DirecTV questions

[jwinslow]

You should be able to swing a new 2 year deal for about $50 month for everything short of the premium package.

Originally Posted by jwinslow

How to get an additional $240 off as a new DirecTV customer

This worked brilliantly, had all the discounts all set up, but ended up pushing back installation due to really soft (post snowstorm thaw) ground, since I needed a pole mount.

I'm crossing my fingers that there might be a NFL deal added into the mix when I sign up again this fall.

For a 2 year contract and the discounts above, the average per month (not including equipment) was:

$50/month - HD, HD-DVR service.

plus equipment.
- $99 per HD-DVR ($199 - 100 rebate). Update: now start at $99, if you can add rebate, HD-DVR will be free.
- you can talk them into free shipping
- usually an extra receiver or two is free, without the dvr

The way the deals worked out it was much less the first 12 months and more the second 12... so I simply averaged them above.

Our HD lineup - locals (nbc, cbs, fox, abc) + a&e, animal planet, big ten, bravo, cartoon, cnbc, cnn, discovery, espn, espn2, (espnnews soon?), food, fox business, fuel, fx, golf, hd net, hd theater, hg tv, history, nat geo, nfl, science channel, scifi, speed, tbs, tlc, tnt, usa, weather, versus

[Magua]

I had Direct TV from November to May and I had absolutely NOTHING but problems with them. My picture and everything were perfect. However, I had to move in late April. When they came to hook the dish up at my new house, first they didn't even show up the scheduled day. Came the next when I called to bitch. Then when they came they were 4 hours late, the guy said too much tree interference but needed to have a better tech come out. couldn't get one that day, said he'd have one out the next day. well the guy never called or came and 3 days later finally after bitching on the phone for 4 hours they sent one out that day. He said yeah no way because of trees, but that due to the LOS issue and it really not being MY fault they'd waive the cancellation fee since they couldn't provide me with their service(I didn't want to go back to cable).

So I said okay fine nothing I can do about it. I then spent the next 3 days on the phone totaling about 6-7 hours with them talking to 100 different people about having to cancel my DTV and being told by everyone that the fee would be waived. Well when I finally spoke to the Retention Dept they said Nope can't do it. I asked why and the guy was a fucking prick and said, "listen sir, we didn't make you move, that was your choice, you owe 400dollars for early termination." I said, well what if the reason I moved is because my house burned to the ground? He said, well again thats not our fault and you owe us $___.

I hung up and called to speak with someone else. I spoke to one total bitch who repeatedly lied to me. I had everyone telling me the contract is for the equipment, meaning if I sent the equipment back no charge. She kept changing her tune and I called her on it and she was dumbfounded. I asked to speak to her supervisor. She said she didn't know his phone number. I asked her how she speaks to her boss then? She said "he's in the same room as me." So I said well turn around and ask him what his phone number was, and she started laughing at me. I was dead serious. So I in a not so polite manner asked for her name and employee ID number, as well as her supervisors.

They did send me the boxes to send me equipment back. I spoke to them about that and asked about the fees. They said they would handle it when they received my equipment and then discuss it with me. I'd already contacted the Better Business Bureau and Ohio Attorney General office regarding the issue. The guy dealing with me now was very helpful and polite and told me how to get the equipment to them and what to do and was pretty funny about it dogging his own company hearing my story. He said they'd contact me once they got the equipment and nothing would be done with the fees in the meantime until then.

yeah well the day after I sent the packages(they hadn't even received it yet), they had deducted the fee + my last months bill together totaling 520 bucks WITHOUT notifying me or having my authorization. Right from my checking account. I had NEVER authorized automatic withdraw for my payments. Always did it manually every month. Called and bitched. They said they had the right to do that because I owed it to them. However, I said you specifically told me you WOULDN'T do this, and besides, the due date on the bill which included the fee had a due date of 2 1/2 weeks from then.

My bank eventually refunded me and its currently pending but after 90days they say I will have to pay that unless its handled. I asked for a name and number for my attorney to call and they REFUSED to give me one stating I had to mail a fucking HANDWRITTEN LETTER to some address in California. F that.

I am waiting to hear back from BBB and OAGO and will more than likely take this to small claims court or something. Just completely disgusted with their Customer Service and being lied to by 100 people every day for the last month.

[Jimmy Carter]

Originally Posted by Magua

I had Direct TV from November to May and I had absolutely NOTHING but problems with them. My picture and everything were perfect. However, I had to move in late April. When they came to hook the dish up at my new house, first they didn't even show up the scheduled day. Came the next when I called to bitch. Then when they came they were 4 hours late, the guy said too much tree interference but needed to have a better tech come out. couldn't get one that day, said he'd have one out the next day. well the guy never called or came and 3 days later finally after bitching on the phone for 4 hours they sent one out that day. He said yeah no way because of trees, but that due to the LOS issue and it really not being MY fault they'd waive the cancellation fee since they couldn't provide me with their service(I didn't want to go back to cable).

So I said okay fine nothing I can do about it. I then spent the next 3 days on the phone totaling about 6-7 hours with them talking to 100 different people about having to cancel my DTV and being told by everyone that the fee would be waived. Well when I finally spoke to the Retention Dept they said Nope can't do it. I asked why and the guy was a fucking prick and said, "listen sir, we didn't make you move, that was your choice, you owe 400dollars for early termination." I said, well what if the reason I moved is because my house burned to the ground? He said, well again thats not our fault and you owe us .

I hung up and called to speak with someone else. I spoke to one total bitch who repeatedly lied to me. I had everyone telling me the contract is for the equipment, meaning if I sent the equipment back no charge. She kept changing her tune and I called her on it and she was dumbfounded. I asked to speak to her supervisor. She said she didn't know his phone number. I asked her how she speaks to her boss then? She said "he's in the same room as me." So I said well turn around and ask him what his phone number was, and she started laughing at me. I was dead serious. So I in a not so polite manner asked for her name and employee ID number, as well as her supervisors.

They did send me the boxes to send me equipment back. I spoke to them about that and asked about the fees. They said they would handle it when they received my equipment and then discuss it with me. I'd already contacted the Better Business Bureau and Ohio Attorney General office regarding the issue. The guy dealing with me now was very helpful and polite and told me how to get the equipment to them and what to do and was pretty funny about it dogging his own company hearing my story. He said they'd contact me once they got the equipment and nothing would be done with the fees in the meantime until then.

yeah well the day after I sent the packages(they hadn't even received it yet), they had deducted the fee + my last months bill together totaling 520 bucks WITHOUT notifying me or having my authorization. Right from my checking account. I had NEVER authorized automatic withdraw for my payments. Always did it manually every month. Called and bitched. They said they had the right to do that because I owed it to them. However, I said you specifically told me you WOULDN'T do this, and besides, the due date on the bill which included the fee had a due date of 2 1/2 weeks from then.

My bank eventually refunded me and its currently pending but after 90days they say I will have to pay that unless its handled. I asked for a name and number for my attorney to call and they REFUSED to give me one stating I had to mail a fucking HANDWRITTEN LETTER to some address in California. F that.

I am waiting to hear back from BBB and OAGO and will more than likely take this to small claims court or something. Just completely disgusted with their Customer Service and being lied to by 100 people every day for the last month.

You're lying

[Magua]

LOL you probably didn't even read my novel, but in all seriousness I am not lying.

I believe it or not would actually do some work here today than make up a story of that magnitude....

[Nutriaitch]

I still LOVE DirecTV.

last year, they upgraded my dish. The new one was bigger and heavier than my old one. Well the idiot still mounted it on the eave of my house. Didn't work real well, because the weight caused it to lean and be out of line with the satellite.

So they send a new guy out, and he installs it on a pole in the yard instead. This guy said it would cost me $75 to move my dish. Even though it was their fault it was wrong.

He called DirecTV to let them know what was going on, and why. Then he let me speak to them. After complaining about the fee, they waived the cost of adding HD, gave me 3 months of ful service for half price, plus gave me the Suerfan add-on for the NFL package for free.

After the guy finishes moving my dish, I ask him who to make the check out to. His response "don't worry about! I called my manager, and he's taking the fee out of the guy who did it wrong comission."

So, I got a lot chit I was paying for for free, gave me some extra stuff free, and didn't have to pay the fee. My previous cable company never did anything like that for me.

[Taosman]

DirectTV like other businesses subcontracts out their installation people. Some times you may just get unlucky with a shitty installer tech.
It happens.
Maybe Dish would be a better viable option in your case?

But, the age of good customer service is all but gone. That's a fact. Many businesses have exported their customer service off shore.

[utgrad73]

After reading the previous posts, I'm thinking about waiting to see what happens when everything goes digital in '09. Cable may offer better packages (although they nickel and dime you to death). If ATT comes to town with their optical service (Uverse?), I may check that out. Direct TV may offer better deals - we'll wait and see.

Having multiple TVs in the house with cable is nice, I don't want to lose a TV because of costs etc in going with Direct TV. The best deal is out there, I just haven't found it yet.

As long as I can get the Buckeyes on the Big Ten Network whether it's in HD or not, I'm good. Everything that's new and popular is always more expensive, until the consumer starts buying more. Hell, if that was true gasoline prices will be back to $2.00 a gallon soon.

[buckeyefool]

Originally Posted by Taosman

But, the age of good customer service is all but gone. That's a fact. Many businesses have exported their customer off shore.

So the guy that hooks up the direct tv is from Guam? Or is it when I go to a retail store the guy that I am talking to is actually in India and not standing in front of me.