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Directv receiver question

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Directv receiver question

Old 04-14-15, 07:47 PM
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Directv receiver question

so hear is the situation

I have 2 active Directv receivers in my household .... a HD/DVR receiver in the main living area and an owned standard def receiver in an upstairs bedroom (connected to a SD tv)

it appears my SD receiver (D10) died yesterday

trying to see what my options are for replacing
I see Directv sells a SD receiver for $69.00 and notes a $6.50 monthly fee for each additional tv you activate directv on
as well, new receiver orders require a 24 month agreement

I have some credits that will fall of within the next few months and locking into a 24 month contract will reduce any negotiating power I have to reduce my monthly bill when the time comes

can I purchase a box from any reputable place on the internet and take the card from my current receiver and move it to the new one or will the card only work on the box with the serial # directv has on file?

if I purchase a new box from directv do I have to pay an additional $6.50 a month or is that already covered in line 3 of my bill assuming I have them decommision my dead box on the account

current bill below

thoughts?

DIRECTV Channels
1. TOTAL CHOICE 72.99

SUBTOTAL 72.99

DIRECTV Equipment Services
3. Watch DIRECTV on Multiple TVs 6.50
2 TVs at $6.50; Save $6.50 off 1st TV

4. Advanced Receiver Service - HD 10.00

5. Advanced Receiver Service - DVR 0.00
$10 off $10 for 12 months (8 of 12)

SUBTOTAL 16.50

Other Discounts
6. Save $20 for 12 months (8 of 12) -20.00
7. Save $5 for 12 months (3 of 12) -5.00
8. Save $5 for 24 months (8 of 24) -5.00

SUBTOTAL -30.00

Other Charges, Adjustments & Taxes
9. Regional Sports Fee 3.63

SUBTOTAL 3.63

Total Amount Due 63.12
Old 04-15-15, 02:25 AM
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Re: Directv receiver question

Looks like you are already paying for the second TV.

Here is what you do. Call and talk to an agent and explain you really need a new free receiver. The key with DirecTV is to be super nice, not threatening or being loud -they get that all the time.

They have tremendous leeway in what they can do. Getting free hardware is difficult though but can be done.

If you do not get the first agent to give you the free receiver, wait a couple days and ask for retention, you cam actually say "retention" or cancel to the autoattendant and get straight there. Explain again nicely that you can't afford to buy the receiver, maybe throw in that your local cable company will and you should walk away with a new receiver and probably another discount or so.

Do NOT agree to a 24 month contract, they will do it without it.

DirecTV gave me 2 HD DVRs a few years ago, and get like $65 a month in credits using the above strategy. Most important thing be conversational. friendly and not irate.
Old 04-15-15, 11:32 AM
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Re: Directv receiver question

And yet when I had problems with DirecTV they weren't willing to bend at all. We had the Genie and in October their software update deleted not only our recorded shows but also our play list. We called. They replaced a min Genie with an HD DVR giving me 7 shows instead of the normal 5. We turned in a mini Genie on a 3rd tv. But then mid-January they did another software update that really screwed up the Genie. You could no longer arrow down or page down. You had to delete the shows top down to get to the program you wanted to watch and then you had to watch them in reverse order. After 6 weeks they couldn't fix the problem and refused to replace the Genie.
Well the regular box, hooked to the Genie didn't have that problem so I asked about moving the Genie to where the mini had been so we could still record the shows and put a regular HD box where the Genie was until they got the problem fixed. By this time we're going on 2 months and they refused that as well. And we spoke to everyone, CSR, Retention, supervisor, nothing. So we cancelled and went to TWC. 2 weeks later they decided oh we can do what you wanted after all but by then I was so put out I stayed with TWC.
Now here's the kicker, when I returned the equipment all they wanted was the Genie receiver. They said I could throw away the HD receiver. The same receive I had asked for another one to solve their problem. They just wanted the card back.

As to the OP question, I believe you would need them to marry the card to the new receiver. I would ask them if they do that before I bought a 3rd party receiver.
Old 04-17-15, 03:53 PM
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Re: Directv receiver question

well to answer my own question in case it benefits anyone else

I was told the commitment to purchase a SD recevier from Directv is 12 months not 24 if I purchase at the listed $69.00 price (plus shipping).... I was told I could pay $99 (plus shipping) for the receiver and that would not lock me into a commitment

if I decided to source a receiver from a 3rd party, I would need to obtain the receiver ID and verify with Directv that it was an owned and not leased receiver ... if owned I would be able to use the card in my current receiver and activate the new one with Directv

I'll probably go with the first option

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