[mx6bfast]

2 months ago I had a E86 that I owned go bad and it was replaced with an H20. I had been out of contract for almost 1 1/2 years and it was replaced thru the protection plan. I called back today to see if they could counter offer what Comcast is offering in my area and the lady told me that I was under contract for 2 years as of November 3rd.

I told her that my stb went bad and it was replaced, that I didn't upgrade (which she said I did earlier). She spoke to someone and came back and said since my hardware was replaced that it automatically put me on a new 2 year agreement. I told her that no one ever mentioned that to me, not to mention the tech talked to the person on the phone the entire time. She said there were notes that they didn't tell me about it.

I told her that I owned all of my recievers and since I have 1 leased (H20) if I sent back my leased reciever could I get out of my contract. She said I'd have to pay $300 in cancellation fees.

Is that correct? Should I be automatically entered into a new 2 year agreement if my old stb that I owned was replaced by the D* replacment policy?

 

[TigersFanJJ]

If it was a receiver that was a replacement under the protection plan, as you stated, then it should be owned.

Call Dtv and tell them that you need to be transferred to the access card team. I beleive they are the only ones that can change the H20 from leased to owned.

 

[AnonomissX]

AND MAKE SURE they take off the 2 year commitment!!!

1) Ask them if you have the protection plan

2) Ask them how LONG you have been paying for the protection plan

3) Ask them if a receiver was replaced under the protection plan, should it re-up a commitment?

The answers should be

1-yes
2-a long time
3-oh NOES mr customer! I'll fix that right away for you, let me get a supervisor to log in and take off that commitment!

 

[mx6bfast]

I called and was hung up on 4 times, and I was told different reasons why I was put in a new agreement. From I upgraded to an HD stb to all stb's replaced require a new agreement. The last guy said it's in the terms and conditions. I have looked online and don't see it anywhere.

I feel like I am getting the run around. I;ve even been promised an upgrade plan that they say they wont honor anymore, even though I have the persons name and U#.

 

[TigersFanJJ]

It sounds to me like the csr you spoke to (when your E86 went bad) entered the order as an upgrade instead of a service call. If that is the case, I'm not sure which department could fix it for you. Maybe AnonomissX would know.

Did the installer put up a ka/ku dish? If he did, then you most certainly were upgraded. If not, and you can't get them to fix your account, let Dtv know that the upgrade wasn't completed and they need to get someone back out to install that dish. If you're going to be paying for it (for 2 years), you might as well have all of the equipment that you were supposed to get with that H20.

 

[AnonomissX]

AnonomissX says:

Print out and follow my instructions as listed below:

1) Call Directv and ask for the "Access Card Department"

2) Ask the access card department rep if you have the protection plan.

2) Ask them how LONG you have been paying for the protection plan

3) Ask them if a receiver was replaced under the protection plan, should it re-up a commitment?

The answers should be

2-yes
3-a long time
4-"Oh NOES mr customer! I'll fix that right away for you, let me get a supervisor to log in and take off that commitment!"


PS: You never stated WHY the receiver was replaced, and if you got a Tier II agent, or actually got transferred to the protection plan department and one of those agents replaced it. Enquiring minds want to know more details.

 

[mx6bfast]

I never got the email saying there was a new comment to this thread. I thought ya'll bailed on me. jk

I haven't had the time or will to call since Saturday. There's been too much football on.

When I first called about the receiver TNTHD was not keeping a signal. It would come in fine some times and not at all at other times. I got sick of it and called. I checked some of the other channels on that same transponder and was getting the same thing. When I first called for tech support the guy said the signal strength could be at 0 and it would be fine. I told him that I'm not getting anything, no video or audio, just a blank screen. After a minute or two he wrote up a ticket for a tech to come check it out under the replacement plan.

Tech came, did the same troubleshooting steps I did, unplug power, change coax cables (I have an HDTivo and formerly E86, now H20, in the same room, each with their own dedicated cable runs). After a few minutes and talking to his buddy he replaced the receiver. He spoke to someone and after a few minutes the new H20 was up and running.

Fast forward to Friday. Call to see if they could offer me anything comparable to what Comcast is offering in Memphis. That's when I found out that I had been re-upped for another 2 years. I gathered my thoughts, counted to 10, and thought this was wrong.

Now Saturday……
Call #1: call and explain that my previous hd stb went bad and I didn't think I should be automatically put back in an agreement. Lady said new stb's require a new 2 year agreement. Advised this was under the protection plan. Got me to 2nd level, don't know which one, and found out that the person who activated the replacement stb put notes on there that they didn't tell me I would be on a new commitment. I said considering I didn't talk to them I shouldn't be in a new 2 year agreement. Not to mention this replaced my old hd stb. She said that I upgraded. I said no, my old E86 hd stb went bad. She said I upgraded and I said I have had all hd stb's for over 3 years except 1 sd tivo. It was replaced. She put me on hold for 5 minutes, then click. 25 minute call

Call #2: called and said I was hung up on. She read the notes, stayed on the phone with me, entered in some numbers, then she dropped off. A minute later a message on the phone "You have entered an incorrect number. Please hang up and try again. click. 6 minutes

Call #3: called and when I told the person I was calling back she said ok and then I heard click, click click. Dial tone. Another 4 minutes.

Call #4: asked to speak to a supervisor. Spoke to some guy named Dan. Told him why I was calling and how I had been hung up on 3 times already. He listened to my concern and put me on hold for a few minutes. came back and said he didn't have the authority to do anything, but he would get me to a group that might be able to help. Was transferred to the cancellation dept (found out from next call). Told her what was going on and to read the notes that I wasn't going to go over it again. She did and said there is nothing she can do. I asked why, and she said because all advanced products, whether purchased or under warranty require a new 2 year agreement. So I asked if I send it back will that get me out of the warranty? She said no, I'd have to pay $300 in cancellation fees. I told her I didn't think that was right that they forced me into a new 2 year agreement without telling me. had I known I woulda said no thanks, I have another hd stb I can re-activate. Not to mention I asked why was a new 2 year not started when I re-activated an older HDTivo which was replaced? She had no answer to that. She gave me the whole "look like I upgraded thing again" I told her that was wrong. I asked what good is the protection plan if I'm gonna be forced into an upgrade each time something happens?

So I said since I have now been forced into an upgrade (used this line quite a few times) what deal could she offer me. I told her if I was going to stay that I was going to upgrade the entire house at 1 time, not just one stb. Currently I have left 2 HDTivo's, 1 E86, and 1 SD Tivo. I was offered to upgrade all that for 2 HR20's, H20, and R15 for $198 a few months ago and I have the guys name and U#. I didn't tell her the price but she said she could offer it to me for $297 with $100 credit. I said since I am being forced into the upgrade I think I should get one of the HR20's for free. She said she didn't have the authority to do that and I said well apparently you have the authority force me into a new 2 year agreement when you like.

She did give me earlier in the call, without me asking, $10 off HBO for the next 6 months and $10 my TC package for the next 12 months. I told her I would take that. so I said well why don't you remove my credits you just gave me and give me both of the HR20's and I'll pay the difference and we will be even. She said she couldn't take the credits off since she just put them on. Personally I don't believe that. She was then checking to see if I could pay the upgrade fee in over 2 months and then I heard click. Son-of-a-*****. 115 minute call.

I decided to have a big ass So-Co & 7.

Call #5: My wife came home, asked if I got anything done, and told her no. she called and asked to speak to a manager. I forgot the guys name but she handed me the phone and I was speaking to a guy in "the pit". He said per the terms and conditions that any replacement is under a new 2 year agreement. I asked him why did no one tell me this and he said he couldn't answer, which I didn't really expect him to anyways. Basically he told me almost verbatim what the others did. I used the "forced into an upgrade line" and he said he couldn't give me a better deal than what I had already been given. He was useless and kept pointing towards the terms and conditions so I hung up with him. 30 minute call.

So I decided to peruse the D* website to find their terms and conditions. Unless I am blind, I don't see anything at all about a new 2 year agreement with the protection plan. I didn't have the time to call them back but I'll get around to it either tonight or tomorrow at work.

So let's review….5 calls, ~180 minutes. Damn, all of this just to get the 2 year agreement turned off. Oh yeah, and I'm an "A-list" customer. Been with D* at my new house since Jan - 03, and the account is still in my name at my parents since probably 95.

I was looking at my bill for the month that the stb was replaced and I have noticed that all the charges were removed and then added back on the same day. Hmmmm…

To answer Tigers question, no I still have the 3 lnb.

 

[stuart628]

with Directv, I believe if you send back your equipment, they will not charge you an ETF, is that correct, or am I wrong?

also, if I say buy the HR20 from Value electronics is it mine or is it a lease?

 

[Earl Bonovich]

also, if I say buy the HR20 from Value electronics is it mine or is it a lease?

Lease.

 

[mx6bfast]

with Directv, I believe if you send back your equipment, they will not charge you an ETF, is that correct, or am I wrong?

All of the equipment on the account is owned, except for the H20. That is the only leased piece of equipment. I'd only send back the H20.

 

[JLucPicard]

with Directv, I believe if you send back your equipment, they will not charge you an ETF, is that correct, or am I wrong?

With owned equipment (and no leased equipment on the account at all), that might be the case. I believe that's how it worked before.

Under the new lease model, though, there are two different fees. There is an early termination fee of $12.50 for the months remaining on your commitment. There is also a Non-Return Fee that is charged if you do not return the leased equipment within the specified time frame. So returning your leased equipment ONLY gets you out from under the Non-Return fee. You are still subject to the ETF even though you've returned the equipment.

 

[Dbadone]

You activated a leased receiver wheather it's a protection plan or not it's still a leased receiver all receivers even the ones you buy at BEST BUY etc are leased receivers here is the excerpt from the D* website and a link also for the Equipement addendum.

PROGRAMMING COMMITMENT. The programming package(s) must be maintained for a period of not less than (a) twelve (12) consecutive months (for accounts with only standard receiver(s)), or (b) twenty-four (24) consecutive months (for accounts with advanced product(s)/receiver(s) digital video recorder (DVR), high definition receiver (HD) or high definition digital video recorder (HD DVR), including additional DIRECTV receiver(s)). After you have fulfilled your agreement to the required programming package(s), you are not obligated to continue your subscription to DIRECTV programming for any specific duration. Current DIRECTV customers may activate additional receivers with their existing DIRECTV programming package. THIS PROGRAMMING COMMITMENT IS SEPARATE AND DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER PROGRAMMING COMMITMENT YOU MAY HAVE MADE WITH DIRECTV AND IS FULLY ENFORCEABLE UNDER THESE TERMS.

Click here for the website.

Hope this helps, and I know it sucks.

 

[mx6bfast]

So, why was I forced upon a new 2 year agreement? No one told me I would have to signup with a new 2 year agreement.

 

[kicksavedave]

My HD upgrade went completely wrong, I can't see the sat that carries the best of the HD programming, and when I called today to cancel, I was told I'd have to pay the $300 ETF. After plenty of arguing about it, considering that the tech who installed it lied to my face and told me "You don't need the 119, there's no programming on that one anymore"... I would not have accepted the upgrade had I known the truth. No dice, she still told me she could not waive the ETF.... she said she understood my complaint, but didn't have any way to remove the ETF from the system. I asked to speak to a manager (I was already in Retention), and that person told me the same thing.

The end result was, they told me I could dispute the ETF in writing, or by email... which I have done. I will post the results when I know their answer.

Bottom line is, the second the tech leaves a receiver at your house, working properly or not, they consider you under a new commitment and they try to hit you for an ETF if you cancel it, even a day later.

 

[mx6bfast]

I called and spoke to someone in the protection plan department. I asked about the access card group and she said she would call them if necessary.

It was only 1 call today, 55 minutes worth but I finally got the help and info I needed. The lady I spoke with got my info, read over my notes, and contacted a few people for me. She was about to transfer me to a group but I asked her if it was going to a group I had previously spoken with. Instead or her transferring me she talked to them, and kept coming back to me as needed while I was on hold.

Turns out whoever put in the order for my replacement reciever entered it in as an additional reciever, not a replacement. She had a manager try to override the system and they didn't have access to. I asked if there was someone I could write to to contest this since it was entered in wrong and she gave me the office of the president's mailing address. I'll be sending them a letter shortly.

 

[JLucPicard]

mx6bfast,

Looks like some progress! I am most definitely pulling for you here. I hate that you have to work so hard to get them straightened out. And I doubt that you will care much about this, but I hope that what's happened to you, and more importantly, what you've shared with us, will help someone else out that runs into a similar problem.

I have the Protection Plan, too, and if I ever wind up having to replace a reciever or DVR, I will most definitely stay on top of the fact that it's a REPLACEMENT from the get-go.

Good work! Let us know how this latest step works out?

 

[mx6bfast]

Good work! Let us know how this latest step works out?

Definately.

Since the person who assisted me today did do much more than the others, I got her employee number to put in a good word for her and how much she helped in my letter to D*.

 

[Pink Fairy]

Glad to hear things are moving in a good direction, I would love to hear what happens with that letter too, I will watch it

 

[TigersFanJJ]

You activated a leased receiver wheather it's a protection plan or not it's still a leased receiver all receivers even the ones you buy at BEST BUY etc are leased receivers here is the excerpt from the D* website and a link also for the Equipement addendum.

PROGRAMMING COMMITMENT. The programming package(s) must be maintained for a period of not less than (a) twelve (12) consecutive months (for accounts with only standard receiver(s)), or (b) twenty-four (24) consecutive months (for accounts with advanced product(s)/receiver(s) digital video recorder (DVR), high definition receiver (HD) or high definition digital video recorder (HD DVR), including additional DIRECTV receiver(s)). After you have fulfilled your agreement to the required programming package(s), you are not obligated to continue your subscription to DIRECTV programming for any specific duration. Current DIRECTV customers may activate additional receivers with their existing DIRECTV programming package. THIS PROGRAMMING COMMITMENT IS SEPARATE AND DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER PROGRAMMING COMMITMENT YOU MAY HAVE MADE WITH DIRECTV AND IS FULLY ENFORCEABLE UNDER THESE TERMS.

Click here for the website.

Hope this helps, and I know it sucks.

This part of the agreement doesn't apply for replacement receivers. It is for new accounts or for upgrading an existing account.

 

[Tom M]

I just got off the phone with D* and ran into a similar situation. I'm looking to add HD and an HD DVR and just found out that the fact that I recently took an R15 that was offered to me with no additional commitment (I confirmed this several times with the CSR) has resulted in a 2 year commitment. Frankly, it seems I was lied to by two different CSRs because I would have never taken that upgrade had I known it would extend me beyond the 1 year I knew I had from using the movers connection.

I've been with D* since 1998 and they're basically saying "so what, there's nothing you can do about it other than writing to customer service and complaining." The only concession Retention was willing to make was to offer the $100 off the HD DVR and a $20/mo break for 6 months. It's that or pay the ETF and move to E*. Doing the math makes it a tough choice as over a 22 month period it winds up being pretty much break-even due to the D* ETF. I guess I need to do a bit more investigation into which is a better HD solution for the next 2 years.

Back on topic... the killer is that customers are going to need to begin recording the calls with CSRs as they seem to be making promises that differ from what's in the contract terms and not documenting them. At the moment I'd place all service providers in a similar category as used car salespeople - but that would give the used car business a bad name