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Best way to reduce bill?

27K views 143 replies 48 participants last post by  EW800 
#1 ·
I've now reached a point I'm no longer willing to look the other way with how much TV is costing me. I've been with D 3 years, I was with them prior for 8 years then one year when I moved I had no line of sight thus I had comcrap for 1 year. I've had NFLST every year.

I've never missed a payment in my life. I can't tell if I'm on a contract. Should I simply call them up and tell them the price is just too dam high?

Thanks for any help!

For the record, I'm reasonable, I think what I'm currently getting is only worth $85/month.

CHOICE XTRA CLASSIC - Charge $71.99
Advanced Receiver-DVR - Charge $10.00
Advanced Receiver-HD - Charge $10.00
Additional TV - Charge $6.00
DIRECTV Whole-Home DVR Service - Charge $3.00
Primary TV Free - PrimaryTVFree ($6.00)
Primary TV - Charge $6.00
Total = $113/month
 
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#53 ·
When the Directv rates went up this year , I dropped. I just had the HD receiver and not a DVR as I don't care to record anything. I have to pay a $ 10 fee for the HD receiver. $87.98 is just too much to pay for watching TV. Only a three dollar raise , but that did it for me. They offered me a $25.00 discount for a year and the $10 dollar HD for 2 years. But I said no thank you.

As I t stands right now , I have zero TV. Not Dish Network and not cable. They are all alike. Impossible fees and I am finished for now. Not worth it for me .
 
#54 ·
Jillxz said:
When the Directv rates went up this year , I dropped. I just had the HD receiver and not a DVR as I don't care to record anything. I have to pay a $ 10 fee for the HD receiver. $87.98 is just too much to pay for watching TV. Only a three dollar raise , but that did it for me. They offered me a $25.00 discount for a year and the $10 dollar HD for 2 years. But I said no thank you.

As I t stands right now , I have zero TV. Not Dish Network and not cable. They are all alike. Impossible fees and I am finished for now. Not worth it for me .
If the increases keep going up I may eventually cut the cord(for a awhile) Then return with new customer discounts. It will be a point when enough is enough if the trend keeps going.
 
#55 ·
But as the credits keep rolling I will be here for awhile as that is keeping me from canceling and possibly switching providers.
 
#56 ·
acostapimps said:
But as the credits keep rolling I will be here for awhile as that is keeping me from canceling and possibly switching providers.
If a person keeps calling in every time their credits roll off for more credits, eventually DirecTV is going to place a flag on your account to not issue any more credits. I have seen that flag plenty of times on different accounts. So I wouldn't keep doing to that.... Their may be a cheaper package out there that has the channels you still want to watch at a cheaper rate. I've seen a lot of times customers do not want to change their package as they are afraid of losing channels they like, only to see they only lose like 2 or so and the change is worth it. Also if you bundle internet you can get a 10.00 discount for 1 yr, and if you do phone and internet it is 15.00 off (but you can not currently have the Telco provider unless upgrading from dsl). Also if you refer a customer you get 10.00 off for everybody you refer.
 
#57 ·
SlimyPizza said:
I have been a D* subscriber for at least 8 years. My current bill just jumped from $82 to $88/month. I only have one TV, one DVR and I subscribe to no movie channels or sports packages. $88/month.... That's too much.

... continue to see rate increase after rate increase they reach a point where enough is enough. I'm there.
same here, continuous customer for 13 yrs, sdtv, 1 dvr, grandfathered pkg and $1100/yr for what I need from a stupid tv just flat out exceeds what I'm going to pay. I watch local football, hockey, f1, motogp and a smattering of other things although the latter are mostly only because they're there. the former and a dvr are really the only critical things to me.

so continuing to pay unacceptable prices due to abcf/espn and whoever these last idiots were that think they're sitting on the motherlode leaves me no choice since dtv caves every single time, acts all gallant like they fought off increases only to turn around and pass on the increases a few months later figuring customers are too stupid to put two and two together or notice the pattern. I have no idea what's even on abcf or espn for that matter yet because of them and others my bill has gone through the roof the past few years.

there's no pkg/setup I can drop to and still see the only things I care about so after threatening to myself to do so for the past couple years, I'm sinking that yearly dtv bill into a mythtv dvr and going ota/streaming. or maybe I'll do something else, don't know where it will end up except that I'm certain I'm not going to essentially throw $90 out the window every month, then $95/month before too much longer, etc.

this isn't w/o sadness, I developed an affinity toward dtv for freeing me from my local ripoff cable company all those years ago which I hated with a passion. plus I've had exactly 0 complaints about the service through the years. but everyone has a limit for what they're willing to put up with. I've suspended my acct a couple times the past couple years because of the high rates and these past increases after a year's worth of huge credits expired not long ago just makes them all the more intolerable.
 
#58 ·
I'm with you guys. Sports are the only reason I still have directv. I am out of contract and have been thinking about switching to dish just to get the promotions for 12 months. Even if after the 12 months the price goes up I still would probably come out ahead after 2 years. Then I could switch back to directv. They really need to look at trying to give existing customers some sort of a break. It's crazy. My bill is over $100 and I don't have that much as some of the others. HD, dvr, and 2 extra boxes. My package is the old Total Choice. All of that plus the protection plan puts me over $100. Only thing I can think of is to lower my package until college football season starts then up it for a couple months.
 
#60 ·
dpeters11 said:
Just keep in mind, if you did that, you would be unable to go back to TC.
He would have 30 days to reinstate Total Choice. He may want to call and ask about any discounts they have if he was to update his package. He may be surprised.
 
#61 ·
goinsleeper said:
He would have 30 days to reinstate Total Choice. He may want to call and ask about any discounts they have if he was to update his package. He may be surprised.
Correct. It is 30 days to reinstate grandfathered packages. Also as you sort have mentioned, grandfathered packages typically do not qualify for most of the discounted retention offers. I'm kinda against discounts somewhat as they are a temporary fix and not a long term solution, but truthfully trying to get a discount may be a good idea as DTV has the packages priced too high anyways to allow for such discounts
 
#62 ·
Volatility;3199170 said:
If a person keeps calling in every time their credits roll off for more credits, eventually DirecTV is going to place a flag on your account to not issue any more credits. I have seen that flag plenty of times on different accounts. So I wouldn't keep doing to that.... Their may be a cheaper package out there that has the channels you still want to watch at a cheaper rate. I've seen a lot of times customers do not want to change their package as they are afraid of losing channels they like, only to see they only lose like 2 or so and the change is worth it. Also if you bundle internet you can get a 10.00 discount for 1 yr, and if you do phone and internet it is 15.00 off (but you can not currently have the Telco provider unless upgrading from dsl). Also if you refer a customer you get 10.00 off for everybody you refer.
That's why I said that I only do it when my contract expires or when the annual price increase take effect.
 
#63 ·
I don't care about the total choice package anymore. It's $2 more than the regular choice and the channels I would lose really aren't worth watching. To me it's really the fees that drive me crazy. $10 for dvr service, $10 for HD, $12 for 3 boxes. $32 dollars a month just for the hardware. Crazy!
 
#64 ·
acostapimps said:
That's why I said that I only do it when my contract expires or when the annual price increase take effect.
Gotcha ;-)

I mean it never hurts to ask. For some reason I read it as I call them to keep discounts rolling. My apologies.
But yeah, I would definitely see about bundling if you haven't already. It'could help you out getting your bill lowered. And help the agent out by getting their numbers up. It's a love love relationship lol
 
#65 ·
Volatility;3200024 said:
Gotcha ;-)

I mean it never hurts to ask. For some reason I read it as I call them to keep discounts rolling. My apologies.
But yeah, I would definitely see about bundling if you haven't already. It'could help you out getting your bill lowered. And help the agent out by getting their numbers up. It's a love love relationship lol
If only I can refer someone to Directv that's another $10 saving, but no one wants to sign up considering the cost.
 
#66 ·
With the amount of credits I'm receiving I think Directv has done more than enough for me, unlike other providers who won't budge and just prefer to take my money (cough Comcrap cough) but with these increases more wouldn't hurt.
 
#67 ·
dcandmc said:
No, it's you who are missing the point. The credits will expire, and DirecTV will not renew them as a matter of course. The more credits you have had and the longer you have had them, the less inclined DirecTV will be to renew them. That has been my personal experience, and anecdotal experience from others on the forum bears that out.
Just a tidbit, why do some customers like to think they know more than DirecTV Agents (not including convergy's or telecomcomunication agents) who spend hours on end even months in training? goinsleeper was correct. DirecTV really has nothing at all to do with credits not renewing unless you have a poor payment history....many times the credits are available and we agents do not issue them either because the customer is a jerk or they are abusing the system via social engineering (csr roulette). It is up to the agent in all honesty.

acostapimps said:
With the amount of credits I'm receiving I think Directv has done more than enough for me, unlike other providers who won't budge and just prefer to take my money (cough Comcrap cough) but with these increases more wouldn't hurt.
You bring up a very good point here. DirecTV is one of the very few companies that have monthly discounts for existing customers post rebate. Comcast, Time Warner, Uverse, Verizon Fios TV, and Mediacom sure as heck are not going to do it. Dish Network does though as they are major competitors over DirecTV and do not want to allow DTV to have that differentiator.
 
#68 ·
DirecTV Annual Report: 2012
Responsible Pricing. We believe our ability to generate the industry's highest average revenue per unit, or ARPU, demonstrates the value our best-in-class video experience delivers to our customers. It is imperative that we maintain appropriate price increases on our differentiated service offerings, while simultaneously expanding the value proposition by advancing the customer service and entertainment experiences. It is also critical that we remain disciplined in the management of subscriber credits and promotions. For example, in 2012 we introduced an Advanced Receiver Service fee on our customers' bills eliminating "Free HD for Life" as well as a lower cost programming "Entertainment" package to better fit the needs of our more value conscious consumers. These actions have reduced customer credits and are expected to increase ARPU over the coming years.
DirecTV's stated goal ... charge more money per subscriber than anyone else in the industry and be disciplined in the management of credits.

2012 ARPU: $96.98
 
#69 ·
James Long said:
DirecTV Annual Report: 2012

DirecTV's stated goal ... charge more money per subscriber than anyone else in the industry and be disciplined in the management of credits.

2012 ARPU: $96.98
The goal of every for-profit organization on the planet: bring in more dollars while spending fewer dollars. If you think DirecTV is unique in this, I have a bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in owning...
 
#70 ·
jdspencer said:
Change to Choice Xtra from Choice Xtra Classic and save a whopping $1.
You'll lose a few channels but in my case it didn't matter.
But, there is a new $2 RSN charge now.
So I guess my total went up by $1.

My bill is under $110/month which is basically the same as you.
Except I have DNS ($14/month). I may rethink this once the refer a friend discount expires.
I also have a refer a friend discount of $10/month.
And the sales tax is $2. Maybe your tax is higher?
Florida's Sales and communication tax is over 17%
 
#71 ·
James Long said:
DirecTV Annual Report: 2012

DirecTV's stated goal ... charge more money per subscriber than anyone else in the industry and be disciplined in the management of credits.

2012 ARPU: $96.98
Yep, its Nuts!
 
#72 ·
Volatility said:
Just a tidbit, why do some customers like to think they know more than DirecTV Agents (not including convergy's or telecomcomunication agents) who spend hours on end even months in training?
I can call and talk to three different DirecTV CSRs and get three completely different answers based on a specific question. They can't all be right. I'm not claiming to know more than any DirecTV agent, but it's very clear to me, both from personal experience and from reading thousands of posts here over many years, that either (1) DirecTV's training of frontline CSRs SUCKS, (2) the majority of frontline DirecTV CSRs are lazy or don't care, or a combination of (1) and (2).

Volatility said:
goinsleeper was correct. DirecTV really has nothing at all to do with credits not renewing unless you have a poor payment history....many times the credits are available and we agents do not issue them either because the customer is a jerk or they are abusing the system via social engineering (csr roulette). It is up to the agent in all honesty.
DirecTV has nothing at all to do with credits not renewing? Really? Then please, tell me who is responsible when credits drop off of my monthly statement, because I would like to contact them. I have a perfect payment history, by the way.
 
#74 ·
sigma1914 said:
Yeah because making money is nuts. Capitalism is stupid. :rolleyes:
Its not making me any money.:rolleyes:
 
#76 ·
sigma1914 said:
So DirecTV shouldn't try to maximize profits?
Not at ONLY the customers expense!
 
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