How much have YOU been compensated from DTV?

[jayvista]

I think it would be a good idea for us to share how much (if any) all of us who are suffering with the HR20 have been compensated from DTV (and how you have gotten it).

I'll start ...

I've been having problems w/ the HR20 from day 1. Because of all of my issues and complaints to them, here is a list of the free stuff they have creditted me (a few different calls):
- 6 months free HD programming
- $20 / month credit for 12 months
- ANOTHER 6 months free HD programming
- free Showtime for 1 year (big whoopee)
- ANOTHER $10 / month credit for six months
- this one is the best .... a free DirecTivo and programming waved because I am using it as a backup to the HR20!!
- I am calling them back today to get a free antenna and installation since my MPEG4 locals dont work (and I will push for more monthly credits)

These have been in ADDITION to the deals they used to convince me to try the HR20 (different threads for these).

How much have YOU gotten?

To get these compensations, you must call DTV and tell them exactly the problems you are having with the HR20. Demand to talk to retention. Tell them you are forced to use other DVRs as "backup" units. Tell them exactly how many shows you have missed. Tell them exactly how many times the unit hangs. Tell them why watching shows with OOS audio is terrible. Threaten them that they are not holding up to their contract because they are not delivering the service.

[Jeremy W]

I hope DirecTV just shuts off your account and tells you to take a hike.

[Tmax88]

Don't you think you've gotten enough?

[Earl Bonovich]

I think it would be a good idea for us to share how much (if any) all of us who are suffering with the HR20 have been compensated from DTV (and how you have gotten it).

I'll start ...

I've been having problems w/ the HR20 from day 1. Because of all of my issues and complaints to them, here is a list of the free stuff they have creditted me (a few different calls):
- 6 months free HD programming
- $20 / month credit for 12 months
- ANOTHER 6 months free HD programming
- free Showtime for 1 year (big whoopee)
- ANOTHER $10 / month credit for six months
- this one is the best .... a free DirecTivo and programming waved because I am using it as a backup to the HR20!!
- I am calling them back today to get a free antenna and installation since my MPEG4 locals dont work (and I will push for more monthly credits)



So let's see:

That would be:
6 * 9.99 = $59.95
$20 * 12 = $240
6 * 9.99 = $59.95
12 * 12.95 = $155.40
$10 * 6 = $60
Depedning on DTiVo model... any where from $99 - $499 (based on ebay prices), and $5 * what ever... let's say 6 months...

....

So that is $575.30 before you add the price for the TiVo...
Which can bring it between $600 and $1000

Now you want a free antenna and install?

simply amazing...
If I was in your shoes... I certainly would continue calling, as right now, you have basically paid for an entire years worth of DirecTV service...

And we wonder why prices have to increase, customer service numbers have to change, and everything else....

I just wish some day, DirecTV would get the picture, and just start telling people... Okay well... the service tech will be there on Wednesday to pick up the hardware, and discontinue your service...

[Knon2000]

Seems like your sqeaky wheel has gotten too much grease. I would think that the amount of "credits" you have recieved by now would make you more than pleased, but to say you are planning to call back again, that is just plain wrong. I know that we are dealing with a huge company here, but what makes someone think that they are basically "owed" free tv for more than the time that they are actually being inconvienced? If you would add that up, it comes out to several months of the Premier package, and yet you are still not satisfied, and planning on calling again? I hope that you were stretching the amounts abit to make it seem over-the-top, to provoke peoples reactions such as mine.
Kevin

[Oliwa]

How much is enough? Is your goal to get D* to pay you for being a customer?

PS. I've gotten HD free for 6 months and free shipping on the HR20.

[upnorth]

I think it would be a good idea for us to share how much (if any) all of us who are suffering with the HR20 have been compensated from DTV (and how you have gotten it).

I'll start ...

I've been having problems w/ the HR20 from day 1. Because of all of my issues and complaints to them, here is a list of the free stuff they have creditted me (a few different calls):
- 6 months free HD programming
- $20 / month credit for 12 months
- ANOTHER 6 months free HD programming
- free Showtime for 1 year (big whoopee)
- ANOTHER $10 / month credit for six months
- this one is the best .... a free DirecTivo and programming waved because I am using it as a backup to the HR20!!
- I am calling them back today to get a free antenna and installation since my MPEG4 locals dont work (and I will push for more monthly credits)

These have been in ADDITION to the deals they used to convince me to try the HR20 (different threads for these).

How much have YOU gotten?

To get these compensations, you must call DTV and tell them exactly the problems you are having with the HR20. Demand to talk to retention. Tell them you are forced to use other DVRs as "backup" units. Tell them exactly how many shows you have missed. Tell them exactly how many times the unit hangs. Tell them why watching shows with OOS audio is terrible. Threaten them that they are not holding up to their contract because they are not delivering the service.

You have got to be kidding this one tops the list for stupid threads.:rolleyes:

[Slump Buster]

You have valid complaints. I called with the same issues looking for answers. They offered to give me a different model at no cost. If you were serious about being up and running rather than making money, you could have taken that route too.

I don't know which is worse.... that you kept calling to get more money or that you're proud of it. If you're that unhappy, go to cable. The rest of us are paying for this.

[Oliwa]

I don't think it's a stupid thread, but jayvista is pretty ballsy for wanting more.

[Earl Bonovich]

And just to add.

I am not against people getting compensation for issue they are having.
But when you far out exceed what you have paid, for what you get...

And this IS a two way street.
DirecTV has to be willing to allow customers to leave them, instead of just throwing "good money" after bad...

Already at the level the OP was compensated, it would take them probably multiple years to recoup the cost.

[Knon2000]

To be honest, I think most of us on this forum have probably gotten a freebee or 2 in our dealings with D*, but there is a difference between calling with what would be a legitimate complaint, and calling in for greed. For all we know, a person just perused this forum, saw what they would consider to be good things to complain about, and then called in saying that those problems were their own, maybe even causing problems to be manifest where none actually were. If that was the case, man, I really am glad I am not in customer service, I would probably try to strangle that person thru the phone.
Kevin

[redbirdruss]

You have got to be kidding this one tops the list for stupid threads.:rolleyes:

:lol:
Amen to that!

[upnorth]

I don't think it's a stupid thread, but jayvista is pretty ballsy for wanting more.

Ok your right stupid is not the correct word for this it was just my first gut reaction.
But I do find it hard to believe, cry wolf to much and its going to backfire.

[Jeremy W]

But I do find it hard to believe, cry wolf to much and its going to backfire.
As much as I'd love to see DirecTV cancel jayvista's account, the worst they'll do is just tell him to STFU.

[wmschultz]

I didn't really start complaining until I was FORCED to use a 3rd party installer.

My self installs always went smooth.

My forced installer caused:

1 toasted receiver
1 weekend of lost NFL ST and all HD programming due to misdiagnosing a bad LNB.
2 1/2 days of time off I had to take from work

So, I got compensated from that, although I did get the HR20 free and Superfan
free (automagically), HD programming free for ordering the HR20.

I recently got a $5.00 credit / month because when working on a "technical" issue
I got such crappy service I called back just to speak with a supervisor. I resoloved
the problem myself and then called back. I told the supervisor I didn't want any
credit, I just wanted to make them aware of the problem with the CSRs. She
gave me a credit anyway.

[HDTVsportsfan]

How much have YOU gotten?

Maybe you should move over to cable.:nono2:

[jayvista]

Seems like your sqeaky wheel has gotten too much grease. I would think that the amount of "credits" you have recieved by now would make you more than pleased, but to say you are planning to call back again, that is just plain wrong. I know that we are dealing with a huge company here, but what makes someone think that they are basically "owed" free tv for more than the time that they are actually being inconvienced? If you would add that up, it comes out to several months of the Premier package, and yet you are still not satisfied, and planning on calling again? I hope that you were stretching the amounts abit to make it seem over-the-top, to provoke peoples reactions such as mine.
Kevin

DTV initially charged me $$ to purchase the HR20. They sold me a unit (and its replacements) that did not work. Yes, I complained. Yes, I complained a LOT to DTV. They continue to have issues, and I still have a DirecTivo wired to my main TV as a backup. Until now, I had been paying extra $$ to DTV for the sole purpose of a backup.

I had also been paying DTV for HD locals. They just plain flat out dont work reliably. Now I want them to provide them to me via OTA.

Again ... THEY came to me and sold me a product. I paid them a lot of money. THEY failed to deliver, and now I have asked them to reimburse me. Is it mean of me to not expect to continue to pay them for a product that does not do what it says?

This thread was created to help others like me that have been victimized by DTV's product not working.

[btmoore]

And just to add.

I am not against people getting compensation for issue they are having.
But when you far out exceed what you have paid, for what you get...

And this IS a two way street.
DirecTV has to be willing to allow customers to leave them, instead of just throwing "good money" after bad...

Already at the level the OP was compensated, it would take them probably multiple years to recoup the cost.

IMO I think Earl has it right.

I have made 2 calls into D* regarding the HR20, one was regarding fee for service and the other was expectation setting regarding their ability to deliver vs contractual commitment.

The first was in the sep/oct time frame when the HR20 was extremely unstable and I gave D* the option of canceling my agreement or reversing the charges for the sports package I agreed to to receive the HR20 at no charge. D* opted to reverse the charges on the sports package.

The second call ~ Nov time frame was to reset expectation on the 2 year commit, we came to an agreement where they noted my account that if I was not satisfied with the stability in a couple of months I could cancel my service contract with out penalty. I requested no credits and none were offered, I just wanted to option to get out in the future if D* can not deliver on their commitment.

IMO both of these are fair and equitable to both parties.

If you goal is to just squeeze to get better price, and you don't feel you have a real problem you might have an ethics issue, but it is up to both parties to derive what is considered fair and equitable renumeration for service delivery problems. If D* is willing to compensate for your problems regardless of your investment there must be agreement that it is equitable, but bragging about it as a point of pride might be considered bad taste.

[HDTVsportsfan]

Well all of that may be true. I can understand your frustration.
Maybe you just presented to the forum the wrong way.

[jayvista]

So let's see:

That would be:
6 * 9.99 = $59.95
$20 * 12 = $240
6 * 9.99 = $59.95
12 * 12.95 = $155.40
$10 * 6 = $60
Depedning on DTiVo model... any where from $99 - $499 (based on ebay prices), and $5 * what ever... let's say 6 months...



Sorry, my bad .... I actually still had my old DirecTivo ... I just had them re-activate it. They did NOT send me a free DirecTivo.

[Jeremy W]

Is it mean of me to not expect to continue to pay them for a product that does not do what it says?
It's not mean, it's retarded. If this product causes you that much grief, get rid of it. What the hell is the point of hanging on to it? Just so you have something to complain about?

[jayvista]

Well all of that may be true. I can understand your frustration.
Maybe you just presented to the forum the wrong way.

I think I did. I honestly wanted to provide a thread that would would let people that are in my position (and there are a lot of us) know that there are things they can do (to relieve the pain of paying DTV a lot of $$ for something that doesn't work).

If the HR20 works for you, great! Dont try to pay less money to them. But if you are having the types of problems many of us are, then yes, you SHOULD contact them for compensation. Then post your results to this thread (so the community can learn from your experience).

[jayvista]

It's not mean, it's retarded. If this product causes you that much grief, get rid of it. What the hell is the point of hanging on to it? Just so you have something to complain about?

Umm, DTV has thought of that. Because they knew many people would go that route, they force a 2 year extention when you get the HR20. THEY ARE FORCING us to stay ... or face SEVERE penalties ($$).

[tstarn]

Is it fair or greed? It's a real philosophical question. Does it drive up the price for everyone else? Maybe. Maybe not. But there is a reason for this "signal/hardware grab" (for lack of a better term). And D* has no one to blame but itself.

In all honesty, I never even heard of D* retention until I got the AL9 and HR20. That's the truth. I never visited a forum and almost never called to complain in 8 years of being a D* sub (once, the guide messed up on the Directivo [but not on the Tivo standalone] and we missed a Sex and the City episode, so I complained and they gave me a small credit). Never got a freebie of any note (they once sent me a replacement SD Directivo when ours failed to boot up after a couple of years).

So why all of a sudden the explosion of giveaways, credits, handouts, etc? Simple. The HR20 and MPEG 4 recording has been a deployment nightmare. Hey, I got a great deal too (more than $400 in credits for my hassles), but I would rather D* still have my money and I still didn't know the retention department even existed. That would mean, of course, that the HR20 would have worked out of the box, like all the other receivers D* ever sold/sent me.

So don't judge the OP too harshly. He's just taking advantage of a major stumble on D*'s part. For whatever reason, they obviously were ready and willing to generously hand out the freebies, just to keep people on the sub list. They have no one else but themselves to blame, human nature being what it is. And if they had said "tough noogies" to people who were having real issues and complained, many of those people would have bolted for cable in a heartbeat. Some of them left anyway. I intend to stick with D* for my commitment period at this point, but it won't be a slam-dunk decision to stay in mid-2008, when my commitment expires - freebies or no freebies.

[Jeremy W]

Because they knew many people would go that route, they force a 2 year extention when you get the HR20. THEY ARE FORCING us to stay ... or face SEVERE penalties ($$).
They're just forcing you to stay, not keep the HR20. There is absolutely nothing in the contract that says you have to keep the receiver that extended your contract. Besides, with all of the "problems" you've complained to them about, they'd probably let you out of your contract without an ETF anyway.

[Earl Bonovich]

So why all of a sudden the explosion of giveaways, credits, handouts, etc? Simple. The HR20 and MPEG 4 recording has been a deployment nightmare. Hey, I got a great deal too (more than $400 in credits for my hassles), but I would rather D* still have my money and I still didn't know the retention number. That would mean, of course, that the HR20 would have worked out of the box, like all the other receivers D* ever sold/sent me.


It is nothing new, just because of the HR20.
It has been going on as long as I have been part of forum land.

We have had multiple threads over the years at TCF, on this very topic.

There where plenty of threads when the HR10-250 was released, when it was still $1,000
Of people that where getting so many credits, they where "making" money on the deal.

[DishDog]

Please, please kill this thread ...............................>

[tstarn]

It is nothing new, just because of the HR20.
It has been going on as long as I have been part of forum land.

We have had multiple threads over the years at TCF, on this very topic.

There where plenty of threads when the HR10-250 was released, when it was still $1,000
Of people that where getting so many credits, they where "making" money on the deal.

I was just talking about my own personal experience, which no doubt has been duplicated many times over. I never owned an HR10-250, so it's obviously an HD issue, since those two machines (HR10 and HR20) both have caused such a landslide of handouts.

So it may be old hat for you, but not for me, and I would venture to say thousands of other D* subs who never had HD recording before.

[tstarn]

It is nothing new, just because of the HR20.
It has been going on as long as I have been part of forum land.

We have had multiple threads over the years at TCF, on this very topic.

There where plenty of threads when the HR10-250 was released, when it was still $1,000
Of people that where getting so many credits, they where "making" money on the deal.

Do you deny the handout line is directly related to HD recording? If so, then D* was willing to hand out all those credits (to the point where some people are profiting from it) to retain those subs and pretty much built that into the cost of doing business. Why all the fuss, then?

[Earl Bonovich]

Do you deny the handout line is directly related to HD recording? If so, then D* was willing to hand out all those credits (to the point where some people are profiting from it) to retain those subs and pretty much built that into the cost of doing business. Why all the fuss, then?

Yah, I would still deny it is exclusive to HD...
It has been so freaking common.... Heck I remember some people complaining when the first DTivo came out and it could only record on one buffer, and demanding credits (when the DTivos where $300).

Then people going nuts when UTV was discontinued..
WINK going away...

All sorts of it... and yes, it is built into their cost for doing business...
And I am sure they are not going broke, but.....

Free receivers of all types; Free installs; ect... nothing exclusive to HD.
All part of retaining the customers...

[hdtvfan0001]

...and its sooooo easy to first expect products and services for free, then try to get compensation when they have 1-2 problems. For some folks, that's just the way they view the world. The "me generation" lives... :rolleyes:

[ptighe]

Wow, that's an interesting idea of fairness. Here's my take, D* basically game me my HR20 after talking with retention. In exchange, I feel I owe D* some slack on the product having bugs. If I had paid the full $299, then yeah, I'd be on the horn with retention asking for a part of the $299 back, as that would be fair, and if I were keeping an extra unit on the account for backup, I'd ask for that $5 back, as that again would be fair IMO.

[tstarn]

...and its sooooo easy to first expect products and services for free, then try to get compensation when they have 1-2 problems. For some folks, that's just the way they view the world. The "me generation" lives... :rolleyes:

You and Earl both missed the point. I had no intention of getting anything for free, but what I got didn't work (and no need to tell us all how well your HR20 works). So they offered it to me for free when I called to complain. The nice retention woman practically cut me off to offer me the $370 credit (around the cost of the HR20 at the time. They quickly went down to $299).

Of course there have always been people getting some free stuff, but not at the current levels, I'd be willing to wager. The point is: Most people don't want anything other than the box to work. I don't care if some limited number of users got credits for the UTV or any other box. There has never been this level of giveaways by D* is my guess. Guess we'll never know.

The "me generation?" It's more like the "We're sick of being sold shoddy products" generation.

[tstarn]

Wow, that's an interesting idea of fairness. Here's my take, D* basically game me my HR20 after talking with retention. In exchange, I feel I owe D* some slack on the product having bugs. If I had paid the full $299, then yeah, I'd be on the horn with retention asking for a part of the $299 back, as that would be fair, and if I were keeping an extra unit on the account for backup, I'd ask for that $5 back, as that again would be fair IMO.

And why did you call retention in the first place? To order your HR20 and pay the full price? Just curious. I don't believe retention is where you order gear.

You have contradicted yourself, by saying if you had paid the full price, you'd call for a rebate/refund/credit. But you already did that, no? So what's your point. You did exactly what the OP did to a lesser extent.

Or did retention call you and offer you a free HR20?

[DJConan]

Pretty interesting topic to read through.

The responses of some really aren't surprising, but either is the OP remarks. I feel like him when I have to reset the HR20 1-2 times a day while it's recording something (just yesterday, while recording my football team playing, I had to reset, and I missed an interception that injured and knocked out my teams QB for the day, missed a field goal and a TD...a lot can happen in 7 minutes while you wait for the reset).

That's what I use the forums for...vent here and not bother calling DTV. I figure they already know about all the problems. I'd like to get a credit too, but don't like the feeling of begging. I paid full price for the first box and was kicking myself many times after that. After I decided to get another, I hated calling up to "work" a deal on a second HR20 that I did eventually get with a lot of credits. It reminds me of buying a car.

Nobody is making DTV do something they don't want to do. If you're willing to call for compensation and DTV is willing to give it to you, then who are we to complain? :)

[bret4]

I did get $75 off my bill because D* didn't give me my local channels for my state. This was to go to buying an antenna to get the channels myself. I have spent all of that $75 and then some on the antenna and do get my locals now.

I think taking D* for all the money in the first post is a bit overboard. Still I think they shouldn't be charging me $300 to test the HR20 for them. If they gave the HR20's away for free until they get all the bugs worked out and get all the features up and running then I can see them charging for it.

[Knon2000]

My experience has been mixed with D* as well. I had many problems with the HR10, but never escalated it to get any credits. I did have alot of problems with my R10's with locals, and for that, my wife was upset, so there was some escalation involved. My HR20's actually came as replacements for 2 HR10's that died, so I didn't actually pay for them other than the monthy protection plan fee. I was happy with D*'s service, even though I was missing OTA until Santa showed up. Anyway, in my experience, the HR10's were a problem system, and I am sure I could have made out really well considering the problems with them thru the years, however, I do understand that is kinda what I am getting myself into when I like getting my toys. Hey, I had to send back my power brick on my 360 awhile back. I had to send 3 batteries and 2 AC adapters back to DELL in the last year. Believe me, D* isn't the only one sending out problem equipment, but at least they are willing to work with the customers.
Kevin

[wakajawaka]

And why did you call retention in the first place? To order your HR20 and pay the full price? Just curious. I don't believe retention is where you order gear.

You have contradicted yourself, by saying if you had paid the full price, you'd call for a rebate/refund/credit. But you already did that, no? So what's your point. You did exactly what the OP did to a lesser extent.

Or did retention call you and offer you a free HR20?

I will admit that I called retention explicitly to get the $99 deal that a lot of people were getting a few months ago (I found this out through this forum BTW). I did not threaten to quit, I simply asked for the best deal they could give me. At first they offered $20 a month for 6 months, and then said I could get it for $99 since I have an HR10-250 and get to keep it as well. Then they said they would still honor the $20 for 6 months credit. I don't see this as greed in any way, just good negotiations. I really don't have much problem with the OP if in fact they were having and still are having lots of problems. But lying about problems to get free stuff is just plain wrong.

[VeniceDre]

I've been a customer for ten years now... I paid full price for my first HR10 and they gave me a partial credit for it... The second one I got for free... Both of my Hr20s I've gotten for free... I think what helps is length of time as a customer and how high your monthly bill is. I've also been a Sunday Ticket subscriber since they started it.

[ptighe]

And why did you call retention in the first place? To order your HR20 and pay the full price? Just curious. I don't believe retention is where you order gear.

You have contradicted yourself, by saying if you had paid the full price, you'd call for a rebate/refund/credit. But you already did that, no? So what's your point. You did exactly what the OP did to a lesser extent.

Or did retention call you and offer you a free HR20?

To me it was quite simple, I wanted the MPEG-4 RSN in HD, I was willing to pay a price, but not $299, and here was Comcast and Dish that wanted my business. I had those offers, and let D* make me an offer to stay. Now when it comes to buying the second HR20, which sounds like it will be next year, I expect to pay whatever the going price is.

I guess I see it as the cell phone model, I sign a contract for x number of months, in exchange I get a reduced price, or free, on a phone, after my contract, assuming I'm a good customer who pays my bill, said phone company will gladly give me a discount on a new phone for my signing a new contract.

[Earl Bonovich]

You and Earl both missed the point. I had no intention of getting anything for free, but what I got didn't work (and no need to tell us all how well your HR20 works). So they offered it to me for free when I called to complain. The nice retention woman practically cut me off to offer me the $370 credit (around the cost of the HR20 at the time. They quickly went down to $299).

Where did I miss the point?

I pointed out that this isn't "new" with respects to the HR20.
I pointed out that this isn't "new" with respects to the HD feeds.

And stated Credits "are" part of the cost of doing business.
Never said you where trying to get something for free.

[hdtvfan0001]

You and Earl both missed the point.
Rant warning

No...I heard your point loud and clear.

There are tons of threads and posts virtually actually boasting about how much people got compensated (in some cases multiple times) over known frivolous situations -- D*TV compensated them for "pain and suffering". In addition, some of these folks paid nothing (or less, with credits) for equipment & installs, yet they still complained loud and clear (and repeatedly) to both make their point and get some compensation in return.

Don't talk to me about fair. These folks are thieves, plain and simple - they took something for nothing. It ranks right up there with false insurance claims. :nono2:

This certainly does not pertain to most posters here, but it also DOES fit a number of them (and they know who they are!).

Like any new piece of electronics, there is commonly at least a 90-120 waiting period to iron out the bugs. My high-end up-converting DVD player took 6 months to get to that point - trouble free for 1 year+ now. The term early adopter applies to those who risk getting something new early, knowing that things will be bumpy in the beginning.

To lead us through, Earl has spent hundreds of hours guiding us through the maze of new features, new hiccups, and new releases. Kudos.

In return, I've seen whining, the complaining, and the demands for more and more and more from him, as well as D*TV. He clearly has a thick skin to absorb the abuse.

Tstarn - you were one of the first folks complaining on good old TV Predictions right after the HR20 came out. Since then, you have certainly rode the tide to see things have improved alot, stated that, and for that I must commend you. Now it seems we are digressing a bit.

That said, there are a bunch of people here who need to get real.

Here's a scoop --- any time you buy new electronics in the first 3-4 months, expect bugs and issues. Feel free to expect a refund (and then please step quietly away from the complaint desk) - don't expect to be compensated for "the sky is falling" and don't expect perfection.

By the way - my HR20 units (2 of them) are just fine and have been since day one, thank you. And I am by no means alone. Is the unit perfect - no. Is the unit great and does it do what it is supposed to 99.9% of the time - yes.

There. Somebody had to say it. :sure:

[sigma1914]

I wrote an email, and called to let them know about the local Mastec doing crappy installs (7 splices in 1 line run is unreal). D* gave 2 extra months of the top package...Premiere I believe...for the $69/month we'd been paying. We'd resigned with D* in September after being w/ Comcast 1 year, and 12 years with D* prior. We got TC Premiere + NFLST + SF for $69/month. After calling and emailing, they extended the package through April.

[hdtvfan0001]

I wrote an email, and called to let them know about the local Mastec doing crappy installs (7 splices in 1 line run is unreal). D* gave 2 extra months of the top package...Premiere I believe...for the $69/month we'd been paying. We'd resigned with D* in September after being w/ Comcast 1 year, and 12 years with D* prior. We got TC Premiere + NFLST + SF for $69/month. After calling and emailing, they extended the package through April.
Certainly fair for your install negative experience. You are not one of the folks who have taken advantage of things - rather - you were fairly treated based on your experiences. Its a shame others have abused things.

[Mike Huss]

The abusers remind me of people on Slick Deals and Fat Wallet who get the free mags just because they are free. They have no intention of ever reading them, they just want them because they are free. That's just stupid and a waste of money.

I think your perspective comes from what you put in to it. I got an HR10 for free because I was a long time customer and have had NFLST for years. When my HR10 started not working properly D* replaced it with an HR20. I think people like me are more willing to put up with stuff because we haven't paid much for equipment in recent years. However, I do pay for dvr service, so if I started having problems with recording then I would be complaining to get my DVR service credited since I wasn't actually receiving that service.

[hdtvfan0001]

The abusers remind me of people on Slick Deals and Fat Wallet who get the free mags just because they are free. They have no intention of ever reading them, they just want them because they are free. That's just stupid and a waste of money.

I think your perspective comes from what you put in to it. I got an HR10 for free because I was a long time customer and have had NFLST for years. When my HR10 started not working properly D* replaced it with an HR20. I think people like me are more willing to put up with stuff because we haven't paid much for equipment in recent years. However, I do pay for dvr service, so if I started having problems with recording then I would be complaining to get my DVR service credited since I wasn't actually receiving that service.
Your experience makes sense and appears reasonable, and is what D*TV intends the system to be for.

There are, however, those who try to cheat the system, get much more than they deserve, and also abuse the system to turn it into a "get myself all I can for free" process. Those people probably also cheat on their taxes.

[sigma1914]

Certainly fair for your install negative experience. You are not one of the folks who have taken advantage of things - rather - you were fairly treated based on your experiences. Its a shame others have abused things.

Thank you! Hell, when I called I didn't expect compensasion or ask for it. I luckily got a cool CSR who agreed our install was garbage. He brought his supervisor on 3way with us & they offered the deal and suggested I call back in April to try other promotions...I'd be an idiot to reject it.

I bet the ultra whiners here and people who think D* owes them would of cried for more.

[Road Rage]

Dang, I've had my HR20 for 1 month and had zero problems with it, and having OTA (thanks Santa) definitely doesn't suck. So I guess they'll be no credits for me. In fact I'll be cancelling my NFL ST sub after this season after having it since it's inception. So if I understand the original post, if I complain enough I get it all for free? wow.

[paul01463]

Already at the level the OP was compensated, it would take them probably multiple years to recoup the cost.

There is no free lunch. The OP's "compensation" costs DirecTv. DirecTv then increases its rates in order to recover the increased costs and all subscribers pay for this one subscriber's unreasonable greed. I hope he moves to cable soon.

[hdtvfan0001]

I bet the ultra whiners here and people who think D* owes them would of cried for more.
Ain't it the truth... :D
Dang, I've had my HR20 for 1 month and had zero problems with it, and having OTA (thanks Santa) definitely doesn't suck. So I guess they'll be no credits for me. In fact I'll be cancelling my NFL ST sub after this season after having it since it's inception. So if I understand the original post, if I complain enough I get it all for free? wow.
Your right. Sad, isn't it. :rolleyes:

[hdtvfan0001]

There is no free lunch. The OP's "compensation" costs DirecTv. DirecTv then increases its rates in order to recover the increased costs and all subscribers pay for this one subscriber's unreasonable greed. I hope he moves to cable soon.
AMEN! :)

[RollTideinHD]

I just received my HR20 about an hour ago. Without even opening up the box yet, here are a few things I read on the cover of the box:

* Record one show while watching another, even record two shows at once
* Pause and rewind live TV
* 1080i picture output resolution formats
* On-screen Caller ID shows who's calling
* Schedule recordings up to 14 days in advance....
* Use bookmarks to access favorite scenes in your recorded programs instantly
* Coming in late 2006: This box can also integrate local channels from an Off-air antena (ATSC).
* HDMI output....

Now all that is just listed on top of the box. If ANY of that isn't working properly, i am calling DTV. We signed up with the 2 yr contract and also paying a monthly lease amount. We are entitled to have these features work on the very FIRST day that we activate our HR20. No where in my agreement did it say that I have to be a beta tester for this product.

I waited till now to get this cause I know that DTV is starting to get the HR20 more stable. If I were someone who got this back in September and had to wait this long for it to be stable, I would have raised hell also. If we are obligated to stick to a 2 yr contract and be penalized for breaking it, then DTV is obligated to provide the services we agreed to or they should be penalized. Thats how I see it.

Now I am going to get this thing installed tomorrow. I am very excited and because i'm not a previous DVR/Tivo user, I am not hooked on it so I will have more paitence. I am more excited about the HD quality. However, if I do run across some issues, I will complain and hopefully they get resolved. If I have to wait months, then you can be assured that I will bi*ch and yell like anyone else.

[banningview]

I have had similar compensation over the past 6 months because of the lack of installing services and the poor product which is the HR20. I was up around the $575.00 of the OP. What the heck do you want us to do? Not take the credits and free stuff. I NEVER called and asked for stuff, but they felt since I was an "A" customer put through the wringer, that I should get something. Pretty much, every single CSR gave me something. Anything from $5 a month for 6 months to credits worth hundreds of dollars. Yes, I have 6 rec/dvrs and subscribe to the sports packages, but I never felt bad for taking a single credit. If they call me and try to upgrade me again to the HR20, which is what happened in the first place, I will accept. Although it is a poor product at the moment, it has been a cash cow for me.

[Earl Bonovich]

I have had similar compensation over the past 6 months because of the lack of installing services and the poor product which is the HR20. I was up around the $575.00 of the OP. What the heck do you want us to do? Not take the credits and free stuff. I NEVER called and asked for stuff, but they felt since I was an "A" customer put through the wringer, that I should get something. Pretty much, every single CSR gave me something. Anything from $5 a month for 6 months to credits worth hundreds of dollars. Yes, I have 6 rec/dvrs and subscribe to the sports packages, but I never felt bad for taking a single credit. If they call me and try to upgrade me again to the HR20, which is what happened in the first place, I will accept. Although it is a poor product at the moment, it has been a cash cow for me.


That is where you are different, from the perception of the OP.

Again, I have no issue with people getting compensation, when you are having issues.. and they offer them to you..

But when:
- I am calling them back today to get a free antenna and installation since my MPEG4 locals dont work (and I will push for more monthly credits)

But when you call with a "game plan", to get certain XYZ... that is a little different then them offering to compensate you for your troubles.

[HolmesCo]

I have never really thought about asking them for anything, I guess because other than the first 2 days, I have had almost no problems. But they did give me a few things, I guess every one got the hd package free for 4 months. But I called a few days after I got it to inquire about going back to the Total Package, pretty much ready to buy it, as I wanted the HBO and SHO HD channels, and she gave me both hbo and showtime free for 6 months. I am not sure why, but it seemed a nice gesture.

But when I read here that many people got their hd20 for free and I paid $299 for mine, I feel almost like I got screwed. I guess I am just not a fanagler. It never occured to me you could get it for free. I have been a customer for about 4 years I would say, and get the extra innings package every year. Football is just way too expensive IMO or I would get that too. So why do people get this hr20 for free and I pay $300 for it? Somethign doesn't seem right about that to me.

But I guess the free hbo.sho gives me back about half of it. Just seems like alot of opeople getting that kind of stuff PLUS free HR20 Ah well...

[4DThinker]

Free upgrade to H20 and 5lnb dish.
Local channels free for 6 months since the HR20 would not record or pass my free view local HD channels through itself.

[Malibu13]

Since the thread does not directly involve issues with the HR20, it is being "Moved" to General Discussion.

[Drewg5]

This thread is just sad. I know people like to brag about sticking it to the man and all, but it just gets under my skin.

On the good side it did remind me to call D* about some billing errors due to the upgrade. I wasn't calling with my hand out or looking for freebies, just to fix the errors.

[flipper2006]

Cant really go into How or why. But Ive been given nearly 1750.00 credits towards a 2300.00 of billable. All due to many many screwups, and attempts to fix screwups, and then making mistakes on bill, crediting for mistake and making a mistake with credit etc...Also got HR20 free. but thats not a big deal since we been beta testing it :)

[DblD_Indy]

Dang, I've had my HR20 for 1 month and had zero problems with it, and having OTA (thanks Santa) definitely doesn't suck. So I guess they'll be no credits for me. In fact I'll be cancelling my NFL ST sub after this season after having it since it's inception. So if I understand the original post, if I complain enough I get it all for free? wow.

I dont know about getting it all for free, but I do know a dude who called to cancel his NFLST and D*TV offered him a free HR15 to keep it for another season.

Just think about that in august and it could be you could keep the ST and get a HR30,40 or whatever for nothing.

[jayvista]

...and its sooooo easy to first expect products and services for free, then try to get compensation when they have 1-2 problems. For some folks, that's just the way they view the world. The "me generation" lives... :rolleyes:

A lot of you are rather hypocritical. There are tons of threads discussing how to get a great deal on a new HR20, and how to get the "right" CSR or retention to give you a sweet deal. You guys have no problem with that.

Now, when a thread starts on how to get compensated after DTV delivers a FAULTY product (yes, some of you actually have working HR20's), then you scream "what a bad thread"!

[Dbadone]

DTV initially charged me $$ to purchase the HR20. They sold me a unit (and its replacements) that did not work. Yes, I complained. Yes, I complained a LOT to DTV. They continue to have issues, and I still have a DirecTivo wired to my main TV as a backup. Until now, I had been paying extra $$ to DTV for the sole purpose of a backup.

I had also been paying DTV for HD locals. They just plain flat out dont work reliably. Now I want them to provide them to me via OTA.

Again ... THEY came to me and sold me a product. I paid them a lot of money. THEY failed to deliver, and now I have asked them to reimburse me. Is it mean of me to not expect to continue to pay them for a product that does not do what it says?

This thread was created to help others like me that have been victimized by DTV's product not working.

I hear there's a frequent caller flag that they put on accounts like this. It tracks all the issues that are called in on as well as the credit's that are being given. Good luck in the future. It's no wonder D* Can't keep csr's they can't pay them enough to put up with calls like yours and oh yea there is the whole $$$$$ issue that aparently you have gotten by Earl's calculations which is dead on which is as much as two week's pay for a csr in some instances. Jusy my humble opinion. Thanks for the rest of you who are not doing this and raising our rates. For every issue that you speak of there are millions of satisified customers that do not abuse the system.

[paul01463]

DTV initially charged me $$ to purchase the HR20. They sold me a unit (and its replacements) that did not work. Yes, I complained. Yes, I complained a LOT to DTV. They continue to have issues, and I still have a DirecTivo wired to my main TV as a backup. Until now, I had been paying extra $$ to DTV for the sole purpose of a backup.

I had also been paying DTV for HD locals. They just plain flat out dont work reliably. Now I want them to provide them to me via OTA.

Again ... THEY came to me and sold me a product. I paid them a lot of money. THEY failed to deliver, and now I have asked them to reimburse me. Is it mean of me to not expect to continue to pay them for a product that does not do what it says?

This thread was created to help others like me that have been victimized by DTV's product not working.

If you are unhappy with the product, why not send the unit back, cancel your service and request a refund? Instead, it seems to me, you simply wish to use your dissatisfaction as a mechanism to extract a free ride. Perhaps a better approach is to determine how often your unit is unavailable for use and request a pro-rated rebate based upon that unusability factor - but victimized? lol - here is the definition of the word: http://dict.die.net/victimized/ perhaps a sense of proportion would help your position.

[hdtvfan0001]

A lot of you are rather hypocritical. ............
Now, when a thread starts on how to get compensated after DTV delivers a FAULTY product (yes, some of you actually have working HR20's), then you scream "what a bad thread"!
A faulty product for a few....but most folks are quite happy with the HR20, thank you.

...but for some folks, the CSR's responses are the catalyst for intentional greed. :eek2:

If you think repeated complaint calls (some of which are just plain bogus altogether) just to nickel and dime more and more dollars of rebates is embarrassingly unAmerican. :eek2:

[tstarn]

Rant warning

No...I heard your point loud and clear.

There are tons of threads and posts virtually actually boasting about how much people got compensated (in some cases multiple times) over known frivolous situations -- D*TV compensated them for "pain and suffering". In addition, some of these folks paid nothing (or less, with credits) for equipment & installs, yet they still complained loud and clear (and repeatedly) to both make their point and get some compensation in return.

Don't talk to me about fair. These folks are thieves, plain and simple - they took something for nothing. It ranks right up there with false insurance claims. :nono2:

This certainly does not pertain to most posters here, but it also DOES fit a number of them (and they know who they are!).

Like any new piece of electronics, there is commonly at least a 90-120 waiting period to iron out the bugs. My high-end up-converting DVD player took 6 months to get to that point - trouble free for 1 year+ now. The term early adopter applies to those who risk getting something new early, knowing that things will be bumpy in the beginning.

To lead us through, Earl has spent hundreds of hours guiding us through the maze of new features, new hiccups, and new releases. Kudos.

In return, I've seen whining, the complaining, and the demands for more and more and more from him, as well as D*TV. He clearly has a thick skin to absorb the abuse.

Tstarn - you were one of the first folks complaining on good old TV Predictions right after the HR20 came out. Since then, you have certainly rode the tide to see things have improved alot, stated that, and for that I must commend you. Now it seems we are digressing a bit.

That said, there are a bunch of people here who need to get real.

Here's a scoop --- any time you buy new electronics in the first 3-4 months, expect bugs and issues. Feel free to expect a refund (and then please step quietly away from the complaint desk) - don't expect to be compensated for "the sky is falling" and don't expect perfection.

By the way - my HR20 units (2 of them) are just fine and have been since day one, thank you. And I am by no means alone. Is the unit perfect - no. Is the unit great and does it do what it is supposed to 99.9% of the time - yes.

There. Somebody had to say it. :sure:
More moronic drivel from the original diva of drivel himself. Any time you buy new electronics in the first 3-4 months, expect bugs? Whatever you are smoking, don't send any my way. I have a ton of electronics gear in my possession, all of it new, and I haven't had any bugs in any of it. I have 4 DAPs, 6 computers, two plasma TVs, 7 DVD players, and many, many other electronic devices, and none of them had a single bug. They all work. I knew I should have kept you on my ignore lost. Back you go.

And by now, everyone on the continent knows you have never had any real issues with your stupid HR20.

[tstarn]

Rant warning

No...I heard your point loud and clear.

There are tons of threads and posts virtually actually boasting about how much people got compensated (in some cases multiple times) over known frivolous situations -- D*TV compensated them for "pain and suffering". In addition, some of these folks paid nothing (or less, with credits) for equipment & installs, yet they still complained loud and clear (and repeatedly) to both make their point and get some compensation in return.

Don't talk to me about fair. These folks are thieves, plain and simple - they took something for nothing. It ranks right up there with false insurance claims. :nono2:

This certainly does not pertain to most posters here, but it also DOES fit a number of them (and they know who they are!).

Like any new piece of electronics, there is commonly at least a 90-120 waiting period to iron out the bugs. My high-end up-converting DVD player took 6 months to get to that point - trouble free for 1 year+ now. The term early adopter applies to those who risk getting something new early, knowing that things will be bumpy in the beginning.

To lead us through, Earl has spent hundreds of hours guiding us through the maze of new features, new hiccups, and new releases. Kudos.

In return, I've seen whining, the complaining, and the demands for more and more and more from him, as well as D*TV. He clearly has a thick skin to absorb the abuse.

Tstarn - you were one of the first folks complaining on good old TV Predictions right after the HR20 came out. Since then, you have certainly rode the tide to see things have improved alot, stated that, and for that I must commend you. Now it seems we are digressing a bit.

That said, there are a bunch of people here who need to get real.

Here's a scoop --- any time you buy new electronics in the first 3-4 months, expect bugs and issues. Feel free to expect a refund (and then please step quietly away from the complaint desk) - don't expect to be compensated for "the sky is falling" and don't expect perfection.

By the way - my HR20 units (2 of them) are just fine and have been since day one, thank you. And I am by no means alone. Is the unit perfect - no. Is the unit great and does it do what it is supposed to 99.9% of the time - yes.

There. Somebody had to say it. :sure:
A post script.

Must be a heavy burden to be one of those rare individuals who have never taken something for nothing or done anything that would even smack of such a disgusting idea.

Your moralizing in defense of D* is starting to sound like we all walked into a revival meeting.

Poor D* (sniff, sniff). Being taken advantage of by all those big, bad freeloaders out there. They'd never do anything immoral or underhanded. Wait, didn't they just pay a major fine for sleazy telemarketing? And didn't they just have to pull an ad that basically "puffed" about the quality of their HD signal? No, I don't lose any sleep over companies like D* when then deliver a less than reliable product and people take advantage of their obvious "generosity" (which is really a desperate attempt to keep subs on the monthly habit) as a way to get some balance into the equation. Even if that person does it to milk every cent they can from the offending company, which, in this case, is hardly a poor, innocent lamb led to slaughter.

You're probably are one of those people who yap about "lawsuit happy" Americans, but would be the first one at the lawyer's office when you were on the losing end of some corporate misdeed.

[tstarn]

A faulty product for a few....but most folks are quite happy with the HR20, thank you.

...but for some folks, the CSR's responses are the catalyst for intentional greed. :eek2:

If you think repeated complaint calls (some of which are just plain bogus altogether) just to nickel and dime more and more dollars of rebates is embarrassingly unAmerican. :eek2:

Once again, "most folks" is a completely subjective opinion, and you have not a single shred of data to support it (other than your "contacts" within D*). Sure, most folks have been thrilled with 8 firmware downloads in 4 months. And they still don't have 99.9 percent reliable DVRs (I see there are already people getting black screen lockups with 10B).

[MikeR7]

This thread is amazing. I've had a lot of different emotions reading it. Just look at the title of the thread. The "you" is capitalized. So I guess I was supposed to take it personally. It's like the guy riding down the street in his caddy convertable, giving you the look that says, I make a lot, I deserve it, how much do YOU make, what do YOU drive.

I've been a subscriber for a long time, mainly because of Sunday Ticket. Upgraded to HD in August, and they gave me 4 free months of the HD service with my order. Thank you very much! Just a week or so ago just poking around the Directv site wondering what another H20 would cost I got a message saying I could have it free, no shipping. Hey, I'll take it, want to upgrade the TV upstairs anyway. Thank you very much! I haven't had any technical problems DTV that would cause me pain and suffering, so I am not looking to be compensated for anything. But something tells me that this guy has crossed some kind of line.

I feel your pain guys.:nono2:

[MikeR7]

I am trying out the DVR from Charter cable right now, so when I do get the HR20 I can do some comparisons. There is a promotional thing going on right now so I am getting their best package for $60/month, for three months, no commitment. The Motorola Moxi they gave me has some bugs, and I've had messed up recordings, no recordings, etc. I called their tech service, and they said take it down to the local office and exchange it. That seems like kind of a hassel right now during a trial period, when on Charter forums I am told that these things happen normally all the time for various reasons, so for now I am sticking with the same box. So I wonder what would happen if I called Charter and asked for some compensation for my "pain and suffering". Something tells me they would laugh at me. :nono2:

I think if I were the OP, I would have just revelled in my great negotiating prowess and taken the money and run, knowing I had screwed DTV really well. But no, we get to hear about it here, and feel bad we can't get what he got.:confused:

[adam1115]

Well, it certainly seems that DirecTV is having some problems.. My last 6 months consisted of DirecTV dumping TiVo, then randomly shutting off HD Channels on Sundays, a software update that made watching HD content on my HR10 worthless due to audio dropouts...

They were willing to give me whatever I wanted to stay, free HR20, free credits, free HD service.. They sounded desperate! I politely declined, and ordered a Series3. I am finally enjoying my OTA HD and watching cable on a month to month contract. It really seems like DirecTV is going to have some major churn issues that they've never had to deal with in the past...

[greenie95125]

I just wish some day, DirecTV would get the picture, and just start telling people... Okay well... the service tech will be there on Wednesday to pick up the hardware, and discontinue your service...

AMEN! The most I've received from D* is six months of showtime HD... I don't need to go into why, and I don't think I watched a single movie.:confused:

My point to the AMEN, is that many folks think there's a bottemless pit into what they think companies can "give" for free. I'm a building contractor in CA, and believe me, I know. When you finish someones house, they assume that you just made a Bill Gate's fortune on it, and ask for the world! Some extra landscaping, or change the paint color in the living room, or maybe granite counters... you get my point.

As Earl says, folks like the OP just increase the cost for the rest of us. Maybe we should all just head over to his house and watch TV. :grin:

--Mike

[untouchable]

Even though you see this as a "painful" experience, it's not that bad...
They need to drop every customer that is like this...at least most people like this...judged on the initial post and this one as well all this guy has done is griped and complained about his service...I will tell you one thing, and this happened to one of my friends that did what you are doing...at some point, the credits will stop. My friend said that when he had an issue last time and wanted credit for time without service...keep in mind, he was completely without service, not just one receiver, the occasional audio drop out on recordings with his HR10 and so on...he had NO SERVICE...anyways, he called and asked for a justified credit, (which none of the ones you have received were owed to you. Well, maybe 1/8 of which you were really entitled to) and they told him that he could not get any further credits...and when he asked why, they said "Sir, we've given you more than what you were supposed to receive in the past...with that, it's not something that we are willing to do." You will get someone that will cut you off completely...from the sound of it, it's costing more to keep you as a customer than it is to just let you disconnect your service...I know if I worked for a business like this and had someone like that call and want all these things "or else"....put it this way, D* has too many customers to be concerned about losing one...you're not that valuable....to them, you're expendable...they can replace you with another customer the minute you disconnect your account and they will actually save money...

just my two cents...and I do agree with Earl...they should just tell you that someone will come get your equipment and you can go cost another business money and not them...it's customers like this that cause the rest of us to have price increases every year..

[tstarn]

Well, it certainly seems that DirecTV is having some problems.. My last 6 months consisted of DirecTV dumping TiVo, then randomly shutting off HD Channels on Sundays, a software update that made watching HD content on my HR10 worthless due to audio dropouts...

They were willing to give me whatever I wanted to stay, free HR20, free credits, free HD service.. They sounded desperate! I politely declined, and ordered a Series3. I am finally enjoying my OTA HD and watching cable on a month to month contract. It really seems like DirecTV is going to have some major churn issues that they've never had to deal with in the past...

A point that seems to be lost on so many of the Amen! crowd on these threads. Oh, now you will hear about how the S3 is a problem box, blah, blah, blah, no different than the HR20. Amazing how people will defend a major corporation that can't get its act together.

[tstarn]

Even though you see this as a "painful" experience, it's not that bad...
They need to drop every customer that is like this...at least most people like this...judged on the initial post and this one as well all this guy has done is griped and complained about his service...I will tell you one thing, and this happened to one of my friends that did what you are doing...at some point, the credits will stop. My friend said that when he had an issue last time and wanted credit for time without service...keep in mind, he was completely without service, not just one receiver, the occasional audio drop out on recordings with his HR10 and so on...he had NO SERVICE...anyways, he called and asked for a justified credit, (which none of the ones you have received were owed to you. Well, maybe 1/8 of which you were really entitled to) and they told him that he could not get any further credits...and when he asked why, they said "Sir, we've given you more than what you were supposed to receive in the past...with that, it's not something that we are willing to do." You will get someone that will cut you off completely...from the sound of it, it's costing more to keep you as a customer than it is to just let you disconnect your service...I know if I worked for a business like this and had someone like that call and want all these things "or else"....put it this way, D* has too many customers to be concerned about losing one...you're not that valuable....to them, you're expendable...they can replace you with another customer the minute you disconnect your account and they will actually save money...

just my two cents...and I do agree with Earl...they should just tell you that someone will come get your equipment and you can go cost another business money and not them...it's customers like this that cause the rest of us to have price increases every year..
They wouldn't give it up so easily if they weren't worried about churn. They are under the gun to compete, so they give stuff away. Sad, maybe. But they do it all the time. It's not altruism. It's their idea of the cost of doing business. If they had delivered on 99.9 percent of their promises with the HR20 (they are listed on the box), they wouldn't have to give them away. Price increases are about pleasing shareholders and corporate greed, not people who get a few extra credits for lousy service (and get it with D*'s blessing).

[AnonomissX]

Even though you see this as a "painful" experience, it's not that bad...
They need to drop every customer that is like this...at least most people like this...judged on the initial post and this one as well all this guy has done is griped and complained about his service...I will tell you one thing, and this happened to one of my friends that did what you are doing...at some point, the credits will stop. My friend said that when he had an issue last time and wanted credit for time without service...keep in mind, he was completely without service, not just one receiver, the occasional audio drop out on recordings with his HR10 and so on...he had NO SERVICE...anyways, he called and asked for a justified credit, (which none of the ones you have received were owed to you. Well, maybe 1/8 of which you were really entitled to) and they told him that he could not get any further credits...and when he asked why, they said "Sir, we've given you more than what you were supposed to receive in the past...with that, it's not something that we are willing to do." You will get someone that will cut you off completely...from the sound of it, it's costing more to keep you as a customer than it is to just let you disconnect your service...I know if I worked for a business like this and had someone like that call and want all these things "or else"....put it this way, D* has too many customers to be concerned about losing one...you're not that valuable....to them, you're expendable...they can replace you with another customer the minute you disconnect your account and they will actually save money...

just my two cents...and I do agree with Earl...they should just tell you that someone will come get your equipment and you can go cost another business money and not them...it's customers like this that cause the rest of us to have price increases every year..


Your freind is SUPPOSED to get credit for time w/out service, even if he got credit for other issues in the past. Looks like the customer just before him was the OP :hurah:

[banningview]

This thread kills me. If you think D* hasn't figured out how much they can and will dole out to people, then think again. They keep track of EVERYTHING YOU DO when you call. Yes, some of the notes can and do get lost, but I can remember CSRs quoting random stuff from calls six months ago. They offer stuff, people try to get stuff, they know it costs them hundreds more to lose you than to throw you a bone from time and really...this is America...you have the right to try and get a deal. Would D* do the same to you? Some of you are personifying D* as a sympathetic entity. D* DOESN'T care about you. It is designed to make money and squeeze out as much profit as possible. They make tons of $$$ and will be making a lot more soon when those two new birds go. Yes, there is competition with cable, E*and others. I know some CSRs sound like they care and do nice things for you, but really when it comes down it they really want you because it costs less to keep you if they throw you a bone. Simple economics. I say call, and call again if you like, prices go up, but I sincerely doubt much of the rising costs of sat. TV are from people calling and looking for deals. What do I care anyway...

Also, if you call, be nice and sincere and it is AMAZING how much the skies will open and the sun will shine.

Reality check...OUT!

[rirwin1983]

DTV initially charged me $$ to purchase the HR20. They sold me a unit (and its replacements) that did not work. Yes, I complained. Yes, I complained a LOT to DTV. They continue to have issues, and I still have a DirecTivo wired to my main TV as a backup. Until now, I had been paying extra $$ to DTV for the sole purpose of a backup.

I had also been paying DTV for HD locals. They just plain flat out dont work reliably. Now I want them to provide them to me via OTA.

Again ... THEY came to me and sold me a product. I paid them a lot of money. THEY failed to deliver, and now I have asked them to reimburse me. Is it mean of me to not expect to continue to pay them for a product that does not do what it says?

This thread was created to help others like me that have been victimized by DTV's product not working.


FIRST OFF ******* THEY ALLREADY REINBURSED YOU BY GIVING YOUR MONEY BACK IN THE FORM OF CREDITS. AND I SEE NOT PAYING FOR HD OR DVR FEES AS FAIR SINCE THE HR20 IS FOR BOTH AND IS UNABLE TO PERFORM THOSE FUNCTIONS OR SOME. THATS WHERE ITS ENDS AT WHAT YOU DID AS FAIR. WHEN YOU GO AND BASICALY HAVE THEM PAYING YOU TO USE THE HR20 AFTER THEY PICKED UP THE TAB ALLREADY FOR ITS COST YOU PAID IS WRONG. AND OH YEA BTW YOUR NOT PAYING FOR YOUR ****ING HD LOCALS *******. THEY ARE INCLUDED WITH YOUR LOCALS AT NOT EXTRA COST (BUT EXTRA COST TO DIRECTV TO GET THEM TO YOU). AND IF I PERSONLY HAD A WAY I WOULD TERMINATE YOUR ACCOUNT, SEND YOU A 1099-MISC FOR ALL THE CREDITS YOU GOT FROM DIRECTV, MAKING YOU PAY TAXES ON THAT "INCOME" AND THEN CRIPPLE YOU MAKING YOU UNABLE TO BE THE GREADY ******* YOU ARE.

RANT OVER

[hdtvfan0001]

AT NOT EXTRA COST (BUT EXTRA COST TO DIRECTV TO GET THEM TO YOU). AND IF I PERSONLY HAD A WAY I WOULD TERMINATE YOUR ACCOUNT, SEND YOU A 1099-MISC FOR ALL THE CREDITS YOU GOT FROM DIRECTV, MAKING YOU PAY TAXES ON THAT "INCOME" AND THEN CRIPPLE YOU MAKING YOU UNABLE TO BE THE GREADY ******* YOU ARE.
Over the edge....but your points are actually valid. I wonder how many people would continue to abuse this stuff if they got the 1099 for all the free credits. :D

[Upstream]

I have received compensation from DTV for problems I have with my R15 DVR. But when I request compensation, I only ask for DTV to fix the problem at no cost to me, or to reimburse me for my actual costs. Sometimes DTV gives me more than I request. For example, my R15 box went dead and DTV sent me a new one. I asked them to reimburse me for my subscription cost for the period I was without a box (it worked out to something like $4). They told me they couldn't do that, but they could give me a $5 credit for six months.

I only wanted $4, but I took the offer they gave me. Was I wrong?

[HockeyKat]

I have to wonder if the people that constantly call for more and more credits and free stuff even bother to TRY to get out of their contract? If you're THAT unhappy with the service and the product offering, why not make a threat or two to get out of the obligation? Write a letter to DTV about breach of contract and CC a lawyer? Something? Constantly calling for more free stuff to make up for it is just lame, IMO.

Now on the other hand, calling with a legit issue "my service went went out" or "my dish fell off my roof" or "my DVR died" and accepting credits that they offer is another thing all together. Those credit are usually to make up for the service time you lose (at least in my experience).

Before we got DTV, we switched from Comcast to another cable carrier in our area. Comcast had a signal problem to our house that they just refused to fix. Well, more like they refused to hold their contractors accountable to make them fix it. After getting thoroughly sick of the problem and the treatment, we switched cable companies. We got calls from Comcast for about 2 weeks straight offering all kinds of crazy stuff to come back. I think the last offer was something like 6 months totally free, plus another 6 months of the premium packages for free or something. Sounds like a great deal. Did we take it? Hell no! They sucked and that's why we left. No free stuff was making up for that.

[Capmeister]

I just called D*. Made the CSR's day I think. I called to thank them that dispite the problems I know they're working hard on getting them fixed, and it's appreciated. :)

[Fl_Gulfer]

And we wonder why we pay over 2000 a year for TV.

[banningview]

And we wonder why we pay over 2000 a year for TV.

NOT RELATED!

Correlation does not equal causality

[DJConan]

Still an entertaining thread to read a day later. :)

I don't view DTV as a lot of you here do. DTV is not a child that is my responsibility to protect. It's a business selling something for money and they practice business anyway they wish within their legal limits. They make the decision to give credits away. If you want to be mad at someone about receiving credits, don't blame the person receiving them, blame the business who chooses to give them the credits. DTV didn't get where they are by accident.

As someone brought up Comcast, it reminded me of when I had Comcast. I couldn't receive a good portion of my channels and I kept calling Comcast to fix it. They would send someone out, but never actually fixed anything. I canceled. Comcast didn't care. That is why I don't give my money to them anymore.

DTV takes a different business approach with it's customers and that's why a lot of us choose them over Comcast or some other business.

Now, even though I think it's funny how angry some people are at the OP here, I can say that my HR20's do not work 99.9% of the time. I'm losing entire nights of primetime TV and being forced to reset the box on a daily basis while recording programs. However, I'm not calling DTV everytime it fails. I'd never get off the phone. So for every person out there like the OP, there are people like me who don't ever call.

[HockeyKat]

As someone brought up Comcast, it reminded me of when I had Comcast. I couldn't receive a good portion of my channels and I kept calling Comcast to fix it. They would send someone out, but never actually fixed anything. I canceled. Comcast didn't care. That is why I don't give my money to them anymore.

Lemme guess - They'd send out people to diagnose the problem, but they wouldn't put in the work order to actually FIX the problem, so the cycle kept repeating itself? That's why we told them to f off (and I think I was so pissed during the last call that I said exactly that!). I was amazed that they called to try to suck up after that. :hurah:

[DJConan]

Lemme guess - They'd send out people to diagnose the problem, but they wouldn't put in the work order to actually FIX the problem, so the cycle kept repeating itself? That's why we told them to f off (and I think I was so pissed during the last call that I said exactly that!). I was amazed that they called to try to suck up after that. :hurah:

That's about the sum of it. lol I had three technicians come out on three separate occasions and they did/said the same thing. They tested the signal coming into my home, said they were amazed I got any channels and quickly said it was an outside job and they were not able to fix. So at that point, a work order went in and nothing ever happened.

I couldn't get dish where I was living, but was soon moving. Moved, got DTV and never looked back. My DTV signal and service has been nearly perfect with DTV. The HR20, eh, not so much. Live TV and the anticipation of more HD channels next year are keeping me around. I'll wait out the problems with the HR20. Comparatively speaking, it beats Comcast.

[HockeyKat]

That's about the sum of it. lol I had three technicians come out on three separate occasions and they did/said the same thing. They tested the signal coming into my home, said they were amazed I got any channels and quickly said it was an outside job and they were not able to fix. So at that point, a work order went in and nothing ever happened.

OMG you must have been on my street or something! lol Longer story - They claimed the problem was too much signal and, like you, it was an outside problem. They'd put in a work order and in a week or so, things should be magically fixed. 2 weeks and no change, so I call back. They schedule someone else to come out. I'm confused, but go with it at first. The second guy is VERY clueless and ignores what we told him the first contractor said. Even runs a new cable in the house. The spends some time outside and comes up with the same conclusion as the first guy. Same work order story. 2 more weeks and still no change and they want to schedule a THIRD visit. This is when I lose it and ask WTF they're doing over there and why none of these work orders are getting done. The reason? None of those idiots even SUBMITTED work orders!! It takes a LOT for me to get confrontational, even on the phone, but THAT did it. I think I scared my husband for a few minutes there! :lol:

Compared to all that fun and the general not greatness from the other cable company, DTV has been INCREDIBLE! We had one issue with the old dish last year, and when we lost signal all together for no good reason, they did credit our bill some for the lost service. They were very great about the whole thing and so far (knock on fake wood desk), we haven't had to call back for any problems.

[Mike Huss]

NOT RELATED!

Correlation does not equal causality

Wrong, it does. Just because they are an "evil big corporation" that can "afford it", it doesn't mean it doesn't affect the bottom line. It also doesn't mean they aren't culpable either.

AS ALWAYS, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. You people that are taking one extreme or the other are just plain silly. Unfortunately the majority of the extremists here seem to be in the "Screw D*, rape 'em for all you can!!" camp. It seem that the majority of the others are saying to exercise restraint, seek compensation for where you've been wronged, but don't overdo it because it affects us all, and they are getting attacked for being shills for D*.

[Mike Huss]

More moronic drivel from the original diva of drivel himself. Any time you buy new electronics in the first 3-4 months, expect bugs? Whatever you are smoking, don't send any my way. I have a ton of electronics gear in my possession, all of it new, and I haven't had any bugs in any of it. I have 4 DAPs, 6 computers, two plasma TVs, 7 DVD players, and many, many other electronic devices, and none of them had a single bug. They all work. I knew I should have kept you on my ignore lost. Back you go.

Hmmmm...seems that YOU are the fortunate one not having bugs with your new electronic equipment.

How ironic that this article should come out now.

LA Times: Glitches a new-tech byproduct

http://tinyurl.com/yew7kq

[banningview]

Wrong, it does. Just because they are an "evil big corporation" that can "afford it", it doesn't mean it doesn't affect the bottom line. It also doesn't mean they aren't culpable either.

AS ALWAYS, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. You people that are taking one extreme or the other are just plain silly. Unfortunately the majority of the extremists here seem to be in the "Screw D*, rape 'em for all you can!!" camp. It seem that the majority of the others are saying to exercise restraint, seek compensation for where you've been wronged, but don't overdo it because it affects us all, and they are getting attacked for being shills for D*.

You're saying that my $2k plasma tv cost more because people are trying to get free credits from D*. Since when is D* selling plasma tvs or the like?

[Mike Huss]

You're saying that my $2k plasma tv cost more because people are trying to get free credits from D*. Since when is D* selling plasma tvs or the like?

Your reply was to someone who said "And we wonder why we pay over 2000 a year for TV." That has nothing to do with a TV purchase price. If your intent was to say that getting freebies from D* has nothing to do with the cost of TV's, I'll agree. But the OP said the freebies from D* affects how much we pay per year for TV service, and I agree wholeheartedly with that.

[mikewolf13]

So let's see:


And we wonder why prices have to increase, customer service numbers have to change, and everything else....

I just wish some day, DirecTV would get the picture, and just start telling people... Okay well... the service tech will be there on Wednesday to pick up the hardware, and discontinue your service...

I just wish one day DirecTV would get the picture and realize that they wouldn't have so many calls to Customer Service and would not have to overpay to retain customers if they sold hardware that worked correctly.

Their (D*) behavior won't change until it is more expensive to sell/fix than it is to have quality hardware/software to start.

I cannot fault anyone for getting all they can from a company that thinks nothing about charging you full price and selling hardware that does not work as advertised.

I also wish one day they would officially correspond with customers having issues throught their OWN "technical support" message boards which they ignore, instead of lurking here for data.

[mikewolf13]

FIRST OFF ******* THEY ALLREADY REINBURSED YOU BY GIVING YOUR MONEY BACK IN THE FORM OF CREDITS. AND I SEE NOT PAYING FOR HD OR DVR FEES AS FAIR SINCE THE HR20 IS FOR BOTH AND IS UNABLE TO PERFORM THOSE FUNCTIONS OR SOME. THATS WHERE ITS ENDS AT WHAT YOU DID AS FAIR. WHEN YOU GO AND BASICALY HAVE THEM PAYING YOU TO USE THE HR20 AFTER THEY PICKED UP THE TAB ALLREADY FOR ITS COST YOU PAID IS WRONG. AND OH YEA BTW YOUR NOT PAYING FOR YOUR ****ING HD LOCALS *******. THEY ARE INCLUDED WITH YOUR LOCALS AT NOT EXTRA COST (BUT EXTRA COST TO DIRECTV TO GET THEM TO YOU). AND IF I PERSONLY HAD A WAY I WOULD TERMINATE YOUR ACCOUNT, SEND YOU A 1099-MISC FOR ALL THE CREDITS YOU GOT FROM DIRECTV, MAKING YOU PAY TAXES ON THAT "INCOME" AND THEN CRIPPLE YOU MAKING YOU UNABLE TO BE THE GREADY ******* YOU ARE.

RANT OVER

So it is your position, that he should not be compensated for programming a customer misses due to DTV hardware (speaking of whole box not whether the issues are hard or software realated).When theses issues are frequent and often enought hat there are multiple updates to attempt (but so far fail) to remove those issues?

Addditionally, since equip costs and acquisition costs are already paid, it cost D* nothing to give me free programming as oppossed to losing me as a customer...in either event the income may be zero, but their actual costs are zero, yet they have the potential to win back my favor.....

That's not dumb!

And certainly less expensive than the marketing, hardware, installation cost of attracting a new customer, that may have the same issues.

I stay with D* because I like my DVRs which won't work if I go back to cable. (Ironic isn't it that my Tivo's are what keep me with DTV.....) and I like the programming/cost more than my local cable company.

But if I kept missing 24 (or Survivor, or Lost or Doctor Who or whatever program you are fanatical about), I'd expect compensation or a fixed product. Right now D* can only supply one of those.

[DJConan]

The reason? None of those idiots even SUBMITTED work orders!! It takes a LOT for me to get confrontational, even on the phone, but THAT did it. I think I scared my husband for a few minutes there! :lol:

Compared to all that fun and the general not greatness from the other cable company, DTV has been INCREDIBLE! We had one issue with the old dish last year, and when we lost signal all together for no good reason, they did credit our bill some for the lost service. They were very great about the whole thing and so far (knock on fake wood desk), we haven't had to call back for any problems.

That's funny! The 3rd technician phoned the work order in while standing in front of me. He actually said something about it never being submitted and he would do it in front of me so I knew it was submitted this time. I'm not sure what happened after that, but the problem never went away, and I was in the process of moving, so I gave up. My problem lasted for several months until I canceled.

You bring up another good point. Comcast would not credit me when I lost ALL channels for 10 days. Remember hurricane Isabel that hit around Sept 18th, 2003? When I lost all channels four weeks later, Comcast said it was because of Isabel four weeks earlier. They fixed it a few days before I moved and canceled. At least with DTV, they credit for long term outtages.

[HockeyKat]

That's funny! The 3rd technician phoned the work order in while standing in front of me. He actually said something about it never being submitted and he would do it in front of me so I knew it was submitted this time. I'm not sure what happened after that, but the problem never went away, and I was in the process of moving, so I gave up. My problem lasted for several months until I canceled.

You bring up another good point. Comcast would not credit me when I lost ALL channels for 10 days. Remember hurricane Isabel that hit around Sept 18th, 2003? When I lost all channels four weeks later, Comcast said it was because of Isabel four weeks earlier. They fixed it a few days before I moved and canceled. At least with DTV, they credit for long term outtages.

Yeah, I think with both cable companies, it got to a point where a bird could fart near an outside cable and we'd lose tv for half a day. We didn't lose any DTV service with Isabel. At least not that I know of. As soon as the power came back on, we had service, anyway. :D

[Mike Huss]

Yeah, I think with both cable companies, it got to a point where a bird could fart near an outside cable and we'd lose tv for half a day. We didn't lose any DTV service with Isabel. At least not that I know of. As soon as the power came back on, we had service, anyway. :D

Reminds me of the TWC commercials around here. "And you won't lose the picture when it rains like you will with satellite" BULL$HIT!! Not only was their PQ bad all the time, but when it rained we DID lose picture regularly. Sometimes it's just amazing how they can flat out lie on ads and get away with it.

[Upstream]

Here is the way I see it:

For my DTV service (Total Choice Plus with DVR standard definition), I pay about $56 per month, or about $12.90 per week.

Each week I record about 16 hours of programming plus I watch about 9 hours of live TV. But I really only care about half the recorded programming (8 hours) and about 4 hours of the live TV. If I my DVR fails to record the other half, I might not notice, and if I lose the signal for the other half of live TV, I don't really care (I'll find something else to watch over-the-air, watch a recorded show or movie, or read a book).

So it works out that I pay about $12 per week to watch/record about 12 hours of television. For each hour I miss because of service or DVR problems which are their fault, they owe me a buck.

[Dbadone]

Here is the way I see it:

For my DTV service (Total Choice Plus with DVR standard definition), I pay about $56 per month, or about $12.90 per week.

Each week I record about 16 hours of programming plus I watch about 9 hours of live TV. But I really only care about half the recorded programming (8 hours) and about 4 hours of the live TV. If I my DVR fails to record the other half, I might not notice, and if I lose the signal for the other half of live TV, I don't really care (I'll find something else to watch over-the-air, watch a recorded show or movie, or read a book).

So it works out that I pay about $12 per week to watch/record about 12 hours of television. For each hour I miss because of service or DVR problems which are their fault, they owe me a buck.


Very good summary. So if D* spends $1.25 a minute to talk to me or you on the phone and it's our fault we screwed up and we talk to a live csr for oh lets just say 10 minutes (we all know it takes longer for tech issues) so it works out that for each minute of a csr's time because of your lack of skill's or turning the channel to the wrong output or you have to have the latest and greatest and fix your install of tech gadgits which is your fault, you owe them $1.25/minute for a total of $12.50 for that call. Just another perspective. I agree you should be compensated but lets look at the whole picture. If you take all D*'s call centers and probably average at least $4,000,000 in credits, equipment, service calls etc. You looking at at least 30 call centers D*'s and outsourced thats $120,000,000. I would speculate it's probably higher but I am being consertivie. How long till you are no longer a D* subscriber ask all the former Primstar subscribers. Yes D* posted a Q3 profit this year, if you do your research it's the first time since the companies inception they have posted a profit. There are alot of people abusing the system to get free stuff and credits look at the boards here you can find every way to get free equipment and programing, don't get me wrong, I love these boards they have great tech advice. But lets all be honest with each other D* is a luxary item that we all can do without. Your paying for an experience not tv..tv is free after all.

[tstarn]

Hmmmm...seems that YOU are the fortunate one not having bugs with your new electronic equipment.

How ironic that this article should come out now.

LA Times: Glitches a new-tech byproduct

http://tinyurl.com/yew7kq

Love it when people post links to articles that require registration, free or not.

Also, not lucky. Just the norm. I have an upconverting DVD player too , and it worked from the day I plugged it in. What horsemanure. If you get a new piece of gear, expect 2-3 months of bugs. Maybe for some stuff, but the term electronics is a very large universe. I guess I got the right stuff, until the HR20, that is.

[mikewolf13]

Very good summary. So if D* spends $1.25 a minute to talk to me or you on the phone and it's our fault we screwed up and we talk to a live csr for oh lets just say 10 minutes (we all know it takes longer for tech issues) so it works out that for each minute of a csr's time because of your lack of skill's or turning the channel to the wrong output or you have to have the latest and greatest and fix your install of tech gadgits which is your fault, you owe them $1.25/minute for a total of $12.50 for that call. Just another perspective. I agree you should be compensated but lets look at the whole picture. If you take all D*'s call centers and probably average at least $4,000,000 in credits, equipment, service calls etc. You looking at at least 30 call centers D*'s and outsourced thats $120,000,000. I would speculate it's probably higher but I am being consertivie. How long till you are no longer a D* subscriber ask all the former Primstar subscribers. Yes D* posted a Q3 profit this year, if you do your research it's the first time since the companies inception they have posted a profit. There are alot of people abusing the system to get free stuff and credits look at the boards here you can find every way to get free equipment and programing, don't get me wrong, I love these boards they have great tech advice. But lets all be honest with each other D* is a luxary item that we all can do without. Your paying for an experience not tv..tv is free after all.

Except those costs are already baked into what we all pay..They know they will take x number of calls per customer on average and the rent, telecom, expenses are already being paid for...any fluctuation in call volume is a minor increase in new expenses. They don't hire that many more people, they simply make YOU wait longer.

I pay THEM. I expect programming, maintenence and Customer Service for what I pay them. This was a silly attempt to put the blame on Customers and not Directv. It's THEIR responsibilty to run their business.

It is not my responsibility to make sure they retain customers responsibly.
It is not my responsibiltiy to test their products and provide unofficial feedback to developers.
It is not MY fault that because I was an early adopter I should have expected a malfunctioning piece of junk that has taken over a year to fix.
It is not my fault CSRs give false information, becasue they don't know better.
It's not my fault the contractors often do a half ass job on DTV's behalf.

Anyone who wants to pursue credits for their missed programming, should do so, get all you can. When you are no longer a valuable customer the crexdits will stop. Also keep in mind that if/when you decide to get the HR20 or 25 or 30 or whatever, the deal you get them may be influenced on how much you TAKE now.

But you should never be ashamed of pursuing free equipment or programming they offer. If they can offer it to you, you should take it. Otherwise you are being a fool. Ever go into a store and ignore the sale sign, insiston paying full-price becasue you want to protectthe bottom line of the store?

"oh no don't give me 20% off, you'll just have to raise prices next year for EVERYONE to make up for it. Yes. I know others are getting the discount and they should be ashamed....In fact, they should charge admission for entering this store...after all they pay you whether I buy anything or not and you have to be open, so in theory I should have to pay you for your time either way...and please make sure you send me a 1099 if i ever buy anything on-sale"

Did you pay full-price for your Hr20? Better list that discount as income on your tax return. 1099 or not, those of you that think that is "income" better include it. (it's not, neither is a rebate check). But if you think it is you are purposely understating income... and I'm the bad buy?

Please.

I am not paying for the experience. I am paying for TV programming to be delivered to my home. I am paying a DVR fee so I can record that programming as ai desire. i pay mirroring fees so i can do that throughout my home.

If DTV fails to deliver what I pay them for, I can leave or I can ask them to compensate me. Completely fair.

[adam1115]

One difference between cable and DirecTV with regards to credits... DirecTV requires a 2 year contract. Cable is month to month. So of course they aren't going to give out credits. People who are negotiating a bunch of a credits to go along with their free HR20 are only able to do so because DirecTV knows you are stuck with them for 2 years...

When they tried to keep me from canceling, they offered me the world. But when I asked, how much could I get an HR20 for with NO COMMITMENT, they couldn't offer me ANYTHING....

[untouchable]

I just wish one day DirecTV would get the picture and realize that they wouldn't have so many calls to Customer Service and would not have to overpay to retain customers if they sold hardware that worked correctly.

Their (D*) behavior won't change until it is more expensive to sell/fix than it is to have quality hardware/software to start.

I cannot fault anyone for getting all they can from a company that thinks nothing about charging you full price and selling hardware that does not work as advertised.

I also wish one day they would officially correspond with customers having issues throught their OWN "technical support" message boards which they ignore, instead of lurking here for data.


But guess what?? For millions of their customers, they have a good, quality product..it's not like EVERY HR20 out on the market is junk...I haven't had a problem with mine...I've only had to reset it once in almost 2 months...Their behavior has always been the same...even when they had TIVO...and I wish their behavior would change where they would just start letting certain customers go...like everyone who costs them (giving credits for ridiculous reasons) more than, I dunno, $100 a month to keep you happy (note: that is an amount over what you already pay)...if they are having to give you credits over that amount every month (means those of you calling in and asking for credits of any kind, even when you have no problem and think you should be compensated) then yeah, They should get rid of you...People should never ask to be compensated for their time on the phone...come on people, you can hang up the phone whenever you want...and it's you who decided to call them...don't ask to be compensated for the days of work (wages) you missed because you had to schedule an service call or installation...most people have vacation time they can use for that, or other logical people schedule them (service calls and installations) to be done on a day off...and no, you do not deserve credit for missing work...it's completely stupid to even ask...we are adults, and we make those choices to be absent at work...At some point it's time for everyone to wake up and realize that D* doesn't owe you the world just because there are issues...and you shouldn't expect anything over what you pay monthly...no more than that..

[mikewolf13]

don't ask to be compensated for the days of work (wages) you missed because you had to schedule an service call or installation....

While I certianly agree with that, what about the situations where the installer does not show up and then you have to take a second or third or fourth day off?

At some point it IS appropriate to ask to be compensated for your time.

And Dtv can always say NO!

When the cost of keeping you outweighs current and future benefit they should cut you off and let you go.

Once, I worked for a credit card company. and often someone who paid in full every month didn't pay their bill cause they were on vacation or something stupid like that.

Somehow they believe that a late charge should not apply to THEM and ask to have it waived, when the CC company was losing money on THAT customer to begin with.

They had a much less shot of gettting a CSR to waive it than a guy carrying a $9,000 balance making minimum payments.

(not intending to start debate on evils of CC companies - of which their are many...evils and companies)

point is there is nothing wrong with asking D* for credits....and there is nothing wrong with D* saying No . Then the ball is back in your court.

[Mike Huss]

I've never understood the taking a day of vacation for an install anyway. We have a small outfit here that does the D* installs, and they work seven days a week. I would assume all the bigger ones do as well? So if you have a 9-5 M-F kinda job, why not push the install out to Saturday or Sunday? That's what I always do....

[Earl Bonovich]

I've never understood the taking a day of vacation for an install anyway. We have a small outfit here that does the D* installs, and they work seven days a week. I would assume all the bigger ones do as well? So if you have a 9-5 M-F kinda job, why not push the install out to Saturday or Sunday? That's what I always do....

Very much deepends on the markets, and the desire to get it installed.

Here in the Chicago area, if I wanted a Saturday install... it could be 6-8 week wait...

[AlbertZeroK]

I've gotten alot of credits this year too from DirecTV. But I think it's all realitive. I have 8 recievers, all DVRs and an International Dish. When we switched to an AT9 dish, I was sure to mention how many recievers I had. After litterly hours of time on the phone and being promissed 3 times, even by the local install company, they would bring proper equipment, it never happened. So I purchased a 6x16 multiswitch and got a $300 credit on my account which took another call to retention to get - even though it was noted by two people on my account already.

Should I have gotten the credit? Some will say yes, others no. But the truth is that some would just not call and pay to fix it themselves, people like me make sure to let them know it's a problem and expect them to fix it - especially when I'm not getting what I'm promised.

[banningview]

Your reply was to someone who said "And we wonder why we pay over 2000 a year for TV." That has nothing to do with a TV purchase price. If your intent was to say that getting freebies from D* has nothing to do with the cost of TV's, I'll agree. But the OP said the freebies from D* affects how much we pay per year for TV service, and I agree wholeheartedly with that.

I stand corrected. My bad. I apologize. Forgive me. I spend no where near that amount on TV. Not with the credits and free months of service D* gives me on a regular basis. They mess up A LOT...

[creux]

People like you are only in with directv for the freebies. Shame.

[creux]

And by the way, we can reverse credits if we think it's too much. ROFL

[HDTVsportsfan]

D* needs to cut loose the dead weight.

[AnonomissX]

Just went back and re read the OP's credits. Over time, some people, based on a lot of bad luck with the install/equipment/weather/known issues that crop up for THEIR particular unit....they have received credits and free programming in amounts that well exceed this guy's experience.

Did they deserve it? On the whole, yes, reps don't like having to give credits, the systems directv uses to issue credits make you want to poke your eyeballs out instead of issuing credits AT ALL. So reps usually have to have a good reason to apply credits to accounts. Freebies are nice, consider them swag, like free t-shirts, coffee mugs and free sample goodie bags.

I see the OP is in California. He may be an early adopter, and the area of CA he is in may have been one of the initial releases, to help test the new version of the customer service software, the "Rio 3" group if you will, that the customer service reps use in the call centers, before that version was released company wide to all call centers.

I don't really have a problem with his freebies, it did not REALLY cost the company any crediting of monies already collected back to a payment account, and retention has hit people with MUCH bigger credits/free swag in the past. The satellite is beaming that content anyways, and people will NOT get it for free WHOLESALE just because the small amount of people who complain get it on their own account free for a short time. Trust me on this.

As a tech support rep in the past, I did not hand out freebies willy-nilly, I had to see the reason. If it changes the customer very negative experience, if it was warranted for lost programming time, or per company policy, I followed suit. There were many times I negotiated credits of any kind with free showtime instead(Directv company policy, they come out ahead, believe it or not) or explained why the credits asked for were not going to be applied.

However, I personally have given out to various customers, within the limits of the authority the software gave me:

1) free service calls outside the 90 day warranty
2) 1-3 months free Showtime
3) 10-20 off the bill for 6 months
4) additional free months on HD package
5) free SuperFan
6) credited s/h fees for replacment receivers or new installs
7) credited replacment remotes
8) applied credits for missed days of service
9) applied 20 credit due to customers for missed service calls/per appointment!!!

Each of the credits the OP mentions is actually a reasonable cost of business that Directv expects and offers for customers who have, or perceive they have been harmed service wise.

What seems to be bothering everyone here is the strident tone of EVERYBODY COME GET YER CREDITS RIGHT HERE 'CAUSE THE SKY IS FALLING!!! mentality he is displaying.

Don't worry on either side folks. The people who have exemplary service receive and pay for what they are willing and able to pay for. The customers who for some weird set of coincidences get an ongoing crappy experience...well the squeeky wheel get the oil! The good will generated by taking care of explosively angry customers pays for itself many times over.

[raott]

But the OP said the freebies from D* affects how much we pay per year for TV service, and I agree wholeheartedly with that.

The market dictates the price you pay, not Directv's cost. If you think that your bill would go down if Directv stopped giving freebies away today then you are mistaken.

[etchasketch]

Hmm, weird topic. I have been "watergating" (just listening in) for a while, and decided to register, so I could post here, ask questions, get answers, share Info. Recent experience causes me to load a post to these excellent forums.

Background: a friend designed some of the chips for the late '90s RCA boxes. He offered a test box and dish. I did my own install, and have been a Dtv customer, with few complaints since '97. At > $40/month, well, you do the math ... I have paid > $4k for my sat service, never asking for credits, etc.

A little over a month ago I decided to upgrade to a HD LCD. BB was running a special (pay $100, get $100 rebate) on the H20 receiver. I called Dtv and asked about getting an equipment upgrade from them, knowing they are otherwise paying BB to market their wares / service. The CSR was excellent, agreed to: upgrade the box and dish with free install.

I have always hated you have to be a "switcher" to get the deals in life. IMO the long term loyal customers deserve the benes more than those who hop from provider A to provider B. If I had to swap hardware anyway, all else being equal, it was fair to compare. I have digital cable (www), so just need a STB to bundle with Comcast, and it appeared the Dish plan at $30/month met my viewing needs. I asked if could she match their price?

She offered to credit my account $10/month x 12, and give me 4 months of HD programming to "kick the tires" with my new TV. That seemed fair enough, sign me up (2 year contract). The CSR further explained I was to receive a call from the installer to arrange an appt.

No one called. I was patient, thinking they were prolly over-loaded. Maybe I should have called, but, that's not the way I was told it would work. Soon I get some hate-mail saying I agreed to $X for the hardware, $X for the install, and $X monthly x 24, AND to call to RESCHEDULE my install appt. Huh?

Call #2 to Dtv: was sent to customer retention. They saw notes in file, explained they didn't know why I was never contacted, that I should disregard the form letter (not something I'm inclined to do, take verbal on phone v written letter). Without my asking for anything beyond install of upgraded gear the CSR offered a $50 credit for my inconvenience and 6 months Showtime.

OK, no problemo, stuff happens, felt satisfied they would follow through and we set an install date for tomorrow, Friday 12/22. I have taken off work, and arranged for the BB TV install (I paid for with purchase) after the new sat hardware is on site.

Last night Dtv install svc calls and says they are out of hardware to do install tomorrow, next available date is 01/13. The fella offers 2 months Showtime (which BTW I have not watched over the last week and prolly won't use). I laughed and asked whether that was in addition to the 6 months free?

Told him I didn't want credits or programs (that I don't use or can't watch in the case of HD) ... I wanted service. I wanted to think about it, consider options, and asked him to call back this evening.

In summary, I didn't ask for / don't want more credits, I want the upgrade so the new TV won't display crappy analog signal. Mrs. etchasketch is gonna wonder why I paid what I did if the PQ is worse than the ancient (but excellent) 27" Mitsubishi we watch now.

The intended family Christmas present, well, it will hopefully light up with Dtv HD signal sometime mid January (assuming equipment is available by then)? Tomorrow it's going to be > 50F and rainy. January? I live in the snow belt. There may be a foot of snow on the roof mid January... I'm sure the installer will be pleased. ;0)

For the record, as noted above, I am a LT loyal customer. Over the years I have probably created dozens of referral customers, but never asked for any spiff / upgrade. It costs Dtv $0 to give programming. I just want hardware and service when promised.

At 9am EST I'm going to make phone call #3 to ask what's in short supply? If it's a receiver I hope to buy one locally, keep the install tomorrow and come out EVEN. At this writing I don't plan to resched the TV install. The techs can set up, run wires to existing box, and tune / calibrate to OTA HD signal.

etchasketch

ps - I am reminded of the Seinfeld rent-a-car episode. Seems they are good at making the reservation ...

pps - those who game the sys should be ware ... the big guy flies in just 3 days and he knows who's been naughty and who's been nice :0)

[Mike Huss]

The market dictates the price you pay, not Directv's cost. If you think that your bill would go down if Directv stopped giving freebies away today then you are mistaken.

Down? No. But if you don't thing each and every one of our bills is padded ever so slightly to cover for the freebies I'd have to say you are mistaken. D* has a budget just like any other business. Deductions and credits have to be covered somewhere.

[raott]

Down? No. But if you don't thing each and every one of our bills is padded ever so slightly to cover for the freebies I'd have to say you are mistaken. D* has a budget just like any other business. Deductions and credits have to be covered somewhere.


I understand there is a budget, but my point is, it will not change the price you pay. The market dictates the price, costs do not. At some point when the "freebie" line item in the budget, eats away at profit, D* will clamp down on it. It doesn't work the other way around.

[creux]

Kill them cheap *******s. :dry:

[etchasketch]

All: at the moment it seems credits are being used to retain customers who might otherwise change providers, so efficient use of capital (especially when the cost is minimal [credits against future billing, additional programming] in comparison to potential revenue lost).

In addition, as so many purchase HD equipment, it appears there were installs scheduled though no equipment in the pipeline was available to fulfill orders / appointments. This allowed lock-in of new / existing customers (who would now, after failure to deliver, be in a longer line to switch, start over with another carrier).

I am one of those left behind, moved out into January. Merry Christmas ...

etchasketch