Our resident Deals Diva has finally cut off DirecTV in favor of a rare TV service available in parts of Orange County: Verizon FiOS. She’s been in one of the lucky neighborhoods to get service and has mentioned to me quite a few times about how tired she is of FiOS advertising.

But apparently, the message got through — not to mention the price. Marla Fisher blogs about her switch today in “I’m breaking up with DirecTV.” She’s a funny writer and has some great columns about being a frumpy, middle-aged mom.

Marla’s letter reminds me of what consumers really want: A good deal on their monthly bill. Why pay $90 when you can get it for $79 ?

After talking to Marla, it appears that DirecTV didn’t raise everyone’s monthly rate last month, although the company did raise rates this year, see “Can you spare $3? DirecTV raising prices.”) She previously called to complain, they dropped the price, and now that “offer” expired so it went back up.

Calling to get monthly rates lowered is still a good tactic. Read earlier coverage of how Time Warner Cable treats customers who complain about the price:

• How to get cheaper cable TV from Time Warner Cable October 21, 2008
• How to get cheaper cable TV in O.C., part 2 October 22, 2008

TV providers have been offering some pretty good deals lately, thanks to increased competition from Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse. In fact today, Verizon FiOS launched a new series of deals, including $150 pre-paid card if you order a FiOS double or triple play bundle. New customers who commit to two years get a 24-month price guarantee. There are other offers for existing customers online at www.verizon.com/deal.

DirecTV’s current deal is TV service with the exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket package for $59.99/month for 5 months. Not bad, but after five months, the price goes up by $109.

Hey readers: Let’s compare notes. What is the best TV deal you’ve seen or subscribe to?

Past stories on TV service prices:

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