# Don't Put Up with DTV's Chronic Service Problems



## DVRRRGH (Jan 17, 2007)

Just wanted to share this as inspiration to those dealing with the headaches of owning a glitchy R15.

I recently worked out a deal with DTV's Customer Retention dept. to help compensate me for the loss of all the shows I recorded throughout 2006 that I would never see because they had me reformat my unit's hard drive to fix a problem. I had to be very insistent and they put up several walls during the process, but in the end they did right by me. (I could write volumes about their arguments and my counter arguments.) Had they not agreed, I was prepared to dump DTV altogether, as I could not abide having paid them $6/mo for recording shows I would never see through no fault of my own. 

I've recently suggested to a family member who's experiencing some all too familiar problems with his R15 to insist that DTV not just mail him a replacement unit but send a tech out to install the new unit and verify that these features work before leaving the premises. 

In other words, don't put up with DTV's crap. All they know to do is tell you to wait for a software download that will fix everything, reset the unit when it acts up, and reformat the drive. Don't let them do it. Insist they replace the unit, insist they send someone out, make them reduce your bill. And keep doing it. Making DTV spend a little is the only way to get them to take notice of their customers' problems. If you don't, that $6 a month you're giving them will continue to go to funding DTV's lofty HD upgrades and not, as it should, to giving you the support and the trouble-free product you deserve.


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## Bobman (Jan 3, 2006)

I got a $5 a month credit for 6 months by just calling once about my R-15 problems. It all depends upon what CSR you get as I got another $5 a month credit for 3 months just a couple weeks back.


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## Button Pusher (Jan 19, 2007)

"I recently worked out a deal with DTV's Customer Retention dept"

Do you have a direct number to the Retention Dept.The number I had is asking for a Pin number. What is this Pin number?


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

jirvin1120 said:


> "I recently worked out a deal with DTV's Customer Retention dept"
> 
> Do you have a direct number to the Retention Dept.The number I had is asking for a Pin number. What is this Pin number?


The Pin number is provided to you, after you have called the main number and talked with the 1st line CSRs.

They will provide you with an expiring PIN number, if you issue requires you to call retention back at a later time.


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## Button Pusher (Jan 19, 2007)

Earl Bonovich said:


> The Pin number is provided to you, after you have called the main number and talked with the 1st line CSRs.
> 
> They will provide you with an expiring PIN number, if you issue requires you to call retention back at a later time.


What is that main number? Thanks for your help,Earl.


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## isthisme2 (Dec 17, 2006)

Got frustrated and called D* last night. Asked that they put me back to pre-dvr upgrade. Here is what I asked for...

Take back Dvr-Hr20(i know this is a hr15 forum... but)
I'll keep the 2 year commitment but give me back the $299 for the HR20 'rental'

call me a happy camper... let me know when the kinks have been worked out and I'll sign right back up.

Here's the answer I got.

no refund for $299... period.
options.
1. keep it, wait for next software release (they said by 2/10/07) should fix my issues. (um? ok.)
2. go back to pre hr20 and be out the $299... 
3. cancel D* all together and get charged early cancel fee, loose the $299 and they will provide an address to a department that I can dispute the cancellation fee (not $299) after the service has been terminated. 

perhaps I wasn't, firm enough... but seems like a bit of a hopeless situation.


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## Button Pusher (Jan 19, 2007)

isthisme2 said:


> Got frustrated and called D* last night. Asked that they put me back to pre-dvr upgrade. Here is what I asked for...
> 
> Take back Dvr-Hr20(i know this is a hr15 forum... but)
> I'll keep the 2 year commitment but give me back the $299 for the HR20 'rental'
> ...


Sounds like you got a hold of a HARDA$$. I would try again. Like someone said it is all in which one you get a hold of.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

isthisme2 said:


> 1. keep it, wait for next software release (they said by 2/10/07) should fix my issues. (um? ok.)
> 2. go back to pre hr20 and be out the $299...
> 3. cancel D* all together and get charged early cancel fee, loose the $299 and they will provide an address to a department that I can dispute the cancellation fee (not $299) after the service has been terminated.
> perhaps I wasn't, firm enough... but seems like a bit of a hopeless situation.


I wonder what would have happened if you had said "OK then, go ahead and cancel my account."


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## Bobman (Jan 3, 2006)

I dont care :grin: about any cancellation fees and you dont really have to pay them. Return any leased equipment, make sure your account has a zero balance and just cancel if you want.

Before you cancel do two things. First is go online or call and change your phone number to anything that is not yours so they cant call you. Next is if you have a credit card linked to the account or had to use one to startup, call and report it lost and get another one with a different number. THEN cancel. They will send you a notice once a month but just write "return to sender moved" on them and drop in the mail and they stop. 

If you just recently signed up and used a credit card. Return the equipment then dispute the charge thru your credit card company. This almost always works unless they have a a receipt with your signature on it. If you did it thru the internet or over the phone, you can get the money back. We have this problem where I work and a couple times people disputed internet orders and we could not provide their signature and they got their money back. This might vary state by state.

This works well IF they dont report it on your credit report, which they dont. I guess you can tell contracts mean little to me.:eek2:


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## purtman (Sep 19, 2006)

Bobman said:


> I dont care :grin: about any cancellation fees and you dont really have to pay them. Return any leased equipment, make sure you account has a zero balance and just cancel if you want.
> 
> Before you cancel do two things. First is go online or call and change your phone number to anything that is not yours so they cant call you. Next is if you have a credit card linked to the account or had to use one to startup, call and report it lost and get another one with a different number. THEN cancel. They will send you a notice once a month but just write "return to sender moved" on them and they stop.
> 
> ...


Nor ethics, for that matter.


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## Bobman (Jan 3, 2006)

It was meant tounge and cheek.


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## pgg211 (Jan 19, 2007)

paulman182 said:


> I wonder what would have happened if you had said "OK then, go ahead and cancel my account."


BTDT.

They back pedal and throw out a last ditch effort.

My situation was the following ( sorry for the longish dissertation, I just need to vent :rant:
I was happy for years with my Tivo based R10 which worked flawlessly.

Then it failed ( reboot every 15mins ). They offer to replace it, just commit to 24 more months. Fair enough.

New unit was defective out of the box. It would stutter and pixelate contantly and lock up every other day. D* Tech said it was impossible that the the unit they sent was bad and was insistant that my wiring must be screwed up ( he was quit the ass and really pissed me off ). They refused to do anything about the junk they sent. Finaly after many more calls, they replaced the unit again, for $20 shipping and a new 24 month:contract: commitment . I guess it was my fault I got a bad unit :nono2:.

Next unit was defective also. It did the same thing as the last. So, two in a row? Now I am second guessing myself. Maybe my wiring is screwed up, hmmm. So it put up with the crappy operation figuring I needed to replace the wire or dish until it eventually quit. I called and D* agreed to replace the defective unit ( it was the unit, not the wiring or dish BTW). $20 shipping and 24 more months:contract: to replace the junk they shipped to me to begin with:bang . I waited beyond the 90day warrantee thinking it was not the receiver. Screw me.

The replacement unit they sent was an R15. They never told me I was getting something else, they just sent it. It validated the the dish and wiring are fine. Man what a POS:barf: . It locked up during setup, had to reset. Time cursors don't work most of the time. NO DLBs!!! I never knew how much I used that feature unit I was without . Called D* to say I was unhappy with the R15 and all I wanted was a working R10. They forward me to a Tech to help resolve my porblems with my R15. They were promising some future software to fix my bugs. He tried to convince me that you can emulate DLB function by hittting record before I switch channel. So I treid it. On my old R10, I could hit pause switch tuner, do whatever, switch back. So in trying it on the R15, I hit record, pause, switch channels, go back. It forgets where I was. So I was told to add bookmarks. Not working for some reason, tech can't explain why. Try all over again. Unit locks up.:nono2:

So I want out. I don't want to put up with this junk. Can't get a working R10 from D* (which I really appreciate now). But, I have a fresh 24month commitment:contract: because I needed to replace the unit that was bad to begin with.:blackeye: I was sent to cancelation department. I told them under no uncertain terms I wanted out. First they reminded me of what it would cost ( $300 :flaiming )
Then when I was still insistant, they offered me a $50 credit.
Then they offered to waive my DVR fee for a year.
When I was still not buying, they offered the option for me to buy a Tivo unit somewhere else and they would give me a $150 credit to that purchase.

Had to think about the last offer. At least they were trying but, I think I am going to pass because I will be going to HD very soon. I looking at whats available the Vip622 is leading HR20. And, I am still POed at D* :new_cussi


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## DVRRRGH (Jan 17, 2007)

Wow. DTV is a bit like Cold War East Germany. They choose to work hard to obstruct people from leaving rather than trying to make them happy or content enough to stay. I'm still with them. Waiting to reap my deal with them, which, by the way was $10/month for 12 mos refunded to me, so long as I stay with them. It hardly seems like enough now that my R15 is buggier than ever and reboots by itself if I use the Rewind feature. 

So, should I call DTV and tell them and have them reneg on the $10/month deal because they might have found a loophole (Aha! You have a bad hard drive er summin' sucker!). Or should I go by another R15 and put the crappy one in another room and keep dancing with the Devil? 

God, how I hate DirecTV. It's not the crappy hardware. It's how they treat you when you get bothered enough by their crappy hardware to call them. They treat you like a misbehaving tenant rather than a customer.


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