View Full Version : Trying to buy an HD DVR... help
CoramDeo
02-21-09, 12:30 PM
My H20-600 finally died, so I called D* today asking about an upgrade to an HD DVR. I mentioned that I had received an email a couple months ago offering this for $99. The CSR couldn't find the email, but did offer it for $149. After a few minutes on hold, he said the earliest that I could have it installed was March 17th. When I balked at that (the installer is subpar), the only other option would be to get it from Best Buy (65 miles away) at full retail. I already have the Slimline dish and the cables that I installed myself. What am I doing wrong?
It's common for D* to give you a credit to make up for the higher purchase price in the B&M.
CoramDeo
02-21-09, 12:49 PM
Is a one month delay normal? Today is February 21st and the install wouldn't be until March 17th, nevermind that I already have everything here; Slimline & extra cables.
BattleZone
02-21-09, 12:54 PM
A dead H20 qualifies you for a free H2x replacement. It doesn't qualify you for a discounted upgrade to an HD-DVR. DirecTV apparently offered you a $100 discount a couple of months ago, which you let expire. They are now offering you a $50 discount.
I don't understand what you think is wrong. You should expect to pay full price for what you want, and any discount is a bonus. If the HD-DVR isn't worth the price to you, then just take the replacement HD receiver and be happy.
BattleZone
02-21-09, 12:56 PM
Is a one month delay normal? Today is February 21st and the install wouldn't be until March 17th, nevermind that I already have everything here; Slimline & extra cables.
DirecTV is very behind in many areas of the country, primarily due to their problem of not being able to retain installers. They treat them badly and pay them poorly, so there are never enough of them. As bad as the economy is, they can't get skilled people to work for them, which should tell you much about the pay and working conditions.
I upgraded 4 receivers and had to wait 6 weeks for a professional (high school drop out) installer to come out.
CoramDeo
02-21-09, 01:02 PM
My problem isn't the price; I understand that a DVR is going to cost more. My problem is that I don't want to wait for a month for an installer to show up when I can install it myself.
Is a one month delay normal? Today is February 21st and the install wouldn't be until March 17th, nevermind that I already have everything here; Slimline & extra cables.Well. if you installed the dish & cables yourself then picking up a DVR at BB then connecting it yourself should be no problem.
Also SHOULD be no problem to get a credit from D* to make up the difference on the purchase price in the B&M vs. what they would have charged you.
Also DTV no longer provides HDMI cables in their boxes. I received a good deal from D* which is why I waited the six weeks. In two months they'll replace the HR10 at little or no cost to me and I'll have to wait again. You just have too see which works best for you. You can also get the non DVR unit replaced and upgrade later.
davring
02-21-09, 03:15 PM
Also DTV no longer provides HDMI cables in their boxes. I received a good deal from D* which is why I waited the six weeks. In two months they'll replace the HR10 at little or no cost to me and I'll have to wait again. You just have too see which works best for you. You can also get the non DVR unit replaced and upgrade later.
If the unit is bought retail the HDMI cable is in the box, if it is installed by D*, one will be provided, if needed.
Lord Vader
02-21-09, 03:33 PM
Also DTV no longer provides HDMI cables in their boxes.
In their refurbs they don't, but in their new ones they do. I just replaced an OLD Sony T60 with a new HR22-100. DirecTV charged the $99 to my account and sent the new HR22-100 in its own box. It came with an HDMI cable, as have all my other new upgrades (HR21-100, etc.).
MONSTERMAN
02-22-09, 01:39 AM
A dead H20 qualifies you for a free H2x replacement. It doesn't qualify you for a discounted upgrade to an HD-DVR. DirecTV apparently offered you a $100 discount a couple of months ago, which you let expire. They are now offering you a $50 discount.
I don't understand what you think is wrong. You should expect to pay full price for what you want, and any discount is a bonus. If the HD-DVR isn't worth the price to you, then just take the replacement HD receiver and be happy.
All valid and true, but I still find it very irritating and unfair that companies offer all these great new deals to "new customers" and their LOYAL longtime customers get screwed. When I first signed on with Directv I got nothing for free back in 1994.:nono2:
If the unit is bought retail the HDMI cable is in the box, if it is installed by D*, one will be provided, if needed.
w
When the showed up last month to upgrade four of my receivers, the tech would not get one for me out of his truck. While he was here I called up D* and told them to take everything out. D* called the installation company who called their tech and told their tech to get me whatever was neeeded. My point is the call never should have been made and some customers would just accecpt the techs first response.
Mindhaz
02-22-09, 07:17 AM
A dead H20 qualifies you for a free H2x replacement. You should expect to pay full price for what you want, and any discount is a bonus. If the HD-DVR isn't worth the price to you, then just take the replacement HD receiver and be happy.
Do you work for D*? I don't expect to pay full price for anything. It would be different if these boxes belonged to me or if there weren't a contract extension involved.
I've grown tired of D* and their overall attitude... "You will take my 200+ channel $80+ package and love it. It's the reason I dropped cable back in the day.
I've been with D* since 1996 (D* & USSB)... Today I'm disconnecting. OTA + Netflix + whatever I can find on the web. I'm going to take my $100 each month and take my wife out on a few dates... We can now afford take in a movie on the weekend... every weekend... and the theater is not cheap.
skylinkman
02-22-09, 07:52 AM
there sure are alot of winey people on here :nono:....if i was your installer you would get nothing from me as i would tell you to kiss my ass , that will be 200.00 :lol:
DirecTV is very behind in many areas of the country, primarily due to their problem of not being able to retain installers. They treat them badly and pay them poorly, so there are never enough of them. As bad as the economy is, they can't get skilled people to work for them, which should tell you much about the pay and working conditions.
One of the problems for that delay is that the installing contractor does "new" installs first and trouble calls second. At least here in sunny NJ. How do I know this? The installers told me. And when several people tell me the same story, I tend to believe them.
Rich
I upgraded 4 receivers and had to wait 6 weeks for a professional (high school drop out) installer to come out.
Don't you find the term ''professional installer" to be kind of an oxymoron?
Rich
All valid and true, but I still find it very irritating and unfair that companies offer all these great new deals to "new customers" and their LOYAL longtime customers get screwed. When I first signed on with Directv I got nothing for free back in 1994.:nono2:
I've been given several "free" HRs by D*, but I called a couple of weeks ago and they seem to have tightened up that policy. And I did call Retention, which always worked before, but not this time.
Rich
there sure are alot of winey people on here :nono:....if i was your installer you would get nothing from me as i would tell you to kiss my ass , that will be 200.00 :lol:
I'm not whining. I perfer to do the install myself. I used to high end installs of D* when receivers were $800 a pop. Some of these kids coming out now don't even make that in a 6 day week. Not to mention their incompatance, I just go with the flow. If D* says the need to send out a tech, I say bring em' on.
rudeney
02-23-09, 08:32 AM
Check your account online and use the "add receiver" link. You should be able to buy it onlien for delivery and self-install. Also, they sometimes offers special deals where it's $100 off online orders.
CoramDeo
02-25-09, 06:10 PM
Unbelievable. After D* refused to send an HD-DVR for a self-install, insisting that I either wait a month for "professional installation" or drive 60 miles to the nearest Best Buy for the privilege of paying full retail, I settled for having a replacement H20-600 sent... or so I thought. Today the box arrives and it's a lackluster OTA tuner H20-100. WRONG! So now I'm sending it back unopened, canceling the mirroring service, and wondering why I'm still a D* customer. My commitment ran out last September and I've been with D* since 2002. If only E* offered better HD. :nono2:
CCarncross
02-25-09, 08:03 PM
Am I missing something here? You received a replacement H20 for a defective H20, correct?
tcusta00
02-25-09, 08:07 PM
Am I missing something here? You received a replacement H20 for a defective H20, correct?
Yes, that's how I read it. I'm kinda lost, too.
CoramDeo
02-25-09, 08:31 PM
I received an H20-100 to replace an H20-600. There are great differences in the OTA tuner and that's very important when you live in a rural area with no locals from D* and no NBC waiver. The CSR said he could send out an H20-600 and that's not what arrived.
roadrunner1782
02-25-09, 08:35 PM
:shrug::shrug:Maybe the -600 and -100 are confusing. :shrug:
roadrunner1782
02-25-09, 08:37 PM
Sorry about that last post what is actually different with the OTA tuner?
CoramDeo
02-25-09, 08:43 PM
Sorry about that last post what is actually different with the OTA tuner?
The difference is in the ATSC tuner chip. The -600 has the 5th generation LG chip that is outstanding at picking up and locking in on distant signals. The -100 has a significantly poorer chip that flakes out; I know because I already have one that had been in the bedroom where I don't bother with trying for OTA. But now I'm stuck with it as my lone receiver until I can find the time to travel to Best Buy to buy what D* won't just send to me, or call E*.
roadrunner1782
02-25-09, 08:53 PM
Oh ok, I don't know much about the OTA tuners as I get my locals through D. I do know you won't find an H20 at Best Buy anymore since they're no longer in production, and the H21 you will find doesn't have an OTA tuner built in.
CoramDeo
02-25-09, 09:02 PM
Oh ok, I don't know much about the OTA tuners as I get my locals through D. I do know you won't find an H20 at Best Buy anymore since they're no longer in production, and the H21 you will find doesn't have an OTA tuner built in.
I know, which is why I wanted to get an HD DVR with the AM21 add-on tuner. D* won't ship it without "professional installation" scheduled a month into the future. ebay is starting to look good. I wish E* HD offerings were better.
roadrunner1782
02-25-09, 09:17 PM
I know the H21 and H23 will be compatible with the AM-21 in the near future, but no exact time yet which obviously doesn't help your situation right now. I will recommend solidsignal.com as they have HD DVR's and the AM-21, although the AM-21 is actually cheaper through the D* website.
Shades228
02-25-09, 11:00 PM
Why not just order it from BB and have them ship it to you? D* won't ship out equipment that isn't replacing like equipment. If you want to do a self install then retail is your option.
randyk47
02-26-09, 08:38 AM
My saga with DirecTV and upgrades/replacements was a lot of fun. Part of the problem was that I was in the middle of a complete upgrade to HDTV and I was getting one setup finished and completed before moving to the next and that meant doing it over a period of months in pieces and parts. My first effort was upgrading the theater to fully HD and that required the installation of a new dish. OK. Got through that, though not without some problems, and called to get my first HD DVR. DirecTV would not ship me an HD DVR, had to be a tech install. He walked in the house and all the plugs, wires, etc., were waiting for him. Ten minutes later he was out the door, before the receiver even got through downloading the software updates. Next issue, which I actually hadn't planned on, was the then "forced" replacement of my supposedly defective H20 with a refurbished unit. That they shipped to me. Last upgrade was replacing an H10 with an H20. This got interesting as they shipped me a refurbished HR20 which I hadn't planned on getting. After some discussion on the phone I kept the HR20. In retrospect I found it interesting I couldn't install the first HR20 myself, according to DirecTV, but they had absolutely no problem shipping me the H20 and HR20 for self-install.
I would go online and check your bill . then click on add a new receiver and see what price they have listed for you . It shows that I could get A new hd dvr for 99.00 or a hd receiver for free along witha sd dvr for free.
I might have to take them up on this as a hd dvr at work would cost me 150.00
kryscio23
02-27-09, 12:48 AM
My H20-600 finally died, so I called D* today asking about an upgrade to an HD DVR. I mentioned that I had received an email a couple months ago offering this for $99. The CSR couldn't find the email, but did offer it for $149. After a few minutes on hold, he said the earliest that I could have it installed was March 17th. When I balked at that (the installer is subpar), the only other option would be to get it from Best Buy (65 miles away) at full retail. I already have the Slimline dish and the cables that I installed myself. What am I doing wrong?
Have a similar story ... been wanting to upgrade to a HD DVR ... logged into my account and saw that one for me had $199 crossed out and was now $99. I called in a few days into Feb. and asked about upgrading to a HD DVR. The CSR told me that they can offer me one for $99. I took the news knowing that would be the highest price I'd pay and started to complain/negotiate with just a sweet tone and said I've been a great customer for seven years, always paid on time, bought plenty of PPV, and now that I want to continue to use their service and upgrade to better equipment, this is the best they could do? $99 is still a lot ... she put me on hold, came back 30 seconds later ... and offered it to me for $19.95 and no shipping. Sometimes ya just have to know how to talk to them! I gladly accepted but was then told that they couldn't come out to install it for three weeks. Since I have never had a DVR before it needed to be hooked up by a pro. Today's the day so I hope it all goes well.
Rock on.
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