A month or so ago, we decided to change from DirecTV to Dish Network. For the same amount of money, we could get a lot more stations. They also offered some great packages, and you are allowed to change your package at any time without having to renew your contract. It isn’t like buying condos for sale. You are allowed to change your mind. They have some good things and some not so good things I’d love to talk about.

First, the sales people spoke English. I could tell that they were here in the States. That shouldn’t be a big deal, but I want the person I am talking to understand what I am saying. The tech people, well, you can tell they are reading from a script. However, the level 2 tech people are again from here, so no issues here.

Next, we have the top package because that’s what Bill wanted. I don’t think we watch it enough. It has a ton of stations. However, there are some stations that still aren’t covered by the top package. I don’t think that is right. If you have that package, you should get everything.

Next, the sales people conveniently forgot to mention the $10 a month programming fee. I was not happy to see that.

I also didn’t care for the fact that we had to sign up for a 18 month contract.

Its not all complaints though. Their DVR has a huge learning curve (TIVO is easier to use), but is awesome. When the Bears game went into overtime, it still continued taping. My TIVO would have cut out. We have double the space too. We have 4 TVs and only 2 receivers. I love that they can hook it up like that.

Overall, there are definitely more plusses than negatives. I would definitely recommend them. If you decide to try them out, let me know and I can get you a code that will allow you to get some additional discounts!

EDIT:  We no longer have the $10 programming fee added to our bill, so disregard those remarks.

Do you have a DVR yet? I’ll warn you — once you start recording your shows, you’ll never want to stop. To be honest, I no longer even know when some of my favorite shows are on anymore. I set my DVR to the shows that I like, and it does all the hard work and recording for me. There are several brands out there like TIVO, but they all pretty much do the same. The only notable exception is that TIVO makes suggestions for you. It looks at what you record and then records things it thinks you will like. Personally, I never watched anything under my suggestion list. Most cable and satellite companies do charge a monthly fee for this service (on top of the cost of the DVR). However it isn’t anything you are going to be need a cash advance for. I think DirecTV charge us $5.98 and Dish Network is charging us $5. However, it is well worth it. I don’t have to watch commercials when viewing my recorded shows. I am able to watch the shows that Madison can’t watch (I just watch them after she’s sleeping). I am able to record cartoons for Madison, so when Noggin goes off for the day, she can still watch cartoons. I am also able to use those cartoons for a bargaining chip.

I love my DVR. It is something I could live without, but I would be completely miserable.