will directv put me on new commitment if i swap/add boxes?

[lowspeed]

1) if i buy off ebay, how do i know if its leased or owned?
2) will directv lock me in for adding or swapping boxes?


Thanks.

[jimborst]

Um....wrong forum-you're on the DishNetwork side.

[James Long]

Um....wrong forum-you're on the DishNetwork side.Easily fixed ... :)

[Clemsole]

If it is a owned box there is no commitment. But if you buy one from E-Bay, reguard less what the seller says, you don't know what you are getting until you call and try to activate it..

[lowspeed]

If it is a owned box there is no commitment. But if you buy one from E-Bay, reguard less what the seller says, you don't know what you are getting until you call and try to activate it..


Can i call them and ask if its owned ?

[spartanstew]

Call whom?

[gulfwarvet]

1) if i buy off ebay, how do i know if its leased or owned?
2) will directv lock me in for adding or swapping boxes?


Thanks.

i would say you have a 99.9999999% that you got a leased receiver regardless on where you purchased it.

to normally be a considered a owned receiver, the cost is would be $700, so unless you spent that you don't own it.

and with Ebay "buyer beware" you never know until you go to activate it if the access card has a previous balance on it preventing you to get it activated.

[bluesman40220]

Can i call them and ask if its owned ?

I believe what the earlier post implied was this. If you owned the D* receiver YOURSELF then there would be no new committment. Buying off of eBay is always a gamble. Sometimes the receivers are still linked to unpaid accounts and even if it is clean, D* will usually make you purchase a new card which then kicks in the committment. I think you are stuck, but that is just my .02 worth. Good luck and I hope it works out for you. The only way to know is to call D* and ask them yourself.

[lowspeed]

I believe what the earlier post implied was this. If you owned the D* receiver YOURSELF then there would be no new committment. Buying off of eBay is always a gamble. Sometimes the receivers are still linked to unpaid accounts and even if it is clean, D* will usually make you purchase a new card which then kicks in the committment. I think you are stuck, but that is just my .02 worth. Good luck and I hope it works out for you. The only way to know is to call D* and ask them yourself.


Well i'm just swapping... so i already have a card ... or do they have new cards for the h20 ?

[tim81]

all newly activated boxes in the D* system default to "leased", ask to speak to someone in the access card dept, they are the only ones who can change it to owned or research definitively whether the box is leased or owned

[lowspeed]

Am i the only one thinking that directv is trying to scam NEW and existing customers with this fake lease ?

New customers have to shall out a lot of money upfront and commit to a 2 years agreement and then they don't own it. It's a total scam.

[spartanstew]

Different than a car lease or apartment lease or any other lease how?



Most leases of any kind ask for money up front and a commitment. That's practically the definition of lease. If you don't want to lease, I think you might have the option of buying the equipment outright, but it's around $700.

So, how is that a scam?

[lowspeed]

It's a scam because the true value of an H20 is $75-200 MAX. There's no way that that thing in the free market would cost $700 .

The car lease analogy doesn't stick for so many reasons.

I would say CELL phones analogy would be more appropriate. And most cell phone carriers will let you join with no commitment if you already have a phone.

[spartanstew]

How do you come up with $200 MAX?

The Series 3 Tivo's are $600 - $800 with a smaller hard drive.


If you think it's a scam, I'd suggest you don't swap boxes and let your commitment run out so you can use another provider.

[lowspeed]

I said the H20... thats just a receiver... yet they want you to pay $99 plus lease it.

Thats what i call redicules.

Why are you so anti consumer ?


I don't have a commitment ... been with them for 5 years. I don't like the change. it's very anti-consumer.

[vurbano]

I said the H20... thats just a receiver... yet they want you to pay $99 plus lease it.

Thats what i call redicules.

Why are you so anti consumer ?


I don't have a commitment ... been with them for 5 years. I don't like the change. it's very anti-consumer.
The upfront lease fees are ridiculous. If they had charged me one I wouldnt be with them.

[bluesman40220]

I said the H20... thats just a receiver... yet they want you to pay $99 plus lease it.

Thats what i call redicules.

Why are you so anti consumer ?


I don't have a commitment ... been with them for 5 years. I don't like the change. it's very anti-consumer.

Lowspeed, one way to look at what D* is doing is like this. Somewhere down the line, D* paid someone for R&D of this unit. They put all their money up front and now they are just recouping some of their investment. What D* is doing is no different than any other company that leases their equipment. It is what it is and that is a LEASE. As someone pointed out to you above you do have the option to buy, but that is usually cost prohibitive. However, if you front the money for your own equipment then I believe you will not be committed to any term agreements. The sword cuts both ways. Most subscribers don't like D*'s new leasing business model, but it works for D*. It keeps D*'s subscriber churn down and higher quality subscribers pay more for their television vices. :D

[spartanstew]

I said the H20... thats just a receiver... yet they want you to pay $99 plus lease it.

Thats what i call redicules.

Why are you so anti consumer ?


I don't have a commitment ... been with them for 5 years. I don't like the change. it's very anti-consumer.

I'm not anti-consumer, but I also don't complain about someone else's business model. If I don't like someone's model, I don't use them. I'll find someone with a better business model. IMO, D*'s business model is fine for me. But then again, I've never paid for any equipment from them (and I'm on my 5th DVR as of 3 weeks ago).

[lowspeed]

I'm not anti-consumer, but I also don't complain about someone else's business model. If I don't like someone's model, I don't use them. I'll find someone with a better business model. IMO, D*'s business model is fine for me. But then again, I've never paid for any equipment from them (and I'm on my 5th DVR as of 3 weeks ago).

How ?

[spartanstew]

I've called and asked.

3 weeks ago I called and told them I wanted to upgrade to HD and asked what they could do for me.

I received a free HR20
Free 5 LNB dish
Free installation
Free HBO for 6 months
Free Showtime for 6 months
Free HD for 1 year
$10 credit for 1 year
I had to pay $20 for shipping.

They also offered me free DVR fees for 1 year, but I'm already lifetime and didn't need it.

Every CSR is different, so you never know what deal you'll get. I got a pretty good one, but I'm also a 5 heart customer.