Paying More for Less – DSTV Downgraded Without Telling Customers .DONT BE FOOLED

Don't be fooled

Complaint: DSTV & ShowMax Content Issues

I am extremely disappointed in the way DSTV and ShowMax are currently operating. I pay for the full DSTV package every month, which is not cheap, and in the past, one of the benefits was that if you missed something on DSTV, you could catch it later either on CatchUp or on ShowMax.

Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. For example:

Diepe Water (Season 3): I was unable to watch it live due to personal commitments. I expected the season to be available on ShowMax afterwards (as it always used to be), but it has never been uploaded — not even after the season ended.

Skemergrond (Season 1): By the time I discovered this series, it was already on episode 44. I checked ShowMax to catch up from the beginning, but season 1 was never uploaded at all. Now season 2 is on DSTV, but there is still no season 1 on ShowMax for viewers to catch up.

In the past, ShowMax reliably carried all the shows from DSTV, and CatchUp had the full series, not just a handful of random episodes. Now it feels like subscribers are paying more and getting less. What is the point of paying for the full package and ShowMax if we cannot catch up on the very shows we are paying for?

DSTV needs to urgently address this issue and explain why so much content is missing from ShowMax and CatchUp. Right now, it feels like we are paying premium prices for a downgraded service.

So they rep**** and said the following to me

Good Morning Michelle, welcome to dstv social media, we apologize for the inconvenience caused. Showmax is now owned by a different company and brand and no longer fully under Multichoice's control. Thus unfortunately the new company has their own way of running things, also taking into account acquiring the rights to show and display content on catch up is also a separate matter that we face difficulties on from content creators, as most only provide rights to air on live broadcast only and not on demand services (Such as catch up). Things are unfortunately no longer the way they were, when we as multichoice owned rights to most content. Hence such a change. Apologies, we are however trying to find ways around this as well as alternatives. Thank you for understanding

~KP

Then I said but you could've let your customers know about this changes..dstv don't come cheap ..but they want to increase it 😕

Anyway this was their response

Certain changes are internal, and unfortunately it's not everything that can be disclosed to the public unfortunately

~KP

So I then send this back

Thank you for your reply, but your response has only increased my frustration as a loyal customer. You admitted that things are no longer the same because ShowMax is now a separate company and that many programs no longer have catch-up or on-demand rights. Yet, none of this was communicated to paying customers.

I am paying for the full package and expect transparency. Instead, DSTV quietly downgraded the service without informing us, while still charging premium prices. When I pointed out that customers should have been told, I was told: “Certain changes are internal, and unfortunately it’s not everything that can be disclosed to the public.”

This is unacceptable. As customers, we are paying for a service and have every right to know when there are major changes that affect what we can or cannot watch. To simply say it’s “internal” is dismissive and shows no respect for the people keeping the business alive — the paying subscribers.

At this stage, it feels pointless to continue paying for DSTV when the value for money is not there anymore. I am strongly considering closing my account and moving to alternatives that are upfront and transparent with their customers.

So please think twice before coming a loyal client ..I have paid every month just to know that I'm not going to be able to catch up on seasons ...so now they are far head and I don't have a clue what's going on ...because we are kept in the dark