# MRV Upgrade Discounts



## seanb61 (Jan 19, 2007)

Not sure If I am allowed to post this or not. But I was just able, as a "valuable Directv customer", order the MRV upgrade, normally $99 + install fee of $49 at zero cost! I was told on Saturday they were starting discounts this week so I called in again today. Initially, they offered it for only the $49 install fee but I pressed and was able to get that waived too. 

This is what my order looks like on directv.com

Item Description	Price	Quantity	Total
Whole-Home DVR Service 1	
DIRECTV® Whole-Home DVR Upgrade Free 1 Free
Professional Installation $49.00 1 $49.00
Sales Order Credit ($99.00) 1 ($99.00)
Sales Order Credit ($49.00) 1 ($49.00)
Tax	$0.00
Order Total	$0.00


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## matt (Jan 12, 2010)

Suh-weet!


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## oldengineer (May 25, 2008)

I had MRV installed in May right after the national release. It cost $49.00. Your order should also have the Internet Connection Kit on it. Some customers had MRV installed without the ICK and had to have a second service call.


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## seanb61 (Jan 19, 2007)

As it turns out, I called again today to verify and I wan't getting the Internet Connection Kit... They canceled and redid the order correctly this time. Thanks


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## MAGICEJS (Oct 31, 2007)

Did you still get it all for free ?


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## seanb61 (Jan 19, 2007)

MAGICEJS said:


> Did you still get it all for free ?


Yep, everything at no charge

Item Description	Price	Quantity	Total
Whole-Home DVR Service 1	
DIRECTV® Whole-Home DVR Upgrade w/Internet Connection Kit Free 1 Free
Professional Installation $49.00 1 $49.00
Sales Order Credit ($99.00) 1 ($99.00)
Sales Order Credit ($49.00) 1 ($49.00)
Tax

Its been a great month for me and Directv. In the past few weeks they have given me Sunday Ticket @ $180 and Free to go, Free HD for 12 months, Free upgrade from a HR21 to and HR24 via a $199 credit on my account and a thank you Showtime for 3 months gift. On top of all this the unexpected free MRV upgrade. I don't know what I've done to deserve all the fee stuff, but I'll take it. My contract was going to be up in November and all it took to get this stuff was a few phone calls.


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## hdAddict (Jan 10, 2006)

Golly Gee, I'm a long time customer (1996) as well, out of contract, and had the install last week for the advertised price. They would not provide any discounts. Always a week late and $ short. Glad you are a member of the "in crowd"!


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

hdAddict said:


> Golly Gee, I'm a long time customer (1996) as well, out of contract, and had the install last week for the advertised price. They would not provide any discounts. Always a week late and $ short. Glad you are a member of the "in crowd"!


Account History just doesn't look at length of time. It is a combination of payment history, perks given in the past and presently, and other stuff...

- Merg


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## hdAddict (Jan 10, 2006)

The Merg said:


> Account History just doesn't look at length of time. It is a combination of payment history, perks given in the past and presently, and other stuff...
> 
> - Merg


Never missed or late on a payment in 14 years. Perks?? none that I know of. Current credits none. Last credits received were early 2006 when the R15 came out. Had three or four of those machines in a four month period. Only the last one worked. Got credits for my trouble. A four heart guy and am eligible for a free DVR per the web site. Not a misfit! I believe just my bad luck drawing an unsimpathetic CSR. But I'm not complaning because I enjoy DTV and will pay for service provided.


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## ttuck (Jul 15, 2010)

I just got the same deal (free Whole home DVR/internet connection install), as well as $20 a month off NFL Sunday Ticket for 6 months,free Sunday Ticket to go, two $5 credits a month for six months, and free HD for 2 yrs - all in the same phone call! I think it's just a matter of what CSR you get on the phone, the one I got was amazing and as I pressed her for more she kept coming up with more deals. And to top it off, I have Comcast cable also (live in Philly area , can't get the local Comcast Sports net on DTV due to Comcast BS, therefore must also have cable to see Flyers and Phillies), called them up a day later and complained to them about their high price and they gave me $25 a month off for 6 months. Sometimes you have to call Directv a few times until you get the right CSR, or if you are in the position you can call retention and tell them you are thinking of switching. Or sometimes asking to speak to a supervisor/higher level helps. All of this proves to me how truly overpriced a lot of these services are.


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## matt (Jan 12, 2010)

hdAddict said:


> A four heart guy and am eligible for a free DVR per the web site. Not a misfit!


Allright, you are the second person on here to mention the hearts. What are they exactly, how do you earn them, and how do you see how many you have? I want some


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## oldengineer (May 25, 2008)

I've called twice to get a reduced price for ST with no luck. I did find out that D* "accidentally" extended my contract in February after exchanging a defective H21 box. It took 2 calls to get the date switched back to Sept 16, 2010 where it belongs. I'm gonna give it a rest for a few days and then try again.


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## njs092682 (Sep 23, 2007)

anyone try the e-mail route to get this for free? Or is phone really the only way to go on this?


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

matt1124 said:


> Allright, you are the second person on here to mention the hearts. What are they exactly, how do you earn them, and how do you see how many you have? I want some


It's not something you can control. It's just a rating system used by D* internally that is calculated based on a number of things (tenure, payment history, etc.), IIRC.

You can't see how many you have, although a CSR might tell you (and might not). A few years ago when I updated to HD, I was told I was a 5 heart customer (or 4, don't remember...whatever the highest is) and I got a couple of HD-DVR's and complete install for free along with some free programming and other discounts. My total cost to upgrade to HD at the time was a savings of about $100 over the course of a year.


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## erosroadie (Jan 9, 2007)

hdAddict said:


> Golly Gee, I'm a long time customer (1996) as well, out of contract, and had the install last week for the advertised price. They would not provide any discounts. Always a week late and $ short. Glad you are a member of the "in crowd"!


Timing is (or seems to be) everything...

Not an expert on this, but I always call the month before my two-year commitment is about to expire to try and get discounts. After 6 years, I have received first HR at reduced cost, and second and third ones at no cost, all because of when I called. When my commitment is almost up in 18 months, I will see what the latest "must haves" are (if MRV isn't already free by then) and see what they are willing to offer. Also, I always treat CSRs with respect, regardless of their knowledge (or lack thereof).

However, as in many things in life, YMMV...
:wave:


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## tomc (Sep 18, 2007)

Which CSR group was this? Was it the customer retention group or is it just for a general CSR? Was there something specifically you said to get it?


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## hdAddict (Jan 10, 2006)

erosroadie said:


> Timing is (or seems to be) everything...
> 
> Not an expert on this, but I always call the month before my two-year commitment is about to expire to try and get discounts. After 6 years, I have received first HR at reduced cost, and second and third ones at no cost, all because of when I called. When my commitment is almost up in 18 months, I will see what the latest "must haves" are (if MRV isn't already free by then) and see what they are willing to offer. Also, I always treat CSRs with respect, regardless of their knowledge (or lack thereof).
> 
> ...


I was out of contract since April. However, had to replace an H20 with an H24 for MRV so now I guess I'm on the hook for two more years.


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## seanb61 (Jan 19, 2007)

tomc said:


> Which CSR group was this? Was it the customer retention group or is it just for a general CSR? Was there something specifically you said to get it?


I asked the Whole home DVR group. I just asked if there was any discounts for a long time customer.


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## grecorj (Jan 20, 2008)

I called yesterday (regular old 800#) and this is my WHDVR + HD order:



> *
> YOUR EQUIPMENT SELECTION
> 2 DIRECTV(R) HD Receiver $198.00
> 1 DIRECTV Plus(R) HD DVR $0.00
> ...




Plus they gave me a separate $99+tax credit on my account for one of the HD receivers, effectively cutting price to $110.75 for everything.

Had a change of heart today and called back...subbed another HD DVR for one of the HD receivers for an extra $99+tax.

So everything above -- but 2 HD DVRs + 1 HD receiver -- for $200+tax.

I think I got a fair deal. Customer since 2002.


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## justinkwaugh (Aug 11, 2009)

I called today, haven't seen the order details on the website yet, but I got

WHDVR w/ ICK and
new HD DVR and
install 

for free which makes me very happy.

oh, and I've never had a contract until now, and have been a customer since 1998


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## Citivas (Oct 25, 2006)

I got the Whole Room and SWM upgrade and a swap-out of one of my HD DVR's (an HR20) for free today, no hassle and no contract. Called today and am scheduled for tomorrow.

I always go straight to retention now because I don't like watsing my time with the hit-and-miss other CSR's (burned way too many tiimes). But I don't threaten to quit -- I told him that I just say "cancel" on the voice prompt at the start of the call so I can get the better CSR's and he (and the previous CSR's) were cool with that. It saves so much time -- I basically had the offer within 4-5 minutes of picking up the phone to dial, and the rest was just logistics of scheduling the appointment.


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## grecorj (Jan 20, 2008)

^^ I love when you say "Cancel" it always comes back, "Ok, did you want to change your service...or cancel your service?" Cancel! "One moment while I transfer you". Haha.


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## fgrogan (Nov 19, 2005)

I called yesterday to replace my two remaining SD DirecTivos, get Whole House DVR (with Internet) and check on a diagnostic message (45-499).

Here is the deal they gave me for being a customer for 13+ years:

Split the order into two to "maximize" what they could do for me. Order #1 is 1 HD DVR for $0, the Whole House DVR with Internet for $99, Install for $49. Order #2 is a HD DVR for $149 (-50) and waived the $19.95 handeling charge.

Good deal or could I have done better?


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## justinkwaugh (Aug 11, 2009)

fgrogan said:


> I called yesterday to replace my two remaining SD DirecTivos, get Whole House DVR (with Internet) and check on a diagnostic message (45-499).
> 
> Here is the deal they gave me for being a customer for 13+ years:
> 
> ...


It seems to me you could have done better, but who knows how they figure these things out. For me (customer of 12 years) they told me because of my account history hd dvr upgrades were coming up as $99 to start, without even applying credits. As i mentioned above they gave me an additional (I was adding not upgrading) HD DVR plus whole house w/ internet and install for $0. Which is basically your whole order #1. I went the "cancel, cancel" route. I don't know if it matters. I also only subscribe to the family package and NFL ST every year and have only had one receiver until now, so aside from the ST, I'm certainly not paying them much.


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## Buckeye3d (Apr 14, 2003)

Blah. I got denied. No discount at all. I've been a customer in good standing since 2007. Use auto-pay every month and my bill is usually in the $150+ per month. I'd like to have whole home DVR but I'm not paying roughly $175 to have it installed.


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## Citivas (Oct 25, 2006)

Buckeye3d said:


> Blah. I got denied. No discount at all. I've been a customer in good standing since 2007. Use auto-pay every month and my bill is usually in the $150+ per month. I'd like to have whole home DVR but I'm not paying roughly $175 to have it installed.


Two questions: 1) Are you currently under any contract commitment? 2) Did you make sure to speak with the customer retention department?

Both of these, in my experience, are important. I spend less than $100 a month and had no problem getting my entire setup free, along with a new HR24 to replace my HR20 refurb. But I always make a point of not being under contract so their system pings me as someone who has the ability to walk if I am unsatisfied, even if I don't say I plan to. Even all this new free stuff came with no contract commitment.

And I have spent so many frustrating hours with bad CSR's when I just go through the normal customer service call tree that as a rule I always go the cancel-cancel service route -- i.e. when the computer asks you to say what you want you first say "cancel" then it asks what you want to cancel and you say "cancel service." You usually get transferred immediately or with a very short hold to higher-level CSR's that also have more discretion to offer deals. But if they know they have you still under contract for a long time, they are less incentivized to do so.

Also, never be afraid to escalate. I got the free MRV/SWM free setup easily, but when they came out they couldn't get the HR20 to work (after 6 hours of trying). When I first spoke with customer retention the CSR insisted there was no way they could authorize the service tech to give me one of the new HR24's sitting on the truck, that they had to ship me a refurb because the HR20 was technically MRV compatible so it was a warranty issue. I eventually asked for a supervisor who first said the same then I simply suggested "why not just go ahead and charge me for the new box them but then credit me the same amount -- problem solved." He paused for a second, then said, "Yeah, I can do that."

Every situation is different though... Good luck.


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