BJU HomeSat Users

[Bakershalfdozen]

I don't know how many folks here use BJU's HomeSat (Trish does) but they are doing away with Satellite programming as of May 31st, 2009. http://www.bjupress.com/distance_learni ... .php#speci

There is an uproar on the HomeSat yahoo! group about this. Most folks who use HomeSat need a teacher-led program because of having several children in different grades and simply can't afford the Hard drive option or the DVD options from BJU or ABeka.

They are saying that in order to use any DVDs (after May, 2009) you have recorded at home, you still have to pay the monthly satellite subscription fee - even though there won't be anymore programming! I understand licensing fees/copyright laws and all that but since most of what subscribers are paying for is going away (upkeep, new programming, teachers, etc.), they should at least offer a reduced rate!

BJU is not the enemy here but I felt like they needed to know what their customers are saying. I think they are being inundated with phone calls and emails. :frog

Here is a letter I wrote to them about this:

To Whom It May Concern:

We were very disappointed to learn that BJU will be removing satellite broadcasting as a means of homeschooling. We ordered our equipment and some books only five days ago! Account # .

We understand that BJU needs to consider their stewardship but so do your customers. Most of your HomeSat customers chose HomeSat for financial reasons. Many of them have several children and it would be impossible to use the DVD or Hard drive programs at the current prices.

Since you are getting rid of all satellite programming, much of what the customer pays for is also going away. Therefore, you should allow your customers to own what they record or offer a reduced monthly rate for using the home-recorded DVDs. It simply isn't right to force your customers to continue paying the current rate when they aren't getting anything else in return after May, 2009.

Most of your customers feel public school is not an option for spiritual reasons and Christian schools are not an option for financial reasons. For teacher-led homeschooling, ABeka is your ONLY competitor with their DVD program. You got a lot of customers because you offered something that was less expensive and now that is going away. We prefer BJU stay ahead in this market.

If you are considering other options like internet TV (similar to what SkyAngel did), please let your customers know in good time so we don't have to frantically try to record as much as possible (6 grades for me!!!!!!!) within the next year.

[six grades for me so I will have all of elementary school for my youngest children]

Another option would be to allow customers to buy their own books separately while renting the Hard drive or DVDs. Most of us survive on the bargains we can find.

We are just one family but there are countless others out there in similar or worse circumstances.

I will be sending a copy of this letter to several groups and internet sites I am on and anyone who agrees with what I wrote will be able to copy this letter and sign their own name to it.

Again, we understand that tough decisions have to be made. We just believe there should be more options than what we are currently being told.

Sincerely,

[Trish]

I was sad to learn this too :sad . I'm not sure what we will do, but I do have some stuff recorded so I'll be ahead a little. Most of what I have is vhs though. I'm thinking the dhl option is very appealing right now. Jess, I really like your letter and will probably send one of my own too.

[Danny Carlton]

We were considering this for our oldest, who has a problem with sticking with a schedule that's not solid. We figured the absolute timing of the classes, would force him to do his work on time and not procrastinate. It sounds like we may still be able to do it this fall (if we can afford it) but have to look for something else after that. Hopefully, he'll get on the ball and manage his time better.