[lamotte]

having a new hr 21 dvr installed on monday afternoon after coming back to directv . we moved earlier this year and i had a new dish installed with the dish mover program. and i returned to directv last year after being away for almost 18 months as i had been a customer from the early days.

i have both of my receiver installed next to each other in my equipment cabinet. i also have a r-10 dvr i purchased earlier this year on ebay. when talking to directv this week i was told this was leased and not sure what they were talking about as i purchased this on ebay. since my receiver was installed just last year will they take it on monday or will they send me a box to return it to them in later on

 

[Grentz]

Even if you bought it on eBay, all receivers in the last few years have been leased (unless you pay a LOT more for the owned status, which still can be a hassle for directv to honor).

They will either take the receiver or ask for it to be sent back OR if you choose to leave it on as an additional receiver, it will be $5/mo extra.

 

[carl6]

The R-10 DVR has never been leased, however it may well have been recorded as such when activated on the new account. That can probably be corrected if you spend enough time with a knowledgeable CSR. If you can do so (if it is still there), talk to the access card department.

Carl

 

[Grentz]

The R-10 DVR has never been leased, however it may well have been recorded as such when activated on the new account. That can probably be corrected if you spend enough time with a knowledgeable CSR. If you can do so (if it is still there), talk to the access card department.

Carl

are you sure? My friend bought one at Best Buy and they told him it was leased?

Maybe it was back stock they were applying the new leased rules to or something though, but I thought that a small percentage of the R10s towards the end got the leasing rules applied to them.

 

[litzdog911]

The Tivo-based DVRs, like the R10 and HR10-250, became Leased starting in March 2006. But not too many were sold after that date, so most Tivo-based DVRs are not leased.

 

[bobnielsen]

When did he buy it? The switch to leasing was on March 1, 1986. There still may have been a few R10s left n the pipeline, but the focus was on the R15 by then.

 

[RobertE]

When did he buy it? The switch to leasing was on March 1, 1986. There still may have been a few R10s left n the pipeline, but the focus was on the R15 by then.

2006, not 1986.

 

[davring]

I doubt they want it back either way, leased or owned, not the R10. I have one I can't give away

 

[the new guy]

My installer tried to take away my DirecTiVo boxes (not R10) when I upgraded to HR21's. I flat out told him he could not, as I own them (they were also modified, but he did not need to know about that ). It was the last I heard on the matter.

If your bills show nothing or an additional receiver fee, you own the receiver. Leased equipment shows a lease fee and credit for the first box, and a lease fee for any others.

 

[techrep]

I doubt that they will want it but, if they do, tell them that you own it and will keep it.

 

[Bronco70]

My installer tried to take away my DirecTiVo boxes (not R10) when I upgraded to HR21's. I flat out told him he could not, as I own them (they were also modified, but he did not need to know about that ). It was the last I heard on the matter.

If your bills show nothing or an additional receiver fee, you own the receiver. Leased equipment shows a lease fee and credit for the first box, and a lease fee for any others.

I changed out my 10-250 to an HR-21 recently, part of the D* deal to upgrade customers to continue with ST/SF. My 10-250 was a purchase through D* back in Dec. 05. The installer questioned whether I wanted to keep the old IRD. Well yes, I have the HDD maxed out with programs I have not viewed.

"Not sure I can let you keep it". "Really, Well go ahead and Check". The 10-250 still resides in the rack with unwatched material.

What I do not understand as a D* customer since 1995 is the focus on leased vs. owned equipment around here. Why does anyone care? It is useless for anything else. I have two old Sony SAT-A1 units purchased at the cost of $750.00 each back in the day.

They sit as backups in case one of the last two SD units in this house fails. They can be back online in a minute or two. D* CSR's can be that responsive.

Joe

 

[the new guy]

Since we have always had to pay for our receivers up front, it was possible to recover some of the cost by selling the receiver when we either upgraded or got rid of the service altogether. Now we still have to pay the upfront equipment charges, but we have to return the receivers when we are done with them, and are left with nothing to show for it. DirecTV has essentially killed the used receiver market, while being able to charge the same for new or used (refurbished) equipment.

I can definitely see D*'s reasons for doing this, but it is quite a change from the customer's perspective. There is always resistance to change.

 

[BattleZone]

You forgot to mention that the up-front lease fee is *significantly* lower than what people used to pay to "own" their own equipment.

My first DirecTV receiver was a Sony SAT-A2, which was a simple, standard-def single-tuner receiver that didn't even have Dolby Digital support. I paid $350 in 1997. I couldn't give it away today, or even 5 years ago. Today, DirecTV will lease a customer FOUR equivalent receivers with no fee. That's equivalent to $1400 back in 1997. You also had to buy your dish and do your own install then, too.

In 2004, people were paying $1,000 for an HR10-250. In 2006, they were still paying $350 for them. Today, most folks can get an HR21 for $99 (if it's their first, $199 for others) without even trying to get a "deal."

IMO, the lease option is actually a financial advantage to nearly all customers, who no longer have to come up with a huge up-front payment for their advanced equipment. Far more people are getting to enjoy HD-DVRs as a result. Few people want to deal with the hassle of trying to sell an obsolete receiver to try to recover a small percentage of their investment anyway.