I cancelled on Monday and received an email last night. They want me to bring the HR44 to a UPS store or FedEx and the store will package it and send it to them. They don't want the HR24s. I now have 4 sitting in the garage.
Receiver policy
- Thread starter Jackonearth
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I have never heard of returning to them to box up ....
They always send a box to place the recvr in and then send to Fedex ...
Is this something new ?
I would keep the email and contact them again just to confirm ...
I just finally tossed a bunch of old recvrs I had in the closet.
Me neither. Must be something new. Here is the email:
Hello,
Thank you for your business. We've received your request and some of your DIRECTV equipment needs to be returned to AT&T via The UPS Store® or FedEx® Office —at no charge to you.
Just follow these simple instructions and bring your Account # above along with the equipment listed below to the closest The UPS Store® or FedEx® Office as soon as possible to avoid non-return charges. (Please disregard any other notice you may have received.)
Gather the following equipment
No need to pack anything. Just put it in a bag, tote, or open box.
Make: DIRECTV
Model: HR44-500
Serial #: XXXXXXXXX
Bring it to The UPS Store® or FedEx® Office
Find the closest locations here
The UPS Store®
theupsstore.com/locations
800.789.4623 FedEx® Office
fedex.com/attreturns
800.463.3339
That's it! The UPS Store® or FedEx® Office will:
• Scan your equipment to prevent any non-return charges
• Pack, label and ship the equipment back to AT&T, at no charge to you
• Provide you with a receipt and return reference number
They have been sending customers to UPS for returns for a while. I'd insist they send a box or a tech to me to pick it up.
They have been going to UPS and Fedex Yes, but thats the first time I'm ever seen them tell you to take it to them without already being boxed up.
The hardware is identical, the difference is just in Directv's records. They download the same software (except for special types of commercial accounts like hotels) but certain functions are different, like having no powersave menu. However, that has nothing to do with which receiver you buy, but the account type it is activated on.
I have a number of H20s off eBay over the years, most if not all came from residential accounts but I'm able to activate them on my commercial account no problem. I have a friend who buys storage lockers who acquired a locker full of Directv gear a few years back, and I helped him identify it in exchange for a few freebies (that's where I got my polarity locker and amp) There was a slightly beat up H25, when I checked the RID it was off a residential account and couldn't be resold. I activated it on my account to play around with a bit and see if it even worked then for the hell of it called Directv to check the RID again and they told it was owned and could be resold. So I gave it back to him
I don't know if it is always true that residential receivers 'laundered' through a commercial account become owned or if something fell through the cracks since this was the only time I did this. Not that it would be worth it to try and make a business out of it, since becoming "owned" doesn't increase the value of receivers all that much - there isn't much supply but there also isn't much demand. Anyway, I'm sure Directv would eventually notice a commercial account that was activating and deactivating hundreds of receivers a year and wonder what is going on and there's no way it would be worth impacting your real business to try to make a few bucks with a shady trick...
Not really.
If it’s like a hotel or a mental hospital they go through receivers all the time.
I have a mental hospital as a client and they literally have 5 replacement boxes on hand as patients destroy Tv’s all the time.
They also go through remotes like water also.
When they had Dish I couldn’t tell you the number of 2700’s and 301’s they had missing channel up and down buttons.
Depends on the agent.
Some don’t care and just activate everything. Others want to pull the history and give you crap.
My experience if it takes more than 5 minutes, hang up and call back in.
Receivers are usually tucked behind the Tv on a bracket, but occasionally hotels will have the receiver on a dresser or table next to the television.
It’s more money for the bracket plus adds to the install costs.
You do a 100 Room Comfort inn and putting the receivers behind the Tv’s with an RF remote, IR extender and or bracket can add $1500 easily to the install.
Many of the hotel owners we deal with are foreign and can be a penny wise but pound foolish.
My mental hospital used to put the receivers out so people could change the channels due to the remotes getting destroyed. Just recently they bought these big cases with lexan windows to put the Tv and receiver inside. Management finally got tired of replacing televisions and Directv boxes.
Now they go through a ton of remotes.
After the above experience, AT&T has now given me a THIRD DirecTiVe (pun intended) on what to do with their receivers.
Yesterday I got a letter in the mail similar to the email RandallA posted here. I'm supposed to take only one of my receivers (The HR44) to a UPS store, have them package it, and ship it back to AT&T, all packaging and shipping expenses to be paid by AT&T.
This is exactly two weeks after I called to cancel, and they told me they would be sending out a shipping container for returning BOTH receivers.
This is three days after they told me "we're not sending you shipping materials - your receivers are obsolete. Throw them out - we don't want them back.
The only thing that hasn't changed since I cancelled is the 21 day return period which has been ticking away while they give me bad instructions.
After telling me three different things to do with their receivers, I called them yesterday and told them what THEY could do with their receivers.
They hung up on me.
Well the HR24 they don't need back, the HR44 being one of the Newer Genies, I'm sure they would want back.
So, drop it off at Fedex/ UPS and be done with it.
Of course I'd drop off any and all of their equipment requested of me for a free shipment back to them. What could be easier?
The problem is, PRIOR to the Fedex shipping instructions / notice, they had instructed me to THROW OUT ALL OF THEIR EQUIPMENT - they didn't want ANY of it returned. I've got the name and employee ID of the rep who instructed me to do so.
So I took the receivers to my local neighborhood e-waste recycler.
Then in yesterday's mail comes a letter from AT&T telling me to return the HR44 or I'd be charged.
I called them this morning and verified our phone conversation log / notes from last week are still there, and they cheerfully acknowledged that my account was closed, and I wouldn't be charged for any non-returned equipment as per our prior phone conversation.
Their loss.
I took two receivers to the UPS store for my dad and it was an easy transaction. They scanned the numbers on the back and had all of his information. They said they would box them up and ship them out. Got a receipt and I was on my way. Very easy.
I don’t think some of this stuff is worth sending back.
Of course If this was Dish they would want it all back so they can charge out. Even charge you for the label
Of course If this was Dish they would want it all back so they can charge out. Even charge you for the label
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