Law
10-06-08, 11:59 AM
Let me first state that I'm been a customer for a little over a year and have been absolutely thrilled with the product so far. That said, I have been having an issue with my HR20-700 HD DVR that is driving me insane.
I originally signed up for DirecTV at my previous residence. They came out, installed the dish, boxes, cables, etc. Last July, I moved into a new apartment that had DirecTV service as part of a MDU (served by DirectPLUS). This is part of the problem as you'll soon see.
About three weeks ago, my DVR started pausing, freezing up, and generally became 'glitchy'. I live in Miami so bad storms aren't uncommon, initially I chalked it up to the weather during the recording. However the problem seemed to get progressively worse and eventually the issue would even occur if I paused/RW/FFW live TV.
I first called DirecTV on Monday and they walked me through the over-the-phone basics of resetting the box, checking the connections, etc, but nothing worked. They told me that I would need a service call, but since I lived in an MDU, DirectPLUS would need to be the one to perform it. No problem, called up DirectPLUS, set up an appointment for Wednesday and left work for a few hours in order to meet them for the service call.
The DirectPLUS technician came into the apartment, took one look at the box and said that he couldn't do anything since I got the box from DirecTV. This was annoying (I just took a few hrs off of work to meet him there), but what could I do. I called up DirecTV and updated them on the situation. CSR wanted me to reformat the hard drive as a last ditch solution and if that didn't work, they would send me a new box. I had to get back to work so I thanked her, told her I would do it that first thing this evening and call back if it didn't fix the problem.
That evening, I reformat the hard drive and record a couple of shows -- nothing. Problem is still there so I call DirecTV back. I explain the story (again) and how I was hoping they could ship out the new box out, but this CSR informs me that they can't do that without a service call (apologized for the misinformation the previous CSR gave me). Now keep in mind, they can't do the service call for the service company that can't service the box! :mad:
The next day, I get DirectPLUS (MDU service provider) and DirecTV on the phone together and explain the situation (again). I point out that DirectPLUS won't service the box because they didn't provide it and DirecTV won't enter the building because they aren't the MDU service provider. DirecPLUS eventually agrees to let DireceTV enter the building and DirecTV agreed to check out the box they provided. They also set up the appointment at this time for Sunday, 8am - 12p.
Sunday rolls around and no one shows up. Eventually, around 12:20, I get a call from the technician saying he can't enter the building. I'm more than a little annoyed at this point, but he refuses to come inside. I call DirecTV back and explain the story to THREE different CSRs/Supervisors (again, again, and again!) over the course of 2 hours! All of them give me the same answer, they aren't the ones to fix the problem, DirectPLUS has to do it. I shouldn't have, but I was pretty steamed at this point and kind of lost my temper with them.
Today, I come into work and get DirectPLUS and DirecTV on a conference call to get the problem fixed. I explain the situation (AGAIN!) and they started telling each that the other was responsible for fixing the problem.
We were eventually transferred over to a "resolution specialist" at DirecTV. Adding a new wrinkle to situation and instead of arguing who should replace it, the specialist offered to get me a new HD DVR...for $150. Considering the aggravation and time I've wasted, I repeatedly asked for the box to be replaced at no cost. The DirectPLUS representative on the phone was even arguing on my behalf at this point.
I have four HD boxes, two of which are HD DVRs. I subscribe to every basic channel, movie channel, Sports Pack, HD Extra Pack, NFL Sunday Ticket (+ Superfan), MLB Extra Innings (+ Superfan), NHL Center Ice, and NBA League Pass. Basically, if I got a liquor license, I could open up a sports bar in my apartment. With all the equipment and packages, I probably pay over $2,500/year (slightly less the first year with the special deal I signed up for). I feel this shabby treatment is undeserved and am really annoyed with both companies at the moment...although mainly DirecTV. And my DVR is still on the fritz!
I originally signed up for DirecTV at my previous residence. They came out, installed the dish, boxes, cables, etc. Last July, I moved into a new apartment that had DirecTV service as part of a MDU (served by DirectPLUS). This is part of the problem as you'll soon see.
About three weeks ago, my DVR started pausing, freezing up, and generally became 'glitchy'. I live in Miami so bad storms aren't uncommon, initially I chalked it up to the weather during the recording. However the problem seemed to get progressively worse and eventually the issue would even occur if I paused/RW/FFW live TV.
I first called DirecTV on Monday and they walked me through the over-the-phone basics of resetting the box, checking the connections, etc, but nothing worked. They told me that I would need a service call, but since I lived in an MDU, DirectPLUS would need to be the one to perform it. No problem, called up DirectPLUS, set up an appointment for Wednesday and left work for a few hours in order to meet them for the service call.
The DirectPLUS technician came into the apartment, took one look at the box and said that he couldn't do anything since I got the box from DirecTV. This was annoying (I just took a few hrs off of work to meet him there), but what could I do. I called up DirecTV and updated them on the situation. CSR wanted me to reformat the hard drive as a last ditch solution and if that didn't work, they would send me a new box. I had to get back to work so I thanked her, told her I would do it that first thing this evening and call back if it didn't fix the problem.
That evening, I reformat the hard drive and record a couple of shows -- nothing. Problem is still there so I call DirecTV back. I explain the story (again) and how I was hoping they could ship out the new box out, but this CSR informs me that they can't do that without a service call (apologized for the misinformation the previous CSR gave me). Now keep in mind, they can't do the service call for the service company that can't service the box! :mad:
The next day, I get DirectPLUS (MDU service provider) and DirecTV on the phone together and explain the situation (again). I point out that DirectPLUS won't service the box because they didn't provide it and DirecTV won't enter the building because they aren't the MDU service provider. DirecPLUS eventually agrees to let DireceTV enter the building and DirecTV agreed to check out the box they provided. They also set up the appointment at this time for Sunday, 8am - 12p.
Sunday rolls around and no one shows up. Eventually, around 12:20, I get a call from the technician saying he can't enter the building. I'm more than a little annoyed at this point, but he refuses to come inside. I call DirecTV back and explain the story to THREE different CSRs/Supervisors (again, again, and again!) over the course of 2 hours! All of them give me the same answer, they aren't the ones to fix the problem, DirectPLUS has to do it. I shouldn't have, but I was pretty steamed at this point and kind of lost my temper with them.
Today, I come into work and get DirectPLUS and DirecTV on a conference call to get the problem fixed. I explain the situation (AGAIN!) and they started telling each that the other was responsible for fixing the problem.
We were eventually transferred over to a "resolution specialist" at DirecTV. Adding a new wrinkle to situation and instead of arguing who should replace it, the specialist offered to get me a new HD DVR...for $150. Considering the aggravation and time I've wasted, I repeatedly asked for the box to be replaced at no cost. The DirectPLUS representative on the phone was even arguing on my behalf at this point.
I have four HD boxes, two of which are HD DVRs. I subscribe to every basic channel, movie channel, Sports Pack, HD Extra Pack, NFL Sunday Ticket (+ Superfan), MLB Extra Innings (+ Superfan), NHL Center Ice, and NBA League Pass. Basically, if I got a liquor license, I could open up a sports bar in my apartment. With all the equipment and packages, I probably pay over $2,500/year (slightly less the first year with the special deal I signed up for). I feel this shabby treatment is undeserved and am really annoyed with both companies at the moment...although mainly DirecTV. And my DVR is still on the fritz!