[jimdx]

Just got off the phone with a CSR that was just this side of clueless and need to ventilate a little. I've had a problem with my HR20-100 that I got some great help from people on this forum Basically, it looks like tuner 1 died, as I can watch live shows just fine but get blank recordings for anything scheduled.

Did all the troubleshooting recommended by members here in another post in the HD DVR forum and isolated it to tuner 1 inside the DVR.

Called customer support and here's where the fun began. The guy asked that I go through the usual steps of rebooting and checking signal levels, which I did and nothing changed. He then asks if I can get to my dish, which I can (should have said no...) and he asked that I check the connections at the LNB. I reminded him that when I switched inputs at the box, the problem stayed with tuner 1. He wasn't impressed and wanted me to do it anyway, which I agreed to do. Obviously, no problems were noted. This is when things got just plain dumb. He says he can't send me out a new box and that I had to wait for a technician because I have a signal problem....:nono2: And oh by the way, no appointments are available until the 12th of August. I told him politely that this was unacceptable and could he please just send me a new unit because all the troubleshooting indicates a problem with the box, not signals (i had 90-100s on tuner 2, random 0s on tuner 1). He started getting irritated and informed me that it was clearly a signal problem and no way was he going to send me out a new box.

I then asked for retention, and his response was I'll gladly send you to retention so you can pay your termination fee and have the service turned off!

Fortunately, after explaining the situation, retention agreed that it was probably the DVR and said they would send one out immediately. I'm a normally a pretty calm guy but this guy really got under my skin after his sarcastic comment about terminating my service. He should be licking stamps in the mail room, not working front line customer support. The woman in retention was very very professional and clearly interested in customer satisfaction.

Thanks to this forum, I was able to avoid a big hassle and having to wait until the 12th to get this problem corrected.

 

[spartanstew]

Thanks for the update.

 

[Mertzen]

J And oh by the way, no appointments are available until the 12th of August.

Dang, your area must have the new vans that travel back in time :lol:

 

[BlueGuy]

a normally a pretty calm guy but this guy really got under my skin after his sarcastic comment about terminating my service. He should be licking stamps in the mail room, not working front line customer support. The woman in retention was very very professional and clearly interested in customer satisfaction.

Thanks to this forum, I was able to avoid a big hassle and having to wait until the 12th to get this problem corrected.

You do realize that stamp licking is where they promote the most efficient and customer oriented CSR's. :lol:

 

[jimdx]

Dang, you're are must have the new vans that travel back in time :lol:

oops :lol: See how frustrated this got me? Sept 12th is what i meant

 

[beavis]

FWIW, it is against D* policy to send out replacement receivers for searching for satellite, or any signal related issue, unless it's a known problem (like the H20-600 issue.) Some CSR's (usually the more tenured ones) understand that a signal issue can be a receiver issue and will send a replacement receiver. They're also risking getting dinged if they're being monitored. The CSR you spoke with was just following D*'s policy. Can't fault him for that.

 

[bcrab]

FWIW, it is against D* policy to send out replacement receivers for searching for satellite, or any signal related issue, unless it's a known problem (like the H20-600 issue.) Some CSR's (usually the more tenured ones) understand that a signal issue can be a receiver issue and will send a replacement receiver. They're also risking getting dinged if they're being monitored. The CSR you spoke with was just following D*'s policy. Can't fault him for that.

Is that pleasant of an attitude part of D*'s policy too? :nono2:

 

[jimdx]

FWIW, it is against D* policy to send out replacement receivers for searching for satellite, or any signal related issue, unless it's a known problem (like the H20-600 issue.) Some CSR's (usually the more tenured ones) understand that a signal issue can be a receiver issue and will send a replacement receiver. They're also risking getting dinged if they're being monitored. The CSR you spoke with was just following D*'s policy. Can't fault him for that.

I understand policies and can appreciate one that says if it's a signal issue, dont send out a new box. But when a signal problem is specific to one tuner and stays with that tuner after switching cables and bbc's, then common sense says its not a true signal issue.

Is that pleasant of an attitude part of D*'s policy too? :nono2:

Exactly the point

 

[rahlquist]

I then asked for retention, and his response was I'll gladly send you to retention so you can pay your termination fee and have the service turned off!

Fortunately, after explaining the situation, retention agreed that it was probably the DVR and said they would send one out immediately. I'm a normally a pretty calm guy but this guy really got under my skin after his sarcastic comment about terminating my service.

Keep in mind that D* has a tendency to not only record the ID of a rep who took a call, but also the content of the call itself. If this call was as bad as you said then you should call and file a formal complaint. If nothing else then you will prevent someone else from having this same issue with this same CSR.

The 6 steps to a successful call with a CSR.

1 Identify (CSR): When they greet you ask for their employee id and first name
2 Identify(issue): be polite and as brief as possible in explaining why you called.
3 Make Progress: If your are not getting anywhere ask to please speak with a supervisor, they will likely want to note your account with why you want to speak to the supervisor so do tell them why.
4 Review:After all changes have been made request the CSR go over your billing, it shouldn't take them long to do this and should let you catch that extra $5 that wasn't there the month before. Also make sure everything they offer you is in the call notes, make them read them back at the end of the call, after going over your billing.
5 Be Aware: Remember the calls can and most likely will be recorded and that the CSR can get disciplined based on the call so try to keep on track and don't ask them anything personal you wouldn't discuss with your pastor, or grandmother.

 

[beavis]

I agree. Common sense should dictate a replacement receiver. Scenario : you have 2 receivers, and 1 one of them is searching for satellite, you swap locations with the good one, and the good one works in the room where the bad one originated. The bad one doesn't work in any room. Pretty cut and dry right? Nope, still gotta set up a service call. One could spend hours making heads or tails of this, and yeah, if that CSR really said that about paying the ETF, I'd agree, that was extremely unprofessional. Glad to hear retention worked for you.

 

[csrdetail]

It's unfourtanate - but as bevis said, it's the rule. In your situation it makes perfect sense to replace the IRD but following troubleshooting for that issue, we're asked to send a tech to make sure there arent other issues causing the SFSS. Most customers dont go thru the effort you did to t/s it yourself and that is appreciated. The tech's attitude needed adjustment. Rest assured those kind of people don't get to stay with D* too long. I'm sorry this happened to you.

 

[jimdx]

I agree. Common sense should dictate a replacement receiver. Scenario : you have 2 receivers, and 1 one of them is searching for satellite, you swap locations with the good one, and the good one works in the room where the bad one originated. The bad one doesn't work in any room. Pretty cut and dry right? Nope, still gotta set up a service call. One could spend hours making heads or tails of this, and yeah, if that CSR really said that about paying the ETF, I'd agree, that was extremely unprofessional. Glad to hear retention worked for you.

It's unfourtanate - but as bevis said, it's the rule. In your situation it makes perfect sense to replace the IRD but following troubleshooting for that issue, we're asked to send a tech to make sure there arent other issues causing the SFSS. Most customers dont go thru the effort you did to t/s it yourself and that is appreciated. The tech's attitude needed adjustment. Rest assured those kind of people don't get to stay with D* too long. I'm sorry this happened to you.

Thanks for the input and just for the record, my previous experiences with customer service, though not nearly as technical as this issue, were very positive. I'm not the type to give all of DIRECTV a black eye because of one guy with an attitude issue. I'm a product line manager in aerospace and deal with customers on a daily basis. I know how challenging they can be sometimes

Having a tech come out wouldn't be that big an issue if I didn't have to wait 8 days for an appointment. That seems pretty excessive to me.

BTW, what does IRD stand for?

 

[curt8403]

IRD is Integrated Receiver Decoder

 

[jimdx]

IRD is Integrated Receiver Decoder

Thanks!

 

[rorkin]

FWIW, it is against D* policy to send out replacement receivers for searching for satellite, or any signal related issue, unless it's a known problem (like the H20-600 issue.) Some CSR's (usually the more tenured ones) understand that a signal issue can be a receiver issue and will send a replacement receiver. They're also risking getting dinged if they're being monitored. The CSR you spoke with was just following D*'s policy. Can't fault him for that.

Which does not explain why I had to go through the same dance with my dying
h-20-600.. I switched out with another receiver and problem went away.
I did have some fun though.. They Insisted I had to re connect bad receiver and go through all the "steps" .. Neat part was when I finally said sure but I will have to put you on hold. To my surprise after 10 min of me reinstalling the bad receiver , booting, loading , they were still on the phone !!
So after wasting 1/2 hour of my time and theirs, They sent me a new box ..
I got to put Directv on hold for 10 min not the other way around.. Might be a first.
All this when I pay for the service plan .. I guess with all the service plan income they can afford to waste everyone's time..

 

[beavis]

There's a known issue with the H20-600's that if they're the only receiver on the account that's searching for satellite, and all the other receivers work fine, then replacing it is approved.

 

[jimdx]

Thought I'd post an update on this saga.......

To DIRECTV's credit, they ordered me a new receiver Thursday afternoon and FEDEX dropped it off first thing this morning. Received an HR21-100. Having the shiny black finish, it looks so much better in my equipment rack. Get it installed, fired up and activated. The woman I spoke with was great and put in an order for an AM21 so I can use my off air antennae.

Things quickly went south from there

About an hour into use, the box reset itself. No big deal I thought but was soon proved wrong. When it got to the message that says "just a few more seconds", it went no further. Forever. Tried an RBR, same result. Unplugged and ditto. I'm now on hold for customer support....

If this cant be fixed, then I guess I'm totally dead in the water till early next week I'm really getting fed up at this point, as it's the first week of Sunday Ticket and this probably means im going to miss the Patriots tomorrow.

Anyone ever heard of them allowing you to go buy a receiver at the store and getting a credit on your account the cost of the receiver? I have a feeling I know the answer but its desperation time

 

[ICM2000]

The H21 receiver (not the DVR) is about $100 at Best Buy. You have a good argument but it may be a lengthy negotiation before a DirecTv credits are obtained.

However, you would get you ST games.

 

[davring]

Thought I'd post an update on this saga.......

To DIRECTV's credit, they ordered me a new receiver Thursday afternoon and FEDEX dropped it off first thing this morning. Received an HR21-100. Having the shiny black finish, it looks so much better in my equipment rack. Get it installed, fired up and activated. The woman I spoke with was great and put in an order for an AM21 so I can use my off air antennae.

Things quickly went south from there

About an hour into use, the box reset itself. No big deal I thought but was soon proved wrong. When it got to the message that says "just a few more seconds", it went no further. Forever. Tried an RBR, same result. Unplugged and ditto. I'm now on hold for customer support....

If this cant be fixed, then I guess I'm totally dead in the water till early next week I'm really getting fed up at this point, as it's the first week of Sunday Ticket and this probably means im going to miss the Patriots tomorrow.

Anyone ever heard of them allowing you to go buy a receiver at the store and getting a credit on your account the cost of the receiver? I have a feeling I know the answer but its desperation time

If you are contemplating adding an additional receiver down the road, I would go buy one and deal with the bad one after the football game

 

[jimdx]

Well today has been nothing but fun

Been on the phone with tech support a total of five times. Very long story short, the box will actually get back to a live picture if I leave it alone for between 65 and 70 minutes. Then after an hour or two of watching TV, it will reset again and you get to wait another hour plus to get a picture.

Box number three is on its way........