2-year commitment

[jose44]

About a month ago I bought an onsale D-10 (or whatever the non-DVR Directv HD receiver is called. Like my 10-250 DVR I've had for several months, I bought it at Best Buy.

I installed it myself, and called Directv, and got it turned on. Now I've just gotten a card titled "A Friendly Reminder" telling me that by doing that I've committed myself to 2 years of programming at my present level or above.

Nobody at any time in the process told me that, or I'd have not done it. I called Directv, waited a long time, and spoke to a CSR named Kenny. Kenny told me I surely had been told about the 2-year commitment, because "that's the rules." When I pointed out that I was there and he wasn't, and that he wasn't in any position to say I wasn't telling the truth, Kenny got very snippy. I asked to talk to someone higher than him, and got put on hold, and then Kenny hung up in a minute or so. I've never met Kenny, but I had the impression he had a skinny neck and wore his pants up around his bellybutton.

My question is this: is there anybody I can talk to who will believe me and let me out of this ridiculous commitment? I never got a card like this when I bought the DVR. People talk about "customer retention" sometimes on the forums; is there such a place and do they have a special phone #? Or am I just hosed by Directv? (They did say I could box up everything I have, which I paid for, and give it to them, instead of paying them $300 for getting out of their "deal."

Thanks in advance.

 

[jonaswan2]

No you're not getting hosed. First when you said you have the D10, I was a little confused because you don't get 2 years with those, but here's how it goes and here's how it's been for the last I don't know how many years...

If you buy any advance reciever from anywhere, you automatically have a 2 year commitment. Simple as that. You get out of the commitment buy returning the hardware (to DirecTV).

 

[Claude Greiner]

As a dealer im usually all for the companies when it comes to contracts, but I do agree with what this guy is saying.

You didn't sign anything, its not right for Directv to just automatically put you under a 2 year committment, and even if you do cancel why should they be entitled to get the equipment back.

 

[adawg]

People talk about "customer retention" sometimes on the forums; is there such a place and do they have a special phone #?
Thanks in advance.

There is such a place, but your issue is not for them. You are locked into a contract, they are not worried about retaining you at this point...Sorry

 

[lou_do]

I installed it myself, and called Directv, and got it turned on. Now I've just gotten a card titled "A Friendly Reminder" telling me that by doing that I've committed myself to 2 years of programming at my present level or above.

Welcome to the club. They at least had the decency to send you a card to advise you. Many of us didn't find out till we got our bill.

When I got my original equipment, I signed an agreement for a 1 year commitment, no problem, I knew about it. But 3 years later, when I replaced a bad receiver with a new one that I bought, I signed nothing and have no paperwork except the sales slip. When I deactivated the old receiver and activated the new one nothing was said about any 2 year commitment. I could understand if they gave you the receiver, but I bought it. But regardless you shouldn't have to find out about it only when you get your bill. I really don't see how them adding it to your account, without you agreeing to it, is legal.

If I would have known that I was going to get stuck with a secret commitment, I could have gone to DISH and gotten the equipment for free. I know I would still have an 18 month commitment but I would have not had to buy my replacement receiver.

Very sneaky way of D* doing business.

 

[Digital Dude]

I smell a gang of State Attorney Generals banging DirecTV ala Microsoft a couple of years ago.

If they slam you "at your current level" then by all means drop to the lowest package when you upgrade.

 

[sprog68]

They can't hold you to a two year contract if you bought the equipment yourself. What are they going to do, charge you money for something you already paid for? Unless you received the equipment for free or got a $100 bucks off with a stipulation of a two year aggrement, they don't have a legal leg to stand on.

 

[bigpro]

About a month ago I bought an onsale D-10 (or whatever the non-DVR Directv HD receiver is called. Like my 10-250 DVR I've had for several months, I bought it at Best Buy.

I assume it's an r-10. How much did you pay? Did you send in the rebate? If you did, or you got it 'free', than that's your contract right there. If you didn't, and you paid full-price, there should be no 2 year committment.

 

[Kentstater72]

This added on commitment, does it apply to the stb itself(also)?

I mean have you committed to:
1. D* for two years plus
2. Level of programing plus
3. paying the monthly fee for the stb itself for two years

Does the two years get added on to an existing commitment?

My example is if I ordered the H20 I know I would have the two year commitment, but I do not know if I need to keep it in service(or at least pay the monthly fee) after the HD-DVR is available to swap out with my 10-250.
And will my commitment be two years PLUS the time remaining on my 10-250, or is it two years on the 250 and two years on the h20?

 

[jose44]

This added on commitment, does it apply to the stb itself(also)?

I mean have you committed to:
1. D* for two years plus
2. Level of programing plus
3. paying the monthly fee for the stb itself for two years

Does the two years get added on to an existing commitment?

My example is if I ordered the H20 I know I would have the two year commitment, but I do not know if I need to keep it in service(or at least pay the monthly fee) after the HD-DVR is available to swap out with my 10-250.
And will my commitment be two years PLUS the time remaining on my 10-250, or is it two years on the 250 and two years on the h20?

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes

Yes, the time with the R-10 is actually ADDED ON to the one-year agreement I had (and understood about in advance) with the HDR 10-250. I paid $200 for it at Best Buy. No rebate. It seemed like I bought a piece of hardware that I could just use or not use as I saw fit, and nobody said anything different. I asked Kenny if the same would apply to buying any receiver, and he said no, only to "upgrades." I guess replacing nothing with something is an upgrade, and my guess would be that replacing the present HDR 10-250 with the MPEG-4 unit would be considered by the eminent Kenny an "upgrade"--requiring a 2-year commitment.

Thanks everybody, I feel filthy like I shook hands with the devil, but at least now I know everybody has to shake the same hand, so I'll deal with it! I'd really and truly like it better if Kenny had just laughed at me and said "You're screwed, dude," instead of insisting I was a liar and had been told by whatever CSR signed the unit on that the 2-year commitment existed, but I can't control Kenny or his probably not all-that-fun job.