I am an NHL fan, and when my wife and I caved in last April — after 9 months without cable — we got the channel package that included Versus. Versus is virtually the only network that carries NHL regular season and playoff games in the United States. NBC shows like a half dozen or something between January and June. So When DirecTV cancelled Versus to protest a rate hike by Comcast (Versus’ owner), I lost my only access to NHL games.
This is my open letter to DirecTV on this issue. I only had 1000 characters, so I could not be as long-winded as I am apt to be.
I am extremely upset you have chosen not to carry Versus. Even more upsetting is the message now displayed on the Versus channel. There, you claim to be looking out for your subscribers by refusing to pay the 20% increase in fees for the right to broadcast the Versus channel.
You realize you entered into a contract with each of your subscribers, right? We agreed to pay you a fixed amount of money every month. In exchange, you agreed to provide us access to certain channels.
By refusing to carry a channel you promised to carry, you breached our agreement. You are not fighting this battle for us. Your refusal to pay for Versus only protects you, because my costs are fixed by my two-year contract with you.
Dish Network is carrying Versus without complaining.
Please be advised that if Versus is not reinstated by Monday, October 5, I will consider our contract repudiated and move to Dish Network. I will not be liable for any penalties for early cancellation, and your breach of the agreement will be my defense to any legal action to collect any fees allegedly owed.
If you are a DirecTV subscriber upset at the company’s decision not to carry the channel or the company’s twisting of words to hide their own penny-pinching, please comment yourself.
Snap! Stick it to the man!
Did you do it? Are they trying to charge you for canceling?