Hurricanes and Satellite TV

If you are like me, you believed bad weather would kill the reception on Satellite TV, so I was content to keep my cable and watch my favorites. I still had memories of those giant dishes and how unattractive they used to look on roofs and in yards.

Last year, here in southeast Florida where I live; Francis and Jeanne, two not so friendly hurricanes, visited me. I think I should tell you that hurricanes and the Big Bad Wolf are at the top of my "Scare Me to Death" list. Francis was first, and my cable went off before the power. I called for repair but was told everyone had gone home in the local area to get ready for the storm. I guess they turned everything off with the lights when they left. I lost power for two weeks not to mention that half of my belongings were blown into the next county, and when the first lights flickered back on - WOW - civilization was returning so I turned on the TV. No Cable! This is not good, I thought! My neighbor invited us over to watch theirs; yes, they had satellite!! The dish is so small and hidden on the back of their roof I never even knew they had it...and amazingly enough it didn't get blown into the next county like my stuff.

Thinking I had a lot of time to shop services, Jeanne was on the scene and I was too late, but I figured the cable had just been repaired and would withstand the portion of the storm we were going to get. Not so, it was a repeat of the last round. Then I had to fight with the cable company for credits on my bills for all the days of no service and it took three billing cycles to get any adjustment.

I started making phone calls, not something I'm fond of doing, when my neighbor mentioned to me that they had found their service online. You can compare rates and free offers without having to talk to sales people and wonder if they are giving you a line to reel you into their service. Isn't the Internet GRAND??? How convenient!

I also found out that shopping for satellite TV online offers so many more discounts and freebies than calling local suppliers. Online sellers work so hard to make you a customer. They not only offer free equipment and installation but also offer free receivers for extra rooms (up to four) as opposed to the one digital box I had on ONE TV from my cable service, and you can watch a different channel in every room which was contrary to what I had believed about satellite TV. The professional installation they schedule for you insures the maximum benefit from the system and is one of the best freebies offered.

Needless to say, I am happy with my service. Our squalls and incredible thunderstorms haven't bothered my television experience and I no longer have to worry about lines going down or over-all-area cable outages. I can even get my high speed Internet service on satellite. Technology is a wonderful thing!

I am curious if your experiences are anything like mine. Does snow bother your television viewing? It's not something I have to deal with here in Florida. I'd love to hear from you to know more about weather effects on your own television systems. Send me an email and let me know how you like your own cable or satellite system. I have a free gift for you that you will simply love if you write to me.Mmceach@time4me.com

I would encourage everyone to investigate satellite TV in his or her own area. It has been such an improvement and cost savings for me that I highly recommend it. Shopping for it online is a pleasurable experience; here are a few of the sites I found to be the best when I did my research:

http://tinyurl.com/d8eay http://tinyurl.com/cjz4p http://tinyurl.com/byg3f

You can compare costs easily, and look for the pricing on the service that fits your needs. If you want only great TV you can see what they have and what current freebies are available, and if you are looking for high speed Internet I am sure you will find what you are looking for too. Mother Nature just got friendlier; I am no longer afraid of the Big Bad Wolf or losing my television reception to hurricanes...well maybe the Big Bad Wolf.

About the author: Marianne McEachern is a single mom living in sunny south Florida.She is a Management Accountant with an interest in Internet Marketing.