Griz Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 Well friends, it's that magical time of year when we haggle with Directv over our reduced, or free, subscriptions to Sunday Ticket. Please share any recent successes or failures.
BillsFan-4-Ever Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 I most always manage to get some package or other for free to keep my bill the same all year round. It usually takes a call to customer retention
mrags Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 Never worked for me. I told them I would cancel my account and they called my bluff. So I cancelled my cancel.
Dirtbag Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 Never worked for me. I told them I would cancel my account and they called my bluff. So I cancelled my cancel. i just moved to raleigh and my new place doesn't allow direct tv, but i have had it since around 2000. since they auto-renew it every year, i just call up and say it's too expensive and i want to cancel. they always immediately drop it to around $125-150. i have heard of people getting it completely free but that has never happened for me (aside from the first year i got it). maybe i need to develop an elaborate lie (like saying i lost my job or something). also, while i have them on the phone, i always ask if there are any other promotions i should be aware of. usually they'll drop my hbo by like $10 a month for 6 months or something.
nucci Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 I call and negotiate and ask for specials or discounts. If they say no I ask them to cancel my movies channels for 6 months to offset the Sunday Ticket cost. After that they usually start giving discounts. They don't like you to cancel any services you already have. I never threaten to cancel DirecTV completely. Unlike others here I don't yell or threaten. I ask nicely and if nothing happens I ask to speak to customer retention. Then negotiating begins.
MikeSpeed Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 Never worked for me. I told them I would cancel my account and they called my bluff. So I cancelled my cancel. Same here. Every year I try and every year they call my bluff. If I want it I pay full price and get nothing extra. I must not be able to lie very well. Probably why I don't sell used cars or play poker.
chris heff Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 I'm going to do what I do every year. I'll read what you guys do and think I should do that. Then I'll never bother calling them and end up paying full price. It's been working.
mrags Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 I'm going to do what I do every year. I'll read what you guys do and think I should do that. Then I'll never bother calling them and end up paying full price. It's been working. lol. This too
Dirtbag Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 Same here. Every year I try and every year they call my bluff. If I want it I pay full price and get nothing extra. I must not be able to lie very well. Probably why I don't sell used cars or play poker. i don't think you have to lie. all you need to say is that it's too expensive and you were wondering if they could do anything to make it more manageble. the people i get over there always seem pretty receptive to that line of conversation. but that might be because i've been a customer for so long.
thewildrabbit Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 While I have gotten the NFL Sunday ticket all the bells, whistles for free (fan pack, etc), and at various reduced prices over the past decade. Still, the Bastages flat out refuse to upgrade the DVR's to the genie for free. My contract is up this September and we will see if they wish to retain my business or not. Meaning I fully expect to finally get a new genie, and the Sunday ticket for free this upcoming season. After this season the next few years will be debatable on what discounts I can get. Just ask to speak with a supervisor, and let them know they will lose your business if they don't make you happy. Then they usually go the extra mile.
qblax16 Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 I canceled directv after NFL last year, and haven't regretted it one bit. Hoping AT&T buys Directv and allows mobile customers to get the games. Have Apple TV as well, so I'll air play those games all day! I live in Raleigh as well Dirtbag (that was fun to say...), so there are a lot of bars that consider themselves Buffalo Bills Bars to fill the need if you can't get Directv. Upper Deck Sports Pub in Cary. Buffalo Brothers in Raleigh. Braile's in Durham. Lynnwood Grill in N. Raleigh (not considered a Bills Bar, but best food, and always Bills fans in there).
Buftex Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 (edited) Never have had Sunday Ticket, or Direct TV for that matter. This past NHL season, however, I decided not to get the NHL Center Ice package through Time Warner. I have subscribed to it every season since they started offering it...I think it was the 2001-2002 season, or somewhere there abouts. The first couple of weeks of the season they had a "free preview", so I tuned in. When the preview was over, I figured that was it. However, a week or two later, when they hired Ted Nolan back, I was flipping stations, and saw the hockey package was on. It was on the next week, the next week, and the week after that. I checked my cable bill, I wasn't being charged for it. I got the whole season, free of charge. I called Time Warner late in the season, and they told me that I was getting as a "loyalty reward". I have never heard of that, especially from Time Warner. Unfortunately, the Sabres (my team) were so hard to watch most of last season, it kind of dimmed my interest in hockey a bit this year... funny thing is, the only reason I realized I was getting it was that I was toying with the idea of signing back up for it, after they hired Nolan... as it turned out, glad I didn't pay for the season, and still got to see as much as I wanted...or moreover, as much as I could stand. As for the NFL package, since I can't get it, and prefer to go watch the Bills games with buddies at a bar anyways, I get the NFL Rewind package. I know, it is not quite the same, but I like being able to go back and watch any game, any time (except when it is being played live)....hook my laptop up to my 46" HD tv, and it works great. A lot cheaper too.... Edited June 13, 2014 by Buftex
Dirtbag Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 I live in Raleigh as well Dirtbag (that was fun to say...), so there are a lot of bars that consider themselves Buffalo Bills Bars to fill the need if you can't get Directv. Upper Deck Sports Pub in Cary. Buffalo Brothers in Raleigh. Braile's in Durham. Lynnwood Grill in N. Raleigh (not considered a Bills Bar, but best food, and always Bills fans in there). cool...thanks for the intel. i'll have to check them out.
Dorkington Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 Even with the hiccups, I really enjoyed the digital version that came with Madden last year. Hopefully there's a digital version available again this year, in some fashion.
eball Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 I wait until the first auto-renewal shows up on my account, then call and do the "cancel service" routine until I get to a retention rep. I'm never impolite or angry; I simply review my account with them and tell them I'm dissatisfied with how new customers get the product for free when I've been paying them boatloads of $$ for years. They generally hmm and haw for a little while, before finding creative ways to provide monthly discounts and the like until I have the Sunday Ticket cost down to essentially nothing.
BuffFromBuffalo Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 I had a couple of different things happen the last two years. First year DTV did an auto renew. When the first piece of the package charge hit my bill, I called and complained, they reduced the price after some haggling. They also promised 20 bucks off for six months. They only did that for four months, which I leveraged into 129 for for Sunday Ticket and 10 bucks off the entire bill last year. Plus they threw in the Red Zone Channel. I didn't think I'd like that one, but it really was very cool. Sort of locked into DTV (resold by the company I work for) so I'll try and haggle again this year. I haven't threatened ending service yet. Good Luck all and Go Bills.
Drewgetz Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 My family has been with Directv since 1998 so it's a little easier for people like us I think. We get something free whenever our contract is up. Last year we got the genie with a 2 year contract so no sunday ticket this year. Basically each year you can get something free, could be sunday ticket. Just say that you've been a customer for X amount of years and wish to continue the relationship, what can you do for me, suggest Sunday Ticket. I agree that Directv retention department is the way to go. Say "cancel account" at the voice prompts. I also agree with calling every 3 - 6 months for promotions. I almost always have some sort of movie channel package for free. With that being said the time I got Sunday Ticket for free I said everyone else is getting it for free why not us? Just cost us a 1 year contract.
Ed_Formerly_of_Roch Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 They likely will give you the Genies, but start up a new two year contract at the same time. So get all the discounts you want as once you sign up, then they have you at their advantage. While I have gotten the NFL Sunday ticket all the bells, whistles for free (fan pack, etc), and at various reduced prices over the past decade. Still, the Bastages flat out refuse to upgrade the DVR's to the genie for free. My contract is up this September and we will see if they wish to retain my business or not. Meaning I fully expect to finally get a new genie, and the Sunday ticket for free this upcoming season. After this season the next few years will be debatable on what discounts I can get. Just ask to speak with a supervisor, and let them know they will lose your business if they don't make you happy. Then they usually go the extra mile.
K D Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 i'd be interested in everyone's strategy for getting the misses to be ok with you getting NFL Sunday Ticket and watching football ALL DAY. mine has a hard enough time with me sitting on my butt for 3 hours for the Bills games. I think if I were to get all of the games she would be out the door. to her it's a waste of a day to sit in front of the tv and her favorite quote is "i'm not going to live my life around the football schedule." she plays dirty too. if i'm watching football then she's usually at the mall spending $. makes me not want to watch football lol
HamSandwhich Posted June 13, 2014 Posted June 13, 2014 cool...thanks for the intel. i'll have to check them out. I live in Raleigh too, I usually go to Buffalo Brothers if I can't find a friend who has it on Direct TV. Blincos used to be a good place too but they shut down. Never been to Lynwood for Bills games. i'd be interested in everyone's strategy for getting the misses to be ok with you getting NFL Sunday Ticket and watching football ALL DAY. mine has a hard enough time with me sitting on my butt for 3 hours for the Bills games. I think if I were to get all of the games she would be out the door. to her it's a waste of a day to sit in front of the tv and her favorite quote is "i'm not going to live my life around the football schedule." she plays dirty too. if i'm watching football then she's usually at the mall spending $. makes me not want to watch football lol I'm getting married on the 21st, and I know this is going to be tough too. She will put up with me watching the Bills game (begrudgingly) but has a hard time "wasting a perfectly good Sunday" on football! I say, "where would you rather be than right here right now" as I'm stuffing my face with pizza and guzzling beer. Needless to say, she's not impressed.
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