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OT: Direct TV

  • For those of you with directtv...

    I am sick of TWC about to drop them after they've mysteriously increased my cable bill again...anyway

    Direct TV has a promotion where like the middle tier of programming is $35/mo including the whole house DVR for the first year, then like $50 the second year, then finally the full price of $63.

    so my question is...lets ignore the promotional time and go straight to the $63...whats my bill really going to be?

    i.e. do they charge you for additional TVs, leasing the DVR boxes, etc, etc, etc plus FCC taxes...

    for instance with TWC...I have HD DVR plus basic roadrunner for $79. YET...the bill is $149. $10.95 for additional TV, $24.95 for DVR equipment, etc, etc, etc, etc....

    anyone help?

    signature image

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    cockengr

  • I pay right at $100 for one regular box and one HD DVR. No premium channels either.
    So yes - they charge for additional TVs, HD, etc.

    I have a friend who has been able to call TW and get them to reduce his bill. Tell them you are thinking about leaving and they'll reduce it for you.

    Cockengineer ●

  • Cockengineer said...

    I pay right at $100 for one regular box and one HD DVR. No premium channels either. So yes - they charge for additional TVs, HD, etc.

    I have a friend who has been able to call TW and get them to reduce his bill. Tell them you are thinking about leaving and they'll reduce it for you.

    yeah I've done that about 3 times with the bill reduction. yesterday I called and there was a 45 minute wait. Then I waited on the online chat for 40 minutes and when I talked to someone they said they couldn't handle it online. this person could not type in engrish. then I went to the customize your services interface online and you can only add services, not remove.

    they are just so irritating. plus my picture sucks at my house and they've told me its the cable wires "inside the house" and they couldn't do anything to fix it. I thought thats what they do, run the cables in the house for you!

    signature image

    3

    cockengr

  • cockengr said...

    For those of you with directtv...

    I am sick of TWC about to drop them after they've mysteriously increased my cable bill again...anyway

    Direct TV has a promotion where like the middle tier of programming is $35/mo including the whole house DVR for the first year, then like $50 the second year, then finally the full price of $63.

    so my question is...lets ignore the promotional time and go straight to the $63...whats my bill really going to be?

    i.e. do they charge you for additional TVs, leasing the DVR boxes, etc, etc, etc plus FCC taxes...

    for instance with TWC...I have HD DVR plus basic roadrunner for $79. YET...the bill is $149. $10.95 for additional TV, $24.95 for DVR equipment, etc, etc, etc, etc....

    anyone help?

    They do charge for all the extra receivers and so forth BUT if you negotiate with them they will give you rebates that wipe all that stuff away (or at least most of it) away. Also when the rebates expire just call back and tell them you're going to scale back because of the economy or blah blah blah and they'll give you another rebate. Dish used to be this way, but they lost my business after the Fox mess from three seasons ago and I gave them 4 chances to lower my bill. Their solution was subtracting programming I wanted to get a lower price. WRONG. If you switch to DTV you'll be happier than w TWC (I've all three since at one time or another since '03) I feel certain about that. I do wish TWC was in my area so I could get RR for internet instead of being stuck on DSL (freaking pond branch/comporium). Also if you switch to DTV you and I can get a $10/month rebate for 10 months. PM me or email robert522002@yahoo.com and I'll give you my account number for reference if you're interested.

    FYI I just looked at my bill and it was $169 plus $8 sales tax but with all the rebates I have it's actually $141 for the month. I have all channels (premium top HD whatever tier), 1 HD receiver and TWO HD DVR's (this was a battle to get for free but I won biggrin).

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    34-17, 4-3, 7-1, 29-7, 34-13 ALL STOP!!! It's a GREAT TIME TO BE A GAMECOCK! Back 2 Back Natty's! DOMINATION By GAMECOCK NATION!

    SwanseaGCOCK

  • Mine is supposed to be 65 a month but my last two bills have been over 100 and we haven't ordered anything. I called and told them I will be dropping them in January.

    harveya ●

  • Cockengineer said...

    I pay right at $100 for one regular box and one HD DVR. No premium channels either. So yes - they charge for additional TVs, HD, etc.

    I have a friend who has been able to call TW and get them to reduce his bill. Tell them you are thinking about leaving and they'll reduce it for you.

    FYI, the same gig works with DirectTV. I've called them 2 years running and told them to cancel because they were too high and they ended up knocking my bill down about $25 a month.

    signature image signature image signature image

    cockfool

  • yeah - with the current deal they have running you get the whole house DVR plus the mini recievers for free...well...once the deal runs out, and you are signed into a contract that you used to get the deal, now you are stuck leasing the whole house DVR which I am sure is expensive...I am not sure I trust dtv any more than twc...

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    cockengr

  • DirecTV is the best IMO. Mainly bc you call and go to rentention and they'll give you whatever you want to stay. I've gotten NFL sunday ticket the past 3 years. My bill is right at 100 bucks but I have the movie channels (free for 3 months at the moment).

    Fomerly known as Garnet&BlackAttack.

    GarnetNBlack247 ●

  • Direct gave me a $200 Visa gift card to switch 2 months ago. The monthly bill is about $10 more than what they quoted over the phone, but that was more than offset by the visa.

    Jefe5235 ●

  • cockfool said...

    FYI, the same gig works with DirectTV. I've called them 2 years running and told them to cancel because they were too high and they ended up knocking my bill down about $25 a month.

    The gig works with most entertainment services as long as competition exists in the marketplace. I haven't paid list price for direct tv, road runner, or Sirius radio in years. Just have to be diligent and patient enough of going through the process.

    jacquescock ●

  • cockfool said...

    FYI, the same gig works with DirectTV. I've called them 2 years running and told them to cancel because they were too high and they ended up knocking my bill down about $25 a month.

    My wife just did the same thing with ours.

    signature image signature image signature image

    GamecockTripp

  • cockengr said...

    yeah I've done that about 3 times with the bill reduction. yesterday I called and there was a 45 minute wait. Then I waited on the online chat for 40 minutes and when I talked to someone they said they couldn't handle it online. this person could not type in engrish. then I went to the customize your services interface online and you can only add services, not remove.

    they are just so irritating. plus my picture sucks at my house and they've told me its the cable wires "inside the house" and they couldn't do anything to fix it. I thought thats what they do, run the cables in the house for you!

    I gave you an upvote for "engrish."

    This post was edited by GamecockTripp on 11/15/2012 at 10:50 AM

    signature image signature image signature image

    GamecockTripp

  • for entertainment, I copy/pasted the transcript of my online "help" session with twc. I bolded the good parts:

    We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

    We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

    We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

    We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 10:57:35 EST 2012)>
    my cable bill has increased from $117 to $149 due to a 12 month promotional period ending I am assuming. Either we return it to the original amount, or I am going to be forced to switch to satellite TV. I can't afford to pay $149. is it possible to renew the 12th month period at the original price, or do I need to cancel service and go elsewhere? thanks!

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 10:58:27 EST 2012)>
    Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. At the end of our chat you will be given the option of taking a brief survey. My name is Kerry.

    Please give me a moment while I access your account.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 10:58:48 EST 2012)>
    I understand your concern.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 10:58:49 EST 2012)>
    I certainly understand your concern about this. I will check your account and get back to you in a couple of minutes.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 10:58:08 EST 2012)>
    thanks!

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 10:59:13 EST 2012)>
    You're welcome.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:02:15 EST 2012)>
    Thank you for waiting.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:01:28 EST 2012)>
    no problem

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:02:40 EST 2012)>
    I have checked and the monthly service rate is $136.56 plus tax $13.42= $149.98

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:02:21 EST 2012)>
    do you have record of what my old rate was? total it was in the $117-$119 range - did it change because of a promotion?

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:03:34 EST 2012)>
    It change due to promotion.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:03:50 EST 2012)>
    is there a way to renew a 12m contract and renew the promotional rate? reason being, directv has some great deals right now. I'd rather not go through the hassle of switching over to directv, but I will to save money if we can't renew the $119/month.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:05:19 EST 2012)>
    I understand your concern.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:05:19 EST 2012)>
    We can not afford to loose a wonderful customer like you.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:05:25 EST 2012)>
    We have a specialize team who handle promotion details. I will be glad to share the number. My priority concern is to help you get the best deal.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:05:30 EST 2012)>
    Please call us at 1-877-566-4892 and we will be happy to assist you with your request. Customer support is available 24/7.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:05:30 EST 2012)>
    Please make a note of the number. I will stay connected to this chat.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:05:03 EST 2012)>
    whats the point of this chat if you can't help?

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:05:19 EST 2012)>
    I waited for 30m to get on this.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:06:12 EST 2012)>
    We are technical support team.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:05:29 EST 2012)>
    ah you should clear that up on your website

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:06:23 EST 2012)>
    If there is any issue with the service we can help you.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:05:34 EST 2012)>
    while I have you then...

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:05:46 EST 2012)>
    my roadrunner speed test shows 1MB download speed - isn't that low? I pay for 10MB.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:06:39 EST 2012)>
    However for promotion details are handle by sales team only.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:06:02 EST 2012)>
    how about for roadrunner? its been slow, and the speed test on your website shows 1MB

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:06:53 EST 2012)>
    It seems that this issue needs to be escalated to National Road Runner Chat support. We will transfer you to that support group. Do you have any further questions before I transfer you?

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:06:54 EST 2012)>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analyst
    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:06:13 EST 2012)>
    haha so you can't help with that

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:06:15 EST 2012)>
    either

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:06:16 EST 2012)>
    funny

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:06:19 EST 2012)>
    and worthless

    Steven(Wed Nov 14 11:07:12 EST 2012)>
    Thank you for contacting Ecommerce Time Warner Cable online ordering service, Home of the best triple play offer in the United States

    haha so they can't help me with promotion issues because they are tech support. I say ok well I have tech problem. he says i cannot help you with that, I send you to someone else. notice at the end he just transferred me to some other dude.

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    cockengr

  • TWC has the better service and will negotiate if you act civil.. I talked with them and they dropped my bill well over 50.00. I had them replace all my cable inside the house because of poor reception.(One of the reasons beside price that I gave for wanting to cancel). .
    I have had both and would go back to TWC in a heart beat if we didn't use Direct tv for tailgate.
    Lot's of people have been very successful neg,.but you need to have the facts together and be able to really act like an adult.
    Tips on how to handle direct tv is what I need.

    CSGamecock

  • CSGamecock said...

    TWC has the better service and will negotiate if you act civil.. I talked with them and they dropped my bill well over 50.00. I had them replace all my cable inside the house because of poor reception.(One of the reasons beside price that I gave for wanting to cancel). . I have had both and would go back to TWC in a heart beat if we didn't use Direct tv for tailgate. Lot's of people have been very successful neg,.but you need to have the facts together and be able to really act like an adult. Tips on how to handle direct tv is what I need.

    as stated earlier in thread I've had them reduce it back to the $117 (or $119 don't remember) about 3 or 4 straight years. This year I've had trouble getting an engrish speaking person on the phone (or chat).

    not good to hear about directv.

    probably what I will do is just ride up to one of the local twc stores this saturday and deal with someone face to face. i am actually quite pleasant to deal with typically...its when I know I am talking (or typing) with someone in India or Pakistan that I lose my patience.

    In addition every phone call this week has been "greater than 30m wait time"

    and basically thats where I am at...need my signal fixed and the rate reduced and I'll stick with them.

    signature image

    3

    cockengr

  • CSGamecock said...

    TWC has the better service and will negotiate if you act civil.. I talked with them and they dropped my bill well over 50.00. I had them replace all my cable inside the house because of poor reception.(One of the reasons beside price that I gave for wanting to cancel). . I have had both and would go back to TWC in a heart beat if we didn't use Direct tv for tailgate. Lot's of people have been very successful neg,.but you need to have the facts together and be able to really act like an adult. Tips on how to handle direct tv is what I need.

    DirecTV IMO is a patience game. When I had the install done coming over from Dish I wanted 2 DVRs, whole home, the offered rebates, and connectivity to the internet for their downloadable movies (required a modem like device they wanted around $400 for). When I finally made the deal with them to set the appointment up I didn't have my parents acct# for the friend rebate thing and it was late at night so I wasn't going to call and wake them up for that. They person on the other end said he could attach it by their phone and address so I didn't worry about it any further. Anyway they wanted to charge me for the second dvr, the modem, and in the end I had to get extremely nasty with some "engrish (sorry had to steal that one) speaker" over the rebate because it wasn't originally on attached at the install (they have a disclaimer on their commercial now lol). The key with most of it was patience. On each thing I tried to get but one I had to be transferred three times and the third one always got the job done. It was almost like okay you've been on hold now for 30+ minutes, we see you're not going away, so we'll cave to your demands. I always managed (and continue to) to get some type of rebate or credit to lower my bill. I even had DTV pay my early termination fee with Dish (it was only a few months and was around $50) when I switched. I think it's about time to get a new rebate for something or other so I'll probably give them a call next month. Say you're considering (insert service here) and like they're pricing and offer's, plus DTV is simply too expensive compared to service X (they will likely tell you they're cheaper and may well be but you can tell them that's not what service X told you) and you need some reason to stay with them.

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    34-17, 4-3, 7-1, 29-7, 34-13 ALL STOP!!! It's a GREAT TIME TO BE A GAMECOCK! Back 2 Back Natty's! DOMINATION By GAMECOCK NATION!

    SwanseaGCOCK

  • I thought Time Warner was bad and then I got DirecTV. Took me 6 months to go back to TWC.

    Follow me on Twitter: @johnmwhittle Email: jwhittle6@sc.rr.com

    John Whittle ●

  • John Whittle said...

    I thought Time Warner was bad and then I got DirecTV. Took me 6 months to go back to TWC.

    why? From my experience DirecTV's retention department is the best at giving discounts and deals.

    Fomerly known as Garnet&BlackAttack.

    GarnetNBlack247 ●

  • Garnet&Black247 said...

    why? From my experience DirecTV's retention department is the best at giving discounts and deals.

    Discounts and deals don't mean much when they routinely screw up the bill. I was on the phone with them literally every month when my bill came in the mail. My favorite was the one that was over $300 when it was only supposed to be around $120 (can't remember exactly because it's been so long). There's usually about one DTV/TWC thread every other month and I don't usually participate but I did this time. ninja

    Follow me on Twitter: @johnmwhittle Email: jwhittle6@sc.rr.com

    John Whittle ●

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  • John Whittle said...

    Discounts and deals don't mean much when they routinely screw up the bill. I was on the phone with them literally every month when my bill came in the mail. My favorite was the one that was over $300 when it was only supposed to be around $120 (can't remember exactly because it's been so long). There's usually about one DTV/TWC thread every other month and I don't usually participate but I did this time. ninja

    Probably should have gotten the Playboy Channel subscription instead of ordering the porn individually! biggrin

    gman3

  • John Whittle said...

    Discounts and deals don't mean much when they routinely screw up the bill. I was on the phone with them literally every month when my bill came in the mail. My favorite was the one that was over $300 when it was only supposed to be around $120 (can't remember exactly because it's been so long). There's usually about one DTV/TWC thread every other month and I don't usually participate but I did this time. ninja

    Weird. I've had them for 7 years now (had Charter before) and never had a billing mishap. Gotten plenty of free movie channels and NFL Sunday Ticket though.

    Fomerly known as Garnet&BlackAttack.

    GarnetNBlack247 ●

  • cockengr said...

    for entertainment, I copy/pasted the transcript of my online "help" session with twc. I bolded the good parts:

    We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

    We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

    We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

    We are experiencing higher than usual service times. Please wait and an analyst will be with you shortly.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 10:57:35 EST 2012)>my cable bill has increased from $117 to $149 due to a 12 month promotional period ending I am assuming. Either we return it to the original amount, or I am going to be forced to switch to satellite TV. I can't afford to pay $149. is it possible to renew the 12th month period at the original price, or do I need to cancel service and go elsewhere? thanks!

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 10:58:27 EST 2012)>Thank you for contacting Time Warner Cable. At the end of our chat you will be given the option of taking a brief survey. My name is Kerry.

    Please give me a moment while I access your account.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 10:58:48 EST 2012)>I understand your concern.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 10:58:49 EST 2012)>I certainly understand your concern about this. I will check your account and get back to you in a couple of minutes.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 10:58:08 EST 2012)>thanks!

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 10:59:13 EST 2012)>You're welcome.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:02:15 EST 2012)>Thank you for waiting.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:01:28 EST 2012)>no problem

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:02:40 EST 2012)>I have checked and the monthly service rate is $136.56 plus tax $13.42= $149.98

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:02:21 EST 2012)>do you have record of what my old rate was? total it was in the $117-$119 range - did it change because of a promotion?

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:03:34 EST 2012)>It change due to promotion.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:03:50 EST 2012)>is there a way to renew a 12m contract and renew the promotional rate? reason being, directv has some great deals right now. I'd rather not go through the hassle of switching over to directv, but I will to save money if we can't renew the $119/month.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:05:19 EST 2012)>I understand your concern.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:05:19 EST 2012)>We can not afford to loose a wonderful customer like you.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:05:25 EST 2012)>We have a specialize team who handle promotion details. I will be glad to share the number. My priority concern is to help you get the best deal.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:05:30 EST 2012)>Please call us at 1-877-566-4892 and we will be happy to assist you with your request. Customer support is available 24/7.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:05:30 EST 2012)>Please make a note of the number. I will stay connected to this chat.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:05:03 EST 2012)>whats the point of this chat if you can't help?

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:05:19 EST 2012)>I waited for 30m to get on this.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:06:12 EST 2012)>We are technical support team.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:05:29 EST 2012)>ah you should clear that up on your website

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:06:23 EST 2012)>If there is any issue with the service we can help you.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:05:34 EST 2012)>while I have you then...

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:05:46 EST 2012)>my roadrunner speed test shows 1MB download speed - isn't that low? I pay for 10MB.

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:06:39 EST 2012)>However for promotion details are handle by sales team only.

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:06:02 EST 2012)>how about for roadrunner? its been slow, and the speed test on your website shows 1MB

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:06:53 EST 2012)>It seems that this issue needs to be escalated to National Road Runner Chat support. We will transfer you to that support group. Do you have any further questions before I transfer you?

    Kerry(Wed Nov 14 11:06:54 EST 2012)>Please wait, while the problem is escalated to another analystJames_(Wed Nov 14 11:06:13 EST 2012)>haha so you can't help with that

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:06:15 EST 2012)>either

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:06:16 EST 2012)>funny

    James_(Wed Nov 14 11:06:19 EST 2012)>and worthless

    Steven(Wed Nov 14 11:07:12 EST 2012)>Thank you for contacting Ecommerce Time Warner Cable online ordering service, Home of the best triple play offer in the United States

    haha so they can't help me with promotion issues because they are tech support. I say ok well I have tech problem. he says i cannot help you with that, I send you to someone else. notice at the end he just transferred me to some other dude.

    roflmao

    DavidsonNCCock

  • John Whittle said...

    There's usually about one DTV/TWC thread every other month and I don't usually participate but I did this time. ninja

    Thats because this time it was started by a legendary poster.

    I am hearing enough to convince me to work with TWC, I am just gonna go walk in one of those stores and stand in line until I can talk to someone.

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    cockengr

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