# DirecTV not honoring bundle discount with Frontier



## jkhering (May 13, 2012)

**UPDATE** Issue has been resolved by the DirecTV customer advocate team.

Wondering if anyone else has experienced this? DirecTV advertises the ability to bundle with an Internet/phone provider to save $15/month. (I don't have enough posts here to share the URL, but you can see it if you go to their site, go to the "TV packages" menu, and select "bundled services")

They have the Frontier logo clearly displayed on that page. I called DirecTV before ordering to confirm that I could bundle with Frontier FIOS and save the $15. They said yes. They confirmed my monthly bill of $62.99 would be reduced to $47.99. After completing my DirecTV order, they transferred me to the bundle dept who then submitted my Frontier order complete with a Frontier order confirmation # and everything.

The next day, talking with Frontier to try to finalize the FIOS order, they say no, they no longer have a contract with DirecTV, and they only bundle with Dish. Not just in my area, but nationally. They said I was mislead by DirecTV. No $15 bundle savings available. I have since gone back to DirecTV both via phone and also tried email support. Both avenues have more or less gotten me a sorry, you're out of luck, nothing we can do response. 

So apparently DirecTV is ok with advertising Frontier on their website, having their phone reps sell you on a bundle discount with Frontier that doesn't exist, have their bundle dept put in a Frontier order that won't go through... and then not stand behind any of that. I have even threatened to cancel my order and go with Dish instead. They will not budge, they are refusing to honor the discount they sold me.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

Have you had your equipment installed yet? 

If 'no', call and cancel your order (before it is installed).


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## jkhering (May 13, 2012)

Has not been installed yet. I'm still considering cancelling and switching.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

I'm guessing that when you called in before and they refused 'to budge', you were talking with a front line CSR. Call back and respond with 'cancel' at the voice prompts. That will put you in the Retention department. If anyone can 'budge', they can. Be nice and polite; explain to them exactly what you did here. 

Let us know if that works.


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## jkhering (May 13, 2012)

Thanks for the tip, but yep that's what I did. I went with the "cancel" prompt and got to retention. The attitude I got was that they could have cared less. Asked to speak with their supervisor and was told "they are just going to say the same thing I am". Instead of helping me, actually started questioning me on "what kind of work do you do that you need FIOS internet anyway?". Really??


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

So just cancel and move on....if you only want the service if you can get it for $15 cheaper....you might look at DISH.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

Then call and cancel. That will give you time to research other options.


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## jkhering (May 13, 2012)

Yah I just might do that. I was really leaning towards DirecTV though with the HMC, 5 tuners, etc., vs. Dish's Hopper. We'll see...


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

My ISP (Cincinnati Bell) is listed as well, I used to get a $6 discount. They wouldn't allow it anymore after they started offering TV service. The rep at CB told me the discount cold be reapplied but would drop off within a month. I know Frontier was trying to get out of the business, but do they offer TV service in your area?


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

dpeters11 said:


> My ISP (Cincinnati Bell) is listed as well, I used to get a $6 discount. They wouldn't allow it anymore after they started offering TV service. The rep at CB told me the discount cold be reapplied but would drop off within a month. I know Frontier was trying to get out of the business, but do they offer TV service in your area?


I think this is the case here too. I think Frontier only offers the bundling discounts on their DSL service, they don't offer it in areas where they offer FIOS because they want you to get their FIOS TV service instead of keeping DirecTV. The same is usually true with all the other companies as well, I don't believe AT&T offers a bundle discount in U-Verse areas, nor does Verizon in there Fios areas, but I believe both do in their DSL areas.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

jkhering said:


> The next day, talking with Frontier to try to finalize the FIOS order, they say no, they no longer have a contract with DirecTV, and they only bundle with Dish. Not just in my area, but nationally.


Frontier purchased the "non-core" POTS service areas of Verizon *. Verizon (in areas it did not offer FIOS) bundled with DirecTV. Frontier bundled and continues to bundle with DISH. As a condition of the merger, Frontier is required to honor the bundled DirecTV package with existing customers forever. It however does not offer new customers DirecTV bundles, only DISH.

* Verizion was a merger to two "Baby Bells" with the Bell service areas of states along the Atlantic shore from Virginia north to Maine, excepting Conn., but including West Virginia and DC; and GTE, which was the nation's largest non-Bell telephone company, with, mostly but not exclusively, smaller market and rural POTS exchanges nationwide. Verizon decided to get out of the POTS business outside the northeast corridor, selling off NH, VT, and ME to Fair Point, Iowa and Hawaii to local investors, and then all of the old GTE lines, excepting those in California and Texas, plus the old Bell lines in West Virginia to Frontier. If you live in the areas shown in blue on this map:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/34/Frontier_and_Divested_Verizon_Assets_Combimed_Coverage_Map.png

AND

had the Verizon - DirecTV bundle on July 1, 2010, then you can keep said bundle for as long as you live at your current home, but new custmers cannot apply.


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## jkhering (May 13, 2012)

Beerstalker said:


> I think this is the case here too. I think Frontier only offers the bundling discounts on their DSL service, they don't offer it in areas where they offer FIOS because they want you to get their FIOS TV service instead of keeping DirecTV. The same is usually true with all the other companies as well, I don't believe AT&T offers a bundle discount in U-Verse areas, nor does Verizon in there Fios areas, but I believe both do in their DSL areas.


That could be the case. They do have FIOS TV in my area. But they did say they still bundle with Dish, just not DirecTV.


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## jkhering (May 13, 2012)

SamC said:


> Verizon (in areas it did not offer FIOS) bundled with DirecTV. Frontier bundled and continues to bundle with DISH. As a condition of the merger, Frontier is required to honor the bundled DirecTV package with existing customers forever. It however does not offer new customers DirecTV bundles, only DISH.


Thanks for the info! That's what bothers me. That despite this info, DirecTV still has Frontier shown on their site as an option, and the phone reps totally sold me on the fact that yes I could bundle with Frontier FIOS.

I can obviously cancel before installation if I want, no worries. I'm not upset that they don't bundle with Frontier overall, I just feel very mislead, it was basically false advertising, almost a bait and switch by the phone reps.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

Frontier having an agreement with Dish would have been interesting if they'd gone ahead with the 5GB cap scheme they came up with.


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## CCarncross (Jul 19, 2005)

Don't forget that it may appear that Frontier still bundles in areas where they don't offer FIOS service, so having the Frontier logo listed under bundling services is not misleading, there are just caveats, but what ad doesnt usually have small print?


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

jkhering said:


> They have the Frontier logo clearly displayed on that page.


Could you post a link to that page? When I went to the DirecTV web site and looked at their bundle page, Frontier isn't one of the logos listed.


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## wahooq (Oct 19, 2011)

It was up earlier...I went and checked also


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## wingrider01 (Sep 9, 2005)

wahooq said:


> It was up earlier...I went and checked also


you maybe loading a old page, just went there and ths is all that is there

View attachment 20261


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

wingrider01 said:


> you maybe loading a old page, just went there and ths is all that is there
> 
> View attachment 29152


He said "it was up earlier". As of yesterday morning, Frontier was still listed. The page is signficantly changed since yesterday morning and there are a number of providers no longer listed, my guess is that it is a result of this thread.


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## jkhering (May 13, 2012)

raott said:


> He said "it was up earlier". As of yesterday morning, Frontier was still listed. The page is signficantly changed since yesterday morning and there are a number of providers no longer listed, my guess is that it is a result of this thread.


Wow, yep! I guess someone was listening to me over there. The Frontier logo is gone. Was there yesterday when I started this thread, but I only had 2 posts at the time so couldn't post a URL: http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/content/packages/internet

This just helps confirm what I was saying... they do not have a contract with Frontier. Frontier said so themselves. They told me that nationally, regardless of availability of FIOS or their basic "high speed" internet service, they simply no longer contract with DirecTV anymore like they used to.

So, when I signed up for DirecTV, frontier was on the website, I was told they bundled with frontier, etc., when they really didn't. That's my only complaint here, being mislead, and then not honoring the discount they sold me on.


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## jkhering (May 13, 2012)

Good ole' Google, still has the cached version in their image preview in search results. See the attached image, it shows the Frontier logo as it appeared when I ordered my service, and what the page still looked like yesterday when I started the thread.


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## JcT21 (Nov 30, 2004)

well i had the same issue trying to bundle with at&t. they would not give me that discount no matter who i spoke with. but i just got service anyway, without the bundle discount. the cable service here is horrible and i gotta have my tv


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## wahooq (Oct 19, 2011)

@jkhering....you werent intentionally mislead...this is a recent developement


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

I think the OP should send an email to Ellen's office to see whether they can honor the package as it was still advertised when he signed up. No clue whether this will work, but it can't hurt.


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## jkhering (May 13, 2012)

trh said:


> I think the OP should send an email to Ellen's office to see whether they can honor the package as it was still advertised when he signed up. No clue whether this will work, but it can't hurt.


Sorry, I'm new to this forum, having been a long time *gulp* Comcast subscriber. Who is Ellen? I've contacted general DirecTV email support via the contact us page, but not getting anywhere.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

Ellen is the VP for Customer Service.

Email address is [email protected]

Just tell her (them) what happened and ask whether they can still honor the discount that was on the web site and that you confirmed with a DirecTV CSR.

Good luck.


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## jkhering (May 13, 2012)

Thank you, I appreciate your help!


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## jkhering (May 13, 2012)

trh, thanks again for the tip about emailing Ellen. Everything is now resolved.

Kudos to the customer advocate team at DirecTV for being so responsive and helpful. I emailed late Friday afternoon and they called me on Saturday. They explained that this is all a big misunderstanding, that whoever I last spoke with at DirecTV told me wrong. They no longer offer integrated billing with Frontier, where you'd get a single bill covering both services, but they will honor the $15 bundle discount off of my DirecTV bill.


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## codespy (Mar 30, 2006)

Not to hi-jack this thread, but I have Centurylink and am currently Grandfathered Premier free DVR service (not TiVo Lifetime). Should I choose to bundle to save some money, would I lose my grandfather status if they restart my plan with the bundle package?

Just wondering if anyone else in my shoes has tried this yet without any issues on programming costs/grandfathering.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

jkhering said:


> trh, thanks again for the tip about emailing Ellen. Everything is now resolved.


jkhering - glad it all worked out. Ellen's office has a very good reputation on this site for obvious reasons.



codespy said:


> Not to hi-jack this thread, but I have Centurylink and am currently Grandfathered Premier free DVR service (not TiVo Lifetime).


codespy -- if you want to get some views and answers, I recommend you should start your own thread.


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## codespy (Mar 30, 2006)

You are probably right. Thanks.


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