nucci Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 You've gotten it free since '09 and now you're disgusted? I agree with DirecTV on this one....I've had it free twice over the years with discounts other years. Some good some not so great.
Gavin in Va Beach Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 (edited) Called yesterday. First got customer service, she said they couldn't do anything. I then called back & got retention. Guy wasn't willing to budge either. He actually told me we have given it to you for free since 2009, don't you think this year you should pay for it. I then asked what is my buyout for the remainder of my contract. Said your locked into 2017 it is going to be $360. I then said well time warner offered me a $300 credit to switch over(I made that up) so maybe I will cancel. He said, "when do you want me to schedule your cancellation." I said let me think about. Guy was a total dick. I guess I went to the well one too many times. So it will cost me $250 for basic ST. So then I get even more pissed. I call my cheapskate brother in law, who comes over my house every Sunday in the fall eats all my food, drinks all my beer(even when I am not there as I got season tickets & usually go to 5-6 games per year) & ask him there not giving me a deal why don't we go haves on it. Being the kitty that he is he says sounds great but I got to ask my wife. His wife being the total B word that she is said absolutely not. At this point I am just going to probably cancel ST. It will be the first time I dont have it in probably 10 years. I am pretty disgusted. Here's what I did this year so try this: Call back and tell them you are canceling. Get transferred to Retention and tell them you want to cancel but schedule the cancellation for two weeks out. If you talk to a different rep in Retention you may get some better offers, for some reason different reps seem to offer different discounts, but if you don't get what you want then stick to setting up a cancellation date around the end of the month. Once they put you in their system as definitely cancelling the service, then more discounts magically open up for you. You may or may not get and email within a few days saying something to the effect 'We heard you are canceling, we want you back' and listing some discounts including Sunday Ticket. Regardless of whether or not you get the email, in a few days you can call back, go to Retention, and mention to them you got an email wanting you back and they should be ready to wheel and deal. Doing this I got: $45 off a month for 12 months. Sunday Ticket Max for free. All movie channels free for 3 months. $200 gift card. YMMV 5th year getting Sunday ticket for free. Edited July 10, 2015 by Gavin in Va Beach
Gordio Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 You've gotten it free since '09 and now you're disgusted? I agree with DirecTV on this one....I've had it free twice over the years with discounts other years. Some good some not so great. I understand & yes in the grand scheme of things I really don't have a leg to stand on. It still hurts though. I am actually more disgusted in my brother in law & his ahole wife. Here's what I did this year so try this: Call back and tell them you are canceling. Get transferred to Retention and tell them you want to cancel but schedule the cancellation for two weeks out. If you talk to a different rep in Retention you may get some better offers, for some reason different reps seem to offer different discounts, but if you don't get what you want then stick to setting up a cancellation date around the end of the month. Once they put you in their system as definitely cancelling the service, then more discounts magically open up for you. You may or may not get and email within a few days saying something to the effect 'We heard you are canceling, we want you back' and listing some discounts including Sunday Ticket. Regardless of whether or not you get the email, in a few days you can call back, go to Retention, and mention to them you got an email wanting you back and they should be ready to wheel and deal. Doing this I got: $45 off a month for 12 months. Sunday Ticket Max for free. All movie channels free for 3 months. $200 gift card. YMMV 5th year getting Sunday ticket for free. Thanks for the advice. I will try this. I appreciate it. ONe question if they don't do I just call & say I don't want to cancel before the 2 weeks is up? I understand & yes in the grand scheme of things I really don't have a leg to stand on. It still hurts though. I am actually more disgusted in my brother in law & his ahole wife. Thanks for the advice. I will try this. I appreciate it. ONe question if they don't budge do I just call & say I don't want to cancel before the 2 weeks is up? I really have no intention of going back to cable.
Gavin in Va Beach Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 Thanks for the advice. I will try this. I appreciate it. ONe question if they don't do I just call & say I don't want to cancel before the 2 weeks is up? Yes you can always cancel your cancellation.
eball Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 ONe question if they don't do I just call & say I don't want to cancel before the 2 weeks is up? Yes you can always cancel your cancellation. Just be prepared for all of the snickering on the other end of the phone call.
TheFunPolice Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 These are great stories but wouldn't you think Direct TV knows that people do this and would have some way to counter-act it? Or do they just not care?
eball Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 These are great stories but wouldn't you think Direct TV knows that people do this and would have some way to counter-act it? Or do they just not care? The number of customers who will actually call in to request reductions is so small in comparison to the total number of subscribers that I believe the answer to your second question is "yes."
bills_fan_in_raleigh Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 Here's what I did this year so try this: Call back and tell them you are canceling. Get transferred to Retention and tell them you want to cancel but schedule the cancellation for two weeks out. If you talk to a different rep in Retention you may get some better offers, for some reason different reps seem to offer different discounts, but if you don't get what you want then stick to setting up a cancellation date around the end of the month. Once they put you in their system as definitely cancelling the service, then more discounts magically open up for you. You may or may not get and email within a few days saying something to the effect 'We heard you are canceling, we want you back' and listing some discounts including Sunday Ticket. Regardless of whether or not you get the email, in a few days you can call back, go to Retention, and mention to them you got an email wanting you back and they should be ready to wheel and deal. Doing this I got: $45 off a month for 12 months. Sunday Ticket Max for free. All movie channels free for 3 months. $200 gift card. YMMV 5th year getting Sunday ticket for free. wow play the system big time. Maybe next time they will see through it.
Just Jack Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 Just be prepared for all of the snickering on the other end of the phone call. Then he could cancel the cancellation of the cancellation.
nucci Posted July 10, 2015 Posted July 10, 2015 These are great stories but wouldn't you think Direct TV knows that people do this and would have some way to counter-act it? Or do they just not care? They care about keeping customers. Earlier in the thread someone mentioned their prices are so high that a few calling for discounts doesn't hurt them.
Gavin in Va Beach Posted July 11, 2015 Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) They care about keeping customers. Earlier in the thread someone mentioned their prices are so high that a few calling for discounts doesn't hurt them. And yet still usually less than cable. Every time I entertain the idea of going back to cable I call Cox up and get a quote. After 20 line items of various charges, even with their new customer pricing, it's usually significantly more than DirecTV. Edited July 12, 2015 by Gavin in Va Beach
eball Posted July 11, 2015 Posted July 11, 2015 And yet still usually less than cable. Every time I entertain the idea of going back to cable I call Cox up and get a quote. After 20 line items of various charges, even with their new customer pricing, it's usually significantly less than DirecTV. I think you mean more?
Mikie2times Posted July 11, 2015 Posted July 11, 2015 Got a new job after working 8 1/2 years every Sunday. SUNDAYS OFF NOW! WOOT. I'm a cord cutter stream only set up and not willing to budge on that. When I saw DTV started offering streaming packages for non DTV subscribers it got me very excited. That was until I read the disclaimer regarding only having this option available if you cant get DTV service. I don't know how strict they follow this but I did get denied on the basis that the previous owner of my home had DTV installed. I called back a few days later and told them I lived at my brothers house (he has an apartment). They signed me up no problem. So for those looking to go the streaming route if you get blocked on account of location think of any potential family members who might apply to the "can't get direct TV rules" and use that address for your service location. It's all streaming anyway so the billing address and where it's being streamed from mean nothing in relation to each other. I use my mom's Comcast account for HBO GO and Watch ESPN. My brothers NETFLIX account. Kick them both 5 bucks a month. My brother in law has several thousand movies on his PLEX server. I have more TV options than I could ever think of using and just pay 49.99 a month, plus the additional 10 bucks to my brother and mom.
SJDK Posted July 11, 2015 Posted July 11, 2015 I'm completely off of all contracts this July, so for the first time I have some leverage as I can easily totally walk. Will see what I can get.My contract was up and that is indeed great leverage. Cutting to the chase $48 a month free Sunday ticket for first year of two year contract and the second best channel package (no premium channel "remember to cancel" BS. I took a hard line approach and it paid off.
coastalpika Posted July 13, 2015 Posted July 13, 2015 Called today. I talked to the first retention guy and asked if he had any deals for long time members that were willing to agree to a contract. He said that all he had available was half off showtime for 4 months lol. I asked when my contract was up and he was not able to pull that info transferred me to a senior retention specialist. The 2nd guy was great. I was honest and said that I was willing to sign a contract if they could offer me a discount. He immediately offered free Sunday Ticket and 15 bucks a month off my bill for a 12 month contract. I asked him how much it would be to upgrade to genie and he was able to get me upgraded to a genie for no cost as long as I was willing to extend the contract to two years. I agreed and he also threw in free showtime for 4 months. While things were loading up on his computer we talked about football, kids etc. Overall I could not be happier with the deal and I appreciate that they make it a point to take care of long time customers.
Big Turk Posted July 13, 2015 Posted July 13, 2015 (edited) For some reason, my annual pilgrimage to get ST free was much easier this year. I went on the website and was greeted by a "Chat" invite... to which I responded. After a few friendly volleys I cut to the chase and stated I wanted to be rewarded with something for my 15 years of loyalty. My "chat" friend gave me an 800 number, plus a PIN where my information would be available to a rep waiting on me. The PIN was good for 5 days, but I called immediately. Damned if it wasn't true. A short 15 min. later and I got enough credits to ensure ST for free... then some, plus all the movie channels that I need to remember to cancel in August. My conversation with the rep was much different this year. She was incredibly honest... said she had the power to make stuff happen... wouldn't waste my time... and she produced and was gracious. She also said that many people don't even ask for deals, which essentially pays for the deals those whom ask get. Go figure. I like the new, honest DTV. Here's to the next 15 years Please share your experiences. GO BILLS!!!!!! When all they can offer as a package is DSL for internet they better make something happen. Might as well be using dial-up, lol... Especially considering DSL/phone lines are not being maintained or repaired anymore, DSL "speed", if you could ever call it that, is going straight down the crapper...within the next 2 years phone lines/DSL will not exist at all. Charging almost $40 for speeds that are well under 3 MBPS these days, in the last 5 houses I've tested them in, they ranged from 0.31 MBPS-1.5 MBPS is an absolute joke. Edited July 13, 2015 by matter2003
Damian Posted July 14, 2015 Posted July 14, 2015 When all they can offer as a package is DSL for internet they better make something happen. Might as well be using dial-up, lol... Especially considering DSL/phone lines are not being maintained or repaired anymore, DSL "speed", if you could ever call it that, is going straight down the crapper...within the next 2 years phone lines/DSL will not exist at all. Charging almost $40 for speeds that are well under 3 MBPS these days, in the last 5 houses I've tested them in, they ranged from 0.31 MBPS-1.5 MBPS is an absolute joke. I have a 25MB DSL and have clocked nearly 40MB on it. They tie two lines together and use a special modem/router to get the higher speeds and I don't share the bandwidth with my neighbors like cable does. On the DTV side, I got my annual discount last that makes it almost free for the Sunday Ticket Max package. The trick is to ask for a discount on ST and when they say they can't, ask for what they can do with your programming package to reward your loyalty (15 year customer here). The discounts they gave me would have given me normal ST for about nothing, but I like the Max package which also includes online streaming.
Lv-Bills Posted July 14, 2015 Posted July 14, 2015 The number of customers who will actually call in to request reductions is so small in comparison to the total number of subscribers that I believe the answer to your second question is "yes." You're probably right about this, but I will say this. I work at a sports complex. Our whole sports staff is located here. We have six full time employees up here. 2 Bills fans, 1 Cowboy Fan, 1 Redskin fan (who doesn't have Sunday Ticket because we are in VA), 1 Bears fan, and one dude who I guess just loves football. 5 out of 6 of us all have called and bargained to get the ticket cheaper. Every fan site has a thread about getting discounts off of the Sunday Ticket.
zow2 Posted July 14, 2015 Posted July 14, 2015 I got some newbie person in retention who was very nice but said she couldn't find any decent discounts for Sunday ticket Max. She finally got a supervisor to come over and that person reiterated that I should call back closer to the season and they will have better discounts to offer. In the meantime, the newbie lady gave me $120 credit immediately for being a loyal customer (15 years) and another loyalty credit of $10/mo. for 6 months. So that's $180 credit for doing nothing and i will call back in a couple weeks and have another conversation specifically about ST Max.
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