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Anyone call DirecTV and reduce their bill? Share stats here!

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#1 ·
Hi. I'm curious about stories/stats about people's success (or not) of negotiating their DirecTV bill. If you haven't tried to do so already, I recommend you do (see my stats below - wondering if I got better than what others are seeing.)

If you call now, or if you called before, please share your stats so others in this forum can see what works.

  • Called June 2013
  • Been subscriber for about 2 years
  • Suggested I wanted to cancel because I was considering downgrading due to budget reasons and using online/netflix/etc.
  • Got $30 off/month. $10 off was specifically for the movie channels.
  • Took about 10 minutes

What have other people done? Any tips/tricks to share?

Thanks!
 
#1,335 ·
Call the 800-824-9077 number and tell them you are looking at options to reduce your bill. I told the CSR that was looking into Dish also. I did not threaten to cancel. She asked at first about switching to another package and I told her I did not want to. She also asked if I watched the premium channels and if I bought on-demand movies which I told her no to both questions. She then offered the $55 off for 12 months. It was very easy.

Good luck.
 
#1,336 ·
$45 off a month for 12 months, Showtime (and Movie Channels not in my package) for three months, HR44 (and new mini) to replace dying HR34, plus a $100 gift card. Still off contract. CSR did this to save "free upgrade" until we get 4K sets. CenturyLink will be out on 01/15 to install FTTH 1G service.
 
#1,337 ·
ARRGGGGGH! I get home Friday evening to find that D had shipped the Mini, but not the HR44. I called to find out what happened. The CSR questions why I was being sent a replacement DVR. I explained that I am getting 771 errors on one tuner and can't watch SD channels and the CSR tells me I don't need a need a new DVR, I need a dish realignment. I attempted to explain, not on one satellite, one tuner. I get full strength on the other four tuners. I don't have the service plan so a truck roll will cost me $90. I forget to tell him in addition to the dead tuner, the 34 is freezing up and has failed the HDD test. My mistake was call the number on the the shipping box and not the 800-824-9077 number. I hope retention is open on Saturdays.
 
#1,339 ·
I've been following this thread for a couple months as my credits ran out in September and I've been trying and trying to get a better deal. I had called probably 5 times in the past 3-4 months and each time been offered no credit at all so I figured I would be canceling in January when my contract runs out. I gave it another try tonight and hit the jackpot - I was offered two loyalty credits. One is for $20 per month for 12 months and one is for $60 for 12 months. Combined that gets me $80 per month off plus she gave me the sports pack for 6 months for free since I said I like watching sports mostly. No contract renewal required. I was shocked, guess I finally got lucky.
 
#1,341 · (Edited)
Success with the loyalty department. Called last Friday as our previous credits expired on the 15th. With only saying that we were evaluating our TV programing costs with the upcoming increase in DirecTV prices after the first of the year. We offered $60 off for 12 months, $7 off HBO and SHO for 6 months that we were already subscribing to and 6 months free for Cinemax and Sports Pack. We accepted the offers and are very happy not to have to change to another provider for at least another year. Next step after the 12 months will be to drop down to the Preferred Xtra package to avoid the ridiculous RSN fee.

Our particulars for VaJim, our bill was going up to $172.48 with the 2018 price increase. Previously, we were at $165.28 and had a $50 discount for 2017 for a $115.28 net. So, the 2018 loyalty credit of $60 that we accepted gets us a lower bill for 2018 when compared to our net bill for 2017.
 
#1,342 ·
Thanks to all the post concerning discounts being offered. What would also help is to let us know what percentage of the total bill the discount(s) mounted to. In the case of a DTV bill of over $200, a $50.00 dollar credit is ok, but to someone paying $125.00,...$50.00 credit would mean much more. Thanks
 
#1,347 ·
Visa card cool
What promo is that? Do u have att cell phone or something

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#1,344 ·
As for your question VA Jim, I have Xtra package with four tvs and my bill had gone from around $90 /month to around $140 or so after my credits expired (This is without Sunday Ticket which I always get and haggle a deal on). Now I should be around $70 or so per month with the $80 per month credits and the price increases going into effect.
 
#1,346 ·
Starting to have issues with retention - I had a $30/m for 12 month credit expire 2 billing cycles ago and I cannot get it back. I tried calling multiple days in a row with no luck. They keep using the line "the automated system is not publishing credits right now, call back on the next cycle". They try to offer me sports channels which I don't watch and free equipment upgrades which I don't need but no credits.
 
#1,352 ·
$30 a month credit just expired and was only offered $20 a month told her I wanted a larger credit and was told that was all she could do but told me to call back next week and see if I can get more. Disappointed it was such a low offer but I will try next week.
 
#1,354 ·
Yes I agree I tried calling again and for first time got nothing lol . Shocked me lol will try again once one of the promos ends

Usually they find something I don't have like free movie channels for 3 months etc . ..

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#1,356 ·
Oh no hopefully your going go fios .
I would hate to see u leave for Cox or Comcast .

My friend has D* and Cox and Cox picture is terrible .
NBA is microblock/motionblur city

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#1,359 ·
I got tired of begging for crumbs too. Switched to PSVue almost 12 months ago now. I have almost $1000 extra in my pocket instead of DirecTV’s and couldn’t be happier!
 
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#1,361 ·
They might, but you need to decide what you will accept before you call. They will try and shift you to a different programming level, sign you up for ATT phone service, drop a receiver, all sorts of things. It's all about value to you the consumer. I gave them a price, they refused, I walked. Pretty simple. Part of my decision was also based on I had already tested SlingTV which proved worthy. The other thing, any discounts that they offer you will eventually expire. I got tired of playing a game.
 
#1,362 ·
Do we have any idea as to why some customers receive good discounts and others are offered crumbs? It certainly does not appear that it is based on longevity with DTV. Could it be that subscribers who don't purchase the entertainment packages or the sports packages get passed over? I don't have these but my monthly bill is about $140 and they are now talking a measly discount of $20 per month. I used to have no trouble getting $60 and more. Who knows........
 
#1,363 ·
Called today and was offered nothing. They said they had no promotions going right now other than on premium movie channels. My $50/month credit just expired. Between cell phones and Directv, my new bill was $318. I've been with DirecTv since 1995 and yet they offered nothing. I'll either check with Dish or Charter or call back in a month to see if they have better offers. I was quite disappointed.
 
#1,366 · (Edited)
The thing is for Pay TV providers that do have discounts a common trend is during certain times of the year discounts would be less/non-existent during certain times of years. I've noticed with D* and more so when AT&T took them over is certain business quarters have more discounts available than others. It also depends on the market in your area and how competitive it is. You get more luck during Quarters 2 & 3 / Quarter 4 is a hit or miss / Quarter 1 is don't expect much. This kind of methodology also works for other providers like Dish, Comcast etc.

Now these are not set in stone like in Dish's case where they are losing more customers than is normal/comfortable and they are not signing up enough new customers to offset the loss they may ramp up offers outside of the typical trends.

Also with providers that have their own streaming services like Dish (Sling TV) & DirecTV (DirecTV Now) if signups for those services are going well they might not drastically shift their strategy since Sling TV & DirecTV Now subs are typically included with their parent company's traditional Pay TV service subscriber numbers.

But here are just some general trends I have observed through various online forums:

Quarter 1 / January - March / Providers offer less discounts during this period because it falls within the winter season and also due to price increase season.

For DTV: If your just coming off a big discount (like a $50 off for 12 months) they may only have $20 off for 12 months or less/none available. Typically competitive markets (Were talking at least 4 or more traditional pay TV providers or a local cable company has gotten very aggressive) or customers who may not have had a big discount in a while *might* be eligible for a larger discount.

For cable companies like Altice/Spectrum: forget it they won't offer anything and expect you to pay regular price

Quarter 2 / April - June / Offers start to ramp back up during this quarter typically around the mid-way point since the summer season is coming up and most people at this point likes to start taking vacations around late May and tend to disconnect/suspend more.

For DTV: Its possible if you were offered $20 off for 12 months (or less) last quarter and declined that the discount offer may have increased especially if you have been off a big discount for a few months by this point. In some cases the offer might be the same as last quarter or in few cases no offers might be available.

Quarter 3 / July - September / This is considered a high churn season because people are taking vacations, suspend one home and go to another, etc. This is also typically the quarter where people will switch around providers the most.

  • Most Providers: Since the NFL Regular Season starts this quarter providers (except D*) typically start to offer discounted/free "sports tier" subscriptions during the NFL season for both new & existing customers as a way to lure D* subs over who just want the RedZone and keep existing subs from switching to D* for the free NFL Sunday Ticket Max package. U-Verse is the only exception to this and instead they may try to get the customer to migrate over to D* as a new customer if they want the Red Zone or NFL Sunday Ticket.
  • DirecTV (no other AT&T services): NFL Sunday Ticket offers typically begin to appear for D* around mid-to-late August. While in 2016 D* didn't offer a free standalone RedZone loyalty option in 2017 they brought it back. So who knows if the free RedZone will appear in 2018. If you had Free NFL Sunday Ticket in 2017 you most likely won't qualify for another Free NFL Sunday Ticket season back to back but they may have discounted NFL ST available.
  • DirecTV & AT&T Wireless (post paid w/smartphone): Customers who qualify for "Gold" as part of the AT&T Thanks (loyalty program) program might be eligible for a discounted NFL Sunday Ticket Max subscription.

    In 2016 & 2017 the offer was one time payment of $99.96 or a 4-pay installment plan @ $29.99/per installment. After the discounted season the NFL Sunday Ticket Basic plan will auto-renew unless you called to cancel prior to the start of the next season. In 2016 customers were required to call into D* and opt in. In 2017 they sent emails to eligible customers with a time period they had to respond and opt in via the email.
  • DirecTV/AT&T Internet (not DSL) & AT&T Wireless (post paid w/smartphone): Customers who are considered "Platinum" as part of AT&T Thanks (loyalty program) might get a complementary NFL Sunday Ticket Max subscription that does not auto-renew the following year at regular price. If you qualify AT&T typically sends out a letter or email.

    AT&T did this in 2016 and 2017 and customers who were eligible were notified by email and didn't have to do anything to opt into this offer.

Quarter 4 / October - December / We have reached the end of the year and depending on the provider some will offer nothing, very little or want to finish the year out strong and will open up the discount pool.

Typically with D* this is where they start to wind down but still have significant discounts (2017 however was an exception where they were giving bigger discounts out like candy in late November though December as long as you didn't have 2 existing discounts on the account in most cases)

Hope this helps!
 
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#1,364 ·
I was ready to call once my bill reflected the new base rates this month. To my surprise, they have credits offsetting these increases automatically:

01/23/18 Started credits for $7 off XTRA (all included).
01/23/18 Started credits for RSN Price Guarantee Ends: 07/2018.

RSN Price Guarantee Ends: 07/2018 -0.81

This is new... they must be really hurting right now. They have NEVER proactively provided any type of discount in the past.
 
#1,365 ·
They have always done this if you signed up for a New Customer Offer and they increase the rates mid-term their system will automatically apply Price Guarantee credits to the base package & RSN fee to keep your 1st year promo rate in effect until it expires. Once the New Customer Promo expires your package will go to the regular price then in effect.
 
#1,369 ·
I think years of service, attitude with previous Rep's( they make a note in your file),payment history, cost of buisness(change out of equipment,service calls) and time of year all are in the equation.
IMHO
 
#1,371 ·
I called last week to simply find out when my current commitment ends (which is still 6 months away) and although the initial rep I spoke with could not provide that info (overseas call center?) and would have to forward me to someone else, he offered me a 38.00 off for 6 months in sports pack and movie channel discounts. Then after being transferred, the rep I spoke with next (US based rep in Idaho), gave me my commitment end date, mentioned that he saw my 38.00/mo discount and said "I can beat that"!. He then knocked off another 40.00 off a month for 12 months. I asked for neither discount but was offered them anyway. FIRST time that has ever happened in over 2 decades with D*.
 
#1,372 ·
I see a lot of people suggesting that longevity helps you but I strongly disagree. I think it hurts you immensely. Once you've been with them 5 years or more, they assume that if you haven't switched yet, you won't so, they give you nothing. And it's usually a good gamble on their part as many people are creatures of habit and don't want to go through the hassle of switching.

Other than my introductory deal in 2007, which was decent but not great, I only got one deal from DTV. When I upgraded to a Genie, I got $20 off a month for 12 months. That was it and that was four years ago. We had no discounts before that or since and we still get nothing when we call in. We have the second highest programming tier, the HD Extra Pack, and, until last September, we had HBO and Sunday Ticket for 10 years, both of whom we paid full price for. We're set to autopay so, we've never been late in payment or paid less than owed. Never. We apparently have SUCKER written in our customer files and so do many others. It's as simple as that.
 
#1,373 ·
I've been with DIRECTV for 22+ years, have a excellent payment record, am out of contract and subscribe to Premier, HD Extra Pack, MLB and NFL Sunday Ticket Max. Have gotten NFL Sunday Ticket Max for $99.96 (four payments of $24.99) for the past two years. It's called CSR roulette.
 
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