[brh056]

The Story: HD Locals would not come in on my H-21 receiver in my basement. 771 for them. No problems on my DVR upstairs. I troubleshot the whole thing prior to making a call to D*. Checked lines, signals, connections, etc. Moved my DVR downstairs and had no trouble at all receiving HD locals. Brought my parents H-21 to my house and did not have a problem receiving HD locals. Actually brought my box to my parents and still could not receive HD locals there...Lead me to the conclusion of a receiver issue. Brilliant, I know! Had D* remove and add the box on again to see if authorizations could be a problem. Didn't help either.

Now the frustation begins. I ask for them to just send a replacement receiver and all will be fine. Nope, they insist on rolling a fricken truck out at the $79 rate for a not needed service call. Even the tech that came to my house was shaking his head. He literally walked in, looked at sigals(all are really quite good, mid 90's typically, with local spots in upper 90's and frequently at 100) and said "looks like you need a new receiver. Dude was brilliant!

As a consumer, this really frustrates me. They are using issues like this to get people to sign up for the protection plan as a money maker. I am not on it and do not feel that an issue like this should ever be a charged visit by a tech. Many of us can troubleshoot our issues. I did get them to pick up the tab after some work, but this really should never have come to that. It is a leased receiver that had an issue...Plain and simple. It should be send a new one and call it a day. Yet for many its a $79 charge for a BS reason. Or a monthly protection plan fee, just in case you think you actually might need it for a faulty receiver of theirs. I understand that the protection plan covers other things, but this really should work as credit type system if your leased equipment is faulty. How many people just give in and pay the fee?

This really should be a case study for Directv on really bad customer service and policy and should be brought up as a talking point. This type of issue would cause me to not recommend D* to other people. I am happy that I was able to plead my case and have them pick up the tab, but I did have to put in some effort to get that to happen.

My rant, feel free to comment.

 

[JLucPicard]

I'm sorry for all the trouble you had to go through on this and you're right, it shouldn't have to be that way. Unfortunately, during that time when they did just send out replacements instead of insisting on a truck roll, the percentage of "defective" units that were returned that really WEREN'T defective was quite high. From DirecTV's standpoint it also becomes a bad business practice to just blindly send replacement receivers where the receiver may not really be the problem.

Yes, there are many customers like yourself that are fully capable of troubleshooting - as you have proven with the testing you did. There are also many customers who may be hard pressed to find the Red Reset Button when asked to press that. Regrettably, I think there is probably a percentage of CSRs, too, who when faced with the list of things you did to prove it was a bad receiver still wouldn't be able to recognize the fact that the receiver was, indeed, the problem.

I'm glad they did square things with you!

 

[brh056]

I understand that they may have needed to cut down on the ship a receiver at a whim policy. The problem is that they should just put in place a mechanism where they will pick up the tab on a service call if the equipment is deemed defective. That seems simple enough and would be a far better policy.

 

[jimb726]

Maybe they could conditionally exchange the reciever pending bench testing? At least that will open the door to a possible charge back. They could bench test a percentage of them or all of them and then if the unit is indeed not defective, they could back charge the 79 dollars.

 

[mogulman]

The problem is that the receiver is leased. It is Directv's equipment. Even if it was someone abusing things, what is the big deal? They charge you $20 for shipping if you don't have the protection plan. They get back a receiver that they can use for someone else.. I don't see why they need to be so nitpicky about rolling a truck.

People with cable bring their boxes back to Comcast and other cable companies all the time for issues. They just swap the box. Unfortunately, DTV doesn't have a local place to do that like a lot of the cable companies.

 

[mogulman]

My other thoughts..

The receiver is not mine. I may have paid DTV some money to start service using the receiver and pay a monthly lease fee. It is not my responsibility to fix the receiver or pay to have someone fix it.

If TV isn't working because a receiver that I don't own is defective, then Directv needs to replace it. Otherwise, shouldn't I be able to cancel my contract and/or not pay for service that they can not provide? I don't even think they should charge the $20 shipping fee.

As much as I love DTV, this stuff makes me want to switch to cable (which I hate). I don't know what I would do if an issue like this came up with me. I once paid for the protection plan so they would fix a defective LNB on my dish (1 month out of warranty). I dropped the protection plan later. They convinced me that only the receivers were leased. Fine.. I bought into that. If the receivers are leased and something happens to them, I don't see myself paying to fix them even if it was $5. On Principal, I might cancel service.

 

[jimb726]

My other thoughts..

The receiver is not mine. I may have paid DTV some money to start service using the receiver and pay a monthly lease fee. It is not my responsibility to fix the receiver or pay to have someone fix it.

If TV isn't working because a receiver that I don't own is defective, then Directv needs to replace it. Otherwise, shouldn't I be able to cancel my contract and/or not pay for service that they can not provide? I don't even think they should charge the $20 shipping fee.

As much as I love DTV, this stuff makes me want to switch to cable (which I hate). I don't know what I would do if an issue like this came up with me. I once paid for the protection plan so they would fix a defective LNB on my dish (1 month out of warranty). I dropped the protection plan later. They convinced me that only the receivers were leased. Fine.. I bought into that. If the receivers are leased and something happens to them, I don't see myself paying to fix them even if it was $5. On Principal, I might cancel service.

Thats the problem though, they were just sending out recievers to just about anyone who called in with issues. Look at the past threads with folks saying that they had 5 or 6 boxes and finally a service tech came out and it was a bad connector, or a misaligned dish, or lnb, etc. The fact is very few companies will just send out replacements without verifying that the problem is in fact legit. At that point it becomes preference on whether you want to cover your bets with the PP or take your chances.

 

[rudeney]

I guess one could argue that the maintenance of a leased receiver is pretty much the same as it is on a leased car – it’s the responsibility of the lessee. Of course most of the time, it is suggested that you don’t lease a car for a term that extends past the warranty, and if you do, then you should consider an extended warranty. Since D*’s equipment has only a 90-day warranty, that same advice would apply (i.e. buy the PP).

 

[ziggy29]

Personally I can understand why they want to cut down on the number of "bad" receivers which aren't. But I do think that if leased equipment goes bad and the customer does NOT have the protection plan, the $79 charge for the service call should be waived. If the problem turns out to be something D* is not responsible for, then the charge should stand.

 

[mogulman]

I guess one could argue that the maintenance of a leased receiver is pretty much the same as it is on a leased car - it's the responsibility of the lessee. Of course most of the time, it is suggested that you don't lease a car for a term that extends past the warranty, and if you do, then you should consider an extended warranty. Since D*'s equipment has only a 90-day warranty, that same advice would apply (i.e. buy the PP).

Leasing a car is totally different then leasing a DTV receiver. It is a completely different kind of lease.

 

[mogulman]

Personally I can understand why they want to cut down on the number of "bad" receivers which aren't. But I do think that if leased equipment goes bad and the customer does NOT have the protection plan, the $79 charge for the service call should be waived. If the problem turns out to be something D* is not responsible for, then the charge should stand.

I agree.

 

[BlueGuy]

The Story: HD Locals would not come in on my H-21 receiver in my basement. 771 for them. No problems on my DVR upstairs. I troubleshot the whole thing prior to making a call to D*. Checked lines, signals, connections, etc. Moved my DVR downstairs and had no trouble at all receiving HD locals. Brought my parents H-21 to my house and did not have a problem receiving HD locals. Actually brought my box to my parents and still could not receive HD locals there...Lead me to the conclusion of a receiver issue. Brilliant, I know! Had D* remove and add the box on again to see if authorizations could be a problem. Didn't help either.

Now the frustation begins. I ask for them to just send a replacement receiver and all will be fine. Nope, they insist on rolling a fricken truck out at the $79 rate for a not needed service call. Even the tech that came to my house was shaking his head. He literally walked in, looked at sigals(all are really quite good, mid 90's typically, with local spots in upper 90's and frequently at 100) and said "looks like you need a new receiver. Dude was brilliant!

As a consumer, this really frustrates me. They are using issues like this to get people to sign up for the protection plan as a money maker. I am not on it and do not feel that an issue like this should ever be a charged visit by a tech. Many of us can troubleshoot our issues. I did get them to pick up the tab after some work, but this really should never have come to that. It is a leased receiver that had an issue...Plain and simple. It should be send a new one and call it a day. Yet for many its a $79 charge for a BS reason. Or a monthly protection plan fee, just in case you think you actually might need it for a faulty receiver of theirs. I understand that the protection plan covers other things, but this really should work as credit type system if your leased equipment is faulty. How many people just give in and pay the fee?

This really should be a case study for Directv on really bad customer service and policy and should be brought up as a talking point. This type of issue would cause me to not recommend D* to other people. I am happy that I was able to plead my case and have them pick up the tab, but I did have to put in some effort to get that to happen.

My rant, feel free to comment.

You think you are annoyed now? Wait until you figure out they added 2 yrs to your commitment.

 

[Dave]

Actually DTV should pick up the tab for all replacements and truck rolls. Point 1, DirectV or there reps did the install of all equipment, not the customer. Point 2, it is leased equipment, not owned. Even if it is a bad LNB or wiring, remember that it was a DirectV install by there reps. Point 3, this is why I do not give a credit card number to DirectV, or have a active credit card on account with them or any business. Point 4, always stress with DirectV if they are wrong and they need to make it right now. Not in the future at there convience. Point 5, if you need and think it will help file a compaint against DirectV with the state of California the attorney generals office, and also with the Better Business Bureau in Irvington, CA where there headquarters are located. If they, DirectV makes a charge on your Credit Card of file with them, and is it wrong. Immediately call your card company up and dispute the charge. Remember DirectV likes to keep your money and give you credits if they DTV are wrong. They won't want to refund any monies.

 

[rudeney]

Leasing a car is totally different then leasing a DTV receiver. It is a completely different kind of lease.

I fully understand that and I am one of the first people one to point out how car lease analogies don't apply to D* equipment. Regardless, I do believe it applies in this case. So many people come here and state that they don't believe they should be responsible for repairs and service on something they do not own. My argument is that they do on a car lease, so why expect something different on a D* equipment lease?

 

[rudeney]

Actually DTV should pick up the tab for all replacements and truck rolls. Point 1, DirectV or there reps did the install of all equipment, not the customer.

Not always. Up until two years ago when I upgraded to HD, all my equipment was self-installed.

Point 2, it is leased equipment, not owned.

That has absolutely nothing to do with who is responsible for covering the cost of repairs.

Even if it is a bad LNB or wiring, remember that it was a DirectV install by there reps.

All of my internal cabling (including dish to multiswitch) was installed by me. If I did a bad job, why is that D*'s problem?

Point 3, this is why I do not give a credit card number to DirectV, or have a active credit card on account with them or any business. Point 4, always stress with DirectV if they are wrong and they need to make it right now. Not in the future at there convience. Point 5, if you need and think it will help file a compaint against DirectV with the state of California the attorney generals office, and also with the Better Business Bureau in Irvington, CA where there headquarters are located. If they, DirectV makes a charge on your Credit Card of file with them, and is it wrong. Immediately call your card company up and dispute the charge. Remember DirectV likes to keep your money and give you credits if they DTV are wrong. They won't want to refund any monies.

I do agree with you here. D* is very slow to correct billing issues and instead of correcting the error, they typically just issue generic credits, and then those credits count against your rating for getting any sort of deals or discounts on future services.

 

[David MacLeod]

this is another example of no consistency. see my post http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=140665
I did pretty much the same troubleshooting and, other than being sent broken equipment, did not have to deal with that service call stuff. maybe its related to model involved.

 

[mogulman]

I fully understand that and I am one of the first people one to point out how car lease analogies don't apply to D* equipment. Regardless, I do believe it applies in this case. So many people come here and state that they don't believe they should be responsible for repairs and service on something they do not own. My argument is that they do on a car lease, so why expect something different on a D* equipment lease?

Yeah..but they don't for cable boxes. So why require it for D* equipment? I think Cable DVRs are more similar to DTV than cars.

 

[rudeney]

Good point, but cable boxes usually have no up-front fees, so if you want to swap, you have no investment in it. I guess that’s where I see the similarities between a car lease and a D* receiver lease in terms of warranty support. Oh, and also like a car lease (and unlike with cable), when you lease a receiver from D*, you end up in a commitment term, so even if you wanted to walk away, you can’t just return the box – you still have he ETF’s to worry about.

And on the subject of cable and back to the original topic, our local cable provider is not as quick to just replace a box. Unless there is some obvious problem with it, like no power at all, they want to send a technician. If the problem is in their lines up to the service entrance, or it is the box, the cover the cost. If the tech thinks it’s inside wiring, and you don’t have the service for that, then they charge you if you want that repaired. My sister-in-law went through this. They had ridiculously weak signal levels at the service entrance (-10db or somethign liek that), but the cable company refused to do anything about it, always citing “internal wiring”. I installed all new home-run RG6 with an amplifier, attenuators, etc. just to get a barely viewable signal. The cable company still claimed inside wiring. They now have D*.

 

[HD AV]

The analogy to a leased car does hold water. The car has normal wear and tear and requires preventative maintenance; lessee's responsibility plain and simple. A piece of electronic equipment does not, it only requires proper use and due care, not maintenance. If it does not function as it should, it is not the lessee's responsibility unless they were negligent and damaged the unit.

 

[iamqnow]

Thats the problem though, they were just sending out recievers to just about anyone who called in with issues. Look at the past threads with folks saying that they had 5 or 6 boxes and finally a service tech came out and it was a bad connector, or a misaligned dish, or lnb, etc. The fact is very few companies will just send out replacements without verifying that the problem is in fact legit. At that point it becomes preference on whether you want to cover your bets with the PP or take your chances.

Yes, but, I had a bad receiver, no doubt about it. Called at least 5 times within 3 months, explained how mpeg 4 channels did not work. Went through all kinds of torture. Explained how I did all my own installs, swapped "bad" receiver location to prove it was not another issue (cable,connnector, etc.) They didn't want to hear it. Picked up a new receiver at BestBuy and it worked fine. They did finally credit me for the $99. lease fee after I sent the NG unit back to them. Really frustrating.