DirecTV is killing me...how do I stay?

[Dave in Atlanta]

Last night I decided to price out a switch to Dish...no issues with DirecTV service or PQ, but felt the price was high, and would like a new HD DVR after three years and some jiterring issues that come and go...So:

My current service is TOTAL CHOICE (a grandfathered package) with one HD DVR (HR20-700) and an SD receiver for a room with a TV I seldom use. For this, DirecTV bills me $63 per month. Contract is fulfilled.

1) Called Dish and asked for a package comparable to my current one...

They offered America's Top 200 w/ HD service - said it would have @ 70 more channels than my current package (I don't want to play the channel numbers game - I think both teams are cheating..but Top 200 had some "must haves" that Top 120 did not) Also 3 months of Premiums, but I don't care about HBO and Showtime.

The equipment for the HD TV would be a 722 DVR with 80 hours of HD capacity. No charge for equipment or install

$53 / month for the first year, $69 / month for the second
24 month cost = $1476

2) Called DirecTV and asked to cancel...got a rep, and explained that I though it was time to leave in order to save money. My needs were 1) lower monthly cost, and 2) new HD DVR

She offered: pretty much nothing, although she did call me a "loyal customer".

She explained that I was currently getting credits of $17 total that would expire in July, bringing my monthly cost to $80. Nothing could be done there, because I was "still under a promotion".

She did offer an upgrade for my HD DVR, because I was a loyal customer...I could upgrade at no fee or install cost, with a new 24 month commitment. But here's the kicker: She could not tell me what DVR I would receive, except that it would be "at least an HR20"...so I could sign a 2 year commitment and get the same 3 year old DVR model I have now.

That was the "loyal customer" offer to keep me from switching to Dish. Same monthly cost, going up in three months, and a new (same) DVR.

I ran the numbers, and pointed out that the monthly "regular" cost for staying 24 months was $11 per month higher than Dish (after credits expire). Her only answer was that DirecTV was higher quality and counted channels more accurately.

Total 24 month cost = $2058, or nearly $600 higher.

DirecTV rep said that was her best offer, and nothing better was available. She agreed that it was significantly more expensive than switching to Dish, but that DirecTV was higher quality and more "real" channels.

My issue: Channel counting is a game, and everybody plays it. Monthly cost should be comparable, IMHO, not 21% higher for a "loyal customer".

Finally, my question: I DON'T WANT TO SWITCH. Any suggestions for a strategy to get DirecTV to meet the offer from Dish?

[mobandit]

Last night I decided to price out a switch to Dish...no issues with DirecTV service or PQ, but felt the price was high, and would like a new HD DVR after three years and some jiterring issues that come and go...So:

My current service is TOTAL CHOICE (a grandfathered package) with one HD DVR (HR20-700) and an SD receiver for a room with a TV I seldom use. For this, DirecTV bills me $63 per month. Contract is fulfilled.

1) Called Dish and asked for a package comparable to my current one...

They offered America's Top 200 w/ HD service - said it would have @ 70 more channels than my current package (I don't want to play the channel numbers game - I think both teams are cheating..but Top 200 had some "must haves" that Top 120 did not) Also 3 months of Premiums, but I don't care about HBO and Showtime.

The equipment for the HD TV would be a 722 DVR with 80 hours of HD capacity. No charge for equipment or install

$53 / month for the first year, $69 / month for the second
24 month cost = $1476

2) Called DirecTV and asked to cancel...got a rep, and explained that I though it was time to leave in order to save money. My needs were 1) lower monthly cost, and 2) new HD DVR

She offered: pretty much nothing, although she did call me a "loyal customer".

She explained that I was currently getting credits of $17 total that would expire in July, bringing my monthly cost to $80. Nothing could be done there, because I was "still under a promotion".

She did offer an upgrade for my HD DVR, because I was a loyal customer...I could upgrade at no fee or install cost, with a new 24 month commitment. But here's the kicker: She could not tell me what DVR I would receive, except that it would be "at least an HR20"...so I could sign a 2 year commitment and get the same 3 year old DVR model I have now.

That was the "loyal customer" offer to keep me from switching to Dish. Same monthly cost, going up in three months, and a new (same) DVR.

I ran the numbers, and pointed out that the monthly "regular" cost for staying 24 months was $11 per month higher than Dish (after credits expire). Her only answer was that DirecTV was higher quality and counted channels more accurately.

Total 24 month cost = $2058, or nearly $600 higher.

DirecTV rep said that was her best offer, and nothing better was available. She agreed that it was significantly more expensive than switching to Dish, but that DirecTV was higher quality and more "real" channels.

My issue: Channel counting is a game, and everybody plays it. Monthly cost should be comparable, IMHO, not 21% higher for a "loyal customer".

Finally, my question: I DON'T WANT TO SWITCH. Any suggestions for a strategy to get DirecTV to meet the offer from Dish?

In the end, you have to choose what service will provide you the entertainment you want at the price you are willing to pay. D* does not compress their signals as much as Dish. D* is getting ready to launch more than 30 new HD channels. Channel counting is useless, as long as a service provider has the channels you want. Talk to Retention Dept. But in the end, make your choice.

[masterdeals]

You're good till July at $63/mo. Just wait till it goes up to $80 then call them and see what they will do. Dish will still be there if they won't help youout.

[David MacLeod]

dish tell you whether you wil be able to get everything with 1 dish or would it need multiple dishes? can't remember how they are setup now.
might want to keep that in mind for future too. all directv's stuff can be had with the 1 dish.

[spartanstew]

Why do you want to get rid of your HR20-700? Many people prefer it.

[Dave in Atlanta]

My HR20-700 is showing signs of impending disk doom...I think. Get picture and sound interruption for 10 - 20 seconds on an intermittent basis. Never live, only when watching recorded shows. Won't happen for two or three days, then will happen several times in an evening. I'm not a technician, but that sounds like a drive losing its will to live.

I have no opinion about this 3 year old model versus newer ones. Never paid attention.

[gregjones]

My HR20-700 is showing signs of impending disk doom...I think. Get picture and sound interruption for 10 - 20 seconds on an intermittent basis. Never live, only when watching recorded shows. Won't happen for two or three days, then will happen several times in an evening. I'm not a technician, but that sounds like a drive losing its will to live.

I have no opinion about this 3 year old model versus newer ones. Never paid attention.

Buying a UPS when the unit is first delivered is the cheapest way to avoid disk failure...

[Mike Greer]

My HR20-700 is showing signs of impending disk doom...I think. Get picture and sound interruption for 10 - 20 seconds on an intermittent basis. Never live, only when watching recorded shows. Won't happen for two or three days, then will happen several times in an evening. I'm not a technician, but that sounds like a drive losing its will to live.

I have no opinion about this 3 year old model versus newer ones. Never paid attention.

Unless you wait to get an HR24 you'll be "down-graded" if you get an HR21/22/23.

If you really want I'll trade you one of my HR22s for your HR20! :D

[Bob Coxner]

My HR20-700 is showing signs of impending disk doom...I think. Get picture and sound interruption for 10 - 20 seconds on an intermittent basis. Never live, only when watching recorded shows. Won't happen for two or three days, then will happen several times in an evening. I'm not a technician, but that sounds like a drive losing its will to live.

I have no opinion about this 3 year old model versus newer ones. Never paid attention.

Unless the disk actually dies you have a great machine. I love my HR20-700 and wouldn't trade it for any other model. Remember that it's the only DirecTV HD DVR with built-in OTA tuner. If you record OTA locals then it saves you from having to buy an AM21, and one less unit in the entertainment center.

[TDK1044]

Three things to bear in mind. First, check your line of site to the DISH birds. I was with DISH for 10 years, and when they introduced their HD, I had to have a second dish on my deck to get all of my HD channels.

Secondly, in my experience, DISH signal loss during a heavy storm occurs more often than with my DirecTV system, which almost never loses the signal.

Thirdly, DirecTV HD is less compressed and therefore nicer to look at than DISH HD.

If money is tight and the main reason for the change, I understand your decision. Technically though, I think DirecTV is the better deal...especially once D12 is up and running. :)

[JLucPicard]

Not being a Dish sub I really don't know about this other than what I read, but does Dish's quote include all the charges you will be paying? Seem to remember that if you run off that 722 to feed your SD TV, they charge something extra for that? Also, does their quote also include any HD charge (I would hope so, since that's what your conversation entailed).

One thing you might try. Do a menu reset and when the screen reads "Running Receiver Self Check" hit 'Select' and run the disk check. See if it shows any problems with the disk.

[tkrandall]

Not arguing on behalf of Dish here but: for metro Atlanta you can have either of 2 single dish setups: a 1000.2 pointed at 110/119/129, or a 1000.4 pointed at 61.5/72.7/77.

I believe Dish charges 17/mo receiver fee a "duo" unit such as the 722, whether or not you have a TV2 hooked up to it. UNLESS it is the primary receiver on the account in which case it is included in the base fee. (in other words the one highest end receiver on an account is included in the base rate, all others get charged monthly depending on the type of receiver). Also, as pointed out make sure it include the monthly HD fee in the quote.

The DirecTV "offer" to "upgrade" your HR20 to simply another randomly chosen HR2x model and extend your contract is absurd. If your unit indeed fails, you are supposed to be able to get another one for like $19.99 and no contract extension. It is a leased unti after all. Protection plan is not required to replace faulty leased units, and with no contract extension either.

[TDK1044]

[QUOTE=tkrandall;2431661]Not arguing on behalf of Dish here but: for metro Atlanta you can have either of 2 single dish setups: a 1000.2 pointed at 110/119/129, or a 1000.4 pointed at 61.5/72.7/77. QUOTE]

In my case, I had no line of site to 129. So I had one dish prior to DISH HD pointed at 110/119 and then they installed a second dish to point at 61.5.

I went to DirecTV very quickly. :)

[Grentz]

Dish tends to be a few bucks cheaper if you have 1 receiver. But as soon as I add in any extra receivers Dish is a lot more for me.

The only exception being the HD only packages.

[Bstacey]

Could you cancel in June and then just sign up as a new customer?

[spartanstew]

Could you cancel in June and then just sign up as a new customer?

No.

[Beerstalker]

I think the OP misunderstood the person he was talking to. They were most likely offering him an additional HD-DVR that he could use to replace his standard def receiver that he has now. That would give him 2 HD-DVRs on his account. This would require a new 2 year agreement though.

If his HR20 is having problems they will replace it for free if he has the protection plan. Otherwise he just needs to pay the $20 shipping fee. It will not need a new 2 year agreement.

As the others have said they cannot tell you what model DVR you get, unless you tell them that you use the OTA tuner. I guess there is now an option to check that OTA is being used and it allows them to make sure to send you an HR20.

[Dave in Atlanta]

I think the OP misunderstood the person he was talking to. They were most likely offering him an additional HD-DVR that he could use to replace his standard def receiver that he has now. That would give him 2 HD-DVRs on his account. This would require a new 2 year agreement though.

If his HR20 is having problems they will replace it for free if he has the protection plan. Otherwise he just needs to pay the $20 shipping fee. It will not need a new 2 year agreement.

As the others have said they cannot tell you what model DVR you get, unless you tell them that you use the OTA tuner. I guess there is now an option to check that OTA is being used and it allows them to make sure to send you an HR20.
I took great pains to understand the rep accurately. I could ask for a tech call on my current DVR, which, given its intermittent problem, isn't likely to be worth the money, or simply re-up for two more years and get a new machine, which will possibly be the same as my old machine. And that's what she called an upgrade. No second DVR involved.

[Hoosier205]

Call back and try again. You may get a better offer.

[jerrylove56]

[QUOTE=Dave in Atlanta;2431373]Last night I decided to price out a switch to Dish...no issues with DirecTV service or PQ, but felt the price was high, and would like a new HD DVR after three years and some jiterring issues that come and go...So:

03-19-07, 10:36 AM #6 | Link Dave in Atlanta Cool Member
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I did what you are considering about two months ago. Factors:

- Needed to go from SD to HD. The E* "offer" was quite expensive. As a new D* customer, I got all sorts of special incentives

- I had heard many concerns about the HR20 and reliability. Well, (knock on wood) I have had none of the problems others have reported. And the HD is awesome

- I did call E* back the day before the D* install to MAKE SURE they understood that I could not justify "upgrading" to their HD service for significantly more cash than starting over with a competitor. The CSR assured me their HD service was the lowest cost in the industry, and I should recheck my figures.

I'm now a very happy D* customer, paying less for HD than I paid E* for SD. I use (but do not own) new equipment. With new customer offers, I will save about $500 over E* in a 24 month period...

:nono2::nono2::nono2::nono2:

[Beerstalker]

I took great pains to understand the rep accurately. I could ask for a tech call on my current DVR, which, given its intermittent problem, isn't likely to be worth the money, or simply re-up for two more years and get a new machine, which will possibly be the same as my old machine. And that's what she called an upgrade. No second DVR involved.

If that is the case then the CSR you were talking to doesn't know what they were talking about. If your DVR is going bad it will be replaced for free with a comparable model (HR20, HR21, HR22, HR23, or HR24). If you don't have the protection plan you will have to pay for the $20 shipping cost. You will not need a new 2 year agreement.

If they won't send you a new box to replace your old one and insist on sending a tech out it will probably cost you $50 (won't cost anything if you have the protection plan), but he will replace the HD DVR for free and it will not need a new agrement.

Just thought of a couple of other things. First off do you have the protection plan? Second, do you own the HR20 or is it leased?

[Dave in Atlanta]

If that is the case then the CSR you were talking to doesn't know what they were talking about. If your DVR is going bad it will be replaced for free with a comparable model (HR20, HR21, HR22, HR23, or HR24). If you don't have the protection plan you will have to pay for the $20 shipping cost. You will not need a new 2 year agreement.

If they won't send you a new box to replace your old one and insist on sending a tech out it will probably cost you $50 (won't cost anything if you have the protection plan), but he will replace the HD DVR for free and it will not need a new agrement.

Just thought of a couple of other things. First off do you have the protection plan? Second, do you own the HR20 or is it leased?
I don't have a protection plan, and I lease.

If it is as simple as a $20 shipping fee with no contract extension, that is both good, and fair. But to be fair to DirecTV, the problem is quite intermittent...I'd be afraid if a tech came out, he could watch TV for hours and say "could not reproduce the problem".

[Dave in Atlanta]

I had exactly the same experience three years ago...long time E* customer, bought an HD TV, wanted to upgrade, and the pricing was astronomical. D* had a great 1st time HD offer, and it saved me money the whole two year term. And, the E* CSR who disconnected me assured me that they had the cheapest HD prices on the planet.

I asked who I should believe, them or my lying spreadsheet. Too bad the "new clients get all the goodies" drives this business.

[Beerstalker]

I'm not saying that you should do this but I have heard of people calling and telling them that it won't turn on anymore. That will usually get them to send a new one out. You will just have to send the old one back to them.

As far as trying to fix what you have, does the problem happen with live TV or just recordings? If it is just recordings then it could be the hard drive starting to go bad. Do a search on here and you should find some info and running tests on the hard drive.

If it isn't just recordings look at your satellite signal strengths for both tuners. They should all pretty much be 85+ for the (c) satellites. The (s) satellites will have some 0s and lower numbers but their should be at least one 85+ if you get your local channels from D*.

[kikkenit2]

Dave, call them with the dvr off. Tell them it just shut off and won't turn on. Fake like you are going thru all their tests and it still won't turn on. They will then replace the box without sending a tech first. You do want the hr20-700 if you can get one. In fact you may want to swap out the hd yourself. There are threads here that explain how. Slap a 2 terabyte drive in there and see if it works. It probably will.

[harsh]

She did offer an upgrade for my HD DVR, because I was a loyal customer...I could upgrade at no fee or install cost, with a new 24 month commitment.I think this is more likely an upgrade of your SD receiver as opposed to a "new" HD DVR to replace the old one.

I would echo the recommendations to wait and see what they offer when your commitment is up. That being said, chances of getting a long-term discount or updating your HR20 are awfully slim.

[racermd]

Dave, call them with the dvr off. Tell them it just shut off and won't turn on. Fake like you are going thru all their tests and it still won't turn on. They will then replace the box without sending a tech first. You do want the hr20-700 if you can get one. In fact you may want to swap out the hd yourself. There are threads here that explain how. Slap a 2 terabyte drive in there and see if it works. It probably will.

Another option is an external eSATA drive, which avoids all sorts of questionable issues like warranty and liability. Just make sure the drive is connected to the eSATA port and powered up before you plug the HR20 back into power (or reboot it). I *highly* suggest getting a small UPS to put both the HR20 and the eSATA disk on, as well.

I've got a trio of HR20-700s in my own home and find the internal drive to be quite noisy. It isn't that the drives are failing, but rather the rattling of the heads as the drive seeks to different areas of the disk is quite loud. My external drives are MUCH quieter and we have more recording space on each unit, as well, having at least a 1TB eSATA drive on each.

Being leased units, I can simply unplug my eSATA drives and box up the HR20s to be returned if/when I upgrade or cancel.

[Poco Askew]

I'm in the opposite corner of the country, but for me E* is considerably less expnsive for HD and DVR. It does work on a single dish with a single cable. I find the HD picture quality to be the same.

I was with D* for several years, but E* saved me even more than your numbers. I much prefer the DVR, both features and capacity. But there is one BIG issue I've found. If you record back-to-back shows with both tuners in use (four shows total), there is no way to extend the roecrding time a couple of minutes. Since shows end late, my recordings are very often cut off at the end. I miss part of the song for the guest band on Letterman. I miss Your Moment of Zen on The Daily Show, etc. The setup for the following week's Lost is "lost". I still get occasional pixelating, audio drops and audio/video sync' problems with E*. I rate E* worse in that regard (for me).

[dpeters11]

I'm in the opposite corner of the country, but for me E* is considerably less expnsive for HD and DVR. It does work on a single dish with a single cable. I find the HD picture quality to be the same.

I was with D* for several years, but E* saved me even more than your numbers. I much prefer the DVR, both features and capacity. But there is one BIG issue I've found. If you record back-to-back shows with both tuners in use (four shows total), there is no way to extend the roecrding time a couple of minutes. Since shows end late, my recordings are very often cut off at the end. I miss part of the song for the guest band on Letterman. I miss Your Moment of Zen on The Daily Show, etc. The setup for the following week's Lost is "lost". I still get occasional pixelating, audio drops and audio/video sync' problems with E*. I rate E* worse in that regard (for me).

This is pretty much the reason I love the automatic padding feature on DirecTV. Though I'd rather the networks not play with times. Start on the hour, end on the hour, or at :30. No more of this 9:02 stuff.

[camo]

Last night I decided to price out a switch to Dish...no issues with DirecTV service or PQ, but felt the price was high, and would like a new HD DVR after three years and some jiterring issues that come and go...So:

My current service is TOTAL CHOICE (a grandfathered package) with one HD DVR (HR20-700) and an SD receiver for a room with a TV I seldom use. For this, DirecTV bills me $63 per month. Contract is fulfilled.

1) Called Dish and asked for a package comparable to my current one...

They offered America's Top 200 w/ HD service - said it would have @ 70 more channels than my current package (I don't want to play the channel numbers game - I think both teams are cheating..but Top 200 had some "must haves" that Top 120 did not) Also 3 months of Premiums, but I don't care about HBO and Showtime.

The equipment for the HD TV would be a 722 DVR with 80 hours of HD capacity. No charge for equipment or install

$53 / month for the first year, $69 / month for the second
24 month cost = $1476

2) Called DirecTV and asked to cancel...got a rep, and explained that I though it was time to leave in order to save money. My needs were 1) lower monthly cost, and 2) new HD DVR

She offered: pretty much nothing, although she did call me a "loyal customer".

She explained that I was currently getting credits of $17 total that would expire in July, bringing my monthly cost to $80. Nothing could be done there, because I was "still under a promotion".

She did offer an upgrade for my HD DVR, because I was a loyal customer...I could upgrade at no fee or install cost, with a new 24 month commitment. But here's the kicker: She could not tell me what DVR I would receive, except that it would be "at least an HR20"...so I could sign a 2 year commitment and get the same 3 year old DVR model I have now.

That was the "loyal customer" offer to keep me from switching to Dish. Same monthly cost, going up in three months, and a new (same) DVR.

I ran the numbers, and pointed out that the monthly "regular" cost for staying 24 months was $11 per month higher than Dish (after credits expire). Her only answer was that DirecTV was higher quality and counted channels more accurately.

Total 24 month cost = $2058, or nearly $600 higher.

DirecTV rep said that was her best offer, and nothing better was available. She agreed that it was significantly more expensive than switching to Dish, but that DirecTV was higher quality and more "real" channels.

My issue: Channel counting is a game, and everybody plays it. Monthly cost should be comparable, IMHO, not 21% higher for a "loyal customer".

Finally, my question: I DON'T WANT TO SWITCH. Any suggestions for a strategy to get DirecTV to meet the offer from Dish?

I just came from Dish. Don't forget to add 5.99 for locals and only the big 4 are in HD, CBS<NBC<ABC<FOX. Add 10 dollars for HD programming. Add 7 dollars for each additional HD receiver, 5 dollars for each additional SD receiver.
If you want to add a hard drive to your account add 39.99 activation fee.
If you watch sports on your RSN only expect 1/3 of the games in HD. Here is a link to additional fees you may see. http://www.dishnetwork.com/downloads/legal/RCA.pdf
I almost forgot there is a 6 dollar extra fee per account for DVR service. So package price + 6 dollar DVR fee, + 10 dollar HD fee + 5.99 for locals then 7 dollars for each additional HD receiver. 17 dollars each additional DVR fee.
America's top 200, 53 dollars adds up to 69 dollars with HD+ locals and 1 DVR. 76 dollars for second HD receiver.
Direct is a better deal if you ask me.

[camo]

Correction above locals are know included if available. So top 200 package is 63 with one HD DVR and 70 with a second HD receiver.

[Sneezy]

[QUOTE=TDK1044;2431542]Three things to bear in mind. First, check your line of site to the DISH birds. I was with DISH for 10 years, and when they introduced their HD, I had to have a second dish on my deck to get all of my HD channels.

Secondly, in my experience, DISH signal loss during a heavy storm occurs more often than with my DirecTV system, which almost never loses the signal.
QUOTE]

Where I live the Dish signal is way superior to DTV. HOWEVER.... Dish isn't allowed to give me distant locals out of NYC because they F*d up. ISnce we watch a lot of network TV, staying with Dish didn't cut it. Time warner cable, the local solution can't deliver a reliable picture to my house so that left me with DTV, not as great a signal but superior hardware.

As hardware goes, it's DTV, Dish, then anything else. IMHO......

It's a question of signal and cost, I pay DTV way to much for what I get but I do get it mostly reliable so I'll stay.