# Update on WAF



## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

I had noted in another thread about the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) for DirecTV being at an all-time low. Well, I have an update, and I decided to start a new thread instead of taking the other thread too far off-topic.


Last night, my wife asked me to call Comcast to get information on switching to Comcast when our DirecTV commitment expires. So I call. I get disconnected twice. One time I get someone who tells me that Comcast doesn't serve my area (they do). And I get another guy who puts me on hold for 15 minutes.

While on hold (with the hold music playing on my speakerphone), my wife turns to me and says "If we want crappy service, we might as well just stay with DirecTV."

So I guess I won't be hearing a lot of complaining about DirecTV until they really screw up again, or Fios is rolled out on my street.

By the way, when I finally spoke to someone who could give me information, I found out that Comcast service for me would be 2 cents a month cheaper than DirecTV, excluding new customer promos.


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## dodge boy (Mar 31, 2006)

If you get too much Flak you can tell her that there is a limited number of pay TV services, but a virtually unlimited number of potential future wives out there....


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## qwerty (Feb 19, 2006)

dodge boy said:


> If you get too much Flak you can tell her that there is a limited number of pay TV services, but a virtually unlimited number of potential future wives out there....


But the cost of switching _wives_ is much higher! :lol:


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## LOCODUDE (Aug 8, 2007)

qwerty said:


> But the cost of switching _wives_ is much higher! :lol:


Indeed.............


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## Sixto (Nov 18, 2005)

Took wife a few weeks (early-2007) to get familiar with HR20 (from HR10-250). Been almost 18-months with not one issue on "her box". Honestly, candidly.


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

Upstream said:


> I had noted in another thread about the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor) for DirecTV being at an all-time low. Well, I have an update, and I decided to start a new thread instead of taking the other thread too far off-topic.
> 
> Last night, my wife asked me to call Comcast to get information on switching to Comcast when our DirecTV commitment expires. So I call. I get disconnected twice. One time I get someone who tells me that Comcast doesn't serve my area (they do). And I get another guy who puts me on hold for 15 minutes.
> 
> ...


You do know that if your WAF is from Missouri you are going to have to show her?.


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## litzdog911 (Jun 23, 2004)

My wife and kids now prefer the DirecTV interface over the Tivo's. It took a few weeks, though.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

qwerty said:


> But the cost of switching _wives_ is much higher! :lol:


That's why you have to pick the right wife to begin with. I would have never married a WAF woman.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

spartanstew said:


> That's why you have to pick the right wife to begin with. I would have never married a WAF woman.


:lol: same here... she has to worry about HAF.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

LOL. With me it's HUF.

(got it?)


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

spartanstew said:


> LOL. With me it's HUF.
> 
> (got it?)


Gotcha.

I think. :lol:


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Everyone's situation will be different, but for me, the WAF of both DIRECTV and DBSTalk is pretty high. Of course I have the best wife there is, so you boys' experiences may vary.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

mine does what I say, when I say it as long as what I say is what she wanted me to say. works out well for her if I do say so myself 
honestly, she's ok with whatever I do with it since we have no other options.


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

Just to clarify, the only place my wife was giving me flack was in trying to get me to pay an early termination fee and switch to cable ASAP. My preference was to wait until the end of my commitment, and wait for Fios, before deciding on whether to switch.

We both agree that DirecTV's customer service is the absolute worst, by a wide margin, of any major company we have ever done business with. I was concerned that Comcast might be as bad or marginally worse (based on their reputation). 

Comcast's inability to handle what should have been an easy call from a potential new customer did not give me confidence that their customer service was significantly better than DirecTV. Thus they removed my wife's incentive to pay an ETF and switch.

But just because Comcast may have equally crappy customer service, does not mean we are now satisfied with DirecTV's customer service. It still sucks.


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## apexmi (Jul 8, 2006)

spartanstew said:


> That's why you have to pick the right wife to begin with. I would have never married a WAF woman.


The only way to do it!


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## apexmi (Jul 8, 2006)

Upstream said:


> Just to clarify, the only place my wife was giving me flack was in trying to get me to pay an early termination fee and switch to cable ASAP. My preference was to wait until the end of my commitment, and wait for Fios, before deciding on whether to switch.
> 
> We both agree that DirecTV's customer service is the absolute worst, by a wide margin, of any major company we have ever done business with. I was concerned that Comcast might be as bad or marginally worse (based on their reputation).
> 
> ...


Unfortunately this is not a DirecTv exclusive problem it's everywhere, My dad mentioned yesterday that he had dinner at a TGI Fridays last week and asked for some more cocktail sauce for his shrimp and was advised it would be an extra .25 and they actually added it to the bill which was about a $50 bill, So He reduced the tip by a dollar and will no longer go there to eat. I'm sorry but they just lost a customer (he is one that will not go back) over .25


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## rkicklighter (Nov 29, 2007)

WAF - "Been there, Done that" and won't ever do it again.

Fortunately I have the best GF in the world. She understands it's my house and she has input, I have the last word. She also could care less about electronics. When I get something new, we have one teaching session and from then on she either knows how it works or can figure it out.

As for customer service, it pretty much sucks everywhere these days! Doesn't matter if it's a TV service or an auto dealership. That is the main reason I choose to do almost everything myself. If I don't know how, I learn. If I don't have the tools, I buy or rent them.

Just recently I had an o-ring in my diesel pickup blow out. With work travel I didn't have much spare time so I called a local stealer. They wanted $80 for parts and $400 for labor! Yes, to replace 2 o-rings! HELL NO! After a little research I ordered the o-ring kit from a place in Texas, shipped to my house for $12. Same Ford box, same Ford part number. Ordered a line tool from NAPA for $19 and it took me a total of 45 minutes to change the parts. That included a smoke break while talking to a buddy. So I spent $31 and 45 minutes OR I could have went to the dealer and spent almost $500. Not much customer service from a dealer I have spent $200k+ with over the past 20 years. They will never get my business again.

Sorry for the rant, the CS issue hit a nerve. At least when it comes to D*, I am still on the local coop thing from years ago. I call them for customer service and never have a problem. Called Thursday about the price on getting an old RCA receiver replaced. Lady said bring it to me and I'll give you a new one for free. An hour later I had a new SD receiver for free. That's the kind of service I like.


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

qwerty said:


> But the cost of switching _wives_ is much higher! :lol:


Depends if you have a programming commitment (pre-nup) or not.


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## ThomasM (Jul 20, 2007)

apexmi said:


> My dad mentioned yesterday that he had dinner at a TGI Fridays last week and asked for some more cocktail sauce for his shrimp and was advised it would be an extra .25 and they actually added it to the bill which was about a $50 bill, So He reduced the tip by a dollar and will no longer go there to eat. I'm sorry but they just lost a customer (he is one that will not go back) over .25


It's not the quarter. It's the *principle.*

In another thread, a DirecTV customer whose credit card expired and resulted in a past due email called in and was offered to correct the situation while on the phone. Then he got a $5 fee on his account for paying via phone with a credit card!!! He went through the ceiling and went right to the top at DirecTV and had the charge removed. Was it the $5 bucks? NO WAY!!

And here's my little example...

I used to get bottled water delivery for my cooler. The company pushed "free delivery" in all their literature and yellow book ad. Then one day I got the bill and without any warning a magical "$2 fuel surcharge" showed up. I called in and asked how they can advertise "free delivery" and then charge $2 for it. "Oh, that's not a *delivery* charge, it's a *fuel surcharge*" I was told. You call it TO-MAY-TO, I call it TO-MAH-TO what's the difference? So I cancelled their service and now pick my water up in 2.5 gallon plastic bottles at the grocery store. And *I* pay the "fuel surcharge"!


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

apexmi said:


> My dad mentioned yesterday that he had dinner at a TGI Fridays last week and asked for some more cocktail sauce for his shrimp and was advised it would be an extra .25 and they actually added it to the bill which was about a $50 bill, So He reduced the tip by a dollar and will no longer go there to eat. I'm sorry but they just lost a customer (he is one that will not go back) over .25


Your dad sounds like mine in that he will just not go back and the company will be none the wiser. I on the other hand would have had the manager at my table informing him that I would pay the $.25, but would never step foot in there again.


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

Herdfan said:


> Your dad sounds like mine in that he will just not go back and the company will be none the wiser. I on the other hand would have had the manager at my table informing him that I would pay the $.25, but would never step foot in there again.


Same here.

A while back, my wife wasn't feeling well, so I took the 4 year old out to Applebees so she'd have an hour or so home alone.

We got there, and there was about a 10 minute wait. I asked my son if he was OK waiting 10 minutes or if he wanted to go somewhere else. He decided waiting was OK. We actually got seated faster than 10 minutes which was great.

15 minutes later, we were still without a waiter to take our drink order. At least 2 other tables had been seated and had drink orders taken. One table was a teenage couple and they'd already been served their food.

I walked to the front waiting area and asked for the manager and told them "I'm leaving now, but you need to know why. I've been seated for 15 minutes and we didn't even get our drink order taken".

She gave us a $30 gift certificate, I think. We went back 1 time since then to use the gift certificate, but not since!

I'm pretty sure that a waiter or waitress got their butt chewed that night - the manager seemed very embarassed - but their service is generally pretty poor at our Applebees anyway, this night was just over the top and it was the last straw for us.


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## STEVED21 (Feb 6, 2006)

qwerty said:


> But the cost of switching _wives_ is much higher! :lol:


Trust me, that's an ETF you don't want to incur!!!:lol:


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