DIRECTV credits summary & info
Called in to try & get a deal on Sunday Ticket, and while I didn't get offered anything there, they put together enough goodies for me that I thought it might be of interest to others who are trying to get reductions...
Background - my bill is now around $145/month, top programming package, out of contract, probably about 4-5 year subscriber with multi-HD-DVR setup. We have an HD receiver, 2 HD-DVRs, and a standard receiver right now.
I started gently/friendly, told them I keep getting nice offers from UVerse, and was a bit unhappy with how high my bill was getting each month, so called to see if they could do better. I think the magic there is to be nice, because plenty of folks aren't, and to mention a specific competitor, because they are compensated/rated on their retention "wins" this way (he said). I'm also signed up for their direct pay, which helped in some credits.
Looking over my account, he started ticking different discounts he can get me (all on a 6-month cycle, so call back after they expire then and try again, as you build up "points" or dollars that they can work with):
-$20/month credit
-$10/month credit (Sports Pack)
-$5/month credit (Super Pack)
-$10/month (free HD access)
So, $45/month in credits for 6 months, just for asking. Once he'd entered those, I asked if he could do anything for Sunday Ticket, and he looked but said he couldn't... he made a spiel about how this credit would pretty much cover ST, and I think he had already used all the credits that they most often use to reduce ST. So I then asked what he could do for hardware...
He checked, and found that he could give me a free whole home DVR setup, internet coax connect kit, an HD-receiver upgrade for my older HD receiver, and a new HD-DVR (the latest 24 model, very nice!) upgrade for my old vanilla set-top box. The HW upgrades carry a 2-yr contract extension, but I'm ok with that for this level of upgrade. He set up the install, and I agreed to pay $21 in shipping/freight for the equip, and we were good to go...
a somewhat slow but pleasant process, joking with the rep along the way, and I came away with enough credits and upgrades that I'll probably just buy the Sunday Ticket later (IF the next call can't do anything there...
)
Hope the info is helpful!
Called in to try & get a deal on Sunday Ticket, and while I didn't get offered anything there, they put together enough goodies for me that I thought it might be of interest to others who are trying to get reductions...
Background - my bill is now around $145/month, top programming package, out of contract, probably about 4-5 year subscriber with multi-HD-DVR setup. We have an HD receiver, 2 HD-DVRs, and a standard receiver right now.
I started gently/friendly, told them I keep getting nice offers from UVerse, and was a bit unhappy with how high my bill was getting each month, so called to see if they could do better. I think the magic there is to be nice, because plenty of folks aren't, and to mention a specific competitor, because they are compensated/rated on their retention "wins" this way (he said). I'm also signed up for their direct pay, which helped in some credits.
Looking over my account, he started ticking different discounts he can get me (all on a 6-month cycle, so call back after they expire then and try again, as you build up "points" or dollars that they can work with):
-$20/month credit
-$10/month credit (Sports Pack)
-$5/month credit (Super Pack)
-$10/month (free HD access)
So, $45/month in credits for 6 months, just for asking. Once he'd entered those, I asked if he could do anything for Sunday Ticket, and he looked but said he couldn't... he made a spiel about how this credit would pretty much cover ST, and I think he had already used all the credits that they most often use to reduce ST. So I then asked what he could do for hardware...
He checked, and found that he could give me a free whole home DVR setup, internet coax connect kit, an HD-receiver upgrade for my older HD receiver, and a new HD-DVR (the latest 24 model, very nice!) upgrade for my old vanilla set-top box. The HW upgrades carry a 2-yr contract extension, but I'm ok with that for this level of upgrade. He set up the install, and I agreed to pay $21 in shipping/freight for the equip, and we were good to go...
a somewhat slow but pleasant process, joking with the rep along the way, and I came away with enough credits and upgrades that I'll probably just buy the Sunday Ticket later (IF the next call can't do anything there...
)Hope the info is helpful!
