Finding a New TV Provider

We're moving about a quarter of a mile down the road and when Sarah contacted our cable provider to notify them of the move, to our surprise they told us that they did not service our new location.  I searched for cable providers in our new area and it said Comcast provided cable in our area, so I spent a few hours researching the pros and cons of Comcast versus DirecTV.  Basically the conclusion I came to is that for the most part all providers offer very similar prices.  I couldn't find much info on DirecTV's phone and internet services on their web site so I decided to give them a call.  This is where things went downhill.

DirecTV's site was pretty clear on the packages they offer for TV services so I pretty much had that figured out.  Despite the fact that all I wanted to do was ask about their internet service, they insisted that I talk to them about their TV services.  I played along for awhile, but then she started asking me for my social security number so they could run a credit check.  When I told her that all I wanted to know was their internet speeds and costs, she said she would have to transfer me to another department.  However, in order to be transferred I needed an account which requires setting up payment information and being charged!  She said I could cancel and wouldn't be charged if I didn't like their internet offerings.  I told her that it was ridiculous that I couldn't get my simple questions answered without first being billed and hung up.  How ridiculous!  Number one in customer service my ass.

Then I called Comcast because according to their site they serve our new area.  The lady on the phone was very nice, was able to answer all of my questions, and I was quickly set up with their triple play package (TV, internet, and phone).  However, when she went to verify my address, she told me that Comcast did not serve our area.

At this point I was frustrated and quite confused.  Neither of the major cable providers served our subdivision and DirecTV pissed me off, so what was I going to do?  After some more research, it turns out that a small independent provider serves our subdivision for cable TV, internet, and phone.  Very odd considering our subdivision is in a suburb of a major city.  I wasn't crazy with what they were offering, so I decided to call Dish Network.  The girl I talked to was very nice, was able to answer all of my questions without transfer or charges, and I was quickly setup with their Hopper DVR system.  Unfortunately, I am stuck with the small local company for phone and internet, which wouldn't be a huge deal except their download speeds top out at 6Mbps (my current service is somewhere in the 20-30 Mbps range) and that costs $50 per month.  It's obvious price gouging.

I was quite surprised that it was this difficult to find TV coverage in our new neighborhood, especially with its location in the suburbs of a major city.  I never thought I'd go with Dish Network but after reading some reviews I think I'll be happy with them.  I am a bit disappointed with the internet options.  I will place this experience in the "live and learn" box to remember for next time we move.