Monday, Jul 4, 2016
I signed up with Direct TV Friday, and they showed up this morning for the install. Good bye ETAPA! There are things to learn when moving to Ecuador that aren’t completely obvious. One of those is who to have as your TV provider.
We are not huge TV watchers but we want access to interesting, informative, and entertaining programming. ETAPA looked like it would work, but alas, the picture on most of the stations was blurry, the only two English speaking channels played the same movie almost every day, and the package I was paying for was missing channels they stated were part of it.
I had both of the realtors we worked with tell us to use ETAPA. They both also had personal contacts at ETAPA to sign us up. It makes me wonder if there was a kick-back involved. Our friends however have Direct TV and based on their report of quality, channel selection, and programming it seemed like the way to go. It costs $20 more a month, but it’s like driving a Ford vs a Mercedes.
Direct TV knocked $10 off the install fee and also discounted my monthly charge $10 per month for the first six months. I didn’t even ask, he just offered it. ETAPA on the other hand charged the full install which was $20 more than Direct TV’s regular install charge.
This is just business and it’s important to know who you want to do business with. If I had to do it over again I would have asked who or what all my options were, and then try to find people who had each service and get information to make a decision. But that is the crux of it right there…decisions.
When you move to Ecuador so many unknowns get encountered. Where exactly to live, who to learn Spanish from, where and who to buy groceries from, which restaurants to go to, which internet provider to use, how to get around town, and the list goes on. And the list is all in Spanish.
Because of this, going with one person’s recommendation is tempting because it eliminates effort around a decision. However, as more data is gathered and information obtained, it may not be the right decision. This whole move is a learning experience for me, and I am learning. It’s just a pain in the ass sometimes.
Tomorrow PuntoNet is coming to hook up fiber optic internet service. When they are finished I will be going to ETAPA to cancel my TV and Internet service with them. This should be an interesting…and time consuming event. Maybe I will have something for a blog post tomorrow.
Chau.
Your progressing Todd. I find with myself that I have to ask a lot of questions. So,etimes a widow gets taken advantage.
Don’t let ’em get away with it Gayla. 🙂
Good blog, very informative. Exactly what I would like to know. Thank you
Thanks Scott. Lot’s of things to learn here for me.
Screw tv! Go to the beach! ????
Lol…yeah, it’s only a 5 hour drive 🙂
Hide, why are you guys staying in Cuenca? I was just looking at a place called Capaes that looks a little bit like Santorini. That’s where I’d be. There must be a good reason you’re choosing the colder climes
Hey Scott,
I’ve been to Capaes and it has a beautiful beach. We are going to go back to the coast at some point. There were two more aftershocks, M5.5 and M4.6, yesterday in Bahia de Caraquez, where we left from after the earthquake April 16th. When we return to the coast we will most likely be south of Puerto Lopez since the earthquake didn’t seem to do any damage that far south. We like Olon but haven’t found a place to live in the area yet. I’m putting up with the colder climate because there are things to experience here that I can’t on the coast. Since I am already here it is worth it for me to take the time and experience the area and people. I am a sun and ocean guy though so I won’t be here for very long. Thanks for reading Scott.