Old receiver just died, need advice.

[SParker]

Back about 5.5 years ago when I signed up I got a Hughes SD-DVR40. Well my Dad was moving it down to his room in the basement and at first it worked. However last night it rebooted and its now stuck at the welcome screen. Dad says its making a grinding noise so I would guess the HD died. He really wants a HD-DVR anyways. I checked Directv's site and clicked add a new receiver. It said because of my excellent payment history I could get a free Standard receiver, or a free standard DVR or a free HD receiver. It also says I could pick a HD-DVR for $99. Since I would be replacing a receiver and not adding one could I get a better deal than $99 with free shipping by calling them? I already have 3 HD-DVR's in the house. Thanks.

[jdspencer]

That seems to be the standard deal from DirecTV. The only downside would be that you'll be agreeing to another 2 yr committment. You might be able to get them to give you a deal on a programming package for a few months to alleviate the $99 cost of the upgrade.

[RACJ2]

It can't hurt to call them. Some individuals have been able to get a free HD DVR when they called.

[The Merg]

Since you have an owned receiver, any replacement is the same as adding an additional receiver. When activating the new receiver, you just tell them to deactivate the old one. The only difference would be if you have the Protection Plan, in which case, the replacement would be free for you, but would be a comparable type receiver (an SD-DVR, which are currently the R15 and R16).

- Merg

[JLucPicard]

Your dad is living with you, right? If not, I'm not saying anything more! :lol:

I would guess that $99 may be the best deal you get on the HD DVR, but each person's results are different based on their account history. I'm guessing $99 for the HD DVR, and maybe some programming credits or something thrown in. Only way to know for sure is to call them. If you don't have the PP, I would explain when I call that the unit is stuck on the "Welcome" screen and won't do anything else and the drive is grinding. Dead give away to any CSR that it's dead. Then I would ask to talk to the Tech Department. Not sure, but you may get a better deal going through the Tech department than just a frontline CSR (based on amount of credits available to the CSR versus the Tech Support people - pure speculation on my part).

Good luck!

[SParker]

Oh yea, we live in the same house we aren't pulling that live in two different houses scam. :) I also have the protection plan.

[wildbill129]

Try sending them an email through their website. I have had really good results (better than talking with a csr) with that. They will get back to you pretty quick.

[SParker]

Try sending them an email through their website. I have had really good results (better than talking with a csr) with that. They will get back to you pretty quick.

Good idea, I'll give that a try..

[HDinLEXplease]

Is he living with you or you living with him?:hurah:

Just joking. Try the e-mail seem to have good luck that way.

[SParker]

I emailed and they would only do the $99 deal which I can understand because I have 3 HD DVR's already. They gave me 3 months of Starz. After installing the new receiver they are still offering me a free HD receiver or HD DVR for $99 online. Is this pretty normal? I wouldn't mind adding a HD receiver to my computer. Are the codes for the HD receivers the same as the IR codes for the HD DVR's? I already have 2 in my room on separate IR channels or whatever they call it..

[rnwjr]

My My DirecTV DVR - R15-100 (Master Bedroom) died so I upgraded to a DirecTV HD DVR at half price and added the DIRECTV PROTECTION PLAN for $5.99 per month... I wish I added it sooner, but like they say it only hurts for a little while... This was also done while speaking with someone in the US on at 11:30 PM on a Sunday all in under 10 minutes... So if it costs me $99 + tax (no shipping) I am happy with that... I just wish I knew about the protection plan earlier...

[The Merg]

My My DirecTV DVR - R15-100 (Master Bedroom) died so I upgraded to a DirecTV HD DVR at half price and added the DIRECTV PROTECTION PLAN for $5.99 per month... I wish I added it sooner, but like they say it only hurts for a little while... This was also done while speaking with someone in the US on at 11:30 PM on a Sunday all in under 10 minutes... So if it costs me $99 + tax (no shipping) I am happy with that... I just wish I knew about the protection plan earlier...

FYI, the PP does not really help you with the replacement of a defective receiver. If you have a leased receiver, it will be replaced for just the cost of shipping if you not have the PP. If you have an owned receiver, it will also be replaced with a leased receiver for the cost of shipping if you don't have the PP. If you have the PP, your receiver is replaced at no cost and the replacement keeps its owned/leased status. The PP is most beneficial in that it protects you if other aspects of your system fail (cabling, multiswitches, dish).

- Merg

[xmetalx]

Then I would ask to talk to the Tech Department. Not sure, but you may get a better deal going through the Tech department than just a frontline CSR (based on amount of credits available to the CSR versus the Tech Support people - pure speculation on my part).

Lol. yeah, tech support doesn't have much in the way of deals really. maybe a $5 discount for 3 months or $10 for 6 months, but thats about it. They generally will transfer you to another department (Programming or Retention) for discounts after they've solved any technical issues