Fees to Change Programming

[rnpatrick]

I am switching back to DirecTV and am assembling my package and have questions about fees they may charge in the future when I try to remove the "free" offers they include.

Does DirecTV charge a fee to change programming to remove premium channels, Sunday Ticket or to change base packages?

The savings are pretty good over staying with DISH - but if I have to pay huge fees to get rid of stuff I don't want in the first place, I need to factor that in.

I looked on the web site and this was not listed.

Thanks - this site is a great resource!

 

[raoul5788]

to Satelliteguys!

I don't think there are any fees for programming changes. They will charge a full month for premiums even if you drop them 1/2 way through.

 

[rnpatrick]

Thanks, Chip.

DISH charged a fee once when I dropped the premium channels that came 'free' with the package - even though it was before the end of the free time.

It appears to be impossible to NOT take these 'freebies' on the web site but as long as I can drop them later it's all good.

Rob

 

[mdram]

Thanks, Chip.

DISH charged a fee once when I dropped the premium channels that came 'free' with the package - even though it was before the end of the free time.

It appears to be impossible to NOT take these 'freebies' on the web site but as long as I can drop them later it's all good.

Rob

its not possible on the website, but if you phone your order you can not get them
i did that just so i wouldnt forget to drop them later

 

[thedamaja]

to Satelliteguys!

I don't think there are any fees for programming changes. They will charge a full month for premiums even if you drop them 1/2 way through.

I dropped my free premiums a few days after the promo period and they just prorated the bill down. No extra fees or full month charges for anything.

Maybe that's changes further into the bill cycle, I don't know.

 

[JerseyMatt]

I dropped my free premiums a few days after the promo period and they just prorated the bill down. No extra fees or full month charges for anything.

Maybe that's changes further into the bill cycle, I don't know.

I've done the same. I don't think they can legally charge you for programming you're not receiving (ie: charging a full month with no prorated refund)

 

[raoul5788]

I've done the same. I don't think they can legally charge you for programming you're not receiving (ie: charging a full month with no prorated refund)

They can and they do. Check their website. I'm pretty sure it says that premiums are charged on a monthly basis regardless of the length of time you actually have it.

 

[JerseyMatt]

They can and they do. Check their website. I'm pretty sure it says that premiums are charged on a monthly basis regardless of the length of time you actually have it.

I just checked and nowhere does it say that. If they can't refund the fees then they have to make the cancellation proactive to the beginning of the next cycle so you get what you paid for.

They are charging you in advance for a month of service. If you cancel mid-month they are required to either pro-rate a refund, or keep the service active through the end of the current billing cycle. As I said, when I cancelled mine, I got a pro-rated refund and the package was cancelled immediately.

 

[raoul5788]

I just checked and nowhere does it say that. If they can't refund the fees then they have to make the cancellation proactive to the beginning of the next cycle so you get what you paid for.

They are charging you in advance for a month of service. If you cancel mid-month they are required to either pro-rate a refund, or keep the service active through the end of the current billing cycle. As I said, when I cancelled mine, I got a pro-rated refund and the package was cancelled immediately.

They may have changed their policy then. I remember reading about people that would get HBO for a night so they could watch a fight, then cancel. The monthly cost was prorated. Later I read that they weren't prorating anymore.

 

[harshness]

I've done the same. I don't think they can legally charge you for programming you're not receiving (ie: charging a full month with no prorated refund)

You obviously haven't read the terms and conditions regarding monthly and seasonal sports packages:

For Services sold only in blocks of one month or multiples of one month, if you cancel such Service, we will credit you only for full months not used. For example, if you subscribe for a year of such Service from January through December but cancel on March 10, we will credit you for the subscription fees for April through December. However, we will not credit any fees for January through March. Additionally, we will not credit seasonal sports subscriptions after the season starts.

Also under Cancellation, you'll find that you may be charged a fee for discontinuing such programming.

 

[JerseyMatt]

You obviously don't have Directv and have never canceled a premium service mid-month, because they DO pro-rate without a disconnect fee. Your trolling is getting really old.

 

[raoul5788]

You obviously don't have Directv and have never canceled a premium service mid-month, because they DO pro-rate without a disconnect fee. Your trolling is getting really old.

It's not trolling when you post facts JerseyMatt. I'm one of the first to criticize Harshness when I think he is wrong. He isn't in this case.

 

[JerseyMatt]

That clause obviously refers to something else, more likely things like the Game Lounge - and specifically sports packs, not premium channels. Every time I've dropped a premium, the partial month has been refunded and I haven't been charged any fee. I've added and dropped them several times over the past year to take advantage of promos and freebies.

Same thing goes for the Directv service as a whole. That's sold in blocks of 1 month, but you absolutely get a pro-rated refund if you cancel the service mid-month (assuming you're out of contract and won't have an ETF), they don't keep the remainder.

 

[SpaethCo]

For premium channels (ie, HBO / Showtime / etc) there is a downgrade fee charged if you cancel before 30 days.

I just encountered this a few months back when I signed up for HBO to watch the 24/7 series that followed the teams playing in the NHL Winter Classic for a few weeks beforehand. They will indeed pro-rate the refund, but if you cancel within 30 days you'll be subject to the $10 early downgrade fee.

DIRECTV Can I change my DIRECTV programming once I have service?

 

[harshness]

I've added and dropped them several times over the past year to take advantage of promos and freebies.

Promos and freebies are a well known exception to the downgrade fee.

I'd be interested in how much of a prorate you got on a freebie.

 

[JerseyMatt]

Promos and freebies are a well known exception to the downgrade fee.

I'd be interested in how much of a prorate you got on a freebie.

I didn't always cancel in time and had a month billed then prorated, smartass. Not to mention there's no need whatsoever for it to be an 'exception', since the promo or freebie period counts toward the 30 days. The only reason for the 30 day restriction is to prevent Chip's example of buying HBO for a fight then dropping it the next day.

Bottom line is they're not going to make you pay for something you're not getting, and they won't charge a penalty for downgrading unless you're trying to screw the system. So stop trolling.

 

[stonecold]

Ok here is the deal in simple terms.

On premiums

DTV asks that you keep premiums for 30 days if you cancel before 30 days we will prorate the charges but there will be a 10 dollar cancelation fee. Now if it after 30 days there is no fee and just a prorated charge

On Sports Packages

Sports packages can be canceled refunded on the bill if and only if the season has not started. So basically you have till the first sunday for nfl , the first game on nhl/mlb/nba packages to cancel after that there is no canceling the sports packages once the season started.

 

[raoul5788]

So then the answer to the op's question is "sometimes"!


"Does DirecTV charge a fee to change programming to remove premium channels, Sunday Ticket or to change base packages?"


To remove premiums in the first month, yes. To remove ST, no, because you can't. To change a base package, no.

 

[n4uaj]

The only charge I have ever seen would be if I cancelled before the end of the billing cycle then it would be prorated. I have also missed the deadline to cancel a free three month deal and been prorated in the past. The last couple I had automatically went away after the 3 mo. period. They do have a policy on the premiums that you will pay for at least one month. I guess they don't want you to subscribe to HBO ect just to catch a certain batch of movies or mini series. Especially now with on-demand you could technically subscribe and record a bunch of stuff and then leave in a week.

 

[Mr Tony]

I'd be interested in how much of a prorate you got on a freebie.

you'll get the prorate. When I signed up I got the 3 free months of Starz/Showtime. 1/2 way through the 3rd month I called and cancelled and I still kept the whole month of credit