Information everyone must know about the Lease Program:

[vurbano]

Directv HDDVR $499 and its a lease
Dish HDDVR $299 and its a lease

Is there a $300 early termination fee with DISH? and a non $470 return fee? I think we came to the conclusion earlier in this thead that returning the D* box would end up costing 800 bucks out of your pocket just for the honor of having it in your home for one month.
What the heck happened to D*'s promises of no cost upgrades or very minimal cost for existing HDDVR owners?????? $500 dollars and a $300 dollar penalty is their idea of minimal?

Seems like the E* deal is reasonable while the D* deal is raping the customer. Both will eventually lose the HD war to cable with its no upfront fee boxes. Not sure about FIOS yet.

 

[markd]

Seems like the E* deal is reasonable while the D* deal is raping the customer. Both will eventually lose the HD war to cable with its no upfront fee boxes. Not sure about FIOS yet.

I'll probably be looking at cable, again, when it come times for me to make a decision. The only reason I didn't stay with cable is because of the bad PQ on their analog channels. And I didn't care for their HD-DVR.

Of course this depends on how D* treats us when it's time to upgrade to their HD-DVR. And if they increase PQ of their channels and add new HD channels. If we still have HD-Lite at that time then I'll be checking out my options. E*, cable and FIOS (if it's ever available here).

Hopefully when Comcast takes over TWC here in a few months they'll get on the ball and get Memphis moved over to digital. And hopefully have their TIVO based HD DVR out by then.

As for FIOS, I would jump at it in a second. But we have Bellsouth and they have not been in any hurry to offer video. Now with AT&T buying them it probably has come to a sudden halt.

Let's not forget, as someone reminded me in another post, IPTV. It could run over all the competition.

 

[jdk]

What the heck happened to D*'s promises of no cost upgrades or very minimal cost for existing HDDVR owners?????? $500 dollars and a $300 dollar penalty is their idea of minimal?

So we have the final swap-out terms? I haven't seen anything yet (maybe just missed it).

 

[kds64]

what if you buy it on 3/1/06 does it count as no lease or lease

 

[uncrules]

I don't have a HD-DVR (I do want one) but I'm not going to spend $500 bucks to get the Tivo box that will be obsolete by the end of this year. I'm waiting for the MPEG-4 HD-DVR. If it has an obscene price like the Tivo box I'd have to weigh my options. Right now my local cable company doesn't have ESPN2-HD, UHD or the local ABC and UPN in HD (thanks Sinclair). I don't want to give up those HD channels. The only HD channels they have that D* doesn't have is INHD1 and INHD2. Also with the potential D* has down the road with their capacity upgrades, it makes me think that they will offer the most later. FIOS isn't in my area yet.

I don't mind paying $99 for the H20 box but I won't pay $500 for the HD-DVR. I guess I will have to wait and see what it costs.

 

[dragon002]

This whole lease deal is Crap. I can understand if we get to keep the equipment after we pay $300-$500 for a receiver. But to make us pay that and give it back with no refund if we cancel service before 24 months, or upgrade, or cancel after 24 moths seems like communism.

joe,

i agree with you a lot as you know. on this point though.....well. how about this one, directv will leave the cost of the recievers the same, rebate 100 on the hd box and say 300 on the hd-dvr. BUT they will NEVER activate that box again, for anyone but YOU! bacically making it worthless because of piracy concerns. it still has a good deal of value to you but it IS YOURS and cant be reactivated for ANYONE else.

 

[HCI]

Is there a $300 early termination fee with DISH? and a non $470 return fee? I think we came to the conclusion earlier in this thead that returning the D* box would end up costing 800 bucks out of your pocket just for the honor of having it in your home for one month.

If you send the equipment back its only the 499 that you paid in the beginning how did you get 800?

 

[vurbano]

joe,

i agree with you a lot as you know. on this point though.....well. how about this one, directv will leave the cost of the recievers the same, rebate 100 on the hd box and say 300 on the hd-dvr. BUT they will NEVER activate that box again, for anyone but YOU! bacically making it worthless because of piracy concerns. it still has a good deal of value to you but it IS YOURS and cant be reactivated for ANYONE else.

Source please?

 

[vurbano]

If you send the equipment back its only the 499 that you paid in the beginning how did you get 800?

500+300 cancellation fee. Yes you can go into your mantra about how only an idiot would cancel after 1 month, but if D* continues the HDlite CRAP with all of the bandwidth they will have, Im sure a ton of HD subs will want OUT. I dont see how anyone could put up with two more years of the TRASH HD PQ. IMO they should end the HDlite before they expect HD subs to sign two years away. Its an absolutely ABSURD situation especially since this company doesnt even recognize that their is a problem. Given all of this crap, I have little hope they will or even intend to improve things at all.

 

[HCI]

500+300 cancellation fee.

If you send the equipment back I think you can get out of the 300 for the cancellation fee.

vurbano what type of service do you have.

 

[HCI]

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?p=500144#post500144

Found this info thanks to Robert.

DIRECTV will cancel any programming contract early with no penalty if the equipment is returned.

-Robert

 

[dragon002]

Source please?

what source?? i asked a hypothetical question !!!!!!!!!

take a valium! or drink a 12 pack...hell i am!

 

[dragon002]

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?p=500144#post500144

Found this info thanks to Robert.

tate,

i for one have never , ever heard of DIRECTV going after a cx as long as they got the eq back. are your experiences the same??

 

[HCI]

tate,

i for one have never , ever heard of DIRECTV going after a cx as long as they got the eq back. are your experiences the same??

I have seen when a customer gives the equipment back to our office if they terminate early we do not hold them to our contract. I have actually never heard of D* suing a customer if they don't pay the early termination fee. If the customer returns the equipment they will have nothing to worry about.

 

[dragon002]

so it is the same, sweet.

the way i hear it will be per longhorn and vurbano they would grab the eldest son, take him to club gitmo and torture him until they got the $$$$$

 

[lou_do]

I like the way a few people are making it sound like D* is the only one doing this. If you go to E* site and read the agreement, it states that leased equipment must be returned upon termination, which means you loose that lease fee, just like D* agreement.

Then as far as the cancellation fee. E* says upon cancellation of service, while under the 18 month comittment, you will be billed $240.00, instead of D*s $300.00, pro rated at the rate of $13.33 per month.

You got to realize that this satellite business is a monkey see, monkey do business. E* does something and gets away with it, so a few months later D* sees they are doing it, so they jump on the bandwagon, and that works both ways D* does it first and gets away with it and E* is right on their coat tails. Remember a few years ago D* & E* were working very close together and tried to merge, only to be stopped by the government. I am sure they are still putting their heads together on issues.

How long do you think it will be before E* makes everything lease like D* has done?

 

[dragon002]

lou,

the merge is NEVER going to happen, and IF it did , ergen would be gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[boston area dtv]

I like the way a few people are making it sound like D* is the only one doing this. If you go to E* site and read the agreement, it states that leased equipment must be returned upon termination, which means you loose that lease fee, just like D* agreement.

Phenomenal point Lou

 

[lou_do]

lou,

the merge is NEVER going to happen, and IF it did , ergen would be gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wouldn't want that to happen. Then with a monopoly like that, we would pay even more for everything. Just like the monopoly D* has with the over priced ST package. I would love to see the FCC break up that monopoly. Bet if you could also get it from E* & cable, the price would be more reasonable. When it is the only game in town, you pay the outragious price or don't get it at all.

 

[HarryD]

Does this lease fee replace the mirroring fee?