Soooooo...I had DIRECTV installed less than a year ago on July 3, 2012. I knew my bill would go up as time went on due to various promotions dropping off and whatnot, but this latest bill I just got is RIDICULOUS. I have the Ultimate package along with Starz & Showtime. My bill started off somewhere around $64/month. It had a free HBO/Cinemax promo for 3 months, and I called and cancelled those channels at the end of the promo. The CSR offered to give them to me free for another 3 months, but I declined and told her that we never watched those two channels and I didn't want to have to call in again in another 3 months. At some point my bill went up to around $93/month.
Then I made the decision to move (which I wasn't really planning on when I first signed up with DIRECTV) because the neighborhood I was in was going downhill REALLY fast. My house sold a LOT faster than I expected (had an offer less than 2 week after it was listed). Found a new house (which is out in the country now), and my only options were DIRECTV or Dish...and supposedly I can get Prism from CenturyLink. Charter is the cable company that covers this area, but they don't have any lines out to where I live...so cable is a no-go. So...I just decided to stick with DIRECTV since I was still under contract and called about moving. The CSR said that I wasn't supposed to be eligible for the standard mover offer because I had been a customer for less than a year, but that I was close enough to a year that the computer was letting her override and give me the discount anyway (...whatever...). So I did a new 2-year contract for the mover special. I don't know if that just restarted the clock, or if it extended my existing contract by 2 years...didn't think to ask at the time. I also added an additional receiver (which they made me pay $99 for) because my new house is bigger and I added another TV.
The move occurred at the end of March 2013. My bill went up a little after the move, which I was expecting due to having one more TV. Yesterday I get my latest bill, and it's now $145 a month!!! I about had a cow when I saw that! That's more than double what my bill was less than a year ago! I also noticed a message on this latest bill that the "free" NFL Sunday Ticket they gave me will automatically renew, and that if I don't want it I need to call before the billing starts if I don't want the charges on my bill. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my entire life! I didn't have NFL Sunday Ticket when I first signed up. They added it several months after I started service. I never watch football and didn't ask to have the "free" package added to my existing service, so why should I have to call to have something removed that I never asked for in the first place?? Why can't they let you log in to your account and remove it yourself? They MAKE you call in to remove any of the premium crap. UGH!
Like I said earlier, I knew it would eventually go up as some promotions dropped off...but more than double less than a year later seems completely crazy to me! And it's going to get even higher as more promos drop off (some of which I'm not exactly sure when they're dropping off). I've had Dish, Time Warner, and AT&T U-verse in the past and they all went up gradually over time...but NONE of them more than doubled less than a year later. Is there anything I can do to get my bill lowered some...and that won't extend my new 2-year contract? I can supposedly get CenturyLink Prism for $98/month with no price increases for 2 years, and that even gives me EVERY channel they offer including HBO/Cinemax/Showtime/Starz...but I don't know if I can take that all-at-once whammy of an ETF from DIRECTV on that new 2-year contract right now with a new house and all. Very frustrated.
Then I made the decision to move (which I wasn't really planning on when I first signed up with DIRECTV) because the neighborhood I was in was going downhill REALLY fast. My house sold a LOT faster than I expected (had an offer less than 2 week after it was listed). Found a new house (which is out in the country now), and my only options were DIRECTV or Dish...and supposedly I can get Prism from CenturyLink. Charter is the cable company that covers this area, but they don't have any lines out to where I live...so cable is a no-go. So...I just decided to stick with DIRECTV since I was still under contract and called about moving. The CSR said that I wasn't supposed to be eligible for the standard mover offer because I had been a customer for less than a year, but that I was close enough to a year that the computer was letting her override and give me the discount anyway (...whatever...). So I did a new 2-year contract for the mover special. I don't know if that just restarted the clock, or if it extended my existing contract by 2 years...didn't think to ask at the time. I also added an additional receiver (which they made me pay $99 for) because my new house is bigger and I added another TV.
The move occurred at the end of March 2013. My bill went up a little after the move, which I was expecting due to having one more TV. Yesterday I get my latest bill, and it's now $145 a month!!! I about had a cow when I saw that! That's more than double what my bill was less than a year ago! I also noticed a message on this latest bill that the "free" NFL Sunday Ticket they gave me will automatically renew, and that if I don't want it I need to call before the billing starts if I don't want the charges on my bill. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my entire life! I didn't have NFL Sunday Ticket when I first signed up. They added it several months after I started service. I never watch football and didn't ask to have the "free" package added to my existing service, so why should I have to call to have something removed that I never asked for in the first place?? Why can't they let you log in to your account and remove it yourself? They MAKE you call in to remove any of the premium crap. UGH!
Like I said earlier, I knew it would eventually go up as some promotions dropped off...but more than double less than a year later seems completely crazy to me! And it's going to get even higher as more promos drop off (some of which I'm not exactly sure when they're dropping off). I've had Dish, Time Warner, and AT&T U-verse in the past and they all went up gradually over time...but NONE of them more than doubled less than a year later. Is there anything I can do to get my bill lowered some...and that won't extend my new 2-year contract? I can supposedly get CenturyLink Prism for $98/month with no price increases for 2 years, and that even gives me EVERY channel they offer including HBO/Cinemax/Showtime/Starz...but I don't know if I can take that all-at-once whammy of an ETF from DIRECTV on that new 2-year contract right now with a new house and all. Very frustrated.
