[tjm]

This may be a little long, but it has a happy ending.

A year ago, DTV swapped out two HR10s with two refurbished HR20-100s. They worked okay initially, but various problems kept coming up intermittently (freezes, searching for satellite, recording errors).

Eventually one of them could never find a satellite signal, so I called and they sent a tech out that replaced it with an HR21. Didn't need the OTA, so no big deal. The other one was still okay for the most part.

Two weeks later, the 2nd one died. When I called this time, I got a case manager since there were two problems so close together. He sent a tech out (same guy as the first time who really knows this business). He replaced the 2nd one with another HR21. I needed OTA, so I ordered the AM21 which seems to work very well so far.

When I got my last bill I had the 79.95 service call fee added on. I called to question this and the very nice 1st line operator had to send me to a not very nice supervisor who wouldn't remove the charge and admonished me for not having the $5/month protection plan. He gave me a *one time only* $10 credit for 6 months and strongly recommended the $5/month protection plan.

Now the really good part...I got a call this morning from the same case manager from a few weeks ago. He had checked the record and removed the fee because it shouldn't have been on there in the first place.

Bottom line, great customer support from the service technician and then the case manager! I've been with DTV since 1998 and with this kind of customer service, I'll be around for a long time to come.

 

[Justin23]

It's unfortunate that more people don't post about their good Customer Service stories. It seems like all we see on here are the *****ing and the bad tales. Thanks for sharing!

J

 

[davring]

Glad to hear of a happy customer, I have always been treated well.

 

[harsh]

It is unfortunate that even the happy stories involve at least two levels of escalation, incorrect billing and high equipment failure rates.

It is unfathomable that companies like DIRECTV and DISH Network can do this and still remain at the top of the industry in customer satisfaction.

 

[beavis]

Did the CSR who set up the first service call not tell you about the $79.95 fee? Unless you had an install or a previous service call within 90 days, without the protection plan the standard charge is $79.95. If the CSR said it would be free then that's definitely not something he should've done. Glad to see it all worked out.

 

[tjm]

Did the CSR who set up the first service call not tell you about the $79.95 fee? Unless you had an install or a previous service call within 90 days, without the protection plan the standard charge is $79.95. If the CSR said it would be free then that's definitely not something he should've done. Glad to see it all worked out.

I don't recall the specifics of the first call, and I'm sure it's been covered in another thread, but it just seams unreasonable to have to pay for a service call when a bad piece of equipment is sent to a customer. Maybe they realized that?

 

[CJTE]

I don't recall the specifics of the first call, and I'm sure it's been covered in another thread, but it just seams unreasonable to have to pay for a service call when a bad piece of equipment is sent to a customer. Maybe they realized that?

You have a 90 day warranty on your equipment when its activated, and a 90 day warranty on the techs job.

So if a receiver fails within 90 days of activation, it can be replaced for free. If your dish goes out of alignment within 90 days of the tech being there, another tech will come out for free.

After the 90 days its all on you. You can pay $79.95 for a service call, $19.99 for a replacement receiver, OR, you can get DirecTVs extended warranty (protection plan) for $5.99/mo, and all receiver replacements and service calls are free.

Doesnt matter if you 'lease' or 'own' the receivers (the cabling and dish you own), after 90 days its on your bone.

 

[raoul5788]

It is unfortunate that even the happy stories involve at least two levels of escalation, incorrect billing and high equipment failure rates.

It is unfathomable that companies like DIRECTV and DISH Network can do this and still remain at the top of the industry in customer satisfaction.

Good Lord, man! Do you EVER say anything positive?

 

[CJTE]

Good Lord, man! Do you EVER say anything positive?

Atleast he's unbiased

 

[heisman]

It is unfathomable that companies like DIRECTV and DISH Network can do this and still remain at the top of the industry in customer satisfaction.

I totally agree, but let's not forget they rate a point or two above the IRS. Everything is relative.

 

[Jon J]

It's unfortunate that more people don't post about their good Customer Service stories.

Some of us do but we are often hammered for being fanboys.

 

[kaysersoze]

It is unfortunate that even the happy stories involve at least two levels of escalation, incorrect billing and high equipment failure rates.

It is unfathomable that companies like DIRECTV and DISH Network can do this and still remain at the top of the industry in customer satisfaction.

It is easy to understand if you look at the competition.

 

[Mike Bertelson]

This may be a little long, but it has a happy ending.

A year ago, DTV swapped out two HR10s with two refurbished HR20-100s. They worked okay initially, but various problems kept coming up intermittently (freezes, searching for satellite, recording errors).

Eventually one of them could never find a satellite signal, so I called and they sent a tech out that replaced it with an HR21. Didn't need the OTA, so no big deal. The other one was still okay for the most part.

Two weeks later, the 2nd one died. When I called this time, I got a case manager since there were two problems so close together. He sent a tech out (same guy as the first time who really knows this business). He replaced the 2nd one with another HR21. I needed OTA, so I ordered the AM21 which seems to work very well so far.

When I got my last bill I had the 79.95 service call fee added on. I called to question this and the very nice 1st line operator had to send me to a not very nice supervisor who wouldn't remove the charge and admonished me for not having the $5/month protection plan. He gave me a *one time only* $10 credit for 6 months and strongly recommended the $5/month protection plan.

Now the really good part...I got a call this morning from the same case manager from a few weeks ago. He had checked the record and removed the fee because it shouldn't have been on there in the first place.

Bottom line, great customer support from the service technician and then the case manager! I've been with DTV since 1998 and with this kind of customer service, I'll be around for a long time to come.

It seems as if the supervisor didn't check into your case. Maybe if he/she had it could have been taken care of when you called about the fee. It's great that there are people who are on top of their cases.

Glad to hear that the system can work. We don't usually hear about the good stuff.

Thanks for the info.

Don't know if anyone has welcomed you so....Welcom to DBSTalk. :welcome_s

Mike

 

[wesmills]

It's unfortunate that more people don't post about their good Customer Service stories. It seems like all we see on here are the *****ing and the bad tales. Thanks for sharing!

J

I have a good customer service story: For 8+ years, DirecTV has done exactly what I ask of them. They provide moving pictures, stereo sound and bill me accurately once a month. I've only asked for a freebie once (the big DVR4ME promotion) and subsequently received it with no hassle. If I purchase a new receiver, a CSR has always activated it within 5 minutes, and accurately deactivated the one it replaced.

No fuss, no muss, working TV. I'm happy. :grin: