# DTV and early termination question



## mroot (Mar 13, 2006)

I referred my daughter to DTV about 3 months ago and she signed up in her name. She was living with her boyfriend. They ended up breaking up and she lost her job all in the same week. (Not good). She is moving back home. DTV wants about $500 to break the contract. My daughter suggested we drop DTV and then she would have them "move" her to my house and we would continue having DTV. I'm not really receptive to this and doubt I will do it. What is her alternative? She doesn't have the bucks to pay them. Would it do any good to plead her case to anyone?


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## retention_sup (Jun 3, 2008)

mroot said:


> I referred my daughter to DTV about 3 months ago and she signed up in her name. She was living with her boyfriend. They ended up breaking up and she lost her job all in the same week. (Not good). She is moving back home. DTV wants about $500 to break the contract. My daughter suggested we drop DTV and then she would have them "move" her to my house and we would continue having DTV. I'm not really receptive to this and doubt I will do it. What is her alternative? She doesn't have the bucks to pay them. Would it do any good to plead her case to anyone?


 sorry to hear of her situation umm, with a commitment on the account to be perfectly honest, the only thing that will waive a commitment is death or deployment.  the move isnt a bad idea if you dont have a commitment on your account she also can suspend her account but that will just extend her commitment however long it is susppended (up to six months)


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## kokishin (Sep 30, 2006)

Thanks for joining up and getting involved.

I once dealt with a Directv Retention Super based out of Alabama. I was having some major issues with Directv charges that were flat out wrong and I had called in multiple times to get the issue resovled. That supervisor finally got the job done and then some.



retention_sup said:


> sorry to hear of her situation umm, with a commitment on the account to be perfectly honest, the only thing that will waive a commitment is death or deployment.  the move isnt a bad idea if you dont have a commitment on your account she also can suspend her account but that will just extend her commitment however long it is susppended (up to six months)


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## turey22 (Jul 30, 2007)

retention_sup said:


> sorry to hear of her situation umm, with a commitment on the account to be perfectly honest, the only thing that will waive a commitment is death or deployment.  the move isnt a bad idea if you dont have a commitment on your account she also can suspend her account but that will just extend her commitment however long it is susppended (up to six months)


yeah thats true


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

Woah.

What you need to do is call customer retentions and tell them you'd like to combine the 2 accounts.

If they get ignorant ask for a supervisor.


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## kokishin (Sep 30, 2006)

Just curious: why would Directv allow this? Seems like two accounts would get merged into one account and Directv would lose some revenue.



CJTE said:


> Woah.
> 
> What you need to do is call customer retentions and tell them you'd like to combine the 2 accounts.
> 
> If they get ignorant ask for a supervisor.


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

kokishin said:


> Just curious: how do they combine two accounts? Seems like two would get merged into one account and Directv would lose some revenue.


Thats exactly what happens.

The OP needs to call DirecTV and let them know that his daughter is moving in and they'd like to combine the 2 accounts. DirecTV then says ok, and combines their 2 accounts into one.

I have successfully done this.


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## kokishin (Sep 30, 2006)

Thanks



CJTE said:


> Thats exactly what happens.
> 
> The OP needs to call DirecTV and let them know that his daughter is moving in and they'd like to combine the 2 accounts. DirecTV then says ok, and combines their 2 accounts into one.
> 
> I have successfully done this.


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## turey22 (Jul 30, 2007)

how could you combine a account? i have never heard of that< please enlighten me?


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

turey22 said:


> how could you combine a account? i have never heard of that< please enlighten me?


If you have 2 accounts, and you only need one account, then you can combine the 2 accounts, at DirecTVs discretion.

Thats it.


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## Elephanthead (Feb 3, 2007)

what happens if you shack up with some broad, or marry them, and you both have DTV? I would think they would want to keep you both as a customer. Anyway, DTV needs to meet mister federal regulation if they don't cut the outrageous break up fees. They are not paying 500 bucks for an install, ask any installer here, and they get the equipment back. Tell her to write her states attorney general and report this consumer abuse, they love this sort of thing.


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## highheater (Aug 30, 2006)

mroot said:


> I referred my daughter to DTV about 3 months ago and she signed up in her name. She was living with her boyfriend. They ended up breaking up and she lost her job all in the same week. (Not good). She is moving back home. DTV wants about $500 to break the contract. My daughter suggested we drop DTV and then she would have them "move" her to my house and we would continue having DTV. I'm not really receptive to this and doubt I will do it. What is her alternative? She doesn't have the bucks to pay them. Would it do any good to plead her case to anyone?


How do college kids living in an apartment sign up for Direct TV? Obviously no one could predict whether they'd keep the same roomates for 2 years? Or the kids might leave school or - God forbid - graduate.

Forget about the student loans after graduation - make sure you take care of that early termination fee due Direct TV.

Of course, I'm sure the early lesson in life of hardknocks is more than commensurate with the $ 500 in this case. Money well spent.

And you wonder why people hate Direct TV?


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## kokishin (Sep 30, 2006)

How about the OP trying CJTE's suggestion before escalating to the state AG.



Elephanthead said:


> what happens if you shack up with some broad, or marry them, and you both have DTV? I would think they would want to keep you both as a customer. Anyway, DTV needs to meet mister federal regulation if they don't cut the outrageous break up fees. They are not paying 500 bucks for an install, ask any installer here, and they get the equipment back. Tell her to write her states attorney general and report this consumer abuse, they love this sort of thing.


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## dodge boy (Mar 31, 2006)

Elephanthead said:


> what happens if you shack up with some broad, or marry them, and you both have DTV? I would think they would want to keep you both as a customer. Anyway, DTV needs to meet mister federal regulation if they don't cut the outrageous break up fees. They are not paying 500 bucks for an install, ask any installer here, and they get the equipment back. Tell her to write her states attorney general and report this consumer abuse, they love this sort of thing.


Wouldn't it be easier to just let her put the receiver in her room and merge the account? She won't be unemployed or single forever..... 

My Girl Friend has a D* account so do I, if we get hitched we'll have 6 DVRs  (I have 5 she has 1).


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## Elephanthead (Feb 3, 2007)

Merge the account and deactivate her reciever, seems like a get out of jail free card, or do like my mother in law and tell them to screw themselves and file nusciance lawsuits against them until they stop reporting her to the credit agencies, heh. People without jobs have lots of free time to cause trouble.


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## kokishin (Sep 30, 2006)

Best to get her to sign a prenup :lol:



dodge boy said:


> Wouldn't it be easier to just let her put the receiver in her room and merge the account? She won't be unemployed or single forever.....
> 
> My Girl Friend has a D* account so do I, if we get hitched we'll have 6 DVRs  (I have 5 she has 1).


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## retention_sup (Jun 3, 2008)

CJTE said:


> Woah.
> 
> What you need to do is call customer retentions and tell them you'd like to combine the 2 accounts.
> 
> If they get ignorant ask for a supervisor.


just to clear things up..the only way you can combine accounts is if you are marrying the other account holder or both accounts are yours at seperate homes. so in this case you wouldnt be able to combine (and on a personal note, supervisors cant break this rule either)


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## JLucPicard (Apr 27, 2004)

I was thinking as I was reading that she could do the mover's connection to your house and suspend her account for a few months. Once she's working again and can afford to pay for DirecTV service, she can reactivate her account.

The alternative would be to come up with the $420 or so (ETF would have started at $480 and drop $20 for each month she had service).

Unfortunately, when she signed up she committed to subscribing to a minimum level of programming for 24 months. I don't believe losing a boyfriend and a job voids that commitment.

Best of luck to her, though.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

Elephanthead said:


> Merge the account and deactivate her reciever, seems like a get out of jail free card, or do like my mother in law and tell them to screw themselves and file nusciance lawsuits against them until they stop reporting her to the credit agencies, heh. People without jobs have lots of free time to cause trouble.


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## 408SJC (Sep 4, 2006)

I would suspend the account, i believe d* does do extensions beyond six months. you never know what is going to happen in her life in eight months or beyond


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## mroot (Mar 13, 2006)

I appreciate everyone's suggestions. It looks like she is going to suspend her account and pay $15/month. Is it true that she can only do this for 6 months?


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## retention_sup (Jun 3, 2008)

mroot said:


> I appreciate everyone's suggestions. It looks like she is going to suspend her account and pay $15/month. Is it true that she can only do this for 6 months?


with suspension there is no cost monthly. she only needs to pay her balance to zero for the month she is in and then it can be suspended from her bill cycle day. once the account is suspended there are no fees but keep in mind at the end of the six months her account will automatically come out of suspension and she will begin to be billed.


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## Dave (Jan 29, 2003)

The last suspension rules in effect, said you could suspend the account for (9) NINE months. Then within a few days of the account coming out of suspension you can re-suspend the account for another (9) NINE months. For a total of (18) months suspended. While the account is suspended there is no monthy fees of any kind. Call DirectV and tell them you want a (9) month suspension.


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## ToiletKitty (Aug 15, 2007)

Dave said:


> The last suspension rules in effect, said you could suspend the account for (9) NINE months. Then within a few days of the account coming out of suspension you can re-suspend the account for another (9) NINE months. For a total of (18) months suspended. While the account is suspended there is no monthy fees of any kind. Call DirectV and tell them you want a (9) month suspension.


Unfortunately, you can now suspend for 6 months, and there is no re-suspension. If a csr schedules a suspension after those 6 months, the system will remove it and you would get charged.

I know that it is said that you can suspend your account twice a year, and that is true to an extent: as long as the suspensions are no longer than 6 months (total), you shouldn't have problems.


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## highheater (Aug 30, 2006)

JLucPicard said:


> I was thinking as I was reading that she could do the mover's connection to your house and suspend her account for a few months. Once she's working again and can afford to pay for DirecTV service, she can reactivate her account.
> 
> The alternative would be to come up with the $420 or so (ETF would have started at $480 and drop $20 for each month she had service).
> 
> ...


So exactly how do college age kids sign up for Direct TV when they are only going to be renting the apartment for a year? Or any one for that matter? Sign up at a different rate?


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## jimb726 (Jan 9, 2007)

highheater said:


> So exactly how do college age kids sign up for Direct TV when they are only going to be renting the apartment for a year? Or any one for that matter? Sign up at a different rate?


How in the world would DirecTv know how long a person is going to be in an apartment or college for that matter? Heck they are dealing with adults here, it's not the carriers responsibility to check if a person is planning to be in the same location in 12 months.


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## highheater (Aug 30, 2006)

CJTE said:


> Thats exactly what happens.
> 
> The OP needs to call DirecTV and let them know that his daughter is moving in and they'd like to combine the 2 accounts. DirecTV then says ok, and combines their 2 accounts into one.
> 
> I have successfully done this.


Sounds like the OP does not have Direct TV, does not want Direct TV now or probably will never want Direct TV after this experience. Pretty stunning to some here I'm sure. There aren't two accounts to combine.

For all those people that like to point to the phone company as an example of a leased service for which you are responsible for the equipment and interior home lines. I bet his daughter was able to cancel her phone service without any problem.

Sorry buddy, your daughter is just another one of a million stories in the naked city.


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## highheater (Aug 30, 2006)

jimb726 said:


> How in the world would DirecTv know how long a person is going to be in an apartment or college for that matter? Heck they are dealing with adults here, it's not the carriers responsibility to check if a person is planning to be in the same location in 12 months.


How about if I tell them !!!! My question - how do I sign up for Direct TV if I know AHEAD OF TIME I will only be at a location for ONE year.

Seems to be exactly the situation many responsible adults would find themselves in. I'm trying to find the alternatives offered by Direct TV. My Guess - NONE.


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## bakers12 (May 29, 2007)

*mroot*, you are in a no-win situation. It looks like you have a few choices.

1) *If* you no longer have a commitment, you can do what your daughter suggests. Cancel your service at let her move her service to your home.

2) Give/loan her the $420 cancellation fee.

3) Let her default on the contract. DirecTV takes her through collections, messing up her credit, etc.


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## mtnsackett (Aug 22, 2007)

retention_sup said:


> just to clear things up..the only way you can combine accounts is if you are marrying the other account holder or both accounts are yours at seperate homes. so in this case you wouldnt be able to combine (and on a personal note, supervisors cant break this rule either)


the accounts CAN be combined have her call in and give the rep permission to talk to you. tell them you moved the recievers to your address then change the name on the account to yours. you will have to assume responsability for the account. then after that is done, have them get you to the retention group to merge the two accounts together. your account will now have her comitment but you can call back in a few days and disconect the recievers and send them back as someone said before there is nowway to get out of the comitment except for death or if you make Directv look bad in the local paper like with those guys who do the consumer complaints for the tv or paper. they wll do it just don't tell them that you are doing this to get around the comitment.


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## jimb726 (Jan 9, 2007)

highheater said:


> How about if I tell them !!!! My question - how do I sign up for Direct TV if I know AHEAD OF TIME I will only be at a location for ONE year.
> 
> Seems to be exactly the situation many responsible adults would find themselves in. I'm trying to find the alternatives offered by Direct TV. My Guess - NONE.


I would assume that a responsible adult would not get themselves into a situation like you describe. If you knew that you were going to be in a location for only one year and then the following year would be living in a location that could not get a DirecTv signal, I think the only choice is cable.


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## Stoodo (Jun 18, 2006)

jimb726 said:


> If you knew that you were going to be in a location for only one year and then the following year would be living in a location that could not get a DirecTv signal, I think the only choice is cable.


How would one know that they'd be at an address only one year? Nothing in life is a certainty. This has nothing to do with responsibility or lack thereof.


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## Dwrecked (Mar 2, 2007)

highheater said:


> How do college kids living in an apartment sign up for Direct TV? Obviously no one could predict whether they'd keep the same roomates for 2 years? Or the kids might leave school or - God forbid - graduate.
> 
> Forget about the student loans after graduation - make sure you take care of that early termination fee due Direct TV.
> 
> ...


D* spends on average $600 per new customer. There is a free mover's connection, but it sounds like the OP is looking for a way to reneg on his daughter's financial obligations. Sad.


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## highheater (Aug 30, 2006)

jimb726 said:


> I would assume that a responsible adult would not get themselves into a situation like you describe. If you knew that you were going to be in a location for only one year and then the following year would be living in a location that could not get a DirecTv signal, I think the only choice is cable.


so my guess is correct ....

"I'm trying to find the alternatives offered by Direct TV. My Guess - NONE."


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## jimb726 (Jan 9, 2007)

highheater said:


> so my guess is correct ....
> 
> "I'm trying to find the alternatives offered by Direct TV. My Guess - NONE."


It would appear so. Not sure they are looking for the one year customer though. It would be quite difficult to recoup any investment in just 12 months.


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## jimb726 (Jan 9, 2007)

Stoodo said:


> How would one know that they'd be at an address only one year? Nothing in life is a certainty. This has nothing to do with responsibility or lack thereof.


Yes I know that was my point. I was responding to another poster.


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## FlBillsfan (Apr 23, 2008)

mroot said:


> I referred my daughter to DTV about 3 months ago and she signed up in her name. She was living with her boyfriend. They ended up breaking up and she lost her job all in the same week. (Not good). She is moving back home. DTV wants about $500 to break the contract. My daughter suggested we drop DTV and then she would have them "move" her to my house and we would continue having DTV. I'm not really receptive to this and doubt I will do it. What is her alternative? She doesn't have the bucks to pay them. Would it do any good to plead her case to anyone?


I don't understand why you would not be receptive to her idea. You are paying DTV anyway, if she does the mover connection DTV will upgrade your dish if you haven't had it done already. After your daughters commitment is over you could sign up with DTV again as a "new" customer & get whatever deal DTV is offering at that time.


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## mroot (Mar 13, 2006)

FlBillsfan said:


> I don't understand why you would not be receptive to her idea. You are paying DTV anyway, if she does the mover connection DTV will upgrade your dish if you haven't had it done already. After your daughters commitment is over you could sign up with DTV again as a "new" customer & get whatever deal DTV is offering at that time.


I guess I'm too damn honest. :hurah:


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## mtnsackett (Aug 22, 2007)

FlBillsfan said:


> I don't understand why you would not be receptive to her idea. You are paying DTV anyway, if she does the mover connection DTV will upgrade your dish if you haven't had it done already. After your daughters commitment is over you could sign up with DTV again as a "new" customer & get whatever deal DTV is offering at that time.


once you are a new customer the will never offer you the new customer offer again that is why they have the movers connection so you can move your account.


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## BattleZone (Nov 13, 2007)

highheater said:


> How about if I tell them !!!! My question - how do I sign up for Direct TV if I know AHEAD OF TIME I will only be at a location for ONE year.
> 
> Seems to be exactly the situation many responsible adults would find themselves in. I'm trying to find the alternatives offered by Direct TV. My Guess - NONE.


Sure there is:

You can buy your equipment from DirecTV outright (you'll pay full MSRP, not the much-discounted upfront lease fee, for the receivers) and handle your own install (or pay them to do it). Then, you can quit whenever you want, and restart whenever you want.

The reason for the commitment requirement is because you, as a subscriber, are asking DirecTV to front you the cost of your dish, your receivers (for costs beyond the upfront lease fee, if any), and the cost of your installation and probably a sales commission and residuals. The commitment gives DirecTV an assurance that they'll actually make a profit by doing this, whereas if they allowed you to cancel after only a couple of months, they'll have lost a LOT of money.

It's kind of like airline travel; NO ONE except last-minute business travelers pay full fare anymore, so no one is used to those prices. SF to NY? Sure, $500, right? Nope, full fare is closer to $1500+. Those low fares come with RESTRICTIONS; one of which is that most are not refundable, and many are also non-transferable. Lots of people buy these tickets anyway, even knowing that their travel plans are uncertain. Then they proceed to have a fit that they can't get a refund when they don't make the flight.

Nothing in life is free. All adults should realize this, but so few do. If you, as an adult, sign a contract that has 24-Month Programming Commitment as a title in bold across the top, then you should expect to pay the terms of that contract when you break it.

Cell phones work the same way; they give you a discounted price on the phone in return for a service commitment. Don't want the commitment? Pay full price for the phone. Oh, but that's TOO EXPENSIVE...


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

IIP said:


> Sure there is:
> 
> You can buy your equipment from DirecTV outright (you'll pay full MSRP, not the much-discounted upfront lease fee, for the receivers) and handle your own install (or pay them to do it). Then, you can quit whenever you want, and restart whenever you want.


My understanding and experience is that D* official policy is to require a new commitment when activating any new (to your account) equipment, however you *may* be able to request that this be waived if it was 100% self install of used (and owned, not leased) equipment. That is not always granted, but is occasionally based on the customer's past history. I seriously doubt they would waive the commitment for a new customer.


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## FlBillsfan (Apr 23, 2008)

mroot said:


> I guess I'm too damn honest. :hurah:


I don't see anything dishonest about doing this. If you have no commitment time remaining you owe Direct TV it is perfectly legal and honest for you to cancel your service with them. It is also legal and honest for your daughter who does have a commitment to Direct TV to move her service to where she will be living. If she was staying in the same house with her boyfriend, not living with you, and wanted to do this, so she could get a deal on cable for example, that would be dishonest.


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

retention_sup said:


> just to clear things up..the only way you can combine accounts is if you are marrying the other account holder or both accounts are yours at seperate homes. so in this case you wouldnt be able to combine (and on a personal note, supervisors cant break this rule either)


Really?
I've never heard of those rules. You might wanna check the policy again.


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## Incog-Neato (Apr 21, 2006)

All residential accounts whether with owned or leased or used equipment requires a committment. Plus They do not allow new accounts with ONLY used equipment.

HOWEVER, if the building you move into is an "official" DirecTV mdu property (run by an mdu system operator) you:

1) Have the option of going month to month - no contract- (if you accept absolutely ZERO promotions or offers and take NO ADVANCED equipment.

2) The agreement (if you chose any offers or advanced equipment) is only one year not two.

3) You OWN any advanced equipment you obtain (it's not leased even if you purchase it at retail or through your MSO regardless of the sticker on the box).



rudeney said:


> My understanding and experience is that D* official policy is to require a new commitment when activating any new (to your account) equipment, however you *may* be able to request that this be waived if it was 100% self install of used (and owned, not leased) equipment. That is not always granted, but is occasionally based on the customer's past history. I seriously doubt they would waive the commitment for a new customer.


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## retention_sup (Jun 3, 2008)

mtnsackett said:


> the accounts CAN be combined have her call in and give the rep permission to talk to you. tell them you moved the recievers to your address then change the name on the account to yours. you will have to assume responsability for the account. then after that is done, have them get you to the retention group to merge the two accounts together. your account will now have her comitment but you can call back in a few days and disconect the recievers and send them back as someone said before there is nowway to get out of the comitment except for death or if you make Directv look bad in the local paper like with those guys who do the consumer complaints for the tv or paper. they wll do it just don't tell them that you are doing this to get around the comitment.


umm, maybe i didnt make things clear. there are rules that we have to go by and if the account doesnt have the same name (ie bob jones) but has two different names (ie bob jones and becky jones) and the csr askes if they are getting married and they arent (and you have to fax proof usually) we cant combine the two. there are several situations where i am asked to do this and sadly its one of those rules that CANNOT be broken. (in all reality you could just say your getting married...but....then there is the burden of proof if asked to provide that.) best of luck to you tho...in all honesty the best suggestion would be suspend the account


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## retention_sup (Jun 3, 2008)

CJTE said:


> Really?
> I've never heard of those rules. You might wanna check the policy again.


im in my desk at work, reading our policy to combine accounts off my screen. but thanks for asking me to read up on it. :lol:


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## highheater (Aug 30, 2006)

There have been three conflicting responses to my question regarding alternatives for someone who wants to sign up with Direct TV for a year. 

One says I can start and stop my service any time I want if I own my own equipment and do the install.

The next suggests I can get the commitment waived under certain circumstances.

And the third suggests that all accounts require a commitment.

About the range of responses I would get form the CSRs. Which is the problem. Nobody knows for sure. And if all the enlightened people here can't come up with the right answer, how is the average consumer to do so?



From IIP

You can buy your equipment from DirecTV outright (you'll pay full MSRP, not the much-discounted upfront lease fee, for the receivers) and handle your own install (or pay them to do it). Then, you can quit whenever you want, and restart whenever you want.

From rudeney

My understanding and experience is that D* official policy is to require a new commitment when activating any new (to your account) equipment, however you *may* be able to request that this be waived if it was 100% self install of used (and owned, not leased) equipment. That is not always granted, but is occasionally based on the customer's past history. I seriously doubt they would waive the commitment for a new customer.

From Icog-Neato

All residential accounts whether with owned or leased or used equipment requires a committment. Plus They do not allow new accounts with ONLY used equipment.

One says I can start and stop my service any time I want if I own my own equipment and do the install.

The next suggests I can get the commitment waived under certain circumstances.

And the third suggests that all accounts require a commitment.


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## skyviewmark1 (Sep 28, 2006)

mtnsackett said:


> once you are a new customer the will never offer you the new customer offer again that is why they have the movers connection so you can move your account.


I wouldn't say never.. D* will consider you a new customer if you have been off their service for over two years.


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## retention_sup (Jun 3, 2008)

highheater said:


> There have been three conflicting responses to my question regarding alternatives for someone who wants to sign up with Direct TV for a year.
> 
> One says I can start and stop my service any time I want if I own my own equipment and do the install.
> 
> ...


 from looking in my info program here this is what is stated about commitments 1 owned equipment doesnt have a commitment
2 any leased equipment has a commitment--unless you already have leased equipment and replace a faulty rcvr w/ or w/out protection plan. with a new customer account there is a 24 hour window in which to cancel unless you live in one of the following states **in these states you have 15 days to cancel with no commitment Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, or West Virginia.
3 if you have made a service call and a replacement rcvr is issued to you during the service call by the technician then there is no new commitment---whatever the original commitment was will stand
4 commitments are not waived b/c of los issues if you move to a new location where you cannot get a line of sight--your original commitment from the previous location where you had service will stand
5 commitments are waived for military deployment out of the country where dtv cannot be aquired and death of account holder.

hope this clears things up


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## retention_sup (Jun 3, 2008)

skyviewmark1 said:


> I wouldn't say never.. D* will consider you a new customer if you have been off their service for over two years.


once you have had an account with us you are not "supposed" to get the "new customer offer" again. if you decide to reconnect you would be considered a "winback" customer (basically same offer)


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

Elephanthead said:


> what happens if you shack up with some broad, or marry them, and you both have DTV? I would think they would want to keep you both as a customer. Anyway, DTV needs to meet mister federal regulation if they don't cut the outrageous break up fees. They are not paying 500 bucks for an install, ask any installer here, and they get the equipment back. Tell her to write her states attorney general and report this consumer abuse, they love this sort of thing.


You can write President Bush if you like but ETF's on cell phones, alarm systems, and, of course satellite TV have been ruled legal and you will be stuck for the ETF if you sign on the dotted line and terminate your service early. So sorry, but that's the law.


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

Elephanthead said:


> Merge the account and deactivate her reciever, seems like a get out of jail free card, or do like my mother in law and tell them to screw themselves and file nusciance lawsuits against them until they stop reporting her to the credit agencies, heh. People without jobs have lots of free time to cause trouble.


Yeah, and since prospective employers nowadays usually run a credit check before hiring someone, they will REMAIN unemployed for a long time if they use this tactic not to mention all the other problems a bad credit rating creates for them.


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

jimb726 said:


> I would assume that a responsible adult would not get themselves into a situation like you describe. If you knew that you were going to be in a location for only one year and then the following year would be living in a location that could not get a DirecTv signal, I think the only choice is cable.


Doesn't DirecTV let you out of the ETF if you move and their installer comes to your new location and determines that a satellite signal isn't available?


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

retention_sup said:


> im in my desk at work, reading our policy to combine accounts off my screen. but thanks for asking me to read up on it. :lol:


Since you appear to work for DirecTV, is that comment made earlier true that a new DirecTV customer ALWAYS gets a commitment?

I've been a customer for years and years and as such have lots of used (owned) equipment. What if I sell a dish and receiver to my neighbor and install it for them. Will DirecTV not accept them as a new customer without a programming commitment? (I know they will have to purchase a new smart card but this is a startup cost not a commitment)


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

ThomasM said:


> Doesn't DirecTV let you out of the ETF if you move and their installer comes to your new location and determines that a satellite signal isn't available?


That's what happened to me a couple of years ago before I bought a chainsaw... you have to fight for it though.


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## retention_sup (Jun 3, 2008)

ThomasM said:


> Since you appear to work for DirecTV, is that comment made earlier true that a new DirecTV customer ALWAYS gets a commitment?
> 
> I've been a customer for years and years and as such have lots of used (owned) equipment. What if I sell a dish and receiver to my neighbor and install it for them. Will DirecTV not accept them as a new customer without a programming commitment? (I know they will have to purchase a new smart card but this is a startup cost not a commitment)


in that case they would actually have to buy the new access card and would be in a 1 year commitment to receive the programming credits.


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## highheater (Aug 30, 2006)

retention_sup said:


> from looking in my info program here this is what is stated about commitments 1 owned equipment doesnt have a commitment
> 2 any leased equipment has a commitment--unless you already have leased equipment and replace a faulty rcvr w/ or w/out protection plan. with a new customer account there is a 24 hour window in which to cancel unless you live in one of the following states **in these states you have 15 days to cancel with no commitment Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, or West Virginia.
> 3 if you have made a service call and a replacement rcvr is issued to you during the service call by the technician then there is no new commitment---whatever the original commitment was will stand
> 4 commitments are not waived b/c of los issues if you move to a new location where you cannot get a line of sight--your original commitment from the previous location where you had service will stand
> ...


Thanks ... real information we can use .. I'm going to print this out .. any document I can refer to with this info in talking with a CSR ???


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## jimb726 (Jan 9, 2007)

tcusta00 said:


> That's what happened to me a couple of years ago before I bought a chainsaw... you have to fight for it though.


They let you out of the commitment or they tried to force you to pay the ETF? Man that seems like a really good way to generate ill will on DirecTv's part.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

jimb726 said:


> They let you out of the commitment or they tried to force you to pay the ETF? Man that seems like a really good way to generate ill will on DirecTv's part.


The ETF and committment are the same basic thing. They didn't want to let me out of the committment without paying the ETF. Apparently their policy is that it's your fault for moving into a place without LOS. That wasn't one of the items on my list of requirements when purchasing my new home. I really wanted to keep DirecTV (as evidenced by me being back here after ridding myself of offending trees) yet they still didn't want to let me out.


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## JLucPicard (Apr 27, 2004)

mroot said:


> My daughter suggested we drop DTV and then she would have them "move" her to my house and we would continue having DTV. I'm not really receptive to this and doubt I will do it.





FlBillsfan said:


> I don't see anything dishonest about doing this. If you have no commitment time remaining you owe Direct TV it is perfectly legal and honest for you to cancel your service with them. It is also legal and honest for your daughter who does have a commitment to Direct TV to move her service to where she will be living.


mroot, I don't know if the equipment you have is owned or leased, but if it's leased and you cancelled your service, you would have to return the receivers. It's my understanding that DirecTV does not allow the transfer of leased equipment to other accounts - meaning I don't think you could cancel your account and transfer your current equipment to your daughter's (newly moved to your address) account.

If your equipment is owned, you may be able to reactivate it on her account, but I'm not entirely sure about that.


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## FlBillsfan (Apr 23, 2008)

JLucPicard said:


> mroot, I don't know if the equipment you have is owned or leased, but if it's leased and you cancelled your service, you would have to return the receivers. It's my understanding that DirecTV does not allow the transfer of leased equipment to other accounts - meaning I don't think you could cancel your account and transfer your current equipment to your daughter's (newly moved to your address) account.
> 
> If your equipment is owned, you may be able to reactivate it on her account, but I'm not entirely sure about that.


That is true, but shouldn't be a problem unless he has leased HDDVR's. He could just use his daughters equipment, return any leased he has or put them in the closet if he owns them.


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## jimb726 (Jan 9, 2007)

tcusta00 said:


> The ETF and committment are the same basic thing. They didn't want to let me out of the committment without paying the ETF. Apparently their policy is that it's your fault for moving into a place without LOS. That wasn't one of the items on my list of requirements when purchasing my new home. I really wanted to keep DirecTV (as evidenced by me being back here after ridding myself of offending trees) yet they still didn't want to let me out.


Good grief, makes me glad that I hate trees. When we bought our new house I made sure it was a treeless lot, not for satelite, but simply because I hate raking.


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## highheater (Aug 30, 2006)

jimb726 said:


> Good grief, makes me glad that I hate trees.


Normally I'd agree with you. But I might consider growing a few if it got me out of my 2-year commitment.


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## JeffBowser (Dec 21, 2006)

You know, on a side note, one of my pet peeves is when a developer, usually some transient from up north, bulldozes a perfectly good orange or mango grove to the bare sand, plunks a zero lot line cookie-cutter housing development on it and has the balls to call it "The Groves". I detest with ever fiber of my being a treeless lot.:lol: I planted two sea-grapes, two dozen coconuts, an orange, and 8other different varieties of palms and tropical plants in my yard as soon as I moved in. As a consequence, when everyone else *****es about the heat, we are sitting cool and easy in my yard as the sea-breeze whispers through the coconuts.



jimb726 said:


> Good grief, makes me glad that I hate trees. When we bought our new house I made sure it was a treeless lot, not for satelite, but simply because I hate raking.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

retention_sup said:


> in that case they would actually have to buy the new access card and would be in a 1 year commitment to receive the programming credits.


I think this is the real sticking point with regards to the service commitments. D* can say that if you activate "owned" equipment, they don't require a commitment, but if that owned equipment requires a new access card, they then *do* require a commitment, and if the access card goes into an "advanced receiver", you end up with a two-year commitment.


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## JLucPicard (Apr 27, 2004)

FlBillsfan said:


> That is true, but shouldn't be a problem unless he has leased HDDVR's. He could just use his daughters equipment, return any leased he has or put them in the closet if he owns them.


Depending on how much equipment he has and if his daughter intended to continue to watch TV. When I posted I was picturing a typical scenario of one or two receivers/DVRs in the living room, maybe one in the bedroom, and the daughter maybe having just one receiver. If they wanted to continue their viewing habits, they'd have to reacquire receivers under the daughter's account.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Elephanthead said:


> what happens if you shack up with some broad, or marry them, and you both have DTV? I would think they would want to keep you both as a customer. Anyway, DTV needs to meet mister federal regulation if they don't cut the outrageous break up fees. They are not paying 500 bucks for an install, ask any installer here, and they get the equipment back. Tell her to write her states attorney general and report this consumer abuse, they love this sort of thing.


I'll bet they spend at least $500 per new install..... With the majority of that money going towards the advertising dollars they spend per new customer they sign up....


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## FlBillsfan (Apr 23, 2008)

JLucPicard said:


> Depending on how much equipment he has and if his daughter intended to continue to watch TV. When I posted I was picturing a typical scenario of one or two receivers/DVRs in the living room, maybe one in the bedroom, and the daughter maybe having just one receiver. If they wanted to continue their viewing habits, they'd have to reacquire receivers under the daughter's account.


Good point, the OP did not provide enough information to really give the best advise.


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## retention_sup (Jun 3, 2008)

highheater said:


> Thanks ... real information we can use .. I'm going to print this out .. any document I can refer to with this info in talking with a CSR ???


in all honesty, they should know this if they would just read info in our infomation center. ever call one of the centers and instantly get put on hold for 8 days?? best option...hang up call back. b/c you got an out source call center and they have no freakin clue what they are doing/saying. best of luck though!!


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

Incog-Neato said:


> All residential accounts whether with owned or leased or used equipment requires a committment. Plus They do not allow new accounts with ONLY used equipment.
> 
> HOWEVER, if the building you move into is an "official" DirecTV mdu property (run by an mdu system operator) you:
> 
> ...


If you pay the full price for your equipment, you will have no commitment on your account.
Thats the way it has been since the lease option began, and was last week when I called in and checked on creating a new account for my RV.


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

retention_sup said:


> im in my desk at work, reading our policy to combine accounts off my screen. but thanks for asking me to read up on it. :lol:


Quit looking as /res and start looking at /ret.


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## jimb726 (Jan 9, 2007)

JeffBowser said:


> You know, on a side note, one of my pet peeves is when a developer, usually some transient from up north, bulldozes a perfectly good orange or mango grove to the bare sand, plunks a zero lot line cookie-cutter housing development on it and has the balls to call it "The Groves". I detest with ever fiber of my being a treeless lot.:lol: I planted two sea-grapes, two dozen coconuts, an orange, and 8other different varieties of palms and tropical plants in my yard as soon as I moved in. As a consequence, when everyone else *****es about the heat, we are sitting cool and easy in my yard as the sea-breeze whispers through the coconuts.


Actually I agree with you there. Ther development I live in now used to be farmland, flat and great soil, but it doesnt appear that they had to bulldoze or clear anything. I can appreciate folks who like the trees and woods, but it isnt for me. If I had my way I would put in an astroturf yard as well.:hurah:


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## JeffBowser (Dec 21, 2006)

:lol: Same planet, different world, my friend :lol:



jimb726 said:


> Actually I agree with you there. Ther development I live in now used to be farmland, flat and great soil, but it doesnt appear that they had to bulldoze or clear anything. I can appreciate folks who like the trees and woods, but it isnt for me. If I had my way I would put in an astroturf yard as well.:hurah:


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## retention_sup (Jun 3, 2008)

CJTE said:


> Quit looking as /res and start looking at /ret.


im looking at our lease commitment tool to access that info. maybe your confused....do you work for corp dtv or converg? lol. usually if the badge number starts with 100.....your not a corp call center, and cause all sorts of confusion. 
have a lovely day!


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

CJTE said:


> Quit looking as /res and start looking at /ret.





retention_sup said:


> im looking at our lease commitment tool to access that info. maybe your confused....do you work for corp dtv or converg? lol. usually if the badge number starts with 100.....your not a corp call center, and cause all sorts of confusion.
> have a lovely day!


You guys ought to take the DirecTV corporate talk to PM. Not only is it OT, but you could be unknowingly putting your employment in jeopardy by slipping on stuff that shouldn't be shared with the general public.


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## cmtar (Nov 16, 2005)

I moved once and didnt have a line of sight so they let me cancel no questions asked and I still had over a year to go


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## jimb726 (Jan 9, 2007)

JeffBowser said:


> :lol: Same planet, different world, my friend :lol:


Absolutely!!


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

CJTE said:


> If you pay the full price for your equipment, you will have no commitment on your account.
> Thats the way it has been since the lease option began, and was last week when I called in and checked on creating a new account for my RV.


Then why should you get a commitment if you purchase USED equipment from another subscriber? Both require a new access card, don't they?

<sigh> Another disagreement as to what DOES and DOESN'T trigger a commitment....


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

ThomasM said:


> Then why should you get a commitment if you purchase USED equipment from another subscriber? Both require a new access card, don't they?
> 
> <sigh> Another disagreement as to what DOES and DOESN'T trigger a commitment....


Ahh, there are a few rules to this game. And yes, setting up a no-commitment account is a game. I dont know all the rules, but I will share the ones I do know.

1) Most CSRs dont know about this offer, but it is in their documents that if a customer is adamant about paying full price for the equipment, to do it (they're supposed to convince you to lease first).
2) You cant buy a peice of equipment at a garage sale and activate it as your first reciever. (You probably actually could with CSR roulette, but, most CSRs definetly will not let you do this, and you're not supposed to)
3) If you're starting out as a brand new account, you have to buy your first peice of equipment directly from DirecTV
4) If you're coming back to DirecTV, you can activate any of your owned equipment, *DO NOT ACCEPT WINBACK OFFERS*, if you do, a commitment will be applied to your account.
5) If a representative tells you you're wrong or cant do what you're asking, at this point it is 'ok' to ask for retentions, as they are the actual department that generally handles this type of account.


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## TheGreatLogan (May 25, 2008)

CJTE said:


> Ahh, there are a few rules to this game. And yes, setting up a no-commitment account is a game. I dont know all the rules, but I will share the ones I do know.





> 1) Most CSRs dont know about this offer, but it is in their documents that if a customer is adamant about paying full price for the equipment, to do it (they're supposed to convince you to lease first).


 Yes!



> 2) You cant buy a peice of equipment at a garage sale and activate it as your first reciever. (You probably actually could with CSR roulette, but, most CSRs definetly will not let you do this, and you're not supposed to)


 Only if you buy your own access card, you cant use an access card that cme from another account



> 3) If you're starting out as a brand new account, you have to buy your first peice of equipment directly from DirecTV


 In fact, no, you can get this froma wal mart or another place, but it is still lease



> 4) If you're coming back to DirecTV, you can activate any of your owned equipment, *DO NOT ACCEPT WINBACK OFFERS*, if you do, a commitment will be applied to your account.


 Only do a commitment if you get new equipment


> 5) If a representative tells you you're wrong or cant do what you're asking, at this point it is 'ok' to ask for retentions, as they are the actual department that generally handles this type of account.


 In fact, retention dept is for retention, not for wanderings, but they can do the job.

I hope i helped with this info


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## gitarzan (Dec 31, 2005)

My 78 year old father has been a DirecTV subscriber for about 18 months. He has an R15 SD DVR and another non dvr SD set top box. He felt sure he onlly was under a 12 month agreement. He went to cancel and was told he had about six months to go on his contract. I told him that he probably does have a 24 month agreement because of the DVR. I suspect DirecTV didn't make the 24 month agreement very clear when he ordered service because he is usually pretty good about knowing that kind of stuff. 

So my question is..what is the early termination fee and consequences for 18 of 24 months? thanks,


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## heisman (Feb 11, 2007)

$120


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

retention_sup said:


> im looking at our lease commitment tool to access that info. maybe your confused....do you work for corp dtv or converg? lol. usually if the badge number starts with 100.....your not a corp call center, and cause all sorts of confusion.
> have a lovely day!


Convergys is not the only Vendor Center that DirecTV uses. There's also Matrixx, SiTEL, ClientLogic, and PRC, to name a few.
Then there are the in-house centers like Denver, CO; Tulsa, OK; Missoula, Montana; Huntsville, TN; Boise, ID; just to rattle a few more.

1000 Generally means Philippines.
100 Generally covers some of Boise, and some of Tulsa.

I dont need your help doing _my_ job either, thanks. But please, Don't Denigrate.

//

I tried to PM that but RetentionSup has either choosen not to receive PMs, or has had the PM privilege taken away.
To whom it may concern, the above information is not 'classified' or otherwise confidential. For the general population DirecTV would prefer that the customer feel that they're dealing with DirecTV directly, and in most cases they are. We're all mature DBSr's here, and we know that DirecTV, and Dish as well, contract out some of their call-contact centers.


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