# My H20-600 is being recalled



## Nightfall (Sep 1, 2003)

I bought an H20-600 last year at Costco. After running it in my living room for a month, I decided to get an additional HDDVR instead, so I replaced the H20 with a HR20. I put the H20 in the basement back in the original box.

Fast forward to yesterday. I got a new HDTV for the bedroom. I pulled the H20 out of the box in the basement and reactivated it. Directv was very helpful as normal. However, while I was getting the box online, I was told that this model receiver is being recalled because it suddenly fails. According to the rep I talked to, this model receiver has had sudden failures and the decision was made to replace the boxes with refurbished H21's or a different model of H20.

After I got the box online and working, I was forwarded to another department which I had to wait on hold for about 10 minutes. The rep who took my call initially waited on hold with me. When I finally got through, the rep gave all my information to the rep in their "recall" department. I was told what would happen. A box would show up on my doorstep, I would take the refurbished H unit out of the box, and put my H20-600 in the box and ship it back. I wouldn't be charged extra for it so long as I got the return out the door in 30 days.

They also said this was a new process and nothing could be shipped for a couple weeks. This tells me this just was started if they are still getting the process down. I don't know if this affects all H20-600s or just certain serial numbers or what. Just that I am affected and if they are recalling my unit, who knows how many units will be recalled.

Hope this helps someone.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

My H20-600 is working fine, but I wish they'd replace it with an HR2x...


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## joshjr (Aug 2, 2008)

paulman182 said:


> My H20-600 is working fine, but I wish they'd replace it with an HR2x...


I bet everyone would be happy if they did that.


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## gen2rx7 (Jan 30, 2008)

They are recalling the H20-600 models, but not all of them. There is a sticker that is on the bottom of the reciever that indicates if it is good or not. The sticker should read ECO(I think its that) 2.0. I just look for the 2.0 on the sticker. We are supposed to swap all H20=600's w/o the 2.0 sticker, anytime we see them.


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## Mertzen (Dec 8, 2006)

gen2rx7 said:


> They are recalling the H20-600 models, but not all of them. There is a sticker that is on the bottom of the reciever that indicates if it is good or not. The sticker should read ECO(I think its that) 2.0. I just look for the 2.0 on the sticker. We are supposed to swap all H20=600's w/o the 2.0 sticker, anytime we see them.


 Yup 2.0 can stay, all others including the ones without stickers have to go.
Who makes the 600s btw?


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Manufacturer -600 is LG.


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## Nightfall (Sep 1, 2003)

Thanks for the info. I knew nothing about this and I appreciate the extra info. I don't think my receiver will have a problem lasting for a few weeks until the replacement gets here. I don't expect the replacement for a few weeks because the rep said they were still working on the process. Actually, it sounds like this has been going on for a while. Maybe they don't have an refurbished units or something like that.

Thanks again!


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## Mertzen (Dec 8, 2006)

Stuart Sweet said:


> Manufacturer -600 is LG.


Who's taking the fall for this one? D* or LG ?


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## jtcrusader (Jun 13, 2007)

That would stink to give it up and end up with an H-21 without the tuner. A crying shame they can't do something to make the H-21/H-23 compatible with the AM-21 tuner.


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

jtcrusader said:


> That would stink to give it up and end up with an H-21 without the tuner. A crying shame they can't do something to make the H-21/H-23 compatible with the AM-21 tuner.


Well, they just "might be" someday.


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## Nightfall (Sep 1, 2003)

jtcrusader said:


> That would stink to give it up and end up with an H-21 without the tuner. A crying shame they can't do something to make the H-21/H-23 compatible with the AM-21 tuner.


To me, it doesn't matter. I get HD locals so I don't need a tuner. I have one on my main HR20 with a small set of rabbit ear antenna, but I just don't use it.


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## headwear (Apr 3, 2007)

So you are saying that if my h20-600 does not have a sticker it needs to be replaced. I cant find a sticker on the bottom of the unit at all, were on the bottom should it be?


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## David Ortiz (Aug 21, 2006)

I have an H20-600 with no sticker. It is an owned receiver. Are they replacing owned receivers with owned receivers? I wonder.

I'd rather have an H21 for the network connection it has.


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## HDTVsportsfan (Nov 29, 2005)

I asked DirecTV about this a couple of weeks ago. If i remember it wasn't a safety issue, but a wierd 741 message (or similair) that would just pop up.


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## jtcrusader (Jun 13, 2007)

They will get my 600 when they can pry it out of my cold dead hands...or whenever it bricks, whichever is first.


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

jtcrusader said:


> They will get my 600 when they can pry it out of my cold dead hands...or whenever it bricks, whichever is first.


If it doesn't have a ECO 2.0 sticker, your -600 days are numbered. And those numbers are low.


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## WERA689 (Oct 15, 2006)

Hadn't heard about this. I know that my first H20-600 (my first HD receiver) is around 2 years old now. It has had no problems. And I have one that's about a year old, also no problems. If these units are affected, will DirecTV contact us, or will we need to contact them.
BTW, I'll check for stickers on both when I go downstairs later.


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## jtcrusader (Jun 13, 2007)

RobertE said:


> If it doesn't have a ECO 2.0 sticker, your -600 days are numbered. And those numbers are low.


Freaking "lovely"! 

No sticker on mine. I will be HOSED without the OTA tuner that is in the 600.  Anyone have "options" for those of us who have no desire to get the HR-series plus the AM-21?


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

No sticker on mine, guess it is saying bye-bye.

If I talk to them on the phone about it, I'll see how much they'll take to swap it with an HD DVR.


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

jtcrusader said:


> Freaking "lovely"!
> 
> No sticker on mine. I will be HOSED without the OTA tuner that is in the 600. Anyone have "options" for those of us who have no desire to get the HR-series plus the AM-21?


If you haven't you may want to add a laptop cooler to the -600 to help deal with the heat issue.


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## jwd45244 (Aug 18, 2006)

Here is my e-mail to DirecTV and their response:

It is my understanding that H20-600 receivers without an ECO 2.0 sticker are being recalled. Is this true? 

The response:

We recently discovered a design flaw with the H20-600 receiver that may cause it to fail without notice. While you may not have experienced any problems with your H20-600 receiver we would like to replace it for you at no cost, just to be safe.


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## JeffTex42 (Sep 14, 2007)

David Ortiz said:


> I have an H20-600 with no sticker. It is an owned receiver. Are they replacing owned receivers with owned receivers? I wonder.
> 
> I'd rather have an H21 for the network connection it has.


H21 ... network connection ... why? I didn't think they were active and if they were what could you do with it?


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## jtcrusader (Jun 13, 2007)

Hmmmm. Wonder if I can use this to snag a free HD-DVR upgrade where I can then use the AM-21 tuner?


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## theedger (Mar 31, 2008)

I just got off the phone with dtv. I was told that because I wasn't asked if I needed a box with an ATSC tuner, they would provide one to me for free if the replacement doesn't have one.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

I emailed them, and asked since it is being recalled, could I get a price break on an HD DVR. The response told me to check website prices and call if I wasn't satisfied--it did not address the recall whatsoever.


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## arxaw (Jul 13, 2003)

Recall is probably due to the heat-related problem with the H20-600s, made by LG. Sounds like an H20-600 finally melted something nearby, burned a small child or burst into flames..


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

Mine works fine but you're right, it sure gets hot.


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## HDTVsportsfan (Nov 29, 2005)

arxaw said:


> Recall is probably due to the heat-related problem with the H20-600s, made by LG. Sounds like an H20-600 finally melted something nearby, burned a small child or burst into flames..


It's not due to overheating from I was told a few weeks back. I wasn't to concerned about it after hearing the reason for the reacall but it wasn't dur to safety issues. IIRC it was something to do with teh unit suddenly losing signal strength or someting along those lines. I haven't expereinced it and will eventually contact them to replace it.


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## headwear (Apr 3, 2007)

I just got my replacment reciever today and they sent me a H20-100 in place of my H20-600 hope this is a good thing I was wondering if I should call back and try to get them to sent me a newer reciever (H21 or H23) The one I recieved was reconditioned.


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## HDTVsportsfan (Nov 29, 2005)

Do you need OTA capability? If not it should be fine.


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## headwear (Apr 3, 2007)

HDTVsportsfan said:


> Do you need OTA capability? If not it should be fine.


I use the OTA turner. So I should keep the H20-100 I believe the newer ones dont have OTA tuners is this correct? Is there anythng different between the H20-600 and the H20-100?


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

headwear said:


> I use the OTA turner. So I should keep the H20-100 I believe the newer ones dont have OTA tuners is this correct? Is there anythng different between the H20-600 and the H20-100?


yes the -100 doesn't have as good a OTA tuner as the -600. You may or may not need "the better" OTA tuner.


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## retromzc (Sep 7, 2007)

Since I see no 2.0 sticker on the bottom of my one remaining H20-600 receiver I guess I can look forward to the joys of another replacement/return...oh joy!


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## turey22 (Jul 30, 2007)

does anyone know the problem with the h20-600?


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## MarkN (Jul 13, 2007)

I have a H20-600, just how does this return/replacement thing work. I understand they send a box or something for the old reciever, but how do we obtain the new reciever? Will I have to schedule an install or will they just send me a new one??


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

MarkN said:


> I have a H20-600, just how does this return/replacement thing work. I understand they send a box or something for the old reciever, but how do we obtain the new reciever? Will I have to schedule an install or will they just send me a new one??


If it's like the other "replacements", "that box" will come with a receiver inside. Swap and return.


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## headwear (Apr 3, 2007)

My h20-100 i got today for my recall replacment was a flop the hdmi comection was toast and dtv expected me to activate it and then send it back I thought they would send out newer equipment over an old H20-100. Anyway I am sending back the replacment and going to live with the 600. Dtv cant seem to tell me what reciever they are going to send. Good luck to all the rest of you that need to deal with this.


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## jwd45244 (Aug 18, 2006)

My replacement device showed up today. Set it up and activated. Life is good.


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## iluvtv (Sep 29, 2005)

i'll keep my 600 until such a time that it quits, then i'll buy a new one.


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## MarkN (Jul 13, 2007)

is this a mandatory thing or something we can do if our unit quits?


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## dshu82 (Jul 6, 2007)

Just got a call at home about this. Called them back, sending two replacements for my H20 600's. Asked heer what the issue was, said she did not know, other than they are known to "Fail". Hmmmm..... 

Will have replacements and recovery kits in 2-3 days.


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## dshu82 (Jul 6, 2007)

Oh, and have had no issues with either. Wish they would swap my HR20 100 however..... working now, but issues in the past. Put the "jumper" cables on them to move BBC's away from unit and seemed to work.


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## WERA689 (Oct 15, 2006)

Again, I ask: is DirecTV contacting us (H20-600 users) proactively? Or do we need to call them to get the return/exchange going?


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## dshu82 (Jul 6, 2007)

Recieved a phone call from them at the number list on our account.


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## K4SMX (May 19, 2007)

jtcrusader said:


> They will get my 600 when they can pry it out of my cold dead hands...or whenever it bricks, whichever is first.





dshu82 said:


> Recieved a phone call from them at the number list on our account.


And I will _not_ be answering those calls. I figure if I talk to them and give 'em the "cold dead hands" reaction, they _might_ tell me they're sending me an H21 and deactivating my H20-600 in x days, whether I like it or not. I doubt if they'll do that if they can't reach me. They finally quit calling about the Slimline 5 they thought I didn't have.....


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## veryoldschool (Dec 10, 2006)

K4SMX said:


> And I will _not_ be answering those calls. I figure if I talk to them and give 'em the "cold dead hands" reaction, they _might_ tell me they're sending me an H21 and deactivating my H20-600 in x days, whether I like it or not. I doubt if they'll do that if they can't reach me. They finally quit calling about the Slimline 5 they thought I didn't have.....


DirecTV actually calls somebody? never :lol:


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## kirkusinnc (Apr 24, 2006)

Hmmm. My H20-600 was having severe pixelation problems on the new MPEG4 channels. I called DirecTV and they swapped it out for a new H23-600. The installer did not take the H20-600 back as the CSR indicated to him that it was an owned unit. 

It's not active on my account. I wonder if I can call and get it swapped out. I could then add it to another TV...


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## NKy.Yall (Apr 8, 2004)

jwd45244 said:


> My replacement device showed up today. Set it up and activated. Life is good.


What model did they send you ??? I`m waiting as well 2C what I end up with. The CSR did ask me if I used an off air { OTA} with mine and I said " yes ", and he did tell me for whats its worth that D* would be sending me the newest model receiver available ?????? So just wondering what I have to look forward to, or not !!:lol:


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## jwd45244 (Aug 18, 2006)

NKy.Yall said:


> What model did they send you ??? I`m waiting as well 2C what I end up with. The CSR did ask me if I used an off air { OTA} with mine and I said " yes ", and he did tell me for whats its worth that D* would be sending me the newest model receiver available ?????? So just wondering what I have to look forward to, or not !!:lol:


It is one of the receivers listed in my signature (It does not have OTA capability "out of the box").


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

I got the call on my answering machine yesterday, but I haven't called back yet.

I'm still working on a strategy to get the replacement turned into an HD DVR.


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## NKy.Yall (Apr 8, 2004)

_paulman182;1789790]I got the call on my answering machine yesterday, but I haven't called back yet.

I'm still working on a strategy to get the replacement turned into an HD DVR. _

I read your previous post on that, { after I had already called and ordered my replacement} I was kicking my self for not trying the same thing. Maybe my new receiver,might have problems as well and need replaced again 

X - I`m clear on your reply, thank U the response !!


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## loowaters (Jun 4, 2007)

Ya know my 600 was running along smoothly until last weekend. Turn it on and have no signal so I reset it but it came back and stayed up. Had to do it on consecutive days. No problems until Wednesday night and it just kept resetting itself. I figure it's a software thing so I force a DL of the latest software. That just made things worse. 

I get on the phone with DirecTV tech support and this guy had no idea what the problem could be. As he's looking in to it I jump on here and find this thread and I'm telling him that there's a problem and these are being recalled. He claimed no knowledge of this and sure enough after my EIGHTH restart the video stays up and it runs for a while. He said he wouldn't schedule a visit for a fix if it's up and running but he's noting it in my account that I've had a problem. I say thanks and he asks, of course, if there's anything else he can do for me. Of course there is, you can send me to retention. Well, I've got a HR-21 coming without charge, I'll be credited when that's activated for an AM-21 (apparently the receiver must be activated before they send out the OTA receiver), and if need to get a SWM (which I will) I'll be credited for that amount. 

They were very accomodating in taking care of me in retention and, obviously, knew there were major issues with this receiver. I just can't believe this thing went downhill so fast for so many. Software update issue that caused irreparable damage? Oh well, what's another 24 month commitment, I'm not going anywhere.

Loo


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## bases1616 (Apr 16, 2007)

If you need to get your H20-600 recalled you have to call a particular number for the receiver swap.

It is 1-800-932-7288.


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## Dave47 (Dec 16, 2006)

I called and am getting a replacement for the H20-600 that a guy from work gave me. He switched to FIOS and it was just sitting around. The box hadn't failed yet, but the component outputs were all messed up and it was one that got really hot.

David


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## barefooter (Sep 13, 2008)

Are you all sure this is a legit recall. I got the same call and decided to call the main number. They said that wasn't a D*Tivo phone number and were referring my call to security.


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## Dave47 (Dec 16, 2006)

barefooter said:


> Are you all sure this is a legit recall. I got the same call and decided to call the main number. They said that wasn't a D*Tivo phone number and were referring my call to security.


I called the main D* number. The voice prompts lead me to technical support. The lady I talked to said all the same stuff already mentioned in this thread (about the sticker on the bottom) and my D* account already shows the replacement on the way. Sounds legit to me.

David


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## dshu82 (Jul 6, 2007)

Just got mine Fed Ex this morning. Two, brand new H21-200's.


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## rahlquist (Jul 24, 2007)

WERA689 said:


> Again, I ask: is DirecTV contacting us (H20-600 users) proactively? Or do we need to call them to get the return/exchange going?


Not every H20-600 is not affected, a call to D* should work better than asking a magic 8 ball.


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## WERA689 (Oct 15, 2006)

rahlquist said:


> Not every H20-600 is not affected, a call to D* should work better than asking a magic 8 ball.


Outlook is dim, neighbor:eek2:


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## Draconis (Mar 16, 2007)

WERA689 said:


> Is DirecTV contacting us (H20-600 users) proactively? Or do we need to call them to get the return/exchange going?


From what I was told they are contacting all H20-600 users and replacing the units at no charge.

Just a note, this is only for the H20-600, no other unit. The H20-100 is fine.

The reason for the replacement? I'm thinking its because of how hot the units get. I have a friend at the local HSP who says that they have had to replace quite a few of these in the casinos because they overheated.


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## VMI90 (Apr 1, 2003)

I received a call from D* on my answering machine. I called the 800-932-7288 number and was told that the 600 was being recalled. I did not have any problems with my unit but don't mind getting a new receiver. I called back the next day to see if I could recieve a HR20 or 21 instead. I was told that since this was a recall that I could not, but since i was a valued customer here is what they offered me. $99 for a new HR unit, with free installation. My H21 unit arrived the next day, but when I called to have it activated, the CSR acted like she didn't know anything about the recall. After some explaining it was activated and is working fine. I haven't yet called back about getting the DVR unit.


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## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

i got a call from directv, they are swapping both of my h20-600's out for h21's. at least thats what i am told........


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## Caddo-Miller (May 17, 2007)

I called DirecTV at 1-800-932-7288 and a DirecTV Order was opened for the replacement H20 or H21 receiver (with OTA Support…). The replacement unit is likely to be shipped Monday, September 15th, 2008, with a delivery eta of 2-5 Business Days. I was instructed to retain the BBC unit, all cables, remote control, etc., only returning the DirecTV HD Receiver Model H20-600, and to contact the DirecTV Order Support Hot Line @ 1-800-531-5000 on any questions.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Caddo-Miller said:


> I called DirecTV at 1-800-932-7288 and a DirecTV Order was opened for the replacement H20 or H21 receiver (with OTA Support&#8230. The replacement unit is likely to be shipped Monday, September 15th, 2008, with a delivery eta of 2-5 Business Days. I was instructed to retain the BBC unit, all cables, remote control, etc., only returning the DirecTV HD Receiver Model H20-600, and to contact the DirecTV Order Support Hot Line @ 1-800-531-5000 on any questions.


I had the exact same experience and results.

They told me an H23-600 would probably be sent. Mine is owned and will remain that way....also with no extention to the commitment time.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

barefooter said:


> Are you all sure this is a legit recall. I got the same call and decided to call the main number. They said that wasn't a D*Tivo phone number and were referring my call to security.


So you think some scammer is sending you a new receiver to swap out?


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## mogulman (Mar 19, 2007)

Do they increase the contract when they do this?


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## bases1616 (Apr 16, 2007)

mogulman said:


> Do they increase the contract when they do this?


No they don't extend your contract. It is a problem on there end so they are taking the hit. I just received my swap out and it is a brand new H21-200. I called Friday and the receiver arrived today.


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## mogulman (Mar 19, 2007)

Called a few minutes ago. They are sending a replacement.


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## Dave47 (Dec 16, 2006)

I got a refurb H20-100. The component outputs are working properly, now.

David


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

Just as an update to my situation, I called and asked if I could upgrade to an HD DVR instead of another H20, and she said I could do it for $99 plus $19.95 shipping. A tech is going to bring it--I tried really hard to talk her out of that, but no dice.


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## mogulman (Mar 19, 2007)

I got an H21-100.


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## jrd4849 (May 24, 2007)

I called the 800# on Tuesday to see if my unit was covered under the recall. I didn't even get a chance to ask a question. What's your phone number? Yes you have a H20-600. We will Fedex a replacement to you. Anything else? Goodbye. The Fedex guy showed up today with a H21-100. I can't complain.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

jrd4849 said:


> I called the 800# on Tuesday to see if my unit was covered under the recall. I didn't even get a chance to ask a question. What's your phone number? Yes you have a H20-600. We will Fedex a replacement to you. Anything else? Goodbye. The Fedex guy showed up today with a H21-100. I can't complain.


Wow, I guess I got a smarter-than-average CSR. She asked if I was home and I told her that I was at work. She said, "That's too bad, I need you to check..." I interrupted and told her I already knew it didn't have the sticker, and she congratulated me for doing my homework.


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## Karen (Oct 4, 2007)

jrd4849 said:


> I called the 800# on Tuesday to see if my unit was covered under the recall. I didn't even get a chance to ask a question. What's your phone number? Yes you have a H20-600. We will Fedex a replacement to you. Anything else? Goodbye. The Fedex guy showed up today with a H21-100. I can't complain.


I just did the same thing. I didn't have have to go through all of the automated menu stuff. Someone answered the phone and asked if I was calling about the recall. <g> It sounds like they had my phone number programmed into the answering system. The guy already had my account open in front of him. Wow! I'll be getting my replacement in a few days.


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## jwd45244 (Aug 18, 2006)

DirecTV uses a system that can open up the account based upon the phone number from the Caller ID. The system can also flag H20-600 that need to be replaced. This is use good customer service.


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## GatorPhan (Jun 30, 2006)

agreed.. I didn't have to provide them with any information. New receiver on the way. Since I already have 2 HD - DVR's I didn't really need another, so I didn't bother to ask. Besides, I hate the hassle of waiting for the service rep to bring it.


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## Lexxon (Jun 18, 2007)

Just got my H21-100 replacement for my year+ old H20-600. I was more than happy to replace that overheating hunk of metal. Replacement is working fine.


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## iluvtv (Sep 29, 2005)

what if its an owned ird, is dtv replacing those as well, and what about our h20's do we need to send those back or just junk them after the replacement arrives?


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## spl5800 (Dec 29, 2007)

Was sent a H20-100 to replace my 600 spent 1 and half hours on the phone with support yesterday due to not getting a picture from the new unit. The 4th person I spoke tried to tell me there was nothing wrong with the box I just did not have my input set correctly on my TV as if the other 3 reps had not said the same thing. Finally I had to demand a service rep to come out so I can show him I know how to set my TV. Place the 600 back in and it works fine the absolute worst customer service experience I have had Comcast was not this bad.


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## Karen (Oct 4, 2007)

I got my H21-100 today. Hooked it up and everything is fine. It's black like my receiver, no vents on top and the blue lights make it great for a bedroom. I'm a happy camper today.


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## jlhoyt13432 (Aug 20, 2007)

D* just replaced my H20 with an H21. Now I can't receive any OTA HD locals (no, my city isn't receiving HD locals yet). 

Does anyone have any suggestions how I can get the local HD's again? This stinks!


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## jwd45244 (Aug 18, 2006)

jlhoyt13432 said:


> D* just replaced my H20 with an H21. Now I can't receive any OTA HD locals (no, my city isn't receiving HD locals yet).
> 
> Does anyone have any suggestions how I can get the local HD's again? This stinks!


Right now there is nothing you can do as the H21 does not work with the AM21 OTA module


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## David Ortiz (Aug 21, 2006)

jlhoyt13432 said:


> D* just replaced my H20 with an H21. Now I can't receive any OTA HD locals (no, my city isn't receiving HD locals yet).
> 
> Does anyone have any suggestions how I can get the local HD's again? This stinks!


When I was getting my replacement order arranged, the rep asked me if I used an OTA antenna. I told him not on that receiver. Perhaps you can call back and get an H20-100 as a second replacement, explaining that you lost functionality with the swap.


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## Karen (Oct 4, 2007)

Same here! I was asked if I used an OTA antenna... I told him not on this receiver.


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## pcm19 (Aug 20, 2007)

My H20-600 started dropping signal and overheating last weekend. It was so hot last night (it wasn't turned on) that I thought I was going to burn my hand when I picked it up to look for the ECO 2.0 sticker. I called 800-932-7288 rather than the regular number and was able to skip all the automated interaction on the main number. Instead I was connected directly with a CSR. I told her about the problems and that mine did not have the ECO 2.0 sticker and she immediately processed the exchange. Couldn't have been easier.


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## 2Guysfootball (Jul 2, 2007)

Got the Call today. CSR says I'll get an OTA replacement tuner.
We see in a week or so.


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## kevinturcotte (Dec 19, 2006)

That was kind of strange. I don't have an activated H20-600 on my account, but I do have one, that occasionally gets activated. Not currently activated. I called the number, told her I had one, and she offered to replace. She did of course get into my account. Does it show on there that I have an owned -600 that's not activated?


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## Proc (Jan 19, 2006)

I got the call yesterday.

New receiver on its way.

Question....does the replacement come with a new access card or do we swap out the one in the H20-600?


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## drdots (Jun 8, 2007)

Had a 600 fry on me. On the first service call he (bad) tech swapped receivers 
between bedroom and living room. A month later the orig (bedroom) receiver lost all my high def programs both OTA and dish. New tech came out Sunday and replaced it with and H23 which has no OTA tuner. Ordered another H20 on line 
from a third party vendor. It came yesterday and I installed and activated it last
night. While I was on the phone with the rep, she asked me if I had a receiver 
with a paarticular card #. It was the orig. living room receiver which is now on the 
bedroom. She told me this receiver is being recalled and she would ship a new receiver with paperwork to return the old one. I asked her for another H20-600
because of the OTA tuner. She said "No problem. That's the one I'll ship to you."
Except for the one bad service call from the first idiot (He took 3 hours and didn't
replace the bad receiver-just moved it) the customer service has been flawless. And Proc, yes. You will receive a new access card with the replacement
receiver and you will have to call DTV to activate.


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## Proc (Jan 19, 2006)

I just checked my e-mail. This is what they are shipping to me:

ERP_H20 - Model: H20-100C-R


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## NKy.Yall (Apr 8, 2004)

Proc said:


> I just checked my e-mail. This is what they are shipping to me:
> 
> ERP_H20 - Model: H20-100C-R


This was the same model they sent to me as a replacement and it did come with a NEW card.


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## n-spring (Mar 6, 2007)

iluvtv said:


> what if its an owned ird, is dtv replacing those as well, and what about our h20's do we need to send those back or just junk them after the replacement arrives?


I had one leased, one owned. They replaced both and was asked to send back the leased one, and keep the owned one.


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## jlhoyt13432 (Aug 20, 2007)

jwd45244 said:


> Right now there is nothing you can do as the H21 does not work with the AM21 OTA module


OK.....after 4 calls to D* and twice letting them know I'd be cancelling my D* service at the end of my commitment, they found the right person for me to talk to and I today received my H20-100 to replace the H21 that replaced the H20-600 that was working fine but I was told needed to be replaced.

Alrighty, I plugged it all in, blah blah blah, OOOOPS !!!!! It arrived DOA. After another 90 minutes on the phone with D*, I have a scheduled call tomorrow to make things right.

I think I'm giving up if this don't work..............


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## 2Guysfootball (Jul 2, 2007)

I received my H20-100 Refurb unit hooked it and all is well.


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## bobbyv (Sep 29, 2007)

Guess I'll give them a call about mine . . . I just checked and found no sticker.

I've always thought this thing got hotter than it should. I really hope I can get another HD-DVR out of this. Either in a straight swap or cheaper than I can get if I was to upgrade.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

bobbyv said:


> Guess I'll give them a call about mine . . . I just checked and found no sticker.
> 
> I've always thought this thing got hotter than it should. I really hope I can get another HD-DVR out of this. Either in a straight swap or cheaper than I can get if I was to upgrade.


I've now done the swap (successfully), and yes, things are much cooler with the H20-100. The unit is also much newer (2 years newer) than my previous H20-600, which is now de-activated.

Also, since my H20-600 was owned, I *did not *have to send it back to DirecTV, and will keep it as a "spare".


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## bobbyv (Sep 29, 2007)

I sent them an email about it and asked about the recall and if I could upgrade to an HD-DVR. They completely ignored my question about the recall and just addressed by HD-DVR question by saying I could pay the upgrade fees, etc.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

bobbyv said:


> I sent them an email about it and asked about the recall and if I could upgrade to an HD-DVR. They completely ignored my question about the recall and just addressed by HD-DVR question by saying I could pay the upgrade fees, etc.


Yes, as far as I've seen, and my experience has been, that the only CSRs who know about the recall are at the number we are told to call them on.

The lady I got at that number was very knowedgeable.


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## hdfan01 (Feb 1, 2006)

Had my H20 display the 741 message, called in, tried a few steps with CSR and was told it had to be replaced. Since I can't get LIL's, I got a referb H20, but this time is was a H20-100. totally free with Fed Ex return.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

hdfan01 said:


> Had my H20 display the 741 message, called in, tried a few steps with CSR and was told it had to be replaced. Since I can't get LIL's, I got a referb H20, but this time is was a H20-100. totally free with Fed Ex return.


Sorry to hear about your experience. It does underscore how a refurbished unit typically fails immediately if there is a problem....whereas if its good from the start, it usually holds up well.


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## webhype (Dec 28, 2007)

I had 771 issues that creeped up over the last three weeks all of a sudden on my h20-600, similiar to what some people reported when changing channels. Hmmh.....seems like some sat change maybe introduced these problems, as this problem didn't seem to creep up until a few weeks ago for people.

They sent me a H20-100 - DOA on arrival - no signal strength on any sats - can still use the 600 with the 771 problem. I have the protection plan and they are sending someone out in a week - I don't know why as it is obviously the receiver. They seem to have an administrative issue with swapping out an unactivated receiver. Thinking about a DVR but I really want the OTA, which it seems I can't purchase and I don't want to BUY a AM-21.


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## mazter (Jul 4, 2006)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!Warning!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had two h20-600 that were recalled. I received my replacements , two new h21's . No problem there. Upon activating boxes my programming got screwed up. I have grandfathered premiere with dvr service included. For the third time in less than a year I had to battle with D* to get my grandfathered status back. This time was the most painfull. Two and a half hours on the phone. Needless to say , My blood was boiling! First two csr tried to help but to no avail. Transfered to a supervisor who flat out told me D* never had such a package. I ask how long he's been working there and tell me a little over a year. Needless to say I asked to be transfered. Second supervisor , with a whooping 2 years also states that they never had that package. After making him look into his notes he sees that there were two other problems in previous months. He states that there is nothing he can do, that just the way it is. I ask him to transfer me to someone who has a better understanding of this problem. He states that he cannot. WTF , I go nuts. He finally agrees to forward an email to account specialist. I tell him that's not good enough I wanna speak to manager. Puts me on hold for ten minutes and comes back to tell me his manager is in a meeting. I then ask him if he can transfer my call to retention. He says he can not because I'm not canceling. In the meantime a manager from account specialists receives his not and speaks to me. In about 30 seconds restores everything back to normal. There has to be a better way. I was hesitant to even replace the recalled boxes for this very reason. I'm actually afraid to speak to D*. Sorry for the rant , but I had to get this off my chest and warn the many good people in this forum. Thank You


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## mazter (Jul 4, 2006)

note , sorry


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

Mazter, I had the same problem when I added the HD Xtra pack. They took everything off and re-added it, but I started paying for DVR serice.

I couldn't get it resolved until a member of this forum, who works for DirecTV, fixed it for me.

Since then, I've dropped down in package anyway, but evidently your problem is happening a lot. Probably a lot of people let it go, because it sure can be a struggle to get back to where you should be.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

The problem seems to be that if you replace your primary receiver for any reason, they have to “rebuild” your account. Some CSR’s know how to do this and are willing to take the time to do it. Others, well, not so much.

My advice for anyone who has any “grandfathered” services and is swapping out a receiver is to check your account and see if it’s the primary. If it is the primary, make sure that when you call to let the CSR know you expect the account to be rebuilt with all the grandfathered features. If the CSR doesn’t seem willing or able to do that, then insist on being transferred to someone who does, or hang up and call back for another CSR.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

rudeney said:


> The problem seems to be that if you replace your primary receiver for any reason, they have to "rebuild" your account. Some CSR's know how to do this and are willing to take the time to do it. Others, well, not so much.
> 
> My advice for anyone who has any "grandfathered" services and is swapping out a receiver is to check your account and see if it's the primary. If it is the primary, make sure that when you call to let the CSR know you expect the account to be rebuilt with all the grandfathered features. If the CSR doesn't seem willing or able to do that, then insist on being transferred to someone who does, or hang up and call back for another CSR.


That's not always what causes it. As I posted, all I was trying to do was to add the HD Xtra package, and for some reason they removed everything and put it all back, not realizing the problem they were causing.


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## Proc (Jan 19, 2006)

My H20-600 was owned. When they activated the H20-100 they sent me, it showed up as leased. I had to call this morning to get it changed.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

paulman182 said:


> That's not always what causes it. As I posted, all I was trying to do was to add the HD Xtra package, and for some reason they removed everything and put it all back, not realizing the problem they were causing.


That is odd - must have been the CSR's fault/misunderstanding. I have TC+ and I added HD Xtra via the website. Before I committed the change, I made sure it hadn't messed with my base package, and all was well.


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## i49mobile (Feb 1, 2007)

I have three h20-600 units--- bought three laptop coolers-- what a difference with the heat coming from the units. I didn't want to go through the hassles of activating and getting some one else old units


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

My H20-600 failed... Searching for satellite when rebooted, even cold after sitting unplugged all night. Forcing a software download always worked, it would find the satellite, download the software, reboot, then say it couldn't find the satellite.

They sent me a H21, but sent it to wrong address, and it was refused and returned to them.

Called back wondering where it was and they tried to tell me I refused delivery....

Long story short, they gave me a conditional $100 credit upon activation of a replacment receiver, and sent me to Best Buy...so I got an HR22. Activated it, got my $100, then ordered a AM21... So, even tho I had to pay the difference, I'm happy, and didn't have to wait another 5 days for a non-dvr.


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## bubba (Apr 13, 2007)

I just had a H20-600 fail. No sticker on the bottom of the box. It froze up, and when I tried to reboot it, no power. Completely dead. I called dtv, and they replaced the receiver, but charged me $20 for shipping.... Nobody mentioned a recall. Time to call these *******s up.. I did end up with a H21-? not sure what model.

When I called to activate it, I had no/weak signal on the 103a transponder. They guy said he wanted to schedule a dish upgrade as well.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

bubba said:


> I just had a H20-600 fail. No sticker on the bottom of the box. It froze up, and when I tried to reboot it, no power. Completely dead. I called dtv, and they replaced the receiver, but charged me $20 for shipping.... Nobody mentioned a recall. Time to call these *******s up.. I did end up with a H21-? not sure what model.
> 
> When I called to activate it, I had no/weak signal on the 103a transponder. They guy said he wanted to schedule a dish upgrade as well.


Did you call the number posted in this thread, or the regular DirecTV number?

No one seems to know anything about it at the regular number.


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## stewa348 (May 31, 2007)

Just wondering, if the units are defective, why does Directv want them back? Do they sell them for parts or is it just to check for unreported pay per view charges to the box?


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## bubba (Apr 13, 2007)

paulman182 said:


> Did you call the number posted in this thread, or the regular DirecTV number?
> 
> No one seems to know anything about it at the regular number.


Unfortunately, I read this thread afterwards. I called the original number. I still have the defective box... I didn't send it back yet. I am going to call the number listed here and try to get the shipping charges waived.


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## iluvtv (Sep 29, 2005)

Davenlr said:


> My H20-600 failed... Searching for satellite when rebooted, even cold after sitting unplugged all night. Forcing a software download always worked, it would find the satellite, download the software, reboot, then say it couldn't find the satellite.
> 
> They sent me a H21, but sent it to wrong address, and it was refused and returned to them.
> 
> ...


how do you force a s/w d/l?


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## signal34 (Dec 31, 2005)

stewa348 said:


> Just wondering, if the units are defective, why does Directv want them back? Do they sell them for parts or is it just to check for unreported pay per view charges to the box?


I just called to switch out an old HD-HTL receiver and requested an H20-600 (for OTA). It came as a refurb with a 2.0 sticker on the bottom. Tech Support guy said as long as the 2.0 sticker is on the bottom, it should be good to go....so it seems they are fixing them and sending them back into the field.


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## bubba (Apr 13, 2007)

Before I called for a replacement, I popped open the top and looked around. It looks like an issue in the power supply. I saw 2 capacitors with ooze coming out of them. Probably overheated and killed it. Maybe a new power supply and a firmware upgrade and back out on the street.


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## Partner45 (Oct 7, 2008)

Thanks for this 800-932-7288 number. Yesterday I had a welcome back exchange of a new AU9 dish with a HR21 and (2) H20 boxes, for 24 hrs and 3 attempts there is no way they can get the H20's to activate. 

I called in and they show my order as incomplete, and I mentioned I still need OTA capability. The install tech, never saw an AM21 for the HR21 before (why did I think that was exactly what I would get and pre-order the AM21?) and I also had to show him that a SWM8 would work and how to wire it in. I bought all my equipment and pre-installed this myself. He swapped out the AT9 dish I had placed on my roof. All he had to do was install a new dish, tune it and place receivers in their spots, but so far we can't get the H20's to activate. Each one of them have ECO 1.0 & 2.0 stickers on the bottom. Good part was? The install tech said I need to ride with him, I knew more than he did on all this stuff.

I made it clear I must have OTA capability and I will NOT settle for anything less. IF that means they put in (2) new HR21's with AM21's at their expense then they have to eat the cost.


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## 4barrell (Oct 26, 2004)

bases1616 said:


> If you need to get your H20-600 recalled you have to call a particular number for the receiver swap.
> 
> It is 1-800-932-7288.


I called Directv a couple of days ago at the phone number given above to have 2 of my Directv H20 600 without the sticker on the bottom replaced. These H20 600s are owned receivers. The rep was friendly and told me the receivers would be shipped out and I should receive them in a few days.

The 2 replacement refurb H20-100s with new remotes arrived today and I called Directv and had them activated. After the activation process was over, the rep asked me if I had any questions or if there was anything else she could assist me with.

I told the DTV rep that the receivers that these were replacing were owned and I wanted to confirm that the replacements were also listed as owned on my account. She checked and told me the replacement receivers were listed as leased receivers. I told her that they should be listed as owned because the receivers that they were replacing were owned. She said she would have to transfer me to another department, asked me to hold, and soon another agent was on the phone. That agent also told me that the new receivers were leased and said for me to return the old receivers. I told her that returning owned receivers for receivers that will be leased did not sound correct. She asked me to hold again and when she came back, she told me that all replacement receivers that Directv ships to customers are leased receivers and the receivers I received were leased and will be listed as leased on my account. (Unless I wanted to pay $400.00 per receiver to own them) I asked again about having to return my owned receivers for receivers that I will again have to return when I cancel my service. She then asked me for the access card numbers from the 2 H20 600 receivers that were deactivated when the replacement H20 100s were activated. I gave her the card numbers, and she asked me to hold again. When she returned, she then told me not to return the old receivers, because they are owned. She said to ignore the return labels and do whatever I wanted with the old receivers. She then told me that I now have a new 2 year commitment with my Directv service. I asked if I would be charged for the 2 H20 100s since I would not be returning the old receivers. She said I would not be charged.

So to anyone who has a H200 600 owned receiver and is thinking about calling the number given above to have your potentially problem receiver replaced, be prepared to commit for another 2 years of Directv service. YMMV

On the bright side, I now have 2 good spare H20 600 receivers that have never given me any trouble that I don't have to return.


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## David Ortiz (Aug 21, 2006)

4barrell said:


> I called Directv a couple of days ago at the phone number given above to have 2 of my Directv H20 600 without the sticker on the bottom replaced. These H20 600s are owned receivers. The rep was friendly and told me the receivers would be shipped out and I should receive them in a few days.
> 
> The 2 replacement refurb H20-100s with new remotes arrived today and I called Directv and had them activated. After the activation process was over, the rep asked me if I had any questions or if there was anything else she could assist me with.
> 
> ...


YMDMV. My H20-600 without sticker was owned as well. I confirmed during the initial call to arrange the replacement and the call to activate the new receiver that I would indeed be swapping owned for owned and that my commitment would not be affected. However, during the activation call, the receiver needed to be deactivated and reactivated before my channels would show up. I think at that point it went from "additional" (or owned) to "leased" receiver.

Upon checking my recent activity on my account online I saw that a leased receiver had been added. It took 2 or 3 calls to find someone that could fix the problem. The first few people I spoke to would not accept that the receiver should be owned. This included a CSR, Supervisor, and a person in the department which can actually make the change.

I reasoned that if the person who activated the receiver knew it should be owned, then there should be others who also would understand this. So I called again the next morning. I explained the situation and was connected with someone who was able to change it to owned. This was a very quick call and I was extremely satisfied.

I did send my original owned receiver back in the box provided. I don't understand the idea of keeping as a spare a receiver that will fail.


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## iluvtv (Sep 29, 2005)

throw a fan in your 600's and they won't fail


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## bubba (Apr 13, 2007)

bubba said:


> Unfortunately, I read this thread afterwards. I called the original number. I still have the defective box... I didn't send it back yet. I am going to call the number listed here and try to get the shipping charges waived.


I called DTV to request a refund on my shipping since the receiver was recalled. They told me they could not refund my shipping because on my account I did not have an active receiver that was recalled. They cannot issue a recall on a deactivated receiver. :eek2: I told them it was just deactivated after it died. I asked if I reactivated it, could they recall it then. :lol: I finally ended up getting $5 off for the next 6 months, but leaving the $20 shipping charges on the bill. I don't understand... :nono:


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## carmangary (May 8, 2006)

They took my H20-600 away a couple of weeks ago and gave me an H23. I signed up with DirecTV because I wanted to be able to get OTA HD channels with their equipment. Now I can't, so I am switching to Dish. I tried to work with DirecTV's customer service but they could not help me. Seems odd that they would get rid of the OTA tuners in their boxes. Oh well.


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## JohnH (Apr 22, 2002)

carmangary said:


> Seems odd that they would get rid of the OTA tuners in their boxes. Oh well.


Not "Oh well." DIRECTV("The Sports Leader") has failed to realize that some Network affiliates carry additional games on their Digital Sub-Channels. And after the digital transition DIRECTV may not carry some of the other digital content either. I am about to attempt to purchase an MPEG4 receiver from DIRECTV. It had better have an OTA digital tuner or DIRECTV's days may be short-lived here. Only been a customer for 9 years.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

There is the add-on AM-21 OTA tuner (I think that's the model) that works with certain models of the DVRs that don't have a built-in tuner. I think it sells for $50 but some customers are getting them free.

I don't think it works with any of the non-DVR receivers.


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## WERA689 (Oct 15, 2006)

Correct, Paulman. I have an AM-21 on my HR21-700; and it's really a very good tuner. No doubt the best of H-20's or HR-20's I have with tuners built in.


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## renbutler (Oct 17, 2008)

Thanks for all the information. I just called the recall number and scored an HR20 to replace my H20 for just $99 including installation. They said they will grandfather my old programming package and that an OTA tuner is included.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

renbutler said:


> Thanks for all the information. I just called the recall number and scored an HR20 to replace my H20 for just $99 including installation. They said they will grandfather my old programming package and that an OTA tuner is included.


I got an HR22, which has no OTA, but I don't need it.

I'm happy too.

The switchout was a week ago tomorrow and I still don't have a return kit for the H20-600.


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## fade2black (Apr 8, 2007)

Called the 800# just now. Pretty easy, they said the replacement would be owned. Just have to call to activate when I get it (FedEx 2 day). Tuner wasn't an issue for me, my set has tuners built in. She did say I'd have to ship back the old one to avoid a charge. I double checked if I had to because it's owned by me, and she repeated it. So... whatever.


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## bagdropper (Sep 24, 2007)

I had a non-sticker H20-600, was starting to act, shall we say goofy. So I called the number in this thread and started the return process of my leased receiver.

I just received a H20-100C-R (I figure thats refurbished)...latest software - had everything - new remote, documentation, new access card. Seems to work perfectly. I made the call last Thursday evening, on my doorstep yesterday afternoon.

The OTA tuner seemed to pick up everything corect - it even mapped my local ABC correct (9-1 and 9-2 instead of 52-21 and 52-20 on the -600), even though it saw the local PBS's as both their correct assignments and actual broadcast channels. I will say, my old -600 received at night the Davenport IA locals (75 mile reach!) - this one did not last night...which is what I have read, the -100 OTA tuners not as good as -600 tuners. I won't know for certain until next summer, when I can get constant locals out of the Quads. As long as my CR locals come in, I'm good to go.

I'll check my account this morning to make sure they got everything correct on the account (not change grandfathered programming nor anny date), but everything appears correct as far as packages. I have everything boxed up that I got new (included the old remote and the old access card in return box).

I mentioned I got my info from this site. While he seemed very up on what was going on with the recall, he had never heard of this site and said he would check it out.


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## dddeeds (Sep 16, 2007)

I received an auto call about the recall. When I called back to see about upgrading to an HRXX they wouldn't deal (They wanted $199+$20 S&H and $99 install!). So, it looks like I'll be getting the replacement HXX w/OTA soon. Hopefully it will pull in my problems stations well enough. The H20-600 was as good as my AM21 + HR21.
It is nice that they are pro-actively recalling these possible problem devices, but I wonder was their a lawsuit, fire, or do they not perform copyright protection correctly or are they hackable? Surely DTV is not just doing the right thing for the sake of being good? Usually most companies just keep their fingers crossed and deal with the failures as they come? Makes the conspiracy theorist in me wonder.


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## linflas (Feb 9, 2006)

I received the autocall today, I wasn't even aware these were being recalled. I'm happy since mine died back in September. I just have it hooked into a PC so I figured I would eventually end up having to buy another one so I welcome whatever they are sending me at no cost.


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## kandor (Dec 29, 2007)

Just wanted to add that I got my phone call about the recall today, so it's taking quite a while for them to call everyone with a faulty -600.


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## csgo (Oct 15, 2006)

Here's my experience on this issue. Rec'd the call about the recall and that I had 5 of the -600 receivers (lucky me). They shipped out replacements FedEx Priority 1 and I received them today (I didn't ask for the fast shipping and it must have cost them quite a bit).

I opened the first one and it was all scratched up and missing one of the four feet on the bottom of the unit. Smelled like cigarette smoke. I decided to put it back in the box and would call about it.

Opened the second box and replaced the easiest to get to -600. The replacement (a refurb H20-100) wouldn't pick up a satellite signal. 

At that point I'd had enough and decided to call DirecTV. Got to tech support and spoke to some idiot reading a script. He knew nothing about a recall and even denied it a couple of times and told me to put the -600 back in because it was fine.

I thought about it a while and then called the special recall number and asked for a supervisor. I spoke to a supervisor named Sebrina who didn't care at all about the issue. She was worthless. I own all my receivers and paid extra to do so and I explained that I wasn't going to continue with the junk refurbs they sent out. She decided transferred me to the cancellation department (without me asking).

I couldn't understand the person at the cancellation department but I think my account will be cancelled on November 7th.

What a way to do business.

-Joe


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Just as a point of clarification....some folks (including me) have been told that upon receiving their replacement units, they *did not *need to return the H20-600 back to DirecTV *if they were owned *(not leased).

In fact, in my case, I actually kept a list of the names of the 3 different people (both before and after getting the replacement) there who told me this when I asked to confirm it.

The replacement unit itself and its instalation/operation all went fine.

Rest assured...to clear this up....owned or not....you *must return *the H20-600 defective unit, or else you will most likely be charged a $240 fee (plus tax) for "non return" of the unit. If you do return it, there should be no problem.


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## renbutler (Oct 17, 2008)

My replacement experience was mixed.

First, a guy was supposed to come out between 8AM and Noon on Saturday -- specifically scheduled so that I wouldn't miss the Purdue football game on BTN.

Well, he showed up at 2:30. So I missed the end of the most exciting game of the year (48-42 Purdue).

So he installed the receiver, and that part was mostly smooth.

However, after he left, I tried to program my remote for RF -- and it wouldn't work. So I call DirecTV, and I discover that they didn't install an HR-20 upgrade as promised, but rather an HR-22.

So now I not only can't use RF, but I can't have an OTA tuner.

I was told that I would have a tuner, so she gave me a $10 credit for the next six months. Unfortunately, I have to watch locals over the satellite in a super-compressed "HD" picture.


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## jwd45244 (Aug 18, 2006)

renbutler said:


> My replacement experience was mixed.
> 
> So I call DirecTV, and I discover that they didn't install an HR-20 upgrade as promised, but rather an HR-22.


This thread is about the *H20-600* being recalled. It has nothing to do with an H*R*2x.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

renbutler said:


> My replacement experience was mixed.
> 
> First, a guy was supposed to come out between 8AM and Noon on Saturday -- specifically scheduled so that I wouldn't miss the Purdue football game on BTN.
> 
> ...


The HR22 is RF compatible. Doesn't the remote have the FCC sticker on the back?

I doubt if anyone is getting HR20s nowdays because they have been out of production for quite a while. There is twice as much recording space on the hard drive in the HR22.

And, of course, you need the AM-21 external tuner.


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## renbutler (Oct 17, 2008)

jwd45244 said:


> This thread is about the *H20-600* being recalled. It has nothing to do with an H*R*2x.


My old receiver *was* an H20-600, not an HR20. When it was recalled, I elected to upgrade to the DVR at the same time.

They told me they would replace the H20 with an HR20, but they gave me an HR22 instead.


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## freerein100 (Dec 14, 2007)

I have an H20-600 that failed and got it replaced today. I pulled the access card out to get the number off of it and noticed the area over chip was brown from overheating, has anyone else noticed this.


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## renbutler (Oct 17, 2008)

paulman182 said:


> The HR22 is RF compatible. Doesn't the remote have the FCC sticker on the back?
> 
> I doubt if anyone is getting HR20s nowdays because they have been out of production for quite a while. There is twice as much recording space on the hard drive in the HR22.
> 
> And, of course, you need the AM-21 external tuner.


I was told by the first CSR that I would get an HR20.

I was told by the second CSR that the HR22 doesn't support RF or any tuners. And I can verify that my remote doesn't work in RF mode -- even one that worked in RF mode with my H20.

Guess I got an idiot CSR in each case.


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

renbutler said:


> I was told by the first CSR that I would get an HR20.
> 
> I was told by the second CSR that the HR22 doesn't support RF or any tuners. And I can verify that my remote doesn't work in RF mode -- even one that worked in RF mode with my H20.
> 
> Guess I got an idiot CSR in each case.


You did remember to reprogram your RF remote with the HR22s specific RF code right?


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

freerein100 said:


> I have an H20-600 that failed and got it replaced today. I pulled the access card out to get the number off of it and noticed the area over chip was brown from overheating, has anyone else noticed this.


Scary....perhaps you just avoided a major problem.


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## freerein100 (Dec 14, 2007)

I didn't know about the recall until after I called to get my h20-600 replaced. When the csr asked me to check the bottom for a sticker(it didn't have one) the bottom was EXTREMELY warm to the touch. After I checked here to see if others had problems with their receivers, I found out about the recall and had to call back to have them refund my charges for S&H.


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## 2Guysfootball (Jul 2, 2007)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Just as a point of clarification....some folks (including me) have been told that upon receiving their replacement units, they *did not *need to return the H20-600 back to DirecTV *if they were owned *(not leased).
> 
> In fact, in my case, I actually kept a list of the names of the 3 different people (both before and after getting the replacement) there who told me this when I asked to confirm it.
> 
> ...


I just received that little surprise in this months 
Bill.
It is on its way to them now.

Best Bet is to send it back ASAP.


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## JohnH (Apr 22, 2002)

I bought outright an HD Receiver with OTA digital from DIRECTV. They sent an H20-600 with 2 stickers on the bottom. It works fine. Only $399.00 plus shipping. 

They wanted to install it, but I convinced them that I would do it or else no sale.

BTW: "Loyal" customers get some extra lip service, but when it comes down to it, we don't get any extra slack.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

They have not yet asked for mine back after I upgraded and there was no extra fee on my bill I received a few days ago.

I have never been asked about, or charged for, a deactivated receiver.


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## renbutler (Oct 17, 2008)

RobertE said:


> You did remember to reprogram your RF remote with the HR22s specific RF code right?


No. How do you do that?


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## rmjdees (May 31, 2007)

freerein100 said:


> I have an H20-600 that failed and got it replaced today. I pulled the access card out to get the number off of it and noticed the area over chip was brown from overheating, has anyone else noticed this.


yes, mine was brown and looked almost burned. i asked the CSR and he said that's why they are being replaced. apparently the card readers are overheating and causing the problem.

BTW is the ethernet on the H21-600 usable?

randy


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

paulman182 said:


> They have not yet asked for mine back after I upgraded and there was no extra fee on my bill I received a few days ago.
> 
> I have never been asked about, or charged for, a deactivated receiver.


Not to worry...they'll catch up with ya...


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## jwd45244 (Aug 18, 2006)

Did you remove the H20-600 from your account when you activated the new one? They will send a FedEx recovery box to you shortly.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> Not to worry...they'll catch up with ya...


If so, I hope I can still find the ones I had turned off two years ago!


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

paulman182 said:


> If so, I hope I can still find the ones I had turned off two years ago!


Their bookkeeping seems to be better these days....


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## altajoe (Nov 10, 2008)

Just a word of thanks and an update.

First, thanks to this forum for turning me onto the recall. D*TV "called" me to tell me that they were recalling my owned H20-600's, but since I gave up my land-line years ago, the call was worthless. They apparently didn't see fit to call my cell number, which is on file or send me an e-mail.

I found this thread because the 2nd of my H20-600's died and I was furious. Calls to D*TV resulted in a sales pitch to Lease "sell" me the new H21. But I need the H20's for OTA, so that wasn't a viable option for me. 

Calling the number you gave me resulted in the first CSR telling me that they would send out new receivers, but she couldn't guarantee that they would get me an H20 for the OTA. When I told her that 1) I needed OTA, she was unmoved, and 2) When I told her that posters here said that by informing them that I needed OTA they would make sure I got the H20. She basically said "Go pound sand". So, I did what any knowledgeable consumer would do. I hung up and called back.

Totally different story with the 2nd CSR. Within 5 minutes she had me set up with the request for the H20 with OTA and in 2 days had 2 H20-100's at my door.

BTW, I still have one working H20-600. For some reason (the wiring no doubt) one of my locations will not pick up the satellite signal on the H20-100, but the H20-600 will. So, I'm very carefully babying the H20-600. I'm making sure it is turned off when it's not in use, but, most importantly, I bought a Laptop cooling fan base that it now sits on. The cooling base is powered by UBS that plugs into the H20-600. It has reduced the heat from the H20 immensely. It is now, no hotter to the touch than the H20-100's.

So, thanks again to all the posters.


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## dettxw (Nov 21, 2007)

When I called they told me that they were only replacing them if they were acting up, not accepting software downloads or resetting. This Tech CSR said there was not a safety issue. However you could tell she was just reading what was written down. 
I didn't fib and say it was broken. Since it wasn't in-use I just had it deactivated.


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## kenn157 (Jan 22, 2007)

My H20-600 Finally died!!! Yippee!! I guess the heat was too much for it

I'm surprised it lasted this long. I don't know what D* will send for replace but I'll have it in two to three business days. I have to send the 600 back. With pleasure!!


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## rmcomer (Sep 27, 2007)

Same here. My first H20-600 died on 10/31 and they sent an H20-100. I had a second H20-600 and saw that it's access card was nearly melted and looked burned so I called Tuesday and got a replacement for it today. I also got them to send me a free RC64RB since the remote that came with the replacement h20-100 was only a RC64 and I needed the remote to have RF.


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## iluvtv (Sep 29, 2005)

mine still running fine, although i have a fan inside now, lol, just warm to the touch on top.


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## kenn157 (Jan 22, 2007)

kenn157 said:


> My H20-600 Finally died!!! Yippee!! I guess the heat was too much for it
> 
> I'm surprised it lasted this long. I don't know what D* will send for replace but I'll have it in two to three business days. I have to send the 600 back. With pleasure!!


I got a refurb H20-100. After setup and activation I downloaded latest software. Looks great.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

kenn157 said:


> I got a refurb H20-100. After setup and activation I downloaded latest software. Looks great.


Likewise here.

Somewhat to my surprise...it continues to work fine, and downloaded the latest firmware just fine.


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## moghedien (Dec 3, 2007)

I got a refurb h21-200 for my h20. During setup, it did skipped the sats at 99 and told me that 103 had failed. After a few tries and a RBR(with no change), I went ahead and completed setup and went to the guide. I went to the test channels 480-94 and they all came in just fine. 

What was really strange was that the guide still had the previous customer's locals and channels like CNN were greyed out. I finally did a reset from the menu and the old locals and the greyed out channels went blue like they were on the H20. I guess the previous customer had the 'Family' package.

My question is this; have any of you received a 'refurb' with another customer's settings still on it?


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

moghedien said:


> I got a refurb h21-200 for my h20.


Lucky you!


> My question is this; have any of you received a 'refurb' with another customer's settings still on it?


Nope...all default settings.


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## Groundhog45 (Nov 10, 2005)

moghedien said:


> My question is this; have any of you received a 'refurb' with another customer's settings still on it?


When my HR10-250 died about 18 months ago they sent me a refurb HR20-700 that was set up for Chicago locals. Maybe it was one of Earl's cast offs. :lol: It's still working great and is the most used DVR in the house.


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## spoonman (Feb 21, 2007)

I have an H20-600 that is not active. Does anyone know I can get it replaced?


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

spoonman said:


> I have an H20-600 that is not active. Does anyone know I can get it replaced?


You might have to activate it, or try to activate it, first.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

spoonman said:


> I have an H20-600 that is not active. Does anyone know I can get it replaced?


Only way to find out is to call Customer Service, tell them you have a recalled H20-600, and see what they decide to do.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

I have a H20-600, no sticker or anything on the bottom of the unit and never have received a recall from D*. I called them and asked about it and the CSR said they'd only replace it if it was 'acting up'.


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## xIsamuTM (Jul 8, 2008)

hey, what were the h20-600's doing anyways. they keep us in the dark here, all we know is they were "failing or going to fail" and we were to swap them. noone ever told us what exactly they were doing. (rather not read through 7 pages of posts...)


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## iluvtv (Sep 29, 2005)

they run on the hot side, i did the fan mod to mine and now its only just warm on the top.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

RAD said:


> I have a H20-600, no sticker or anything on the bottom of the unit and never have received a recall from D*. I called them and asked about it and the CSR said they'd only replace it if it was 'acting up'.


Hmmm...you must have gotten one of the CSR newbies....they have an internal memo there telling them all about the recall.


xIsamuTM said:


> hey, what were the h20-600's doing anyways. they keep us in the dark here, all we know is they were "failing or going to fail" and we were to swap them. noone ever told us what exactly they were doing. (rather not read through 7 pages of posts...)


Basically, excessive heat. Some posters here have reported fried access cards and other signs of high heat in those units. Mine was not quite that bad, but my access card was a bit "brown" in color along the back side.


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## carmangary (May 8, 2006)

Mine was recalled and it was replaced with and H23 during a service call because it was acting up. The symptoms were that the HD channels would break up and pixelate and their were green spotches on the screen. All of those problems went away when I got the H23.


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## Rockaway1836 (Sep 26, 2007)

RAD said:


> I have a H20-600, no sticker or anything on the bottom of the unit and never have received a recall from D*. I called them and asked about it and the CSR said they'd only replace it if it was 'acting up'.


I never got a call either. So I called them at 1-800-932-7288. I had to have 6 replaced. I got four H20 100s and two H21-200s as my replacements.


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## steverichmond (Oct 11, 2007)

When I call 1-800-932-7288 I get the message the number is no longer in service.

Steve


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## Rockaway1836 (Sep 26, 2007)

Well that stinks. I know it was a working number a couple of weeks ago.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

I sent an e-mail to the executive offices yesterday asking about the recall, specifically why mine wasn't and was it saftey related. They called back and said the reason for the recall was that the boxes in question weren't taking software upgrades correctly but that had been corrected so they weren't do anymore recalls.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

RAD said:


> I sent an e-mail to the executive offices yesterday asking about the recall, specifically why mine wasn't and was it saftey related. They called back and said the reason for the recall was that the boxes in question weren't taking software upgrades correctly but that had been corrected so they weren't do anymore recalls.


It seems strange they recalled so many before realizing it was something they could correct on their end.

My guess (and it's only a guess) is that they are devoting the recall techs and CSRs to something else now and are back to dealing with defective receivers on a case-by-case basis.


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

RAD said:


> I sent an e-mail to the executive offices yesterday asking about the recall, specifically why mine wasn't and was it saftey related. They called back and said the reason for the recall was that the boxes in question weren't taking software upgrades correctly but that had been corrected so they weren't do anymore recalls.


From the information I have it is a hardware issue (failing, but not safety related) not a software issue.


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## HomerSimpson (Dec 10, 2008)

Mine was just replaced. 

For the past week, I would get "searching for signal" after it's been on for an hour or so. So it is likely a heat issue. When I removed it-- it was HOT-- very very HOT and almost burned myself.

They replaced it with a a H21-100. Aside from the 771 problem of the H20, I think the H21 is much WORSE-- I posted in "H21-100 0x4084 - Issues / Discussion"

So, when I called about the 771 problem the CRS couldn't figure it out and was about to schedule a service call. But then, I said something that alerted him to the fact that I had the h20-600. He said they were recalled-- but since I didn't have the 771 at that exact time, he couldn't do anything about it. 5 minutes later, I got it again-- called again, and that CSR had a replacement on the way in less than 5 minutes-- she didn't even ask the problem was occurring at that time.


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## a k (Jan 1, 2008)

Turn your H20-600 over and put your finger on the recessed heat sink screw and you might find out why they recalled them.


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## R8ders2K (Sep 11, 2006)

*FWIW...*

First off, the 800-932-7288 number is *NO* longer in service...

My first call to Customer Service was basically useless. The CSR had no knowledge of this issue/progressive recall. I asked to be transferred to a Supervisor before they would replace my first H20-600 (no ECO2 sticker). They were going to replace it, but *only* under the Protection Plan. They were *NOT* going to deal with the second unit. I brought up the issues discussed at D*'s Tech Forum and it seemed that they were only dealing with a non-functioning unit, versus the issue of the progressive H20-600 recall.

Tried calling the 800#, but it's no longer in service.

I then called 800-531-5000, as noted in the no longer in service announcement, and got CS again. This time when I spoke to the CSR, I referred her specifically to the discussion on DIRECTV's Tech Forum, informed her that I had 2 H20-600s (as listed in my account) that did not have the *ECO2 stickers*, I also needed *OTA* and that the 800# was no in service. She took care of the problem, and I'll be getting 2 replacement units. We'll see what happens...

_Hopefully_, I'll get a (refurb) H21...

*So*, have all your "ducks in a row" and go in informed and direct the CSR to the discussion on their Tech Forum.


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## a k (Jan 1, 2008)

They offered to replace mine and that is before I new about the recall and they sent me a REFUBISHED(old used)H20-100 unit that was all beat to crap. They sent a tech out and replaced the refurb with a new H21-100. No ota but not a 3 year old replacement.


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## Dave from Kazoo (Nov 28, 2004)

When my H20-600 started acting up(rebooting 4 to 5 times a day) Direct TV inisted a tech had to come out. The tech replace the H20-600 with a refurbished H20-600. The unit seems to run cooler then the old H20.


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## R8ders2K (Sep 11, 2006)

FWIW...

I received two refurbished H20-100s to replace my 600s.


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## redtaco (Dec 24, 2006)

I had a tech come out today for a freezing issue and an issue with having problems tuning local HD channels when coming from a regular HD channel. The tech switched my dish/multiswitch to a newer one and also changed my HD receiver (H20-600) to a referb H20-600 but I made sure it had the 2.0 sticker on the bottom. He didn't know too much about the recalls of these units but I convinced him that replacing it for me would be a good idea. He did say it was pretty hot on the bottom. Hopefully this will fix my freezing on my HR20-700 as well. Many of my recordings were freezing up in the last 5 minutes.


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## dervari (Dec 1, 2005)

I just called to swap mine yesterday. I'm holding out hope for a H21 so I can MRV in the bedroom.


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## jtcrusader (Jun 13, 2007)

Well....my old reliable (got it April 2007) H20-600 had its dreaded first spontaneous reboot today...
...I fear the end is near.


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## altajoe (Nov 10, 2008)

jtcrusader said:


> Well....my old reliable (got it April 2007) H20-600 had its dreaded first spontaneous reboot today...
> ...I fear the end is near.


If you haven't already done so, and if you really want to keep the 600 working, get a laptop cooling fan. It will make a world of difference.


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## jtcrusader (Jun 13, 2007)

With some of the new features coming out on the H21 and H23 updates (such as autotune)...it won't bother me at all if my -600 fries.


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## iluvtv (Sep 29, 2005)

i did the fan mod to my 600 with the fan inside blowing down on the heatsink and it runs a lot cooler now, never a problem with it so far.


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## altajoe (Nov 10, 2008)

I've got my 600 sitting on the top of the fan as a laptop would, and it runs much cooler.


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## Mike728 (Oct 29, 2007)

Is DirecTV still swapping these? Mine finally died for good after about two weeks of red button resets every other day.


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## Mike728 (Oct 29, 2007)

Not that anyone cares, but the answer is "yes". I apparently have a refurbished H20 on the way free of charge. 
I just hope they reduced the light output of the blue power LED as compared to my other H20-100. The -600 had a nice dim green LED.


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## Surveyor40 (Jan 5, 2006)

I recently had to call D* for my parents, who had two H20-600's fail just before Easter. From what D* CSR in Tech Services explained;

- Only failed H20-600's on the recall list are being exchanged at no charge to the customer (verified by access card & RID). 
- You will most probably receive a refurb H20-100 or H20-600. 
- If they wanted a newer receiver, they had to replace it on their own (& leased which my father did not want).
- This exchange will not add a commitment.

They received two refurb H20-100's, and D* did want the old receivers returned.


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## bellvis (Jan 10, 2008)

I can't believe I waited this long; I hadn't realized this model was recalled.

DirecTV replaced it with an H21-200, which unlike the H20-600, has no visible motherboard LEDs to drive me batty at night. Do other models come with the internal LED annoyance factor? I certainly don't want one, but am simply curious.


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## kucharsk (Sep 20, 2006)

Note that in a recent (two weeks ago) install I got three refurbed H20s, two -100s and one -600.

I did call D* about the recall and they told me, in effect, "If you got a -600, it's not a recalled model."


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## bwaldron (Oct 24, 2005)

kucharsk said:


> Note that in a recent (two weeks ago) install I got three refurbed H20s, two -100s and one -600.


As another data point, I ordered an HD receiver via the DirecTV site Saturday; received it today and it's a refurbished H20-600.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

bwaldron said:


> As another data point, I ordered an HD receiver via the DirecTV site Saturday; received it today and it's a refurbished H20-600.


I turned mine in several months ago...so its probably the one I had...:lol:

Seriously thought....if they just replaced the flawed power supply in them, the H20-600 units themselves performed well for quite some time - at least here they did.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

I've been thinking about getting another HD STB since D*'s web site says I can get one for free. But it must have an ethernet port on it so I can use Media Share and all these H20's being sent is stopping me from doing that. I already have a H20 sitting in the closet, so I don't need another one.


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## bwaldron (Oct 24, 2005)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> I turned mine in several months ago...so its probably the one I had...:lol:


Heh. Smartass 



hdtvfan0001 said:


> Seriously thought....if they just replaced the flawed power supply in them, the H20-600 units themselves performed well for quite some time - at least here they did.


Good to know. I won't really miss the ethernet port (and associated functions) in the room it's in, and happy to have the built-in OTA anyway.


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## hbkbiggestfan (May 25, 2007)

RAD said:


> I've been thinking about getting another HD STB since D*'s web site says I can get one for free. But it must have an ethernet port on it so I can use Media Share and all these H20's being sent is stopping me from doing that. I already have a H20 sitting in the closet, so I don't need another one.


Im in the same boat with you. I want an H21 or higher with the ethernet port for DoD, Media Share and the eventual MRV when it's available. On D* website I don't get a free offer on a new HD revceiver however. But I have an H20-600 w/o the sticker (recall) so a replacement would be free but I guess I can only hope it will be an H21 or higher. Don't need OTA either.
Anyone know if they can specify which model I may get to replace it? Because I was reading earlier in the thread and some CSRs were asking if they used OTA which could mean they sent out H20s to those who said yes and H21s to those who said no.


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## dietamstel (Sep 28, 2007)

HBK,
My H20-600 recall experience occurred in May and the first replacement based on the wanting to have OTA. They sent a H20-100 refurbished and although it worked it made a constant load whine noise, so I called to have a replacement for the replacement. I mentioned at that time that I don't really need the OTA since I am in Los Angeles with locals, so they sent a H21-200 new as it was manufactured in April 09. I did not request either model, just luck of the draw, but it appears it is based on the OTA.
Good luck.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

dietamstel said:


> HBK,
> My H20-600 recall experience occurred in May and the first replacement based on the wanting to have OTA. They sent a H20-100 refurbished and although it worked it made a constant load whine noise, so I called to have a replacement for the replacement. I mentioned at that time that I don't really need the OTA since I am in Los Angeles with locals, so they sent a H21-200 new as it was manufactured in April 09. I did not request either model, just luck of the draw, but it appears it is based on the OTA.
> Good luck.


Yes, when they ask, your answer to the question "Do you have an outside antenna for OTA?" will impact which particular replacement unit you may get, and even then, there will me more than once possibility.


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## hbkbiggestfan (May 25, 2007)

dietamstel said:


> HBK,
> My H20-600 recall experience occurred in May and the first replacement based on the wanting to have OTA. They sent a H20-100 refurbished and although it worked it made a constant load whine noise, so I called to have a replacement for the replacement. I mentioned at that time that I don't really need the OTA since I am in Los Angeles with locals, so they sent a H21-200 new as it was manufactured in April 09. I did not request either model, just luck of the draw, but it appears it is based on the OTA.
> Good luck.





hdtvfan0001 said:


> Yes, when they ask, your anser tot he question "Do you have an outside antenna for OTA?" will impact which particular replacement unit you may get, and even then, there will me more than once possibility.


Thanks for your responses guys. It's greatly appriciated! Depending on how much they would be willing to take off the price of an HR2x, I might just upgrade to that so when MRV becomes available I can have even more recording space. From what I've been reading the best Im going to end up with would probably be $99. If I decide that's too much for me right now I will just go with a replacement with hopes of getting an H21. Thanks again!


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## PCampbell (Nov 18, 2006)

I got two at our place up north in the 72 swap, they are both refurbs and they run very HOT. This cant be good.


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## hbkbiggestfan (May 25, 2007)

Yesterday I called and EVENTUALLY got my H20-600 replaced (Very uncooperative CSR until I asked to speak to her supervisor then she went through with the replacement process). She did end up asking me if I used OTA and I said no so I will be getting an H21 (Showed up on my order as H21). Can't wait for MRV!


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

hbkbiggestfan said:


> Yesterday I called and EVENTUALLY got my H20-600 replaced (Very uncooperative CSR until I asked to speak to her supervisor then she went through with the replacement process). She did end up asking me if I used OTA and I said no so I will be getting an H21 (Showed up on my order as H21). Can't wait for MRV!


I still have one H20-100 and an H21-100 as well.

The H21 seems to be performing well in the 3 months I've had it.


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## garnetspur (Jul 14, 2008)

i read through a lot of this thread..and didn't see a similar situation to what i had.

i have a H20-600. 

bought from solid signal in 4/08. manufacture date was in 2007.

this was actually the 2nd receiver i got from them. first one.it would just cycle through the resolution lights...with different colors, green, red, orange.

well..the new one did not do that at first...then, it went away. i could just do a manual reset...and/or unplug it..and it would restart ok.

well, a week ago, i added locals (hd) to my package so i could receive our NBC affiliate (after the digital switch..the affiliate moved to a VHF frequency..and, receiving NBC OTA was not happening..so, i added the locals)..

well, the locals would not come in. 721 (not purchased) woulds how up. after a few minutes..it would switch to 771 (searching sat signal). 

**the locals (hd) over the sat came on immediately on my other setup (HR21)...but, not on the H20-600**

so, i call D*....and, spend (waste) a lot of time with the CSR, and then the tech person. 

last thing they can do i send out a tech...so, i decline that. 

*keep in mind, i'm receiving OTA locals - except NBC...but, i can get NBC with the sat locals on my other TV..so, it's not worth a service call for sunday night football..i can just watch on the other tv*

so...once all this starts going on...shortly after, the H20 starts doing the resolution cycle deal. and won't respond to anything.

i got it to come on once...actually restart correctly..

but, now, it seems it's dead. won't even cycle the resolutions. no lights at all.

sorta, a high pitch humming sound. no smells. 

what are my options?

do you guys know what my problem may be (dead receiver)?

how/what should i expect from D*?

my wife has had it with putting money up to lease receivers. 

i don't have the protection plan. 

thanks in advance for your comments/suggestions..


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## garnetspur (Jul 14, 2008)

more direct questions if you guys can respond to what i should expect from D*:

my H20-600 is dead. unresponsive. 

1)if they send me a replacement - and i pay S/H - will they require a 2 yr commitment?

2)if i send it back additional receiver; basically dropping service for a 2nd reciever..will they charge me anything for returning a dead receiver? 

we plan to drop TV all together next spring (once our initial commitment is up). once football season is up...we do not watch much TV..just netflix and locals..

thanks..


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

garnetspur said:


> more direct questions if you guys can respond to what i should expect from D*:
> 
> my H20-600 is dead. unresponsive.
> 
> 1)if they send me a replacement - and i pay S/H - will they require a 2 yr commitment?


No, they are not _supposed_ to extend the commitment when replacing a defective leased receiver, however it does not seem to be an uncommon mistake. If they do wrongly extend the commitment, it will happen when you activate the replacement receiver. What I would do, when you get it and are ready to activate, call D* and say "access card" at the voice prompt. This will get you to a department better suited to this than the front-line CSR's. Make sure that you mention that you don't expect the commitment date to be extended and have that CSR validate to you that it isn't. Wait a few days and call back to verify for yourself.



> 2)if i send it back additional receiver; basically dropping service for a 2nd reciever..will they charge me anything for returning a dead receiver?


They may not even send a recovery kit. If they do, they will simply see that "an H20" was returned and that will be that.


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## garnetspur (Jul 14, 2008)

thanks for the response..


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## dtparker (May 24, 2007)

Does anyone know how this works with an owned H20-600? Both of my H20-600s have died within 3 weeks of each other; I replaced the leased one with an HR23/AM21; but now I am needing to replace the owned one, and I don't need another DVR....

thanks,
Dave


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