Subject: Fwd: Re: [Re: dish vs. cable]
From: John Luedtke (jp1250@yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Aug 23 2000 - 12:21:29 CDT
F.Y.I.
John Luedtke <jp1250@yahoo.com> wrote:
Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2000 13:14:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: John Luedtke
Subject: Re: [Re: dish vs. cable]
To: Mary Janowski
CC: board@vanguardlofts.com, michaelrut@aol.com,
michaelryt@firstpropertiesllc.com
Mary,
Thanks again for your comments. I am glad to hear that you will be at the meeting. This is a difficult process. It is hard to try to make decisions that are best for the majority of owners - we know that no matter what we do, we cannot please all the people all the time. This is one of the compromises of condo living.
I agree with you that we need to make sure that we will have good customer service. I was disappointed to hear that you were unable to get through to them. The local rep is the person we would call for service, repairs, etc. so we need to make sure they are more easily reachable.
I also wanted to let you know what I had found out about the small satellite dishes that you mentioned. Shortly after moving into the building a year ago, I looked into this. All of the satellites are in a geosyncronous orbit located over the gulf of Mexico. You need to have an unobstructed south/southwest view to get a satellite link. Regardless of what the dishes look like, no owners on the north side of the building will be able to have this service. I have asked several companies whether this could change in the future and was told that the location of the satellites was fixed. They realize they are losing out on potential customers and would have more satellite locations if they could. So unfortunately, this is not an option for a large number of owners.
About the camera. While it is true that in order to see the picture from the camera, you would need to subscribe to Dishnetwork, if you did not care about the picture, you do not need to subscribe. You would not have to have pay tv. With Prime Cable, every unit owner would have to pay for cable service regardless of whether they wanted to see the picture. They could not choose not to have cable service. You would have to pay for cable even if you didn't own a tv - everyone's assessment would be increased. This is even more restrictive, and I'm sure many owners would be upset about that option. With Prime Cable, we would have to sign multi-year contract as well. Not a comforting prospect.
Thanks again,
John
Mary Janowski <mjanowski@netscape.net> wrote:
John- Your reply to my concerns:
Currently, our only option is Prime Cable (or rabbit
ear antenna). There are no other companies in our
area. No other companies are expected until around
2003 (although this can obviously change). Basically
we do not have any options now other than Prime Cable.
Like it or not - you are forced to accept one service
now. We are concerned about the length of the
contract and need to ensure that there is incentive on
their part to keep prices in line, effect repairs in a
timely manner and keep up with technology. These are
some of the key questions we need to have answered.
My response:
Right now our only option is NOT Prime Cable. Any of the many satellite
services are available to us. The only obstacle is the rule that prohibits our
attaching the dishes. While I don't suppose this rule will change I do
forese! e that dishes will soon become even smaller and less obtrusive, perhaps
even designed as "portable" units. When a dish that could be used that does
not violate the rules becomes available we would not be personally able to
shop around for our best deal for 10 years.
You continued:
Nobody will be compelled to have Dishnetwork service
any more than they are compelled to have Prime Cable
service now. Even if we buy a security camera (est.
$2,000) we cannot use it without signing a restrictive
contract with Prime Cable that WOULD require every
unit to pay for cable tv from Prime Cable. They do
not allow owners to choose other providers.
In reply:
The same is true w/ the camera offered by Dishnetwork. In order to use it we
would need to be a subscriber. Also, living near downtown necessitates the
use of something other than "rabbit ears" for even network TV reception to be
clear.
Then you added:
It is possible that y! ou have an old or incorrect phone
number. I know that Michael has been able to get
through to his representative. Information is also
available at www.dishnetwork.com. We have received
feedback from current users of Dishnetwork's service
and they are very satisfied.
My response:
The information I was seeking was not available on the web and I called two
different numbers supplied by directory assistance with the same results. I
was not trying to contact an agent. I was trying to get the company itself.
I was afraid an agent would "flavor" his/her answers. Hopefully, the number
we would need to call with possible problems is not one of those I have been
trying.
Then you added:
As the board felt some unease at making this decision
alone, we sent a list of pros and cons out some time
ago and asked for feedback. We want to make sure that
the decision reflects the wishes of the owners. The
response has been overwhelming! ly in favor of making
the change and we have received some good questions to
put to the satellite provider's representative. We
are still interested in owner feedback. If you have
something to say, this is your opportunity. Keep in
mind that if we get our questions answered at the
Wednesday meeting, a vote may take place on the issue.
If you have questions, let us know soon.
My reply:
I e-mailed a list of questions a couple of weeks ago. A response was sent,
but this has been bothering me since. I, personally, resent being denied the
opportunity to make a choice for the next ten years. Dishnetwork may very
well be the best answer given the fact that at this time we have to have a
dish secured to the building, but as I mentioned before this may very well
change within the 10 years.
I hope to attend the Board meeting, but I realize that general participation
is very limited, so I wanted to re-iterate my concerns.
Tha! nks,
Mary
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