers (the bigger group). That is how it works for many businesses.

Since the Select and Family packages do not work for you with either programming or cost, than DirecTV is not for you. So cancel and go elsewhere. Otherwise staying and blustering about accomplishes nothing.