Frustrating Receiver Replacement Experience, Protection Plan Rant

[brh056]

The Story: HD Locals would not come in on my H-21 receiver in my basement. 771 for them. No problems on my DVR upstairs. I troubleshot the whole thing prior to making a call to D*. Checked lines, signals, connections, etc. Moved my DVR downstairs and had no trouble at all receiving HD locals. Brought my parents H-21 to my house and did not have a problem receiving HD locals. Actually brought my box to my parents and still could not receive HD locals there...Lead me to the conclusion of a receiver issue. Brilliant, I know! Had D* remove and add the box on again to see if authorizations could be a problem. Didn't help either.

Now the frustation begins. I ask for them to just send a replacement receiver and all will be fine. Nope, they insist on rolling a fricken truck out at the $79 rate for a not needed service call. Even the tech that came to my house was shaking his head. He literally walked in, looked at sigals(all are really quite good, mid 90's typically, with local spots in upper 90's and frequently at 100) and said "looks like you need a new receiver. Dude was brilliant!

As a consumer, this really frustrates me. They are using issues like this to get people to sign up for the protection plan as a money maker. I am not on it and do not feel that an issue like this should ever be a charged visit by a tech. Many of us can troubleshoot our issues. I did get them to pick up the tab after some work, but this really should never have come to that. It is a leased receiver that had an issue...Plain and simple. It should be send a new one and call it a day. Yet for many its a $79 charge for a BS reason. Or a monthly protection plan fee, just in case you think you actually might need it for a faulty receiver of theirs. I understand that the protection plan covers other things, but this really should work as credit type system if your leased equipment is faulty. How many people just give in and pay the fee?

This really should be a case study for Directv on really bad customer service and policy and should be brought up as a talking point. This type of issue would cause me to not recommend D* to other people. I am happy that I was able to plead my case and have them pick up the tab, but I did have to put in some effort to get that to happen.

My rant, feel free to comment.

[JLucPicard]

I'm sorry for all the trouble you had to go through on this and you're right, it shouldn't have to be that way. Unfortunately, during that time when they did just send out replacements instead of insisting on a truck roll, the percentage of "defective" units that were returned that really WEREN'T defective was quite high. From DirecTV's standpoint it also becomes a bad business practice to just blindly send replacement receivers where the receiver may not really be the problem.

Yes, there are many customers like yourself that are fully capable of troubleshooting - as you have proven with the testing you did. There are also many customers who may be hard pressed to find the Red Reset Button when asked to press that. Regrettably, I think there is probably a percentage of CSRs, too, who when faced with the list of things you did to prove it was a bad receiver still wouldn't be able to recognize the fact that the receiver was, indeed, the problem.

I'm glad they did square things with you!

[brh056]

I understand that they may have needed to cut down on the ship a receiver at a whim policy. The problem is that they should just put in place a mechanism where they will pick up the tab on a service call if the equipment is deemed defective. That seems simple enough and would be a far better policy.

[jimb726]

Maybe they could conditionally exchange the reciever pending bench testing? At least that will open the door to a possible charge back. They could bench test a percentage of them or all of them and then if the unit is indeed not defective, they could back charge the 79 dollars.

[mogulman]

The problem is that the receiver is leased. It is Directv's equipment. Even if it was someone abusing things, what is the big deal? They charge you $20 for shipping if you don't have the protection plan. They get back a receiver that they can use for someone else.. I don't see why they need to be so nitpicky about rolling a truck.

People with cable bring their boxes back to Comcast and other cable companies all the time for issues. They just swap the box. Unfortunately, DTV doesn't have a local place to do that like a lot of the cable companies.

[mogulman]

My other thoughts..

The receiver is not mine. I may have paid DTV some money to start service using the receiver and pay a monthly lease fee. It is not my responsibility to fix the receiver or pay to have someone fix it.

If TV isn't working because a receiver that I don't own is defective, then Directv needs to replace it. Otherwise, shouldn't I be able to cancel my contract and/or not pay for service that they can not provide? I don't even think they should charge the $20 shipping fee.

As much as I love DTV, this stuff makes me want to switch to cable (which I hate). I don't know what I would do if an issue like this came up with me. I once paid for the protection plan so they would fix a defective LNB on my dish (1 month out of warranty). I dropped the protection plan later. They convinced me that only the receivers were leased. Fine.. I bought into that. If the receivers are leased and something happens to them, I don't see myself paying to fix them even if it was $5. On Principal, I might cancel service.

[jimb726]

My other thoughts..

The receiver is not mine. I may have paid DTV some money to start service using the receiver and pay a monthly lease fee. It is not my responsibility to fix the receiver or pay to have someone fix it.

If TV isn't working because a receiver that I don't own is defective, then Directv needs to replace it. Otherwise, shouldn't I be able to cancel my contract and/or not pay for service that they can not provide? I don't even think they should charge the $20 shipping fee.

As much as I love DTV, this stuff makes me want to switch to cable (which I hate). I don't know what I would do if an issue like this came up with me. I once paid for the protection plan so they would fix a defective LNB on my dish (1 month out of warranty). I dropped the protection plan later. They convinced me that only the receivers were leased. Fine.. I bought into that. If the receivers are leased and something happens to them, I don't see myself paying to fix them even if it was $5. On Principal, I might cancel service.

Thats the problem though, they were just sending out recievers to just about anyone who called in with issues. Look at the past threads with folks saying that they had 5 or 6 boxes and finally a service tech came out and it was a bad connector, or a misaligned dish, or lnb, etc. The fact is very few companies will just send out replacements without verifying that the problem is in fact legit. At that point it becomes preference on whether you want to cover your bets with the PP or take your chances.

[rudeney]

I guess one could argue that the maintenance of a leased receiver is pretty much the same as it is on a leased car – it’s the responsibility of the lessee. Of course most of the time, it is suggested that you don’t lease a car for a term that extends past the warranty, and if you do, then you should consider an extended warranty. Since D*’s equipment has only a 90-day warranty, that same advice would apply (i.e. buy the PP).

[ziggy29]

Personally I can understand why they want to cut down on the number of "bad" receivers which aren't. But I do think that if leased equipment goes bad and the customer does NOT have the protection plan, the $79 charge for the service call should be waived. If the problem turns out to be something D* is not responsible for, then the charge should stand.

[mogulman]

I guess one could argue that the maintenance of a leased receiver is pretty much the same as it is on a leased car – it’s the responsibility of the lessee. Of course most of the time, it is suggested that you don’t lease a car for a term that extends past the warranty, and if you do, then you should consider an extended warranty. Since D*’s equipment has only a 90-day warranty, that same advice would apply (i.e. buy the PP).

Leasing a car is totally different then leasing a DTV receiver. It is a completely different kind of lease.

[mogulman]

Personally I can understand why they want to cut down on the number of "bad" receivers which aren't. But I do think that if leased equipment goes bad and the customer does NOT have the protection plan, the $79 charge for the service call should be waived. If the problem turns out to be something D* is not responsible for, then the charge should stand.

I agree.

[BlueGuy]

The Story: HD Locals would not come in on my H-21 receiver in my basement. 771 for them. No problems on my DVR upstairs. I troubleshot the whole thing prior to making a call to D*. Checked lines, signals, connections, etc. Moved my DVR downstairs and had no trouble at all receiving HD locals. Brought my parents H-21 to my house and did not have a problem receiving HD locals. Actually brought my box to my parents and still could not receive HD locals there...Lead me to the conclusion of a receiver issue. Brilliant, I know! Had D* remove and add the box on again to see if authorizations could be a problem. Didn't help either.

Now the frustation begins. I ask for them to just send a replacement receiver and all will be fine. Nope, they insist on rolling a fricken truck out at the $79 rate for a not needed service call. Even the tech that came to my house was shaking his head. He literally walked in, looked at sigals(all are really quite good, mid 90's typically, with local spots in upper 90's and frequently at 100) and said "looks like you need a new receiver. Dude was brilliant!

As a consumer, this really frustrates me. They are using issues like this to get people to sign up for the protection plan as a money maker. I am not on it and do not feel that an issue like this should ever be a charged visit by a tech. Many of us can troubleshoot our issues. I did get them to pick up the tab after some work, but this really should never have come to that. It is a leased receiver that had an issue...Plain and simple. It should be send a new one and call it a day. Yet for many its a $79 charge for a BS reason. Or a monthly protection plan fee, just in case you think you actually might need it for a faulty receiver of theirs. I understand that the protection plan covers other things, but this really should work as credit type system if your leased equipment is faulty. How many people just give in and pay the fee?

This really should be a case study for Directv on really bad customer service and policy and should be brought up as a talking point. This type of issue would cause me to not recommend D* to other people. I am happy that I was able to plead my case and have them pick up the tab, but I did have to put in some effort to get that to happen.

My rant, feel free to comment.

You think you are annoyed now? Wait until you figure out they added 2 yrs to your commitment.

[Dave]

Actually DTV should pick up the tab for all replacements and truck rolls. Point 1, DirectV or there reps did the install of all equipment, not the customer. Point 2, it is leased equipment, not owned. Even if it is a bad LNB or wiring, remember that it was a DirectV install by there reps. Point 3, this is why I do not give a credit card number to DirectV, or have a active credit card on account with them or any business. Point 4, always stress with DirectV if they are wrong and they need to make it right now. Not in the future at there convience. Point 5, if you need and think it will help file a compaint against DirectV with the state of California the attorney generals office, and also with the Better Business Bureau in Irvington, CA where there headquarters are located. If they, DirectV makes a charge on your Credit Card of file with them, and is it wrong. Immediately call your card company up and dispute the charge. Remember DirectV likes to keep your money and give you credits if they DTV are wrong. They won't want to refund any monies.

[rudeney]

Leasing a car is totally different then leasing a DTV receiver. It is a completely different kind of lease.

I fully understand that and I am one of the first people one to point out how car lease analogies don’t apply to D* equipment. Regardless, I do believe it applies in this case. So many people come here and state that they don’t believe they should be responsible for repairs and service on something they do not own. My argument is that they do on a car lease, so why expect something different on a D* equipment lease?

[rudeney]

Actually DTV should pick up the tab for all replacements and truck rolls. Point 1, DirectV or there reps did the install of all equipment, not the customer.


Not always. Up until two years ago when I upgraded to HD, all my equipment was self-installed.

Point 2, it is leased equipment, not owned.

That has absolutely nothing to do with who is responsible for covering the cost of repairs.

Even if it is a bad LNB or wiring, remember that it was a DirectV install by there reps.

All of my internal cabling (including dish to multiswitch) was installed by me. If I did a bad job, why is that D*’s problem?

Point 3, this is why I do not give a credit card number to DirectV, or have a active credit card on account with them or any business. Point 4, always stress with DirectV if they are wrong and they need to make it right now. Not in the future at there convience. Point 5, if you need and think it will help file a compaint against DirectV with the state of California the attorney generals office, and also with the Better Business Bureau in Irvington, CA where there headquarters are located. If they, DirectV makes a charge on your Credit Card of file with them, and is it wrong. Immediately call your card company up and dispute the charge. Remember DirectV likes to keep your money and give you credits if they DTV are wrong. They won't want to refund any monies.

I do agree with you here. D* is very slow to correct billing issues and instead of correcting the error, they typically just issue generic credits, and then those credits count against your rating for getting any sort of deals or discounts on future services.

[David MacLeod]

this is another example of no consistency. see my post http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=140665
I did pretty much the same troubleshooting and, other than being sent broken equipment, did not have to deal with that service call stuff. maybe its related to model involved.

[mogulman]

I fully understand that and I am one of the first people one to point out how car lease analogies don’t apply to D* equipment. Regardless, I do believe it applies in this case. So many people come here and state that they don’t believe they should be responsible for repairs and service on something they do not own. My argument is that they do on a car lease, so why expect something different on a D* equipment lease?

Yeah..but they don't for cable boxes. So why require it for D* equipment? I think Cable DVRs are more similar to DTV than cars.

[rudeney]

Good point, but cable boxes usually have no up-front fees, so if you want to swap, you have no investment in it. I guess that’s where I see the similarities between a car lease and a D* receiver lease in terms of warranty support. Oh, and also like a car lease (and unlike with cable), when you lease a receiver from D*, you end up in a commitment term, so even if you wanted to walk away, you can’t just return the box – you still have he ETF’s to worry about.

And on the subject of cable and back to the original topic, our local cable provider is not as quick to just replace a box. Unless there is some obvious problem with it, like no power at all, they want to send a technician. If the problem is in their lines up to the service entrance, or it is the box, the cover the cost. If the tech thinks it’s inside wiring, and you don’t have the service for that, then they charge you if you want that repaired. My sister-in-law went through this. They had ridiculously weak signal levels at the service entrance (-10db or somethign liek that), but the cable company refused to do anything about it, always citing “internal wiring”. I installed all new home-run RG6 with an amplifier, attenuators, etc. just to get a barely viewable signal. The cable company still claimed inside wiring. They now have D*. :)

[HD AV]

The analogy to a leased car does hold water. The car has normal wear and tear and requires preventative maintenance; lessee's responsibility plain and simple. A piece of electronic equipment does not, it only requires proper use and due care, not maintenance. If it does not function as it should, it is not the lessee's responsibility unless they were negligent and damaged the unit.

[iamqnow]

Thats the problem though, they were just sending out recievers to just about anyone who called in with issues. Look at the past threads with folks saying that they had 5 or 6 boxes and finally a service tech came out and it was a bad connector, or a misaligned dish, or lnb, etc. The fact is very few companies will just send out replacements without verifying that the problem is in fact legit. At that point it becomes preference on whether you want to cover your bets with the PP or take your chances.

Yes, but, I had a bad receiver, no doubt about it. Called at least 5 times within 3 months, explained how mpeg 4 channels did not work. Went through all kinds of torture. Explained how I did all my own installs, swapped "bad" receiver location to prove it was not another issue (cable,connnector, etc.) They didn't want to hear it. Picked up a new receiver at BestBuy and it worked fine. They did finally credit me for the $99. lease fee after I sent the NG unit back to them. Really frustrating.

[skyviewmark1]

As a DirecTV Retailer, I have never had a problem getting DirecTV to just send out a new receiver to the customer, although they never have any verification that I actually know anything about it other than telling them that I am an independent retailer.. I have actually had my customer call and tell the Tech people that I had been out and verified that the receiver was bad and gotten a new receiver sent that way.. I guess my point is that if Tech support is led to believe a techinician has verified the problem they don't seem to question just sending out a new box.. Always wondered what would happen if the customer just told the TSR that either he was a tech for Joe Blow satellite company or Joe Blow Satellite company told him the reciever was faulty, would they just ship a new one on that Info.. Not advocating this procedure.. Just talking hypothetically.. Of Course..

[wingrider01]

Leasing a car is totally different then leasing a DTV receiver. It is a completely different kind of lease.


In what ways? The only thing different is the mileage limits. As a end user of the car you are still liable for all non-warrenty work on the vehicle.

[JLucPicard]

Point 1, DirectV or there reps did the install of all equipment, not the customer. Point 2, it is leased equipment, not owned. Even if it is a bad LNB or wiring, remember that it was a DirectV install by there reps.
Point 1 is not always true, as has been pointed out by other posters.

Point 2 is not always valid, either. If someone bings a basketball off the dish and damages the LNB, that has nothing to do with how things were installed. If joe sixpack decides to run a cable through a doorway or under a carpet and that cable gets damaged, causing what could look like receiver problems, that's not an installation related issue, either.

This stuff, I've learned over the years, is never point-blank, make a statement, that's-the-end-of-it cut and dried. You may be surprised the number of imaginative ways people can find for FUBARing their equipment that isn't the fault of the company providing the equipment at all.

[mogulman]

In what ways? The only thing different is the mileage limits. As a end user of the car you are still liable for all non-warrenty work on the vehicle.


When you lease a car, the money you pay on the lease is based on how long the lease is, and the depreciation of the car over the term of the lease. At the end of a car lease, you have the option to buy it at the residual value.

So.. for Directv if it was equivalent to a car.. I would pay my up front $199 + $5x24 months ($120)=$320 over the course of a 2 year contract. At the end of the 2 year contract, if this was like a car, I would have the option of buying the unit and not pay $5/month anymore. Directv isn't going to allow that though. They want the $5/month forever. Even when you are done with your contract.

[paulman182]

I don't see any reason to compare the DirecTV lease with a car lease.

Why should it be similar?

They do what they want and we either subscribe or not.

[brh056]

I don't see any reason to compare the DirecTV lease with a car lease.

Why should it be similar?

They do what they want and we either subscribe or not.


Even if people want to compare let's use the case here...You are responsible for general maintenance on the car...But, not if the engine completely dies due to a faulty part. Essentially that's what this particular case boils down to...The car does not run for any other reason that a faulty engine. How is it that we should be held accountable for the cost of servicing that?

I really don't have a problem with rolling a truck as long as there is a system for how that process works if the receiver is the issue. You wouldn't just call the dealer of your car and say "I have a faulty widget, please send me a new one" But, you certainly would not be responsible for the cost of labor to get it fixed at the dealer once they figured out that the widget was the problem.

[rudeney]

When you lease a car, the money you pay on the lease is based on how long the lease is, and the depreciation of the car over the term of the lease. At the end of a car lease, you have the option to buy it at the residual value.

What you are describing is a closed-end lease, which is the most common type of consumer automobile lease. There are other types of leases (such as open-ended) which are much more comparable to D*’s equipment leases. Of course they are also rare in the consumer market, but not uncommon in the business world. From the standpoint of who is responsible for repairs in the event of a defect, it is still no different. If the car is under the manufacturer’s warranty, then it’s covered. If it’s still being leased after the warranty has expired, then it’s the lessee’s responsibility to get it fixed or to buy an extended warranty to cover the repairs. That is regardless of what caused the issue – manufacturing defect, design flaw, failure to perform maintenance, damage, etc.

So.. for Directv if it was equivalent to a car.. I would pay my up front $199 + $5x24 months ($120)=$320 over the course of a 2 year contract. At the end of the 2 year contract, if this was like a car, I would have the option of buying the unit and not pay $5/month anymore. Directv isn't going to allow that though. They want the $5/month forever. Even when you are done with your contract.

Close, but the $5/mo is not an issue. That really has nothing to do with the lease because they charge the same amount (though with a different description) for owned receivers. If you want to compare that to a car lease, it’s more like the registration fees and taxes you pay in order to be able to use the car.

Getting back to the topic of the thread, the OP’s issue is that D* charged him $80 for an in-home service call to repair (replace) a defective receiver. He believes that since it is leased equipment, D* should cover that charge. I do not agree that D* should service all leased receivers for free simply because they are leased, but I also do not agree in charging $80 for a service call when it ended up being a defective receiver. They should have changed this to a $20 receiver swap charge. That would be the equitable way to handle it.

[Rabushka]

Yes, but, I had a bad receiver, no doubt about it. Called at least 5 times within 3 months, explained how mpeg 4 channels did not work. Went through all kinds of torture. Explained how I did all my own installs, swapped "bad" receiver location to prove it was not another issue (cable,connnector, etc.) They didn't want to hear it. Picked up a new receiver at BestBuy and it worked fine. They did finally credit me for the $99. lease fee after I sent the NG unit back to them. Really frustrating.

One way to avoid the hassle is to say you saw smoke, smell something burning and the DVR is dead

[wingrider01]

I don't see any reason to compare the DirecTV lease with a car lease.

Why should it be similar?

They do what they want and we either subscribe or not.

would suspect for the comparision of the end users responsiblities on the units, it is actually quite similiar.

[wingrider01]

What you are describing is a closed-end lease, which is the most common type of consumer automobile lease. There are other types of leases (such as open-ended) which are much more comparable to D*’s equipment leases. Of course they are also rare in the consumer market, but not uncommon in the business world. From the standpoint of who is responsible for repairs in the event of a defect, it is still no different. If the car is under the manufacturer’s warranty, then it’s covered. If it’s still being leased after the warranty has expired, then it’s the lessee’s responsibility to get it fixed or to buy an extended warranty to cover the repairs. That is regardless of what caused the issue – manufacturing defect, design flaw, failure to perform maintenance, damage, etc.



Close, but the $5/mo is not an issue. That really has nothing to do with the lease because they charge the same amount (though with a different description) for owned receivers. If you want to compare that to a car lease, it’s more like the registration fees and taxes you pay in order to be able to use the car.

Getting back to the topic of the thread, the OP’s issue is that D* charged him $80 for an in-home service call to repair (replace) a defective receiver. He believes that since it is leased equipment, D* should cover that charge. I do not agree that D* should service all leased receivers for free simply because they are leased, but I also do not agree in charging $80 for a service call when it ended up being a defective receiver. They should have changed this to a $20 receiver swap charge. That would be the equitable way to handle it.

well the dealer charged me 400.00 to replace the alternator on my wife's leased car - it was beyond the warrenty period. where is the difference? The alternator was defective, got charged for the cost of the part and the time costs for the mechanic

car is leased, charged for a out of warrenty repair, it appears the OP was beyond the 90 day warrenty period of the dvr, so he was charged.

The 4.99 a month is relevant, on a leased reciver is is designated as a lease charge, on a owned reciever is is a mirror charge - same amount, 2 different things. Registration, PP tax is normally included in the cost of the lease on the vehicle.

[Shades228]

One way to avoid the hassle is to say you saw smoke, smell something burning and the DVR is dead

It could be that certain things like this are what makes a company stop taking the customers word for problems and having a tech verify it.

[rudeney]

well the dealer charged me 400.00 to replace the alternator on my wife's leased car - it was beyond the warrenty period. where is the difference? The alternator was defective, got charged for the cost of the part and the time costs for the mechanic

car is leased, charged for a out of warrenty repair, it appears the OP was beyond the 90 day warrenty period of the dvr, so he was charged.

I believe you and I are in agreement here. The only thing I’ll add is that D* usually offers a receiver swap for $20, but sometimes they insist on verifying this with an in-home service visit for $80. In your car scenario, how would you feel if they said, “Well, this could be a problem with your battery cable which would cost $100, but we are going to first require a new alternator for $400 to verify which is bad.” See, that’s sort of what they are doing by requiring the in-home service. Of course when it’s not clear what the cause is, then I can understand the in-home charge.

The 4.99 a month is relevant, on a leased reciver is is designated as a lease charge, on a owned reciever is is a mirror charge - same amount, 2 different things. Registration, PP tax is normally included in the cost of the lease on the vehicle.

My comment about it not being relevant was to Mogulman’s point about D* wanting the $5 for as long as the receiver is used. Basically, they would want that regardless of whether it was a “leased” receiver (where they call it a monthly lease fee) or an “owned’ receiver (where it is called a mirror fee). Basically, it’s a monthly “connection” fee. The only thing in terms of a car analogy I could come up with was use fees which equate to license fees or taxes.

So, now you see why we always say car lease analogies are always bad to explain D* equipment leases? :)

[wingrider01]

I believe you and I are in agreement here. The only thing I’ll add is that D* usually offers a receiver swap for $20, but sometimes they insist on verifying this with an in-home service visit for $80. In your car scenario, how would you feel if they said, “Well, this could be a problem with your battery cable which would cost $100, but we are going to first require a new alternator for $400 to verify which is bad.” See, that’s sort of what they are doing by requiring the in-home service. Of course when it’s not clear what the cause is, then I can understand the in-home charge.



My comment about it not being relevant was to Mogulman’s point about D* wanting the $5 for as long as the receiver is used. Basically, they would want that regardless of whether it was a “leased” receiver (where they call it a monthly lease fee) or an “owned’ receiver (where it is called a mirror fee). Basically, it’s a monthly “connection” fee. The only thing in terms of a car analogy I could come up with was use fees which equate to license fees or taxes.

So, now you see why we always say car lease analogies are always bad to explain D* equipment leases? :)

Nope -

[thestaton]

Just an idea... But if you ever have any issues in the future why not sign up for the PP then a few weeks later call in?

[wingrider01]

Just an idea... But if you ever have any issues in the future why not sign up for the PP then a few weeks later call in?

would have to be a month, the waiting period is 30 days, but they will discount the cost of the truck. Plus there is a surcharge if you cancel it in less then a year

[jimdx]

Went through the same BS recently when I had a box that clearly had a tuner problem. When the tech refused to authorize shipping a new box, I asked to be transferred to retention.

Two days later I had a new box. Unfortunately, that one also crapped out right out of the box. Next one arrived a day later (brand new too) and it's worked fine since.

Going to retention was definitely worthwhile for me.

[js12278]

Sounds Like BS to me. If I am not getting a signal or a picture on my screen I am not paying for anything. They can come and fix it or I will cancel my service plain and simple. I do the same thing with the cell phone company. Your service drops the calls, replace the phone or the phone is coming back and I am walking away.
People get rooked into paying for all these *extras*. Personally, I had an alignment issue. I called for someone to come out and adjust the dish, after I attempted myself, They said I would have to pay. I refused, told them to come pick up their equipment and forget I have been with them from the beginning. They ended up paying for the service plan fees each month, issuing a credit for the service call, and aligning the dish. I absolutely refuse to pay to maintain THEIR equipment.
The phone comapny tries the same thing. Call for service for no dial tone or noise in the line and they give some line about how there will be a charge if it is found to be inside the home. If it was inside my house I wouldn't be calling. Enough of the mouse urine, squirrel attacks...upgrade the phone lines and give me a clear call.
These comapnies try to squeeze the ignorant folks. Speak up and tell them how ya feel, really how ya feel, You will get your way. Good Luck.

[Shades228]

Sounds Like BS to me. If I am not getting a signal or a picture on my screen I am not paying for anything. They can come and fix it or I will cancel my service plain and simple. I do the same thing with the cell phone company. Your service drops the calls, replace the phone or the phone is coming back and I am walking away.
People get rooked into paying for all these *extras*. Personally, I had an alignment issue. I called for someone to come out and adjust the dish, after I attempted myself, They said I would have to pay. I refused, told them to come pick up their equipment and forget I have been with them from the beginning. They ended up paying for the service plan fees each month, issuing a credit for the service call, and aligning the dish. I absolutely refuse to pay to maintain THEIR equipment.
The phone comapny tries the same thing. Call for service for no dial tone or noise in the line and they give some line about how there will be a charge if it is found to be inside the home. If it was inside my house I wouldn't be calling. Enough of the mouse urine, squirrel attacks...upgrade the phone lines and give me a clear call.
These comapnies try to squeeze the ignorant folks. Speak up and tell them how ya feel, really how ya feel, You will get your way. Good Luck.

While I'm glad D* was able to get your situation resolved I figure I'll clear something up. The only part of your entire system that you wouldn't own. depending on how long ago you got them and how you got them, are the receivers. Anything else is yours. So that means the dish, multiswitch, wiring, and remotes are all yours. So they don't have to fix it if they don't want to.

As far as whether or not you personally choose to do something that is your choice just stating some info in case you weren't aware of it.

[rudeney]

Sounds Like BS to me. If I am not getting a signal or a picture on my screen I am not paying for anything. They can come and fix it or I will cancel my service plain and simple. I do the same thing with the cell phone company. Your service drops the calls, replace the phone or the phone is coming back and I am walking away.
People get rooked into paying for all these *extras*. Personally, I had an alignment issue. I called for someone to come out and adjust the dish, after I attempted myself, They said I would have to pay. I refused, told them to come pick up their equipment and forget I have been with them from the beginning. They ended up paying for the service plan fees each month, issuing a credit for the service call, and aligning the dish. I absolutely refuse to pay to maintain THEIR equipment.
The phone comapny tries the same thing. Call for service for no dial tone or noise in the line and they give some line about how there will be a charge if it is found to be inside the home. If it was inside my house I wouldn't be calling. Enough of the mouse urine, squirrel attacks...upgrade the phone lines and give me a clear call.
These comapnies try to squeeze the ignorant folks. Speak up and tell them how ya feel, really how ya feel, You will get your way. Good Luck.


The way I look at it, my phone service, electrical, cable, etc. all have responsibility for their signal up to the point where it enters my house at their terminal box. Once it goes past that, it’s my problem, although I can pay those respective companies for service or a service contract.

The deliver of D*’s signal seems to confuse people because they think of the dish or the multiswitch as being the point of entry. In reality, the point of entry for D* is at their satellite. Once the signal heads toward Earth, it’s the customer’s responsibility. D* has no control over what happens at or around your house to affect their signal. You could have trees, birds, kids, squirrels, wind, rain, etc. interfering with your reception and there is no way they can do anything about that. Just as if a squirrel chewed a phone line in your attic, that’s not AT&T’s problem, or if you drive a nail through an electrical wire in your wall and short out the living room circuit, it’s not the power company’s problem.

[js12278]

I dunno, maybe I just refuse to lay down to them. I pay a subscription for a service. I pay to use their equipment. I am sure if I stopped paying they would expect payment for the Receivers?? Of course the wiring in the house is my deal, I installed it. If they installed it, I assure you...they would be out here fixing it...no charge. Granted If I send a nail through the wire, obviously It's my fault. We are talking the obvious issues. They installed the dish. When the installer left, he assured the signal. If I lose the signal, he can come fix it until he gets it right.
Maybe I should not have said anything. Then those that have problems can "just pay the man". I refuse pay for anything I EXPECT to be part of the deal. Right or wrong I usually end up very happy with my service. All I was offering was, question all and any charge you feel you shouldn't have to pay. I am not taking advantage, If they didn't want to give me a break, they wouldn't.

[wingrider01]

I dunno, maybe I just refuse to lay down to them. I pay a subscription for a service. I pay to use their equipment. I am sure if I stopped paying they would expect payment for the Receivers?? Of course the wiring in the house is my deal, I installed it. If they installed it, I assure you...they would be out here fixing it...no charge. Granted If I send a nail through the wire, obviously It's my fault. We are talking the obvious issues. They installed the dish. When the installer left, he assured the signal. If I lose the signal, he can come fix it until he gets it right.
Maybe I should not have said anything. Then those that have problems can "just pay the man". I refuse pay for anything I EXPECT to be part of the deal. Right or wrong I usually end up very happy with my service. All I was offering was, question all and any charge you feel you shouldn't have to pay. I am not taking advantage, If they didn't want to give me a break, they wouldn't.

Given the previous logical comparision that the point of entry to the premise equipment is the orbiting satalite, Directv's cost responsiblity ends there.

If you have your phone serviced, anything from the pole to the termination point of the external entry point in the box is the phone companies responsiblity, anything on the other side is considered premise equipment and is chargable at their normal rates - given that analog - from the sat dish to the reciever is your responsiblity. Dish, external wiring, multiswitch, internal wiring, recieer is consider premise equipment