# DIRECTV Cancelled My Account



## papa_azteca (Jan 11, 2007)

Actually it wasn’t my account; it was my cousin’s account. But those were the first words he said to me when he came over for my house for our weekly post season party today. When I jokingly stated the obvious, “Well pay your bill and they wouldn’t have disconnected your account” I had to move out of the way of the foam football he threw at me. He stated that was not the case and proceeded with his story.

He just bought an HD TV for his home (based off the viewing experiences he had at my house) and wanted an HD DVR upgrade. He has been with DIRECTV for about 2 years longer than me and pays about $100 a month (he has no sport subs and no movie channels). He felt that he should not have to pay the $199 upgrade fee and wanted a better deal. He called several times, like 6-7 times, talking to various CSRs and Supervisors and the Retention group. He stated that on the last call the agent answered the phone and said something like, “Oh, Mr. ******, I see that you have called in several times today. Is it regarding an upgrade?” (He was quite impressed with the formality of the introduction and how polite she was so that is why he remembered what she said because what happened next was quite the opposite). He said yes and before he could say anything else, the agent said something like “I will need to transfer to you to someone who can better assist you” (and he thought, “Yes, finally I’m getting somewhere”) and by the end of the conversation he heard something like, “I’m sorry we can’t satisfy you as a customer today. Truthfully, at this time we have already lowered the price of the HD DVR and since you do not want to take that offer it might be best that you get your services from another provider.” Needless to say he was quite upset that this person was not budging from the $199 + $99 + $19.95 price and threatened to cancel his account. The reply was, “That is the resolution that I am presenting”. He said he argued with the person, that they had no right to cancel his services without his permission and that cable is calling him to switch, etc., etc., etc., but at the end his account was cancelled. He called back in and immediately was given the same opening before he was told that he would be transferred to someone who can better assist him. But then the same agent came back and said that the department was not answering and he had to transfer him to his supervisor. All my cousin wanted to know if he could have his service turned back on. The supervisor told him that his account had been flagged for calling in a certain amount of times and that a special department is now handling his account and at this time they were the only ones that could overturn the decision. My cousin asked to be transferred to them and he was told that a message would have to be sent to them and he should receive a call back within 2 days. So right now he is without DIRECTV service, waiting for someone from this “department” to call him back and can’t take advantage of his new HDTV (he has his XBOX 360 with the HD DVD player he just bought but doesn’t have any HD DVDs).

Anybody hear of this before? Is it true that if you call in a lot that your account can be cancelled? Or was his demeanor when asking for a better deal? I know it was lengthy but I ask a lot of questions and I know some of you would ask something about it.


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## litzdog911 (Jun 23, 2004)

Sounds like your cousin pushed his luck a bit too hard. He should now ask to talk with "Customer Retention" about getting his account reactivated.


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## tfederov (Nov 18, 2005)

I think Verizon started cutting off customers for calling in too much. I know if my kid hit me up enough times for the same thing she'd go to time out. Did he call that many times in one day?


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## papa_azteca (Jan 11, 2007)

litzdog911 said:


> Sounds like your cousin pushed his luck a bit too hard. He should now ask to talk with "Customer Retention" about getting his account reactivated.


That's the problem; he can't get past the opening. The moment he calls back in they try to transfer him to this department. He even tried the "I want to cancel my service" and was told he had to be transfered.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

tfederov said:


> I think Verizon started cutting off customers for calling in too much.


It was Sprint that started that practice, great company:sure:


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

Sounds like he pulled the trigger one to many times and lost.

Got mixed feelings about this.

On one side, sucks that they cut him off. After all, he was just trying to get a better deal by calling over & over. A situation, the D* created for themselves.

On the other side. It's about darn time they start putting a stop to this. He threatened to cancel his account, they called his bluff. He lost. Now he wants back. Too bad. I've stated over & over, if you play the cancel card, you darn well better be ready for them to call you on it.


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## tfederov (Nov 18, 2005)

RAD said:


> It was Sprint that started that practice, great company:sure:


I knew it was one of the telcos...


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

as Litzdog said, he pushed too hard. HE got tagged as a frequent caller, which sends him to a special group. 
he needs to wait at least 24 hrs and call and ask to talk to retention. 
he needs to humbly ask to have his services turned back on, not ask for any special deals (he has been marked as a troublemaker) and lie low for a few months, not seeking special deals

Directv does indeed reserve the right to cancel an account without warning if you are abusing an agent or being harrassing.


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

curt8403 said:


> as Litzdog said, he pushed too hard. HE got tagged as a frequent caller, which sends him to a special group.
> he needs to wait at least 24 hrs and call and ask to talk to retention.
> he needs to humbly ask to have his services turned back on, not ask for any special deals (he has been marked as a troublemaker) and lie low for a few months, not seeking special deals
> 
> Directv does indeed reserve the right to cancel an account without warning if you are abusing an agent or being harrassing.


let this be a warning to all you people pushing for special deals for equipment or programming.

You can and will get your accounts killed


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## ProfLonghair (Sep 26, 2006)

Greed is well served. Good on Directv!


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## akhicks (Dec 11, 2007)

probably not what you want to hear but tell him to switch to dish he will get a free hd dvr, sure they have less hd programming right now but they will catch up.


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## Googer (Jan 12, 2007)

No offense to you or your cousin, but I'm actually happy to hear this. I'm getting sick of hearing of people playing CSR roulette to try to get a better deal for equipment upgrades. Is it really worth the time and aggravation of everyone involved to try to save some money on a one-time cost? If you really want to save money, how about hitting up eBay for somewhat discounted equipment (making sure to stick to reputable sellers of new receivers) and dropping some programming or receivers instead (and it must be a lot of STB's if he was paying $100 / month w/out any premium packages )? That actually hits them harder in the long-run anyway ya know.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

papa_azteca said:


> Anybody hear of this before? Is it true that if you call in a lot that your account can be cancelled? Or was his demeanor when asking for a better deal? I know it was lengthy but I ask a lot of questions and I know some of you would ask something about it.


Yes, I have heard of this happening before..

And why, usually I post about people asking for credits.... to be caution about bluffing about cancelling... as DirecTV will call that bluff.

Their have made multiple advancements in their system.... and the offer you get the first time you call, is typically (more often then not), the best offer.

They don't want to spend a long time on the phone with you (just like you don't want to spend a long time with them), they don't want you bouncing around to mulitple people... as that is no good for customer service, and just leads to mulitple issues.


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## JLucPicard (Apr 27, 2004)

papa_azteca said:


> *He felt that he should not have to pay the $199 upgrade fee and wanted a better deal.He called several times, like 6-7 times, talking to various CSRs and Supervisors and the Retention group.* He stated that on the last call the agent answered the phone and said something like, "Oh, Mr. ******, I see that you have called in several times today. Is it regarding an upgrade?" (He was quite impressed with the formality of the introduction and how polite she was so that is why he remembered what she said because what happened next was quite the opposite). He said yes and before he could say anything else, the agent said something like "I will need to transfer to you to someone who can better assist you" (and he thought, "Yes, finally I'm getting somewhere") and by the end of the conversation he heard something like, "I'm sorry we can't satisfy you as a customer today. Truthfully, at this time we have already lowered the price of the HD DVR and since you do not want to take that offer it might be best that you get your services from another provider." *Needless to say he was quite upset that this person was not budging from the $199 + $99 + $19.95 price and threatened to cancel his account.* The reply was, "That is the resolution that I am presenting". He said he argued with the person, that they had no right to cancel his services without his permission and that cable is calling him to switch, etc., etc., etc., but at the end his account was cancelled.


Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding!

Why did he feel he shouldn't have to pay the going rate for equipment? Because he may have been with them for a while?

You play CSR Roullette aggressively enough, sometimes you lose. You push the limits, then threaten to cancel your account - wow, you're walking on some awfully thin ice at that point.

Let him cool off as curt8403 says, and call back with a much more humble attitude and ask if he can get his account reinstated. Hopefully, lesson learned.

To any of those who think DirecTV reps DON'T make notes on your account, or won't call your bluff about cancelling - take heed.

papa-azteca, I'm not sure what your cousin's demeaner was with the reps, but if he was beligerant or abusive/angry in his dealings with them before the eventual end, there's another good lesson for everybody.

Sounds like he pushed his luck and his luck ran out. I hope that he can get things back and has learned a lesson from this.


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## JDubbs413 (Sep 4, 2007)

I was able to get Sprint to waive my cancellation fee because of how many times I called and complained about the service was unreliable. That is something I know they don't do often either. I really didn't call that much in comparison though maybe six or seven times over the course of a year and only when I knew people were sending me messages I wasn't getting. 

Personally I think it is awesome DirecTV did this. I can understand the frustration with paying $199 but it is just the way it is. You shouldn't threaten to cancel unless you honestly want to cancel. I think it's funny how he is like "I am gonna cancel" and then when they said that is what they are doing he was like "No wait!". LOL


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## rjheard (Dec 12, 2007)

I'm not sure that following Sprints lead is a good idea. I believe I would call Dish if they cut off my service without notice and was not past due. D* spends several hundred dollars in aqusition cost for new customer so if this guy would renew his contract it's a unreasonable request to get promotional price equippment. It's just like upgrading your cell phone, promotional price usually equals new contract. I had a similar situation with Charter. I had continual problems and asked if I needed to switch to satellite to get reliable service. The lady I was speaking with did not skip a beat and connected me to the disconnect department. I was suprised that they cared so little for someone who represented $130 per month in recurring revenue. Thats how I became a D* customer. I still need my OTA but am really glad to be rid of Charter.


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## photosmike (Sep 29, 2007)

Did he have any early termination fees to pay?


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## Pink Fairy (Dec 28, 2006)

I read it - and kind of smiled.

I know that is mean - but I hate seeing and hearing all of these stories where people pressed and pressed till they got what they wanted.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

If it hasn't been obvious to anyone...

In 2007... DirecTV has drastically scalled back the credit "flood"..
As the year went on... it even closed and tighted even more.

It is going to continue that way in 2008...
To the point that pretty much, it will be very clear what offers you can get...
And consistant.

Credits will be only be used to compensate for some sort of problem.
But even then, they are going to be brought back into Check.

They have stated that multiple times over the year in their conference calls.

For 10+ years... that credit and CSR Roulette "beast" got way out of control.. For the last 18-24 months they have been realing it back in....


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

Theres a really neat sub-paragraph in the customer agreement under cancelling, I beleive part 'e', says that if you're rude to a CSR they can cancel your servcice.

Not saying that is at all what happened in this case. I just saw 'my cousin said they cancelled his account' and 'called in too much'


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

papa_azteca said:


> That's the problem; he can't get past the opening. The moment he calls back in they try to transfer him to this department. He even tried the "I want to cancel my service" and was told he had to be transfered.


As curt said, he's been tagged.

Tell him to go read a book for a few days...
Call in next week, ask to speak with customer retentions, then kindly ask them to re-instate his account. Then simply dont call in.
Not for a while. Lay low, get off the radar.


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## gazzie4 (Mar 15, 2007)

I found being nice to them is the best way to get something. I hadn't called for months, I have 2 HD DVRs both I paid $99 for and called the other day about getting a third. I didn't threaten to cancel, just told the lady I was getting another HDTV and was wondering what kind of deal I could get as a long time customer without a single late fee or major problem. She put me on hold for two minutes came back and said that since I was a good customer and was very polite and friendly with her, she would give me my third at $99 and have it installed within a week. They are set to come next Tuesday. 

The moral is, being nice gets you very far. If you don't get the answer you want, threats really won't go very far.


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## Gonesouth (Dec 26, 2007)

gazzie4 said:


> I found being nice to them is the best way to get something. I hadn't called for months, I have 2 HD DVRs both I paid $99 for and called the other day about getting a third. I didn't threaten to cancel, just told the lady I was getting another HDTV and was wondering what kind of deal I could get as a long time customer without a single late fee or major problem. She put me on hold for two minutes came back and said that since I was a good customer and was very polite and friendly with her, she would give me my third at $99 and have it installed within a week. They are set to come next Tuesday.
> 
> The moral is, being nice gets you very far. If you don't get the answer you want, threats really won't go very far.


I agree. Nice and humble will take you very far as a customer. Ask an airline ticket agent. They will give you all sorts of stuff. Just be nice.

Good way to live life!


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## papa_azteca (Jan 11, 2007)

I talked more with my cousin and really questioned about his demeanor towards the agents he talked to. He said that in the beginning he was not rude nor demeaning in any way. According to him, he was very polite and was very professional in explaining why he should not have to pay an upgrade fee for leasing a receiver from DIRECTV. He said that it wasn't until he was told that he should get another provider that he lost his cool. Again, he was "told" or it was "suggested" to him to cancel DIRECTV and find another company. I guess he misunderstood and threatened to cancel because the agent replied with "that is what I am suggesting". 

I did ask him what, if any, offers he was offered. He said he was offered the HD DVR for $199 + $99 + $19.95 plus $10 off for 6 months and HD free for 6 months. I told him he should have taken it. A lesson learned. I've always told him not do things like this because of my personal job experience working for a retention department before. But he did not listen. 

I'm interested to know about this special department. How many times does one call to be flagged as a frequent caller? What if I have an ongoing issue that needs to be resolved? Will they cancel my account for calling back for an issue that is there fault?

The other thing that confuses me is that I have seen a lot of posts here that say to play the CSR roulette. He stated to me that he used the post on how to get a better deal that he found here at DBSTalk.com. I know which one he is talking about because we had a long debate about it. But many of you are saying that he pretty much got what he deserved. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think he got greedy. And this is something that I would never do. I've worked in call centers for too long and I understand the cost of customers playing CSR roulette. 

But what is he to do? What good would it do for him to call the Retention group if he is already disconnected? The account is cancelled. What is he going to say? "My account was cancelled because I called in too many times and I want to reactivate it and if you don't I'm not coming back"? He can't come in as a new customer because he would have to get new equipment and they will be leased and would require him to get into a committment where he currently did not have one. A new 2 year extension would not have bothered him as much but paying did; just like many people here have complained and tried to get it reduced. Again, he did not threaten to cancel. The message he received was very clear: "we are cancelling your account effective immediately".


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## litzdog911 (Jun 23, 2004)

papa_azteca said:


> ....
> The other thing that confuses me is that I have seen a lot of posts here that say to play the CSR roulette. He stated to me that he used the post on how to get a better deal that he found here at DBSTalk.com. I know which one he is talking about because we had a long debate about it. But many of you are saying that he pretty much got what he deserved. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think he got greedy. And this is something that I would never do. I've worked in call centers for too long and I understand the cost of customers playing CSR roulette.
> 
> .....


As Earl pointed out, it's getting more risky to play "CSR roulette" for the best deal. Obviously DirecTV has improved their CSR computer systems so that they can better track customers playing this game.

The best your cousin can do now is lay low for a few days and call back to request reinstatement of his account.


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## JLucPicard (Apr 27, 2004)

He could explain that he was not happy about having to pay that much for a DVR and went overboard trying to play the "keep asking until someone says 'yes' game". He was otherwise happy with his service and really didn't want to cancel, though he thought threatening that might help to get him the reduced price equipment.

He realizes he handled the whole situation very badly and really wants to remain a DirecTV customer if there's any way he can still do that and if they can help him at all he would greatly appreciate it.



I don't know your cousin so I hesitate to say he was lying, and you say he said he called 6-7 times but don't mention if that was all in one day or what, but if he was polite and not beligerent thoughout all of that, I'm not sure that he would have been cut-off at the mere mention of him cancelling. The fact that there seemed to be enough notes in his account about the situation that they all knew after a while what he was doing also tells me he was pushing way too far.

For me, reading what I have and not having anything else to base an opinion on, I would think that someone who, for whatever reason, felt they were somehow entitled to a reduced price equipment purchase and called repeatedly trying to get it would most likely not be maintaining such a polite demeanor after the first three or four or five phone calls.

There also is no indication (and it's really none of our business) of how well he managed his account and whether that may have had a bearing on whether DirecTV felt he should be offered something less than the going rate - and not even that, but he apparently kept pushing even after being offered another $120 in credits! The more I think about this, the more I feel he just really handled this badly. And again, if he's pushing for even more than $120 in credits, I have a hard time believing he was still being all that polite. :nono2: 

Just my opinion at 2:00 in the morning.


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## trekologer (Jun 30, 2007)

While it wasn't my primary function, previously when I worked tech support (not at DirecTV) I would occasionally get overflow of retention calls. Its usually pretty easy to tell if someone is calling to truely cancel or try to game some service credits out of you. I took a call from this one guy who, every other month, would threaten to cancel unless he got credit for a free month. There was never any actual problem reported, except for maybe paying for the service. So I ask why he wants to cancel and he says that he's switching to another company, isn't happy with the service (no specific reason), yadda yadda. I offer to assist with resolving any problems he's having but he declines. So I wrap it up, apologize for not being able to meet his needs and cancel the account. He then says "Wait aren't you suposed to give me something for free to stop me from canceling?" I tell him that he was already given many months of credits and, if he's still not satisfied with the service, more credit isn't going to change that and he had requested to cancel the account. After cussing me out for a bit he slammed down the phone.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

If you owned a restaurant and a particular customer everyday asked you to lower the prices on the menu for him and even when you did, he kept complaining and asking other wait staff to do it wouldn't you kindly ask him to take his business elsewhere?


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## JDubbs413 (Sep 4, 2007)

papa_azteca said:


> I talked more with my cousin and really questioned about his demeanor towards the agents he talked to. He said that in the beginning he was not rude nor demeaning in any way. According to him, he was very polite and was very professional in explaining why he should not have to pay an upgrade fee for leasing a receiver from DIRECTV. He said that it wasn't until he was told that he should get another provider that he lost his cool. Again, he was "told" or it was "suggested" to him to cancel DIRECTV and find another company. I guess he misunderstood and threatened to cancel because the agent replied with "that is what I am suggesting".
> 
> I did ask him what, if any, offers he was offered. He said he was offered the HD DVR for $199 + $99 + $19.95 plus $10 off for 6 months and HD free for 6 months. I told him he should have taken it. A lesson learned. I've always told him not do things like this because of my personal job experience working for a retention department before. But he did not listen.
> 
> ...


The issue was not DirecTV's fault. They have a right to terminate your account at any time for any reason. I think the special department is the retention department.


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## Draconis (Mar 16, 2007)

Confirmed that it was Sprint that adopted the "Demon Customer" policy. I think that Best Buy also adopted one.

Makes you wonder if DIRECTV is adopting a similar policy.

Sprint Drops "Demon" Customers


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

Eliminating CSR Roulette for getting better prices is good. But DirecTV should still be more transparant in how they hand out discounts. Especially since DirecTV has been seemingly arbitrary in their discounts, and has trained customers to use CSR Roulette, they should do what a lot of cell phone companies do, and let you know what you need to do to get different discounts.

If the OP's cousin called in 6 to 7 times in one day looking for lower prices, I really can't blame them for cancelling his account. It DirecTV called a customer 6-7 times in a day, we would call it harrassment. It works both ways. (But DirecTV isn't blameless here, since they have trained customers to use CSR Roulette.)



One other comment regarding CSR Roulette, it not only applies to calling multiple times to get different discounts. It also applies to the need to call multiple times to get answers to technical or policy questions, or to get problems resolved correctly.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

Nothing is tougher for a business than gaining back control of a promotional schedule. I had to change my stereo store from having monthly, 10 day long promotions in the newspaper and on the radio and TV to having just one a quarter. It was hard and took a good couple of years for everyone to adjust. I'm sure I lost customers to Best Buy who live by having a promo each week (check your Sunday paper). It's the price management pays for starting to control their business again, as opposed to letting the the customer run it. I sympathize with both DirecTV and papa_azteca's cousin. I hope through a more reasoned phone call in a few days they can kiss and make up.


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## Mark20 (Dec 25, 2006)

Transparency and commonality would go a long way.

And I've said this before...

D* CSR: "Our regular price for X is yada yada yada, but since you've been a good customer (or whatever other criteria they use) we would like to offer it to you for blah blah blah."

Their account computers track all your payment, call, service and ordered programming stats, so it wouldn't be hard for them to have the appropriate script come on the CSR's monitor.


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## Mark20 (Dec 25, 2006)

trekologer said:


> While it wasn't my primary function, previously when I worked tech support (not at DirecTV) I would occasionally get overflow of retention calls. Its usually pretty easy to tell if someone is calling to truely cancel or try to game some service credits out of you. I took a call from this one guy who, every other month, would threaten to cancel unless he got credit for a free month. There was never any actual problem reported, except for maybe paying for the service. So I ask why he wants to cancel and he says that he's switching to another company, isn't happy with the service (no specific reason), yadda yadda. I offer to assist with resolving any problems he's having but he declines. So I wrap it up, apologize for not being able to meet his needs and cancel the account. He then says "Wait aren't you suposed to give me something for free to stop me from canceling?" I tell him that he was already given many months of credits and, if he's still not satisfied with the service, more credit isn't going to change that and he had requested to cancel the account. After cussing me out for a bit he slammed down the phone.


Re-reading this post helps me realize that giving a CSR flexibility is also important. A guy calling every other month threatening to cancel is not only costing the company money but using up a CSR's time that could be used for a customer with a real issue or wanting to upgrade service.

All companies have a tightrope to walk in these situations.


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 28, 2005)

This now sounds like a great way to end your DTV service without having to pay a termination fee. Then you can move on to the free offers to new customers elsewhere.


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## rborden (Jul 4, 2007)

Bob Coxner said:


> This now sounds like a great way to end your DTV service without having to pay a termination fee. Then you can move on to the free offers to new customers elsewhere.


This would not get you out of paying a cancellation fee.


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## TANK (Feb 16, 2003)

So will all those NFLST callers threatening to drop the NFLST over the extra Super Fan be called out ?

Will they still give you the SF for free or just accept your cancellation of the NFLST ?


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## papa_azteca (Jan 11, 2007)

photosmike said:


> Did he have any early termination fees to pay?


No because he did not have committment. I don't know if he would have to pay it if he was.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

rborden said:


> This would not get you out of paying a cancellation fee.


I bet it would. If they refuse to provide service to you and you're ready willing and able to be a customer they'll have a hard time collecting a term fee.

Put another way you continue to meet your obligation every month at the highest level of programming that DirecTv would provide.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

rborden said:


> Bob Coxner said:
> 
> 
> > This now sounds like a great way to end your DTV service without having to pay a termination fee. Then you can move on to the free offers to new customers elsewhere.
> ...


Are you talking about the prohibitively high termination fee or a deactivation fee? Bob Conner was meaning the former.

I went back to the customer agreement. Here is the part about their cancelling a customer. The bold type is theirs.



> *(c) Our Cancellation. *We may cancel your Service at any time if you fail to pay amounts owing to us when due, subject to any grace periods, or breach any other material provision of this Agreement, or act abusively toward our staff. In such case, you will still be responsible for payment of all outstanding balances accrued through that effective date, including the deactivation fee described in Section 2. In addition, we may cancel your Service if you elect not to accept any changed terms described to you, as provided in Section 4.


The "deactivation fee" is described as this. Again, the bold and italics are theirs.



> _9) Deactivation Fee: _If you cancel your Service or we deactivate your Service because of your failure to pay or for some other breach on your part, we may charge you a fee the lesser of (i) *up to $15.00 *; or (ii) the maximum amount permitted by applicable law.


If they cancel you, you'd have to pay your current bill and up to $15. This seems quite fair.

Not that I think this would be a good move. It might keep you from ever getting back in bed with DirecTV.


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## iotp (Aug 13, 2007)

Look at it this way..

Since his account is cancelled, his wife, agrumentively, can call back as a NEW CUSTOMER.

New Customers do get the best deals out there.

Think half full, not half empty.


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## davring (Jan 13, 2007)

iotp said:


> Look at it this way..
> 
> Since his account is cancelled, his wife, agrumentively, can call back as a NEW CUSTOMER.
> 
> ...


Same billing address and the same equipment? Good luck


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## iotp (Aug 13, 2007)

davring said:


> Same billing address and the same equipment? Good luck


Hmm... could be -- we are now divorced or something like that could work? Not like they need to see paperwork.


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## MartyS (Dec 29, 2006)

When one of my friends wanted to upgrade to HD, using one of the new offers that D* was offering, they would not honor those offers, since they were for new customers.

So, he told the CSR to cancel his account and open a new account (with a new number in his wife's name. That way he was entitled to the special deals. The CSR said that she could not do that, but my friend persisted.

Make a long story short, when they sent him to retention, he told the retention person the same thing. He wanted the special offer, since he was a new HD customer, even tho he'd had the service for years. IF they couldn't offer him the same deal, then please cancel his account, and immediately open a new account in his wife's name.

The retention person basically gave him the deal for new customers, but he did have to go through a number of hoops. However the retention person did say that if he really wanted to cancel his account and open one using the new deals in his wife's name they would be able to do that, with his existing equipment, as long as he was added a new HD DVR.


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## jimbo56 (Nov 13, 2007)

Earl Bonovich said:


> If it hasn't been obvious to anyone...
> 
> In 2007... DirecTV has drastically scalled back the credit "flood"..
> As the year went on... it even closed and tighted even more.
> ...


IMHO, this is a good thing. DirecTV brought this CSR roulette on themselves and it's a good thing they're getting it under control. I, for one, don't want to be bothered having to call numerous times to get the "best" deal - it's just not a game I that have time to play. It's just television programming; I'm not buying a car. I don't want to have to negotiate. Let me know your bottom-line deal, and let me make a choice.

One thing I would like to see DirecTV implement is some way to reward long-time customers, instead of giving away the farm to get new subscribers. This "rewards" program could be done on consistent, up-front manner. The subscriber would then be made to feel they were a valued customer.

To the OP: DirecTV should probably have given some warning that it was going to terminate your cousin's account. They should have informed him that he was making excessive calls to CS, the deal was not going to change, and any further calls on this matter would result in termination. To simply terminate the account might not be the best business practice. Unless the policy was designed to "teach customers a lesson" and make them come back groveling to get their service reinstated. Even if, I don't know if it's good policy...


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## lflorack (Dec 16, 2006)

rjheard said:


> I'm not sure that following Sprints lead is a good idea. I believe I would call Dish if they cut off my service without notice and was not past due. D* spends several hundred dollars in aqusition cost for new customer so if this guy would renew his contract it's a unreasonable request to get promotional price equippment. It's just like upgrading your cell phone, promotional price usually equals new contract. I had a similar situation with Charter. I had continual problems and asked if I needed to switch to satellite to get reliable service. The lady I was speaking with did not skip a beat and connected me to the disconnect department. I was suprised that they cared so little for someone who represented $130 per month in recurring revenue. Thats how I became a D* customer. I still need my OTA but am really glad to be rid of Charter.


It costs too much to constantly fight with the guy. He threatened. They called his bluff. He got what he deserved.


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## Sat4me (May 13, 2006)

Sorry, but I disagree. As long as a person is polite, they should be supported in seeking the best deal they can get for themselves. Some people can't afford the exhorbitant prices charged by providers unless they can get a "deal". They should be allowed to do this without some bullying company cancelling their service. If D* doesn't like the frequent caller then let people know that up front. Tell them when they have reached their limit of calls. I'm amazed how many of you support the large corporation over people trying to get something that is overpriced to start with. Also, if the providers want to keep collecting monthly payments, why shouldn't they cut people a deal on equipment that is "leased". 

On the other hand, I don't blame providers for not wanting to put up with multiple calls from the same person asking for deals. If they want to cancel a person's service, they certainly have that right and if they are willing to lose that customer then so be it but at least give someone fair warning before you cancel them. Don't just suddently cancel service as a punitive measure. 

I have never used the multiple call path to get anything from any company but I certainly don't fault people for doing it. I have found that one call properly presented will take care of the situation if you aren't bluffing and if the company can possibly comply with your request. For example, I recently received a free dvr upgrade from Dish because I made the call, very politely told them how much I would save by switching to D*, even listed the savings by line item. Told them I would stay with Dish if and only if I received the upgrade. Reminded them that I had never asked for anything free from them. I remained polite during the entire conversation and I WAS prepared to cancel if necessary. The CSR was also polite and after I explained the situation to her, she asked me to wait and after a couple of minutes I was switched to someone else who had me repeat my request. With no argument whatsoever, this person granted my request. I think they used good sense because I am a long time customer who pays his bill and had never asked for anything previously. If they had not honored my request, I would NOT have called back looking for someone who would comply. I would have just made the switch. If you aren't willing to switch providers, you should not be using the word "cancel" at any time as part of your request.


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## wavemaster (Sep 15, 2007)

If he really wants D* and he really wants HD, tell him to wait 30-60 days. There is ANOTHER department at D* that calls on canceled accounts to get them back. 

Seeing how it was D* that canceled, they may not bother but they might. It happened with a friend last year when after a 3 day drunk he took Dish up on a new customer free deal. D* called him a couple months after he canceled and offered him over $500.00 in incentives to come back. By then the drunk wore off and he was glad to be able to return.

It costs D* a lot of money for a new customer.


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## tuff bob (Mar 5, 2007)

wavemaster said:


> If he really wants D* and he really wants HD, tell him to wait 30-60 days. There is ANOTHER department at D* that calls on canceled accounts to get them back.
> 
> Seeing how it was D* that canceled, they may not bother but they might. It happened with a friend last year when after a 3 day drunk he took Dish up on a new customer free deal. D* called him a couple months after he canceled and offered him over $500.00 in incentives to come back. By then the drunk wore off and he was glad to be able to return.
> .


Yeah, I'd definently tell your cousin to go ahead and install cable for a month or two and see if DirecTV wants him back. Basically, call their bluff back :lol:


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

If DirecTV truly has a program to eliminate demon customers, they it's no bluff. It's a policy. That will be a lot tougher to overcome.


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## wavemaster (Sep 15, 2007)

Polite - To be or not to be..... Hmmmmmmm

You get more bees with honey, is still mostly true.... BUT

The squeaky wheel still gets the grease.

I run a service company and have customers on a recurring revenue stream. One calls in after a disruption and asks what happened. We explain it and he says OK, thanks for the update. Two minutes later an IRATE customer calls in on the same issue. The irate customer gets a deal, it's that simple.

Right now, D* has the best game in town, there are more sign ups recently than any other time in their history. They can afford to throw customers to the curb because we have little choice. If and when FIOS hits 100HD channels, Charlie gets his new bird flying and has a hundred of their own followed by 100 "actual" HD channels on cable, the deals will abound again. 

I'm just glad we went all HD before D10 Launched. It cost us next to nothing and we have 5 HR-20's.


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## heisman (Feb 11, 2007)

Bob Coxner said:


> This now sounds like a great way to end your DTV service without having to pay a termination fee. Then you can move on to the free offers to new customers elsewhere.





rborden said:


> This would not get you out of paying a cancellation fee.


Legally, D* can not charge you any early termination fees if they are the ones who terminated the contract. So, yes, call in all the time for credits if you want to switch providers. Either way, you win, with either many credits or getting that new customer deal from another provider. I would just advise however, the grass is not always greener on the other side--tread lightly.


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## JLucPicard (Apr 27, 2004)

For those of you taking DirecTV to task for "cancelling him without notice" and such, he was the one who threatened to cancel his account. DirecTV just said, OK.

The guy calls 6 or 7 times. By the 4th or 5th call, who knows what his demeanor was. They may have been ready to cancel him by then, but didn't. It wasn't until HE played the cancel card that his account was cancelled.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

If a bluff was called, it was DirecTV calling his.

Still, DirecTV did the cancellation. When he said, _I will_, they said, _OK_. There was no room for, _Wait a minute!_


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## bobinboise (Jan 13, 2008)

Hi- new to the group, motivated to join by this thread.

I was a D# csr for just shy of six years, much of that time spent in Retention. The constant yielding to people who felt they were "entitled" to be treated better than everyone else is one of the things that finally moved me to find other work. I left at the end of September. Should have stayed a little longer.

For many years DirecTV management was about subscriber numbers, in order to maintain their stock value, or at least that was the upper management philosophy. Until late '05 or early '06, the only fiscal quarter where they made a profit was in '03 when the d*/e* merger fell through, and E* had to pay a significant fee to D* per the terms of the merger agreement. A large part of the reason was because of the millions and millions of $$ spent on retention every year.

In 2006, we were made aware of the fact that 85% of our profit came from only 10% of our customers. We still were required to give the other 90% whatever we had to in order to keep churn down and subscriber numbers up. Of course, it was nowhere near 90% that actually called asking for stuff. The vast majority of folks never called unless there was a question on the bill, an equipment issue, or to change programming. 

Last summer D# hired a new lady as VP of something or other(how many VP's can one company possibly need?). In November she moved her office from California to Boise, where all aspects of "Customer Contact" are managed. Heads rolled, lots of heads, mostly the ones responsible for the expensive retention policy. Her job was to cut cost, and retention costs were way out of control. Now retention offers are made when there is a legitimate problem. I used to complain that if they didn't like the service, then nothing we give them will keep them and eventually it turns into either wasted money on a lost customer, or an account that continuously needs one investment after another to keep it active, and therefore non-profitable.

I suspect that lowering the cost of some of the equipment upgrades is as much a by-product of projected savings with the new, tougher retention policy as it is lower manufacturing costs for the equipment.

Go down to Safeway and tell the manager you've been shopping there for five years and want 20 lbs of t-bones and a half-bushel of corn free, or you're going to start shopping at Piggly-Wiggly. He's not as likely to give you your steaks and corn as he is a map to Piggly-Wiggly (Haven't been in the south for a while- are those stores even still in business?).

Same deal. If you agree that D* is a good service at a fair price, then stick with it. Otherwise, go somewhere else. Yes, the customers have been trained to do the spoiled child, stomp my until I get what i want routine, but now they are going to ask you to accept a new paradigm.

I say "About time." I sympathise with your cousin, but times, they are a-changing.

Bob


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

Carl Spock said:


> If a bluff was called, it was DirecTV calling his.
> 
> Still, DirecTV did the cancellation. When he said, _I will_, they said, _OK_. There was no room for, _Wait a minute!_


:thats: !rolling :rotfl: :rolling: :bonk1: :shrug: :kickbutt: :lol:


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## bobinboise (Jan 13, 2008)

whoops- should say "stomp my feet until I get what I want."


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## cb7214 (Jan 25, 2007)

bobinboise said:


> Hi- new to the group, motivated to join by this thread.
> 
> I was a D# csr for just shy of six years, much of that time spent in Retention. The constant yielding to people who felt they were "entitled" to be treated better than everyone else is one of the things that finally moved me to find other work. I left at the end of September. Should have stayed a little longer.
> 
> ...


yep the piggly wiggly's are still around there was one in the town i used to live in, in Louisiana


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## bdowell (Mar 4, 2003)

I'm no fan of sending customers elsewhere, but in this case it seems that the best result for the OP's cousin would be to seriously check out the competition (Dish Network, cable companies in that area, FiOS if available, etc.)

If DirecTV didn't value the customer that much or felt that the customer was abusive in their requests for a better deal, then follow through and take the business and money elsewhere. DirecTV may or may not ever change their minds about wanting to keep the customer here, but the best message you can send -- regarding whether or not their treatment of the customer was acceptable -- is to take the business somewhere else.

Leaving DirecTV means leaving some HD content behind (though it is debatable how much real HD content you'd be leaving behind as a lot of HD channels aren't yet really showing much HD content) and leaving behind the Sunday Ticket package (if you wanted it), but otherwise there really isn't that much difference between DirecTV and any other provider.

Check out the competition, see if they offer a nice deal and in a few years come back to DirecTV if that is possible and desirable, otherwise enjoy the TV that comes from Dish or cable, etc.


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## JLucPicard (Apr 27, 2004)

bobinboise,

Welcome to DBSTalk!!! :welcome_s

Thanks for that back story! Maybe people will beging to realize that DirecTV is a business and not a charity - and that DirecTV is realizing that now, too, and taking action to correct the problem.

Stick around a while - there's lots of good folks here, and your contributions would be more than welcome!


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## MIAMI1683 (Jul 11, 2007)

D* has gotten tougher lately. Good for them. I run a business that deals with the public. I run it the same way. I do wholesale too. The discount applied is it for me. I tell people all the time that you get what you pay for when it comes to service.


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## Jhon69 (Mar 28, 2006)

JLucPicard said:


> bobinboise,
> 
> Welcome to DBSTalk!!! :welcome_s
> 
> ...


"This is a business not UNICEF,now maybe when UNICEF get's in the business you might get a deal".(I just loved that statement in"Joe Dirt").:lol:


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## spidey (Sep 1, 2006)

I cant believe the 100$ a month and no RSN, sports oor Movie. I cant see any way ya could have a bill that high without a whole bunch of receivers in the house


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## Billsfan69 (Nov 9, 2007)

spidey said:


> I cant believe the 100$ a month and no RSN, sports oor Movie. I cant see any way ya could have a bill that high without a whole bunch of receivers in the house


I agree. My bill is 120 bucks a month before my discount through Verizon and I have premier, HD service, one hd dvr, the hd extra pack and the service plan. After my verizon discount I drop to around 100 bucks a month and that is with everything.


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

Sat4me said:


> Sorry, but I disagree. As long as a person is polite, they should be supported in seeking the best deal they can get for themselves. Some people can't afford the exhorbitant prices charged by providers unless they can get a "deal". They should be allowed to do this without some bullying company cancelling their service. If D* doesn't like the frequent caller then let people know that up front. Tell them when they have reached their limit of calls. I'm amazed how many of you support the large corporation over people trying to get something that is overpriced to start with. Also, if the providers want to keep collecting monthly payments, why shouldn't they cut people a deal on equipment that is "leased".


I don't have a problem with someone trying to get the best deal they can. But when you call in 7 or 8 times, it affects MY price.

Here's a glaring example of that principle: My wife and I just had a baby, who spent 8 days in the Intensive Care Nursery. Our total bill for that was $85,000. However, we have a very good insurance plan, and the hospital wrote off $82,000 of that. Those families in the ICN with us who had NO insurance don't get that same writeoff. I guarantee that the $82,000 they wrote off of my bill contributes to the high prices paid by EVERYONE. My mom has been a nurse for 30 years and I know what their wages are. I guarantee that the $3000 paid by the insurance didn't even cover the wages of the nurses who were watching my son 24 hours a day for 8 days. And it's not like a floor nurse - the ICN nurses had 1 to 2 patients, and that's it. So that OTHER patient, if they don't have insurance, is, in essence, subsidizing MY hospital stay, because my insurance company has negotiated the rates down to the bare minimum.

The same thing applies here. The argument will be made that it doesn't apply because they recover those credits through my monthly programming charges, but I disagree. If that were the case they wouldn't be trying to reign in the credits handed out. All the people getting HD-DVRs for $0 plus programming credits for a year end up driving up the price for those people who don't carry as much programming, or have some hiccups in their bill payment, or who simply refuse to spend the time "working the system".


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## ProfLonghair (Sep 26, 2006)

Sharkie_Fan said:


> I don't have a problem with someone trying to get the best deal they can. But when you call in 7 or 8 times, it affects MY price.
> 
> Here's a glaring example of that principle: My wife and I just had a baby, who spent 8 days in the Intensive Care Nursery. Our total bill for that was $85,000. However, we have a very good insurance plan, and the hospital wrote off $82,000 of that. Those families in the ICN with us who had NO insurance don't get that same writeoff. I guarantee that the $82,000 they wrote off of my bill contributes to the high prices paid by EVERYONE. My mom has been a nurse for 30 years and I know what their wages are. I guarantee that the $3000 paid by the insurance didn't even cover the wages of the nurses who were watching my son 24 hours a day for 8 days. And it's not like a floor nurse - the ICN nurses had 1 to 2 patients, and that's it. So that OTHER patient, if they don't have insurance, is, in essence, subsidizing MY hospital stay, because my insurance company has negotiated the rates down to the bare minimum.
> 
> The same thing applies here. The argument will be made that it doesn't apply because they recover those credits through my monthly programming charges, but I disagree. If that were the case they wouldn't be trying to reign in the credits handed out. All the people getting HD-DVRs for $0 plus programming credits for a year end up driving up the price for those people who don't carry as much programming, or have some hiccups in their bill payment, or who simply refuse to spend the time "working the system".


Hope the baby is ok.


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

ProfLonghair said:


> Hope the baby is ok.


Thank you. He's doing very well. He was 2.5 or 3 weeks early, and just needed a little extra attention before they'd let him come home.

The lungs are the biggest concern in a "preemie", and he was having a little bit of trouble with his breating at the start, so they gave him a little help for a week.

As far as the ICN goes, ours was a pretty "minor" case, though it doesnt' feel that way when you're sitting in there 16 and 17 hours a day watching your baby.

As it applies to this thread, I was actually STUNNED when I got my insurance claim back. Mom's portion of the bill was about $16,000, with $13,000 written off. Baby's portion was $70,000 with $70,000 written off. Apparently both bills fall under the "maternity section" of our insurance policy, and so the negotiated rate for a birth comes into play.

I expected to pay some portion of baby's bill as well as moms bill, but because I'm fortunate enough to have very good insurance, my total out of pocket for the hospital is $291. But I KNOW that the uninsured, or lesser insured, are picking up the slack... which is where the whole scenario ties in to the DirecTV pricing structure.

They have to pick up that slack somewhere. Even if the argument was made within DirecTV that we recover the discounts in programming charges, the counter argument to that will be "If we get our equipment paid for, then those programming charges become profit".

Even if they're not "losing money", per se, on the giveaways, in the BIG picture... when they look at departments in isolation, those giveaways look like a black hole of money.... so they have to reign that in to some extent.


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## bluemoose (Dec 7, 2007)

Can someone check DirecTV's financial records to see 
if they have the *Soup Nazi *on payroll?


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

I've always found DIRECTV CSRs for the most part to be very reasonable when treated with respect and asked for reasonable accommodations. :up:


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

spidey said:


> I cant believe the 100$ a month and no RSN, sports oor Movie. I cant see any way ya could have a bill that high without a whole bunch of receivers in the house


 My bill is around $120
No Movies... no RSNs (except for the one in my base package).

I do have 11 receivers on the account though..


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## Gonesouth (Dec 26, 2007)

bobinboise said:


> Go down to Safeway and tell the manager you've been shopping there for five years and want 20 lbs of t-bones and a half-bushel of corn free, or you're going to start shopping at Piggly-Wiggly. He's not as likely to give you your steaks and corn as he is a map to Piggly-Wiggly (Haven't been in the south for a while- are those stores even still in business?).


*Yes, the Piggly Wiggly still is in Louisiana and they are great. We have two in the small town that I live in. *



wavemaster said:


> Polite - To be or not to be..... Hmmmmmmm
> 
> You get more bees with honey, is still mostly true.... BUT
> 
> The squeaky wheel still gets the grease.


*I also say that the squeaky wheel gets replaced!*


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## Rick0725 (Jun 23, 2007)

JLucPicard said:


> Why did he feel he shouldn't have to pay the going rate for equipment? Because he may have been with them for a while?


Lets be honest everyone and lets not fool ourselves and play not guilty.

He asked for a better deal because.... for the last year he read on the net that there were deals and options available.

in all honesty what he should have said was....

I am not calling to cancel services but I am calling because I like the service and I want to stay.

followed with...I want the best deal you are giving everyone else out there and I do not want to hang up and find out someone else is getting a better deal.

Then there would have been no need to call back and get himself into trouble.

seems like directv is trying to address some issues that were created by the comunication on the net (dbs talk, sat forum, avs forum, etc.) and some internal processes at the same time.


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## carl6 (Nov 16, 2005)

After the second or third call and getting the same answer, it's time to either accept the deal or not. If you elect to not accept the deal, then you have to decide if you want to stay with DirecTV or go to a another service provider.

I would never call anyone I am doing business with and even hint that I am considering cancelling unless I absolutely mean it. If I absolutely meant it, that means I have already decided to change unless some specific issue I have is resolved. In that case, the call isn't "what's the best deal you can give me", the call is "I want to cancel." When they ask why I explain the issue I have. If they can resolve it, fine. If not, I complete the reason I called, I cancell service. That doesn't take two or three or six or ten phone calls. It takes one.

Carl


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## FireMedic8039 (Dec 24, 2007)

Simple now.......Take it or Leave it


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## spidey (Sep 1, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> My bill is around $120
> No Movies... no RSNs (except for the one in my base package).
> 
> I do have 11 receivers on the account though..


man how can u watch 11 things. This is the only way without RSN, Movies and sports packs that you could get that high.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

I'm more surprised that Earl hasn't finagled free service.


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## fijiman99 (Sep 8, 2007)

trekologer said:


> While it wasn't my primary function, previously when I worked tech support (not at DirecTV) I would occasionally get overflow of retention calls. Its usually pretty easy to tell if someone is calling to truely cancel or try to game some service credits out of you. I took a call from this one guy who, every other month, would threaten to cancel unless he got credit for a free month. There was never any actual problem reported, except for maybe paying for the service. So I ask why he wants to cancel and he says that he's switching to another company, isn't happy with the service (no specific reason), yadda yadda. I offer to assist with resolving any problems he's having but he declines. So I wrap it up, apologize for not being able to meet his needs and cancel the account. He then says "Wait aren't you suposed to give me something for free to stop me from canceling?" I tell him that he was already given many months of credits and, if he's still not satisfied with the service, more credit isn't going to change that and he had requested to cancel the account. After cussing me out for a bit he slammed down the phone.


Who cares what you did at some other job? I am so tired of all of the D* (I guess that's how I'm supposed to do it...why can't we say the name of the company? Are they God? Should I say Yaweh?) fanboys. Jesus! This isn't D*talk.com....why is it that you defend them? Do you work for them? Do they pay for you and your families to have food and shelter?? Is the Almighty Earl going to break your knee-caps for saying anything negative?

The dude didn't like the deal, tried to get a better deal and they were a$$es about it. I say have your cousin leave. He pays his bills and has a right to the best deals and shouldn't have to be a new customer to get them. If they don't care, leave and pay someone who will.

Christ...Why do you people care if someone called in and tried to get a better deal?? Here's an idea...shut up and whine to someone who cares.

Oh yeah...Go ahead and ban me. I understand that you don't believe in the concept of "free speech" so do what you feel you need to do. After all, the Nazi approach to all this is best, as you've proven time and time again.


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## HDTVsportsfan (Nov 29, 2005)

Ouch...that hurt.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

First post and he ties in the Nazis. Whoo hoo! You rock!


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## fijiman99 (Sep 8, 2007)

bobinboise said:



> Hi- new to the group, motivated to join by this thread.
> 
> I was a D# csr for just shy of six years, much of that time spent in Retention. The constant yielding to people who felt they were "entitled" to be treated better than everyone else is one of the things that finally moved me to find other work. I left at the end of September. Should have stayed a little longer.
> 
> ...


Really? This is your insight?

Wow. Thank Earl you don't work there anymore. Nice customer service skills you have.


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## lflorack (Dec 16, 2006)

fijiman99 said:


> Christ...Why do you people care if someone called in and tried to get a better deal?? Here's an idea...shut up and whine to someone who cares.


We care because those who chose to whine without regard to fairness cause the rest of us to pay more than we should. He tried to bluff his way into a better deal and they called him on it. Good for them!


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## fijiman99 (Sep 8, 2007)

Carl Spock said:


> First post and he ties in the Nazis. Whoo hoo! You rock!


I do make a good point, huh?

I have read many, many of your ravings and am quite excited to know that you would take time out of what certainly must be your busy schedule to reply. Thank you for your time.

You have many incredibly insightful posts and this is another that just points to the fact that you are a D* fanboy. Thanks for pointing that out.

And, my favorite thing ever, "first post". I, once again, forgot that only someone who has thousands of posts could ever have anything to say.

Thanks, "Spock"....OOOO...BTW, I think StarTrek is cool, too!

shhhhh....so he doesn't see....just about this entire post is dripping with sarcasm.

Again, back to topic (as no life wonder did not do), go to cable or Dish....whoever is willing to take care of the customer is worthy of the money.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

I have a fan.


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## fijiman99 (Sep 8, 2007)

lflorack said:


> We care because those who chose to whine without regard to fairness cause the rest of us to pay more than we should. He tried to bluff his way into a better deal and they called him on it. Good for them!


Do you have any concrete proof on this? My bill has only increased by a dollar or two (that's US dollars for anyone wondering) over the past 2 years....and that's every channel they offer.

Hmmm....something doesn't add up here.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

fijiman99 said:


> Again, back to topic (as no life wonder did not do), go to cable or Dish....whoever is willing to take care of the customer is worthy of the money.


That's what DirecTv is telling him fijiman99 (much better name than Carl Spock  ). Go to cable or Dish, whoever is willing to take on the burden that is this customer. Not every paying customer is worth it.


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## fijiman99 (Sep 8, 2007)

Carl Spock said:


> I have a fan.


A huge fan, really.

At least you have one.

Again, back on topic....have your cousin go with the company that is willing to have him as a customer.

After all these comments about "I work for a service company" and "I work for customer retentions" has no one read "Raving Fans"??

Sheesh...

Again, though, Spock...fantastick post.

Now, Mods..CLOSE IT...

Darn, I'm hilarious.


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## Rick0725 (Jun 23, 2007)

To repeat

Lets be honest everyone and lets not fool ourselves and play see no evil hear no evil.

He asked for a better deal because.... for the last year he read on the net that there were deals and options available.

in all honesty what he should have said was.... 

I am not calling to cancel services but I am calling because I like the service and I want to stay. 

followed with...I want the best deal you are giving everyone else out there and I do not want to hang up and find out someone else is getting a better deal.

Then there would have been no need to call back and get himself into trouble. 

seems like directv is trying to address some issues that were created by the comunication on the net (dbs talk, sat forum, avs forum, etc.) and some internal processes at the same time.


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## litzdog911 (Jun 23, 2004)

fijiman99 said:


> ....
> Darn, I'm hilarious.


Hardly.


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## fijiman99 (Sep 8, 2007)

Xaa said:


> That's what DirecTv is telling him fijiman99 (much better name than Carl Spock  ). Go to cable or Dish, whoever is willing to take on the burden that is this customer. Not every paying customer is worth it.


Xaa...good point.

My point is that I am sick of the fanboys of any type, D*, Linux, Microsoft, Mac, etc., saying, in essence, "good-riddance! how dare you challenge D*!!"

They should try to keep him. In no way would I ever expect to pay ANY amount for an upgrade. I (darn...here goes these stupid statistics) have been with D *(again, why can't I say the real name???) since 1994. That's 13 years. For all of those years, I have subscribed to EVERY channel I can (beyond international channels).

I will always feel that I am OWED an upgrade whenever I want.

If not them, then Dish or cable will.

But, at least your post had some thought and insight, so thank you.


----------



## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

Xaa said:


> (much better name than Carl Spock  )


And I lost a fan.


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## fijiman99 (Sep 8, 2007)

litzdog911 said:


> Hardly.


Thanks for the reply.


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## fijiman99 (Sep 8, 2007)

Carl Spock said:


> And I lost a fan.


Well, at least you had me at "hello".


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

fijiman99 said:


> Xaa...good point.
> 
> My point is that I am sick of the fanboys of any type, D*, Linux, Microsoft, Mac, etc., saying, in essence, "good-riddance! how dare you challenge D*!!"
> 
> ...


No problem fijiman99, I'm here to serve.

I'm a very long time customer as well and I also don't pay for upgrades. I and you apparently have been able to negotiate that with enough tact so as not to become a drain on the service arm of the company.

I don't blame him for asking and I don't blame DirecTv (I only call them that) for choosing which customers are most and least likely to be profitable.


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## sat2631 (Jul 14, 2007)

Will they cancel if you have a 2 year commitment? Someone could just call 10 times to get out of one.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

Carl Spock said:


> And I lost a fan.


Nah, Afro Spock will always have a special place in my heart.


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## fijiman99 (Sep 8, 2007)

Xaa said:


> No problem fijiman99, I'm here to serve.
> 
> I'm a very long time customer as well and I also don't pay for upgrades. I and you apparently have been able to negotiate that with enough tact so as not to become a drain on the service arm of the company.
> 
> I don't blame him for asking and I don't blame DirecTv (I only call them that) for choosing which customers are most and least likely to be profitable.


I am really liking Xaa and his rational thought (if it is a he).

This is exactly what I have been saying. Too, there is absolutely no reason to jump some dude for trying. Are you all seeing lower stock value as a result? Jesus!


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

That's me in the avatar. I'm a he.


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## Sat4me (May 13, 2006)

IMHO, one of the main reasons that this goes on is that the providers charge us for the equipment. It irritates a lot of folks (me included) that they want to collect monthly fees from me and also want me to pay lease fees for the equipment that delivers their product. They can solve much of the problem by charging a little more for the monthly service and providing the equipment for free. I don't believe most people expect discounts on their monthly service but they resent the up front charges for equipment, especially upgrades and therefore they aggressively go after discounts.

I sure am glad that everytime I buy products, the merchants don't expect me to pay for delivery apparatus up front. Suppose we had to buy a gasoline pump just so we could purchase gasoline. Sounds stupid but that is what is happening with the delivery of pay tv.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

Yeah, imagine if you had to buy a phone to get telephone service, or a computer to get the internet.


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

Xaa said:


> No problem fijiman99, I'm here to serve.
> 
> I'm a very long time customer as well and I also don't pay for upgrades. I and you apparently have been able to negotiate that with enough tact so as not to become a drain on the service arm of the company.
> 
> I don't blame him for asking and I don't blame DirecTv (I only call them that) for choosing which customers are most and least likely to be profitable.


I guess, according to fijiman, since I agree with DirecTV for dumping the guy that makes me a fanboy. So be it.

I actually agree with you 100% here Xaa.

If you can call in and tell them you want the best deal they can give you, and they give you free upgrades, so be it. Obviously they feel that you are a customer they're making money on.

There should be a "scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" relationship with a service provider like this. I'm willing to continue giving you my business, and in return, I'm asking for a break on equipment. How big a break should be consistent based on things like service history, payment history, upgrade history, etc, etc.

And if at some point DirecTV you don't like the way DirecTV is scratching your back, you have to decide if they're doing "good enough", or if you need a new back scratcher.

I just think that if you call in and tell them you're looking for a new back scratcher, and they say "I'm sorry to hear that, but if you feel you need a new back scratcher, search away".... It's pretty silly to get pissed at them.

They didn't ask the OPs cousin to find a new partner. He basically said (6 or 7 times in the same day) "Do this or else", and they said "Ok. Show us Or Else". As they say in poker, you gotta know when to fold em.


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## Gonesouth (Dec 26, 2007)

:icon_peac 



:beatdeadhorse: 

Well this is getting ugly. You are always allowed to express opinion here. I read a lot of posts that the folks do not agree with the mods. Are we not allowed to express our opinions if we do not like someone always trying to get something for free. The more free stuff D* gives out, our rates can go up. The Nazi remark was uncalled for!:nono2: 

I think the question has been answered. Time to close this one down.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

fijiman99 said:


> Really? This is your insight?
> 
> Wow. Thank Earl you don't work there anymore. Nice customer service skills you have.


What would I have to do about it?

And what is your issue with me?
You can PM me, to explain that.

But what I don't get, is why you are attacking the others, who are voicing THEIR opinion on the topic... and you tout that want FREE speech...

Two things you need to get straight:

1) Feel free to attack DirecTV... I (or any of the other moderators) have never stopped anyone from doing it... nor as you insinuated... deleted posts that are like that...

With one exception... unless they are from users... that have previously banned, which means they violated the rules of this PRIVATE forum board, which is open to public discussion.

2) Rebuilding on that 2nd point.... This is a PRIVATE forum board, that we open to the public for discussion... When you created your login, you agreed to the TOS of this site.

Violation of those rules, which you are "on the boarder" of with the attacks on some of the posters here... which includes the moderators... will result in a ban...

Any questions or concerns about the rules... you can re-read the TOS (find it in the Forum Help section), or contact one of the moderators via PM, or the Site Admin... Chris Blount.

Oh... and if you think this is a "love fest" or fan-boy site for DirecTV... you have a tremendous amount of reading to do.... as this is far from a sugar factory.

------------

:backtotop

The main point a lot of has been trying to point out:
-) If you threaten to cancel to try and squeeze a deal... don't be shocked if they call the bluff, and you have to deal with the concenquences


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

On second thought...

Thread closed...

If the op feels that this thread needs to be re-opened...

He can PM one of the mods to ask for it to be reopened.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

The OP has requested that I re-open the thread, so the original topic can be continued to discussed.

Keep it on topic...


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

Good.

Before the thread was closed, I traded friendly PMs with fijiman99. I think he's a good guy. I, for one, never felt attacked.


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## joed32 (Jul 27, 2006)

Some guys just love to argue, that doesn't make them bad just annoying.


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## lib135 (Sep 4, 2007)

I think this story is freaking hilarious.


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## rabit ears (Nov 18, 2005)

OK, with all the posturing, no one has answered the question asked by SAT2631 - what did D* (or DirecTV) do about any remaining commitment. I have a feeling they are going to go ahead and play a "reasonable cause" hand, but I'd really like to know.

So, OP, have they added insult to injury and hit your cousin with a charge for his commitment?


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## ben arnold (Aug 28, 2007)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Yes, I have heard of this happening before..
> 
> And why, usually I post about people asking for credits.... to be caution about bluffing about cancelling... as DirecTV will call that bluff.
> 
> ...


Question- I always call in and say "cancel service" to the automated voice. The reason I do this isn't because I want to cancel but because I've found it saves a ton of time on hold (the waits are always shorter). Is this a practice that could nip me in the butt or, generally is what is said or asked for when the live person takes the call more importatant?


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

ben arnold said:


> Question- I always call in and say "cancel service" to the automated voice. The reason I do this isn't because I want to cancel but because I've found it saves a ton of time on hold (the waits are always shorter). Is this a practice that could nip me in the butt or, generally is what is said or asked for when the live person takes the call more importatant?


Yes, as that statement is taking you over to the retention department, with your account being noted as that you want to cancel.
It is up to the human, then to evaluate the call after that... but they do track what options being select/state in their automated system.

And it is tracked and stored in their system now.

They are working to eliminate cases like that, and want people to go to the first tier, to see if those people can resolve your issues.

This is similar to when they eliminated the direct phone call numbers.... probably wouldn't surprise me if they change the direction of "I want to cancel" in the voice system.


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## wmschultz (Jul 18, 2006)

They need to fix the automated system because there are a lot of cases where the
option that you want, doesn't exist.


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## Sat4me (May 13, 2006)

Xaa said:


> Yeah, imagine if you had to buy a phone to get telephone service, or a computer to get the internet.


Yeah, imagine that. For many, many years, the phone company furnished phones as part of their service and it would still be that way except for a stupid (my opinion) court decision which has caused fees for phone service to skyrocket.

Computers are more of a personal product with many more functions than just using the Internet. However, if the tv providers want to provide me with a state of the art computer built into my STB, I would certainly expect to pay for it but again, I would be looking for a discount.

Some other examples????????


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## ben arnold (Aug 28, 2007)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Yes, as that statement is taking you over to the retention department, with your account being noted as that you want to cancel.
> It is up to the human, then to evaluate the call after that... but they do track what options being select/state in their automated system.
> 
> And it is tracked and stored in their system now.
> ...


Too bad. I went through the first tier the other night and waited 45 minutes.....Then was put on hold 15 min by the CSR who never returned. When I called back I said "cancel service" and my call was answered in less then 2 minutes.


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## oldfantom (Mar 13, 2006)

i never say cancel account, but I usually start a voice response system with "representative". 

There are two important points here. D* has the absolute right to determine who they want to be in business with. It would be nice if they said "if you persist in calling, your account will be flagged." But I can also understand how that might cause a furor that they don't want. 

The blame for this probably does lie with all the folks that have been endorsing this CSR roulette for the years I have been lurking and posting here (more the former and less the latter). 

Even my company, who never met a client they would not cave into, has started recognizing the cost of doing business with a bad customer. This is a trend and will be something you will hear more an more about in the coming years. Especially if there is a downturn in the economy.


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

I imagine that this is a practice which can nip you in the butt.

The purpose of "cancel service" taking someone to the Retention Department is so they can resolve problems which would cause someone to cancel their DirecTV service. It is not meant to be a shortcut for people to avoid call center queues or try to get better deals.

On the other hand, it is DirecTV's fault that people misuse the "cancel service" prompt. DirecTV has trained their customers to learn that problems are not easily resolved unless you talk to Retention, and discounts are inferior unless you talk to Retention. 

So DirecTV should not be surprised or upset that their customers misuse the "cancel service" prompt or otherwise threaten to cancel to get a deal. But cancelling a customer who misuses the prompt won't solve the problem. DirecTV can solve the problem my making their discount structure transparent, so customers know what discounts they are entitled to and how to earn better discounts, and know that calling Retention won't result in better discounts. And DirecTV can solve the problem by having a customer service department which can consistently and reliably resolve problems, so customer don't have to call Retention for a resolution.


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## Milominderbinder2 (Oct 8, 2006)

papa_azteca said:


> ...He stated to me that he used the post on how to get a better deal that he found here at DBSTalk.com...


I am the one who compiled those tips. No where does it say to do any of the things he did.

I also feel he got just what he deserved.

I could very well expect that a CSR may have said, "That is all that I can do. If you feel that another company offers a better value, you may want to consider that."

I bet that the recording would clearly show that he said something along the lines of, "Then I cancel!"

And the CSR said OK.

I also bet that his tone and maybe his words were different with the CSR than the version you heard. If he used vulgarities with the CSR, that would have been the end of it as well.

Take a look at the Ordering Tips.

They specifically state several key tips that he chose not to follow:

1. Note that competing offers from Comcast, DISH, etc. may not be *HD DVR*, etc. 
2. Call 800-531-5000 or email DIRECTV. *Be polite.* *Don't threaten.* Do not brag about how old you are or how big your "package" is. Offers vary.
_HR10 owners sample email._ - You can also check the online newbie offers and customer upgrades.
3. If you call, repeat the Rep's name & write it down. Explain what you want. You can ask about special offers, credits, or free trials. Note.
4. Ask for a morning installation. DIRECTV may have to do the installation. Clarify the work to be done and verify any charges.
...

Since the change in September, no one has been suggesting you make multiple calls.

I wish your cousin would have followed the Ordering Tips. They have worked so well for so many of us.

I will take it a step farther and say that this kind of approach could serve you well if you are calling to see if you can qualify for a better rate from your phone, long distance, ISP, Cell, insurance, or credit card company.

Threats, anger, or intimidation may have worked on the playground but they don't work so well as an adult.

- Craig


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## Milominderbinder2 (Oct 8, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> Yes, as that statement is taking you over to the retention department, with your account being noted as that you want to cancel.
> It is up to the human, then to evaluate the call after that... but they do track what options being select/state in their automated system.
> 
> And it is tracked and stored in their system now.
> ...


To reinforce this point, I added a link in the Ordering Tips to this post as a warning in step 3: Note.

- Craig


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## Jon J (Apr 22, 2002)

Xaa said:


> Yeah, imagine if you had to buy a phone to get telephone service, or a computer to get the internet.


I must not understand to whom you are responding. Neither my phone service or ISP furnish the hardware to connect with them. Do yours?


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## ToiletKitty (Aug 15, 2007)

Something else that could've happened is that he said he wanted to cancel the service, the csr made the offers, he refused them and just hung up. If the cust hungs up after the offers and does not say he will think about it or something like that, the csr HAS to cancel the acct. 
I'm not saying that's how it went, but it could be a possibility.


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## durl (Mar 27, 2003)

RAD said:


> It was Sprint that started that practice, great company:sure:


Best Buy has also implemented a similar program. Companies are beginning to address the amount of time and effort given to customers that become a drain on resources, both time and financial.

For one customer to call back a dozen times a day means that a dozen other customers with more pressing needs are forced to wait, with the risk of them complaining about long wait times.

Speaking from experience, I can say that some customers are truly not worth the hassle. Years ago I was a sales rep and pushed management for permission to drop an account. When this client (a business) did place orders they were fairly good ones, but they didn't come in that often. What made me drop them was a practice they had of calling in to question EVERY line of every order, sometimes even going back a year or more, with the intent of wearing me down so that I would issue credits or free product. (I became aware that they did this with other companies, as well.) While spending hours on the phone with them, I was losing sales. When it became clear they were costing me (and therefore, my employer) money, it was easy to drop them.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

Jon J said:


> I must not understand to whom you are responding. Neither my phone service or ISP furnish the hardware to connect with them. Do yours?


No they don't. 

It was in response to the post directly above it (post 98) where the poster suggests you shouldn't have to buy hardware in order to receive a service that you then must continue paying for.

Like Traffic on your Nav system, phones etc. I'm sure we could brainstorm some more.


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## jimb726 (Jan 9, 2007)

spidey said:


> I cant believe the 100$ a month and no RSN, sports oor Movie. I cant see any way ya could have a bill that high without a whole bunch of receivers in the house


My bill is 98.63 a month. I have two HR20's a HR10 and a plain receiver. I subscribe to no movie channels or sports packages. I have the old Choice Plus package with DVR Service, HD Access and HD extra Pack and I subscribe to the Protection plan. I get a 10 dollars discount for the Verizon combo deal. So I can see 100 dollars a month. Mine would be 108 without the Verizon discount.


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

I was thinking about why consumers don't seem to complain about having to buy TVs to watch DirecTV, but complain about having to buy receivers. 

Part of it may be that consumers are used to the cable company model, where the reciever is provided with no upfront fee.

But I think a bigger part is that consumers can choose which TV they want and use it with any provider. So when I buy a television, I have a lot of freedom in what I buy and how much I pay, and I don't get locked into a single provider. I can use my television with DirecTV, or Dish, or Comcast, or OTA. 

But when I buy a DirecTV receiver, I don't have a lot of freedom in what I can get or how much I pay, and I get locked into using it with DirecTV. If DirecTV raises their service fees and I decide to switch providers, I now have a $300 paperweight.


An interesting analogy is cell phone companies. When customers were locked into a specific provider with their phone number, dissatisfaction was much higher. When the rules changed, allowing customers to take their phone number with them if they switched providers, satisfaction improved. I imagine that once cell companies allow portability of devices (already announce by Verizon), and consumers can use different phones on different networks, then satisfaction will further increase.


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## elaclair (Jun 18, 2004)

Sat4me said:


> Yeah, imagine that. For many, many years, the phone company furnished phones as part of their service and it would still be that way except for a stupid (my opinion) court decision which has caused fees for phone service to skyrocket.
> 
> Some other examples????????


I agree with your intent, and also agree that, at the time, it was probably a bad decision by the courts, but overall if you match the value of those dollars with today's dollars, the cost of land-line phone service is way DOWN from what it used to be. One of the biggest changes in fees is with long distance. That and due to changes in technology, there are tons of features that are now included, that used to be extra cost.


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## bluemoose (Dec 7, 2007)

I must have missed it while reading this thread...

If DirecTV cancels your account against your will,
do they still charge you early termination fee?
(and demand to get the lease equipment back?


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## Bill Broderick (Aug 25, 2006)

Upstream said:


> But I think a bigger part is that consumers can choose which TV they want and use it with any provider. So when I buy a television, I have a lot of freedom in what I buy and how much I pay, and I don't get locked into a single provider. I can use my television with DirecTV, or Dish, or Comcast, or OTA.
> 
> But when I buy a DirecTV receiver, I don't have a lot of freedom in what I can get or how much I pay, and I get locked into using it with DirecTV. If DirecTV raises their service fees and I decide to switch providers, I now have a $300 paperweight.


I agree completely. I can change my ISP without buying a new computer. I can change phone service without buying new phones.

Xaa's analogy would have been valid if Tivo receivers work with DirecTV (as they do with many cable companies), but they don't. There is no other option for getting DirecTV compatible equipment than DirecTV.


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

bluemoose said:


> I must have missed it while reading this thread...
> 
> If DirecTV cancels your account against your will,
> do they still charge you early termination fee?
> (and demand to get the lease equipment back?


If you opted to have your account closed, then absolutely.
If DirecTV cancels it for you, they still require you send the equ back but I would beleive they dont requre the term fee


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## bluemoose (Dec 7, 2007)

CJTE said:


> If you opted to have your account closed, then absolutely.
> If DirecTV cancels it for you, they still require you send the equ back but I would beleive they dont requre the term fee


what I was trying to say is this: if someone wants to get out of DTV,
he/she can do what the OP's cousin did... just call DTV day and night,
demaning a "better" deal.... sooner or later, DTV will be fed up with
the calls and cancel his/her account?


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## mtnsackett (Aug 22, 2007)

what happened was his account was flaged for calling more then 5 times in a 24 hour period, they are trying to help customers who call that often to get their issues fix faster, so all he will need to do is wait till thet 24 hour flag falls off and call back in to get his account reactivated.


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

bluemoose said:


> what I was trying to say is this: if someone wants to get out of DTV,
> he/she can do what the OP's cousin did... just call DTV day and night,
> demaning a "better" deal.... sooner or later, DTV will be fed up with
> the calls and cancel his/her account?


No, because he is opting to cancel his service when asking to speak with retentions regarding a 'better deal'


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## rbean (Jan 12, 2007)

I read this thread with great interest, all posts, and I don't remember anyone answering the question, can directv cancel your account for just calling them too many times in one day. Forget all the other B>S>, can they cancel you without your permission for just calling and asking for deals and other goodies too many times in a certain time period. 

A side note, this thread really showed some insight to some of the posters. When Earl first closed it I was kinda put out but after reading all of it he should have left it closed and blocked some of the posters on both sides.


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## CJTE (Sep 18, 2007)

rbean said:


> I read this thread with great interest, all posts, and I don't remember anyone answering the question, can directv cancel your account for just calling them too many times in one day. Forget all the other B>S>, can they cancel you without your permission for just calling and asking for deals and other goodies too many times in a certain time period.
> 
> A side note, this thread really showed some insight to some of the posters. When Earl first closed it I was kinda put out but after reading all of it he should have left it closed and blocked some of the posters on both sides.


Can they? Sure... Will they... Not necesarily.
And if they do, it will be because you 'opted' for such.
Thats my beleif anyway.


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

CJTE said:


> Can they? Sure... Will they... Not necesarily.
> And if they do, it will be because you 'opted' for such.
> Thats my beleif anyway.


By definition, you cannot opt for them to cancel your account without your permission.


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

rbean said:


> I read this thread with great interest, all posts, and I don't remember anyone answering the question, can directv cancel your account for just calling them too many times in one day. Forget all the other B>S>, can they cancel you without your permission for just calling and asking for deals and other goodies too many times in a certain time period.
> 
> A side note, this thread really showed some insight to some of the posters. When Earl first closed it I was kinda put out but after reading all of it he should have left it closed and blocked some of the posters on both sides.


Direct will not cancel your account for too many calls. If I had a tech issue and called 10 times to get it resolved, they would not cancel my account. If however I wanted a really good deal on something and said I am going to cancel my account if you do not give me what I want, then D* could cancel my account, because I said I would do that.


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## JLucPicard (Apr 27, 2004)

I don't think they can cancel your account for calling too many times. They may suggest if you're calling that much (as was mentioned in the OP) that "unfortunately we don't seem to be able to meet your needs and maybe another provider can". After having stated that, they still can't just cancel you if you don't ask to be cancelled, or state that you don't want to be cancelled. If you happen to follow up their statement with "I want to cancel" or "cancel me then" (as was the case in the OP), then they can cancel you.

And if you're calling incessantly just to try to get deals or freebies, they can certainly flag you for no deals/credits.

They CAN cancel you if you are abusive with the CSRs, even if you aren't stating that you want to be cancelled.


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## Xaa (Nov 17, 2005)

Bill Broderick said:


> Xaa's analogy would have been valid if Tivo receivers work with DirecTV (as they do with many cable companies), but they don't. There is no other option for getting DirecTV compatible equipment than DirecTV.


{nitpicky mode}

S1 and S2 Stand Alone TiVo's do work with SA DirecTv receivers. 

{/nitpick}

I see your point.


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## oldfantom (Mar 13, 2006)

JLucPicard said:


> I don't think they can cancel your account for calling too many times. They may suggest if you're calling that much (as was mentioned in the OP) that "unfortunately we don't seem to be able to meet your needs and maybe another provider can". After having stated that, they still can't just cancel you if you don't ask to be cancelled, or state that you don't want to be cancelled. If you happen to follow up their statement with "I want to cancel" or "cancel me then" (as was the case in the OP), then they can cancel you.
> 
> And if you're calling incessantly just to try to get deals or freebies, they can certainly flag you for no deals/credits.
> 
> They CAN cancel you if you are abusive with the CSRs, even if you aren't stating that you want to be cancelled.


DirecTv can opt to not do business with anyone they please. No reason needed. If they chuck you without cause, then I suspect that they would have to make restitution for your good faith investment. But then, cause is a tricky thing.


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## wingrider01 (Sep 9, 2005)

Upstream said:


> By definition, you cannot opt for them to cancel your account without your permission.


Actually they can - read your contract


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

You have to do something wrong for them to cancel you (post #40) but one of those is being abusive to one of their employees. Define that loosely enough and yes, _you are out of here!_


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

wingrider01 said:


> Actually they can - read your contract


No, opting for something means you consent or give permission. By definition, you cannot opt for something without giving permission.


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## Pink Fairy (Dec 28, 2006)

Personally, while I feel that DIRECTV should make decisions similiar to this when it comes to people who harass the system for freebies, I do hope that your cousin is able to get it resolved in a better way.

Please, keep us updated as to what happens.


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

Upstream said:


> No, opting for something means you consent or give permission. By definition, you cannot opt for something without giving permission.


REad section 5C

(c) *Our Cancellation.* We may cancel your Service at any time if you fail to pay amounts owing to us when due, subject to any grace periods, or breach any other material provision of this Agreement, or act abusively toward our staff. In such case, you will still be responsible for payment of all outstanding balances accrued through that effective date, including the deactivation fee described in Section 2. In addition, we may cancel your Service if you elect not to accept any changed terms described to you, as provided in Section 4.

no consent needed/


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## fijiman99 (Sep 8, 2007)

lflorack said:


> We care because those who chose to whine without regard to fairness cause the rest of us to pay more than we should. He tried to bluff his way into a better deal and they called him on it. Good for them!


I've never paid more. So, this point seems moot.


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

fijiman99 said:


> I've never paid more. So, this point seems moot.


actually HD used to cost 99 plus shipping,, now it costs 99+99+shipping, so if you get a an HD on an existing account, you pay more.


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## fijiman99 (Sep 8, 2007)

curt8403 said:


> actually HD used to cost 99 plus shipping,, now it costs 99+99+shipping, so if you get a an HD on an existing account, you pay more.


Wait...I'm lost. What do you mean HD costs 99+99+shipping? Are you referring to the equipment?


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## Pink Fairy (Dec 28, 2006)

You can now be charged in installation fee on top of the receiver cost as well. Although we don't know what exactly determines who pays and who does not.


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

fijiman99 said:


> Wait...I'm lost. What do you mean HD costs 99+99+shipping? Are you referring to the equipment?


yep. equipment costs. This is HD not HD DVR


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## Drewg5 (Dec 15, 2006)

I'm no fan of the retention game. If I call and ask for a deal, do not get it until I ask to cancel, than that is what I am going to do! I will not play this game anymore, if another provider is going to offer me what I want at a price I find acceptable than I will take that offer. 
I will call around to educate myself in the terms and pricing of all other available service, that way when I do call (about once a year or less to order ppv or something like that ) I will know my options. If I like the offer I will take it if not I will go else where.


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

Drew -- I agree with you. I've commented on this board that the price I've been offered for an HD DVR from DirecTV is uncompetitive with my local cable company. I've been encouraged by other posters to call retention for a better deal. But if I have to call retention and threaten to cancel, I intend to cancel. And a $100 discount won't make a difference at that point.


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## curt8403 (Dec 27, 2007)

Upstream said:


> Drew -- I agree with you. I've commented on this board that the price I've been offered for an HD DVR from DirecTV is uncompetitive with my local cable company. I've been encouraged by other posters to call retention for a better deal. But if I have to call retention and threaten to cancel, I intend to cancel. And a $100 discount won't make a difference at that point.


only comment.. Does your cable co have capacity for 100 HD channels?


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## STEVED21 (Feb 6, 2006)

Upstream said:


> Drew -- I agree with you. I've commented on this board that the price I've been offered for an HD DVR from DirecTV is uncompetitive with my local cable company. I've been encouraged by other posters to call retention for a better deal. But if I have to call retention and threaten to cancel, I intend to cancel. And a $100 discount won't make a difference at that point.


But what does your local cable co charge for the box each month? There is zero mothly cost with DirecTv. I'm sure you'd make up the cost in less than a year.


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

Steve -- It would take 4 years. But that's not my point here. My point is that people on this forum continually urge others to call retention and threaten to cancel as a way to get discounts. My point is that DirecTV has trained its customers that they can get discounts with empty threats. I think that DirecTV should be consistent and transparent in their discounts, so customers can make fair and reasonable comparisons instead of playing CSR Roulette and making empty threats.


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

Upstream said:


> Steve -- It would take 4 years. But that's not my point here. My point is that people on this forum continually urge others to call retention and threaten to cancel as a way to get discounts. My point is that DirecTV has trained its customers that they can get discounts with empty threats. I think that DirecTV should be consistent and transparent in their discounts, so customers can make fair and reasonable comparisons instead of playing CSR Roulette and making empty threats.


I don't know how transparent the discounts will get, but it does seem, based on things Earl has said, and on the OPs saga, that they are, at least, trying to get consistent.

The OPs cousin received the same offer each time he called, and his empty threats to cancel didn't yield him a better deal.

One would hope that DirecTV would have, at some point during the story, told the cousin that "This is unequivocally the best deal you are going to receive, and calling in time after time, as you've already done today, isn't going to change that decision".


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Upstream said:


> Steve -- It would take 4 years. But that's not my point here. My point is that people on this forum continually urge others to call retention and threaten to cancel as a way to get discounts. My point is that DirecTV has trained its customers that they can get discounts with empty threats. I think that DirecTV should be consistent and transparent in their discounts, so customers can make fair and reasonable comparisons instead of playing CSR Roulette and making empty threats.


There are plenty of people that encourage that...

But it is the wrong encouragement.... and I have tried when ever I have seen it, to replate the situations I have noted above.

CSR Roulette is going to end up being much more of a gamble, then it was in the past decade.


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

While getting consistent may be good, I am not sure it will increase customer satisfaction unless there is also transparency. Especially since DirecTV has established a dial-a-deal model, changing to consistency without transparency will only annoy customers like the OP's cousin.


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## Grydlok (Mar 31, 2007)

bluemoose said:


> I must have missed it while reading this thread...
> 
> If DirecTV cancels your account against your will,
> do they still charge you early termination fee?
> (and demand to get the lease equipment back?


Against will???


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## jacmyoung (Sep 9, 2006)

As a long time Dish Network sub, and recently ordered DirecTV, I must say this is a shock to me initially. I have called no less than 10 times in the last few days, canceled and re-ordered three times and still don't know for sure if D* sales reps got my order right.

In the past whenever I called E* I always asked for Account Specialist Department, D*'s retention equivalent because they get the problem solved, period! Saves time and aggrivation, I knew I had a rap sheet they had to flip several pages to read through each time I called. But I never threatened to cancel, if needed I only praised their servie because indeed the AS departement people are the best trained and always provided good service. But I did point out what E*'s competitors were up to and asked what E* was doing to stay competitive for me. Over the time I received more than a fair share of the freebies.

But I am still going to switch soon. You see all the freebies will not make up for lack of product, in this case lack of HD channels.

So I understand if D* decides no more freebies, instead they will provide the best product and people will come. Will soon to find out if this is true or not. The initial ordering experience though does not give much high hope. I wish it can only go up from here.


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## jimb726 (Jan 9, 2007)

Upstream said:


> Steve -- It would take 4 years. But that's not my point here. My point is that people on this forum continually urge others to call retention and threaten to cancel as a way to get discounts. My point is that DirecTV has trained its customers that they can get discounts with empty threats. I think that DirecTV should be consistent and transparent in their discounts, so customers can make fair and reasonable comparisons instead of playing CSR Roulette and making empty threats.


Never once that I have seen, has a moderator encouraged someone to call in and threaten to cancel, to the contrary I have seen numerous posts where they have advised caution because the day was coming where they would call your bluff. If someone is foolish enough to take a complete strangers word to call and threaten to cancel as gospel then they deserve whatever comes to them. And as far as the whole "I need to get the same deal" thing is concerned, when it is time to make your deal, make the best deal you can and then if it isnt to your satisfaction, leave. If you are currently under commitment then you shouldnt be able to get anything without renewing or increasing your commitment. When that deals thread was open it was amazing how many people started their thread with "I cant believe you got a better deal than me". First and foremost there is no way to know if the person is telling the truth and obviously the deal the person made at the time was satisfactory at that time. So either there were mitigating circumstances that didnt allow a better deal or the other person was a better negotiator. Either way it isnt DIRECTV's fault.


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## papa_azteca (Jan 11, 2007)

Update:
As of yesterday afternoon my cousin has had his account restored. They even "honored" the deal with the 6 months credits (HD Access for free and $10 off). I'll return later with the details.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

STEVED21 said:



> But what does your local cable co charge for the box each month? There is zero mothly cost with DirecTv. I'm sure you'd make up the cost in less than a year.


You are forgetting the $4.99 (or $5.99) monthly fee per box. IIRC, the first box is charged a DVR service fee while the others are charged a fee for being an additional reciever.

Had I been charged $199 for an HR20 when I got mine in september, the decision between D* and cable would have been close to a tossup.


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## papa_azteca (Jan 11, 2007)

First of all I would like to clear something up. I was always told that in dealing with certain situations that there are 3 sides to every story: the point-of-view of the 1st party, the POV of the 2nd party and what really happened. What I do know of my cousin he is not one to be disrespectful on the phones with CSRs as he can relate to them because he has done the job. (Heck, we still compare CS related stories at our weekly poker games). But he is also a consumer that was looking for a better deal. He has assured me that he was not rude, crude, disrespectful to any of the agents until he lost his cool at the suggestion that he take his business elsewhere. He has no reason to lie to me. His statment to me was that it was pretty much suggested that he cancel. The reason given was that the equipment was offered at a fair price, the programming and fees he was charged were very competitive for what was available to him and he was calling in too much when it had documented on his account what he was offered. His account was cancelled because he took the suggestion that was presented to him.


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## papa_azteca (Jan 11, 2007)

Now this is how his account got reopened.
He received a call from the president's office (his words, not mine) about 4pm yesterday. He said the agent was very professional but to the point. He was told that although DIRECTV would like to continue a business relationship with him they will not tolerate any more instances like what happened before to get to this point. He was told that it was "one time deal". He asked what if he did have an ongoing issue that was not being resolved. The reply was that every situation is looked upon differently. Technical and billing issues are different than repeat calling for a better deal. He was told that there are procedures to address certain issues and those are available to every agent. Sometimes issues have to be sent to another department but that doesn't mean that a customer should call in repeatedly on the same day. He was told that all of the agents have tools and limits as to what can be offered. He was told that the price of the HD DVR has been reduced and compared to his area at the 19 month period he would be better with DIRECTV than with either cable provider. 

He agreed to have the account reopened, and the agent placed the order for the HD DVR upgrade. He was given the $10 off and free HD Access for 6 months and was also given HBO and Showtime free for 3 months (I think more to rebuild than apology). He said the agent was very clear .. the early termination fee would apply if DIRECTV has to cancel his account again.


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## Carl Spock (Sep 3, 2004)

Thanks for the update. I'm glad your cousin worked things out. I especially liked your first post. That sounds very close to the real truth, whatever that might be.

In your second post, I am impressed that DirecTV had compared their package with the two cable providers and found that the deals turned in DirecTV's favor at nineteen months. That's good market analysis. I'm also glad they view technical and billing issues differently than "let's make a deal" calls.

So in the end the weekend without TV became more of a "time out" rather than a cancellation. That's very effective management by DirecTV, as was the offer of free services to your cousin. As you said, not an apology but more of a make-good.


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## Sharkie_Fan (Sep 26, 2006)

jacmyoung said:


> So I understand if D* decides no more freebies, instead they will provide the best product and people will come. Will soon to find out if this is true or not. The initial ordering experience though does not give much high hope. I wish it can only go up from here.


I don't think anyone is suggesting that freebies will go away entirely... I think that what has happened up until now is Customer A calls in, and he happens to have been a customer for 10 years with the premium package and buys NFL-ST and MLB-EI, etc. So the CSR says "You're a really good customer, I'm going to give you $100 off our $199 DVR, plus I'll give you 10$ off every month for a year." Customer A didn't have to threaten anything, or throw a fit, he just asked.

Customer B, who's a friend of Customer A, thinks "Hey... he got one for free, I wonder if I can too". Customer B, though, has only been with DirecTV for 3 years and he doesn't buy any extra package, and subscribes only to the Total Choice package (he hasn't changed to a new one). He calls in and asks for the same deal and the CSR refuses. SO he hangs up and trys again. Eventually, through persistance, and some veiled threats to cancel, he gets a CSR who just wants to get rid of this guy and he gives Customer B the same deal Customer A got. Or really close to it.

Customer B's situation didn't warrant such a kickback, perhaps, but because the CSRs has some freedom as to what they give out, you could find one, often times, who would match a deal if you were persistent.

They're trying to reign in those kind of freebies. Customer A might very well get the very same deal if he called in today. Customer B, however, is going to pay $199 up front, and get $10 off for 6 months. That's his deal, take it or leave it. And if he threatens to cancel trying to get a better deal, they might just take him up on that offer.

It would seem that their system has some sort of discount schedule, and they are making notes as to what offer you've been given. So, it would seem, there will still be some discounts handed out, but EVERY customer who calls in isn't going to get a free HD-DVR... which to this point, has been very close to the case.


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## papa_azteca (Jan 11, 2007)

I thank all of those who offered suggestions and insight on this matter. My family's relationship has not changed towards DIRECTV. It was a business decision and they allowed him to return to that relationship.

I would leave this as a warning though. Be careful what you ask for. You might just get it. Someone asked if anyone has read "Raving Fans" by Ken Blanchard. I have and I think DIRECTV hit one point from this great book on customer service:
*Know When to Ignore
This may sound heretical to great customer service but learn to ignore what customers want if they do not match your vision. Obviously, it would be very difficult for you to say, design the best sports car if you'd also want it to be the best off-road or family minivan. When it comes to customer service, those who aim and try to be everything for everybody all at the same time, fail.
If your visions do not meet, ask your customer to take his needs somewhere else to be fulfilled.*

Don't be surprised when this happens again. We might not hear about it like this one but I know it will happen again. And I won't be surprised when it happens in mass number like Sprint.

I have sent a request to have this thread closed.


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