I guess you're right. On my last one year anniversary I got 3 months free of some obscure sports channels I never watched...

I call them up every 3 months and they give me free Showtime. It takes me 5 minutes but saves me money.

It's a $700 box and you are bitching because you have to pay $100 to upgrade to it? I have an HR20 in the basement that is from the very first batch of the D* HD-DVR production line. Cost? $300 + a $20 shipping charge. You are getting that HR21 box for only $100 because someone else already paid the majority of their cost of manufacturing the equipment.

It IS hit or miss on whether your new box is a refurb or new when you upgrade. When the installer came to put ours' in I ended up with a refurb HR21 but was shipped a new HR22 when I called to complain....and you know what? They let me keep both and when I moved, they activated the refurb unit at no additional charge. Ended up with 2 free HD-DVR upgrades and whether intentional or not, they did not renew my contract.

If you went from a standard receiver up to an HD-DVR without need of a tech, you likely got a SWM installed when you first ordered. That alone cost me $80 as an election when I moved last year. So consider everything you've gotten from them in your short time as a subscriber before bitching and moaning.

If you want to throw up the monthly charge, there's plenty to justify it. For starters, they put up at least 3 sats in the past 5 years just to provide HD content. They cost money and your $100 to pay for your upgraded equipment is already putting them at a loss just for the box. If you want to bitch about the increased programming costs, go bitch to the Disney Corp who charges (and receives) a larger portion of fees than any other company. Between their ESPN division, Disney proper, and then the ABC owned affiliates they could single handedly destroy a provider if they yanked their channels. If you feel like bitching more, go bitch to your municipality which reaps profits from the cable companies who do not want ala carte service. If the cable companies forced this on the providers, D* would be right there as well.

It's easy to complain about D* or Dish or the cable companies but they are just the middle men between the content providers and consumers. If you don't like the middleman you have, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Thank you for this satire of right-wing talk radio. Made my day!

it's only a "$700 box" because they say it is.

again, SOMEONE, anyone, answer my question... why should a new customer get the latest tech when an existing, yes, loyal customer, outside of contract, get the refurb older models? why shouldn't we be treated the exact same?

I'm going to guess that they've found that existing customers aren't likely to leave when getting refurbs, while new customers aren't willing to sign up if they're getting refurbs.

sounds like a shitty reason to me... especially since, when it comes down to it, an existing customer just has to piss and moan long and loud enough to get the latest box sent to them.

which is what I did, and now am the proud owner of an HR-24.

I really cannot believe there are people out there defending DirecTV on this. I mean, me, and Joe Newcustomer pay the same amount upfront (actually they probably pay less), and the same amount each month, yet they get a faster box that allows them to hold twice the amount of recordings that my box would? fuck that noise.

oh, and let's not lose sight of the fact that the original refurb they sent me was scratched, dust coverered, and dinged up. to be honest, I didn't even know about the newer boxes until after I called to get "new" HR-21, or at least one that didn't look like it's been taping shows inside the monkey house exhibit at the local zoo.

you apparently aren't reading well enough. nobody is defending DirecTV for sending you a refurb. what they are defending DirecTv for is when a customer such as yourself, that feels a sense of entitlement, calls up and bitches and moans, expecting something for free that would normally cost hundreds of dollars. waaaaa, i want the HR24, but i can't get it for cheap. waaaa. here's a tip. in the future, calling up, and politely expressing your displeasure with your service may get your further than posting like a whiny child on an internet forum.

yet here I sit, with an HR24. you've never answered my question, which is not surprising because you can't give me a good answer. with that, you bore me with this. adieu.

Of course new customers get sweetheart deals all the time, hardly an uncommon practice in the business world. With D* I got free Sunday Ticket for signing up, while existing customers had to pay for it. So they have to do something with the refurb boxes. Maybe that was the "deal" that made it only $100 (instead of $200) - that you get a refurb DVR. But I agree that they really should tell you up front you are to get a refurb unit, and maybe give you the option of paying extra for the new one. Ultimately you got what you wanted for the asking, so I can't see ripping D* on this one. All that said, I agree the condescending nature of replies in this thread is pretty internettish.

i don't have to give you a good answer, because several people already did in this thread. new customer acquisition is far more enticing to companies that current customers. that's how business has worked since the dawn of time.

enjoy your new HR24, though. unfortunately, it won't dry those tears from before.

I think it's safe to say that ALL satellite and cable companies will jail sex you for just a couple bucks if you're willing to bend over and take it. I agree that satellite equipment is way overpriced but you have a choice: pay it or leave. I left Dish despite being financially tied to about $1k worth of equipment and I haven't missed them at all. I'm with Comcast now and once they refuse to work with me on price, I'll move on.

[sarcasm] Fuck DirecTV! They just screwed me! They are shady as hell. I have an HDDVR that crapped out. An HR21-200. They wouldn't upgrade me to the HR24 for free! What kind of fucking bullshit is this? Fucking scammers! I demand expensive items for free! rabble rabble rabble [/sarcasm]

Seriously, though, I did just have to call in on a DVR that crapped out. Swapped it out for same model. While I would've liked to have got an HR24, they said they swap it out for similar item. Am I pissed off? Nope, because I don't expect things for free from them.

MOD NOTE

Let's dial down the sarcasm in this thread. The tone is starting to get nasty in here.

Thanks.

Too bad your sarcasm laced scenario is faulty from the start. I've never had an HD DVR that crapped out. Your argument holds water only if I was trying to upgrade a perfectly good HR-21 just for the hell of it, OR if I was trying to get them to replace a defective HR-21 of mine with the latest tech. I have one existing HR-21, and it works fine, and if it dies on me, I'd be fine with them sending me a replacement refurb if available. I wouldn't be fine with it coming to me covered in some weird goo, with dings and scratches and dust all over it/in it like they just sent me. However, if you'd take the time to actually read the OP, I'm putting HD in a completely different part of the house, where previously HD did not exist. So, why shouldn't I be entitled to the latest tech available for this new hookup, especially if I am going to be on the hook for any repairs down the line if it shits the bed on me? What's your big beef with that?

iPhones have this same kind of selling technique for new vs current customers, eh?

New - $199 for a 2 yr agreement.

It breaks, in 10 pieces.

Can I get another one for $199? NO! Im no longer new. $599 for me.

Because you aren't a new customer! Asked and answered.

You can complain all you want, but that's how business works. DirecTV is no different than cell phones, credit card offers, etc. Seems silly to complain about something that is SOP for many companies.

I left DirecTV 3 years ago and went strictly OTA/Netflix streaming for all my TV needs. I had several DirecTivos crap out on me over the years, so I just went and bought two HD Tivo standalones and never looked back.

Well here's my question...were you still under contract or not? If not, you really had no right to bitch and moan. They gave you a heck of a deal when you initially signed on and your 2 year contract only begins to help them recoup their cost of bringing you on as a customer. As I already stated, $100 in all likelihood barely covers their cost of refurbing it.

If you know anything about electronics you would know that the components and software alone are worth/cost $500. Granted the $700 retail price is inflated a bit but even the $300 I paid for mine in '06 likely didn't cover their costs.

I will agree with you on one thing...a refurb unit should LOOK almost new. They should have scrapped the casing if it was dusty and had all kinds of scratches on it.

Don't you get to upgrade to the newest Iphone free if you are due for an upgrade that year? That is what a buddy of mine told me. I know I was allowed to upgrade to a better Blackberry for free at work since it had been over a year using the same one.

I think AT&T's policy is within 6 months of the end of your contract. Been with them for 10 years and they've gotten worse with every merger. As Bellsouth they were awesome to deal with. Then all of the baby Bells merged into Cingular and it was a D* situation....nothing easy but if you complained loud enough you'd usually get it your way. Then they bought out AT&T and things went downhill. Then of course their parent company got bought by AT&T and things went to shit. From all accounts Apple is tired of their act and will likely be going elsewhere. I'm likely headed to Verizon or US Cellular when our contract is up from these piece of shit Samsung Impressions.

Okay how about we attack your "answer" from a different angle. How about this - because they were trying to see if they could get away with giving you the bare minimum so they could continue to turn a profit. They certainly aren't out to lose money. If you don't complain and just take what they give you, they make out like bandits.

I'm willing to wager that 99% of the time they get away with such practices because a) the average customer isn't that tech savvy, b) most don't want to be bothered with the hassle or c) they really don't want to go to the trouble of switching their entire household to a new provider for such a minor (to them) issue. So what's the worst that can happen from D*'s perspective? Until you take some action to challenge them, they're good to go. I mean even after all your "issues" here I don't hear you saying you're annoyed enough to switch your service to someone else.

The problem with that, and this applies to cable companies too, is that you need to complain loudly to get what you want. They only respond to you if you threaten to cancel, then all of a sudden they bend over backwards to keep you. If you call in and say you're displeased, but otherwise give no indication of canceling, you're not getting jack.

Like someone else said, they're more than happy to bill you as much as you'll take if you don't want to call in.

That being said, directv has been great to me so far. I got that 10 bucks off HD for 2 years with no problems, once I got to the right department. No way they were going to call me up and tell me about that, though.

Well - I have been with Directv for 10 years and am out of contract at this point.

i bought a house and will move. I have been considering all of my options (att u-verse...ah no, fios - not available, time warner...I dealt with two sales people and they were both "substandard")

So, I called directv for their movers connection. Hoping I could get some credit or free months of premium channels.

With little effort, I got a whole house DVR (a new device, I'm looking it up now) in addition to a free installation kit for the whole house thingy, 6 months of hbo, $50 credit.

SO, I'm thinkin, ok I'm stuck with directv for another 18 months. But at the end, he states, this will not extend my contract. ?!

(oh btw, they are putting in a new dish and installation is included in the charge of $19 or so which I'm told is tax. So I'm not getting anything via mail.)

While i realize that dtv is not the cheapest, we have enjoyed the service and I have had what I feel is bettter service than with Cox or TimeWarner.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled thread....

OK, fine... that's an answer I'll buy, and to be honest, it never even crossed my mind that there was a newer unit out there until they mentioned it when I called to complain about the shitty physical condition of the HR-21 they sent me.

I was no longer under contract. But, I see it as the exact opposite. If I WAS under contract that I could justify them sending me whatever they wanted to send me... but the fact that I wasn't under contract, thus in some way should be treated like a "new customer", then I would have MORE of a right to bitch and moan.

I should have snapped some photos of it, it was a fucking mess.