I have been thinking about switching to Direct TV, but one thing really bugs me. Right now I pay $13 a month to rent the Motorola HD DVR box from Insight, I paid nothing to get it, and if I cancel they get it back. If I switch to Direct TV I have to pay $200 for a HD DVR, and pay $5 a month, and they expect me to give it back to them if I cancel? That does not make sense to me. I would have to have Direct TV for over 2 years in order to make up the $200 cost by saving $8 a month on rental fees.
I have also heard that if the box quits working, or if they come out with a new model, they will not replace it, you have to spend another $200 to get a new one. With my cable box if it screws up or a new model comes out I can stop by the office and swap them out no problem.
These are some of the biggest things holding me back from switching (along with the fact that I find it annoying to have to hook up a box to every tv). Am I correct in this being their policy? I wouldn't mind paying for a unit up front if it was mine and I didn't have to pay monthly rent, but doing both is not right. I am looking to get 2 HD DVRs and one standard reciever, along with every channel they offer (excluding non-english language), but there is no way I can see paying $400 up front on top of $120 a month just so I can get a few more Hi Def channels (we are supposed to get more on cable this summer).
