What the Deals are, and what are you being told by CSR?

[papa_azteca]

I have three HR10-250 units ....

With no request for any special treatment, they offered three HR20's, new dish, and complete installation for $297, plus the $20 "handling fee".
...

this is a trend that I mentioned before .. correct me if I am wrong but it sounded like you "owned" the HR10-250s and therefore you were offered a reduced price of $99 for each HR20 .. or did you get one for $199, a second one for $98 and a third one for free?

[papa_azteca]

I am somewhat disappointed that I didn't get upgraded for free like so many have reported in this thread over the past few months. But then I paid $1000 for my first small dish (and $3000 for my C-band setup before that), so I am not complaining too loud. But I do find it irksome that some much less deserving customers got better deals merely by threatening to leave for E* after being a D* customer for just a couple years. I don't blame them for trying - I blame D* for not being proportionate when it comes to offering rewards for customer loyalty.

Perhaps D* should have a program where they offer $10 of upgrade "credits" for each $100 of revenue.

I stated the same thing but many people here tend to disagree with any company offering the same promotion for every customer ..

mrb stated this comment
... it has to do with getting the very best possible deal which is why capitalism works so well...and why market bazaars all over the world, no matter what system of government the country has, work so well...people haggle for the best they can get, on both sides. In the end everyone wins.

[COLOR="Black"] i think that both D* and the customers here are responsible for this. customer loyality from both sides no longer exists and therfore has created a "every man for himself" mentallity. again, it comes to a company offering a product that consumers want in order to experience hd. I personally was not surprised to see the changes happen so quickly, especially with this and similiar threads like this one.

[shendley]

I stated the same thing but many people here tend to disagree with any company offering the same promotion for every customer ..

mrb stated this comment
... it has to do with getting the very best possible deal which is why capitalism works so well...and why market bazaars all over the world, no matter what system of government the country has, work so well...people haggle for the best they can get, on both sides. In the end everyone wins.

[COLOR="Black"] i think that both D* and the customers here are responsible for this. customer loyality from both sides no longer exists and therfore has created a "every man for himself" mentallity. again, it comes to a company offering a product that consumers want in order to experience hd. I personally was not surprised to see the changes happen so quickly, especially with this and similiar threads like this one.

I'm not sure this is really an issue of customer loyalty. The way I see it, DTV decided to be very generous to just about anyone who called and asked for a new HDDVR for a while and then they changed their minds. Presumably it was a strategy to build up their customer base, get people locked into plenty of 2 year contracts, and so on. I wouldn't be shocked if we see similar generosity returning, perhaps, in about a year and a half when all these happy customers (including myself - by the way, I never threatened to leave and still got an HR 10 and HR 20 for free and a bunch of credits to boot!) are beginning to have their 2 year contracts expiring!

[Duffinator]

Not the best deal but....

$299 for HR20, dish, and install. $150 credit and 12 months of HD for free. Install this Saturday. They have got caught up on the install dates. Tried to get a second HR20 but no dice. No big I'm waiting for the HR20-100B and once I get my hands on one my HR10 will be on eBay which should offset most of that cost.

[mrb]

I stated the same thing but many people here tend to disagree with any company offering the same promotion for every customer ..
mrb stated this comment
... it has to do with getting the very best possible deal which is why capitalism works so well...and why market bazaars all over the world, no matter what system of government the country has, work so well...people haggle for the best they can get, on both sides. In the end everyone wins.

[COLOR="Black"] i think that both D* and the customers here are responsible for this. customer loyality from both sides no longer exists and therfore has created a "every man for himself" mentallity. again, it comes to a company offering a product that consumers want in order to experience hd. I personally was not surprised to see the changes happen so quickly, especially with this and similiar threads like this one.

It's not every man for himself, it's using money and resources wisely. From both sides. I am loyal to companies that treat me better than other similar companies from my perspective (since that is all that matters -- how one perceives things for oneself). If company A who I am currently with continues to offer me a better deal than company B who would like my business I will stick with A. Knowledge that educated consumers think and behave this way (for the most part) means that Company A and Company B must aggressively compete to earn my business. The end result is that I get the very best product possible for the best price and BOTH companies (assuming both wish to stay in business and grow) work hard to better themselves as well.

There is simply, and as proven by the history of human society and government, no better system to ensure everyone gets the best possible.

To just stick with a company that is not as good as another is not only irresponsible from a personal standpoint, it harms the entire market overall ultimately. Thankfully, the market is far stronger than a few individuals.

So, I paid a hundred bucks for my HR20 two weeks ago after being a D* customer for only a year. Some paid less, and some paid more. But anyone who took the deal they were offered was most likely feeling it was acceptable for them. If not, why would you agree to something like that when there are other choices? I guess that's just something I can't understand!

[jpl]

Well, THAT'S interesting. A couple weeks ago I contacted DirecTV to see if they would come down on the cost of the HR20. I started with an e-mail, and took it from there. We went back and forth with e-mail and phone calls, and the best I could get was free HD for a year. While that's a nice offer, what bothered me about the deal was that it didn't even attempt to address my concern. My problem was the up-front cost. Even if I was given $120 off on the DVR, but paid full price for the monthly fee (which would have worked out to the same deal I got) I would have been ok with that.

The final e-mail I got pretty much summed it up - that's our best deal... take it or leave it. So I left it... and left DirecTV. Yesterday I had FiOS installed. Looks like a very promising service. Their DVR may not be as functional as the R15, but the things that it does do, it does better than the R15. For example, there's no "search by keyword", but the searches that it does do it does lightning fast. Anyway, about an hour after the FiOS installer left I called DirecTV to suspend my account - it's suspended out to the end of the year. I was very truthful when they asked why I was suspending. I said "I'm investigating other services." Which is definitely true. I have a 30-day trial period with FiOS before the commitment kicks in and right now I'm test driving it (there's just no substitute for actually getting into the service to see what it can do).

FFWD 24 hours... and I got a phone call from DirecTV. Actually, since I was at the gym, my wife got the call. They left a number, and a pin to use, and they told her it was in reference to my e-mail regarding the HD DVR. Intrigued, I called. I was told "I can't give you anything off the DVR, so you would pay $299, plus $20 shipping and handling, up front with credit card. But I can give you an immediate $100 credit to your account." I guess she thought I was playing hard-ball when I said "sounds tempting, but I think I'm going to pass" because she then upped the offer to $150 in credits. And she said "and we may be able to give you some discounts on the package you have." I said "you do know I suspended my account yesterday, right?" She said "yes..." It was clear that my e-mail got escalated not just because I suspended, but because I did so to investigate another offer.

I thanked her, and then asked "would it be ok if I gave it some thought?" She said "of course." I said "can I just call back to this number?" And she said "yes, that's fine... I'll mark your account to indicate that we spoke, and to indicate what I offered you." I thanked her, and said I would give it some thought. Which I will. I really do want to give FiOS a fair shake, so I'll think it over over the next couple days. Just thought I'd pass this along.

[Richard Chalk]

To follow up on my original post about my deal...

The installer arrived today, a little late because the original guy called in sick, and he took up the slack, but he did show up..

He brought three DVRs out of the truck, and looked at the model numbers. He noted that two were HR20-100, and one was HR20-700. He then went back to the truck, and found another HR20-100, and put the 700 back. He said they are not preassigned by DirecTV, but they are supposed to use older stock first - however, he had another job tomorrow where he could use the -700, so it would not be a big deal. All the new ones are black!! YEA!!!

He replaced the dish, with the slimline, had a very good meter to set up the dish, and then came inside.

He got the codes from the access cards in the HR10-250s, and we proceeded to set up the new units.

First he had them all download the latest software, and then called Tech Support to activate. The DVR service kept reporting that it was not activated, and finally he had to tell them to use the HR20-700 as the receiver type. After that they worked, but apparently the HR20-100 is not correct in their database. He de-activated the older units at the same time.

When he was satisfied that all was well, he left. I did the receiver and multiswitch connections while he was doing the dish, so the whole thing took about 2-1/2 hours.

Now we'll see how well these suckers work!!!

[markrw58]

Not the best deal but....

$299 for HR20, dish, and install. $150 credit and 12 months of HD for free. Install this Saturday. They have got caught up on the install dates. Tried to get a second HR20 but no dice. No big I'm waiting for the HR20-100B and once I get my hands on one my HR10 will be on eBay which should offset most of that cost.

I have tried twice to get a better deal than $299 and nothing, any advice....I have had DTV for 10+ years

[Duffinator]

I have tried twice to get a better deal than $299 and nothing, any advice....I have had DTV for 10+ yearsDo you have an HR10? I do and reminded them that it was $1,000 originally although that's not what I paid for mine. I've had HD for almost five years, have ordered the league pass in the past, have HBO, etc. That was my first call and knowing I wasn't going to get a much better deal than that I took it. I didn't even threaten to leave although the CSR did ask me if I had any offers from other services and I told them that Comcast has a $400 switch over deal. Did you ask for the customer retention department?

[Lateshowrob]

I have tried twice to get a better deal than $299 and nothing, any advice....I have had DTV for 10+ years

That stinks...I got it for $199 and free HD for a year but others are getting even better deals. Even the website showed it as $199 for me. Very odd. Keep fighting.

[markrw58]

Do you have an HR10? I do and reminded them that it was $1,000 originally although that's not what I paid for mine. I've had HD for almost five years, have ordered the league pass in the past, have HBO, etc. That was my first call and knowing I wasn't going to get a much better deal than that I took it. I didn't even threaten to leave although the CSR did ask me if I had any offers from other services and I told them that Comcast has a $400 switch over deal. Did you ask for the customer retention department?

Yes, I do have an HR10, got it November 2005 so maybe I have not had it long enough. I have not asked for customer retention yet guess that will be my next step.

[jpeckinp]

I called today and asked to cancel so I could get retention and was setup with the hr20:

DVR + tax = 216.41
12 months free HD = 119.88
total =96.53

I can handle this deal.:)

[Elistan98]

I spun the roulette wheel tonight and was told that I would have to pay the 299 up front and then they would apply a $100.00 credit to my account to be able to offer the same as new customer discounts. I asked about programming credits and was offered $5.00 for 6 months.

299.00 dvr
100.00 off
199.00
30.00 off programming credits
169. total.

Told them I didnt think so.

this is after being told I cant get my locals in hd because the hd spot beam doesnt hit my area even though I get the sd locals fine. I live too far away for the OTA to be an option. I also mentioned that i could go to dish network and get a free dvr and more hd today.

She said she would notate the account with this deal. Anyone see a deal here compared to other people?

I have had the total choice plus for the last 5 years no premiums no sports packages.

[Elistan98]

btw i said cancel at the prompt and ended up at the regular csr line. they had to transfer me.

[guenther]

I called today and asked to cancel so I could get retention and was setup with the hr20:

DVR + tax = 216.41
12 months free HD = 119.88
total =96.53

I can handle this deal.:)

Same thing plus $3 HBO (instead of $13) for 3 months and 3 free HD/PPV movies. It was installed this past Monday and so far so good (just 1 or 2 glitches so far). I do miss my hacked/networked Tivo though :( , but having the HD is worth it :D

[frozenpenguin]

I called to get my HR20 yesterday. When I called, I just said "Cancel Service" at the first prompt to go right to retention.

I'm currently an HR10-250 user, which I think is why I got the deal I did. (of course, I'm A-List as well, but who's not anymore... :lol: )

First offer was $299, that dropped to $199 because of A-list. Told them that wasn't good enough and they came back with $99 because I was upgrading from HR10. I told them they were getting closer, but how about throwing in some programming credits? CS rep said sure, and I ended up getting $10 off/month for a year.

Not to shabby. HR-20, 5LNB dish & install for a $20 net profit. One 15 minute call and I was done. Install is on Tuesday. They even offered to come out next day, but the wife has got to clear her shows off the HR10 first.

[StachStach]

Ended up calling DirecTv twice and saying "Cancel Service" to get to Retention (in theory), but that didn't seem to work for me. On the first call they would go no lower than $199. On the second call I asked to be transferred to retention and got the following deal:

$200 for HR20-100B
$20 for shipping / installation
-$120 for FREE HD Package for 1 year
-$120 for $10 discount / month on existing programming package
---------
= DirecTv giving me $20 over the course of a year while I am saddled with another 2 year commitment and the new HD DVR.

Moral of the story, call back and ask for retention as many times as it takes to get a good deal, if you feel up to it, as this is the way they play the game...

-Stach

[shendley]

I got an HR 20 for basically free (with credits and such) about 6 months ago (or thereabouts) when it was easier to get a good deal. I've started perusing this thread recently because I've been thinking of getting a second one. I've been reading about all the deals people have been getting recently, but I was wondering if there was any sense out there as to how getting a sweet deal in the past would affect getting another pretty good deal from DTV on this. Anyone have any luck getting a good deal on a second HR20? Oh yes, and I've also got an HR10 to bargain with as well. Though I gather from the posts I've read, they're not that interested in upgrading HR10s at a discount these days.

[FranklyFred]

deal was $199.99 minus $50.00 rebate and free hd for six months, first guy I talked to said $299 best deal called again got transfered to customer service and she cut me this deal, help to call again also told her the story about being told rsn in hd was available here but guess what not true and got locked in to a contract. Thanks to all in this forum

[kaz]

I wont go into what deal I got last fall, but lets just say you guys would be PISSED. The only clue I can give you guys is... talk to the retention dept. Plain and simple, use your monthly company revenue and put your weight behind it. Pile on your decade of loyalty, and you'll get somewhere. $99 for an hr20/at9/install isn't bad at all, but you can do much better. As an added bonus, heres their direct number: 1-800-824-9081. enjoy.

[shendley]

I wont go into what deal I got last fall, but lets just say you guys would be PISSED. The only clue I can give you guys is... talk to the retention dept. Plain and simple, use your monthly company revenue and put your weight behind it. Pile on your decade of loyalty, and you'll get somewhere. $99 for an hr20/at9/install isn't bad at all, but you can do much better. As an added bonus, heres their direct number: 1-800-824-9081. enjoy.

I think those sweet deals of Fall are gone, alas. Also, isn't that the old retention number that no longer works?

[kaz]

I think those sweet deals of Fall are gone, alas. Also, isn't that the old retention number that no longer works?
Even if it dumps into the general queue or the express queue, you should be able to ask for the retention dept.

[Peekay]

I spent 3 freaking hours on the phone after I saw my first post-intall bill. My deal, through, Retention was supposed to be:

HR-20; $299; paid in 3 installments with credits of $99.66 applied to my next 3 billing cycles (even though I had to wait 6 weeks for the install)

$10/month programming credit (Premier package) for 12 months.

My first billing cycle after accepting "the deal" had the first $99 charge and credit. I didn't think anything of the lack of programming credit since I hadn't had the new dish installed.

The next bill came a few days after my install. I was charged but not credited $99.66 and still no programming credit.

It came to this. They saw a notation on my account regarding the HR-20 credits but nothing regarding the programming credit. Between being "forgotten" while on hold, "accidentally disconnected" in Retention (for some reason I had to be transferred to them to "make sure" this was straightened out) I ended up speaking with 3 different customer service reps and 3 different people in Retention. Oddly enough the 2nd CSR SAID she SAW a notation about a $5 programming credit for 6 months . . . first CSR hadn't mentioned that and the last one said there was no such notation on my account!

It wasn't until I asked for the bailout price to cancel all of my DTV service that I got the orginal programming credit reinstated. I also insisted that, after 3 hours of basically being called a liar, that wouldn't be enough and they tossed in the $10 HD credit for 6 mos.

So, 3 hours of my life spent trying to get nothing more than I was originally promised resulted in an additional "savings" of $60. If I look at it as $20/hour it's not so bad but I would have preferred to not have endured this at all!

[AlbertZeroK]

I wont go into what deal I got last fall, but lets just say you guys would be PISSED. The only clue I can give you guys is... talk to the retention dept. Plain and simple, use your monthly company revenue and put your weight behind it. Pile on your decade of loyalty, and you'll get somewhere. $99 for an hr20/at9/install isn't bad at all, but you can do much better. As an added bonus, heres their direct number: 1-800-824-9081. enjoy.

I don't think the direct number works anymore. But I've gotten two HR20's for free and only had my account for about a year, so decades of service aren't necisarily needed. although I think since we got our deal, things have dried up.

My third HR20 will be free too, when my HR10-250 dies and they run out of replacemetns, I'll have an HR20.

[reubenray]

Does anyone know what the latest retention phone number is. I will be moving next month and have a package option with the local phone company using Dish Network. I would prefer to stay with Directv, but am looking at getting a good deal with Directv.

[phipsi571]

I finally ordered my HR-20 today. I've been thinking about it since January. I had called then and I was told $199. I had sent an email to D* and they called me back saying that $199 was it. So today I called and I spoke to a CSR and she said that 199 was the best she could do. I asked to speak with retention and she asked why and I told her that I had heard that there were better deals out there.

After being transferred I was told that I was interested in the HR-20 and was told it was 199, however after a little conversation, she noticed that I had emailed D*, so she could credit my bill $100.

After working out some other programming options and renewing my 2 year commitment, this is how it worked out.

234.83 for HR-20 + tax and shipping
-100 in credited towards my bill

3 months free of Showtime
6 months of HBO for $3 a month.
59.00 a month (12 months) for Plus HD Package.

Install is Wednesday.

Thanks for everyone’s help here. Without this forum, I would have never known about talking to retention.

[reubenray]

Let me know how your install goes and who actually does it. I am moving to Matthews next month.



I finally ordered my HR-20 today. I've been thinking about it since January. I had called then and I was told $199. I had sent an email to D* and they called me back saying that $199 was it. So today I called and I spoke to a CSR and she said that 199 was the best she could do. I asked to speak with retention and she asked why and I told her that I had heard that there were better deals out there.

After being transferred I was told that I was interested in the HR-20 and was told it was 199, however after a little conversation, she noticed that I had emailed D*, so she could credit my bill $100.

After working out some other programming options and renewing my 2 year commitment, this is how it worked out.

234.83 for HR-20 + tax and shipping
-100 in credited towards my bill

3 months free of Showtime
6 months of HBO for $3 a month.
59.00 a month (12 months) for Plus HD Package.

Install is Wednesday.

Thanks for everyone’s help here. Without this forum, I would have never known about talking to retention.

[Galley]

I'm moving into a new house next weekend. Since my current equipment is not MPEG- compatible, they are giving me an HR20 and an H20 for $200, with an instant $100 credit on my account. They told me I did not have to return my leased HR10-250, and suggested selling it on eBay. Sweet!

[newsposter]

wait 3 months to see if a charge shows up on your bill before you get too excited

[gay_nubian]

Anyone have any ideas on how to get a 3rd for cheap? I got my first on ebay, then got the 2nd from directv for $100. Now I'm trying to get a 3rd and they want 299. The last time I called retention the guy put a note on my account that the equipment will be 299, ever since then they won't play ball at all. Am I going to be forced to pay sucker prices? If I am, I'll buy it from ebay at $287 (shipped) just out of principal. Any one have any advice?

[reubenray]

I finally got my new address and called the Movers Program for any deals. Without any hassle I was given the deal of $99 for the HR20 + the new style dish install and wiring run for 4 receivers for a grand total of $105.69. I then was able to get the NFL Ticket setup for the early bird price.

At first he stated that I would have to give them my HR10-250. I pointed out that this would not happen being I bought this and also own all of my other receivers. He backed off of that.

[StachStach]

After negotiating a FREE HR20-100 with retention, I checked my DirecTv bill online to make sure that all of the credits that were agreed upon, were applied. I then noticed that they started charging me a DVR Service fee of $5.99 even though I had LIFETIME DVR Service on my account. Also, they changed my "grandfathered in" Total Choice programming package ($47.99) to Total Choice Extra ($54.99) for NO REASON as well.

After spending 45 minutes on the phone with a CSR, her supervisor and finally retention again they got it all straightened out, even though the CSR and supervisor said that the Lifetime DVR was ONLY for Tivo.

Moral of the story is check your DirecTv bill EVERY time that you make a change to your account, as they will try to stick you with extras. They did this in the past to me and just tried again!

End of rant,
-Stach

[MikeR]

After being transferred I was told that I was interested in the HR-20 and was told it was 199, however after a little conversation, she noticed that I had emailed D*, so she could credit my bill $100.


Well, I'll try the above approach and let you know what happens...here is the first (standard) reply from D*

Thank you for letting us know your concerns about your DIRECTV equipment costs. You are important to us and we certainly want to keep you as a customer. A service specialist will call you in the next two days to discuss what we can do to meet your needs.

Thank you for your patience, and for giving us the chance to respond to your concerns.

If this is the method by which D* wants to do business, then I'll work it until it will not bend anymore.

[jpl]

Well, I'll try the above approach and let you know what happens...here is the first (standard) reply from D*


If this is the method by which D* wants to do business, then I'll work it until it will not bend anymore.

Hope you have better luck than I did, then. I went the same route - e-mailed first, and got the exact same response you did. No one called. So I called them. They brought up my e-mail... they knew I sent one in... and I got no discount as a result of that approach.

The first call I got from DirecTV on this was after I suspended my account. After getting frustrated with not having HD, I started looking around at different services. I had no intention of switching (I was a very happy DirecTV customer for 5 years), but I figured there was no harm in looking. And the more I looked at FiOS the more I liked. I signed up with them, and an hour later I suspended my DirecTV account through the end of the year. 24 hours after that I got a call from DirecTV's "escalation dept" (never knew such a dept existed). When I suspended, they asked why I wanted to suspend. I was very honest with them - I said "we just got service from another provider installed" or something like that. So, I was less than surprised when they called me (they figured out at that point that I wasn't bluffing when I said "I really want HD, but I'm not going to pay $300 for an HD DVR, and I'll consider going elsewhere unless some arrangement can be reached." which is pretty much what I spelled out in my e-mail (I also mentioned that I didn't want to do that as I was a very happy DirecTV customer, and that it would be a shame to have to consider other options over the cost of the DVR). When DirecTV called me at that point THAT'S when they started negotiating. Nothing off the DVR, but they offered me $150 in credits, plus they offered to discount some of my programming (before they could get to what those discounts would be, I cut her off, saying that I needed to think about their offer, and that I would call back if I was interested). I haven't called back. I'm very happy with FiOS. There are some things I miss with DirecTV, but the two main things - PQ and programming - are just incredible.

Anyway, I don't think the $100 credit just for e-mailing is standard practice at all. Still good luck.

[RegGeek]

I activated my first HR20-700 last night. Here’s what I got from D*:

$299 purchase price by credit card
-$200 credit to my D* bill
-$120 HD package credit ($10 credit per month for 12 months)

Total cost to me: -$21.00

Plus I am getting new multiswitch.

Not too bad in my opinion!

[papa_azteca]

why do so many ppl include installation, new dish and multiswitch as part of their deal? doesn't one need this equipment for the HR20 to function correctly? my dish was upgraded to the new slim line dish from an 3 lnb dish and the ms needed to be upgraded as well when i upgraded to my h20 and hr20.

[wedge40]

Just a status of my CSR adventures.
I've been with D* since 1995 and have NEVER called for anything until last summer to upgrade my old Sony receiver so I could get local stations. This fall I took it upon my self to install an AT9 antenna. I now have a wonderful panasonic 50" plasma and would like to see what all this hd hoopla is about.
I have just sent an email to D* asking what type of deal I can get.. I'm sure I'll have to barter some, but I still can't live with the fact that they (D*) want to charge me $299 for something I'm going to rent. I've told them in the email that I can move to either E* or local cable and get the equivalent of an HR-20 for free, just for signing up.
I'll keep you posted as too my progress.

V/R Wedge

[RegGeek]

papa_azteca, you asked why include the fact that multiswitch was part of the deal. I guess for most people getting an upgrade installation that it is a "well, duh" type of thing. I mentioned it because my experience was slightly different than the norm, or at least I thought it was. In trying to be brief in my original post I left out some stuff.

I got the HR10-250 in August. At that time the 5LNB dish was installed, but the installers wouldn't put in the special Zinwell (6x8??) multiswitch because at that time I only had two DVRs (both Tivo) and therefore only needed four lines. When I called to set up the transistion to the HR20 (which I picked up locally) I had to explain to the CSR (more than once) that eventhough I indeed had the correct dish that I did not have the multiswitch that I now need to run 3 DVRs. She (the CSR) was confused because she was under the impression that it is standard practice to install that switch regardless of whether you need 4 or 6 lines and that the installers were wrong not to put it in.

Of course they can't just ship it to me so now I have the local people coming out tomorrow for an installation appointment. I am sure I'll make them very happy when I tell them all I want them to do is hand me the switch. We do all the cabling runs in our house. :)

[tivoboy]

Free h20-700.

so, I had to move and activated the movers connection thing. At first, they wanted to only allow the install if they SWAPPED OUT my h10-250 tivo, which I didn't want. then, they said if I did a 2yr renew, then I could have the H20-700 for free, 5LNB dish for FREE, install for free, all free.

I had to take that, worked out fine, all installed, no changes on the account, eight lines laid in, (I did spiff the guy 40$ since he put in two additional OTA lines for me)

Was that a good deal, should I have tried for some service credits?

[RAD]

Free h20-700.

so, I had to move and activated the movers connection thing. At first, they wanted to only allow the install if they SWAPPED OUT my h10-250 tivo, which I didn't want. then, they said if I did a 2yr renew, then I could have the H20-700 for free, 5LNB dish for FREE, install for free, all free.

I had to take that, worked out fine, all installed, no changes on the account, eight lines laid in, (I did spiff the guy 40$ since he put in two additional OTA lines for me)

Was that a good deal, should I have tried for some service credits?

Sure you don't mean the HR20-700 HD DVR, the H20 is a non-DVR box that just about anyone with no effort can get for free?

[tivoboy]

yes, that is what I meant, I didn't know the stand alone receiver was called the H20-700? I thought it was just H20,

I have the HR20-700
as well as my beloved H10-250. Or is it HR10-250? Prolly the later.

[RAD]

yes, that is what I meant, I didn't know the stand alone receiver was called the H20-700? I thought it was just H20,

I have the HR20-700
as well as my beloved H10-250. Or is it HR10-250? Prolly the later.

It was a HR10-250. For the newer receivers the number after the dash is a code for who manufactured the box. Right now the HR20 has two manufactures with code -700 (the original manufactured) and -100 (a newer manufcaturer).

[tivoboy]

So, I was just checking out the new receiver, and I was WRONG
Since it was the silver receiver, I just assumed it was the HR20-700 but it shows
HR20-S100, it appears to have the RF built in, it has an external RF antenna, and seems a bit smaller than the others.

any other user reports?

[tensuns]

Has anyone looked into the offer for existing customers on expertsatellite.com? If you click on the HD Upgrade link they claim to offer hd upgrades to existing directv customers for $115 ($100 for the receiver with a $15 handling/delivery fee.)

I notice that there is no mention of a dish upgrade, is that the catch I'm missing or is this a good deal?

[paksen]

Called last month and I understood that I was getting the HR20 for free plus free install and 1yr from DVR service. I expressly explained that the install had to be to an interior wall. He understood and if the installer balked to give D* a call.

Well today was the install. Installer balked. Call D*, they'll cover for 1hr custom install. Pay installer $75 for custom install. I'm on a conf call when the guy leaves. later I discover that it's not DVR it's a std H20.

Called D* and they're gonna do me the "favor" and not charge me the $100 for the H20. Uh that's an H20 that I didn't want. How big of them.
So I inquire about the HR20. They'll discount that for me down to $150.
I've been a customer with them for 5 yrs. Always good on my bills etc. etc. and that is the best that they'll do. Oh maybe throw in Showtime for 3 mos.

What am I doing wrong here or is $150 as good as it'll get?

[paksen]

They told me I did not have to return my leased HR10-250, and suggested selling it on eBay. Sweet!

I bought a HR10-250 off of CraigsList. When I went to activate the receiver I was told it was leased and had to be returned to the original owner so he could ship it back. The OO had tried to give the unit back to the guy who was doing his upgrade install but he wouldn't take it. That's why the OO figured it was his to sell. Too bad for both of us it didn't turn out that way.

[Smuuth]

After several emails back and forth and 3 phone conversations with retention, I got the following deal on April 16:
2 HR20 HD DVRs, with 5 LNB dish and 2 6x8 multiswitchs cascaded installed plus a standard receiver to replace an old Samsung and I keep my owned HR10-250.

Total cost including tax on my credit card: +$420
Instant credit to my account (It's already there, I checked): -$217
1 year free HD package: -$120
6 months free Showtime: -$72

Final outlay: $11

Install was scheduled for yesterday 1-5 PM. Installer arrived at 1:20 PM, with 2 HR20-100 silver HD-DVRs, 1 D11 standard receiver, 1 AU-9 Slimline Dish, and the WB68 multi-switches. While he was assembling and installing the dish and multi-switches, I unpacked and hooked up the receivers. He removed the 3 lnb dish but left the mounting plate on the roof, which is fine with me. He installed the Slimline 5 lnb dish close to where the old one had been and braced it with two monopoles. He was meticulous in aiming and very professional in all aspects of the installation. When he finished outside, he came in and began the activation. The HR20s had to download software, and one of them had to be re-authorized twice before it would take, but everything was completed by 6:10 PM.

I'm satisfied.

[tivoboy]

ssssssmokin!

[Jamiep]

Here's the deal I just got off the phone with:

*HR20-700 for $99
*New dish with free install blah blah
*Free HD service credits for 12 months = $9.99 x 12 = -$119.88
*Install tomorrow
*Free for 2 months:
HBO
Showtime
Stars
Cinemax
Sports Package

Bottom line = +$20.88 - I think I did ok.

Jamie in Nashville

[Elistan98]

When people say HR20=$99.00 is that out of pocket or is that after a discount to your account?

[Steve]

I got four HR20's for $120 each (along with a new dish) and a $250 service credit to my account. My net cost was about $58 per unit. Was told I'm an "A list" customer... whatever that means! :rolleyes: /steve

[Jamiep]

"When people say HR20=$99.00 is that out of pocket or is that after a discount to your account?"

They are adding the $99 charge to my account this month.

Jamie

[gay_nubian]

Thanks to some of you guys I had a great idea of the deals people were getting. I was discouraged when my 2nd call resulted in them noting on my account that I should expect to pay $299 since it was my 3rd receiver. My 3rd call confirmed that my account did indeed have a note on it. My 4th call however....

HR20-700 = $299 (no delivery charge, they wouldn't ship it)
12 month discount off my total choice package $15x12months = -180
12 months of free HD = $10x12months = -120
6 months of $10 off HBO = -60

Grand total = -60
I told the dude I'd send him a case of beer if he could get me a black HR20-100, but I'm not holding my breath.
Either way I'm a very happy customer

[BlackGoat]

Tell me if you think I got a decent deal, Im a brand new customer BTW. I call and ask about HDDVR, they give me the good old 299 plus 100 instant rebate jazz. I tell them I dont wanna pay 200 bucks for something thats still going to be theirs. I told the guy how I really liked D* and I would sign a contract if he could work something else out for me. He told me he would give me $10 credit on my bill for 10 months for the HD Plus package to make up for the HR 20 costs.
HR 20 - $199
HD Plus- $49 a month for 10 months
+ the whole HBO and Cinemax deal free for 3 months
I think I came out ok on everything the $49 a month sounded good to me for what all I was getting (HD locals, and no DVR fees, all the good channels).
Oh and I get the portable dvd player for free lol
Did I do alright on this?

[mrjb221]

OK, I've been lurking around for awhile keeping an eye on all the great info everyone provides on here and finally decided to sign-up. Thanks to info on here I was able to get a free HR10-250 with the NFLST deal last August and have been anxiously awaiting to upgrade to the HR20 after a couple of recent freezes on the HR10. I called to order MLB EI last week and decided to ask what it would cost to get the HR20. When I log-in to my D* account it says $199 to upgrade. The first CSR hooked me up with the MLB and said she would have to transfer me to a different dept. to talk about the HDDVR (not such which dept.) I was connected to a very nice lady to who I explained that I had the HR10 and wanted to get he HR20. Expecting to hear $199 I was pleasantly surprised when her initial quote was $99. I think that price is fair and I was able to keep and move my HR10 to the bedroom, replacing one of the standards I had. I know others have gotten better deals but I can live w/this one. One more thing, when the installer came out D* didn't have an upgraded dish (5LNB) on the work order so I had to call back and setup another appt. How does that not automatically get added? Anyways to compensate for my trouble they gave me 6mo of showtime free. I've now had the unit for 4 days and no problems to report.

[Supervolcano]

Has anyone looked into the offer for existing customers on expertsatellite.com? If you click on the HD Upgrade link they claim to offer hd upgrades to existing directv customers for $115 ($100 for the receiver with a $15 handling/delivery fee.)

I notice that there is no mention of a dish upgrade, is that the catch I'm missing or is this a good deal?
Be careful, there's 3 receivers!!
No it's not a good deal.
They want $599 + $15 shipping for the HR20.

The DVR link is not HD:
https://www.expertsatellite.com/exp_checkout.php?category=dvre

The HD link is not a DVR:
https://www.expertsatellite.com/exp_checkout.php?category=hde

The HR20 (HD-DVR) is this link:
https://www.expertsatellite.com/exp_checkout.php?category=hddvre

You can get a better deal directly through D*, I'm sure.

[reubenray]

My move to Charlotte was cancelled, so my Movers Program deal was cancelled as well. Now instead I am being transferred to Charleston, SC. which does not get the HD Locals via Directv. But I still need another HD-DVR due to my HR10-250 HDMI died. The HR10 will be used on another TV via component, but my main HDTV has both of the components ins used already, so need a HDMI.

Will it be better to get another HR10-250 from a third party or try to get another deal for a HR20? This is assuming the HR20 will still work with the regular (3 lnb) dish and programming.

[Steve]

My move to Charlotte was cancelled, so my Movers Program deal was cancelled as well. Now instead I am being transferred to Charleston, SC. which does not get the HD Locals via Directv. But I still need another HD-DVR due to my HR10-250 HDMI died. The HR10 will be used on another TV via component, but my main HDTV has both of the components ins used already, so need a HDMI.

Will it be better to get another HR10-250 from a third party or try to get another deal for a HR20? This is assuming the HR20 will still work with the regular (3 lnb) dish and programming.The HR20 will work with the 3-LNB dish, but if I were going to use it this way, I personally would just pick up another HR10 on eBay, rather than dealing with different GUI's in different rooms.

If you join the D* service plan, you might even be able to swap your HR10 for a refurb from D* down the road. You can't get a new HR10 from D*, but you might be able to replace an existing one.

Just my .02. /steve

[skaeight]

I tried calling twice this morning to see if I can get a deal on an HR20 and no luck. The only thing I got after being asked to be transfered to retention was 6 months of HD access fee for free.

The problem I have is I'm in a 2 year commitment ( I think about 1 year and 3 months left) and I honestly have no intention whatsoever of switching. I just bought EI, so they've got to know that too.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'd honestly be happy with $199 and 6 months free of HD, but I can't even get that.

As a side note, does anyone have any experience with the OTA antennas they install (how do they work, do they have a preamp, etc)?

[lflorack]

I tried calling twice this morning to see if I can get a deal on an HR20 and no luck. The only thing I got after being asked to be transfered to retention was 6 months of HD access fee for free.

The problem I have is I'm in a 2 year commitment ( I think about 1 year and 3 months left) and I honestly have no intention whatsoever of switching. I just bought EI, so they've got to know that too.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'd honestly be happy with $199 and 6 months free of HD, but I can't even get that.

As a side note, does anyone have any experience with the OTA antennas they install (how do they work, do they have a preamp, etc)?

I was only 6 months or so into my two-year commitment when I called to get my HR20 and slimline dish. The deal I got was $199 for both the HR20 and new dish -- including installation. Because of my previous setup, I was able to discontinue the monthly charge on a H10 and a D10, as well as a Series2 Tivo (to Tivo of course). SO with the new units and the monthly savings, I'm fine with it.

My equipment is in my signature so you can see that I have a Channel Master 4221 antenna and 7777 pre-amp -- not the equipmwnt that DirecTV sells.

[skaeight]

Called back again and got the following deal:

$199 HR20 ($100 instant credit)

6 month free HD access fee

I guess it really is who you talk to. I agree though with others that they should just standardize this process. It's ridiculous that one CSR gives out a deal but other won't. I'm happy now though. Now I just have to figure out which TV I want :)

[Steve]

Called back again and got the following deal:

$199 HR20 ($100 instant credit)

6 month free HD access fee

I guess it really is who you talk to. I agree though with others that they should just standardize this process. It's ridiculous that one CSR gives out a deal but other won't. I'm happy now though. Now I just have to figure out which TV I want :)J&R in NYC had the Panny 58" plasma on sale for $2300 this week! Unbelievable price. /steve

[skaeight]

I was only 6 months or so into my two-year commitment when I called to get my HR20 and slimline dish. The deal I got was $199 for both the HR20 and new dish -- including installation. Because of my previous setup, I was able to discontinue the monthly charge on a H10 and a D10, as well as a Series2 Tivo (to Tivo of course). SO with the new units and the monthly savings, I'm fine with it.

My equipment is in my signature so you can see that I have a Channel Master 4221 antenna and 7777 pre-amp -- not the equipmwnt that DirecTV sells.

Do you know is the slimline all they sell now?

[skaeight]

J&R in NYC had the Panny 58" plasma on sale for $2300 this week! Unbelievable price. /steve

A little above my pricerange. I'm looking at 37" LCDs. Thanks though.

[finaldiet]

A little above my pricerange. I'm looking at 37" LCDs. Thanks though.

I bought a Vizio 32" for $599, but they had a 37" for $699, i believe. Mine has 2 HDMI ports, component plug-ins,etc. Has a great picture on it. Bought at Costco because of their return, no questions asked policy. Also saw Sams Club had same price.

[skaeight]

I bought a Vizio 32" for $599, but they had a 37" for $699, i believe. Mine has 2 HDMI ports, component plug-ins,etc. Has a great picture on it. Bought at Costco because of their return, no questions asked policy. Also saw Sams Club had same price.

I was looking at Vizios originally - the 37" is $799. However, I don't have a costo or sams club membership, so I was looking at buying direct. First off it's on backorder right now, and then I found out shipping is ~ $250. So that killed vizio.

Plus the contrast ratio is only 1000:1

I'm currently looking at the Sharp LC-37D43U. Which when you take into account the shipping on what the visio would have been it comes out cheaper actually. Anyone have any thoughts on that panel? The specs look good I think:

Advanced Super View/Black LCD panel (1366 x 768 pixels)
» 6-millisecond pixel response time
» 1200:1 contrast ratio (6000:1 dynamic)
» 176°(H) x 176°(V) viewing angle

[Drew2k]

Just a reminder: Costco now has only 90-day-returns on TVs.

[Richard Chalk]

I was looking at Vizios originally - the 37" is $799. However, I don't have a costo or sams club membership, so I was looking at buying direct. First off it's on backorder right now, and then I found out shipping is ~ $250. So that killed vizio.


Be aware that there are two Vizio LCD models, the standard one, and the "Gallevia" which is $100 more or so...a few additional features, but basically the same unit, specs, etc.

The best rated LCDs seem to be Sharp, Sony, and Samsung, but Sony is still too expensive for my blood...

[jpl]

Called back again and got the following deal:

$199 HR20 ($100 instant credit)

6 month free HD access fee

I guess it really is who you talk to. I agree though with others that they should just standardize this process. It's ridiculous that one CSR gives out a deal but other won't. I'm happy now though. Now I just have to figure out which TV I want :)

Since folks are giving out the names of TVs that they bought - I'll throw one out there. I got a 32" Panasonic LCD - the TC32LX600 - it's the slightly higher end one that has 2 HDMI inputs, vs. the 60 which only has 1. Very nice picture. I got it for $879 (no shipping or tax) out of a place in NJ. I went through CNET to do my shopping - to get the best price in the area. Found a place in NJ (buydig) that had the best price available. I took the standard FedEx shipping which was supposed to get my TV here in 8 - 10 days. The tv shipped out 4 hours after I placed the order, and just over 24 hours after placing the order, the TV was delivered.

[tivoboy]

J&R in NYC had the Panny 58" plasma on sale for $2300 this week! Unbelievable price. /steve


is this in store only?

[Steve]

is this in store only?Mail order as well. $199 delivery, I believe. It was in the back of Tuesday's New York Times Science Times section. They might be sold out by now. /steve

[lflorack]

Do you know is the slimline all they sell now?

Yes I do know that. I had an LNB3 before this upgrade. I'm not sure what you're saying here.

[ciscokidd979]

So here was my experience...I emailed D* early last week explaining to them that spending $299 for a new receiver every 2 years is crazy. I told them that Dish offers a free HD DVR upgrade and that the local cable company was installing service in my area and they offer a HD DVR as well. I've been a customer for over 4 years with all the channels plus NFLST and Superfan! Got a call yesterday from D* and they said since I purchased a HD Tivo I was eligible for the HD DVR swap out for $99, but I didn't have to give back my HD Tivo. Well that sure is thoughtful. I asked for any credits to try and offset the $99 and she said $5 off my bill for 6 months. She also stated she wasn't sure if I had to pay for shipping. I told her I was going to think about it. She gave me her D* id number so I could talk to her directly when I called back.

What do you guys think? Could I do better?

[Michael D'Angelo]

So here was my experience...I emailed D* early last week explaining to them that spending $299 for a new receiver every 2 years is crazy. I told them that Dish offers a free HD DVR upgrade and that the local cable company was installing service in my area and they offer a HD DVR as well. I've been a customer for over 4 years with all the channels plus NFLST and Superfan! Got a call yesterday from D* and they said since I purchased a HD Tivo I was eligible for the HD DVR swap out for $99, but I didn't have to give back my HD Tivo. Well that sure is thoughtful. I asked for any credits to try and offset the $99 and she said $5 off my bill for 6 months. She also stated she wasn't sure if I had to pay for shipping. I told her I was going to think about it. She gave me her D* id number so I could talk to her directly when I called back.

What do you guys think? Could I do better?

You may be able to do better but I doubt it. I think that is a good deal so I would go with it.

[wakajawaka]

So here was my experience...I emailed D* early last week explaining to them that spending $299 for a new receiver every 2 years is crazy. I told them that Dish offers a free HD DVR upgrade and that the local cable company was installing service in my area and they offer a HD DVR as well. I've been a customer for over 4 years with all the channels plus NFLST and Superfan! Got a call yesterday from D* and they said since I purchased a HD Tivo I was eligible for the HD DVR swap out for $99, but I didn't have to give back my HD Tivo. Well that sure is thoughtful. I asked for any credits to try and offset the $99 and she said $5 off my bill for 6 months. She also stated she wasn't sure if I had to pay for shipping. I told her I was going to think about it. She gave me her D* id number so I could talk to her directly when I called back.

What do you guys think? Could I do better?

Sounds like a great deal to me. It's similar to what I got way back in October 2006. The difference is I got $20/month for 6 months and I really wanted to keep my HD Tivo, it sounds like thats not a big deal for you though.

[kaz]

So here was my experience...I emailed D* early last week explaining to them that spending $299 for a new receiver every 2 years is crazy. I told them that Dish offers a free HD DVR upgrade and that the local cable company was installing service in my area and they offer a HD DVR as well. I've been a customer for over 4 years with all the channels plus NFLST and Superfan! Got a call yesterday from D* and they said since I purchased a HD Tivo I was eligible for the HD DVR swap out for $99, but I didn't have to give back my HD Tivo. Well that sure is thoughtful. I asked for any credits to try and offset the $99 and she said $5 off my bill for 6 months. She also stated she wasn't sure if I had to pay for shipping. I told her I was going to think about it. She gave me her D* id number so I could talk to her directly when I called back.

What do you guys think? Could I do better?

Get them to waive the $20 shipping, and you have a decent deal at $50, IMHO.

[Steve]

So here was my experience...I emailed D* early last week explaining to them that spending $299 for a new receiver every 2 years is crazy. I told them that Dish offers a free HD DVR upgrade and that the local cable company was installing service in my area and they offer a HD DVR as well. I've been a customer for over 4 years with all the channels plus NFLST and Superfan! Got a call yesterday from D* and they said since I purchased a HD Tivo I was eligible for the HD DVR swap out for $99, but I didn't have to give back my HD Tivo. Well that sure is thoughtful. I asked for any credits to try and offset the $99 and she said $5 off my bill for 6 months. She also stated she wasn't sure if I had to pay for shipping. I told her I was going to think about it. She gave me her D* id number so I could talk to her directly when I called back.

What do you guys think? Could I do better?You'll be able to eBay your HR10 for $200-$300, so you'll actually make money on the deal. I would grab it. Just my .02. /s

[kaz]

You'll be able to eBay your HR10 for $200-$300, so you'll actually make money on the deal. I would grab it. Just my .02. /s
keep the hr10-250 until you are happy w/ the hr20. I just craigslisted an hr10-250 to replace my hdvr2, but you bet i'll have both running in parallel. (hr20 +hr10, not hdvr2, heh)

[ciscokidd979]

keep the hr10-250 until you are happy w/ the hr20. I just craigslisted an hr10-250 to replace my hdvr2, but you bet i'll have both running in parallel. (hr20 +hr10, not hdvr2, heh)

thanx for all the input!!!

[Steve]

keep the hr10-250 until you are happy w/ the hr20. I just craigslisted an hr10-250 to replace my hdvr2, but you bet i'll have both running in parallel. (hr20 +hr10, not hdvr2, heh)Just don't wait too long to eBay or Craigslist it. If D* makes good on their promised HD line-up additions by the end of the year, the prices on the HR10's are probably gonna drop like a rock, IMHO. More people will switch to the HR20, and the HR10 supply will way exceed the demand. /s

[kaz]

Just don't wait too long to eBay or Craigslist it. If D* makes good on their promised HD line-up additions by the end of the year, the prices on the HR10's are probably gonna drop like a rock, IMHO. More people will switch to the HR20, and the HR10 supply will way exceed the demand. /s
indeed, they will then turn into greater PQ for SD content and the few HD's still in mpeg2. non HD looks better on hr10 and hdvr2. :)

[Jamiep]

My install was Friday and the guy actually showed up! Kinda a mixed review on the install....I have to either move it again or trim the neighbors tree as I cant get Discover HD or EspnHD (they come in and out and it says locating satellite or something).

Anyway, when he pulled the reciever out it was a HR20-100....is this the newest model? Is this better than the HR20-700?

I own a 37" Vizio and was VERY impressed with the look of HD on it (especially that HD extreme sports channel) I was giggling like a school girl :D

The only downside, the receiver has a dead HDMI port :nono2: so I have to call to get a new one...

Jamie

[morgantown]

After five calls over more than five weeks ("...we can't do better than $299") DTV came through for me! HR20 being installed this Saturday. Given Saturday has to be a horrible install date, I'm not going to be surprised in the least if it is canceled.

But, getting the HR20 in the door months ahead of the new channels being lit up (fingers crossed the sats don't burn up on the pad or something else goes haywire) is quite the relief. Especially after getting the wife to pull the trigger on a 50' plasma at Sam's club this past weekend, I'm thrilled. Can't believe how much the prices have fallen for HD sets.

Guess the HD TiVo will finally be moved down to the second tier... For those of you that have not had any movement on the list price -- don't give up. Just be polite and keep trying.

:) :) :)

[compnurd]

I am getting ready to sign up as a new customer. I am getting a HR20 and one extra receiver. Current looks like i will get the box for 199 and the Plus HD package for 59 for as year plus 3 free months of hbo/cin. Anyone think i can do better or is whatever the current deal is all i will get as a newbie

[Smuuth]

...Especially after getting the wife to pull the trigger on a 50' plasma at Sam's club this past weekend, I'm thrilled. Can't believe how much the prices have fallen for HD sets....
Just how much WAS that 50 foot plasma? I am even more curious about where you are gonna put it. :D

[morgantown]

Just how much WAS that 50 foot plasma? I am even more curious about where you are gonna put it. :D

Inches...feet, it's all Greek to me. Perhaps I should have said 127cm :hurah:.

[wedge40]

I started the process by sending an email and after a couple of days D* called and said they wanted to talk. I finally called them yesterday and got the standard $299 from the CSR. (when am I suppose to say "cancel service" via the phone). They offered me $10 off the bill for a year and free hd for a year. That would equate to $240 (roughly). They used the same old quote "unit original cost is $799 so you are getting a deal at $299). I guess I'll wait a week or two and try again to see what happens. I didn't mention this site and the fact that people here are claiming to get the HR20 for $99.. I'd rather pay $99 and have no service dicounts.
Oh yah I've been with D* since 1995 and have the total choice package.. Not the high end but still for the last 12 years they have gotten $50 from me for "rent".
I think this week I'll call and talk to E* and see what offers they have. In case I have to switch.

I hate having to negotiate not getting raped by a company I've been loyal to for 12 years.

Wedge

[jpl]

I started the process by sending an email and after a couple of days D* called and said they wanted to talk. I finally called them yesterday and got the standard $299 from the CSR. (when am I suppose to say "cancel service" via the phone). They offered me $10 off the bill for a year and free hd for a year. That would equate to $240 (roughly). They used the same old quote "unit original cost is $799 so you are getting a deal at $299). I guess I'll wait a week or two and try again to see what happens. I didn't mention this site and the fact that people here are claiming to get the HR20 for $99.. I'd rather pay $99 and have no service dicounts.
Oh yah I've been with D* since 1995 and have the total choice package.. Not the high end but still for the last 12 years they have gotten $50 from me for "rent".
I think this week I'll call and talk to E* and see what offers they have. In case I have to switch.

I hate having to negotiate not getting raped by a company I've been loyal to for 12 years.

Wedge

Sounds like you ended up in the same place I did. After getting e-mails back saying that "you're important to us, and we want to keep you as a customer, and we'll work with you" I found that they really didn't do that (your concern was the same as mine - keep the monthly charge the same, but cut the price of the DVR). I really didn't get anywhere until I got hooked up with FiOS and suspended my DirecTV account. That's always an option for you - just suspend your account. When asked why tell them that you're interested in getting service from a different provider. I'll bet that they'll call you within 24 - 48 hours giving you a deal. If they don't, you've only lost a couple days of TV viewing - you can just unsuspend your service. I got a call 24 hours after suspending my account from their escalation dept. Their first offer - full price, paid up front on credit card, for the DVR, plus $20 shipping and handling, but I would get $100 credit on my direcTV bill. When I said "no, that's ok" the rep thought I was negotiating, so she countered with "I can go up to a $150 credit, plus we can take a look at the programming packages you subscribe to to see what else we can offer you."

At that point I ended the conversation saying that I would give it some thought, which I did. I've pretty much made up my mind to stay with FiOS.

[shendley]

I started the process by sending an email and after a couple of days D* called and said they wanted to talk. I finally called them yesterday and got the standard $299 from the CSR. (when am I suppose to say "cancel service" via the phone). They offered me $10 off the bill for a year and free hd for a year. That would equate to $240 (roughly). They used the same old quote "unit original cost is $799 so you are getting a deal at $299). I guess I'll wait a week or two and try again to see what happens. I didn't mention this site and the fact that people here are claiming to get the HR20 for $99.. I'd rather pay $99 and have no service dicounts.
Oh yah I've been with D* since 1995 and have the total choice package.. Not the high end but still for the last 12 years they have gotten $50 from me for "rent".
I think this week I'll call and talk to E* and see what offers they have. In case I have to switch.

I hate having to negotiate not getting raped by a company I've been loyal to for 12 years.

Wedge

Unless you can't afford to part with the extra cash up front, I'd jump on this offer myself. From what I've seen reading this thread, paying a net $60 for this machine right now is a pretty sweet deal. Actually I'm still sitting on a $10 off each month's bill for a year and so I figured I'd wait until July or thereabouts when it's done and see if I couldn't get something like the very deal you've been offered.

[dmurphy]

So, I called and complained, and the CSR offered me the HR20 for $299. I told her that I was very disappointed that I'd have to pay to replace my receiver after THEY changed their technology.

The CSR told me that it was like a cell phone, if you want the best model, you have to pay for it. I told her that was a bunch of nonsense, because I happen to know quite well that if the cell company changes THEIR technology, they'll offer free replacement phones to loyal customers.

Anywho, after much arguing, consternation and just plain blustering on my part, I finally got them to agree to replace the receiver for $99 and put a new dish on the roof. I also got to keep the HR10-250, which I'm going to eBay for quite a bit more than $99. :)

[HDTVFanAtic]

I also got to keep the HR10-250, which I'm going to eBay for quite a bit more than $99. :)

I am convinced this is exactly why they have clamped down on the HR20 replacements.

[graffixx]

I have been with D* since 2000 and was on the month-to-month billing until 7/2006 when I signed up for a 2-yr contract for a HR10-250.

I got the HR20 for free + $10 off for 12 months.

They charged my CC $99+tax for the receiver, but then credited my D* account for the same amount.

The install is this Sat.

[bishoptf]

Here's the deal I got, took two calls and I suspended my account for a day. I have been with D* since 2005 - total choice plus, thats it. First go around $150 off of the $299 price, plus 6 months HD free. Called today and got it for $199+tax, then they gave me a credit of $199, though I had to pay the $13 in tax they also gave me 12 months of HD free . So over all I think I did ok, I will miss my r10 tivo though....Supposed to be installed tomorrow afternoon. Goodluck...

[wedge40]

Unless you can't afford to part with the extra cash up front, I'd jump on this offer myself. From what I've seen reading this thread, paying a net $60 for this machine right now is a pretty sweet deal. Actually I'm still sitting on a $10 off each month's bill for a year and so I figured I'd wait until July or thereabouts when it's done and see if I couldn't get something like the very deal you've been offered.

I think I'll suspend my account and see what happens. If that dont work I'll just go ahead and switch to E*. They have most of what I want the satilite for anyhow.
Can you suspend your account online or do you have to call.

Wedge

[jpl]

I think I'll suspend my account and see what happens. If that dont work I'll just go ahead and switch to E*. They have most of what I want the satilite for anyhow.
Can you suspend your account online or do you have to call.

Wedge

I think you have to call. Just say "suspend account" at the voice prompt. It'll take you right to a CSR. He'll ask you some questions - how long would you like to suspend (the max, from what I was told, is 9 months - although I THINK you can extend it at that point), why are you suspending, things like that. When asked why, be honest and tell them that you're investigating a new service. That's what I said - and I thought that the CSR would just start the hard-sell "why are you doing that? Let's see what we can do?" He didn't. I just heard him typing in my response - so he was just filling out a blank on a form. The suspension doesn't go into effect (so they told me - I didn't try this out for myself) until the next day anyway - then again, that may have just been in my case since I called mid-afternoon.

When the escalation dept called me they referenced the original e-mail that I sent - and since you also sent in an e-mail, you'll probably get the same thing.

It stinks that you have to go that route just to get an upgraded lease option. I understand that they're not holding a gun to anyone's head... and that they can charge whatever they want for their own equipment. I just don't think what they're doing makes a whole lot of sense. It's clear that the main sticking point for many folks (me included) is the up-front cost. Instead of coming down on that, they're offering credits that, in some cases, excedes the lease cost of the box! I just don't get that. To me it's just really short-sighted. In many cases it would work out to their advantage to give you the box for nothing, and forget about all the credits.

I would have been happy if they came down $150 off the price of the box and forgotten the $150 credit to my account. Instead, they offered me $150 in credits, and I turned them down. They didn't address my concern (it's their right to do that - I'm not whining about this - but it's also my right to walk away), and so they lost me as a customer. And just yesterday I upped my commitment with Verizon - I now have a 2-year commitment with them - to get their triple-play. So you can guess how ready I am to go back to DirecTV service. Again, that's a shame because I really liked their service. And I do think a promo on the HR20 is coming. I'd heard July - August - and it wouldn't surprised me if that were the case. They seem to offer those promos in that time-frame - just in time for the fall TV season and the start of football season.

DirecTV isn't the only company that gets plagued with short-sighted-itis, though. One company I worked for (a Wall St. bank, no less - so you would think that when it came to cost/benefit analysis they would have it down pat) decided to clamp down on people making long distance calls. First they cut off calls going outside NYC. Well most folks I worked with (me included) lived outside the 5 boroughs. And this was before cell phones became ubiquitous, so we spent time outside at the pay phone making those calls that you can only make during the day.

Management realized that that was a bad option - they were losing productivity. So they restored all calling, but they decided to charge folks for their personal phone calls. Great idea... except that the way they went about it was totally asinine. The dept manager sat down with each of her direct reports, every month, and they literally poured over everyone's phone bills. Worked great...until they realized that the cost (in salary) to have all those managers just sit around looking at phone bills far exceded any cost savings due to people making phone calls (one month I got a "bill" for something like $.90 - hope it was worth the hundreds of dollars it cost them in salary to recoup THAT cost). Sorry for the long rant here - I just lose it when I see companies doing something this idiotic. Right now DirecTV is top dog (or one of them) with 16 million customers, so they're getting this attitude of "you need us more than we need you." Until customers pick up their tents and leave for greener pastures. Then they offer ridiculous discounts just to get you to stay. Totally counterproductive, and it just ticks off your customers.

Ok, done ranting...

[EAGLES20]

Okay here is the problem I'm having sound issues last night it recorded Intervention for me I wanted to watch it the morning and no sound so I tried turning up the TV and I had sound so I don't know why it didn't record with sound through the Denon 3806 hooked up HDMI through HR20-100B the TV is the Samsung HL-S5679W that's one of the problems the other is it takes 7 seconds to go from one channel to the next so I called DirecTV and the CSR told me to do a reformat of the hard drive and lose everything I have taped so I wanted to know if anyone thinks this will work before I lose everything. He said that would help with the channel changing and he said it would also fix the sound problem. I just don't see that doing it so what does anyone else think and does anyone have any ideas.

[loonzilla]

Just completed install yesterday. Received HR 20 for my HD tv, plus HR 15 for my non-HD tv. Total cost was $99 (they waived the shipping) after not haggling much at all. I just mentioned deals on this board and they gave me the $99 immediately. AFter that i negotiated the free shipping and extra HR15 to upgrade my 7 year old Sony non-DVR unit. Don't really care about the 2 year committment since I've had d* for over 10 years and won't drop unless Sunday ticket goes away.
Also, the rep installed a new diplexer for free. Now, I'll sell my HR10-250 when I see a couple weeks of reliability on the HR20. Didn't get any free programming mentioned by others on this board, but the free NFL superfan that I received through the promotion has made my upgrading sessionpositive. That is until I get one of the 100 bugs documented at these forums. I can only hope.

[wedge40]

I think you have to call. Just say "suspend account" at the voice prompt. It'll take you right to a CSR. He'll ask you some questions - how long would you like to suspend (the max, from what I was told, is 9 months - although I THINK you can extend it at that point), why are you suspending, things like that. When asked why, be honest and tell them that you're investigating a new service. That's what I said - and I thought that the CSR would just start the hard-sell "why are you doing that? Let's see what we can do?" He didn't. I just heard him typing in my response - so he was just filling out a blank on a form. The suspension doesn't go into effect (so they told me - I didn't try this out for myself) until the next day anyway - then again, that may have just been in my case since I called mid-afternoon.

When the escalation dept called me they referenced the original e-mail that I sent - and since you also sent in an e-mail, you'll probably get the same thing.

Ok, done ranting...

JPL, I sure hope there is enough room on your soap box for me as well. It's not that I can't afford it, I just don't like being treated like dirt when I've been a customer for 12 year and new people get the best deal imaginable. I guess the next time I chat with D* I'll have to ask why they cant the same company who make the E* HD DVR to make there's as well. Since E* must be getting a good deal cause they are GIVING theirs away.
I guess I'll have to mention this site as well before I suspend my service and see what happens.

I work for the government and years ago, (almost 20) we had the same phone thing. Problem was the closest pay phone wasn't in walking distance so you had to get in your car and drive to it. Even a quick call would take 30 minutes to an hour. Then like you they tried the monitor the phone bill deal for a couple of years. Now you can make personal phone call with in reason. But since most everyone has cell phone they just use those instead. I attribute bad upper level management decision to "The Peter Priciple" regardless of the buisness.

Wedge

[rsblaski]

Okay here is the problem I'm having sound issues last night it recorded Intervention for me I wanted to watch it the morning and no sound so I tried turning up the TV and I had sound so I don't know why it didn't record with sound through the Denon 3806 hooked up HDMI through HR20-100B the TV is the Samsung HL-S5679W that's one of the problems the other is it takes 7 seconds to go from one channel to the next so I called DirecTV and the CSR told me to do a reformat of the hard drive and lose everything I have taped so I wanted to know if anyone thinks this will work before I lose everything. He said that would help with the channel changing and he said it would also fix the sound problem. I just don't see that doing it so what does anyone else think and does anyone have any ideas.

Here are some periods. Feel free to use them. If you need more, let me know.


.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .

As a bonus, here are some commas and semi-colons.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Oh, and some question marks.

?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?

[reubenray]

i have resetup my movers install and will get a HR20 even though Charleston does not get the Directv OTA-HD channels yet.

Will the installer install a multiswitch and is this standared procedure? I will need a total of 6 hot inputs.

[HDTVFanAtic]

If you have 6 receiver inputs on your account, it is supposed to be automatically added to the work order....but given what we've seen lately......

[ibooksrule]

What is the difference bewteen the black and the silver HR20? is one better then the other or do something the other doesnt do?

I have seen some posts saying they want a black one so was just curious.

thanks

Anyone who was new to D* get any good deals on the HR20? i am needing 2 and think its stupid if i am leasing something to pay $500 for them. I have dish now and i did have to pay $100 for mine but i got credited for it in monthly programming so it was free sorta. I would rather got it for free though. The prpgramming they gave me was one of the movie channels and i have to much Tv to watch now i dont have time to watch the movie channels. Anyway i know dish will give them free now and so does cable so why not D*

[jpl]

JPL, I sure hope there is enough room on your soap box for me as well. It's not that I can't afford it, I just don't like being treated like dirt when I've been a customer for 12 year and new people get the best deal imaginable. I guess the next time I chat with D* I'll have to ask why they cant the same company who make the E* HD DVR to make there's as well. Since E* must be getting a good deal cause they are GIVING theirs away.
I guess I'll have to mention this site as well before I suspend my service and see what happens.

I work for the government and years ago, (almost 20) we had the same phone thing. Problem was the closest pay phone wasn't in walking distance so you had to get in your car and drive to it. Even a quick call would take 30 minutes to an hour. Then like you they tried the monitor the phone bill deal for a couple of years. Now you can make personal phone call with in reason. But since most everyone has cell phone they just use those instead. I attribute bad upper level management decision to "The Peter Priciple" regardless of the buisness.

Wedge

Sure... I have a pretty big soapbox. I hope it works out for you (hope directv calls you back with a great offer). I can't wait to see what they do when I actually cancel my service :) I understand that they don't necessaily panic every time someone threatens to leave - I'm sure many people use that bluff every day. There are 2 things that get me about this whole deal. First is the inconsistancy of it - some get the dvr for close to no money. Others have to pay full price (lease price). And there's no rhyme or reason behind some of it - some who get the great deal are relatively new customers who don't have any add-on packages. Some who don't get it have been with the company for years and have lots of add-ons. You want to reward your top-paying customers? Fine. But there are better ways to do it. The way that they're doing it just smacks of unfairness and favoritism. Even if that's not the case, it sure appears that way.

Second is how these companies tend to respond when you DO finally pull the plug. They act shocked... and they throw it back on you. "Why didn't you give us warning that you were interested in getting a deal? We can work on it now." Yeah, like I didn't give them fair warning - not that I'm even required to. I sent them 2 e-mails, made several calls, and got no indication that they even read my e-mail, much less cared about responding to my concerns. Then they have the nerve to act shocked that I'm making this decision. It's not just directv that does this. A coworker switched from Dish to FiOS. He couldn't get Dish to give him the time of day while he was a customer. When he switched he couldn't get them to leave him alone. He even threatened legal action against Dish for harrassing him. He claimed that they were violating the do-not-call list (they really weren't - when you cancel a service, that company is allowed to contact you, as a former customer, for up to a year, to try to win back your business). Again, this just speaks of the short-sightedness of many of these companies. Short sighted because it costs them more to get a new customer than it does to offer an existing customer a deal. But they wait until AFTER you've signed a contract with another company, and then come after you in an unrelenting way.

Ok, done ranting. I just think DirecTV is shooting themselves in the foot by operating this way. Give your preferred customers some other type of incentive. Send them discount coupons (congratulations! You're a super A-plus customer... and we'd like to off you 12 months of HBO for free - something like that). Them clamping down on the DVR deals only serves to push the discounts elsewhere. So they still charge $300 for the DVR, but give you credits... and give you free service... it all ends up costing them more in the end. Again, if DirecTV had just come down on the price of their dvr by $150 vs. offering me $150 in credits, I would have been ok with it, and probably waiting on an install right now. Instead, they lose me as a customer. I hated leaving, but I've gotten over that now. I got an incredible deal with FiOS, and the service is just amazing (PQ, price for service, all far superior to DirecTV - I just signed up with their movie pack, e.g. which gives me 45 SD premium channels - Starz, TMC, Showtime, IFC, Flix - plus Starz, Showtime, and TMC in HD - PLUS access to VOD for all those channels - giving me instant access to several dozen movies and specials - I was surprised at how many - all for $13/month).

[boda]

Since this forum was such a great resource for me, I thought I'd share my experience. I have 3 HR10-250s that I need to upgrade in order to get NESN in HD. I called Directv this morning and said "cancel service" at the prompt. This was my first (and only) upgrade attempt.

I politely expained that I wanted to get NESN in HD and would therefore need to upgrade to the new dish and new HD dvr. At first she said I could only get one HR20 every six months. I explained that Comcast could get me 3 HD dvrs immediately and would be happy to pay my termination fee to get me to leave Directv.

She put me on hold, then came back and said that she could get me all 3, but that two would need to be sent to me via Fed Ex. I told her that was no problem. She then said that the best deal she could give me was $297, which would have to be paid up-front (i.e. credit card), with a $250 immediate credit to my account. I clarified that this was $297 for all 3 HR20s, and she said it was. I took the deal and scheduled install for this Friday.

While I had her on the phone I asked about any Sunday Ticket specials. She gave me Sunday Ticket with Superfan for $249. All in all, a very productive and painless process all around. Thanks to all for the helpful advice in this forum. If it matters, I've been a Directv customer since 1999.

[hot carl]

I have the hr10-250 and a 3lnb. Just called directv because they are offering HD locals in my area now and i need the hr20-700 to get the MPEG 4's. In any case, as soon as CSR answered, I asked to be connected to Customer Retention.

I asked for free upgrade to HR20-700 that I was promised when I bought the HR10-250. He said ok, so installer is coming with FREE HR20-700 (lease) and FREE 5LNB all with free install and I can keep my old HR10 hooked up to a different TV.

Sounds too good to be true.. and too easy!

:confused: :confused:

[goes211]

Unfortunately it is time to say good-bye to Direct TV! After being a happy Direct TV customer for 8 years I suspended (soon to be cancelled) my account last night. I have been living with 3 fantastic SD Tivo DVRs but I finally want to start enjoying HD on my 2 HD capable TV's.

It all started last Friday when I tried to login to the website to see my upgrade options but for some reason it would not let me in. I then called DTV to play CSR roulette. After they informed my of my A-list "Most valuable customer" status they told me it would cost $300 x 2 to get the upgrade. I asked about any special deals or programming promos but they would not budge. I mentioned that many other people seem to be getting better deals but they denied that these deals existed. I even pointed out that I am no longer under any contract and got nothing.

Last night I figured I would try again. I was able to login to the website and it informed me that I could get the HR20 for $200. This really irritated me because they would not even offer me this deal last Friday night. So I called again and got another CSR. That person informed me that they could give me one HR20 for $200 but the other one would still be $300 and still no programming subsidies.

At this point I was very unhappy and it was clear that DTV did not care to keep me as a customer. I checked out DISH but decided it was not a big enough improvement to justify moving to another Satellite provider.

What happened next shocked me. I called up Time Warner and told them I was a DTV customer but I was interested in switching to get HD DVR’s. I currently use them for internet service and they have been fairly reliable. They informed me that they would give me HD digital cable with 2 HD DVR’s and 1 SD DVR for $55 / month for 1 year. I practically choked! This deal seemed almost too good to be true. They were very pleasant on the phone and responsive to my questions. Cable customer service seems to have greatly improved, probably due to the increased competition.

I then called DTV back to cancel my service. After waiting on hold for 15 minutes the person asked why I was canceling my service. I was thinking could they really be that dense? After informing them that I had decided to go with cable to get my HD DVR’s the person wanted to argue the merits of their DVR over Timer Warner’s. They then offered to drop the price of both HR20’s to $200/each but still no other subsidies. That just was not good enough to keep me as a customer.

They did talk me into only suspending my account until football season so I could keep NFL Sunday Ticket but apparently I need to also keep a $30/month plan to stay eligible. I really don’t want to miss the Bears this season but I am not sure it will be worth it to pay an extra $130 on top of NFLST just to watch my games! On principle alone I think I will cancel instead of keeping DTV but at least I have a little time to cool off.

The most disappointing thing about this is that even with the killer cable deal, I would probably stayed a DTV customer if I did not feel they were ripping me off. All it would have taken was a reasonable first offer ($200-$300 total and thrown in a few subsidies). In short, a deal no better than what many people around here have received.

Instead I played CSR roulette with DTV and I guess we both lost.

[shendley]

Unfortunately it is time to say good-bye to Direct TV! After being a happy Direct TV customer for 8 years I suspended (soon to be cancelled) my account last night. I have been living with 3 fantastic SD Tivo DVRs but I finally want to start enjoying HD on my 2 HD capable TV's.

It all started last Friday when I tried to login to the website to see my upgrade options but for some reason it would not let me in. I then called DTV to play CSR roulette. After they informed my of my A-list "Most valuable customer" status they told me it would cost $300 x 2 to get the upgrade. I asked about any special deals or programming promos but they would not budge. I mentioned that many other people seem to be getting better deals but they denied that these deals existed. I even pointed out that I am no longer under any contract and got nothing.

Last night I figured I would try again. I was able to login to the website and it informed me that I could get the HR20 for $200. This really irritated me because they would not even offer me this deal last Friday night. So I called again and got another CSR. That person informed me that they could give me one HR20 for $200 but the other one would still be $300 and still no programming subsidies.

At this point I was very unhappy and it was clear that DTV did not care to keep me as a customer. I checked out DISH but decided it was not a big enough improvement to justify moving to another Satellite provider.

What happened next shocked me. I called up Time Warner and told them I was a DTV customer but I was interested in switching to get HD DVR’s. I currently use them for internet service and they have been fairly reliable. They informed me that they would give me HD digital cable with 2 HD DVR’s and 1 SD DVR for $55 / month for 1 year. I practically choked! This deal seemed almost too good to be true. They were very pleasant on the phone and responsive to my questions. Cable customer service seems to have greatly improved, probably due to the increased competition.

I then called DTV back to cancel my service. After waiting on hold for 15 minutes the person asked why I was canceling my service. I was thinking could they really be that dense? After informing them that I had decided to go with cable to get my HD DVR’s the person wanted to argue the merits of their DVR over Timer Warner’s. They then offered to drop the price of both HR20’s to $200/each but still no other subsidies. That just was not good enough to keep me as a customer.

They did talk me into only suspending my account until football season so I could keep NFL Sunday Ticket but apparently I need to also keep a $30/month plan to stay eligible. I really don’t want to miss the Bears this season but I am not sure it will be worth it to pay an extra $130 on top of NFLST just to watch my games! On principle alone I think I will cancel instead of keeping DTV but at least I have a little time to cool off.

The most disappointing thing about this is that even with the killer cable deal, I would probably stayed a DTV customer if I did not feel they were ripping me off. All it would have taken was a reasonable first offer ($200-$300 total and thrown in a few subsidies). In short, a deal no better than what many people around here have received.

Instead I played CSR roulette with DTV and I guess we both lost.


Yes, that is the almost unbelievably frustrating thing about DTV - their complete inconsistency. It's hard to believe that they would be willing to cut you loose rather than come down a bit on what they were asking for the hddvrs - even to the point we've seen them come down to many folks who've posted on this thread. Though IF you really would rather stay with DTV (and I know I would, not only for NFLST but for the relative lack of problems with their service vs what I remember of having cable about 6 years ago), why not spin the csr roulette one or two more times? My experience both personally and from hanging out at this forum is you can never predict what the next response might be! Sometimes brute persistence is the key to getting the deal you want.

[ibooksrule]

I just called Directv to see what kind of a deal i could get and the guy on the phone told me they are not allowed to let any one account have more then 1 hd dvr per account per household. Then he said the best deal he could do is $299 for the hr20 and then $100 for the HD receiver and then i could get a mail in rebate to get that back in 8 weeks or so. And then a $100 rebate for the HR20 as well.

He said that was the best deal they had going and had never heard of such crazy figures such as some people here have gotten. Any ideas on what to do or say.

[Steve]

I just called Directv to see what kind of a deal i could get and the guy on the phone told me they are not allowed to let any one account have more then 1 hd dvr per account per household.Call again. I was first told the limit was 2. After 3 calls, I was able to order 4 HR20's. They were installed in one shot 5 weeks ago. /s

[Smuuth]

He said that was the best deal they had going and had never heard of such crazy figures such as some people here have gotten. Any ideas on what to do or say.He is lying. The deals are real, you just have to be what DirecTV considers to be a high-value customer. It also helps to be persistent and try to talk to retention rather than the run of the mill CSR.

[etchasketch]

no, without even re-reading whatever you are replying to Smuuth, there are NO high value customers, you are just on a list ... there is no A list (made up for CSO amusement).

Geez, you guys still keeping this monster thread going, hey?

Have ya missed me?

etch

[ibooksrule]

i am a new customer so im not high value or anything. i just am going to call again

[wjHunter]

I went with DTV because of better selection and no more "Your Rates are going up again" letters from my cable company.

[mpkillio]

I have the hr10-250 and a 3lnb. Just called directv because they are offering HD locals in my area now and i need the hr20-700 to get the MPEG 4's. In any case, as soon as CSR answered, I asked to be connected to Customer Retention.

I asked for free upgrade to HR20-700 that I was promised when I bought the HR10-250. He said ok, so installer is coming with FREE HR20-700 (lease) and FREE 5LNB all with free install and I can keep my old HR10 hooked up to a different TV.

Sounds too good to be true.. and too easy!

:confused: :confused:

I saw your post and because I was having trouble receiving Fox via antenna, I decided to also try for the free hr20-700. I also have the hr10-250 and have been wanting to upgrade for some time but did not want to pay for a leased unit. I phoned on Sunday evening and also mentioned that I wanted to receive my local networks through the satellite and was told I would be offered the new mp4 unit for free when it became available. No problem the rep in retention was happy to honor that promise. I reiterated that there would be no charge to my account for the new equipment or installation and she confirmed. So we set installation for this Thursday 5/3 and ended the call.

On Monday I pulled up my account to verify what we had discussed and to my surprise there was a $99.66 charge for the new unit. I phoned D__ and asked for retention and explained what had happened. The CSR was combative and unwilling to do anything for me as he could find no notes in my file stating Free! After going around with him for a couple of minutes I asked to speak to a supervisor. He stated he had the same authority as a supervisor and they would do nothing else for me. I demanded to speak to his supervisor and he placed me on hold. Came back a couple of minutes later and said they were all busy and put me on hold again. When he finally came back he told me he could not place me on hold more than twice and I would have to wait 24-48 hours for a return phone call from a supervisor. I persisted to speak to a supervisor and he hung up on me! I immediately phoned back and asked for retention and explained very calmly what had happened. The CSR apologized over and over again and finally honored the deal I was promised on the first call. She also threw in 6 months of free HDTV and 6 months of free Showtime. Come to find out the original rep had set up my account to have three payments of $99.66 each for the equipment.

Better double check your account to verify it is actually FREE! Good luck!

It took some time and calls but ultimately paid off. :hurah:

[sjmurdock]

I've been a customer for 6 years and called tonight for my upgrade options. I had called last summer after receiving a 2nd Tivo unit (for free thanks to some good negotiating). I called to complain because the HR20 came out a month later and I wouldn't be able to receive FSN HD with the Tivo. After the CSR finally realized it they offered me $150 credit but I decided against it at the time due to the instability of the HR20 but they stated it would be placed in my notes when I did decide to upgrade. Of course those notes somehow disappeared but they did offer me an upgrade tonight for $99. Given the experiences of some and not wanting to play the CSR game, I went ahead and took the offer and am scheduled for a Friday install.

[Smuuth]

Have ya missed me?

etchTo answer your last question, no. Obviously, you only post here to amuse yourself, not to actually provide any information of value to anyone.

[ibooksrule]

i just signed up and i talked to several diff CSRs and al of them said sorry 1 HR20 per household per account per every 30 days. Everyone of them kept over and over saying there is no such deals and its set in stone that its $199 for the HR20. she did offer me 10 a month off for 12 months beyond the allready $10 a month off but that isnt that great of a deal. It beats what im paying with dish by quite a lot but i dont think its a good enough offer to get me as a customer. I thought about signing up then when they call to schedule the install i can say well i just was thinking about it and its not that great of a deal and i was talking with Dish network and they offered me a better deal so i was thinking i should just go with them.

any ideas on if this would work?

[sidewinder770]

Well I'm a new member to this forum but I have roamed the boards for a while now. I'm very familiar with the d* csr roulet and have played that game many times as I've been with them for over 8 years. I played the game again today and I currently have a very old receiver and a 3 lnb dish. I got a new 5 lnb dish, 2 cable runs and the new hr20-700 reciever for an install tomorrow! Total cost was 99 for the reciever, 10 a month credit to my acount for a year, free HD service for a year- had to pay 5.99 a month for the DVR service and had to sign a 2 year contract. I thought it was a fair deal so I said OK. Couldn't belive they had an install date of tomorrow! Of course I don't have my new panasonic plasma to hook up to it yet but at least I'll be ready for it when it comes in :) not for 2 or 3 more weeks darnit :(

[hot carl]

I saw your post and because I was having trouble receiving Fox via antenna, I decided to also try for the free hr20-700. I also have the hr10-250 and have been wanting to upgrade for some time but did not want to pay for a leased unit. I phoned on Sunday evening and also mentioned that I wanted to receive my local networks through the satellite and was told I would be offered the new mp4 unit for free when it became available. No problem the rep in retention was happy to honor that promise. I reiterated that there would be no charge to my account for the new equipment or installation and she confirmed. So we set installation for this Thursday 5/3 and ended the call.

On Monday I pulled up my account to verify what we had discussed and to my surprise there was a $99.66 charge for the new unit. I phoned D__ and asked for retention and explained what had happened. The CSR was combative and unwilling to do anything for me as he could find no notes in my file stating Free! After going around with him for a couple of minutes I asked to speak to a supervisor. He stated he had the same authority as a supervisor and they would do nothing else for me. I demanded to speak to his supervisor and he placed me on hold. Came back a couple of minutes later and said they were all busy and put me on hold again. When he finally came back he told me he could not place me on hold more than twice and I would have to wait 24-48 hours for a return phone call from a supervisor. I persisted to speak to a supervisor and he hung up on me! I immediately phoned back and asked for retention and explained very calmly what had happened. The CSR apologized over and over again and finally honored the deal I was promised on the first call. She also threw in 6 months of free HDTV and 6 months of free Showtime. Come to find out the original rep had set up my account to have three payments of $99.66 each for the equipment.

Better double check your account to verify it is actually FREE! Good luck!

It took some time and calls but ultimately paid off. :hurah:


Thanks for the input. I will definitely be checking my bill. Saturday install! Man, I would have been pissed if I were you.

[ItsGavinC]

Hey all, long time lurker, first time poster. Wanted to share my experience.

I'm moving from Phoenix, AZ to Long Island, NY in 3 weeks. I called DirecTV last Saturday and said "cancel service" at the prompt. Not much of a fib there because Cablevision in NY is offering a great deal to for new customers. The Cablevision Triple Play gives us digital cable, internet, and home phone for $29.95/each for 12 months. After the first year at $29.95 the fees jump way up (they quoted me $46.95 for a base cable package + 9.95 for IO digital cable + 9.95 for DVR service + 6.25 for each of the two cable boxes I want), for a total of about $80/month for the digital cable alone after the first 12 months.

The DirecTV rep put me through to retention after I told them about the $29.95 Cablevision deal. The retention rep gave me what I recognized from this forum as a pretty much standard offer of $299 for the HD DVR, minus a $100 rebate, 6 months of HD service free ($9.99 month), 6 months of DVR service free ($5.99 month) and 3 months free of Starz/Showtime. I told him I would discuss it with my wife and call him back. He gave me a PIN, etc., etc.

I'm glad he offered me some customer credits since in truth I'd rather stay with DirecTV then switch to Cablevision. But the bottom line is that I'll go with whatever is cheapest since I'm a student.

I called back today but my PIN had expired. I got retention again and told the agent that I was weary of the up front $199 HD DVR fee and wondered if it could be split among 3 payments. She asked me how long I was going to live in NY, and I told her 2 years. She said that I qualified for the movers package, and that if I committed to a two-year agreement I could get the HD DVR for $21.67 in tax. I took that deal, so here is what I got:

HD DVR for tax ($21.67)
- 6 months HD free ($9.99)
- 6 months DVR free (5.99)
- 3 months Showtime/Starz free

Not a bad deal at all. I got this without any pandering, and was completely honest with the reps. I think my situation was ideal for this type of deal since I am moving in three weeks and the Cablevision offer is very enticing (at least for the first year). If I hadn't qualified for the movers special (free HD DVR with a 2-year agreement), or if I didn't want a two-year agreement, then I don't know if I could have gotten them to lower the price from $199. I probably could have asked for more credits to offset the price though in that case.

In any event, I'm happy. We're only in NY for two years, so it's a screaming deal for me.

[Harrisment]

Here is the deal I got, install is scheduled for today.

I called the main number and had to talk to a couple CSR's before being put through to retention. I told them I had bought the HR10-250 a couple years ago, and at the time of purchase I was told I would be able to upgrade to the HR20 for free once it was available. By the time I got around to retention, she said she would look at the notes on my file, and to my surprise there was actually a note that said I would get the HR20 for free! She said normally it would cost $99. So they are coming out today to hook it up along with the 5 LNB. :)

[OchoCinco]

I was skeptical about this whole process. I have been a customer for < 1 year. I have ST w/ SF and HBO. I have 2 H20 receivers. I called retention and asked about the HR20 and was told the best they could do was $299. No deal. They told me I should call back in once I had been with them for a year to see if they could do anything. I called back immediately. I asked the same question about the HR20 and eventually he let me in on a deal for $199 and no handling fee. This saved me about $120 in all. I did have to renew my subscription for 2 years.

[syphix]

Just called to try my "luck", and talked with three different CSR's...each one unwilling to deal -- the $299 offer was all they offered. Only "deal" they offered was spreading the payments over three months.

I guess being a timely paying customer of the Premier package for the past 2.5 years, with three DVR's and an H20 HD box wasn't enough to offer me a deal as a "thanks" to my loyalty in this highly competitive world. I absolutely refuse to pay $300 for a box that isn't even mine.

[josejrp]

Wow... that's unfortunate. I finally pulled the trigger on the HR20 last week and got the $99 deal for the HR20 and new dish. I did mention to retention that I had a perfectly good HR10-250 that I paid a lot for, so maybe that helped them take pity on me... I didn't get any free HBOs or HD packages, though... The only trouble was getting them to transfer me to the retention department... I had to explain at least twice to the CSR why I wanted to talk to them.

[m4p]

I went with DTV because of better selection and no more "Your Rates are going up again" letters from my cable company.

Yeah, my DTV just went up but don't worry, they won't send you a letter to let you know. :(

[wedge40]

Just called to try my "luck", and talked with three different CSR's...each one unwilling to deal -- the $299 offer was all they offered. Only "deal" they offered was spreading the payments over three months.

I guess being a timely paying customer of the Premier package for the past 2.5 years, with three DVR's and an H20 HD box wasn't enough to offer me a deal as a "thanks" to my loyalty in this highly competitive world. I absolutely refuse to pay $300 for a box that isn't even mine.

It dawned on me the other morning as I was getting ready for work. D* is a lot like the drug cartel. They give stuff for free up font, but once they hook you, you have to pay through the nose. (no pun intended) and nothing is free.:lol:

The last time called I was down to $199 and $240 in credits.. I know I should jump on this but it's priciple of paying 200 bucks for something I dont own!!!

I think I'll give it one more try in a week or two and see what happens. I haven't talked to retention yet.

Wedge

[Bob Coxner]

Most of the people posting here with great deals seem to already have HR10's. Is anyone getting a deal when they start with just SD Tivos?

I've been with DTV for 8+ years, TC+, 2 DTivos and always 1 premium. Not 1 late payment No sports packs. I'm not under contract.

I called today and eventually got through to Retention. A very nice and sharp CSR. Despite all of the above, the best he could offer was $299 PLUS shipping! He wouldn't even drop the shipping. Not even any programming credits. I was less than thrilled. I made it clear I was thinking seriously about going with Time Warner, which actually happens to be true, but all he could do was go on endlessly about how great the HR20 was and how it was worth the extra $299, plus shipping, that I would be paying compared to cable's HD DVR.

I'll continue to play roulette but unfortunately he said would be making a note of his wonderfully generous $299, plus shipping, offer. If he did, I know from experience that it will often cause problems when you try to spin the wheel once again.

[jimmymiko]

I send an e-mail to D explaining how upset I was with my HR10 since the upgrades. I received a letter back telling me that somebody would be in touch with me in a few days. Well about two days later D called and left a message to call back with a pin #. I called back and the guy "no idea what department I got" said he could give me an HR20 for $199. I didn't take the deal. I called back today and asked straight out what deal can I get today. The response was the same as before but they said they would throw in the HD package for a year. So... I had to pay the $199 which with tax was $214 and I am getting HD at no charge for a year which is $119.88 the grand total is $94.12. Just checked my bill and I already have a HD access credit. I was only going to take the HR20 if I could get if for $99 or less and I got it in a round about way.:)

[syphix]

Just called back to see what "today's offer" was....

$299 upfront (no deferred payments), and I'd get $120 worth of credit over 6 months. They said they no longer do the "three monthly payments" plan, so I said, "Fine, give me the 6 months of credit on one month and we've got a deal."

No go.

F***ing DirecTV....

[jimmymiko]

I send an e-mail to D explaining how upset I was with my HR10 since the upgrades. I received a letter back telling me that somebody would be in touch with me in a few days. Well about two days later D called and left a message to call back with a pin #. I called back and the guy "no idea what department I got" said he could give me an HR20 for $199. I didn't take the deal. I called back today and asked straight out what deal can I get today. The response was the same as before but they said they would throw in the HD package for a year. So... I had to pay the $199 which with tax was $214 and I am getting HD at no charge for a year which is $119.88 the grand total is $94.12. Just checked my bill and I already have a HD access credit. I was only going to take the HR20 if I could get if for $99 or less and I got it in a round about way.:)

This is the email I sent.

I have a HR10-250 which until about 6 months ago was a great system. After the 6.2x upgrade, the system has become extremely unstable. At least once a week it is on a black screen and entirely unresponsive. Only unplugging it will get it working again. Daily, we deal with the frustration of missing a lot of our favorite shows. We come home from work only to find the unit dead on arrival. Needless to say, I am very frustrated, not to mention my wife, who is really unhappy. I am looking into
upgrading to a HR20-x00 HD DVR system but have reservations about paying another $299 for the new system when I bought the HR10-250 for $499, and it is listed as leased. I have only had the HR10-250 for about a year. Quite frankly, I expected to get a much longer life for a $500 piece of equipment which will be obsolete when the new satellites are launched later this year. I know that the HR20 has had issues also but at least software upgrades are making the unit better. I have been looking into the Dish
Network; they are giving a free HD DVR that is normally $200. I have enjoyed Direct TV?s quality up until now, but I am frustrated and disappointed with this particular piece of equipment, and, specifically this upgrade. I would like a deal on a new HR20 HD DVR. Is there anything you can do for me? Thanks, Jim

[AlbertZeroK]

I got my first HR20 for free after dealing with a billing issue that eventually I asked to be transfered to retention and talked with the guy there and honestly told him that I asked for retention not because I wanted to cancel, but because after 4 calls, nobody fixed the problem and I had heard retention was the best of the best. (Yes, I definately stroked his ego a bit which never hurts.) Anyways, after telling him my issue, he fixed it right up then we started talking and I got him to give me an HR20 for $99 with $180 in credits.

The second HR20, I got because I too sent an e-mail to Directv. I specifically said, that I had invested a large amount of money in my HR10-250. And now I find out that none of the new HD channels will work with it because DirecTv changed their technology. Now I'm required to pay $300 to borrow a reciever to replace the reciever I just got less than a year ago.

Anyways, I got a call back and they offered me the HR20 for $99 to start with, I said I didn't know, I paid a lot for my HR10-250 which is now useless and I won't even own the HR20. They quickly gave it to me for free. This was Feb.

I say be consitant, ensure they understand what MPEG4 means and what it means to those who have HR10-250's. Ensure they understand you spent a boat load of money on your HR10-250 which DirecTV has choosen to make obsolete. It's not like you are loosing a new feature like interactive channels, you are loosing the ability to get ALL the new HD channels. You've also paid $10 a month for less HD channels than most other companies provide to help pay for the new satellites. Be nice, and my favorite, is, "I just don't understand why DirecTV has made this change after I spent $1000 on an HR10-250, and now I have to pay $299 for another reciever? Does that sound right to you?"

[lflorack]

Most of the people posting here with great deals seem to already have HR10's. Is anyone getting a deal when they start with just SD Tivos?

I've been with DTV for 8+ years, TC+, 2 DTivos and always 1 premium. Not 1 late payment No sports packs. I'm not under contract.

I called today and eventually got through to Retention. A very nice and sharp CSR. Despite all of the above, the best he could offer was $299 PLUS shipping! He wouldn't even drop the shipping. Not even any programming credits. I was less than thrilled. I made it clear I was thinking seriously about going with Time Warner, which actually happens to be true, but all he could do was go on endlessly about how great the HR20 was and how it was worth the extra $299, plus shipping, that I would be paying compared to cable's HD DVR.

I'll continue to play roulette but unfortunately he said would be making a note of his wonderfully generous $299, plus shipping, offer. If he did, I know from experience that it will often cause problems when you try to spin the wheel once again.

I have been with DirecTV about 3-4 years. I have two SA Tivos. I was already using one H10 for HD TV access. I called DirecTV and said I wanted to upgrade the H10 to an HR20. The CSR said the price is $299. I said, really? She said, yes, but I can give you $100 off. Done. $199 for HR20, 5 LNB Dish and installation -- which was completed two days after I called.

[goes211]

Sure enough, I called to cancel my subscription and switch to Cable and they sweetened the deal enough for me to stay. They gave me 1 free HR-20 and another one for $199. No service credits but it was worth it because I really did not want to leave. Less than 1 week later I have them all installed.

So far I mostly like the HR20 but it is a bit more complex than the old SD tivos. The one critical feature that is missing is the dual tuner 30 minute buffer. Missing that is going to really stink during Football season. I wonder what is the odds of them adding it someday?

Unfortunately it is time to say good-bye to Direct TV! After being a happy Direct TV customer for 8 years I suspended (soon to be cancelled) my account last night. I have been living with 3 fantastic SD Tivo DVRs but I finally want to start enjoying HD on my 2 HD capable TV's.

It all started last Friday when I tried to login to the website to see my upgrade options but for some reason it would not let me in. I then called DTV to play CSR roulette. After they informed my of my A-list "Most valuable customer" status they told me it would cost $300 x 2 to get the upgrade. I asked about any special deals or programming promos but they would not budge. I mentioned that many other people seem to be getting better deals but they denied that these deals existed. I even pointed out that I am no longer under any contract and got nothing.

Last night I figured I would try again. I was able to login to the website and it informed me that I could get the HR20 for $200. This really irritated me because they would not even offer me this deal last Friday night. So I called again and got another CSR. That person informed me that they could give me one HR20 for $200 but the other one would still be $300 and still no programming subsidies.

At this point I was very unhappy and it was clear that DTV did not care to keep me as a customer. I checked out DISH but decided it was not a big enough improvement to justify moving to another Satellite provider.

What happened next shocked me. I called up Time Warner and told them I was a DTV customer but I was interested in switching to get HD DVR’s. I currently use them for internet service and they have been fairly reliable. They informed me that they would give me HD digital cable with 2 HD DVR’s and 1 SD DVR for $55 / month for 1 year. I practically choked! This deal seemed almost too good to be true. They were very pleasant on the phone and responsive to my questions. Cable customer service seems to have greatly improved, probably due to the increased competition.

I then called DTV back to cancel my service. After waiting on hold for 15 minutes the person asked why I was canceling my service. I was thinking could they really be that dense? After informing them that I had decided to go with cable to get my HD DVR’s the person wanted to argue the merits of their DVR over Timer Warner’s. They then offered to drop the price of both HR20’s to $200/each but still no other subsidies. That just was not good enough to keep me as a customer.

They did talk me into only suspending my account until football season so I could keep NFL Sunday Ticket but apparently I need to also keep a $30/month plan to stay eligible. I really don’t want to miss the Bears this season but I am not sure it will be worth it to pay an extra $130 on top of NFLST just to watch my games! On principle alone I think I will cancel instead of keeping DTV but at least I have a little time to cool off.

The most disappointing thing about this is that even with the killer cable deal, I would probably stayed a DTV customer if I did not feel they were ripping me off. All it would have taken was a reasonable first offer ($200-$300 total and thrown in a few subsidies). In short, a deal no better than what many people around here have received.

Instead I played CSR roulette with DTV and I guess we both lost.

[kajpin]

First I appreciate everyones participation in this thread as it gave me a lot of knowledge going into this process.

So I'm giving back with my experience so far...

background...

Been a customer since 1996
Moved last May, so I was under an existing 2 year contract for the move installation
Have a clean payment record
Currently have 2 SD Tivo units and 1 orginal box from 1996....never had hd before

That said, I e-mailed dtv and said i was getting an hdtv (coming today:)) and was looking at options for getting hd service. Stated quite honestly all the deals in the area that are being thrown about...including free hd dvr's and programming discounts

Told them I didn't think $300 was reasonable for a box I don't own and said if they could not do better I'd have to consider going elsewhere.

They called and left me an express pin (i wasn't home)

I called back and this is the deal they offered...

-HD DVR/5 lnb dish plus standard installation and all necessary equipment for $199 up front

-$100 instant credit on account (checked this and it is already there)

-12months of free HD programming (value $120)

in a nutshell at the end of a year they pay me $20 for the privilege of holding my account

i took the deal...even though i was secretly hoping for some hbo/showtime programming tossed in

install scheduled for 8:00am thursday

[DaveTheWave]

background...

Been a customer since 1996
Moved last May, so I was under an existing 2 year contract for the move installation
Have a clean payment record
Currently have 2 SD Tivo units and 1 orginal box from 1996....never had hd before


You've given me a little bit of hope... Now I just need to make the call :sure:

[llowrey]

I've been monitoring this post for a while and am very glad that folks have shared their experiences. So, thanks y'all!

I called today to order an HR20. I currently have two SD DTivos, have been a customer since 2005, have been month-to-month for about 9 months, and have only had total choice plus w/ no premiums or other packages.

The first CSR I spoke to today said it would be $299 + a $20 handling fee. I asked about any discounts or programming credits and he said there were none and that they were not allowed to offer any special deals now that the new HD channels were coming. He would not budge at all. I mentioned that I could go to cable or Dish and get an HD DVR for free and he responded by saying that DirecTV was going to be such an HD leader soon that nobody could compete and so they didn't have to discount or give away freebies.

I decided to try my luck by calling again about 10 minutes later. The CSR I spoke to made the same offer and wouldn't budge. Without too much encouragement she offered to transfer me to retention. The retention rep said the deal was $299 but the payments could be spread over three months. She then offered to waive the final two payments and the $20 handling fee. No credits of any kind were offered and I didn't ask for any since this deal was acceptable to me. So, the final deal was ~$100 to be charged on my next bill.

It really is a shame that I had to psych myself up for CSR combat just to get a competitive offer.

[rajkalex]

I'll throw my experience into the pile. Not even mentioning all the offers discussed here, a buddy of mine got the $99 deal. I called just requesting the same deal. I was straight forward with what I wanted. The short of it is that a "supervisor" offered me the HR20 for $199 and a $120 credit over the next year ($10 a month). I just wanted the same deal my buddy got, even if this one was technically a bit better. I politely argued for a while before getting fed up with their games and requested that my service be canceled. This final card did me no good.

After cooling off over the weekend, I called back and two transfers later I was speaking to a "customer retention specialist". I explained what I was requesting. After a lot of beating around the bush, I got the above offer plus HD plus free for a year ($9.99 a month I understand) and no shipping charge. Of course, being the stubborn guy I am, I'm still frustrated that I didn't get the $99 deal, nevermind the logic of it. However, I think I know why. I have the older R20? model while my buddy had the more recent model. Heck, I can't remember the model numbers but just be aware that the model you currently have likely makes a difference in the kind of deal you can get.

I couldn't agree more with Llowrey above. It really sucks that you have to get psyched up just to call Directv to get the same deal the guy setting next to you in the office got.

I do have to say that the Directv personnel were all polite and professional. Install is tomorrow (2 days). I hope it goes well. (and I pray that they don't bring me a butt ugly silver version, whoever thought silver was a good design idea should be severely beaten) Good luck on your order.

[b00stedeg]

Last Monday I gave it a whirl and called d* to find out about deals for existing customers to upgrade to hd with an hr20 and 5lnb dish since I had just purchased a new hd set. On my first attempt I was told it was $299 plus shipping and tax and nothing could be done about that price. I brought up the fact I could switch to E* or cable and get equip for free and more ch's at the moment and a better deal on programing price. All that was said was well thats up to you and I wasnt offered anything further. Three and a half hours later I call back and things were much different. I said the same things as the last time I was still told it was $299 and no less and that they could not offer any discount on the price of the equipment but what he could do was offer me programing credits. He offered $10 dollars off a month for a year and when pushed further gave an additional $10 dollars off a month to my sports pack being billed at $12. I figured a total of $240 in programing credits. I figured this was good enough and accepted the deal. I paid the $299 + tax and shipping upfront and will be credit $240 on my bill over the next year.

[jahgreen]

I thought I should post my experience, for etchasketch if nobody else. I'm rather surprised at the result given everything I've read here during the past 6 months.

I sent an email from the DirecTV website at the end of April. I simply stated that I was peeved that, even though I was no longer under contract, they wanted to charge me $299, more than a new customer, and expressed my concern that the cost for the HDDVR and the HD access over a two year contract would add more than $20 per month to my bill, eliminating any cost advantage over cable.

They called three times within a few days, but I didn't get back to them because I didn't feel like doing any bargaining. I finally called today, prepared to pay $199 (the charge for new customers) and maybe get a few months discount on the HD access fee. I thought that would be a reasonable charge for committing for two years, even given my unease about the HR20.

I had waited so long to call back that the PIN I had been given was no longer valid. It took about 1 minute to get transferred to retention. The CSR I got looked up my email and asked "so your main concern is the cost of the HDDVR upgrade" and I said yes, plus the increase in monthly charges. She asked whether I'd be happy if she agreed to provide the HDDVR at no cost other than 19.95 shipping and tax, plus a waiver of the HD access fee for 6 months. I hadn't done any whining or bargaining at all and was shocked. I probably could have asked for more discounts--I got the impression she would have waived the access fee for a full year--but I thought the offer was more than fair so I said that would take care of my concerns and I'd be willing to commit for 2 more years. Total cost, with tax, $21.70. Less $60 in HD access credits, if you want to look at it that way. Total time on the phone: 10 minutes.

Plus, they were ready to schedule an install as early as this Friday. I couldn't do it Friday or Saturday, but they agreed to come on Sunday between 8 and 12. Only later did I realize that's Mother's Day, so I hope they are on time because my wife will be ticked if I can't take her to dinner because some guy is futzing with satellite reception.

But other than that, I'm wondering if there's a catch. It was too easy. Was I just lucky on the CSR I got? Maybe there's a Comcast promotion I didn't know about?

Now if only the HR20 I get works . . . . .

[Bob Coxner]

Still no joy here. Sent a polite email and got a call back the next day. $299 and no programming freebies. The CSR noted that I've had a number of discounts over the years (8+ subscriber) and basically said they couldn't/wouldn't give me any more. This was my 4th attempt at CSR roulette so I'm beginning to accept that I'm not going to be one of the lucky ones.

I find it surreal that I'm trying so hard to buy a piece of equipment that remains so far behind what I'm using now (R10 DTivos) but I'm having no luck. It's like a guy trying and failing to bargain for a cheaper price on a Yugo when he's already driving a Porsche.

I'm wondering if I would have better luck with a discount on an HD receiver and then try for an upgrade later?

[CT_Jeff]

I just got off the phone with D. I have been with them since 96 and moved to HD service in 2004. But my Samsung HD receiver will not get the local HD channels. So I want to upgrade to a HR20 for the living room and 2 H20's for 2 of the bedrooms and the new dish. I was told $199 for DVR + shipping and $99 each for the H20's. I just emailed D and said that I was not excited about their offer. I am not expecting everything for free, but I pay my $100 a month bill on time and the only reason I even want to upgrade is so I can watch more of the HD service being provided by D.

sign me

not excited

[Steve]

FWIW, I read elsewhere (http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=936059&postcount=13) in this forum that the president of D* was recently quoted as stating that D*'s mfg. cost for the HR20 will drop from $400 to $300 this year. Should give the CSR's a bit more flexibility. /s

[kajpin]

Well 48 hours after the deal, I'm up and running. Got the first install of the day and it went rather smoothly. Even talked the installer into providing the cable run for the OTA antenna I have on order.

Haven't had a chance to really watch the tv much, but I get the feeling it will take some getting used to on the LCD screen. And it prolly needs some calibration. That's another forum though:)

Now I have to learn how to use the new GUI...I already miss the tivo

Thanks again for all the information.

First I appreciate everyones participation in this thread as it gave me a lot of knowledge going into this process.

So I'm giving back with my experience so far...

background...

Been a customer since 1996
Moved last May, so I was under an existing 2 year contract for the move installation
Have a clean payment record
Currently have 2 SD Tivo units and 1 orginal box from 1996....never had hd before

That said, I e-mailed dtv and said i was getting an hdtv (coming today:)) and was looking at options for getting hd service. Stated quite honestly all the deals in the area that are being thrown about...including free hd dvr's and programming discounts

Told them I didn't think $300 was reasonable for a box I don't own and said if they could not do better I'd have to consider going elsewhere.

They called and left me an express pin (i wasn't home)

I called back and this is the deal they offered...

-HD DVR/5 lnb dish plus standard installation and all necessary equipment for $199 up front

-$100 instant credit on account (checked this and it is already there)

-12months of free HD programming (value $120)

in a nutshell at the end of a year they pay me $20 for the privilege of holding my account

i took the deal...even though i was secretly hoping for some hbo/showtime programming tossed in

install scheduled for 8:00am thursday

[papa_azteca]

Well, I called D* today to order my 2nd HR20. Unlike many here, I will own mine because I negotiated from their $749 price for an owned one. I did, however, quote the $400 manufacturing cost that was shown earlier. I was able to negotiate $250 off the owned price and I received free HD access for a year and $20 off my premier package for 6 months and they waived the $20 shipping/deliver/installation fee. It did require a 2 yr commitment but at this point I don’t plan to find another provider. Unfortunately, this took more than hour to accomplish because 3 different agents told me that they only lease the HR20s but this will be my second owned HR20 (I also own my R15 and D12 since they went to their “leasing” program). The “retention specialist” I spoke to at the end was quite helpful but didn’t understand why I was offered the discounts if I was planning to own the HR20. That’s because I negotiated the discounts first. The agent thought I was interested in purchasing the leased HR20 but that was their assumption.

Bottom-line, my cost is as follows:
$499 for the owned HR20 ($749-$250)
$240 in credits ($10/12 months of HD access plus $20/6 months of premier)
$20 for installation fee
Total cost to me: $239 for OWNED HR20 with installation

“Why would I pay anything for the HR20?” you ask. Because I want to own my equipment. I have the protection plan so it is covered if anything happens to it. But more importantly, IF I did cancel my services and went to TW my monthly lease fees with them would be more expensive in the 24 month period than if I stay with D*. My monthly fees for 8 receivers with TW would be roughly $81/month, on top of programming. My monthly mirroring fees with D* would be roughly $35/month before programming plus $6 for DVR services. That is a difference of $40/month and it adds up to $960 for 2 years (that’s just in leasing fees!). So even if I paid the full $749 for the HR20, if I changed services I would still be behind by $211 in the 24 month period, which I agreed to with D* because of the package discounts.

I will have 3 standard boxes, 2 R15s and 3 HD DVRs (2 HR20s and 1 HR10-250), plus the DVR service fee.
TW charges $7 for standard digital boxes and $10 for either DVR or HD DVR boxes. They don’t charge a DVR service fee because it is “included” in their DVR/HD DVR leasing fee. They do charge $10 for their HD package.

Will this work for everyone out there? I don’t know. But I always look what my total cost is going to be in the long run than just my upfront cost. And frankly, that is main difference between D* and other providers: the upfront cost. D* can either charge it upfront or charge it monthly. And the way that people complain about the increases every year I don’t want D* to charge it monthly. Many will say why I should pay at all for the equipment that I need for my services. The answer is simple: I choose what services I pay for and I need the right equipment in order for me to watch what I pay for. It is no different than having to pay more for a cell phone that supports what I want to do with the phone. The cellular company provides certain services and if I choose to subscribe to those services I have to have the right equipment.

[RAD]

Papa, sorry but I still don't get why you want to own your HR20's. You'r paying more for it upfront and will still have to pay the additional receiver fee, which is the same as the lease fee, the only difference there is a few more cents per month for Texas sales tax on the lease fee. Yes, if you decided to leave D* you could sell the HR20 and hopefully recoup some of your costs but you've said you have no plans on leaving.

[jpl]

Many will say why I should pay at all for the equipment that I need for my services.

I don't think most folks have an issue with paying something for equipment they'll own. Heck, I don't think most folks have issues with paying a nominal fee for a produt that they're leasing. What sticks in my craw is when DirecTV charges you $300 to lease a box that costs them $400 to make. I saw that posting earlier today, too, where DirecTV announced that they're going to start realizing $100 savings on the manufacture of the HR20. Which means that they're charging the manufacture price for an item that you end up leasing. That's what gets most folks. You pay a good chunk up front to lease a box which ties you into a 2-year agreement.

You also mention that the cost either comes up front, or you get hit it with it month-by-month. I agree with that - all companies have different pricing structures, and whether a service is worth it depends on what service you're looking for. In your case, with the number of receivers and DVRs you have, I would agree - DirecTV is structured in a way that's very favorable to your situation. And compared to how much other companies charge for their receivers (I think Comcast borders on the criminal with how much they charge, e.g.), you're right, DirecTV is probably able to keep the monthly cost of the box down by charging you more up front. What I do have issue with, however, is the obscene mark-up DirecTV charges for purchasing the HR20. You got it for a good price. But to charge a retail price of more than $700 on a box that costs them less than $400 to make... I have an issue with that.

[HDTVFanAtic]

I really don't get the owned thing either.

Even if you own it and sell it on eBay, the D* will NOT activate a receiver for someone else at this point that does not go back into a lease - so no one is going to buy this for anything more than the current going rate they can get a lease unit for - as then they will have a newer unit and it will be covered under warranty.

So I agree with Rad, it appears that you are paying 2x or more for it - spend the same thing as everyone else every month and not get enough back when you resell it to even get it close to the $299 back you could have picked one up for now.

[ibooksrule]

i dont see what your saving. You still have to pay a additonal receiver fee every month or you pay a lease fee. they are the same price so its not saving you anything.
PLus then you bought something that you cant sell for anywhere near what you paid for it and on top of that you are going to be left out in the dark when the new receiver comes out. The next big upgrade then you are still going to be using yesterdays news kind of thing.

Then you are going to try to sell a old reciever that is now used on ebay and no one is going to want it because its used and the price you will have to price that at to maybe make anyhing is going to be higher then they can get the newest one from Dtv for.

Also i dont know that i trust dirctv protection plan. Since you own the receiver you OWN THAT ONE. So if it goes bad then will D* bring you a new one? Will that one be yours? i doubt it. Plus i have heard many bad things about the repair plan. Also why pay extra for the repair plan where you would not have to if you just leased it.

Personally i think the HR20 is crap and the GUi sucks on it. Its not simple and easy to et to things like TIvo or even the old hughes and sony receivers.
Plus with Dish you can get there DVRHD for free. Its better to then the HR20

[Titan25]

Most of the people posting here with great deals seem to already have HR10's. Is anyone getting a deal when they start with just SD Tivos?

I've been with DTV for 8+ years, TC+, 2 DTivos and always 1 premium. Not 1 late payment No sports packs. I'm not under contract.

I called today and eventually got through to Retention. A very nice and sharp CSR. Despite all of the above, the best he could offer was $299 PLUS shipping! He wouldn't even drop the shipping. Not even any programming credits. I was less than thrilled. I made it clear I was thinking seriously about going with Time Warner, which actually happens to be true, but all he could do was go on endlessly about how great the HR20 was and how it was worth the extra $299, plus shipping, that I would be paying compared to cable's HD DVR.

I'll continue to play roulette but unfortunately he said would be making a note of his wonderfully generous $299, plus shipping, offer. If he did, I know from experience that it will often cause problems when you try to spin the wheel once again.My scenario:

I have been with DirecTV since October 2001 (after 5 years with E*), have always subscribed to the top package (TC Platinum/Premier), and started out with 3 Series 1 DirecTiVos and 1 "regular" RCA receievr, which was changed to another TiVo within a year. I then upgraded all my Series 1s to Series 2s DirecTiVos in 2004 to take advantage of MRV. All the Series 2 DirecTiVos were purchased from other vendors (i.e. not direct from DirecTV). I slipped in just under the wire before the new activation commitment for DVRs was upped from one to two years, so I was well pass any commitment period.

When, this March, I looked in the upgrade offers under my account on the DirecTV website I was offered a $199 HR20 upgrade with free install and dish. I called in and pointed out that I could do an HD DVR upgrade with my local cable company or Verizon without a $200 "lease upgrade" I got the HR20 for free.

[jpl]

i dont see what your saving. You still have to pay a additonal receiver fee every month or you pay a lease fee. they are the same price so its not saving you anything.
PLus then you bought something that you cant sell for anywhere near what you paid for it and on top of that you are going to be left out in the dark when the new receiver comes out. The next big upgrade then you are still going to be using yesterdays news kind of thing.

Then you are going to try to sell a old reciever that is now used on ebay and no one is going to want it because its used and the price you will have to price that at to maybe make anyhing is going to be higher then they can get the newest one from Dtv for.

Also i dont know that i trust dirctv protection plan. Since you own the receiver you OWN THAT ONE. So if it goes bad then will D* bring you a new one? Will that one be yours? i doubt it. Plus i have heard many bad things about the repair plan. Also why pay extra for the repair plan where you would not have to if you just leased it.

Personally i think the HR20 is crap and the GUi sucks on it. Its not simple and easy to et to things like TIvo or even the old hughes and sony receivers.
Plus with Dish you can get there DVRHD for free. Its better to then the HR20

I won't go as far as you on this, but I agree that I think DirecTV's pricing scheme is out of whack. They made a transition from a purchase-based system to a lease-based system, but they didn't go all the way. What's the purpose of the protection plan when you have a lease? Isn't that what leasing is supposed to take care of? It could be argued that leasing won't cover abuse by the owner - that's true - but I don't think the protection plan will either. When I had pixellation problems with VOD through FiOS, I called them up, and after trying a few things they sent a tech out to the house. He replaced my DVR, my router, and my splitter - and I got a bill of $0 for that.

Same thing with their up-front pricing. I could see an upfront lease fee of say $50 for a receiver or $100 for the HD DVR, but $300 upfront cost for a box that costs them $300 to make? I do think it reduces the monthly receiver fees a bit, but again, if you look at other services (except for Comcast who absolutely tears you a new one every month for their stuff) it's not THAT much less. And when you consider different pricing structures between companies, in many cases you end up spending MORE with DirecTV, even though you spend less per receiver. That was definitely my case. I wanted the HR20 to replace an R15 in my living room. I had another R15 in my family room. I just got an HD TV, so I wanted the HD service (which is why I wanted the HR20 to begin with). Not only would I had to have paid $300 for the receiver, plus $20 s&h, I would had to have gotten the dish antenna to get all my locals (another $50). Then I would have paid the following every month:

$70 - HD service (includes DVR fee)
$5 - Second receiver fee (to cover the R15 on the other TV)

Now, with FiOS, I pay for every receiver, whether it's the main one or not, but my service charge is MUCH less than DirecTV:

$43 - Premier service (includes HD)
$20 - Multiroom DVR - includes DVR fee
$5 - Second standard receiver fee

So I pay a couple bucks LESS every month... and I don't have the initial lay-out for the equipment. Of course, I could have really replicated my directv set-up and gotten two DVRs, stand-alone, which would have run me $1 more per month:

$43 - Premier
$13 x 2 = $26 - Stand-alone DVR fees

And that's the ala carte price. Add to that things like triple-play pricing, and you get real discounts on your monthly bill. Plus I get all my locals, including all the sub-channels, and VOD. And I opted for the 1-year commitment (not required) which shaved $5 off/month for a year.

It all depends on what you're looking for as to which is the better deal, but I'm having a hard time rectifying the fact that DirecTV charges you the manufacture price just to lease a piece of equipment and still locks you into a 2-year commitment. I could do that and still end up having to pay more per month for TV service. Like I said, though, Comcast is a totally different animal, and I compared to them, DirecTV really IS cheap.

[jahgreen]

It all depends on what you're looking for as to which is the better deal, but I'm having a hard time rectifying the fact that DirecTV charges you the manufacture price just to lease a piece of equipment and still locks you into a 2-year commitment. I could do that and still end up having to pay more per month for TV service. Like I said, though, Comcast is a totally different animal, and I compared to them, DirecTV really IS cheap.

It is moot if, like me, your only alternative is Comcast. Not only does Comcast charge an arm and a leg, but from past experience, it falls short in almost every other way. For example, it could never deliver ghost-free cable to me. Sheesh.

As to the protection plan, it seems to me it's really designed to protect you against charges for dish problems (e.g., realignment), wiring problems, and the like, rather than receiver failure.

[MikeR7]

I won't go as far as you on this, but I agree that I think DirecTV's pricing scheme is out of whack. They made a transition from a purchase-based system to a lease-based system, but they didn't go all the way. What's the purpose of the protection plan when you have a lease? Isn't that what leasing is supposed to take care of? It could be argued that leasing won't cover abuse by the owner - that's true - but I don't think the protection plan will either. When I had pixellation problems with VOD through FiOS, I called them up, and after trying a few things they sent a tech out to the house. He replaced my DVR, my router, and my splitter - and I got a bill of $0 for that.

Same thing with their up-front pricing. I could see an upfront lease fee of say $50 for a receiver or $100 for the HD DVR, but $300 upfront cost for a box that costs them $300 to make? I do think it reduces the monthly receiver fees a bit, but again, if you look at other services (except for Comcast who absolutely tears you a new one every month for their stuff) it's not THAT much less. And when you consider different pricing structures between companies, in many cases you end up spending MORE with DirecTV, even though you spend less per receiver. That was definitely my case. I wanted the HR20 to replace an R15 in my living room. I had another R15 in my family room. I just got an HD TV, so I wanted the HD service (which is why I wanted the HR20 to begin with). Not only would I had to have paid $300 for the receiver, plus $20 s&h, I would had to have gotten the dish antenna to get all my locals (another $50). Then I would have paid the following every month:

$70 - HD service (includes DVR fee)
$5 - Second receiver fee (to cover the R15 on the other TV)

Now, with FiOS, I pay for every receiver, whether it's the main one or not, but my service charge is MUCH less than DirecTV:

$43 - Premier service (includes HD)
$20 - Multiroom DVR - includes DVR fee
$5 - Second standard receiver fee

So I pay a couple bucks LESS every month... and I don't have the initial lay-out for the equipment. Of course, I could have really replicated my directv set-up and gotten two DVRs, stand-alone, which would have run me $1 more per month:

$43 - Premier
$13 x 2 = $26 - Stand-alone DVR fees

And that's the ala carte price. Add to that things like triple-play pricing, and you get real discounts on your monthly bill. Plus I get all my locals, including all the sub-channels, and VOD. And I opted for the 1-year commitment (not required) which shaved $5 off/month for a year.

It all depends on what you're looking for as to which is the better deal, but I'm having a hard time rectifying the fact that DirecTV charges you the manufacture price just to lease a piece of equipment and still locks you into a 2-year commitment. I could do that and still end up having to pay more per month for TV service. Like I said, though, Comcast is a totally different animal, and I compared to them, DirecTV really IS cheap.

We know you are a happy FIOS camper, but when the service is available in only about 3% of the country, others really don't want or need to see your comparisons to DTV. I am a verizon phone and DSL customer and they can't even project the service being available in my location within 5 years. What good is that?

[Bob Coxner]

Success!!! Finally.

I've been with DTV for 8+ years and have been active on the sat discussion boards during that entire time. I beg for and get discounts every 6 months. I got both of my DTivos for free.

I preface with all these to show that I know what I'm doing when dealing with CSRs. Despite all my experience I totally struck out with Retention when trying to get a freebie HR20. Did the email bit. Talked to Retention 5 different times and never could get them to budge from the $299. Based on what one CSR told me, I suspect it's because I already have two discounts going ($10 and $5 a month) plus free Showtime.

I had basically surrendered on getting a free HR20. I was also planning to do a "move" at the same time, in order to get the 5-LNB dish. I currently have differing billing/service addresses and was planning to "move" back to my billing address in order to get the free dish install at least.

Today I called the Movers Connection (1-866-WAY-U-MOVE) to get the move going. After finishing the install order the CSR asked if I needed any *free* HD receivers. I said "how about an HR20"? She said "no problem". "Free" works out to $19.99 plus tax. I don't need 2 but she said I could have 2 if I wanted them.

So, I've gone from begging and arguing for two weeks with absolutely no success, to having a CSR offer me two free HR20s without being asked. Life is strange. I do have the usual 2-year commitment due to the receiver. (A move and installation alone is just a 1-year commitment) However, I began my service with DTV with a now defunct rural provider (Heartland). That means DTV never had, and has never asked for, my SSN. I had to use a credit card to pay the $19.99 this time but I used a virtual card number with a $25 limit. I have no intention of leaving DTV but the lack of an SSN or a standard credit card number means my "commitment" is only as good as *I* choose it to be. :-) Given that I've stayed with them for 8+ years, it's no biggie but I thought I would note it.

For those who continue to strike out, this may be the way to go. "Move" to a nearby address today - no Movers Connection involved, just go through the regular CSR and have them change your service address while leaving the billing address alone. Tomorrow, call 1-866-WAY-U-MOVE and set up a move back to your real address. If your experience is the same as mine then you'll get an offer for free HR20s. And, no, no one at DTV gives a rats butt whether you "move" every day of the year. No one will ask you why you are moving so often. It's just an entry on the form to them. My billing address already has an oval dish but DTV didn't even mention it, so I'm not sure what info is included on their database.

This process assumes you need a new dish for HD. If you don't need a dish installation I'm not sure what the Movers Connection would offer you, if anything.

Now to see how the install goes. Thanks to everyone here for all the great advice and feedback!

[jpl]

We know you are a happy FIOS camper, but when the service is available in only about 3% of the country, others really don't want or need to see your comparisons to DTV. I am a verizon phone and DSL customer and they can't even project the service being available in my location within 5 years. What good is that?

You missed the point of my post. I wasn't touting FiOS - that was NOT my intent. Sorry if you don't want to read it - my recommendation is that you don't. The point of my post is that I think DirecTV's pricing structure is out of whack. In my opinion they never made a full transition to a lease type of setup. I could have just as easily pointed to Dish as a comparison to make my point - I used FiOS because it's what I have experience with. Sorry to have wasted your time (again, no one is forcing you to read my post) - but I was agreeing with another post regarding their pricing structure, and using personal experience to make my point. My intent was not to sell folks on FiOS - it was to illustrate what I view as a short-coming with DirecTV's pricing, that's all. And to counter some of what papa_azteca said regarding paying up front vs. paying every month causing the monthly price to be reduced.

[jpl]

It is moot if, like me, your only alternative is Comcast. Not only does Comcast charge an arm and a leg, but from past experience, it falls short in almost every other way. For example, it could never deliver ghost-free cable to me. Sheesh.

As to the protection plan, it seems to me it's really designed to protect you against charges for dish problems (e.g., realignment), wiring problems, and the like, rather than receiver failure.

Fair enough - never considered issues with the dish or wiring (mainly because I never had any with mine in the 5 years I was a customer). Still I think if you're going to do a lease set-up, they should cover you soup to nuts when it comes to your setup - barring anything caused by user stupidity, that is (if I do something really stupid, that should not be covered by the terms of the lease - but if wiring goes due to regular wear and tear, I would expect them to cover it). I don't understand the desire to buy an HR20, though, if it still locks you in. Like others have said - you can't do anything with it unless you're a customer.

I agree with you about Comcast, though. I think their pricing is REALLY messed up.

Also, I don't want my comments to be misunderstood. I'm NOT slamming DirecTV. I loved their service - I really did. I even really liked the R15 (despite its flaws), and was hoping to go with the HR20 - if I had gotten it for a good price I would still be a very happy DirecTV customer. Do I think FiOS is superior? In some ways, yeah I do. That doesn't mean that I would hesitate to recommend folks to sign up with DirecTV. They provide a great service, and I think they're definitely on the right track in terms of where they're going technologically. I thought they fell behind the curve a bit for a while, but I think they've gotten themselves realigned and have a very definite focus. Many complain that News Corp killed the company. I disagree. I think News Corp forced DirecTV to run like a business. Meaning it gave them focus and a very definite goal in terms of developing a robust, consistent architecture.

[papa_azteca]

So if D* still had their owned policy many of you would stop complaining about having to pay anything for the HR20? I say torro caca! Is this model the best one out there? Absolutely not, but it works better for the consumer than the model that some cable companies currently use. Many don't see that because they can't see past the intial upfront cost. I say to D*, "think about changing the name of your program but don't charge me more monthly for it". I'm not one to just say that another company is offering something "better" because I know for a fact that the grass is not always greener on the other side. Nothing in life is free and if it looks better doesn't always mean it is better.

The protection plan does cover owned to owned equipment. I had an R15-500 last August that stopped making callbacks and this one was replaced owned for owned with the protection plan, plus no shipping or contract committment. As for reselling it, when was the last time any of you purchased a car and received what you paid for it after you sell it several years later? How about any electronic equipment? That latest computer? It's called depriciation. Plus, there are many of ppl out there that are willing to pay some money for owned equipment and D* can activate it them as owned, it only takes purchasing a new access card for $20. As for the long term of this receiver before the "newest" one comes out .. it'll be at least 2-3 years before we see a different mpeg-4 DVR. The higher than usual resell value for the HR10-250 will come to an end once D* has their HD programming up and running.

So it costs D* $400 to manufactuer the HR20 and they resell it at a higher price. So what - that's called making a profit. Do you think that the cable companies don't pay anything for their boxes? And yet they charge more per month per receiver than D*. They recoup their costs differently than D*. I do agree that it is a higher mark-up but do you think they are the only company that does it? Do you think that the Blackberry 8703e that Verizon sells for $350 costs that much to produce? They sell it at a reduced price with a 24 month committment to their services. That new HD set you bought cost that much to make? That is why retailers have sales to reduce the price but, unless sold at a clearance reduced price, they still make a profit.

I have a different view when it comes to services that I pay for. I haven't had a committment with my cell phone provider for over 5 years and yet have upgraded my phones at little cost to me. I only agreed to the committment with D* for the additional discounts.

[jpl]

So if D* still had their owned policy many of you would stop complaining about having to pay anything for the HR20? I say torro caca! Is this model the best one out there? Absolutely not, but it works better for the consumer than the model that some cable companies currently use. Many don't see that because they can't see past the intial upfront cost. I say to D*, "think about changing the name of your program but don't charge me more monthly for it". I'm not one to just say that another company is offering something "better" because I know for a fact that the grass is not always greener on the other side. Nothing in life is free and if it looks better doesn't always mean it is better.

The protection plan does cover owned to owned equipment. I had an R15-500 last August that stopped making callbacks and this one was replaced owned for owned with the protection plan, plus no shipping or contract committment. As for reselling it, when was the last time any of you purchased a car and received what you paid for it after you sell it several years later? How about any electronic equipment? That latest computer? It's called depriciation. Plus, there are many of ppl out there that are willing to pay some money for owned equipment and D* can activate it them as owned, it only takes purchasing a new access card for $20. As for the long term of this receiver before the "newest" one comes out .. it'll be at least 2-3 years before we see a different mpeg-4 DVR. The higher than usual resell value for the HR10-250 will come to an end once D* has their HD programming up and running.

So it costs D* $400 to manufactuer the HR20 and they resell it at a higher price. So what - that's called making a profit. Do you think that the cable companies don't pay anything for their boxes? And yet they charge more per month per receiver than D*. They recoup their costs differently than D*. I do agree that it is a higher mark-up but do you think they are the only company that does it? Do you think that the Blackberry 8703e that Verizon sells for $350 costs that much to produce? They sell it at a reduced price with a 24 month committment to their services. That new HD set you bought cost that much to make? That is why retailers have sales to reduce the price but, unless sold at a clearance reduced price, they still make a profit.

I have a different view when it comes to services that I pay for. I haven't had a committment with my cell phone provider for over 5 years and yet have upgraded my phones at little cost to me. I only agreed to the committment with D* for the additional discounts.

I think you're missing the point. At least my point. A NOMINAL fee for leasing is fine. But they're charging you a $300 lease fee on a product that it is now costing them $300 to make. You don't see an issue with that? If DirecTV were to offer a purchase of the HR20 for $300 with a 2-year commitment, most folks wouldn't balk. I wouldn't. But to pay the manufacture price for a product that you don't own, while STILL being locked in for 2 years is, to many, unreasonable.

Granted, no one is holding a gun to your head - which is why I left. I thought the deal was totally unreasonable. DirecTV has every right to charge it - and I have every right to tell them to pound sand.

Besides, the box without the service is useless - so if I buy the box for cost, I'm STILL paying for it through my service. As for a company charging more than manufacture price to sell an item that they make - of course I have no issue with that. I certainly don't expect a company to give away the store. But they're charging, what, $750 for the HR20. That's a hell of a mark-up. I also don't like the inherent dishonesty in what they're telling some consumers - including me. When I tried to get a deal on the HR20, I was told by the CSR that the box costs them ALOT to make - over $1000 per unit (as if to say 'what the hell are you complaining about, we're giving you a hell of a deal on this box by ONLY charging you $300 to lease). Horse crap! At the time it was costing them less than half that to make ($400 per unit) than what they were telling me. And now they just announced that they got the cost per unit down to $300. And they still have the nerve to tell customers that they're getting a good deal?

Let's use the car analogy for a sec. You go into a show-room, and they offer to sell you a car for "only" 250% of the cost of manufacturing the car. Would you take the deal? That's exactly what DirecTV is doing. When you lease a car, you're paying less than the manufacture price of the car in most cases. The reason the car companies love it is because, at the end of the day, THEY still own the car, and can resell it for a great price - you're obligated to keep the car in good shape, with relatively low mileage, or you get hit with additional fees.

I also disagree with your HDTV pricing analogy. The profit margin on products like that are pretty thin. The reason is that there are ALOT of HDTV manufacturers in the market. And once you buy that unit, you're done with that company - you're not getting an additional service (like you are with cell phone or TV service). Put it this way, if Panasonic (the HD that I bought) were to charge me 250% of the manufacture cost for that TV, I'd happily have gone somewhere else. TV manufacturers can't afford to do this - and the reason is that you're not forced to buy one brand in order to get some type of programming. With DirecTV if you want their HD programming, and you want DVR service, you have exactly one choice - the HR20 (you could go with the Tivo, but in most areas you won't get locals, and you won't get any of the new HD channels that they're going to carry). Imagine what the price of an HDTV would be if there really were only one game it town. That's what competition does - it drives down the cost. Take a look at the profit margin of most companies - they're razon thin. Even the "evil" oil companies. Do you know what Exxon-Mobile's profit margin was when they were making record profits? Around 9%. Most companies don't make much more than that - some industries do (e.g. Google's profit margin is in the neighborhood of 25%). But I challenge you to name for me one company that has the profit margin that DirecTV does on their HR20.

[Jomanscool2]

So, after a few unsuccessful calls, I was able to get my 2nd HR20 for $20 (S&H) down. I have been a longtime DTV customer, and have been on their 'A List' for quite some time.

Tips to all those who still seek deals.

Get high up! Every CSR I spoke to saw that I was an 'A List' customer, and they all offered me $100 off of the $299. However, this was not enough. The lower level CSRs just don't have access to the great deals that high ones have. I found it easiest, rather than asking for them to transfer you to someone higher right up front (which they usually just transfer you to one of their same-teir support), you have to push and ask for better deals and when they say they can't give you anything better, quote a price from here (or in my case, the price I got on my first one). If it is better than what they can offer, they usually transfered me higher.

Also, a note which I have found true with MANY different companies and their CSRs/Tech support, the higher ranking employees typically have private offices, and not cubicles. This means that you can typically tell that you have gone up from the initial level if the call suddenly has a much quieter ambient sound level.

Good luck to all those who are still searching for deals!

[Lateshowrob]

So, after a few unsuccessful calls, I was able to get my 2nd HR20 for $20 (S&H) down. I have been a longtime DTV customer, and have been on their 'A List' for quite some time.

Tips to all those who still seek deals.

Get high up! Every CSR I spoke to saw that I was an 'A List' customer, and they all offered me $100 off of the $299. However, this was not enough. The lower level CSRs just don't have access to the great deals that high ones have. I found it easiest, rather than asking for them to transfer you to someone higher right up front (which they usually just transfer you to one of their same-teir support), you have to push and ask for better deals and when they say they can't give you anything better, quote a price from here (or in my case, the price I got on my first one). If it is better than what they can offer, they usually transfered me higher.

Also, a note which I have found true with MANY different companies and their CSRs/Tech support, the higher ranking employees typically have private offices, and not cubicles. This means that you can typically tell that you have gone up from the initial level if the call suddenly has a much quieter ambient sound level.

Good luck to all those who are still searching for deals!

Good job, I was only able to get the 'standard' $200 + SH, and the 'free' HD for a year deal about a month ago. Perhaps I'll shoot them an email asking why others are getting good deals while I still had to pay $200.

[Alan Gordon]

Perhaps I'll shoot them an email asking why others are getting good deals while I still had to pay $200.

While trying to get a good deal on a HR20 last year, I stated that I "knew" a few people getting the HR20 for shipping... and the CSR asked me if I was referring to posts on "SatelliteGuys" and "TiVoCommunity," and told me not to believe everything I read...

~Alan

[Lateshowrob]

While trying to get a good deal on a HR20 last year, I stated that I "knew" a few people getting the HR20 for shipping... and the CSR asked me if I was referring to posts on "SatelliteGuys" and "TiVoCommunity," and told me not to believe everything I read...

~Alan

Yeah true, but I seriously doubt people are going to make up these stories. They are most likely just saying that to cover their donkeys.

[shendley]

Yeah true, but I seriously doubt people are going to make up these stories. They are most likely just saying that to cover their donkeys.

They are definitely just saying that. I got mine for a couple of bucks last year after the credits they gave me. I had to pay a bit up front, but that didn't really bother me. If the credits offset it, I'm cool with that.

[pmulry]

Here's the offer for today from DirecTV for a returning customer. I was D* sub from 1998-2003, then we moved to our present house. Mover's Advantage wasn't really going then so we cancelled that acct and opened a new one in my wife's name at the new house. We stayed with D* on her acct from July 2003 through about March 2006 when we got HD. D* didn't want to play ball on the old HDDVR at that point -- a fact that had me seriously peeved at the time but which is probably now a blessing in disguise -- so we left D* for Comcast. Their offer was a free HDDVR plus full programming for like $30/month plus our cable internet service got seriously discounted. Those discounts were good for 12 months.

Comcast was okay, but then they switched our system with TimeWarner, who then promptly dropped NFL Network, which stunk big time but I wasn't ready to slink back to D* after the shoddy treatment I got when trying to upgrade to HD with them the first time around. Now it's been a little more than 12 months, the discounts have all gone away and I'm still stuck with the Comcast/TimeWarner/Motorola HDDVR that is frankly a piece of junk. Only one tuner, an absolutely horrific interface (at least compared to the DirecTiVo I had before), and an awful OS on the machine. I can't tell you how many times it has simply powered down in the middle of a program because I was watching behind and the recording time had ended. Complete POS. Also, the OS does not do a very good job of determining how much space is actually filled up on the HDD, so it will routinely say 60% full when there are only like 6 SD shows on the recorder. Have to manually pull the plug and force a reboot to make it work. Yeah, it's a nice piece of equipment. For 1996 maybe.

So after making the decision to go back to D* after the Comcast box cut off the end of Sopranos again last night, I called D* today. They talked to me briefly before shipping me off to retention without me even asking. That was nice.

The retention CSR basically went right to the offer that they are giving to new DirecTV customers even though we've only been gone for a year. (This is a big change because previously they seemed to hold the line on trying to bend us over for this same fact.) Their offer was $299 for the HR20, minus $100 instant credit, as well as $10 credit/month for 12 months against our base programming package, and all premiums and the sports pack free for 2 mos. After reading these boards pretty frequently for the past year or so, I figured that I might have been able to chisel them down a bit, but frankly it was more hassle than I want to deal with. I just want this Comcast piece of junk HDDVR out of my house. Unfortunately, the first install date isn't until Thurs. 5/24, so I'll have to wait a couple of more weeks. But the CSR was very friendly, polite, and seemed to know what he was talking about and didn't have any problem putting in the notes to make sure that they bring out a new 5-LNB dish for the install. I've always done my own installation work on these in the past, so we'll just have to see how this one turns out.

So, that's the offer they were giving out today. YMMV.

[Southpaw]

Is the only way to reach retention now through the regular cust service number?
I remember calling a direct 800 number to reach them when I got my HR10. I want to see what they will give this "A list" customer to upgrade to an HR20.

[Bob Coxner]

Is the only way to reach retention now through the regular cust service number?
I remember calling a direct 800 number to reach them when I got my HR10. I want to see what they will give this "A list" customer to upgrade to an HR20.

The direct numbers to Retention died several months ago. You have to start with regular CSRs. Even if you say "cancel service" it seems to take you first to the regular CSRs.

[russelle777]

I have been reading here for a while, had trouble setting up an acct so this is my first post:

I called D* last week on Friday, said I wanted to get the locals in HD on my sat, what do I need to do? First they had me reset my rcvr witht he red button in the door (I didnt have a HR20 yet) then they sent to someone else, they told me I needed a rcvr and dish, and that since I was an A list customer I could get ithem both for $99, so I said I would call back after thinking about it. I decided I didnt want to fight and go the retention route so I called back and said I would take it and the person gave me a price of $299. So I told them what I had been told and they said, OH I see what she did was to return your HR10-250. So that is what I went with. Might have been able to do better but oh well, I didnt feel like arguing... Anyway got it, I really like it so far, I was afraid of the interface, but in many ways I like it better.

[heathramos]

I have been reading here for a while, had trouble setting up an acct so this is my first post:

I called D* last week on Friday, said I wanted to get the locals in HD on my sat, what do I need to do? First they had me reset my rcvr witht he red button in the door (I didnt have a HR20 yet) then they sent to someone else, they told me I needed a rcvr and dish, and that since I was an A list customer I could get ithem both for $99, so I said I would call back after thinking about it. I decided I didnt want to fight and go the retention route so I called back and said I would take it and the person gave me a price of $299. So I told them what I had been told and they said, OH I see what she did was to return your HR10-250. So that is what I went with. Might have been able to do better but oh well, I didnt feel like arguing... Anyway got it, I really like it so far, I was afraid of the interface, but in many ways I like it better.

you had to give back your hr10-250?

was it leased or did you buy it originally?

[Steve]

Unfortunately, the first install date isn't until Thurs. 5/24, so I'll have to wait a couple of more weeks.Go on line and log into your account on DirecTV.com. Go to "change your installation date" under "customer service". You may be able to move your install date up. D* originally gave me an install date one month later than the one I was able to select for myself online. /s

[steve053]

The direct numbers to Retention died several months ago. You have to start with regular CSRs. Even if you say "cancel service" it seems to take you first to the regular CSRs.

Not true. I left D* in July/August '06 for TWC. In April '07 D* sent me an invitation to come back. The number on the brochure went directly to customer retention. I got the HR20 for $199, free install on the 5lnb slimline dish, 3 months of Showtime and Cinemax, and $10 off for 12 months. The on-line offer for new customers was similar (included a free portable dvd player), except that the $10 credit wasn't automatic. You have to mail in a certificate and it usually doesn't credit your account until 2-3 months after your service begins.

The only thing I had to do was call back to have the $10 credit applied after my install. The first customer service agent couldn't apply it as there was no active receiver on my account. This credit is automatic, no mailing in a certificate.

Steve

[russelle777]

you had to give back your hr10-250?

was it leased or did you buy it originally?


I bought it, but at a cheap price and it was leased... It was last year after leasing started.

[Pam]

I love this thread!! I used the info I found here to get a better deal on adding an HD DVR to my house. I emailed them and explained how I was a long time customer, no longer under contract, clean payment record. I explained how I could get a better deal with Time Warner - no extra fee for HD, free HD DVR, I can get NBC in HD on TW but not with DTV. I asked what they could do to convince me to stay. I got an email back pretty quickly which echo'd my concerns, so it wasn't a total form letter. They said someone would contact me within 48 hours. Sure enough on day 2 I got the message with a PIN to call back with.

They offered me $100 off on the DVR, free HD for 12 months, and $10 off the programming I have now for 12 months. I know it's not the best deal I've seen on these boards, but it's in line with what most are getting and I didn't have the energy to be a jerk and fight for more. Plus they had an installation slot this Saturday! So I took it.

One surprising thing - the customer service rep told me that sometime between 1 and 2 years later the leased box would switch to owned. I haven't seen that anywhere else? Anybody else heard that?

[Michael D'Angelo]

I love this thread!! I used the info I found here to get a better deal on adding an HD DVR to my house. I emailed them and explained how I was a long time customer, no longer under contract, clean payment record. I explained how I could get a better deal with Time Warner - no extra fee for HD, free HD DVR, I can get NBC in HD on TW but not with DTV. I asked what they could do to convince me to stay. I got an email back pretty quickly which echo'd my concerns, so it wasn't a total form letter. They said someone would contact me within 48 hours. Sure enough on day 2 I got the message with a PIN to call back with.

They offered me $100 off on the DVR, free HD for 12 months, and $10 off the programming I have now for 12 months. I know it's not the best deal I've seen on these boards, but it's in line with what most are getting and I didn't have the energy to be a jerk and fight for more. Plus they had an installation slot this Saturday! So I took it.

One surprising thing - the customer service rep told me that sometime between 1 and 2 years later the leased box would switch to owned. I haven't seen that anywhere else? Anybody else heard that?

Glad you got a deal you are happy with. I did see posted a while back that it may get to a point down the road when a new HD DVR comes out that it may not be worth the hassle of getting the HR20 back and they may just let the customer keep it. Don't know how true that is or not.

[jtm1631]

Long time lurker, first time poster! :)

I had tried a couple times in the past to get a deal on an HR20 with no success. I have the HD Tivo but wanted to add DVR capabilities in my family room that has an HD Samsung box on it. Given the HD-210 and OTA capabilities I was in no rush to add the HR20.

Gave it another shot today and the first CSR told me that the only deal she saw was $299 with 2 year commitment. I politely asked if she could transfer me to customer retention to see if they had any additional offers. The CSR told me she was just going to suggest that and would transfer me to customer retention.

I spoke to retention and was again offered the $299, but she told me that she knew there was an offer of an immediate credit of $100 she could provide. I mentioned that I really did not want to pay that much with the 2 year commitment. She immediately came back and told me she could charge me $19.95 for shipping and handling and nothing more. I took the deal.

Total with tax came to 21 bucks and change. I set-up the install for May 26th between 8 and noon and will call to confirm the dish, multiswitch and cable run are all on the work order.

[tswon]

I called several times and was told I'm a "A+" customer but the best I could get was pay $199 for one HR20 and get back $100 in credits. I got tired of calling back and took the offer.

[i49mobile]

I have been with direct tv since 1994. I bought at Best Buy all new equipment $1000 worth and had it installed privately in Jan 2007. At that time the Direct TV csr gave me free HBO for 4 months, free HD for 4 months, and $5 off per month for four months. In Feb 2007 my HR20-700 box failed (it was three weeks old), a got the second receiver I had hell with it with a number of calls to Direct TV from Feb-May 2007, and the second box needs to be replaced so I called direct tv today. The rep charged me $20 shipping in order to get the new box, told me that I was getting enough free offers, and when I reminded him that I was a customer for 13 years his response was so.

I really felt like a valued customer. Should I call back and complain about the 20 bucks ?. Am I unreasonable ??

[CT_Jeff]

Wow, that is all I can say about my install! It went great. I received a call from D in response to my email and we agreed on the following. One – HR20 and Two – H20’s with the new dish and a small change in my package (which actually saved me money). That was on Tuesday night (May 15th) with install today (May19th). Total was $135. I am happy with the price.

Today, I was scheduled for 1-5pm install, and the installer called me at 10:30 and asked if he could come early! I said sure, and 15 minutes later in he came. We walked the house and I showed him where we were going to set it up. I asked if there was anything I could do to help him out, he said anything you want to do would be a great help. So I drilled the wire paths where I wanted them and helped him pull the wire, then I opened the boxes and set them up in new locations. We talked about what he was putting in and he mentioned that I would be using up the four wires from the dish, was I going to add any more receivers in the future, I said that I was hoping to, so he said, then I will put in a multi-switch so it will be easier to add them later. He also put in a wire to a spare bedroom, just in case. He made sure that all the receivers were up to date on the software and checked again on all signal strength. He was at my house for 4 hours!

Everything is working great, except I can not get my Yamaha R-V1103 receiver to work with the D remote.

I offered him coffee, soda and water while he was here, and in the end, gave him a $35 tip.

Amazing, this morning I was concerned about the install, and this evening, I am enjoying a DVR (never had one before) and local HD channels. Whoooooo-hoooooo!

Oh year, a new two year agreement. Since I have been with D for over 8 years, I am not sweating the new agreement. :hurah:

CT_Jeff

[gowaukee]

Wanted to take a minute to thank all of you who post on this thread. I learned a lot about this situation with the HD upgrade and as a result was able to get what I felt was a very fair deal. We currently have D* in standard definition only, with a TIVO box and a couple of other receivers. Really wanted to go HD DVR since we recently purchased a large HDTV and only have access to OTA right now, so did a little research with you guys and went to work.

I went the email route last night (my first contact with them on this subject). We have been great customers for 5+ years, never missed a payment, and always received great customer service, so we're very fond of the service. On the other hand, it seemed pretty unrealistic to us that we should be asked to pay $200 for the receiver (the deal offered to us at the website) and get to lease the equipment. This was especially frustrating when you consider the free receiver and $200 credit Dish network was offering. I politely mentioned these factors in my email and said that while we are very satisfied customers, ultimately a $400 savings would be a pretty compelling reason to switch networks. I also took a cue from some of the messages I read on this post about how they might tell you the benefits of the service and far superior numbers of channels in the coming months. I stated that while I knew they would be adding tons of HD content, I also knew Dish would be too, and that ultimately the price is the most important part of the choice in weighing who to go with. I also mentioned that we were definitely going with HD service with someone SOON, and really didn't want to wasted time like we were shopping for cars at a bunch of different dealers. Essentially I asked for them to give us an offer that would make economic sense to stay with D*, as it was a question of the family budget. I closed by saying we were hopeful that they would be able to do something that allowed us to stay with D*.

I had an email response back within two hours saying a rep would contact me within 2 days. In less than a day, I had a rep contact me this afternoon offering a free HD DVR (we pay $20 shipping), and 6 free months of HD service. We put the installation on hold due to it being the weekend, but sounds like it will take only a couple days. I was so shocked that I immediately took the offer as I felt it to be a very fair deal. In hindsight, I wish I would have asked for more, but it was so easy that I couldn't help myself. Thanks again for all the great advice!

[vonwiggleding]

Yes many thanks to all of you here posting your experiences. :D

I originally tried in august before the new boxes came out and had no luck. Figured several months had passed and I'd give it another shot. I called to cancel my NFLST, hoping for retention, no suck luck...thanks and bye. :(

I immediately called back and was asking about upgrading to HD DVR, they quickly passed me on to level 1 tech support. The CSR was amazingly nice and helpful. She offered me $100 off the price and said it would only be $99, Great! I learned a long time ago to play stupid... Oh terrific I said now I can watch the NFLST in HD! Oh sorry sir you have to pay for the super fan. Gee I don't understand, 100 for new equipment $10 a month for HD, $250 for NFLST and you still want more money :confused: :) She promptly suggested that she pass me on to a department that had more power to make special deals for great customers like me. Boy I thought I was golden at this point...Retention here I come!!!!

Unfortunately this is where things went horribly wrong and ultimately sealed the deal. I got a retention specialist that I don't think understood the word retention.
I had to explain to him what I had told the previous two CSR's and he said "No" there is no such deal. I told him why are you giving me the run around this is what she just told me. Transfer me back, No, let me talk to a supervisor, I am one No, let me talk to someone else, No there's no one else here. Well then why do I hear other people in the background? NO NO NO NO :mad: He copped an attitude almost the entire time saying he would be more than willing to cancel my service right now if I chose to do so.

Now I know I was fishing to spend no money but now they'd really Pissed me off. I pondered for a while and sent an email explain how frustrated and disappointed I was. I also noted I was out of contract and the free $199 HD DVR Dish was offering. Actaully Dish almost had me convinced it WAS a good deal, I just know the DTV channel #'s.

I got an apologetic email saying someone would contact me. Got a phone call 2 hours later with a pin. Called back, she verified my info, put me on hold for 5 minutes and without me saying a word. HD DVR $19.95, $10 HD discount for 12 months. Done Deal!

They'll give you HD receiver for $0 or a SD DVR for $0, but god forbid they don't molest you over an HD DVR!

[Michael D'Angelo]

Yes many thanks to all of you here posting your experiences. :D

I originally tried in august before the new boxes came out and had no luck. Figured several months had passed and I'd give it another shot. I called to cancel my NFLST, hoping for retention, no suck luck...thanks and bye. :(

I immediately called back and was asking about upgrading to HD DVR, they quickly passed me on to level 1 tech support. The CSR was amazingly nice and helpful. She offered me $100 off the price and said it would only be $99, Great! I learned a long time ago to play stupid... Oh terrific I said now I can watch the NFLST in HD! Oh sorry sir you have to pay for the super fan. Gee I don't understand, 100 for new equipment $10 a month for HD, $250 for NFLST and you still want more money :confused: :) She promptly suggested that she pass me on to a department that had more power to make special deals for great customers like me. Boy I thought I was golden at this point...Retention here I come!!!!

Unfortunately this is where things went horribly wrong and ultimately sealed the deal. I got a retention specialist that I don't think understood the word retention.
I had to explain to him what I had told the previous two CSR's and he said "No" there is no such deal. I told him why are you giving me the run around this is what she just told me. Transfer me back, No, let me talk to a supervisor, I am one No, let me talk to someone else, No there's no one else here. Well then why do I hear other people in the background? NO NO NO NO :mad: He copped an attitude almost the entire time saying he would be more than willing to cancel my service right now if I chose to do so.

Now I know I was fishing to spend no money but now they'd really Pissed me off. I pondered for a while and sent an email explain how frustrated and disappointed I was. I also noted I was out of contract and the free $199 HD DVR Dish was offering. Actaully Dish almost had me convinced it WAS a good deal, I just know the DTV channel #'s.

I got an apologetic email saying someone would contact me. Got a phone call 2 hours later with a pin. Called back, she verified my info, put me on hold for 5 minutes and without me saying a word. HD DVR $19.95, $10 HD discount for 12 months. Done Deal!

They'll give you HD receiver for $0 or a SD DVR for $0, but god forbid they don't molest you over an HD DVR!


Sucks that you had to go through all of that but glad to hear it worked out for you in the end.

[stiffi]

I emailed Directv on Thursday. I got a response saying someone would call in 48 hours. Sure enough, yesterday, a rep called me back.

I currently have an HR10-250, that I got for free 6 months ago. I have been a customer for 7 years, with NFL Sunday Ticket for 5 years.

1st they offered me $199 for 1 HR20, 1 H20, 6 months of free HD, and $10 off my bill for a year. I declined, (not wanting to spend out of pocket).

2nd, I was offered 1 HR20, 5 LNB Dish with new Multiswitch, and I got to keep my HR10-250, all for $20.95 delivery charge.

I took that offer.

My initial email said, I have lost my OTA reception, due to the spring Tree growth. I offered to trade in my HR10-250, and said I didn't want to spend $199.

I was told that I was a great customer, and that "I had earned it", meaning the free receiver and dish.

The rep was very nice and very helpful.

Oh, and the install is scheduled for next Sunday.

[Corginut]

Thanks for all the people who posted dealing with CRS. I recently called and talked to a rep who at first wanted $300 per DVR and when I balked at the amount, she came back and offered me two HD DVRs for $100 installed with dish. Having had previous nightmare experiences with installers, I expected a problem, but the installer came early and stayed late. He was here about 5 hours, even programmed the remotes and mirrored my office tv. I couldn't get a third HD DVR thru D so I picked one up at Costco for $249. Now I'm all set. As a huge Tivo fan, I was apprehensive about the change to the new DVR, but it is very user friendly and intuitive, no problem for me or for my family members who aren't techie at all. The info I got on converting from TIVO on this website convinced me it was worth the change and I'm glad it did. THanks to Earl and his great reviews.

[surfbird]

Ok, forgive me but I have to put my 2 cents in..

Just because you call RETENTION doesn't mean we are able to give you this reciever completely for free SERIOUSLY.. if you notice some of the above post apply to leaving an email & an outbound rep had that capabilities of doing that.. HMM? because I can't..

Alot of the discounted price does depend on YOU.. your services that you have had w/DTV & how well YOU.. handle your own acct. Meaning DTV checks your acct every 6 mos to show your credit standings & programming services that you have had in the past. Meaning a lot of the customers that have been REally Great customers qualify for $100 off that receiver, ok.. Depending on your area & which call center you get to.. then there seems to be a difference in how some centers can order it for less.. Myself, if best cust system automatically takes off the $100..

BTW... SPORTS PACKAGES cannot be discounted, cancelled or transferred after they have been activated/added.. Sometimes DTV will offer discount to customers (or add it as New Cust offer like last years xmas offer) that have repetitively had those services on their acct for years.. Pls, don't attack a Ret specialist for that.. and BTW... ALL retention specialist do have "supervisor capabilities" meaning our computer will do exactly the same thing a team lead will do.. don't balk at that either, please. & it depends on how you approach the issue w/a rep on how well things work out.. remember the old saying "catch more bees w/honey" ?? A ret specialist deals w/ more than 80% of their calls being an issue that needs to be resolved whether a billing issue or a credit someone promised that all other levels didn't or couldn't add or completely misdirected calls. Some calls cust is completely speaking level & not going nuts & then of course you will get a customer who thinks the louder you yell will get the situation resolved..

I love my job & my customers I deal with.. Seriously.. I want u to be as happy as I have been as a customer for over 8yrs. So I think more toward you OK.. but not all the time will our computer allow us to GIVE you something

**Oh & I am not a best or greatest cust even though I have been w/them since 1999 why.. my credit sucks, my programming did not include the higher priced packages.. ok.. so the time doesn't mean everything.. **

[Bollocks]

Two weeks ago I called, and it took about 10 minutes talking to 3 different reps until I was transferred to retention. Ended up getting HR20-100S, AT9, new multiswitch, a cable run under the house to a new room, box transfer, 6 months Showtime and HD access free, and free shipping for $135. It was installed 2 days later, with a good install. Gave the guy $40 extra for the good service and under house crawl.

Thanks to everyone that has posted their experience. Everybody seems to get a different deal, so because of your posts, I was prepared to know what I would accept. Directv will make their money off my subscription payments over time, and in the meantime I am a happy customer enjoying HD.

[aeffen]

Well, I've been a lurker here, but I've only been with Directv since mid 2004. back in 2005, I bought the HR10-250 to the tune of over $700 and I called last week to complain about the fact that I would no longer be able to receive HD broadcasts in September. Turns out that there is a "swap" program for owners of the HR10-250 that lowers the price of the HR20-700 to $99. After that the retention rep gave me some additional credits that lowered the price to around $20 total. Oh by the way, you don't have to give back your HR10-250. They were prepared to install in a couple of days, but my wife made me wait until after the season finale of 24 and American Idol.
The rep also told me that only the locals were going to be broadcast in mpg4 and that the hr10-250 should be able to pick up the new channels going on line in september. Whether that's true or not I have no idea.

[pjo1966]

I just called and spoke to a helpful CSR for a change. Back in December I had ordered an HR20. I had a lot of issues with it, not the least was that it was not recording stuff in its To Do List. I kept it a week then sent it back. I had heard that these issues have been resolved so I called today to order another one. I was told that because I upgraded less than six months ago, I was not eligible for another upgrade until after June 6th. It didn't matter that I returned the DVR. He did say that after the 6th I would be eligible for the $19.99 deal and that I would not be required to return my HR10-250. He made a note in my account that this was the deal I should be given when I call back after the 6th.

[pete4192]

I have been a DirecTV customer for quite a while, but non being a brand loyalist, I decided to give Dish Network a try since they currently have the best HD package. The retention rep with DirecTV offered me the Choice Extra Plus HD DVR pack with a $10 monthly credit, plus 3 mos. free HBO and an HR20 for $199. I balked at the thought of having to pay for equipment when the competition was offering it for free.
When the Dish installer never showed and never called to cancel or reschedule, I cancelled my install with Dish and gave DirecTV a call back. I inquired about DirecTV previous offer, but was surprised when the pleasent retention rep offered me the same deal, but included the HR20 for free ($19.99 S&H). I promptly accepted and let the rep know they have a customer for life.

[FunkyMonk93]

I had called D* twice in the last 2 months asking about deals on a new HD20-DVR. I got the $299 with $100 rebate story.

Yesterday, I rolled the dice and called them and said, "CANCEL ACCOUNT" at the first prompt.

When the rep came on and asked why I was canceling, I said that in all the years of having a cable or D* box, I never had to pay for one. Granted, I've paid out of pocket, and gotten full rebates (on an H10, and R15 DVR), but never had to pay for one. I also told the rep that my cable company just signed a bulk contract with my homeowner association, and they are ready to give me a sweet deal for switching to an HD package, plus all free equipment, including an HD-DVR.

3 minutes later, I had an install scheduled for a new HR20-DVR and 5 LNB dish, all for $19.95 + TAX.

[jutley]

Well, I started the CSR roulette a few days ago by sending an email. The rep called my wife the next day and told her that we would pay $299 for the first HR20and $199 for the second. That is extremely lame since i can login to D* and get them for $199 each. Anyway, I called today and the first CSR (who sounded like it was her first day) told me that her supervisor just told her that you coulnd't order more than one HR20. Nice try...transfer me please. The next CSR was very nice but the best he would do is $199 each and free HD programming for a year. Of course he claims that is the best option that he has. I guess I'll call tomorrow and try again. :nono2: :nono:

FWIW...I have been a customer since 2002. My bill is paid on autopay and has never been late. My bill is $70 per month minimum...pay per views not included. I upgraded for two R-15s last October and got those for free, so I am under contract for until Oct 2008. I'm sure that's part of my problem. I'll just have to try again tonight or tomorrow.

[jahgreen]

I upgraded for two R-15s last October and got those for free, so I am under contract for until Oct 2008. I'm sure that's part of my problem.

Ya think?

[jutley]

Ya think?

:lol: :lol:

I have read multiple posts on here that people have received great deals even when they were currently under contract, so I think that's only part of the issue. Also for clarification, I don't want to keep the R-15 (they suck) I want to "trade them in". :)

[AlbertZeroK]

Ya think?

Nope. Don't think that has much to do with it. I got my first HR20 free with a free R15. The R15 died 1 week later and refurbished replacement was DOA. So they sent me another free new R15. A month later, a $300 credit for the WB616 multiswitch I had to buy. And 2 months later, another Free HR20.

[jutley]

Nope. Don't think that has much to do with it. I got my first HR20 free with a free R15. The R15 died 1 week later and refurbished replacement was DOA. So they sent me another free new R15. A month later, a $300 credit for the WB616 multiswitch I had to buy. And 2 months later, another Free HR20.

Wow...maybe I should pay you to call and negotiate for me. :biggrin:

[bonus20]

Nope. Don't think that has much to do with it. I got my first HR20 free with a free R15. The R15 died 1 week later and refurbished replacement was DOA. So they sent me another free new R15. A month later, a $300 credit for the WB616 multiswitch I had to buy. And 2 months later, another Free HR20.

I got my first HR-20 late last year for just $20 shipping.

Now I want a 2nd HR-20, but definitely do not want to pay full price ($299). Since I have about 1.5 years left on my commitment, how do I persuade D* to offer for a lower price? I cannot use the I'm going to Comcast.

I'm sure I could get a minimum of $100 off by just stating there is no installation required, just send me the HR-20.

I'd appreciate any feedback or suggestions.....Thanks.

[AlbertZeroK]

Wow...maybe I should pay you to call and negotiate for me. :biggrin:

Well, the first free HR20 was from a nice guy in retention who fixed some billing errors for me (honest to gosh billing errors, he and I both couldn't believe than (1) the person who made the mistake was that stupid and that (2) the person before him couldn't fix it - it took him all of about 2 seconds to fix.) It was early in the morning (5:30 ish EST) so they were likely board off their gord. I talked to the guy for like 20 minutes about directv stuff.

The free R15 was gotten by using a promo code on the DirecTV website.

The free WB616 was because we wanted to go with international programming at the same time they came out to install the WB68 and the 5LNB Dish. Since we have 7 DVR's we need 14 lines. The ONLY option is the WB616 because the manufacture states that the WB68 is non-cascadable and the DirecTV does not officially support using two WB68's with splitters. We asked the installer to bring one with the 5LNB. We asked for (and even double checked with the installation company) for the installer with the international dish to bring the WB616 - they said they would, but didn't. Then the international dish install was botched, the guy who came out had never even installed one (and left trash everywhere). So DirecTV game me a $300 credit to buy my own WB616 (they were $300 from SolidSignal when they first came out.) Now getting a $300 credit requires some okays from high ups in retention apparently, but they did it. (Well they had to, a supervisor from installation department and a supervisor from Customer service both noted it on my account they would do it, but when it came time to actually put the credit on, they said they couldn't.)

Then I sent in an e-mail asking what they were going to do about the HR10-250 going obsolete, I get a call back from someone, they offer me a $99 HR20, but I soon got it free after asking, "I have to pay you $100 for something that isn't mine after paying over $500 for something YOU are making obsolete?"

And of course, the HR10-250 is acting up now (won't download 6.3d), so under the protection plan, I got an HR20 refurb as a replacement and I get to keep the HR10-250 (I'm gunna tell the wife it's broke - to force her to use the HR20 - and ebay it shortly after I reload the software on it.) The HR20 I recieved as a replacement is an owned reciever too - now that took some doing - idiots wanted to make it a leased reciever - I just wouldn't let them.

In the end, I know the system, I know the product, I know my rights as a consumer, and I know that people on the phone on the front lines only know what they are told and can only do so much. It's often better to run them around in circles a bit and get them fustrated then get a supervisor to assist further - I guess I'm getting back at the world for all the tech support calls I took when I worked for gateway as a senior tech (Yep, I've been the "SUPERVISOR" on the phone before). It always amazes me that when you make real down to earth arguments, you get some where. Oh, and don't take no for an answer when you know you are right and they are wrong.

So now I have 3 HR20 and not a dime paid.

I'm running out of material for free HR20's though. I guess the next argument will be that there are HD channels that you can't get with an SD receiver...

[TVCommander]

Perhaps I just got lucky but, after doing my homework here (thanks to all that have posted the good, bad and ugly stories to help the rest of us) I was armed for High Definition battle.

I have been with D* since day one basically. Started with two Sony single receivers that are still operating today.

Current setup includes one DirecTivo 35 hour stock unit, and the two Sonys, and I am a premier customer at about $113/month.

I have added a 50" plasma at home so HD is a must have.

Armor in place, I placed the call.

First, I let the initial D* rep tell me the HD-DVR was $299 plus $20 shipping. I didn't say a word for 5 seconds and she then continued with, "But, since you're an A list customer I can discount it by $100!"

Then I spoke up and said, "To save us both time, would you go ahead and switch me to retention," to which she kinda sighed and said just a moment.

I was expecting to get the lock out, but instead got a friendly and very polite retention specialist. When I said I wanted the HD-DVR and a new 5 LNB dish installed at no charge and only pay the $19.95 shipping, he said OK, without hesitation. So, I decided to press on and asked for a waiver of the $9.95 monthly HD programming fee for a year. He did hesitate this time saying, "Let me see if I can add those two options together."

He said if I would opt in for a two year extension commitment, he could do it.

Deal.

I then expected to be told installation couldn't be scheduled for two or three weeks but instead was asked if two days would be acceptable for the install! Happily, I said absolutely. Book it!

My total D* call time was 11 minutes.

So, now I've got all this battle gear available if someone else would like to use it and hopefully get the same (or better) deal.

;-)

[pjo1966]

I still have a year on my contract and was offered the $19.99 deal right off the bat. He pointed out that part of the reason is that my payments are always on time (auto-pay).

[VeniceDre]

I've been with DirecTV since 1996, Sunday Ticket since the late nineties... Got my first HR20 In August 2006 for free. The second HR20 in December for $99.00 but ended up being free after a $100.00 credit for the installer being late.

I just got off the phone, asked for rentention right away, and got my third HR20 for the $20.00 handling charge without haggleing... I just asked "How much could I get a third one for today?"... The gentleman I spoke to said that account history and payment history is the reason he could waive the charge today. I've been a premium subscriber w/ Sunday Ticket for a long time now.

:D

[stususs]

The negotiation process for me was hellish, but it appears to have had a happy ending.

I wanted to combine the HD DVR upgrade (from the HR 10-250 to the HR 20-100) with an MLB Super Fan purchase. I sent an e-mail to DirecTV. They sent me back a phone number and PIN. The PIN did not connect me to Retention, only to a first level CSR. During the negotiations, the CSR asked me if I was "protesting" the fee for Super Fan. When I answered, "Yes," that was when she transferred me to Retention.

The Retention CSR, Jason, wanted to sell me two interactive receivers for $199. After much haggling, I informed Jason that I wanted only one HD DVR, and that I was promised a free upgrade at the time I purchased the soon-to-be-obsolete HR10-250. After a few more minutes of arguing with me, about whether I should pay for a receiver I would not even own, Jason finally agreed to give me the HR 20 for $19.95 shipping plus state sales tax.

I have an old HD monitor that only receives HD signals through a VGA connection. I explained to Jason that I would need to purchase a component to VGA transcoder for $69.95. That plus the cost of the $40 Super Fan package should be offset by 12 months of $10 credits. Jason agreed to that, but then he proceeded to revoke my $10 monthly Broadband Internet Discount as described in another thread. Apparently I cannot post the link to that thread. Search for the single word "qualifieddsl".

My next issue was the HD access fee. I objected to paying the fee until the 150 HD channels were available. Jason assured me that I could obtain the HR 20 and by the Super Fan package without subscribing to the HD access fee. I was on the phone with both levels of CSR's for about two hours.

Of course, Jason was wrong. When the HR 20-100 was installed and activated, the HD access fee was automatically included. Cancelling HD access removed the HD channels from the Super Fan and the HD MPEG 4 locals.

That prompted another phone call to Customer Service and a request to cancel Super Fan. The first level CSR said that Super Fan could be cancelled but the first month's payment of $19.95 could not be refunded. My complaint about that prompted another transfer to Retention, this time to Liz.

After explaining the whole sordid story to Liz, she had the best solution of all. Liz restored the HD access package and offered a six month credit of the HD access package cost. I will still need to decide what will happen when that six month period expires. Perhaps the HD package will be worth $10 at the end of November 2007.

Don't even ask about the installation. My appointment was for the morning. The installer arrived at 1:15 PM and was not finished until 5:00 PM. That is a story for another message thread.

[hobbes4444]

We're moving soon, and so I started off by calling the movers program. I've been with D* for about 9 years, always with HBO & Starz and have had the NFL and MLB since 2000 or so. Oh and I've been on autopay for probably 2-3 years now. Have been through Ultimate TV, Tivo and HDTivo. So my first offer was:

Free receiver of choice (including the HR20 DVR which is my choice!)
$10 off programming for 6 months (OK)
Free install (Wow, really ;-))

I asked about a 2nd HR20 and she said she'd have to transfer me to retention.

Rentention's offer:
Free receiver of choice (alright, got that. . .)
$10 off programming for 12 months (another 6 months is nice)
Free install (sweet!)
added: 3 free months of showtime (whoopee)

I couldn't get any movement on the 2nd HR20. He said I would have to wait 6 months and then could get a $100 discount.

I didn't really push much, just said I was weighing my options since Verizon now offers FIOS in our town and they have a $99/month for phone, TV, internet. Not sure about the details and comparison of channels, added fees, etc. But it is interesting. I'd really like to stay with D* and snag the 2 HR20's for $100 that I think someone above got. Plus I'd rather get all the install over with in one shot so I don't have to monkey around with the indoor antenna anymore for local HD. What's 6 months to these guys anyway. But short of that, at least I'll still have the HR10 Tivo and then get the upgrade around Christmas. . .

I'll wait it out till next week and see if I can get any movement. Maybe they will call back. Then maybe if I say I'm going to cancel to switch to FIOS they will up the ante. . .

Thanks for all the postings and tips. Looks like my offer is good, but I might be able to do better.

[AlbertZeroK]

I'll wait it out till next week and see if I can get any movement. Maybe they will call back. Then maybe if I say I'm going to cancel to switch to FIOS they will up the ante. . .

Thanks for all the postings and tips. Looks like my offer is good, but I might be able to do better.

You might consider asking for a $99 upgrade from the HR10-250 to the HR20, then do mover's connection for the second HR20.

[hobbes4444]

You might consider asking for a $99 upgrade from the HR10-250 to the HR20, then do mover's connection for the second HR20.

Hmm. Interesting. Hadn't thought of that angle. Does that include keeping the HR10-250? It better since I own it. I recall reading a mix of D* statements, but most customers keeping their HR10-250.

Will try that when I call back.

Thanks!

[AlbertZeroK]

Hmm. Interesting. Hadn't thought of that angle. Does that include keeping the HR10-250? It better since I own it. I recall reading a mix of D* statements, but most customers keeping their HR10-250.

Will try that when I call back.

Thanks!

Nah, they typically don't want the HR10-250 back. They didn't for me.

[iowaberg]

So I sent an email to D* Tuesday and mentioned to them that I recently purchased an HDTV and am ready to jump on board for HDTV and their HR20. I've been a customer for about 7 1/2 years and currently have an R10 w/ Tivo and another SD receiver. I said that i'm hoping they can offer me something that will make economic sense to me and I've always loved their service.

They called me at home yesterday and left message to call them back. Any thoughs or ideas on what they may try to offer? I really want the HR20 but am afraid they won't give me a very good deal since I've never had HD service and am on the basic package right now.

[eclipse13]

Well just got off the phone with D*. After reading here I thought I would have a big hassle. I'm definitely not an A+ customer. Regularly pay a bit lit not that I'm proud of it but don't get paid the same time every month. Anyhow I called and asked for the best deal and they gave me $99 plus shipping right up front no questions asked. I probably could have pushed it and got a bit better but hey I was allready way ahead and didn't want to argue so I jumped on it. She transfered me we got everything confirmed paid $128 up front and they will be out Saturday to install. I was needless to say very pleased. I know others have gotten better deals but I came out ahead of what I thought I would get. Figured I would have to fight for $199. :)

[surfbird]

Nah, they typically don't want the HR10-250 back. They didn't for me.

BUT.. that movers connection will still put you in a new 2 yr commitment for the NEW advanced receiver you are wanting & remember it IS $199 for the hr20 this route ... or think of it this way... $100 off an advanced receiver for movers set up for may & june, ok..

have u forgotten or were not aware of that..

[surfbird]

Well just got off the phone with D*. After reading here I thought I would have a big hassle. I'm definitely not an A+ customer. Regularly pay a bit lit not that I'm proud of it but don't get paid the same time every month. Anyhow I called and asked for the best deal and they gave me $99 plus shipping right up front no questions asked. I probably could have pushed it and got a bit better but hey I was allready way ahead and didn't want to argue so I jumped on it. She transfered me we got everything confirmed paid $128 up front and they will be out Saturday to install. I was needless to say very pleased. I know others have gotten better deals but I came out ahead of what I thought I would get. Figured I would have to fight for $199. :)

as I stated on another post.. doesn't matter how long you have been w/dtv.. it matter your payment habits, past due or level 1 disc (for non payment) & the amount of programming/receivers you do. pls remember that.. we don't come up with that info, it is re-evaluated every 6 months. So try to keep payments up to par..

Oh. my little handy secret for you staying out of a past due..

1- you bill will be printed same say each month.. find out that.. (I will get back to why)
2- your bill will be due same time each month..
3- if you cannot pay your bill by the due date then make sure you pay that full amount by the date your next bill is due to come out (see)
Why?? well, as soon as your next bill goes out (10days after bill is due, give a day or two) it would put your bill in a past due.. then you have about 10days again before it goes into a level one..

So, if you have to pay part then pay rest.. doesn't matter as long as U stay out of those past dues.. I hope that helps.. + if you are running close use the options that post quickly.. IVR & dtv.com - process immediately

[surfbird]

Yes many thanks to all of you here posting your experiences. :D

I originally tried in august before the new boxes came out and had no luck. Figured several months had passed and I'd give it another shot. I called to cancel my NFLST, hoping for retention, no suck luck...thanks and bye. :(

I immediately called back and was asking about upgrading to HD DVR, they quickly passed me on to level 1 tech support. The CSR was amazingly nice and helpful. She offered me $100 off the price and said it would only be $99, Great! I learned a long time ago to play stupid... Oh terrific I said now I can watch the NFLST in HD! Oh sorry sir you have to pay for the super fan. Gee I don't understand, 100 for new equipment $10 a month for HD, $250 for NFLST and you still want more money :confused: :) She promptly suggested that she pass me on to a department that had more power to make special deals for great customers like me. Boy I thought I was golden at this point...Retention here I come!!!!

Unfortunately this is where things went horribly wrong and ultimately sealed the deal. I got a retention specialist that I don't think understood the word retention.
I had to explain to him what I had told the previous two CSR's and he said "No" there is no such deal. I told him why are you giving me the run around this is what she just told me. Transfer me back, No, let me talk to a supervisor, I am one No, let me talk to someone else, No there's no one else here. Well then why do I hear other people in the background? NO NO NO NO :mad: He copped an attitude almost the entire time saying he would be more than willing to cancel my service right now if I chose to do so.

Now I know I was fishing to spend no money but now they'd really Pissed me off. I pondered for a while and sent an email explain how frustrated and disappointed I was. I also noted I was out of contract and the free $199 HD DVR Dish was offering. Actaully Dish almost had me convinced it WAS a good deal, I just know the DTV channel #'s.

I got an apologetic email saying someone would contact me. Got a phone call 2 hours later with a pin. Called back, she verified my info, put me on hold for 5 minutes and without me saying a word. HD DVR $19.95, $10 HD discount for 12 months. Done Deal!

They'll give you HD receiver for $0 or a SD DVR for $0, but god forbid they don't molest you over an HD DVR!

RULE OF THUMB HERE..

if original rep gave wonderful deal -TAKE IT.. & don't look back or try to get better.. why.. original rule play for crg; u make the offer they don't take it, then it really is suppose to be NULL & void.. If it is noted then the ret spec wanted u to be able to get that offer. it is completely up to the next rep to honor unless it is stated in black & white.. "pls honor" or a specific note from rep # on date stated this cust is to get blah blah blah.. then anything can happen.. Don't mean to be harsh, but if not in notes & something I think is way too much for how your acct standing/status etc & I do look back into notes about how many times you get credit/programming credits/free equpment before I make an offer for someone who honestly has no intentions of leaving d* but basically wanted something for free. retention is for resolving issues, preventing you from leaving but not just giving u something for free because you don't think u want to pay X amount of $$s but because you have a need.

Honestly, I'd rather replace every old reciever for a cust that has been w/d* for years that never asked for anything so they have upgraded stuff, than to reduce a price for a cust that has always gotten freebies in the past.

I remember my ONE receiver.. for 7 yrs.. I never requested new equpment but finally got when I became employed. So I understand existing customers that have (I use the term) older because I wouldn't want someone to say. OMG, u still have one of those recievers..

[andbye]

I have my equipment and regular programming set up but want relief on the high priced combo of Sunday Ticket, Superfan and HD pkg. It wouldn't be so bad if you watched like 8 games a week, or if there was a lot of content in HD pkg. I have Total Choice, HBO, and HD pkg with 5 receivers activated. I could drop 2 rcvrs, HD pkg, HBO and still get all my locals in HD over my TV HD tuner via roof top antenna. I would miss some games and HD but still significantly reduce my monthly bill. I have the committment but may use this as a negotiating ploy with Retention. I might ask for a waiver of the Superfan (I got a refund on the Superfan charge last season) and the HD pkg for free for 12 months. Does that sound like something that might fly? Any suggestion or comment would be appreciated

HR10 and HR20 on SXRD 60 Sony RPTV
HR20-100 on Toshiba 34 in HD CRT
R-10 on 27in Toshiba SD CRT
Channel Master 4228 UHF Ant
DVR-80 on 32in JVC SD CRT

[surfbird]

I have my equipment and regular programming set up but want relief on the high priced combo of Sunday Ticket, Superfan and HD pkg. It wouldn't be so bad if you watched like 8 games a week, or if there was a lot of content in HD pkg. I have Total Choice, HBO, and HD pkg with 5 receivers activated. I could drop 2 rcvrs, HD pkg, HBO and still get all my locals in HD over my TV HD tuner via roof top antenna. I would miss some games and HD but still significantly reduce my monthly bill. I have the committment but may use this as a negotiating ploy with Retention. I might ask for a waiver of the Superfan (I got a refund on the Superfan charge last season) and the HD pkg for free for 12 months. Does that sound like something that might fly? Any suggestion or comment would be appreciated

HR10 and HR20 on SXRD 60 Sony RPTV
HR20-100 on Toshiba 34 in HD CRT
R-10 on 27in Toshiba SD CRT
Channel Master 4228 UHF Ant
DVR-80 on 32in JVC SD CRT

how many times have you contacted retention for a "deal"? (because it will showon notes in your acct & either you will look credit happy or freebie hunting, no offense, but true) & if you have an commitment on the hd ird, you can't drop that hd package till commitment over.. sorry.. no official deals on superfan are out, so who knows if dtv will offer that for customer that had it last year. & if you deactv rec that are leased they will be send back & if you think you want them later.. (you know it will cost you the upgrade charge & commitment to get them back) so you may want to reconsider deactv unless those are owned receivers.

I know everyone wants best deal but what everyone else is getting is luck of draw if you will too, sorry. I am the most outspoken honest one out there.

[rblancojr]

Well, finally decided to call D* and see how far I could get after having called several months ago and having been offered the typical "current customer" deal.

The CSR was very nice and told me that she could give me the HR20 for $199 plus a credit of $99. I explained that we were long time customers and that I had been shopping around. The Comcast / DISH deals were really convincing me and that I was wanting to make a decision soon. I told her that economics was going to be the decsion-making factor.

She immediately asked me if it was Ok to be transferred to a "Resolution Specialist" and I said YES. The specialist was super nice and after I repeated the same concerns as above, he placed me on hold for about 10 minutes and came back with the following deal:

$199.00 for the HR20
-$100 credit
Free HD programming for 12 months ($120 value)
Free HBO for 6 months ($78 value)
Free dish upgrade with install and necessary multiswitch.

So real cost of making the move to HD was: (-$98.00)

The only caveat was that the cost of the full unit had to be charged to a credit card: $234.28 including taxes, shaipping ,etc. The credits would show up on my monthly bill. I also had to extend my contract for 2 more years.

I am extremely happy with the deal. :hurah: I scheduled the install for May 31st, although an earlier date was available!..sweet! :D

[bonus20]

I wanted a 2nd HR-20. I got my first one for free back in November.

Called earlier in the week, got the old $299 deal.

Called again yesterday, same spiel....asked for retention.

I just stated I wanted a 2nd one at or near the same price as the first. Otherwise I would seriously consider leaving D* after my 2 yr commitment was up (another 17 months or so). She just stated she'd send one for free (well $20 processing) as long as I was re-upping my 2 yr agreement from this date.

She stated it had to be professionally installed. I said she could just send it as I'm all ready wired and set with the 5LNB. She stated he will be there this Tuesday AM. And she put in notes that he is to wire the other two rooms that currently do not have 2 lines with 2 lines at no charge. She noted in my file that any costs at install would be offset by D* credits.

So in short, piece of cake, no arguing. Couldn't believe it. Very happy....not lets just hope the installer shows on Tuesday.....

[since 2/96]

Thought I'd throw in my experience from yesterday...

As the name says I've been with D* since 2/96 and have been an NFL ST subscriber for at least 9 years now...full court for almost that long and I think this is my 3rd EI season...

A year ago Feb. I upgraded to HD with the HR10-250 via retention. They hit me up for $199.00 at that time. I've been holding off upgrading to the HR20 since I'm able to get locals OTA without any problems but at this point, with the new bird going up and the possibility of a rush on equipment in the coming months etc. I figured I'd see what they'd do for me now.

I first got a regular CSR on the line and she quoted the $199.00 plus $19.95 and I asked her to politely send me to retention. She asked if I wanted to cancel my service and I said yes. Let me just say, provided you have a good track record and such (i'm so proud to be an A lister :rolleyes: :lol: ), retention can be a very good thing. In waiting for retention to come on the line I was almost prepared to pay $99 for the upgrade. Instead, she gushed about what a great customer I am and blah, blah, blah and with no real prodding at all I've got an install scheduled for this Tuesday morning and had to pay a grand total of $21.35.

I've been rewarded several times with some pretty good discounts, etc. with D* and, aside from the money grab that their Superfan packages are, I've been very satisfied with their services, which no other provider can hold a candle to if you're a sports junkie like myself.

[andbye]

Moved about three weeks ago in SoCal.

Suspended account.

Today=new sub NFL Sunday Ticket deal+5LNB dish at new house+FREE HR20+keep my owned HR10 and other owned units.

Install Saturday.

What was the Sunday Ticket "deal" ? I have my equipment and programming set but am lookng for relief on the expensive Sunday Ticket + Superfan + HD pkg combo. What kind of discounts or credits can be had? I am thinking of asking for a waiver on the Superfan charge and $10 off per month on the HD pkg.

[TVCommander]

Follow up to my original post (scroll up 6)

Today was installation day, scheduled between 8am - 12noon. I got a call at 8:15am from the installer asking if I would be ready in 20 minutes. Yep, c'mon over.

He arrived, put on shoe covers to walk in the house, scoped out the setup and said it should take him a couple of hours to:

- install the 5 lnb dish
- hookup the new HR20-100S
- move my Tivo to the bedroom and add a Sat 2 cable for it
- check my third receiver out
- climb around in the attic to add the multiswitch to accommodate all receivers
- make the phone call for activation and verification that I could see all local HD channels
- give me a quick tour of the remote and the differences between Tivo and the HR20.

One hour and 45 minutes later, he's walking out the door and I'm watching HD. All went exceptionally smooth.

After reading all the horror stories, I was ready for bear, but certainly glad my experience was painless. It kinda reminds me of the day I turned 21, went to the liquor store to by my first legal six pack ready to show my ID, and didn't even get asked to show it. LOL

[hobbes4444]

BUT.. that movers connection will still put you in a new 2 yr commitment for the NEW advanced receiver you are wanting & remember it IS $199 for the hr20 this route ... or think of it this way... $100 off an advanced receiver for movers set up for may & june, ok..

have u forgotten or were not aware of that..

i'm a little confused by your post. the movers package is getting me a free HR20. then for a 2nd HR20 i have to either wait 6 mos to get it at 199 (or less) or see if i can separately upgrade the HR10-250 for $99. or are you saying that i will only be able to do one or the other == i.e., if i do the upgrade they won't give me the free receiver with the mover package???

[birdman1]

Today I just hooked up another HDTV for the bedroom and re-activated an old DTC 210 that I have. I already have an HR-20 in the front room. I e-mailed DTV today and told them that I was looking to upgrade the DTC 210 to a HR-20, that I was along term customer and thought that the $299.00 was too high of a price to pay. They e-mailed me back and said that a CSR would call me within 48 hours. I got a call right away and they offered me this HR-20 for $19.95 shipping and wave 6 months of the $9.99 HD fee plus the 6X8 Zinwell switch. They will be here Wednesday for the install.

[Gone2Maui]

I've been a D* customer since 1996. Called on Thursday and was answered promptly. Told the rep I had problems with my H10-250 since the software upgrades and wanted to get a new HR20. I was told that they were $399. Told the rep I wanted to cancel and so they transferred me. Again answered promptly. Told the new rep again what I wanted and told him what the first rep said. He thought that was crazy since I can't receive the new channels coming in September without new equipment. He offered the HR20, new dish, new multi-switch and $10 off HBO for six months. I asked how about Showtime? He then offered Showtime free for six months and all I have to pay is $19.99 plus tax for the shipping. I agreed to this package and will be keeping my HR10.

They could have installed it the next day but I asked for Saturday 6-2. I also asked for the HR20-100 and he said he would be a note to that affect to the warehouse but couldn't guarantee it.

I let him know that I would want it pole mounted in concrete and was told no problem.

Here's hoping next Saturday ends up like planned.....

[Elistan98]

I emailed D* last weekend after checking the online account to verify that the hr-20 was 299 and it was. I got a call back on monday with a number and a pin. I called in on tuesday and spoke to a csr who offered to charge 320 to my credit card and give me 100 credit to my bill 6 months of free hd and free showtime for 3 months. I told him I would have to talk to my wife first.

last night I checked my online account, but this time it gave me a price of 199.00. I called in and they said they would charge me 234 for shipping give me 6 months of hd and free hbo for 3 months. I took this one instead. Its not as good as some deals i read about, but I still have old rca receivers from bestbuy when i signed up 5 years ago. a lot of the deals I have seen recently are Hr10 conversions.

This isnt the greatest deal, but its one I can live with. I would prefer have the equipment cheaper than a credit to my account.

[twilburn]

I have tried the phone method.
I have seen a lot of posts regarding emails to DirecTV. How do I email them?

[digger]

I’ve been a D* customer since 1998 and today I’ve finally bit the bullet and will be parting ways with my beloved HR10-250 TiVo unit for the HR20. The old 250 still has some value on ebay so the time is right.

49 minutes and four CSRs later the end result is a sweet deal that I am satisfied with.

CSR1 – nice and friendly frontline rep who could only offer a $199 swap out. She transferred me to CSR2.

CSR2 – this guy was so incompetent it was comical. I told him three times that I had the old HR10-250 and he insisted that all I needed to get the new HD channels would be a B-Band converter that I could plug in the back. Oh, is that so? I then mentioned that I only have a 3-LNB dish and he said it didn’t matter. Finally, after he “did some checking” he came back and said, yes, I would need a new receiver! :rolleyes:

According to CSR2 in order to upgrade my HR10-250 to an HR20 I would have two options:

Option1 - $199 billed now to my credit card. I would get an HR20, dish, and install in a few days.

Option2 - This is the interesting part where my ears perked up. CSR said he could also take my number and then D* would call me back (estimate ~august), just before the new channels go live, and everything would be FREE! I almost went with this deal but then remembered the old HR10-250 would have lost its value by then. So I asked to speak to retention.

CSR3-retention – This person was polite and easy to deal with. I just gave him my sob story of how I paid $500 for a box 18 months ago and now it’ll be obsolete in a few months. He was straight forward, saying that he could give me a new box, dish, and install in a few days for free...however, I would have to turn in the old box (that I owned!) to D* to get this deal. I said OK, let’s do it. CSR3 now handed me off the CSR4 who would set up the install date.

CSR4 – I thought this person would have been with Ironwood or whoever did my last install. But it turns out she is also with D* This lady was the sweetest CSR I’ve ever spoken with. I told her what the previous CSR had said about having to return the old box and she said that was all nonsense. She even recommended, as an added measure, to disconnect and hide the old box out of sight before the installer shows up! That’s what I like to hear; someone who actually tries to help you for a change. I was even able to get 6-months of HD credits thrown in to boot! Installation will be in three days.

I did get stuck with the handling fee. :(

Here's the breakdown:

DIRECTV 5-LNB Multi-Satellite Dish
$0.00 1 $0.00

Handling
$19.95 1 $19.95

Standard Professional Install
$0.00 1 $0.00

Swap New DVR IRD
$0.00 1 $0.00

DIRECTV HD DVR (Expanded HD Prog. Capable)
$0.00 1 $0.00


Subtotal: $19.95
Tax: $1.78
Total: $21.73


Now I wonder if D* is indeed encouraging their installers to try and pick up those old mpeg2 boxes if they can, just to keep them off the market and out of new hands?

[Elistan98]

I have tried the phone method.
I have seen a lot of posts regarding emails to DirecTV. How do I email them?

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/customer/howToReachUs.jsp

You email them at the web site. I included a direct link above, otherwise you go to the main site and select Customer Service and Contact Us.

[cavihitts]

I’ve been a D* customer since 1998 and today I’ve finally bit the bullet and will be parting ways with my beloved HR10-250 TiVo unit for the HR20. The old 250 still has some value on ebay so the time is right.

49 minutes and four CSRs later the end result is a sweet deal that I am satisfied with.

CSR1 – nice and friendly frontline rep who could only offer a $199 swap out. She transferred me to CSR2.

CSR2 – this guy was so incompetent it was comical. I told him three times that I had the old HR10-250 and he insisted that all I needed to get the new HD channels would be a B-Band converter that I could plug in the back. Oh, is that so? I then mentioned that I only have a 3-LNB dish and he said it didn’t matter. Finally, after he “did some checking” he came back and said, yes, I would need a new receiver! :rolleyes:

According to CSR2 in order to upgrade my HR10-250 to an HR20 I would have two options:

Option1 - $199 billed now to my credit card. I would get an HR20, dish, and install in a few days.

Option2 - This is the interesting part where my ears perked up. CSR said he could also take my number and then D* would call me back (estimate ~august), just before the new channels go live, and everything would be FREE! I almost went with this deal but then remembered the old HR10-250 would have lost its value by then. So I asked to speak to retention.

CSR3-retention – This person was polite and easy to deal with. I just gave him my sob story of how I paid $500 for a box 18 months ago and now it’ll be obsolete in a few months. He was straight forward, saying that he could give me a new box, dish, and install in a few days for free...however, I would have to turn in the old box (that I owned!) to D* to get this deal. I said OK, let’s do it. CSR3 now handed me off the CSR4 who would set up the install date.

CSR4 – I thought this person would have been with Ironwood or whoever did my last install. But it turns out she is also with D* This lady was the sweetest CSR I’ve ever spoken with. I told her what the previous CSR had said about having to return the old box and she said that was all nonsense. She even recommended, as an added measure, to disconnect and hide the old box out of sight before the installer shows up! That’s what I like to hear; someone who actually tries to help you for a change. I was even able to get 6-months of HD credits thrown in to boot! Installation will be in three days.

I did get stuck with the handling fee. :(

Here's the breakdown:

DIRECTV 5-LNB Multi-Satellite Dish
$0.00 1 $0.00

Handling
$19.95 1 $19.95

Standard Professional Install
$0.00 1 $0.00

Swap New DVR IRD
$0.00 1 $0.00

DIRECTV HD DVR (Expanded HD Prog. Capable)
$0.00 1 $0.00


Subtotal: $19.95
Tax: $1.78
Total: $21.73


Now I wonder if D* is indeed encouraging their installers to try and pick up those old mpeg2 boxes if they can, just to keep them off the market and out of new hands?

If you have a HR10-250, there is an offer for a HR20 upgrade for $99 + $19.95 for handling. The person who quoted you $199 was not looking at everything. That is an offer that requires no type of crediting as well as under that offer, you keep the HR10-250. You got a better deal obviously I was just stating that is an offer an should not have to have an hasling or "bargaining". If nothing else the CSR would not have to credit as much.

[kahleeb]

I have spent quite a bit of time with D* since March 20 trying to work out a deal. In that time, I have had my account canceled and then had D* try to get me back.

First of all, the Free HDDVR Deals should be all gone. This comes from the final conversation I had with a retention rep on Friday night. Apparently corporate is seeing the number of credits given out and if anyone gives a $200 discount off a piece of hardware, they will be flagged and get in trouble. They can give a $100 discount but then have to give you programming discounts.

The agent went on to tell me that there are several "contract centers" out there that are giving insane deals that they are not supposed to be giving. In fact, some Managers will cancel these deals if they catch them. I ran into one of these managers myself. Allow me to briefly explain and I will list the deal I ultimately got below.

I called to help my grandmother change some programming on 3/20/07 and had to go to retention. The CSR sent me there for some reason. When I found out she was retention, I asked for deals on the HR20 for my account. She said the best they could do, to keep me from ending my service, was 199.99. I agreed but still had the option to cancel the deal, and my service, if I wanted to.

I came across this forum and some others and realized I did not get a good deal. I called back on two different days and was told that $199 was the best they could offer me. Thinking I was getting lied to, I called back on 3/27/07 to cancel my order and my service. I got an agent named Bob and he talked to me for an hour and was ready to give me a deal to stay. Unfortunately his system was down but he promised to call me back within 24 hours and his manager gave him permission to do so. He took all my information.

I waited for the callback and he never called. So I called again on 3/28/07 to find out why I wasn't called back and if they could give me a deal or I would cancel my service. I explained what Bob had suggested I could get and she went to her manager. After waiting on hold for a while, she said that she could offer me the HR20 HDDVR for $89 and free HD Programming for 12 months. I agreed and asked that if she would add to the notes that if representative Bob looks in my account, I still would like him to call back. She said ok.

The day of the install, I woke up early and had a bad feeling, I called D* retention to check on the deal I had been given and was told from retention that I hadn't called ANY that week. Nobody had any notes and the only deal was for $199 that I made on 3/20/07. I asked for their manager and gentleman named David started talking to me. He told me that I had not called any this week and if I did and I had an offer in my notes, that I agreed to, as I was indicating, he would delete it or ignore the offer.

This whole time I am sitting shocked and before I could say anything else, he suggested I cancel my account. I agreed and was pretty pissed off all day. Even though I told him to cancel it right now, my service stayed on. Later in the day, the installer came and I told him to check with D* for the install being canceled. He did and left.

Because I have had D* for so long, I decided to give them one more chance to keep me. I called back to retention with the 4 digit code and quikly got another rep. (This is the one from the beginning of my message who told me about "the deals"). Apparently the manager, David, worked in his building and I asked that a supervisor call me and look into how he treated me.

And while he says his hands are tied on giving out deals like what I mentioned and could show him from friends' accounts In the end, I got this deal:

$299 HR20 HDDVR - Broken into 3 Payments. First payment paid for - so $199 total
$10 X 12 ($120) for a free year of HD Programming
$6 X 6 ($36) for 6 months free DVR service
$43 Total paid for HR20

I had to go through a lot of trouble to get this deal and I tried to get NFL Super Fan or a Sunday Ticket discount but he came back and offered the DVR service credit as the only last thing he could do.

My suggestion to you all is if you get a really good deal, D* may not honor it and these reps are not leaving good notes about the deals they are offering--even though they say they are. So be sure to check your bill and confirm before the install before you agree to a 2 year contract. Once it is installed and active, D* says they will not cancel your account, without the penalty, EVEN if you are lied to about the terms.

The above is the final outcome of my deal earlier this year. Since then, I upgraded to the SD R15 DVR unit for my office. This unit is a total piece of crap and I have hardly been able to watch TV due to all the bugs--especially those associated with fast forwarding and 30 second skips.

DTV replaced the R15 and it did not solve any of the problems because they are all related to the horrible design and software. However, I failed to return my old unit because I forgot to. When $200 appeared on my bill I remembered and called to get a new shipping label sent to me so I could return the unit. While on the phone I explained the situation again and was given an option to get a HR-20 HD DVR for my office for only $19.95 plus tax. I jumped on that offer and hope I never have to deal with SD receivers again!

I have no idea how I got such a great deal on this second unit when I didn't even go through customer retention. I just spoke to the specialist that answered the phone at 888-355-7530.

So to sum it up:
$299 HR20 HDDVR - Broken into 3 Payments. First payment paid for - so $199 total
$10 X 12 ($120) for a free year of HD Programming
$6 X 6 ($36) for 6 months free DVR service
$21.63 HR 20 HDDVR - Paid only S&H + Tax for our second TV
$64.64 Total paid for two HR20's

[Groundhog45]

It sounds like some people used the mover's connection to get a discount on a HR20. Has that worked for many folks? That option may come up in a few months and I want to be prepared. Thanks.

[rflor]

Longtime Lurker posting on my HR20 upgrade experience.

My background: D* customer since 3/2000 with NFLST that entire time. I've had HD since 2002 and an HR10-250 since its introduction (ie, I paid $1000 for it). I've also been lucky enough to have the HD National channels since 2004 as well. I decided to go and take the plunge and upgrade to an HR20 plus the 5LNB dish.

CSR #1: She completely plays dumb on me. Tells me the only option is $199 + shipping. I told her that a "friend" had just upgraded to an HR20 for $99. She had the audacity to tell me, "Sir...you must have mistaken your friend's H20 for an HR20...there is no way we could offer the HR20 for that." Yeah...thanks for letting me know...now please transfer me to retention.

Retention CSR: He doesn't even hestitate. He offers me the HR20 for Free + shipping. I tried to get him to throw in an H20 as well for my bedroom TV. No dice there...he wouldn't budge off $99. Whatever, I'll just move the HR10 to the bedroom and cross my fingers the National HD channels don't get turned off. :D

Installation is scheduled for next Tuesday. Thanks to everyone on the board for providing their experiences...really helped me out.

[Michael D'Angelo]

Longtime Lurker posting on my HR20 upgrade experience.

My background: D* customer since 3/2000 with NFLST that entire time. I've had HD since 2002 and an HR10-250 since its introduction (ie, I paid $1000 for it). I've also been lucky enough to have the HD National channels since 2004 as well. I decided to go and take the plunge and upgrade to an HR20 plus the 5LNB dish.

CSR #1: She completely plays dumb on me. Tells me the only option is $199 + shipping. I told her that a "friend" had just upgraded to an HR20 for $99. She had the audacity to tell me, "Sir...you must have mistaken your friend's H20 for an HR20...there is no way we could offer the HR20 for that." Yeah...thanks for letting me know...now please transfer me to retention.

Retention CSR: He doesn't even hestitate. He offers me the HR20 for Free + shipping. I tried to get him to throw in an H20 as well for my bedroom TV. No dice there...he wouldn't budge off $99. Whatever, I'll just move the HR10 to the bedroom and cross my fingers the National HD channels don't get turned off. :D

Installation is scheduled for next Tuesday. Thanks to everyone on the board for providing their experiences...really helped me out.

The national HD channels will be turned off at some point but probably at least a year away. In about six months or so you could probably get a free H20. I would call back then.

[Pony Express]

I have spent quite a bit of time with D* since March 20 trying to work out a deal. In that time, I have had my account canceled and then had D* try to get me back.

First of all, the Free HDDVR Deals should be all gone. This comes from the final conversation I had with a retention rep on Friday night. Apparently corporate is seeing the number of credits given out and if anyone gives a $200 discount off a piece of hardware, they will be flagged and get in trouble. They can give a $100 discount but then have to give you programming discounts.

I think this rep fed you another line hoping you would acquiesce. Since this post I have been watching and reading as more and more customers (myself included) continue to get free DVR's and free HD service from Customer Retention.

The agent went on to tell me that there are several "contract centers" out there that are giving insane deals that they are not supposed to be giving. In fact, some Managers will cancel these deals if they catch them. I ran into one of these managers myself. Allow me to briefly explain and I will list the deal I ultimately got below.

I called to help my grandmother change some programming on 3/20/07 and had to go to retention. The CSR sent me there for some reason. When I found out she was retention, I asked for deals on the HR20 for my account. She said the best they could do, to keep me from ending my service, was 199.99. I agreed but still had the option to cancel the deal, and my service, if I wanted to.

I came across this forum and some others and realized I did not get a good deal. I called back on two different days and was told that $199 was the best they could offer me. Thinking I was getting lied to, I called back on 3/27/07 to cancel my order and my service. I got an agent named Bob and he talked to me for an hour and was ready to give me a deal to stay. Unfortunately his system was down but he promised to call me back within 24 hours and his manager gave him permission to do so. He took all my information.

I waited for the callback and he never called. So I called again on 3/28/07 to find out why I wasn't called back and if they could give me a deal or I would cancel my service. I explained what Bob had suggested I could get and she went to her manager. After waiting on hold for a while, she said that she could offer me the HR20 HDDVR for $89 and free HD Programming for 12 months. I agreed and asked that if she would add to the notes that if representative Bob looks in my account, I still would like him to call back. She said ok.

The day of the install, I woke up early and had a bad feeling, I called D* retention to check on the deal I had been given and was told from retention that I hadn't called ANY that week. Nobody had any notes and the only deal was for $199 that I made on 3/20/07. I asked for their manager and gentleman named David started talking to me. He told me that I had not called any this week and if I did and I had an offer in my notes, that I agreed to, as I was indicating, he would delete it or ignore the offer.

This whole time I am sitting shocked and before I could say anything else, he suggested I cancel my account. I agreed and was pretty pissed off all day. Even though I told him to cancel it right now, my service stayed on. Later in the day, the installer came and I told him to check with D* for the install being canceled. He did and left.

Because I have had D* for so long, I decided to give them one more chance to keep me. I called back to retention with the 4 digit code and quikly got another rep. (This is the one from the beginning of my message who told me about "the deals"). Apparently the manager, David, worked in his building and I asked that a supervisor call me and look into how he treated me.

And while he says his hands are tied on giving out deals like what I mentioned and could show him from friends' accounts In the end, I got this deal:

$299 HR20 HDDVR - Broken into 3 Payments. First payment paid for - so $199 total
$10 X 12 ($120) for a free year of HD Programming
$6 X 6 ($36) for 6 months free DVR service
$43 Total paid for HR20

I had to go through a lot of trouble to get this deal and I tried to get NFL Super Fan or a Sunday Ticket discount but he came back and offered the DVR service credit as the only last thing he could do.

My suggestion to you all is if you get a really good deal, D* may not honor it and these reps are not leaving good notes about the deals they are offering--even though they say they are. So be sure to check your bill and confirm before the install before you agree to a 2 year contract. Once it is installed and active, D* says they will not cancel your account, without the penalty, EVEN if you are lied to about the terms.

While you may have jumped the gun it looks like it worked out OK if you are satisfied with the deal.

Many Thanks to all of you who posted your suggestions, tips, strategies, etc.

What worked for me was emailing Customer Service and presenting my case. True to form I received an email reply and a call from Customer Retention. When I called them back there was no haggling. The CRS was very courteous and accepted my terms:
Free HR20 (paid for S&H)
Free R15
Free Installation with New Dish and cabling up to 125'
Free HD Programming for 12 months
I didn't bother to push on the Premium HBO discount since the R15 added more value.

My first experience was the same - no promos, no deals. You have to get higher up.

If you plan carefully, have a good history with D*, and are patient, you should be able to get the same kind of deal. Just be very prepared when you begin the process.

-PE

[rflor]

The national HD channels will be turned off at some point but probably at least a year away. In about six months or so you could probably get a free H20. I would call back then.

Do they not turn off the National HDs when you get your local MPEG4s? (Chicago, in my case)

[jutley]

Well, I started the CSR roulette a few days ago by sending an email. The rep called my wife the next day and told her that we would pay $299 for the first HR20and $199 for the second. That is extremely lame since i can login to D* and get them for $199 each. Anyway, I called today and the first CSR (who sounded like it was her first day) told me that her supervisor just told her that you coulnd't order more than one HR20. Nice try...transfer me please. The next CSR was very nice but the best he would do is $199 each and free HD programming for a year. Of course he claims that is the best option that he has. I guess I'll call tomorrow and try again. :nono2: :nono:

FWIW...I have been a customer since 2002. My bill is paid on autopay and has never been late. My bill is $70 per month minimum...pay per views not included. I upgraded for two R-15s last October and got those for free, so I am under contract for until Oct 2008. I'm sure that's part of my problem. I'll just have to try again tonight or tomorrow.


Well today it finally happened...the CSR roulete paid off. Yesterday I spoke to the 3rd CSR in retention and she basically told me to pack sand...she would only do $199 for the first HR20 and $299 for the second. She wouldn't even honor what I was told last week. I was hot by the end of the conversation and considered calling Dish right then but figured I better cool off before I did anything irrational that I regretted later. I decided I would call Directv on my way to work this morning and see if I could get anything done. After 3 CSRs and over 40 min on the phone, I got two HR20s for $99 each and HD programming for free for 12 months. I am completely satisfied with that offer since I got 2 free R-15s last October. I feel like I got a fair deal and so did Directv.

My only concern is this...the orders show (the rep had to do two separate orders) when I login to my account and the first one show that it is scheduled but the second shows not scheduled and says to call them to schedule. Is that common or do I need to call them?

[Rickylane]

I recently upgraed to the HR20 also, and began the process by emailing Customer Service and giving them the "offers" I was being given by local cable, and Dish. Basically that they were giving "free" HD DVRs to new customers and I would prefer to stay with DTV, but these offers were very tempting. I then asked what they could do to "match" these offers. I received a phone call the next day with a 4 digit pin# and was told to call back. Ended up with free HR20 (19.95 S+H) and a free R15 and free AT9 install including new wiring. I was happy! They really don't want to lose customers, so just let them know about the competitions deals. Seems to work.........

[debor]

Hello Everyone...just a quick recap of my mostly positive experience.

1. Called early last week, went to retention, and was offered the $19.99 deal with a 2 year commitment. HDDRV, New Dish, Install, Move old DirecTivo and run new 2nd line.
2. Had an install date of last Friday, and a Ma & Pa/husband and wife crew showed up, very unprofessional, and said a 40 foot ladder crew needed to come out for my non-40 foot roof.
3. Call DirecTV, was giving the # to the local installer, who was apologetic and rescheduled me for yesterday.
4. New installer showed up, did not need a 40 foot ladder and easily reached my roof with his 25 foot ladder, and said most likely the other crew just didn’t want to do the job. He did a great job and it took about 4 hours to do everything.
5. I now have a small children’s sled on my roof, and am enjoying glorious HD.

All for now…

debor

[Michael D'Angelo]

Do they not turn off the National HDs when you get your local MPEG4s? (Chicago, in my case)

As of right now no. I still have NY CBS channel. That is the only one that I had.

[TimeShifter]

Ok, with the impending HD roll out, I finally made the call yesterday to swap out my two HR10-250s. The initial CSR was as uninformed as you might expect. Said all I needed was a B-band converter, and my HR10-250s would work just fine with the new HD channels. I asked to be transferred to retention. My deal was as follows.

An HR20 for $99 + shipping charge.
A second HR20 for free + shipping charge, on a separate order.
A new dish, free.
2 yr. commitment

A $19.99 credit for the shipping charge on the second HR20
12 mo. HD programming for free.

[STEVED21]

Has anybody had any luck in not only getting a great deal, but also getting them to ship it with out an install appoinment? Have the 5 lnb dish, & all the wiring I need. I don't want to take off time just to hook up the box. Thanks

[Michael D'Angelo]

Has anybody had any luck in not only getting a great deal, but also getting them to ship it with out an install appoinment? Have the 5 lnb dish, & all the wiring I need. I don't want to take off time just to hook up the box. Thanks

They will not ship it. I called yesterday and got another HR20 and they will not ship it. A installer will be bringing it out tomorrow. I have tried a few times when ordering other equipment to have them ship it but they will not.

[MRinDenver]

First, I have been a DirecTV customer since '99, with automatic payments made from my debit card for premium programming package, hd, etc. Basically $135 a month.

In early July, I will be returning back to the metro area from my vacation home where I moved my service address a few years ago. You understand why I moved out of town in the first place.

I have two HR10-250s plus a Sony HD200. Nice receivers. I will possibly miss the TiVo interface, but by looking at the promised HD lineup, it is time to do the mpeg4 upgrade.

I started my process by 1) reading everything in this thread, and 2) sending them a nice email explaining that a move was imminent, that I had the choice of staying with DirecTV or going to Comcast. And that while staying with DirecTV was my first choice, it was not my only choice. All with a smile in my voice.

I got an email reply the next morning, saying that an appropriate CSR would contact me within 48 hours. I waited a week; when no one called, I knew I had a possible advantage. I then emailed them again, politely asking that they not make promises they couldn't keep and stating that if they did not want me as a customer, that was OK by me. But that I still hoped to hear from them before I chose Comcast.

I got a call in less than six hours. Nice guy. Sincerely wanted to help, IMO. No hassle, no negotiations. Within 3 minutes of the start of the conversation, he offered two HR20s, one H20, the 5 lnb dish, the new multiswitch, "professional" installation (my wiring is in place) and activation of the units at zero cost to me.

Zero $. No s&h, no "credits", just the standard two year commitment.

I am more than happy. If the install is this smooth, a two year commitment is nothing!

[Hokyfan]

It took 3 phone calls over a 4 day period with lots of questions asked and lots of asking 'why charge me?' I've been a long time customer - both D* and HD - and I told them I was upset having to pay for equipment I did not own.

I finally got to customer retention - and the CSR tried to give me every 'reason' why it was a good idea to pay the $199. Then she said I was entitled to a $99 fee. Then finally she told me everything (HR20-700, 5LNB Dish, new multiswitch and installation) for only $19.95+tax for delivery and handling, and a two year commitment. And I could keep my HR10-250.

I said OK - now I'm only dreading a sharp increas in D* monthly fees.

[syphix]

Has anybody had any luck in not only getting a great deal, but also getting them to ship it with out an install appoinment?Closest I got was credit for my purchase at a local Best Buy. For the longest time, they weren't willing to deal. Then I shot off an email, and waited. I got a call, offering $100 credit (so, basically $199 still). I politely said no, then let it go.

10 days later I decided I simply wanted the HR20, and $199 wasn't too unreasonable. So, I purchased it at Best Buy ($320 w/ taxes) and drove home, on my way calling DirecTV to ask if they would be willing to give me the $100 credit instead of me purchasing it from them. They said sure. I said, "Since you're not having to send an installer out, would it be out of the question to ask for some programming incentives as well?" She said, "No problem...how's HBO for 3 months free?"

Not bad, IMO. Worked out to about $181...but I just got paid $300 for a job from a LONG time ago (wrote off even collecting on them!!), so I'm actually a bit "ahead".

[liquid4012]

This pisses me off. I am moving to a house this weekend and have been a customer of D* for a few years. I have an HR10-250 and asked the CSR if I could have a 5 LNB dish rather than the 3 LNB in case I wanted to upgrade my receiver in the future. I was told that the 5 LNB dish will not work with the HR10-250. I asked him if he was 100% positive about that, and he gave me a snide "yes, I'm sure." Next thing he does is tell me the R20 is compatible with the 5 LNB and he would give me that for $99 and I could keep the HR10, but the new receiver would be leased and a 2 year commitment would be required.

So, judging from the posts here, the guy was outright lying to me about the HR10's incompatibility with a 5 LNB? What kind of business are they running there?

[pjo1966]

This pisses me off. I am moving to a house this weekend and have been a customer of D* for a few years. I have an HR10-250 and asked the CSR if I could have a 5 LNB dish rather than the 3 LNB in case I wanted to upgrade my receiver in the future. I was told that the 5 LNB dish will not work with the HR10-250. I asked him if he was 100% positive about that, and he gave me a snide "yes, I'm sure." Next thing he does is tell me the R20 is compatible with the 5 LNB and he would give me that for $99 and I could keep the HR10, but the new receiver would be leased and a 2 year commitment would be required.

So, judging from the posts here, the guy was outright lying to me about the HR10's incompatibility with a 5 LNB? What kind of business are they running there?

Most likely he wasn't lying, he was uninformed. Play CSR roulette and give them another call.

[Michael D'Angelo]

This pisses me off. I am moving to a house this weekend and have been a customer of D* for a few years. I have an HR10-250 and asked the CSR if I could have a 5 LNB dish rather than the 3 LNB in case I wanted to upgrade my receiver in the future. I was told that the 5 LNB dish will not work with the HR10-250. I asked him if he was 100% positive about that, and he gave me a snide "yes, I'm sure." Next thing he does is tell me the R20 is compatible with the 5 LNB and he would give me that for $99 and I could keep the HR10, but the new receiver would be leased and a 2 year commitment would be required.

So, judging from the posts here, the guy was outright lying to me about the HR10's incompatibility with a 5 LNB? What kind of business are they running there?

:welcome_s to DBStalk

Yes the HR10-250 will work with the 5 LNB dish. When he said you could keep it if you upgraded to the HR20 I would have ask him why will it work now.

[liquid4012]

:welcome_s to DBStalk

Yes the HR10-250 will work with the 5 LNB dish. When he said you could keep it if you upgraded to the HR20 I would have ask him why will it work now.

Thanks for the welcome! Although I probably shouldn't be talking to you seeing as though I'm a Steelers fan :p

I thought about mentioning that after I hung up with him, actually. I'm going to write an e-mail now to complain. If I don't hear back by tomorrow I'm going to call the retention dept. Does anyone have the direct number, if there is one?

Thanks everyone!

[syphix]

There is no direct number to the retention department anymore.

And give them the full 48 hours to respond to your email. I find that they're usually pretty quick, but it is getting late on Wednesday already...

[marksman]

I am trying to figure out how to get two more boxes. I got mine for nothing back in December, but I Suspect I will not be so lucky getting two more now. Just reading through here for some ideas, and suggestions. Mulling it over trying to figure out if there is a best way to approach it.

I suspect just calling up and asking will be the best way to start.

[surfbird]

HI.. I guess most of you are thinking retention specialist are the best route to get all of these offers..

Well, effective June 4th, all crg reps will no longer be crg or retention specialist.. (me, included) only 2 call centers will even have these reps. Sorry, I cannot divolge that info. I am still not knowing what will actually happen to my position whether or not I will end up being just a technical / advanced technical rep..

Honestly, With all the changes D* is making.. good luck on still getting various offers I keep seeing posted here. I know I am concerned in regards to my call center what we will be doing. Wish me luck.. or does anyone have any great job offers out there for Me?? LOL..

I still love my Dtv but?? confused regarding some of the recent changes.

[action378]

I finally made the decision to switch from the HR10-250 to the HR20. I first called and talked to a CSR on Sunday night. The CSR told me that since I was an A-List customer, I could get the HR-20 for $199. I asked if this was the best deal that they could do for me since I've been with DIRECTV since 2000. His reply was yes. I said thank you very much and hung up.

On Monday, I decided to send an e-mail describing my displeasure with having to pay $199 for something that I will never own. I also talked about the amount of money I spend every month along with the cost of subscripting to the NFL package along with Superfan.

I received a call on Wednesday and as able to get the HR-20 for $21.55 (had to put it on my credit card), this amount is also being credited back to my account. The install is scheduled for this Saturday.

The only downside to the upgrade, I asked the CSR if there was anyway I could keep the HR10-250, since I have a lot of shows recorded on it. She said that wasn't possible, that since the unit was leased that I would have to pay to keep it. So I guess I'll return it or replace an older unit with it.

I just wanted to thank everyone for posting there experiences here, if not, I would have had to pay full price.

[Groundhog45]

I finally made the decision to switch from the HR10-250 to the HR20. I first called and talked to a CSR on Sunday night. The CSR told me that since I was an A-List customer, I could get the HR-20 for $199. I asked if this was the best deal that they could do for me since I've been with DIRECTV since 2000. His reply was yes. I said thank you very much and hung up.

On Monday, I decided to send an e-mail describing my displeasure with having to pay $199 for something that I will never own. I also talked about the amount of money I spend every month along with the cost of subscripting to the NFL package along with Superfan.

I received a call on Wednesday and as able to get the HR-20 for $21.55 (had to put it on my credit card), this amount is also being credited back to my account. The install is scheduled for this Saturday.

The only downside to the upgrade, I asked the CSR if there was anyway I could keep the HR10-250, since I have a lot of shows recorded on it. She said that wasn't possible, that since the unit was leased that I would have to pay to keep it. So I guess I'll return it or replace an older unit with it.

I just wanted to thank everyone for posting there experiences here, if not, I would have had to pay full price.

When you activate the HR20, just tell them you want to keep the HR10 active also and they should let you. Just have to pay the mirroring fee. Good luck.

[action378]

When you activate the HR20, just tell them you want to keep the HR10 active also and they should let you. Just have to pay the mirroring fee. Good luck.


Will do, the mirroring fee would just be a $4.99 fee like I currently see on my bill for leased receiver? Thanks again for your help.

[surfbird]

Will do, the mirroring fee would just be a $4.99 fee like I currently see on my bill for leased receiver? Thanks again for your help.

yep, the service for the hd & dvr is only one charge for multiple recievers.

[Indiana627]

I'm turning to the dark side. He he!! Ordered my HR20 and slimline this morning. All I'm paying is shipping. Replacing my HR10 (which they said I could keep). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the HR20 works as I expect it to. I hope I can survive without DLB.