D-smart feedback please

[Istanbul_expat]

As you can see from my other thread, I am experiencing constant outages with Digiturk. Today there is no signal at all and yesterday and the two days before it, the signal was off all morning until midday.
Would any D-smart subscribers please tell me of their experiences please? Can I get BBC News, CNN and other English language channels on D-smart or are their channels rubbish or nearly all Turkish language?
Importantly; what is the satellite signal reliability? Here in rainy Istanbul the Digiturk customer service I just rang admitted the signal tended to disappear in the rain. As we had 5 months constant rain last year and it is beginning early this year I don't want to continue paying for a service I can't get or get very occasionally and is completely unreliable. I have to think about this since getting a new subscription and dish (no-one else in my building has D-smart and only one other person has Digiturk) could be a lot of hassle.

 

[Istanbul_expat]

*sigh* forget it. I tried to ring D-smart's central service number and I got someone who half-spoke English and so I was unable to ask about their service. At least with Digiturk they are good when they work and they have advisers who speak good English. I think I'd better persist with this lot even if I add to my white hairs

 

[wesaaron]

We have a D smart system it (one off payment, no subscription) and it gets around 200 chanels, 3 are in english and the rest are in Turkish, Iranian and other middle eastern languages, there is about 15 chanels that have "sexy Arab girls just waiting for your call":wow:

 

[Istanbul_expat]

Thanks! When I rang D-Smart I didn't get sexy Arab girls but I got instead a half-witted Turkish girl which told me all I wanted to know.
I got an engineer to come here on Sunday (I had to wait in all day but it is worth it)and he went up on our roof terrace and said the problem was oxidization on the dish. These things seem very fragile but when Digiturk works it is a really good service and at least I can get hold of someone when things go wrong as they often seem to do with satellite TV.

 

[traveller]

We are in Fethiye and have Nilesat, don't know if its available in Instanbul. Its a one off payment for the box/dish etc. gets about 26 english speaking channels but we do have a few problems in very bad weather.

 

[Istanbul_expat]

No, I don't think we have Nilesat here but I'll ask one of my friends about it. I'm quite happy with Digiturk when it's working! I've had an unbelievable number of outages though. Today the weather was fine so no problems but according to the forecast it will be raining tomorrow so I'll see how the tv signal reacts.

 

[immac]

Having cancelled my Digiturk in a fit of pique, I guess D-Smart is next. Any advice on packets - I don`t want sport - from any current users will be useful.

I`m thinking the HD-Paket will be best. Anyone got that?

Ian