Hopefully, you will be able to bring about a change in the poor programming of DirecTV. It is a frequent chat topic on Web groups, with many unhappy customers often complaining directly to the company to no avail.
CNN International focuses too much on Asia and Africa, with little about North and Latin America and Europe. Missing are Fox News and popular programming from a major U.S. network, like that offered by Cable Tica. German and Swiss customers are upset that DirecTV stopped Deutche Welle in July without responding to their complaints.
Surely DirecTV must realize that several thousand English-speaking residents, plus many bilingual Ticos, are entitled to better programming for their monthly fees. We don’t have a choice in areas where cable is not available, so are forced to use DirecTV. They are basically a monopoly. Can this be changed?
R.D. Mandafe
Atenas
Freddy Quesada, Customer Service Manager for DirecTV Costa Rica, told The Tico Times in an e-mail that programming decisions are not made at a local level. DirecTV Latin America, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, chooses programs for a common regional package; therefore, the Costa Rican management cannot modify the programming, according to Quesada.
Customers can submit questions or complaints regarding programming at www.directvla.com, Quesada said.
The Radio Control Office, part of the Public Security Ministry, is in charge of granting permission to these companies to operate in Costa Rica. The Tico Times attempted to contact the office over a period of several weeks for more information as to how their concessions are granted, but received no response to calls or e-mails.