Not a good start Directv (kinda long)

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Frostwolf

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Sep 5, 2005
190
1
OK, heres my story as short as possible. Dish screwed up the 508 boxes firmware. Wouldn't replace them both, wanted to charge me for a second replacement box.

My friend (with a Tivo unit with Directv) said he has never had problems with his R10. So I researched this model and decided on going with the Tivo version of the receiver, not the R15's.

Anyways found a dealer, Weaknees, who had upgraded units on hand. I ordered two units with the nfl package. So I recieve the units, and was told that the installer would be here this coming thursday. No one checked if it was a good day, so I called and rescheduled for a day I will be here. So that bothered me slightly, but no big deal, its taken care of.

Well I can't wait to use them, the next Dish billing cycle will be here before they can so I set it up myself, except wiring using the dish wiring. I call to activate the boxes, First call was only like three minutes long, the man that answered didn't understand why I was calling to activate instead of the installer? Hung up or disconnected I'm not sure. So I call back, got a woman, she was nice, but didn't know how to activate my receivers correctly, took like 20 minutes to get first one turned on, with dvr. Then we go to the second one, she can't get it activated, after about another 25 minutes she says the card is already used, that she would transfer me to the card division to get me activated tonight using a temporary number while a new card is sent out to me. So I get the card division. She tells me that I have to pay $20 to get a new card, no refund or anything, and that she would not activate the receiver at this time. She also says they cannot give me a temporary number, and that the other girl lied to me. Already lying to a new customer, I then ask for a supervisor to try and straighten this out.

So now I'm on the phone wiht the supervisor, she gets on the defensive right away, blasting me about committing fraud and telling me that weaknees was commiting fraud and BS after BS that the equiment I bought was obsolete and would not work for long with directv and that I should have signed up with them directly instead of buying off of ebay. I barely could get a word in without her intterupting me. I wanted to know why I had new card, sealed in the light blue bag, and the numbers matched the box that the receiver came in. And she starts blasting away again about me trying to commit fraud. At this point I'm getting ticked off with her, so I hand the phone to my wife to see if she'll work with her, nope shes rude with my wife, then tells her about commiting fraud and more BS all being rude to her. And says that card belongs to a directv employee. That mine is fake. So I get back on the phone, irritated even more that she talked to my wife that way, unsatisfied with the you got a fake excuse. Total call time was 76 minutes and still not up and running.

I contacted weaknees, they looked it up somehow and told me the card belonged to some vip at directv. Another will be shipped overnight. Kudos weaknees, no run around or anything, even on the weekend when they where closed. Anyways. I had not told them that directv said to my wife about it belonging to a directv employee, so I know weaknees is telling the truth about why the card didnt' work. Thanks weaknees for standing behind the deal. Just hope I didnt' make a mistake going to directv.

So back to first receiver, can't get it to work. Says my account is closed, no dvr service, reboot and units call up didn't fix it like the rep (1st rep on 2nd call)said to do after we hung up. Called tech support, took them like 40 additional minutes to find someone who knew how to activate the receiver. So I'ts been more than 3 hours to setup one bloody receiver.

Oh, and dish offered me two free 625's with no dvr fee when I cancelled. If only they had given that offer sometime in the last 5 months of trying to work with them. :( I'd would have not gone through this.

So I was wondering if Directv had the equalvalent to ceo@dishnetwork.com address to send a complaint about the supervisor.

That was totally uncalled for, just over an access card that probably cost directv 25 cents. Like why not offer a replacement with a return for the other card. I'd been happy to send the other back for credit.

Last thing, My wife wanted her own remote. So I bought her 2 new rc32's for the bedroom and living room. I've got it programmed to work both the tivo and tv but can't get the tv on/off button to work without sliding over little lever. Is there a setting I've got wrong? I've tried other codes for tv and tivo, two codes work for each.

Thanks in advance, sorry for such long post.
 
Welcome to Directv. Cant justify the rudeness or amount of run around. When they said the card was a Directv employee I would have went back to weakness at that point which was the cause of the error. So Directv should have handled it better but you problaby did get a card you shouldnt have which justifiably sent flags up.

I would have gone through Directv to get a good deal and add a Tivo one yourself after market like ebay. There are dozens of HR10-250's out there that are in great shape and while you may not have HD, can record hundreds of hours of SD programming.

So I would have asked some questions here first for advice before going with the setup, method and configuration you chose. If Directv can not activate the other box I would ship back to weakness and try to score a HR10-250. Hope your experience gets better.
 
I tell your ebay guy this story, and tell him where to put his receiver and access card.Brewer is right go on and look for another receiver. A new Access card is only $20 from Directv,so who cares if the receiver comes with one.
 
Welcome to Directv. Cant justify the rudeness or amount of run around. When they said the card was a Directv employee I would have went back to weakness at that point which was the cause of the error. So Directv should have handled it better but you problaby did get a card you shouldnt have which justifiably sent flags up.

I would have gone through Directv to get a good deal and add a Tivo one yourself after market like ebay. There are dozens of HR10-250's out there that are in great shape and while you may not have HD, can record hundreds of hours of SD programming.

Directv told me I could not add a used tivo to my account (Another lie I take it) . I was offered one for free from my friend, but Direct said that it or any tivo could not be activated. I was told that on two seperate occasions. Thats why I went to weaknees to let them set up the account. I'm very pleased with the deal weaknees gave me.

Oh as far as the directv emplyee, they only told my wife that, never to me except it was someone in Virginia. After I called/emailed weaknees and they told me that, my wife told me that directv told her that is was a directv employee.
 
I tell your ebay guy this story, and tell him where to put his receiver and access card.Brewer is right go on and look for another receiver. A new Access card is only $20 from Directv,so who cares if the receiver comes with one.

I didn't buy the units from ebay. And they are sending a new card overnight.
 
Thats why I would have thought you bought them from Ebay.

Yeah she was telling me I should not have bought them off ebay, when I didn't. Sorry its not clear, I'm not good a writing stuff.

Oh, She also told me that the only authorized directv sales is them, no one else is authorized. How is it possible for a dealer to hook me up, make an account and run a credit check if they aren''t authorized?
 
I know for a current customer they wouldn't give you a hard time about activating a used receiver.,, But if you are a new customer ,with maybe a card or 2 that is raising flags. You can't really blame them. All that stuff could be stolen for all they know!! I know the first time I got Directv ,They shipped all the equipment to my house ,and then the installer would come out and put everything together when I got all my equipment.Well guess what the box only Had a Dish in it and NO receivers!!! 3 of them just disappeared??? It took 2 months before I could get any equipment after that. Thats when they found out that the trustworthy UPS guy decided to keep them for himself. So I'm sure Directv has had a TON of equipment Stolen in the past. Thats why they Will not ship any New equipment to any New customers,or any HD equipment to any current customers.By the way Directv also gave me at the time Total Choice Plus for FREE for one Year over this matter.So I can't complain about them.
 
Three more calls to activate one more card, and I'm finally hooked up.

They had my recievers all screwed up. Wrong card in wrong reciever, card services hung up on me twice, guess I'm still fraudulant. Anyways, finally got a csr with some brains, just swap the card witht he other reciever and we setup the other one again. Thats what I wanted to do two calls earlier.

I'm just curious why the card worked in the both recievers? I'd have thought it would lock out the reciever.

Maybe the road with directv will get smoother.
 
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