D* customer retention packages

[mphinne2]

I read somewhere that Direct Tv offers a special customer retention package that they do not advertise. I can't seem to find in anywhere now. Does anyone have the particulars on this package, or have I completely lost my mind.
:D :D

[plasmamaniac]

I believe that it is on a case by case basis based upon who long you have been a customer, how you paid your bill, what package(s) you have and other factors.

[CCarncross]

Whats your issue? Not happy with your current programming package, tight finances, etc...?

One of the few known is they *MAY* offer you something referred to as Total Choice Limited, a cut down Total Choice Package. The channel lineup I believe was posted here in the last few weeks if you care to search for it.

[plasmamaniac]

CCarncross, what does the "C" in CCarncross stand for? Just Curious. Also, more people need to get familiar with the "SEARCH FUNCTION" because it really works great.

[miniz]

Yes, I posted the entire Total Choice Limited package line-up a few months back. It also has a comparison in the thread against the other packages and what channels you lose be downgrading.

[restart88]

Actually, for most people's needs it just removes all the channels they love and leaves them with the "less desirable" channels. It has no Sci Fi or Fox News, and a bunch more popular choices are removed, which alone makes the "deal" unsuitable for a lot of people.

IMO, it's only real benefit is for someone who really wants other programming, like movies & ST.

I liked the old Select Choice package at the time they discontinued it. I guess due to their contract obligation structure this is their half hearted attempt to answer those of us who might prefer it now.

Personally, I'm hoping USDTV goes national REAL SOON!

[StuSuss]

I just downgraded to Total Choice Limited ($31.99 monthly). Here are the channels that are removed from the basic Total Choice package.

1. Turner South (only available in certain southern markets)
2. American Movie Classics (AMC)
3. Animal Planet
4. BBC America
5. CNNfn (going off the air anyway)
6. Church Channel
7. Discovery Health Channel
8. Fox Movie Channel
9. FX
10. Fine Living
11. Food Network
12. Fuse
13. G4techTV
14. Game Show Network
15. Galavision
16. Hallmark Channel
17. Independent Film Channel
18. MSNBC
19. MTV 2
20. NFL Network (will remain available to Sunday Ticket purchasers)
21. National Geographic Channel
22. Newsworld International
23. Noggin
24. Outdoor Life Network (will remain available to Sports Pack subscribers)
25. Oxygen
26. Sci Fi Channel
27. Speed Channel (will remain available to Sports Pack subscribers)
28. Spike TV
29. TNT (one of these days will be available through the HD package)
30. Trio (going off the air anyway)
31. TV Guide Channel
32. TV Land
33. Toon Disney
34. Univision
35. WE: Womens Entertainment
36. WGN
37. World Harvest Television

I am also advised that you lose your regional sports channel, but in the Philadelphia market we do not have a regional sports channel, so that I cannot verify this.

[restart88]

I thought they also remove Fox News? Oh well, maybe they don't.

Anyway, I think almost all the channels I actually want are on that list - it's the other channels I could do without so it's not much of a "retention offer" for me.

[avguygeorge]

I could be wrong but I think the original poster might be thinking about those buy and activate a new piece of equip.---Sign up for a 1 year deal;thingies. ????

[leesweet]

This topic is really about credits. D* doesn't have retention 'packages' but if you call and say you want to cancel, you get to Retention (push the button for Cancel on the phone menu). If you tell them you are thinking of switching to cable because they have cheaper DVRs, especially for HD, etc., they will/may give you something free. The best credits are for people getting an HD TiVo, but often you are offered 6 months of a movie package for close to free, etc.

[Tonedeaf]

A call or e-mail works great to get disocunted prgramming or receivers.

[restart88]

They don't seem to want to make those retention offers by email. They flatly refused to for me. But they will call you repeatedly to try to catch you at home.

[leesweet]

Hm. Does the caller ID say 'DirecTV'? If's just another toll free number, I ignore those! :)

[restart88]

They possibly have blind numbers they call from (and I'm sure they do), but not when they called me. No name, but it did display a number.

[snidely]

We have an old original RCA box. When I called tech support to complain about flakyness in downloading the guide for the locals he couldn't figure it out. I then mentioned we had an old box. He said that could be it and was willing to send a new one out AND install it. (Of course install would just involve plugging it in and hooking up a couple cables.)
Except for the fact that I have to kick it a couple times a year to make it work (actually just unplugging it for a second and plugging it back in) - it works fine. Since i'm waiting to decide how to upgrade/add to our HD services - either go w. D* or VOOM or Comcast. Probably VOOM if a DVR is in the offing.

...mike

[restart88]

I would consider Voom but I feel their monthly sub to be a bit high for me. Of course if you want all the channels they offer that's a different matter.

I think I'm gonna wait a little bit to see if USDTV comes here. Not as many channels right now, but only $20 a month so I can carry a 2nd provider for a while as I compare my programming needs.

[restart88]

Originally posted by Tonedeaf
A call or e-mail works great to get disocunted prgramming or receivers.

I've had no luck at all lately getting them to do anything by email. And some of their phone menu options are no longer there.

[Tonedeaf]

Originally posted by restart88
I've had no luck at all lately getting them to do anything by email. And some of their phone menu options are no longer there.

Try dialing direct to the retention group. 800-600-8977.

Good luck.

[leesweet]

For people that don't want to record yet another D* tollfree number :) you can just press the 'I want to cancel service' button when you call 800-DIRECTV.

That's why they have the option, because it goes to a special group. Some might have it, but I've never come across another vendor (telco, cable, etc.) that has a special option to 'cancel'. They want to make it hard. D* wants to keep you and wants you to talk to the right people.

[restart88]

The last several times I've called that was not one of the options. Perhaps they're getting wise?

[Myrtledog]

I'm just about to get a Sammy HLP5685. I have been with D* since 1999. I called the Retention Dep't (1-800-824-9081) to see what they could do to help me out. I didn't make numerous calls to try to get different people and offers. I basically said that I can't keep having to buy new equipment and pay the extra charges for extra receivers. When all was said and done I got:

$250 credit towards a HD receiver
Free upgrade to the new dish
Free Installation
3 months of free HD programming
Free 5x8 multiswitch

The key to getting a discount is to first of all ask for it. Don't ask, don't get! Secondly, you have to be a customer for a few years and be in good standing. I never paid a bill late and have been with them for 6 years. I have always had the total choice with Sports channels, locals and the Sunday Ticket Football package. Basically all the stuff they credited me, they will make up within a year by keeping me as a customer.

I was honestly thinking of switching to cable but I guess you don't have to be to call the D* Rentention Dep't. :)

[ccapozzoli]

I was offered 5 Standard boxes, $100 credit towards an HD box and $150 credit torards programming over the course of 6 and 12 months. The total even though you have to pay for the boxes every month comes out the same as Comcast cable. Think I might stay with DirecTV.

[restart88]

I seem to see a pattern here. All said and done the best actual dollar value amounts received are roughly the same even for older accounts, which is understandable. After all, they can only offer so much. Basically, it is good to know what they are able to offer because if you accepted a much lesser offer than others have gotten you won't be happy, especially if you're a long time customer and pay out a good amount every month. So whether you take a receiver, or programming credits, or antennas & such it seems to be roughly the same amount, give or take, no matter what form of retention offer you work out.

I really don't know what more they can offer. Perhpas letting customers vote on which channels to carry & which to dump? :D

Has anyone ever gotten a good retention offer from E*? Well, maybe a receiver upgrade that costed about what buying outright would have been. OTOH, I think they did have a deal on HDTV which included the monitor, which I suppose is why D* is pretty good about the HDTV credits.

In short, of all the providers available I'm most happy with D*. There was a time around Christmas when I almost jumped ship for a lot of reasons, but as long as it was just a temporary bad period I can be forgiving. They would have had to mess me up a whole lot worse to fall to the old Comcast "level of excellence," or the lack thereof I mean. ;)

I took the receiver credit & multiple programming credits and that's good enough for me even with the fee increase. I just hope I have a few brownie points left for when I make the upgrade to HDTV.

[gwhinwi]

My wife and I moved recently and had our DirecTV account put on hold until we decided what we were going to do with our HDTV setup and actually went with E* for a while, but had some real issues with picture quality and sound, so we called D* to see what they would do considering we would have to get a 2nd HDTV receiver.

They told us the best they could do was $100 in credit and HBO and Showtime for $2 for 6 months, and a free dish.

I decided that wasn't good enough and called them back and told them we would like to close out our account for good.

They then upped it to $200 in credit.

I then set them up to come out and install the whole thing next Monday.

I think the thing that really matters is that you're persistant. We didn't even have a technically active account and were able to get the $200 credit for the purchase of our own receiver.

Now I just have to figure out if I'm going to get the D* receiver at Best Buy or the Samsung.

Glen

[ccapozzoli]

I talked to DirecTV and they said the HD receiver would come from them. They will bring it when i agree to the deal