[Azalo]

I recieved a credit for free HD access for 9 months and that extended my commitment by one year. Just a warning to others, if you are not 100% happy with the service and D* gives you credits to appease you keep in mind that you are extending your commitment. I didn't know that at the time and the CSR definitely didn't tell me that when she offered me the credits. Oh well they have me locked in until January and then I will re-examine my options. 24.99 for an all HD package which actually includes channels that I like sounds good to me.

 

[dcowboy7]

ill bet someone will post and say "not always the case."

 

[Azalo]

true and I also wanted to post this so that when people do get offered credits they should ask the CSR to confirm that this doesn't affect their commitment and to put it in their notes, I think its a little unethical to extend your commitment w/o telling you.

 

[Upstream]

ill bet someone will post and say "not always the case."

How does a customer know what the case actually is. DirecTV does not publish its commitment policies, nor provide an easy way for the customer to know if his/her commitment has been extended. So maybe this is a new policy, or maybe this is an error. Nobody knows.

 

[jodyguercio]

How does a customer know what the case actually is. DirecTV does not publish its commitment policies, nor provide an easy way for the customer to know if his/her commitment has been extended. So maybe this is a new policy, or maybe this is an error. Nobody knows.

Somebody knows, you can bet on that. I would suggest to the OP that if you feel that you got extended unjustly, send an email to Ellen Filipak (sorry but I cant spell her last name) you can do a search and will find her address here. Those that have emailed her have found the help she provides as the VP of customer service very satisfactory.

 

[Azalo]

I don't know if this is a new policy or not, I emailed D* because a CSR had previously told me that I was commited until July 09 because of a Movers connection, since I had read on here that that only should be one yr I sent an email to dispute the date. A CSR called me and told me that my movers only extended me until Jul of this year but because I had taken the HD Access credit I had extended a yr from that date - until Jan 09. She said that was the date unless I accepted more credits in the future. I probably could have argued the point since I was never told that by taking credits I was extending my commitment but felt good enough that I wasn't on the hook until next July that I just let it go.

 

[jodyguercio]

I don't know if this is a new policy or not, I emailed D* because a CSR had previously told me that I was commited until July 09 because of a Movers connection, since I had read on here that that only should be one yr I sent an email to dispute the date. A CSR called me and told me that my movers only extended me until Jul of this year but because I had taken the HD Access credit I had extended a yr from that date - until Jan 09. She said that was the date unless I accepted more credits in the future. I probably could have argued the point since I was never told that by taking credits I was extending my commitment but felt good enough that I wasn't on the hook until next July that I just let it go.

As long as your happy with the service and dont mind the commitment then all is well it seems. I was just pointing out that if you ever feel you dont get the help that you want e mail the VP, she'll fix it or see that it does get fixed.

 

[JLucPicard]

Azalo,

Just curious, but did you happen to call again and ask another CSR when your commitment period ends? Or is this strictly coming from the one CSR?

I recently e-mailed (through the DirecTV Contact Us page) and stated that I thought my commitment period ended on xx/xx/xxxx, and could they confirm that for me. I received a response that did confirm (I was one day off).

 

[Azalo]

Azalo,

Just curious, but did you happen to call again and ask another CSR when your commitment period ends? Or is this strictly coming from the one CSR?

I recently e-mailed (through the DirecTV Contact Us page) and stated that I thought my commitment period ended on xx/xx/xxxx, and could they confirm that for me. I received a response that did confirm (I was one day off).

They called me after I sent an email.

 

[rudeney]

Another thing to be careful about is when they issue “credits” to fix a billing error. For example, I disconnected my last UTV and was told that would also cancel the $10/mo service charge. It didn’t, so I called to have that fixed. Instead of the UTV service charges being credited, I was just given a $5/mo x 3 month “concession credit”. IT was actually $0.16 les than the erroneous charges, but I wasn’t splitting hairs. It did not extend my commitment, but it did “flag” my account and made me ineligible for any upgrades.

 

[Dolly]

I love D* inspite of my few rants about them :heart: But this is one of those "rant" areas for me. I don't think there should be commitments. If a company can't provide the service you want, you should be able to move on without penalty IMHO. D* didn't (to my knowledge) have commitments back years ago. And I remained a customer because they provided the service I wanted.

 

[JLucPicard]

They called me after I sent an email.

DOH! Post # 7 - sorry. :blush:

 

[generalpatton78]

I just don't feel anybody can just extend your commitment when they feel like it. I have to be notified and then agree to the commitment for "blank" service before any extensions. There has to at least be a verbal contract to do it. So if D* offers me something but doesn't state anything about a commitment to get that something then legally I don't have one. It may be a CSR error for not going over said commitment but that's not my problem it's theirs for not training their employee's better.

 

[celticpride]

Sometimes its frustrating dealing withD* dsrs they lied to me before when they sent me a free hd dvr, they told me i would not have my contract extended, but a couple of months later theyextended my contract another 2 years, Another reason why i will look at verizon fios when my contract is up. To be completely honest though im tore up whether to switch or not because i LOVE directv.(customer since 1994). But i miss my HD tivo a lot i rarely had any problems with audio and video dropouts or missd or partial recordings like i have with the directv hd dvrs.

 

[Ken S]

Folks...
DirecTV does not get to unilaterally extend a contract. They can claim what they want, but when it comes down to it they're going to have to show proof that you agreed to an extension.
If they charge your credit card and won't back down then call your credit card company and dispute the charge.
Remember though, you really do have to read the fine print of their documents...that's your responsibility..they don't make the font that small and print it in dark gray on light gray to save paper and ink...they don't want you to read it.
Laziness is not going to get you out of a contract.

 

[dcowboy7]

ill bet someone will post and say "not always the case."

DirecTV does not get to unilaterally extend a contract. They can claim what they want, but when it comes down to it they're going to have to show proof that you agreed to an extension.

see.

 

[BattleZone]

I love D* inspite of my few rants about them :heart: But this is one of those "rant" areas for me. I don't think there should be commitments. If a company can't provide the service you want, you should be able to move on without penalty IMHO. D* didn't (to my knowledge) have commitments back years ago. And I remained a customer because they provided the service I wanted.

Back years ago, folks were paying many hundreds of dollars for ONE *basic* receiver, PLUS having to buy their dish, PLUS having to do their own installation. When I got DirecTV in 1997, I paid:

- $350 for a single Sony SAT-A2 receiver, which isn't as good as a current D11/D12 receiver today.
- $150 for an 18" round dish. This price included the extra $50 to get a *2* output LNB!
- $100 for an "installation kit" with some coax, crimp-on connectors, and a low-speed ground block.

All of this was for ONE TV. No HD, no DVR. And, sure, there was no commitment.

Today, people want DirecTV in every room, with HD and DVR receivers, with dual coax lines everywhere, a much larger, more complicated dish, and FREE INSTALLATION.

Well, nothing is ever really free. How to they manage to give all that stuff away? Programming commitments.

Now, if you really don't want a commitment, you STILL can purchase your own receivers at full MSRP from DirecTV, and buy your own dish, and do your own installation. You'll own the receivers, and you can have no commitment. But is all that really worth it? It's not like most folks are going to go without TV, so you're going to be paying SOMEONE for it. If the programming commitment isn't something you're prepared to deal with, then maybe satellite TV isn't for you.

 

[JLucPicard]

I recieved a credit for free HD access for 9 months and that extended my commitment by one year. Just a warning to others, if you are not 100% happy with the service and D* gives you credits to appease you keep in mind that you are extending your commitment.

ill bet someone will post and say "not always the case."

see.

So what??? Someone makes a unilateral statement that if you get credits your commitment will be extended. Pithy statement about people disagreeing or not, there are people, including myself, who have gotten credits and have not had their commitments extended.

Sorry that doesn't meet with your agenda, but it doesn't make it untrue or irrelevant.

 

[dcowboy7]

So what??? Someone makes a unilateral statement that if you get credits your commitment will be extended. Pithy statement about people disagreeing or not, there are people, including myself, who have gotten credits and have not had their commitments extended.

Sorry that doesn't meet with your agenda, but it doesn't make it untrue or irrelevant.

but that was my point....whenever someone posts a "fact' there will always be a counterpoint exception to the "fact".

 

[tcusta00]

but that was my point....whenever someone posts a "fact' there will always be a counterpoint exception to the "fact".

Therein lies the beauty of an active community such as this - a person can't come around and post an absolute without backing it up and not expect the counterpoint to eventually surface. In the case of the OP, his situation seems to be the exception and people have offered solutions to help him get it taken care of.

You see a problem with this because...