# Movers Deal vs. New Account



## brianoffs (May 20, 2013)

Long-time lurker, first-time poster. I apologize if this has been covered before, but here is my situation I could use some advice on.

I have had DirectTV since 2005 with 2 D10 receivers and am looking to upgrade to some sort of HD receiver (not sure about DVR). 

I will be moving in a couple of months and figure that is a good oppportunity to upgrade with minimal cost increases. Does it make sense to use the Movers Deal or cancel my current account and get a new subscriber under my wife's name and new address?

Thanks in advance for the help.


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

In that case it might be worth it to try to get the new customer deal. While with the Mover's Connection, you would get a good deal on equipment upgrades with a New Customer account, you might get the same plus package discounts. The only real way to know is to call up and see what they'll give you for the Miver's Connection and then compare that to a New Customer package (which you can easily see on-line).

- Merg


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

The fact that you may not have a contract and you have other offers available to you in you new home will work in your factor.,,


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## goinsleeper (May 23, 2012)

Not to be "that guy" but they do have an audit team and if they are able to link the accounts together, they can stop your discounts and such as a new customer. With the amount of tenure you have on your existing account, I would suggest keeping it anyways.


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## slice1900 (Feb 14, 2013)

Seems like it would be worth giving them a call and asking for details on what kind of deals you could get if you moved. If it is similar to what you'd get as a new customer, why not keep it?


On the other hand, if they won't help you, I can't see how you'd have to worry about the "audit team". How exactly are they going to know the difference between:

1) you and your wife move together and try to cheat the system a tiny bit by starting an account in her name
2) you and your wife separate, she starts service at her new address and you cancel service because you can't afford both Directv and child support 

Given how poor Directv's own record keeping is, it would be a miracle if they can even connect you and your wife as being married via credit records, let alone know for sure you moved together and haven't separated.


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## goinsleeper (May 23, 2012)

slice1900 said:


> Seems like it would be worth giving them a call and asking for details on what kind of deals you could get if you moved. If it is similar to what you'd get as a new customer, why not keep it?
> 
> On the other hand, if they won't help you, I can't see how you'd have to worry about the "audit team". How exactly are they going to know the difference between:
> 
> ...


I was thinking it, you said it lol. I just wanted to put it out there that it has happened.


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## Volatility (May 22, 2010)

slice1900 said:


> Seems like it would be worth giving them a call and asking for details on what kind of deals you could get if you moved. If it is similar to what you'd get as a new customer, why not keep it?
> 
> On the other hand, if they won't help you, I can't see how you'd have to worry about the "audit team". How exactly are they going to know the difference between:
> 
> ...


DirecTV is a multi-billion dollar company ya know..their record keeping is a whole lot better than you would think. They did not get where they are today by having poor record keeping. They have a team mentioned earlier that monitors this stuff as mentioned earlier and some of the things they have catched amazes me. You have to be away from Directv for *2 Years *to get new customer offers btw.


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## peds48 (Jan 11, 2008)

Volatility said:


> You have to be away from Directv for *2 Years *to get new customer offers btw.


That might be the policy, but certainly many folks have gotten "new customers" offers way earlier than 2 years. This like all DirecTV policies are NOT written ins stone.


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## goinsleeper (May 23, 2012)

peds48 said:


> That might be the policy, but certainly many folks have gotten "new customers" offers way earlier than 2 years. This like all DirecTV policies are NOT written ins stone.


He was referring to being a new customer again with a new account. Offers to get people to come back would be a different story, though not too much different.


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## Volatility (May 22, 2010)

goinsleeper said:


> He was referring to being a new customer again with a new account. Offers to get people to come back would be a different story, though not too much different.


Yes---as those are reconnect offers and the offers are not too much different but not the same as you mentioned. And peds you are right people have gotten a new customer account and offers before this period but like mentioned earlier by the member above me, post 4 for referencing,, DirecTV could go in and remove the new customer offers that were received and notate the account the customer was inelligible.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

Volatility said:


> DirecTV is a multi-billion dollar company ya know..their record keeping is a whole lot better than you would think. They did not get where they are today by having poor record keeping. They have a team mentioned earlier that monitors this stuff as mentioned earlier and some of the things they have catched amazes me. You have to be away from Directv for *2 Years *to get new customer offers btw.


I've asked this question before and have been met with only silence. Where in the terms and conditions of service does it prevent a new account being started in someone else's name, even more so, at a different residence.


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## Volatility (May 22, 2010)

raott said:


> I've asked this question before and have been met with only silence. Where in the terms and conditions of service does it prevent a new account being started in someone else's name, even more so, at a different residence.


It's not found in the terms and conditions. It's like a policy they do not publish in the open.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

Volatility said:


> It's not found in the terms and conditions. It's like a policy they do not publish in the open.


Then the customer is not bound by some unpublished policy and Directv would be asking for trouble if they attempted to stop the new customer discounts as suggested above.


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## goinsleeper (May 23, 2012)

raott said:


> Then the customer is not bound by some unpublished policy and Directv would be asking for trouble if they attempted to stop the new customer discounts as suggested above.


Nope, you're not eligible for new customer offers if you're not a new customer.


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## Volatility (May 22, 2010)

raott said:


> Then the customer is not bound by some unpublished policy and Directv would be asking for trouble if they attempted to stop the new customer discounts as suggested above.


 :huh: Definition of a new customer: a party or individual that uses and purchases the products or services given to them by a buisness or other individual/group for the first time. So need I say more? Me thinkest not.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

goinsleeper said:


> Nope, you're not eligible for new customer offers if you're not a new customer.


His wife is a new customer. Unless you can provide a link or source of a terms and/or conditions that is disclosed to the customer that says otherwise. If there is something that says a "new customer" does not include someone who is a spouse and/or family member of a prior customer, lets see it.

Directv cannot come to an agreement to a new customer, bind that customer to a two year agreement, only to come back and say "you really aren't a new customer because your husband was a customer according to our undisclosed "policy" that you didn't know about and now we are rescinding that offer". Doesn't work that way, unless it is disclosed up front. I've asked for it before and got crickets.

Volatility can respond with all the snarky faces he wants but Directv would be inviting trouble.


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## goinsleeper (May 23, 2012)

raott said:


> Directv cannot come to an agreement to a new customer, bind that customer to a two year agreement, only to come back and say "you really aren't a new customer because your husband was a customer according to our undisclosed "policy" that you didn't know about and now we are rescinding that offer". Doesn't work that way, unless it is disclosed up front. I've asked for it before and got crickets.


Wait, so D* has to disclose everything and the customer does not? Setting up new service is a spouse's name would create a new account but that would not be a new customer. If a pair shop at the same grocery store for 10 years and the husband always pays, is the wife not a customer? If you call D* and say, "I want to cancel service and setup a new account in my wife's names for the new customer deals.", they are going to explain she is not a new customer just because it would be a brand new account. This has been talked about on the forum before and, whether policy is explicitly notated(which I'll look for some for you), it's not ethical.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

goinsleeper said:


> Wait, so D* has to disclose everything and the customer does not? Setting up new service is a spouse's name would create a new account but that would not be a new customer. If a pair shop at the same grocery store for 10 years and the husband always pays, is the wife not a customer? If you call D* and say, "I want to cancel service and setup a new account in my wife's names for the new customer deals.", they are going to explain she is not a new customer just because it would be a brand new account. This has been talked about on the forum before and, whether policy is explicitly notated(which I'll look for some for you), it's not ethical.


It's really pretty simple. A person is bound to act within the terms and conditions, and that is it. If a customer calls and says I want to cancel and have my wife sign up, it is Directv's prerogative to not sign the wife up. They are not obligated to sign the wife up. What they cannot do is have some "team", after binding a customer to a two-year agreement at a set price, come back and say, we have this internal policy that voids our agreement, and oh by the way, you are still on the hook for two years.

If contract law worked that way, any contract could be voided by "internal undisclosed policies". Utterly ridiculous. CSRs playing contract lawyers on the internet is not a good thing.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

Volatility said:


> DirecTV is a multi-billion dollar company ya know..their record keeping is a whole lot better than you would think.


I don't think so.

How about last summer when I get a notice that I didn't pay my previous month's payment and I now owed them for two months plus a late-fee? It took me three times telling the CSR that I was on Auto-pay and therefore it wasn't my fault that the payment wasn't made.

And although it isn't part of this topic, their inventory control for such a large company is non-existent.

And we're also not going to talk about the two times I've had PP added to my account without my authorization, as have others.

Nope, it certainly isn't better than I think.


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## buzzfish43 (Sep 24, 2007)

Where can I see the new customer deals. The deals forum is protected and I can't see. What do I have to do?


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## goinsleeper (May 23, 2012)

raott said:


> It's really pretty simple. A person is bound to act within the terms and conditions, and that is it. If a customer calls and says I want to cancel and have my wife sign up, it is Directv's prerogative to not sign the wife up. They are not obligated to sign the wife up. What they cannot do is have some "team", after binding a customer to a two-year agreement at a set price, come back and say, we have this internal policy that voids are agreement, and oh by the way, you are still on the hook for two years.


If the customer does not provide correct and accurate information at the start of the agreement, how is the company at fault for removing offers made under false pretenses?


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

goinsleeper said:


> If the customer does not provide correct and accurate information at the start of the agreement, how is the company at fault for removing offers made under false pretenses?


What is being provided that is false or inaccurate? Unless Directv asks, has any other family member been a customer, then nothing that has been provided is false.

If it is policy for a family member to not get a new customer deal, disclose the policy, ask the customer up front if any family members have been customers, if the customer lies, by all means at that point it's on the customer.

Not sure why it is so hard to understand that parties to a contract are not bound by undisclosed terms.


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## goinsleeper (May 23, 2012)

raott said:


> What is being provided that is false or inaccurate? Unless Directv asks, has any other family member been a customer, then nothing that has been provided is false.
> 
> If it is policy for a family member to not get a new customer deal, disclose the policy, ask the customer up front if any family members have been customers, if the customer lies, by all means at that point it's on the customer.
> 
> Not sure why it is so hard to understand that parties to a contract are not bound by undisclosed terms.


Part of the D* offer specifically says "New customers only on approved credit...". I guess they could put a definition to the "New customers" part of it but I don't think it's undisclosed information if they don't.


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## Volatility (May 22, 2010)

trh said:


> I don't think so.
> 
> How about last summer when I get a notice that I didn't pay my previous month's payment and I now owed them for two months plus a late-fee? It took me three times telling the CSR that I was on Auto-pay and therefore it wasn't my fault that the payment wasn't made.
> 
> ...


I had mentioned record keeping. Not agent error or system error.


goinsleeper said:


> Wait, so D* has to disclose everything and the customer does not? Setting up new service is a spouse's name would create a new account but that would not be a new customer. If a pair shop at the same grocery store for 10 years and the husband always pays, is the wife not a customer? If you call D* and say, "I want to cancel service and setup a new account in my wife's names for the new customer deals.", they are going to explain she is not a new customer just because it would be a brand new account. This has been talked about on the forum before and, whether policy is explicitly notated(which I'll look for some for you), it's not ethical.


+1


buzzfish43 said:


> Where can I see the new customer deals. The deals forum is protected and I can't see. What do I have to do?


Hi  you can see them under DirecTV.com. Choose TV packages. You can see the pricing and equipment offers if you are to proceed.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

goinsleeper said:


> Part of the D* offer specifically says "New customers only on approved credit...". I guess they could put a definition to the "New customers" part of it but I don't think it's undisclosed information if they don't.


If they are going to revoke the new customer offer, raise the quoted price, and still bind the customer to a two-year contract, you bet they better have a definition of "new customer" and disclose it.

If on the other hand, Directv simply cancels the account, with no contractual obligation, that is their prerogative.


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

> If contract law worked that way, any contract could be voided by "internal undisclosed policies". Utterly ridiculous. CSRs playing contract lawyers on the internet is not a good thing.


Glad I wasn't the only one thinking this!


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## damondlt (Feb 27, 2006)

> Part of the D* offer specifically says "New customers only on approved credit...". I guess they could put a definition to the "New customers" part of it but I don't think it's undisclosed information if they don't.


CUSTOMERS have Credit, Not households!


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## Griffs77 (Sep 22, 2012)

This is some goofy back and forth.

People do this with phone and power service all the time. Even at the same address. 

Use the wife's maiden name. Problem solved.


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## Old_School (Nov 29, 2011)

trh said:


> I don't think so.
> 
> How about last summer when I get a notice that I didn't pay my previous month's payment and I now owed them for two months plus a late-fee? It took me three times telling the CSR that I was on Auto-pay and therefore it wasn't my fault that the payment wasn't made.
> 
> ...


I have to agree with this.... The perfect example of this is the changes with the PP. I know several people within my relation that have been with Directv for years. Some are currently in a contact and other are not. All have carried the PP there entire time with Directv. A few have called to take advantage of the new changes and where told they can't get the upgrade till some time in 2014 because that is when they will have carried the PP 2 years.

One case that sticks to my mind is my grandparents. They have carried the PP since 1999 when they signed up. They are on the same standard SD boxes they have had for years. When a call was made to ask about a upgrade they where told they can't get it till April 1, 2014.

I also agree with the fact that while the household is not a new customer with Directv as they have had it under the OP's name for years but, if they would move and get it under the wife's name it technically would be a new account. I think Directv would have a hard time proving its not new as sh*& happends in life.. as stated the OP and his wife could have separated and one cant afford it.. etc, etc. I also think the cost of proving they are not truly "new" customers and removing the credits would far out weight the cost of just letting it go.


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## goinsleeper (May 23, 2012)

Old_School said:


> I have to agree with this.... The perfect example of this is the changes with the PP. I know several people within my relation that have been with Directv for years. Some are currently in a contact and other are not. All have carried the PP there entire time with Directv. A few have called to take advantage of the new changes and where told they can't get the upgrade till some time in 2014 because that is when they will have carried the PP 2 years.
> 
> One case that sticks to my mind is my grandparents. They have carried the PP since 1999 when they signed up. They are on the same standard SD boxes they have had for years. When a call was made to ask about a upgrade they where told they can't get it till April 1, 2014.


It's also retroactive from their last upgrade. With that being said, if a replacement receiver was activated as an upgrade instead of as a replacement, it will mess with the PP upgrade. You just need a competent CSR to notice it.


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## Groundhog45 (Nov 10, 2005)

You would need to not only have your wife sign up but also use a different credit card number. And probably not have the same home phone number to be shown as a different customer. I suspect the mover's deal will be pretty good. They will want to keep you as a long term customer, especially if you're upgrading to more expensive equipment.


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