why pay for lease

[djsmiles]

i haven't signed up for directv yet, but i'm wondering why would i pay $5 each month to lease a receiver when they're on ebay for $20? and they charge $6 each month for service protection plan. so what kind of service is offered if you don't pay for the plan?

[tcusta00]

You don't pay the $5 for the first receiver on the account. For each additional receiver you will pay $5. It's called a mirroring fee if you own the receiver or a lease fee if you lease it. But either way you will pay it.

If you lease and don't have the PP you will generally just pay shipping to get a replacement. YMMV.

Careful buying on eBay - while there are reputable, authorized sellers on there, there are also those who are not.

[Slyster]

I just looked.. they are running around $150-$200... but be warned.. even if you pay for one at eBay you don't own it.. you are still leasing it anyway!

[say-what]

On ebay it's buyer beware - we've seen many stories of people not being able to activate the receivers because the ebay seller tried to "sell" a leased receiver.

If you want to "own" your HR2x, you pay something like $600 up front, plus the other fees.

As for the $5 "lease fee", it's the same as the $5 "mirroring fee" or "additional receiver" fee that you pay on owned receivers - lease, own, it doesn't matter, everyone pays $5 per month for receivers 2 - whatever on the account.

The protection plan is optional, but helps if you need a dish allignment and eliminates the $19 shipping fee if you don't have the plan.

[NO1B4ME]

On ebay it's buyer beware - we've seen many stories of people not being able to activate the receivers because the ebay seller tried to "sell" a leased receiver.

If you want to "own" your HR2x, you pay something like $600 up front, plus the other fees.

As for the $5 "lease fee", it's the same as the $5 "mirroring fee" or "additional receiver" fee that you pay on owned receivers - lease, own, it doesn't matter, everyone pays $5 per month for receivers 2 - whatever on the account.

The protection plan is optional, but helps if you need a dish allignment and eliminates the $19 shipping fee if you don't have the plan.

This is a fact. I bought 2 receivers off of ebay and they were LEASED. I sent them back for a full refund. I then bought them from Directv. Directv is strict on the ownage of these boxes. I currently own all four of my HR1's but I paid a hefty price for them.

[Earl Bonovich]

i haven't signed up for directv yet, but i'm wondering why would i pay $5 each month to lease a receiver when they're on ebay for $20? and they charge $6 each month for service protection plan. so what kind of service is offered if you don't pay for the plan?

You don't pay the $5 for the first receiver on the account. For each additional receiver you will pay $5. It's called a mirroring fee if you own the receiver or a lease fee if you lease it. But either way you will pay it.

If you lease and don't have the PP you will generally just pay shipping to get a replacement. YMMV.

Careful buying on eBay - while there are reputable, authorized sellers on there, there are also those who are not.

As tcusta00 said....

Either way... you are paying $5 a month, per system.
Regardless if it is classified as a Lease, or Owned.

Service plan is independent of the lease/owned state of the receiver.

[djsmiles]

so would you guys recommend the service plan or is the basic coverage good enough? seems like there's enough support on this site. i just hate paying for something i don't use. like when you buy something at bestbuy and they want $60 for an extra warranty.

[Earl Bonovich]

so would you guys recommend the service plan or is the basic coverage good enough? seems like there's enough support on this site. i just hate paying for something i don't use. like when you buy something at bestbuy and they want $60 for an extra warranty.

The protection plan is most important for the Dish, wiring, switches, and the remotes.

The leased receivers are usually replaced for the cost of shipping with or without the protection plan.

[tcusta00]

Now there's a can of worms question! You will get both sides answering, I'm sure.

I'm of the volition that it's worth the $6 for the insurance. If a receiver breaks, you save $19 on shipping. If a wind storm comes through and throws the dish out of alignment, you save $80, or whatever a service call costs. If you have an electrical storm and the dish gets struck and fries your whole system you save $BIG.

But there are plenty that will argue the case for self insurance.

It's all up to you - are you willing to self insure the risks or do you want someone else to handle it for you for a fee?

[djsmiles]

$6 sounds good to me.

[mhayes70]

I don't have the protection plan on my account. With my receiver's being leased when I have had a major problem they have replaced my receiver. But, that doesn't include dish alignment issues. I am pretty sure they charge for that or if they have to come out to your house.

But, I am pretty knowledgeable on dish alignment and the receivers. So, I wouldn't need to have them come to my house for most issues. So, for me it would be a waste of money. It might be worth it for you.

[gfrang]

Can someone tell me when they started the pro plan i want to figure out how much i saved not having it.
I just thought i would put that money in a separate account sort of self insuring myself.
Just want to see if i will win or loose.

[MountainMan10]

I carry the PP because sometimes it is difficult to diagnose the real problem.

I had problems with 1 receiver out of 4. After replacing the receiver twice under manufacturer waranty I started to think the problem was something else. I bought the PP waited a month and called for service. Turned out I had a bad dish. 3 out of 4 receivers worked without a problem and it was the dish.

Personally I don't want to mess with returning receivers at $19 a shot. If I have a problem I want a tech to come to my house and fix it.

[gfrang]

so would you guys recommend the service plan or is the basic coverage good enough? seems like there's enough support on this site. i just hate paying for something i don't use. like when you buy something at bestbuy and they want $60 for an extra warranty.

I feel there are a lot of things to consider like
1 how handy are you whit tools like a1/2 in socket wrench
2 where is your disc located is it on the roof if it is how high is it
3 are you afraid of hights
3 Do you have a drill to drill holes with (don't try this at home with a gun)
The pro plan really is not for me but i can see why others might want it.
Fore one thing it will give you peace of mind and possibly save you a hospital
stay.

[CrazyforYeshua]

I don't have a problem with the protection plan in general. It used to be they didn't charge, now they do, whatever. I pay for plans on my furnace, which saved me a few hundred when the circuit board went out and the regulator, also on my water line from the street to the house (which is usually the homeowners responsiblity) because it's a 1910 house-old stuff breaks. I paid kinda big bucks to have an extended warranty on my '06 Kia Sorento (100,000 miles/84 months) cause if the 4WD/differential/motor goes out after the 5/60, I'm screwed.
If I pay for all that, what's another $6 a month?
I find it's usually worth it in the long run.

[CtDMonet]

I think we are looking at seperate issues. There are two types of leases, capital and operating. Generally a capital lease is a "purchase" lease, and an operating lease is a "usage" lease. Say if you lease a car and the residual value is the likely sale or trade in value at the end of the lease, your lease payments would be lower. DTV is really an operating lease to minimize the cost to the consumers.

The protection plan is another issue. Warranties generally cover defects in workmanship, not external forces or wear & tear. Your warranty on the same car would not cover oil changes, tires, etc. The protection plan is like a maintenance agreement on a copier. They agree to fix anything related to the unit as long as you are paying the protection plan, and they cover far more than the warranty (wiring, power surges, switches, shipping on parts replacement, etc). You can easily forgo the protection plan, but if anything causes damage to your receiver, switches, wiring, etc that is not a manufacturers defect during the warranty period you will have to pay for it. A service call from any technician from heater repair to plumbing would not likely be under $50 + any repairs. Given it is $5 a month (or so), you would just have to ask yourself if the risk/reward is worth it.

Now I feel better. All of the technical mumbo jumbo make us accountants feel stupid at times. Give me financial data anyday over any of this ATSC OTA DLB eSATA hulla baloola.