Freebies from D*

[amcanzo]

I tried to order today at 2:15 pm EST. I just put in the code and went thru.
I received the Congrats Page and it DOES have a Confirmation number! :)
I never received anything from DTV. Just saw this thread and thought I would try it.

[Tivogre]

I just started a thread to facilitate TCF members trading their freebie units to get whaterver model / brand they want:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=285226

Let The Swapping Begin!!!

[mgmrick]

Now I can not even check my order status I get this error message

We are sorry, but there was a system error.

Please call 1-888-238-7177 for further assistance

[mikehome]

I call retentions today and asked for any offers for current customers.

Got 6 months free showtime and 3 month free starz. CSR was very nice. I asked if it extended my Contract (which I have none) and he stated NO.

I also ordered one of the freebie DVR's. Will post results once received.

[bnm81002]

I just started a thread to facilitate TCF members trading their freebie units to get whaterver model / brand they want:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=285226

Let The Swapping Begin!!!




how would the swap happen? shipping costs and all?

[Tivogre]

how would the swap happen? shipping costs and all?

That is TOTALLY up to the swap-er and the swap-ee.

[rlmalmberg]

I got a call earlier today telling me the error should be fixed tomorrow. I decided to try one last time before I went to bed tonight, and it went through!!! I've already gotten my confirmation email with the conf. number and installation date.

Anyone who's been getting this error, try again.

Good luck..

Lynn

[Tonedeaf]

I call retentions today and asked for any offers for current customers.

Got 6 months free showtime and 3 month free starz. CSR was very nice. I asked if it extended my Contract (which I have none) and he stated NO.

I also ordered one of the freebie DVR's. Will post results once received.
I also called retention inquiring about my $100 rebate from my R15 purchase several months ago. Got a $100 credit posted to my account anf then asked what they had for programming specials. He gave me all of the movie channels and the Sports Pack for free for 2 months, so essentially Total Choice Platinum. At end of 2 months will automatically go back to my regular programming.

[malloryd]

I've been with D* for several years, and have no comittment with them at this time. Wrote them a nice letter to voice my concern about the upcoming price increase, and how as being on a fixed income I would need to re-evaluate my package (Toal Choice +, HBO, and a couple DirecTivo's); I made it clear I was NOT making a threat to leave D* .

I got a call later that evening, and all they were willing to do for me is 3 months of Showtime. I verified that if I accepted it I would not have any commitment. She said no.

Although she was very polite, I was rather disappointed in the whole ordeal. I realize I could call and play CSR roulette, but that seems like too much hassel. They just put FIOS in my neighborhood, and the town right next to me has FIOS-TV; if I need to make phone calls this is probably worth checking out - with all the trees in my area, I'll never be able to get anything other than the 101 satellite anyway.

DCM

[Proc]

I just called back (tried several days ago, but no deals to be had) and got HBO/Starz/Showtime/Cinemax/Sports Pack for 2 months. CSR said it would drop off at the end of the two months automatically.

[Tonedeaf]

I just called back (tried several days ago, but no deals to be had) and got HBO/Starz/Showtime/Cinemax/Sports Pack for 2 months. CSR said it would drop off at the end of the two months automatically.
And I thought I was treated extra special. :) ;)

[mrmcmanus]

My unit from the e-mail offer arrived today via Fed-X much to my surprise. I had not been on the forum for a few days and was expecting the unit to be delivered by the installer who is scheduled for 2/14. It is an RCA DVR-40 with the little Tivo guy down on the lower right corner of the front panel. Same remote as my others, thank God. I do love the Tivo remotes as the most user-friendly remotes I have ever had. 80 gigs would be better but so far it looks like only one person has received an 80 gig, or am I wrong?

Mary

[MikeF]

but so far it looks like only one person has received an 80 gig, or am I wrong?
A couple of people have received R10's and R15's (those are both 80GB units, just not hackable Series 2). I received a DVR80 from the installer directly, but that was only because I had called D* and they specifically told me the installer would bring it and nothing had shipped to me. I called the installer ahead of time and basically told them if they were bringing and R15 I'm cancelling the order and I may not accept an R10 (I did this pleasently and not as a threat. Explained why, and the guy understood). They found an old DVR80 and offered that as a swapout (ie: I had to give up the card on one of my Series 1's for it) and I had no problem with that.

So yeah, I got a DVR80, but it wasn't one that was shipped out.

[robsshadow]

I received mine today fedex it is a Hughes HDVR2

[dylanursula]

Hey all.... I just got a call from my installer confirming the date of install. I asked them about the install process and the girl said that I am down for another receiver which they will bring with them but she coould not say which receiver. What the heck I just got one shipped to me today.... does this mean I will be charged twice??? and what happens to the box that shipped to me

[customd]

Got mine yesterday (2/2) via FedEx. A Hughes SD-DVR40. It looks exactly like my Hughes HDVR2. Does anyone know the difference between the 2 units? I can't discern anything different in my searches online.

Also...

- Never was contacted by phone or email by D* about an install.

- Has anyone tried ordering two?

[Wolffpack]

Got mine yesterday (2/2) via FedEx. A Hughes SD-DVR40. It looks exactly like my Hughes HDVR2. Does anyone know the difference between the 2 units? I can't discern anything different in my searches online.

Also...

- Never was contacted by phone or email by D* about an install.

- Has anyone tried ordering two?
No difference. Same outside, same inside, same software.

[robsshadow]

Got mine yesterday (2/2) via FedEx. A Hughes SD-DVR40. It looks exactly like my Hughes HDVR2. Does anyone know the difference between the 2 units? I can't discern anything different in my searches online.

Also...

- Never was contacted by phone or email by D* about an install.

- Has anyone tried ordering two?

I did you are only allowed one per 365 days. Unless you pay full price for the second one.

[customd]

thanks folks.

[tp0d]

just got mine today.. Hughes HDRV2-R

I currently have a R10, and dont like it too much.. What differences will I see with the hughes dvr, and what benefits are there? I dont have a fone line close to my box, so the r10 is going reaaaal slow lately.. I have to string a 50 footer from the other room to get fone service to it..

mebe i should be posting this in a different area hmm.. feel free to pm or email me, I havent done any hacking yet but i`d like to dabble.. heh

tanx

-j

[hyde76]

You'll like the HDVR2. Hackable and clearer screens than the fuzzy R10.

[mgmrick]

I got email from dtv that the link was fixed. After trying 50 times in the last week it does now work.

Thanks
Rick

[djeffries21]

Ditto same e-mail finally able to order 75-100 attempts later. Better late than never.

[jeff009]

So I've read thru this and I don't see the answer/question. I just ordered the free tivo, still waiting on it to be delivered/installed. Now the question I have is, once this is activated can I send in the $100 mailin rebate that is floating around? I don't see why not, this is before 2/28 and I'm activating a Tivo. I realize I have to agree to a 2yr commitment, but just curious if this would work.

Any thoughts? Anyone else going to try?

Thanks,

Jeff

[deniselane]

SO I called the Retention number and got $5 off my bill for the next 6 months, plus Showtime and Starz free for 3 months.. yet, my mom called as well adn got all movie channels free for two months, and my SIL called adn got a completely diffrent offer, adn I see soem of you got the sports pack free( which DH woudl LOVE) so if you call and accept one do you have ot wait to call back tillt hat is over? or can you call beack and switch out??

[bnm81002]

So I've read thru this and I don't see the answer/question. I just ordered the free tivo, still waiting on it to be delivered/installed. Now the question I have is, once this is activated can I send in the $100 mailin rebate that is floating around? I don't see why not, this is before 2/28 and I'm activating a Tivo. I realize I have to agree to a 2yr commitment, but just curious if this would work.

Any thoughts? Anyone else going to try?

Thanks,

Jeff



the $100 rebate doesn't apply to this offer(check the terms and conditions of the offer, it states that)
there is no 2 year commitment required for this offer(again it states that in the terms and conditions)
see page 2 of this thread and post # 58(posted by Tivogre) for the link posted there to see the offer from Directv, after you sign in, there is the Terms and Conditions shown

[Finnstang]

Got mine yesterday (2/2) via FedEx. A Hughes SD-DVR40. It looks exactly like my Hughes HDVR2. Does anyone know the difference between the 2 units? I can't discern anything different in my searches online.

Also...

- Never was contacted by phone or email by D* about an install.

- Has anyone tried ordering two?
Almost the same insides. The SD-DVR40 has RID.

[jeff009]

the $100 rebate doesn't apply to this offer(check the terms and conditions of the offer, it states that)
there is no 2 year commitment required for this offer(again it states that in the terms and conditions)
see page 2 of this thread and post # 58(posted by Tivogre) for the link posted there to see the offer from Directv, after you sign in, there is the Terms and Conditions shown


I apologize, maybe I'm not being clear, I'm not asking if I have to use the $100 rebate to get this 'free' tivo. I fully understand that upfront it only costs the s/h charges. My question is, do I qualify for the rebate, in addition to the fact that it is free . I've placed the order, I have the terms and conditions from my order and I see nothing stating that I can't also send in the $100 rebate and get a check from them for $100.

Thoughts?

[jeff009]

did you go to that link that I referred you to? after you sign in, it posts the offer and in the paragraph above the breakdown of the offer and what it entails, it says "This offer does not qualify for the DVR rebate"

Ok, well I didn't see that piece when I ordered late last night, kinda interesting that its not restated in the terms and conditions that are attached to my order confirmation.

Thanks for the follow-up.

[customd]

Almost the same insides. The SD-DVR40 has RID.
RID?
(I searched for the term on this site, but can't find a definition...I'm still learning.)

[ddrumer]

RID?
(I searched for the term on this site, but can't find a definition...I'm still learning.)


Receiver Identification Number. It allows Dtv to track a receiver other than just by the access card.



EVERYBODY!!!! I finally, atfter trying to order the DVR Blowout offer I was finally able to get the $14.95 dvr from DTV. To those who can't still get it to work, keep trying.

ddrumer

[customd]

So that would mean it tracks the receiver through the phone line correct? I am of the understanding that D* knows nothing about you via the satellite, only through the call-ins on the land line. Am I wrong about that? (sorry to get off topic here)

[crkeehn]

So that would mean it tracks the receiver through the phone line correct? I am of the understanding that D* knows nothing about you via the satellite, only through the call-ins on the land line. Am I wrong about that? (sorry to get off topic here)

No, the RID units will marry the card to that specific receiver ONLY. It was an antipiracy issue.

[ddrumer]

So that would mean it tracks the receiver through the phone line correct? I am of the understanding that D* knows nothing about you via the satellite, only through the call-ins on the land line. Am I wrong about that? (sorry to get off topic here)

You are correct, kinda. The satellites are one way communication. The way it works is that the Satellite sends the information Dtv has on file . . . i.e. the Access card number and the RID. the receiver then has this info to compare with what is actually in the unit. If its a diff access card the you would the the OSD "Wrong Access Card Inserted" if the RID info doesn't match the receiver gives the OSD "Receiver Identification Error, Please Call Customer Service with Ext. 726" that is why there is not phone line required for this. The receiver requires phone line only for Caller id if you have/use it and other things like sending the ppv info stored on you access card to Dtv's billing system.

ddrumer

[coachO]

I wonder if this will require an additional 2 year contract. It did not say in the terms and conditions. Thoughts?

[customd]

The $14.95, at least when I bought it, specifically said that it did not require a commitment. I think it did require activation though, but I can't recall for certain. It's covered in this thread though, and in the fine print.

[*slash*]

2 year commitment - no, but they'll add it anyway..

I just had mine installed what a pain in the ass. You'd think they'd treat their "good customers" a little better..

First, they brought a DVR with them - even though I already had the one they shipped me. Oh well..
Second, they were only going to install one cable line because the work order said it was an "upgrade" and I had to pay for the second cable.
Third, when I called to activate, I was told I'd have to have a two year commitment. I said "not true"... didn't seem to matter. So, I am told them "no thanks".

Called retention, got a CSR that said ANY new activation requires a commitment - two years for HD and DVRs and one year for standalone/classic systems. Even if I bought the reeiver at a pawn shop - "yes". Told her that wasn't part of the DVR4ME promotion. She said - didn't matter. I began to get a bit upset.. told her I'm thinking I'll just cancel the whole thing... she didn't care. :)

Called retention again - was told the same thing... I began to quote the terms and conditions over the phone. She was very nice... put me on hold, came back and said "Yep, No commitment". So, cool, she took off the two year commitment.

Then, when the tech left he said I might get charged for the DVR he brought with him (and left with him) and I might get charged for that second cable run.

Sad.. I called the installation number again and told them about this possible charge and screw up with the work order. They noted it in my account. So.. we'll see.

A bit more work than I had intended with this promotion...

[ddrumer]

Yea, the system adds the 2 year commitment on anyway . . . . and my Co-works really suck at their job. The installer was lazy, the 2nd line is included in Standard Profressional Installation when it is a dvr being installed. Sorry you had such a bad time, but a word of advice to other people, Come out swinging, tell the installer what he is going to do and if he doesn't call DTV CIS - 1-888-355-7530 and get The HSP's phone number. Then call and get the local number, sorry we dont have it. And speak with the tech's sup. I know its a lot, but suck it up. What would you do if your food came out cold at a Resturant. Bitch and complain talk with someone in the mangement and threaten not to come back, but you will in all likelihood.

A small story, the other day my buddy at work had a cutomer who was having problems with the installer showing up. We taking no for an answer my buddy, called the HSP, got the local office, spoke with a sup to no avail. Well, he refused to take the ans that they couldn't come out. Well then, he asked to whom else he could speak with. Long stort short, he spoke with the Owner of the local office and She herself called the cust and personally told the cust that she would have her top level guy out there at his convience, all he had to do was name the day and time.

Moral: You have the same power!

ddrumer

[Jim Abbett]

Is anyone else having trouble with the website when trying to order this?

I keep getting an error message. I called DTV and the CSR said she could not process the order. She said it must be done online only.

[ayrton911]

Good grief. No way I'm taking this promotion now. :) Way too much trouble. If it wasn't for me getting distant networks, I think I'd go back to cable.

If I need a new receiver, I'll just go with weaknees, and take the 2 year commitment. At least I won't have to go through all that work trying to prove everything.

I wonder what will happen to a place like weaknees, when they go to lease equipment only? I hope they stay around.

[goony]

FYI: I posted PDF copies of the "offer" and the "Terms and Conditions" (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=3740255&&#post3740255) that were present when I ordered on 02-Feb-06.

[mikehome]

Just got my DVR installed - It was a R15. I checked my account and POOF...there was a 1 yr commitment that wasn't there b4. I called a csr and of course, he couldnt do anything about it....and couldnt find the promo at first. I asked to be transferred to retentions. The CSR @ retentions was very helpful and took care of the problem. He knows there is a problem with the system and indicated the following:

When ordering the Freebie online, the system is shipping out a refurb'd DVR (no commitment) and also placing an order with the local installers to install a new DVR. (which requires a commitment)

If this happens to you, just call retentions and let them know what happened. He told me I lucked out and got a new DVR instead of a old DVR (which I wanted anyways). I still have a DVR coming via Fed EX that I'm suppose to refuse shipment on. Hope this helps!

[stewharr]

Just got my DVR installed - It was a R15. I checked my account and POOF...there was a 1 yr commitment that wasn't there b4. I called a csr and of course, he couldnt do anything about it....and couldnt find the promo at first. I asked to be transferred to retentions. The CSR @ retentions was very helpful and took care of the problem. He knows there is a problem with the system and indicated the following:

How can you check to see if you have a committment? Or rather, how much longer you have on an existing committment? I have one that should be running out soon, but I don't know if D* has done anything funky to try to keep me on it longer. I haven't really changed anything since my move almost a year ago. Thanks.

[Dromomaniac]

Received a DVR40 today via FedEx.

[chipworkman]

Called the number asked if any offers were available for loyal customers, All I got was $2.00 a month for Showtime for the next 6 months. Guess I am happy, but not quite the deal that some of you other's got.

[Rainy Dave]

Received a DVR40 today via FedEx. Installer coming tomorrow, we'll see what he shows up with.

[Wolffpack]

Received a DVR40 today via FedEx. Installer coming tomorrow, we'll see what he shows up with.
Rainy Dave....and others, when did your get your order entered?

[farleyruskz]

I placed my order online Wednesday afternoon and received an HDVR2 today.

[HDTVsportsfan]

Ordered mine Feb 1st got it today from Fedex. A whole pile of cheap cables came with it. They keep multiplying like rabbits. Oh well, it was free :)

[Rainy Dave]

I ordered mine on 1/28.

[Wolffpack]

Thanks for the info guys. Got mine in late on the 2nd. Give's me a better idea when to be looking.

[robsshadow]

Ordered mine 12/31 received mine 1/3 via fedex

[AZRP]

For anybody that got the free refurbished DVR offer, I hope you had better luck with it than I did. First the link in the email didn't work, then after entering all the information I got the system error message. After several phone calls to DTV I kept getting the same answer, "keep trying online". Two weeks of trying and I kept getting the same error and this morning Citi Bank called and said there were dozens of $16.09 charges pending on my credit card. So every time I tried to order online, it charged my card but didn't generate an order. I spent about an hour dancing between CSRs this morning and as a result a tech is supposed to bring me a new DVR tomorrow afternoon. The charge is the same $16.09 and they said they will waive the programming commitment. In the end DTV is making good on thier offer but the frustration was hardly worth it.

[Finnstang]

For anybody that got the free refurbished DVR offer, I hope you had better luck with it than I did. First the link in the email didn't work, then after entering all the information I got the system error message. After several phone calls to DTV I kept getting the same answer, "keep trying online". Two weeks of trying and I kept getting the same error and this morning Citi Bank called and said there were dozens of $16.09 charges pending on my credit card. So every time I tried to order online, it charged my card but didn't generate an order. I spent about an hour dancing between CSRs this morning and as a result a tech is supposed to bring me a new DVR tomorrow afternoon. The charge is the same $16.09 and they said they will waive the programming commitment. In the end DTV is making good on thier offer but the frustration was hardly worth it.
No offense, but I think this is hilarious. I'm glad D* took care of you somewhat anyway, but just thinking about some of the people that kept trying it and trying it and were getting the error, but might have charges on their cards for each time seems funny to me. Sorry...can't help it. I'm not laughing at anyone in particular, just the whole idea of it and the poor planning on D*'s part with this whole DVR4ME deal.

[AZRP]

It is kinda funny, huh. -RP

[scalo]

This had to be the easiest promotion for me, I logged in the first time got my DVR from Fedex plus had one delivered from the installer. No problems whatsoever.

[AZRP]

Did you keep both of them? -RP

[HDTVsportsfan]

No offense, but I think this is hilarious. I'm glad D* took care of you somewhat anyway, but just thinking about some of the people that kept trying it and trying it and were getting the error, but might have charges on their cards for each time seems funny to me. Sorry...can't help it. I'm not laughing at anyone in particular, just the whole idea of it and the poor planning on D*'s part with this whole DVR4ME deal.

I don't mean to be offensive either, but what does this have to do with perceived poor planning on D* part. Do you realize how many variables w/ his local PC could that could come into play for this unfortunate situation that occured w/ AZRP(anti-virus, firewall, ISP to name a few). This type of problem just goes along with the world of technology. It's easy for me to say this because I ordered mine and 4 business days later it arrives.

I don't have an affiliation w/ D* btw.

[scalo]

Did you keep both of them? -RP
Yes I did, I already had a new comittment, and I was only charged for one of the units.

[Finnstang]

I don't mean to be offensive either, but what does this have to do with perceived poor planning on D* part. Do you realize how many variables w/ his local PC could that could come into play for this unfortunate situation that occured w/ AZRP(anti-virus, firewall, ISP to name a few). This type of problem just goes along with the world of technology. It's easy for me to say this because I ordered mine and 4 business days later it arrives.

I don't have an affiliation w/ D* btw.
There have been a few posts already from people that were having issues, that said they received an email from D* saying that they found an issue on the site and it was fixed. Those people were then able to order successfully.

[HDTVsportsfan]

There have been a few posts already from people that were having issues, that said they received an email from D* saying that they found an issue on the site and it was fixed. Those people were then able to order successfully.

Well....There ya go. My apologies.......

P.S. Thanks for not ripping me a new one.

[knutsont]

I ordered on 2/1 and received a DVR39 on 2/6. The installer arrived this morning with an R15. I initially said I didn't want it. He spent about 10 minutes trying to get a hold of his supervisor to clear the rejection, when I finally said I would just keep it. It made his day, and I shouldn't be out anything. I am also curious to see the new DTV software...see if it completely solidifies my marriage to TiVo.

I have not yet activated either. I am running a software update on the DVR39 (was 3.1.1e), then I will activate both. I am fully expecting to "deal with" the 1 or 2-year commitment issue.

[Mr. Furious]

Called them up today, and told them that I'd really like to try the R15, but I hate mail-in rebates. The rep said that he could arrange to have one installed, and that it would only cost the aforementioned $14.95.

I asked if there was any way that they could just send one to me and let me install it myself, since I'd done it a few times, and would prefer to avoid the hassle of professional installation that would amount to simply hooking up the wires and calling to activate. He said that wasn't possible.

I asked if he could credit my account the $99.99 that an R15 would cost if I bought it retail, and, after a little hesitation, he said OK. He mentioned that it would be a win for DirecTV because they wouldn't have to waste a $300 service call for installation.

I also made sure that I could switch back to my DTiVo if I hated the R15. He said that I could, though I'd have the 2-year contract no matter what. I'd assumed that would be the case, so no big deal.

Of course, now I have to find a local store that has one... CC's website says that the nearest store has them in stock, but they claimed that they didn't when I went there. I'll be placing the order online after the kids are in bed, and then heading over to pick it up. If it isn't ready in 24 minutes, I get a $24 gift card.

[Guindalf]

Walmart has them - plus a good return policy if you don't like it. My local Superstore (opened last week) had three R10s and three R15s when I was there on Sunday.

[rigs49]

The Walliemart :D

[Greg Bimson]

just called D* to see if I received a Regional Sports Network and just wasn't aware of it. The CSR replied by stating she could offer me the Sports Pak for $2/month for 6 months. Now that I think about it, she never even answered my original question.

I think that E* offers a RSN as a part of their AT120 plan, but I have never seen anything like this from D*. Does anyone know the answer to this? I live in the Harrisburg, PA market.No, you do not get an RSN. This is because the local RSN monopoly, Comcast Sports Net Philadelphia, claims your area but will not sell the RSN through DirecTV or Dish Network.

[Mr. Furious]

Walmart has them - plus a good return policy if you don't like it. My local Superstore (opened last week) had three R10s and three R15s when I was there on Sunday.

That was actually where I went first... there's (sadly) a Wal-Mart not far from my house, but all they had was one R10 and no R15s.

[bnm81002]

I ordered mine on 2-1-06 and still haven't received it yet, from the looks of things in this thread and other ones, people seem to be getting one from FED EX and another one with the installer, is it for everyone that has taken this offer from Directv that 2 units will be sent to you? if I call the # that was listed on my order confirmation form, they should give me a tracking # from FED EX, correct?
maybe there should be a poll thread about this, if people are receiving 2 units, 1 from FED EX and another through the installer, what do you think?

[Rainy Dave]

They won't neccesarily give you a tracking # even if it is shipped. When I called last week to get the free Showtime, etc the CSR told me that the unit would be delivered by the installer. Lo and behold FedEx brought it yesterday.

[Goattee]

I ordered on 1/31. After doing the online order I waited 24 hours and then called the installation number in the confirmation email. They provided me with the FedEx tracking number.

An RCA DVR39 arrived today. With version 3.1 software. Activated it just fine.

Now I have the install scheduled for Saturday 2/11. I hope he comes with an R15-- I will take it if there is no additional charge.

I also confirmed today that they are coming with the right multiswitch-- the order had specified a 3x4 but I will have two DirecTiVO's + one receiver when they get done-- and perhaps an R15 on top of that. Today's CSR specified a 6x8. So I should be good to go.

[bnm81002]

They won't neccesarily give you a tracking # even if it is shipped. When I called last week to get the free Showtime, etc the CSR told me that the unit would be delivered by the installer. Lo and behold FedEx brought it yesterday.


well I see that it usually takes about a week for people to received their units, well tomorrow it be exactly 1 week, hopefully I'll receive the unit sometime this week, don't want an R10 or R15, planning on hacking it with "the Zipper" only non- R10/R15 are easily hackable :D



EDIT: I just called the 888 # and she told me the tracking #, it scheduled for delivery on 2-10-06, wow a week and a half for my shipment, the unit weighs 13.5 lbs(hopefully non-R10 and non-R15)

[das335]

Ordered online on 2/3/2006 - received HDRV2 today (2/8/2006) via FedEx.
I received a confirmation Email when I ordered but I never got a followup with a tracking number. I called a few days after I ordered (the sales support number from the Email 1-888-355-7530) and they gave me the fedEx tracking info.

I hooked up the new DVR and it seems to be working fine. A bit noisier than my old Philips DSR6000 series 1. I activated over the phone and encountered the expected "annual commitment" problem. The rep in customer service was not able to remove the commitment but he did know about the DVR4ME promo. I was able to get him to cancel the service appointment too. He transferred me to the DVR support group (1-866-678-6664) and they were able to remove the commitment.

When I ordered, I choose the "Replace existing receiver" thinking it might prevent a service appointment. I was happy to see a new access card in the bottom of the box.


I've been trying to let it download the newest OS but it just failed after about 2 hours of downloading. I'll try again later tonight.

I've been lurking on this site for a few years and figured it was time to get in the game.

[kjohnson913]

I talked to DirecTV today, not retention, but thanks for the number...i'll be calling them. I got some slightly diff info than I've seen here.

Was told:

Switch / Upgrade to HR 20-250 from my HR 10-250 and the new 5 LNB dish with install would be FREE, not 49-99 and that locals for my area would be ready all in April, not Q3. Not sure if I got mis info, or an update. I paid a lot more than the prices I see here for the HR 10-250.

Also re: the Tivo software. I wasn't told anything about DirecTv not having their dvr service ready when I get my new stuff. It is my assumption that if I get the new mPEG4 stuff, I have to agree to switch to their new service. Am I missing something? What should I be worried about? I'm sure they're going to stick it to me somehow, just don't know how yet....they're being too nice right now...they actually called me one of there best customers. That makes me really nervous.

[t west]

First post from a Tivo newb :D

I found this site thru the refurb deal. I received the phillip 704 and then the installer showed up with the R15. I thought it was a mistake in my favor so I had him install the R15. :p

The guy said it would be an extra $75 to install the second line so I said no I would do it myself. Is that correct and what kind of cable do I need to connect the second line to the dish?

[fareal]

First post from a Tivo newb :D

I found this site thru the refurb deal. I received the phillip 704 and then the installer showed up with the R15. I thought it was a mistake in my favor so I had him install the R15. :p

The guy said it would be an extra $75 to install the second line so I said no I would do it myself. Is that correct and what kind of cable do I need to connect the second line to the dish?


So he only connected one tuner of the R15? Doesn't make sense. Wouldn't have been one bit harder for him to run the double line and connect both tuners. Unless he didn't even run a new line and just used an existing. But still I think he should have replaced it with a double line for both tuners of your new DTV equipment. Call DTV and/or the install company and complain.

[t west]

So he only connected one tuner of the R15? Doesn't make sense. Wouldn't have been one bit harder for him to run the double line and connect both tuners. Unless he didn't even run a new line and just used an existing. But still I think he should have replaced it with a double line for both tuners of your new DTV equipment. Call DTV and/or the install company and complain.

I don't think he wanted to do it as the old line was thru the attic. I said I would go into the attic, but the cable would still cost me. :confused:

[fareal]

I don't think he wanted to do it as the old line was thru the ceiling. I said I would go into the ceiling, but the cable would still cost me. :confused:

Oh so it wasn't that he wanted to charge you extra for the second tuner cable, but that he wanted to charge you for a non-standard installation since it wasn't an easy run from the sat to the R15. Sounds a bit more right now.

Someone else will chime in soon who knows for sure whether or not you should complain to DTV or the install company.

[AZRP]

I had an installer bring me a R-15 yesterday. He not only ran a second line to the receiver, he installed a 6 x 8 multiswitch. -RP

[t west]

Oh so it wasn't that he wanted to charge you extra for the second tuner cable, but that he wanted to charge you for a non-standard installation since it wasn't an easy run from the sat to the R15. Sounds a bit more right now.

Someone else will chime in soon who knows for sure whether or not you should complain to DTV or the install company.

Ok. Wasn't sure if it was standard or not.

[fareal]

Ok. Wasn't sure if it was standard or not.

Whatever you have to do though to get that second cable ran to the second tuner, you should do it though. Definitely worth it.

You said it was through the ceiling.. mine was also through the ceiling.. and the installers did it for free. I guess it all depends on the installer and how easy the access is.. my attic had walking room and easy access to the roof. How about yours? Would it have been pretty simple? Get that second tuner connected, you're missing out. Call DTV tell them what happen, see what they say.

[t west]

Whatever you have to do though to get that second cable ran to the second tuner, you should do it though. Definitely worth it.

You said it was through the ceiling.. mine was also through the ceiling.. and the installers did it for free. I guess it all depends on the installer and how easy the access is.. my attic had walking room and easy access to the roof. How about yours? Would it have been pretty simple? Get that second tuner connected, you're missing out. Call DTV tell them what happen, see what they say.


My attic is definitely not walk thru in places as we have high ceilings. I told him I would do it, but he said $75 for the cable even. No thanks.

I think my problem will be getting the cable down between the wall and to the outlet. I've never done it before. :confused:

[rkester]

I ended up calling again to get my dad an HDTivo and install. The deal I got was ok, like what most are getting. not going to be installed till the 20th tho. glad its not my install id be going crazy waiting.

[scalo]

My attic is definitely not walk thru in places as we have high ceilings. I told him I would do it, but he said $75 for the cable even. No thanks.

I think my problem will be getting the cable down between the wall and to the outlet. I've never done it before. :confused:

The installer should have 125' of cable for the install and depending on how he can access the unit either from a basement or attic the standard professional install requires 2 lines for a DVR install.
Fishing the line down an inside wall is easy because there is no insulation an outside wall is another story.

[bnm81002]

is there a warranty on these units? I would like to know if there is any warranty, so that I can hack my Philips DSR704(that came today :) ) with "The Zipper" much sooner than later

[jimbop99]

is there a warranty on these units? I would like to know if there is any warranty, so that I can hack my Philips DSR704(that came today :) ) with "The Zipper" much sooner than later
I believe there was a 90 day warranty.

[Teacher Steve]

Hi Folks,

What is involved in the "standard installation" for this promo?

I have two existing RCA DVR 40's (One in master bedroom, and one in the living room) with only one tuner connected for each. Conceivably, if I bought a $16 Tivo to "replace" one of my existing units, would the installer be able to run a second line to BOTH my living room and master bedroom in order to enable dual tuner usage?

I hope my question makes sense...

Thanks,
Teacher Steve

[rrwantr]

Well, I ordered one. Installer showed up today with a R15. He installed and left while I'm argueing to a CSR about no annual commitment. Finally, she says it's a mistake and will take it out. It's also noted in my account, so we'll see if it gets updated. Right now my account online says No annual commitment AND annual commitment. lol

And what do you know, after all this Fedex shows up with a HDVR2 after the installer leaves. So....what should I do with this now?

If I activate it, will they say I have to have an annual commitment again? I could use another one, but then I'd need to get a multiswitch and run another run for this myself.

[Jared52]

I called today and got offered a DVR for $99 plus a $14.95 handling fee. He said he could split the cost of the DVR over 3 months for me.

I got no programming offers and was given a list of the DVT educational channels where I could learn of possible free weekend previews.

[AutoDestruct]

For those that received their receivers by FedEx, did it come with an access card? I just got my HDVR2 from FedEx, and was hoping to hook it up today. Outside the box it lists the HDVR2's serial, as well as the CAM ID.

But, nowhere in the box was the access card. There was no access card in the unit either.

[farleyruskz]

Mine did. Make sure you search everywhere in the box; someone on this forum already reported finding the access card stuck under one of the bottom flaps of the box.

[Dromomaniac]

I'm going to try to set up the DVR40, but I don't have a phone line.

Would someone more knowledgeable please tell me, at what point in the setup process will I require a phone line (prior to calling DTV? during my call with them?), and will I need a satellite dish view simultaneously?

I'll probably take it to a friend's house to dial in, but my friend doesn't have DTV, so I won't be able to hook up the unit to get satellite too. I'm thinking I may need to fake it when I call the CSR ("Oh, yeah, I am getting a signal just fine now, thanks!").

[Wolffpack]

For those that received their receivers by FedEx, did it come with an access card? I just got my HDVR2 from FedEx, and was hoping to hook it up today. Outside the box it lists the HDVR2's serial, as well as the CAM ID.

But, nowhere in the box was the access card. There was no access card in the unit either.
I received an RCA DVR39 without an access card. But I was swapping it for an old Samsung receiver. Just moved the card to the Tivo and called DTV to activate. Took all of 3 minutes.

I don't know what triggers a card being sent or not.

[Wolffpack]

I'm going to try to set up the DVR40, but I don't have a phone line.

Would someone more knowledgeable please tell me, at what point in the setup process will I require a phone line (prior to calling DTV? during my call with them?), and will I need a satellite dish view simultaneously?

I'll probably take it to a friend's house to dial in, but my friend doesn't have DTV, so I won't be able to hook up the unit to get satellite too. I'm thinking I may need to fake it when I call the CSR ("Oh, yeah, I am getting a signal just fine now, thanks!").
You can get it activated without the phone line. I did Thursday with the RCA I received. I just told the CSR that a phone line was attached. Since then I've let it make it's initial call and all is working fine.

[Dromomaniac]

You can get it activated without the phone line. I did Thursday with the RCA I received. I just told the CSR that a phone line was attached. Since then I've let it make it's initial call and all is working fine.Excellent. I'll give it a try. Thanks!

[dpolivy]

So what's the consensus on getting a DVR in the mail and an R15 from the installer when they showed up? I'm in that situation, and the installer said he'd leave the R15 since it was on the workorder that I should get it. If I don't activate the R15, will I get charged? If I do activate it, will I have to extend my commitment? And will they attempt to charge retail price for the R15?

I don't really need the R15 but I'm curious to check it out and see how it works.

[AutoDestruct]

Mine did. Make sure you search everywhere in the box; someone on this forum already reported finding the access card stuck under one of the bottom flaps of the box.

Yep, there it was! In case it helps anyone else, the access card is in a small plastic bag that they throw into the bottom of the box. So, check under those flaps to see if it worked itself under there during shipping.

[sin4jon]

Ordered my DVR4ME DVR and also called retention. Got $5 off for 9 mos because I am a good customer! Passed on the other stuff! Thanks a bunch!

[bnm81002]

I'll be upgrading the hard drive in the Philips DSR704 unit that I received, should I upgrade it along with "Zipper" it before the installer comes? I am having a receiver being relocated, so the installer will install the Philips unit along with the relocation of the other receiver, would the installer know that the Philips unit was opened and installed with "The Zipper" along with a larger hard drive? should I just wait till it's installed first then hack the unit? thanks

[TurboSN95]

I just used the DVR4ME code and it looked like it successfully went through. Scheduled for the morning of March 4th. I'll let you guys know what happens in the next few weeks.

Also, my friend gave me a Samsung SIR-S4040R Tivo the other day, since he cancelled his Directv service. Is this a good model, or should I wait to see what I get sent to me?

Thanks guys.

Dan

[Trebor1]

{Also, my friend gave me a Samsung SIR-S4040R Tivo the other day, since he cancelled his Directv service. Is this a good model, or should I wait to see what I get sent to me?}

I have that unit and it is running strong,almost 2 years,never a problem.

I would point out that it does seem to run a lot warmer than the new(additional)R-10 i just activated.

[TurboSN95]

{Also, my friend gave me a Samsung SIR-S4040R Tivo the other day, since he cancelled his Directv service. Is this a good model, or should I wait to see what I get sent to me?}

I have that unit and it is running strong,almost 2 years,never a problem.

I would point out that it does seem to run a lot warmer than the new(additional)R-10 i just activated.


Thanks, does anyone know if any units have the Caller-ID feature so it pops up who is calling you? My current receiver does that and it would be nice to keep!

[scalo]

Thanks, does anyone know if any units have the Caller-ID feature so it pops up who is calling you? My current receiver does that and it would be nice to keep!
I know the R15 does but not sure that any others do.

[Guindalf]

Not offered as a standard option, but I understand some of the hacks will do it. Try searching through TiVo Underground.

[The Flush]

I received one of Tivo Blowout sale DVRs and just noticed when I got my latest statement that they raised the price of my Para Todos package from $39.99 to $49.99. I originally had Opcion Ultra Especial for $39.99, When the new Seleccion Ultra package came out, I switched to it for some stupid reason. It was stipulated that I was grandfathered at the $39.99 price, unless I changed pacakages. Apparently activating another DVR is considered a change in programming, so they upped my rate to $49.99. I called and argued and got my package changed back to Opcion Ultra Especial for $39.99 and got a few months with $5 off. Something to consider for others who switched from Opcion Ultra to Seleccion Ultra.

[Tonedeaf]

I received one of Tivo Blowout sale DVRs and just noticed when I got my latest statement that they raised the price of my Para Todos package from $39.99 to $49.99. I originally had Opcion Ultra Especial for $39.99, When the new Seleccion Ultra package came out, I switched to it for some stupid reason. It was stipulated that I was grandfathered at the $39.99 price, unless I changed pacakages. Apparently activating another DVR is considered a change in programming, so they upped my rate to $49.99. I called and argued and got my package changed back to Opcion Ultra Especial for $39.99 and got a few months with $5 off. Something to consider for others who switched from Opcion Ultra to Seleccion Ultra.

Must have been the CSrep that "helped" you. I activated last week with no change to my Ultra Especial.

[farleyruskz]

Must have been the CSrep that "helped" you. I activated last week with no change to my Ultra Especial.

Agreed, I activated Thursday night and my account still lists

SELECCION ULTRA ($39.99/month)

[sin4jon]

Got my dvr today. got a DSR7000. Anyone know about this one? Only running 1 tuner until the tech comes out. Is everyone getting the 2nd unit when the tech comes out? Also can I get him to run the second line for tuner 2 and get the 5X8 splitter put in? Anyone deal with APEX on this stuff.

[Boston Fan]

Got my dvr today. got a DSR7000. Anyone know about this one? Only running 1 tuner until the tech comes out. Is everyone getting the 2nd unit when the tech comes out? Also can I get him to run the second line for tuner 2 and get the 5X8 splitter put in? Anyone deal with APEX on this stuff.
I waited until after the installer came with the R15 to activate the HDVR2 that FedEx brought. Others that have activated the refurb unit before the installer came have also gotten a second unit, some have not.

We had Ironwood, and they told us that they do not carry 5x8 multiswitches - maybe you'll have better luck with APEX.

[JaserLet]

The access card might have also worked it way out of the box entirely.

My refurb DVR40's box was only sealed across the top. UPS dropped it off but then called back about 3 hours later saying that the DirecTV Access Card pouch was found on the floor of the UPS truck. Luckily the driver remembered delivering the DirecTV box to me! I'm very thankful the Access Card didn't fall out eariler! There's probably a whole pile of the things at the UPS sorting hub!

[bv1187]

:) Decided to take the plunge on the freebie board. Ordered a refurbished tivo using the DVR4ME code on D* website. Was forced to take the only day available this month for installation due to there crappy website, even though it wouldn't work. I promplty called D* and moved up the installation by a day, when the installer arrived he installed a R-15, I asked him where the Tivo was and he claimed this is what was sent through on the order to him.

No complaints don't mind the R-15, though to be fair it is not as friendly as my Phillips 708. The very next day upon arriving home from work a Phillips 40hr Tivo shows up on the front door step. So much for having to sign for the package. Just got off the phone with D*, offered to ship back the R-15...they said keep it as well as the one I paid for, I also asked if I could get HBO. They gave me 10 dollars a month off for six months on HBO. :)

[wgegan]

I just recieved my Hughes Friday. Set it up and it's working great (knock wood). I did notice the fan sounds a bit loud. Also I need a good multiswitch.. will be looking today (but it's currently -23 below, Wisconsin - may have to put on a jacket). Installer will be here Monday afternoon between 1-5 pm.. don't most families work? I'll have to see if he brings me an R15 and let me keep the Hughes.
Also got Showtime free again but only for 2 months this time.
They also made me commit to 2 years.. I argued that the refurbished offer states that no commitments are required but she (and her manager) insisted.. I'll take care of that Monday! She also offered me Showtime and HBO for $12.95 but then said it was expired and said "sorry" lol

[TurboSN95]

I got a refurbished Philips DSR7000 delivered yesterday, is this a decent unit?

[Teacher Steve]

I wanted to activate my RCA DVR 40 today (I purchased through the DVR4ME deal), but I found that it came with the wrong power cord!!

Anyway, I called D* and after being transferred 4 times, a very nice CSR told me they couldn't send out just a new power cord, but they would instead send me another unit. I asked if it would be a "like" replacement. The CSR told me that they would try, but they can't guarantee it. They would send me whatever they have.

I wonder if I end up with the R-15?? I hope they haven't run out of Tivo's because I would obviously prefer a Tivo over an R-15.

A few weeks back, I called retention and received no hardware deals, but the CSR gave me $10 off HBO for six months, AND he noticed that I had been paying the $5.99 DVR fee since September 2005. He then gave me an additional $5 off for three months for overpaying...Thank you very much...

[codespy]

Welcome to R15 world, they are outta tivo's. What's even worse is its a triangular power cord. Go to Radio Shack- they have one for your unit for about 3 bucks.

[onin24eagle]

My current SD-DVR40 is starting to show live TV in slow motion, so I ordered the DVR4ME deal today from the website. Called D* to see if they could Fed Ex it and cancel the install. They told me no it had to be profesionally installed. I just sent them an email asking them to ship it Fed Ex and cancel the install as I am fully capable of installing the thing myself. We'll see how it all goes.

[nesby]

Received my Philips DSR7000 this week, guy shows up to install it today and already knows they shipped me one ahead of time (crap). Takes him 5 hours to run a wire so I was pissed called retention and got 9 months of $5/off. No contract. I actually wanted an R15 to check it out, despite all of the negative criticism.

On the bright side I got my PPP working, upgraded both to 6.2 (yeah, no more slo-mo recordings). I then tried to call over my Callvantage VOIP using the NY numbers and default settings. I am successful 1 out of every 3 calls so that should be good enough.

Thx to all for your help with this offer. This board is 10x more knowledgable than the CSR's. My installer had never heard of VOIP before and said Tivo users absolutely love their new R15's ;).

Now I need to find out how to 'zipper' these things.....I hope it's easy.

[john-duncan-yoyo]

My current SD-DVR40 is starting to show live TV in slow motion, so I ordered the DVR4ME deal today from the website. Called D* to see if they could Fed Ex it and cancel the install. They told me no it had to be profesionally installed. I just sent them an email asking them to ship it Fed Ex and cancel the install as I am fully capable of installing the thing myself. We'll see how it all goes.

They have largely been FedEx-ing the boxes out to the customer and the installer shows up later. You can cancel the installer after the box shows up. I got installation to get a second multiswitch and few short cables.

[Teacher Steve]

Welcome to R15 world, they are outta tivo's. What's even worse is its a triangular power cord. Go to Radio Shack- they have one for your unit for about 3 bucks.

They are out of Tivo's? Is this true? Not trying to be a smarta**, but is this a known fact?

[Mindy97]

I got a Phillips DSR7000 today, so I'd say they aren't out of Tivo's yet...don't know where our friend heard that...

M.

[tbeckner]

Brand New hackable TiVo's are still available at Value Electronics SD-DVR80 (http://valueelectronics.com/directivo%20DVR.htm) and they qualify for a $100 rebate. And I have to say the Hughes SD-DVR80's are far better built boxes than the older Hughes HDVR2 and Phillips models.

And thanks to DirecTV, I now have 6 months of FREE HBO and Showtime.

[codespy]

They are out of Tivo's? Is this true? Not trying to be a smarta**, but is this a known fact?

I b**ched till the cows came home! My HDVR2 (DVR4ME offer) they sent did not power up and ordered a replacement and shipped on 2/15. Received a R15 on 2/17. I called and complained to three diff level CSR's till I got a resolution supervisor. She checked all over even w/ my installer and no tivo's available. I tried the 10-250 to no avail. She said there are no SD tivo's in the warehouse anymore- they are sending the R15's. I guess I am living proof. The order confirmation screen indicates refurbished 35hr DVR with Tivo technology. Doesn't mean squat anymore. Got a NEW 160gig R15 paperweight w/o Tivo.

[rkester]

Speaking of freebies from DTV.. why does everyone here put D* when it takes NO LESS time to type DTV than it does to typ D*? RUALSOLZY? Seriously?

My fathers installer showed today to do his thing. With snow on everything and cold out the yaaazoo. Couldnt do the antenna due to ice on the roof or some lame thing. Yeah yeah, whatever, you skeered of some icy roof, pleeease. whateva.

Anyhoo, got it all setup and.... I got some freebies too. it came with a dvi->hdmi cable and a hdmi->hdmi cable both of which I can use and he can't. So I got freebies too even tho I didnt get the cool dvr for my hd content. jerks.

I can say this, his tv does hd and can do 1080i but mine blows his away in quality of said content.

And I got the free cables. so ha.

[Tonedeaf]

Speaking of freebies from DTV.. why does everyone here put D* when it takes NO LESS time to type DTV than it does to typ D*? RUALSOLZY? Seriously?

Because DTV is short for Digital Television or what most people think of as OTA(over the air) TV(television).

[rkester]

I dont think of DTV as standing for OTA or the new standard of DTV which I and most people call ATSC. I am too busy reading this forum to worry about such things.

Shouldnt you be reading the thread more and such? ;)

[MikeF]

Speaking of freebies from DTV.. why does everyone here put D* when it takes NO LESS time to type DTV than it does to typ D*? RUALSOLZY? Seriously?
A long time ago, the DBS sat providers were Echostar (DISH), Alphastar, Primestar, and DirecTV (and USSB... remember that one??? :rolleyes: ). So the shorthand for referencing them were E*, A*, P*, and D* (I think USSB was always just USSB). D* was just quicker and in line with the other _stars... And its just always stuck.

And yes, if you go to like some other boards and type DTV, some people don't like it since they think of Digital TV.

[Wolffpack]

I've always understood Echostar, Primestar and anything with STAR (*) in it's name. DirecTVstar? Nope, always been DTV for me.

[jesseb]

I b**ched till the cows came home! My HDVR2 (DVR4ME offer) they sent did not power up and ordered a replacement and shipped on 2/15. Received a R15 on 2/17. I called and complained to three diff level CSR's till I got a resolution supervisor. She checked all over even w/ my installer and no tivo's available. I tried the 10-250 to no avail. She said there are no SD tivo's in the warehouse anymore- they are sending the R15's. I guess I am living proof. The order confirmation screen indicates refurbished 35hr DVR with Tivo technology. Doesn't mean squat anymore. Got a NEW 160gig R15 paperweight w/o Tivo.

I just ran across this site and called the number and got the normal offers that they gave most of everyone here (not dvr over the phone) then i did the online offer dvr4me because the tivo box i have is a SD-DVR40 and i was hoping to get a bigger dvr. I see that you guys don't want the r-15 is that because its not a TIVO box or because you cant hack it. What is the big difference between them. Will they not do the same things. Im just curious here so be nice. Also if they send me out another one with only 40 in it can i just send it back i have a 40 i just want more record time. I see that Non-R10 Series 2, shipped to me directly is more than likley what i will get can. Dose that mean that i will get one with a bigger hd or not. Great site btw lot of great stuff to read here...

[Wolffpack]

I just ran across this site and called the number and got the normal offers that they gave most of everyone here (not dvr over the phone) then i did the online offer dvr4me because the tivo box i have is a SD-DVR40 and i was hoping to get a bigger dvr. I see that you guys don't want the r-15 is that because its not a TIVO box or because you cant hack it. What is the big difference between them. Will they not do the same things. Im just curious here so be nice. Also if they send me out another one with only 40 in it can i just send it back i have a 40 i just want more record time. I see that Non-R10 Series 2, shipped to me directly is more than likley what i will get can. Dose that mean that i will get one with a bigger hd or not. Great site btw lot of great stuff to read here...
For more info on the R15 check out DBSTalk.com (http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=106). The R15 has it's share of bugs, no 30 second skip, no dual live buffers and other differences.

[Teacher Steve]

I wanted to activate my RCA DVR 40 today (I purchased through the DVR4ME deal), but I found that it came with the wrong power cord!!

Anyway, I called D* and after being transferred 4 times, a very nice CSR told me they couldn't send out just a new power cord, but they would instead send me another unit. I asked if it would be a "like" replacement. The CSR told me that they would try, but they can't guarantee it. They would send me whatever they have.

I wonder if I end up with the R-15?? I hope they haven't run out of Tivo's because I would obviously prefer a Tivo over an R-15.

A few weeks back, I called retention and received no hardware deals, but the CSR gave me $10 off HBO for six months, AND he noticed that I had been paying the $5.99 DVR fee since September 2005. He then gave me an additional $5 off for three months for overpaying...Thank you very much...

Update...
Codespy was correct. They must be out of Tivo's. Sure enough, I received an R-15 today from FedEx as my replacement. However, the CSR told me that she would send me pre-paid FedEx posting so that I could send the DVR4ME Tivo back. I did not receive one. I wonder if this means I can keep the Tivo and just get a $5 power cord for it???

[Cedric]

I got the email offering a refurb Dtivo for $15 shipping. I took that and it turned out to be a Hughes 40hr. When the the installer came today he had a 100 hr R15 and wanted to swap boxes.

I wanted to keep the Hughes (I have already bought my upgrade drive) and then suggested he replace my only remaining standard DTV receiver and he did.

He seemed pretty interested in getting the R15 out there and replacing the Tivo box.

[Oblong Desoto]

Update...
Codespy was correct. They must be out of Tivo's.

Not yet... FedEx just brought me a DSR7000 yesterday. Maybe I was lucky? :D

[john-duncan-yoyo]

Not yet... FedEx just brought me a DSR7000 yesterday. Maybe I was lucky? :D

I don't think the CSR's have a handle on this program. They could easily send out an R!% but apparently not one of the Refurbs. I'd call them again and see what else they send out.

[onin24eagle]

My current SD-DVR40 is starting to show live TV in slow motion, so I ordered the DVR4ME deal today from the website. Called D* to see if they could Fed Ex it and cancel the install. They told me no it had to be profesionally installed. I just sent them an email asking them to ship it Fed Ex and cancel the install as I am fully capable of installing the thing myself. We'll see how it all goes.

A DSR7000 just showed up at my door today. Funny, when I sent an email to D* asking them to Fed Ex the unit and cancel my install, they said it was impossible. Must be a miracle then that the impossible happened, and they Fed Ex'd a tivo. Oh well, I wonder if another miracle will take place when I try to cancel the installation of the new box the installer will bring. I hope I like the DSR7000. I was hoping for another like I had, but oh well.

[heronbay1]

Just off the phone with retention. Very polite conversation. Walked away with hbo and sho for $2 a month for six months. No contract.

6 months of boxing, Sopranos and a few movies for a grand total of $12. Not bad. Heard better deals, but I'm not greedy.

[Teacher Steve]

I wanted to activate my RCA DVR 40 today (I purchased through the DVR4ME deal), but I found that it came with the wrong power cord!!

Anyway, I called D* and after being transferred 4 times, a very nice CSR told me they couldn't send out just a new power cord, but they would instead send me another unit. I asked if it would be a "like" replacement. The CSR told me that they would try, but they can't guarantee it. They would send me whatever they have.

I wonder if I end up with the R-15?? I hope they haven't run out of Tivo's because I would obviously prefer a Tivo over an R-15.

A few weeks back, I called retention and received no hardware deals, but the CSR gave me $10 off HBO for six months, AND he noticed that I had been paying the $5.99 DVR fee since September 2005. He then gave me an additional $5 off for three months for overpaying...Thank you very much...

OK....here is the latest in the saga of my DVR4ME experience...

Today I received an R-15. Before I activated it, I called D* to make sure that I WOULD NOT get the 2-year committment. Well, after being hung-up on, I called directly to Retention where an awesome CSR did inform me that indeed it would trigger the 2-year committment and that they would not be able to take it off (which I found strange because other people on this forum have been able to), but anyway...

She then said to package up both DVR's (R-15, and RCA DVR-40 with the wrong power cord) and send them back w/o charge thru Fed Ex. In the meantime, they will send out another DVR. She said it will most likely be an R-10.

At this point, I just want a DTivo that works, not and R-15, and NOT something that requires the 2-year commitment!

Most of the CSR's I have talked to have no idea what the DVR4ME deal is. If you need something done correctly, the only way to go is thru Retention....

[phoenix_one]

I went to the website on Saturday and I ordered the DVR4ME offer.

Today I received a DSR7000 thru FedEx. I opened to check the contents and I heard something rattling inside and felt like something loose , I opened the unit to find that the Hard Drive bracket was attached to the chasis with double sided white tape and it had come undone. :eek:

I wonder what is the Quality Control for the Refurbished units?

However on the bright side, the unit booted just fine. :)

I was very surprised.

The installer will come by on Saturday.

My advise, be careful with the units you receive and check that the insides are properly fastened (with screws!!!! not tape and spit).

You may be surprised later on if you tilt the unit and hear a crash. Literally.

[bv1187]

I went to the website on Saturday and I ordered the DVR4ME offer.

Today I received a DSR7000 thru FedEx. I opened to check the contents and I heard something rattling inside and felt like something loose , I opened the unit to find that the Hard Drive bracket was attached to the chasis with double sided white tape and it had come undone. :eek:

I wonder what is the Quality Control for the Refurbished units?

I know how you feel... here is my continuing story. Upon installing a R-15 by accident (Which there was no charge for, however a new two year commitment which was no big deal since I owed them 18 months anyways). Two days later a Hughs 40 hr showed up with the same exact problem yours had... a hard drive that was banging around. I tried to boot it and the remote and and buttons on the front of the reciever wouldn't work. Called D* they apolligized and sent me a refurbished R-10 (70hr) that worked perfect.

Also asked if any deals on HBO, got six months at $2 dollars a month, no complaints on D* or there service. :D

[codespy]

They probably had a couple more used/rejected units flowing in. After all, it seems most of the DVR4ME units origionally sent out were used or thrown across a room somewhere. They did not charge me S/H for the replacement R15 paperweight they sent me. Of course, my installer showed up with a R15 too. On the notes to tech on my workorder, it says "DVR upgrade. Bring EQ."

[phoenix_one]

They probably had a couple more used/rejected units flowing in. After all, it seems most of the DVR4ME units origionally sent out were used or thrown across a room somewhere. They did not charge me S/H for the replacement R15 paperweight they sent me. Of course, my installer showed up with a R15 too. On the notes to tech on my workorder, it says "DVR upgrade. Bring EQ."




An R15 is NOT EQ! :mad:

It will never be!!!!

[MikeF]

Today I received a DSR7000 thru FedEx. I opened to check the contents and I heard something rattling inside and felt like something loose , I opened the unit to find that the Hard Drive bracket was attached to the chasis with double sided white tape and it had come undone. :eek:
I would advise everyone with a refurb to open the unit and check things out. My refurb had screws to hold the HD in, but they weren't tightened at all (one of them was probably only a half twist of a screwdriver in). Luckily I was pulling my units apart to zipper them so I fixed this when I put it back tgether.

[gshumaker]

Hooked it up and no Sat 2 signal.

Called to activate but still no Sat 2 signal even after switching cables from 1 to 2 and restarting and all that.

They are sending out another tivo unit in 3-5 days.

This thing is hosed all the channels are coming in on the wrong stations. NBC was on the STARZ station, no locals, etc....

Checked the D* website and there was a new annual commitment plus another 14.95 s/h charge.

Called Cust Retention and they took off the new s/h charge and after mentioning the DVR4ME promo the CR new nothing about it but after a few minutes on hold she "found" the info on it and noted my account so as not to get flagged with another commitment when I call back to active the new DVR.

So now I have one DEAD 35 hour DVR, another coming with the installer on Friday morning and another being shipped from D*.

They told me to throw the old one in the trash!! They do not want it back!!

[or270]

Hooked it up and no Sat 2 signal.

Called to activate but still no Sat 2 signal even after switching cables from 1 to 2 and restarting and all that.

They are sending out another tivo unit in 3-5 days.

This thing is hosed all the channels are coming in on the wrong stations. NBC was on the STARZ station, no locals, etc....

Checked the D* website and there was a new annual commitment plus another 14.95 s/h charge.

Called Cust Retention and they took off the new s/h charge and after mentioning the DVR4ME promo the CR new nothing about it but after a few minutes on hold she "found" the info on it and noted my account so as not to get flagged with another commitment when I call back to active the new DVR.

So now I have one DEAD 35 hour DVR, another coming with the installer on Friday morning and another being shipped from D*.


Did you try the guided satelite setup?

[kubedawg]

each crg(customer retention group) rep at directv generally has a $500 credit limit they can provide to you(actual dollar amount) on your account, but that doesnt include free equipement, free programming, or promotional credit either, so they have a lot to be able to give out, but it depends on how long you've been a customer, if you've been in good standing most of the time, and how much you spend per month.

regular CSR's are allotted $100 worth of credit per call, and advanced technical are able to provide up to $150 and this is just without having to escalate it to the actual credit team who can approve a credit of any ammount.

Needless to say, if you have an issue, if you push hard enough, without getting pissed off on the phone, you can almost always get something free/discount on your bill. But thats the same with a lot of companies.

[gshumaker]

Did you try the guided satelite setup?


Yes - I went thourgh that before ever calling to no avail!!

[tarrkid]

I got a refurb DSR7000, everything with the hardware seems fine (installation is a completely different issue - won't go there - not D*'s fault), although last night I noticed a little squeak coming from it.

At first, I thought it was a soft beep, but I'm pretty sure it's a little squeak. It's very regular, roughly one squeak per second.

Since we only got it installed on Monday (read: "not much recorded yet"), I'm gonna call D* to see about switching it out for something else. Don't want to get hours of recordings that go bye-bye when the squeak becomes a scrape.

Installation... Bluegrass Satellite... *sigh* The guy never even enabled the second tuner on the unit, tried to blame one of the OTHER DTiVos in the house suddenly losing one of the inputs (you know: "Searching for signal") on bad software. When I get home that night, I enable the second tuner on the new unit, and find that I get nothing on Sat In 2, and the problem is not in the box - it follows the cable when I switch them... Well, wait... At first, I didn't get 110 or the even transponders on 119, but 101 was fine and 119 odd was fine. Last night, ALL of Sat In 2 is gone except for 101 odd, so I've disabled that tuner again. Got to call BGS and get someone ELSE to come out and make this right.

Sounds like a short somewhere preventing the newly installed multiswitch from doing its thing reliably, but what do I know? I'm just the customer!

Three separate installation events from Bluegrass Satellite in the past three years, three nightmare stories (I won't bore you with the others).

Wy wife told me that we're never having those people at our house again. She doesn't care if D* is going to PAY US to take a receiver. If it involves Bluegrass Satellite, we're not interested. :D

[kevostl]

Just tried calling and the guy said that they mostly have the high def stuff they are pushing so the conversation went like this:

We have 3 free months of high def programing - no thanks - don't have a high def receiver

We have a high def receiver for $199 then a $200 rebate - - said no - cause we don't have a high def television and don't see getting one for awhile

We have a free DVR offer - reconditioned TiVos - no thanks already took advantage of that deal (and getting a replacement sent already after a week)

You sure you don't want a third receiver - yes, I am sure - we don't have three t.v.s

Well that is about all we have. I thanked him for his help - and will call back later!

[captenblack]

My DVR just arrived (an HDVR2)... via Fedex. "Installation" scheduled for Saturday. I"m wondering if I should just call and cancel, since all I have to do is hook the thing up to the TV, no major work needs to be done.

[codespy]

You can. Call 888-355-7530 and they will cancel it.

[Wolffpack]

Just tried calling and the guy said that they mostly have the high def stuff they are pushing so the conversation went like this:

We have 3 free months of high def programing - no thanks - don't have a high def receiver

We have a high def receiver for $199 then a $200 rebate - - said no - cause we don't have a high def television and don't see getting one for awhile

We have a free DVR offer - reconditioned TiVos - no thanks already took advantage of that deal (and getting a replacement sent already after a week)

You sure you don't want a third receiver - yes, I am sure - we don't have three t.v.s

Well that is about all we have. I thanked him for his help - and will call back later!
WOW, and I was under the impression that "Somebody up there loves us". NOT. :eek:

[rkester]

Wolffpack, they should have offered you some free Showtime (6mos), HBO for $2 a month for several months, free Starz for 3 months, a programming discount, or something. You just have to keep asking and asking. They will hook you up if you are persistant.

[mstbone67a]

Well I just called and they changed over to the lease options.. no free dvr option.

$99 plus shipping and warranty for long as you have directv account.
Guy offered me 99cent a month for 6mths to cover my existing 2 dvrs. UGH.. DANG IT..

Not a bad deal but I will check around for a free dvr still.

:confused:

[malloryd]

I ordered the free DVR; a couple of days later I got a DSR7000. Upon taking out of the box - Surprise! - sounds like screws rolling around inside the box. Sure I can open the box and find out what's wrong, but I figure I should call D* first as I didn't want them to say I voided the warrantly or some such nonsense.

Short of it is 1st CSR was in India - kept telling me I had to "louder my voice" cause she couldn't hear me; told her, in a louder voice, never mind I'll call back.

2nd CSR was clueless, plus treated me like garbage. Said she had to transfer me to someone who knew something. After a full 30 minutes on hold I hangup and call back.

3rd CSR told me to just plug the unit in and see what happens; I said No, I can't just plug it in as we don't know what's rolling around in there. I ask can't you just send me another one. NO! I'm transfered to a "Resolution Specialist" who says what's the problem- if you don't want to plug it in and see what happens, wait for the Tech to come out; he'll plug it in and see what happens. Goodness sakes! I offer to send it to him at his house and he can plug it in and see what happens.

At any rate, I can see the whole ordeal is going nowhere, so I terminate the call and get retention on the line. They were very nice, told me they don't want the box back, she activated then deactived the unit (guess you don't need it powered on for that) so I wouldn't get charged for not activating the unit. Then she said she couldn't send me another unit because it would probably be an R15, and I had said I don't want one of those.

Oh well, amost two hours on the phone with a group of people who used to be tops in working with you and are now bottom of the barrel. Like I said - the girl in retension was polite and professional.

Maybe I'll crack open the box one day, find out what's rolling around in the box, and put it back together properly.

At any rate, as others have said before, make sure you open the box and check it out first, most of these "refurb's" seem to have just been shipped out with no inspection done on them.

DCM

[Tonedeaf]

At any rate, as others have said before, make sure you open the box and check it out first, most of these "refurb's" seem to have just been shipped out with no inspection done on them.

DCM
Seems that the DSR's are the ones that have the issues. I haven't read any other issues with other units.

Just open the unit up and check it out. Then just plug it in. Not a big deal. They can't tell if you've opened it up anyway. Heck it was only $16.

[Wolffpack]

I ordered the free DVR; a couple of days later I got a DSR7000. Upon taking out of the box - Surprise! - sounds like screws rolling around inside the box. Sure I can open the box and find out what's wrong, but I figure I should call D* first as I didn't want them to say I voided the warrantly or some such nonsense.

Short of it is 1st CSR was in India - kept telling me I had to "louder my voice" cause she couldn't hear me; told her, in a louder voice, never mind I'll call back.

2nd CSR was clueless, plus treated me like garbage. Said she had to transfer me to someone who knew something. After a full 30 minutes on hold I hangup and call back.

3rd CSR told me to just plug the unit in and see what happens; I said No, I can't just plug it in as we don't know what's rolling around in there. I ask can't you just send me another one. NO! I'm transfered to a "Resolution Specialist" who says what's the problem- if you don't want to plug it in and see what happens, wait for the Tech to come out; he'll plug it in and see what happens. Goodness sakes! I offer to send it to him at his house and he can plug it in and see what happens.

At any rate, I can see the whole ordeal is going nowhere, so I terminate the call and get retention on the line. They were very nice, told me they don't want the box back, she activated then deactived the unit (guess you don't need it powered on for that) so I wouldn't get charged for not activating the unit. Then she said she couldn't send me another unit because it would probably be an R15, and I had said I don't want one of those.

Oh well, amost two hours on the phone with a group of people who used to be tops in working with you and are now bottom of the barrel. Like I said - the girl in retension was polite and professional.

Maybe I'll crack open the box one day, find out what's rolling around in the box, and put it back together properly.

At any rate, as others have said before, make sure you open the box and check it out first, most of these "refurb's" seem to have just been shipped out with no inspection done on them.

DCM
Go ahead and open it. Just a few screws on the back. Make sure you keep it unpluged while the top is off. The power supply is not shielded.

[rkester]

Now that I know I'm "5 heart", and have a direct line to american based tech support, I'm hoping my CSR experience will be more fullfilling.

So far so good based on my last few calls this week.

Been with them 10 years coming up in November.

[malloryd]

Go ahead and open it. Just a few screws on the back. Make sure you keep it unpluged while the top is off. The power supply is not shielded.

Cracking the box open isn't an issue for me - in fact I had originally thought about zippering the refurb and replacing my T60, and then zippering the other series two I have. I guess I just got so exasperated over the whole affair that I put the Phillips back in the box and left it in the basement for now; kind of a cooling off period, as it were.

DCM

[ClayMan]

BUT . . . you will still pay a mirroring / leasing fee, correct?


what is a mirroring fee? explain that please.

[rkester]

mirroring = when you have recievers in other rooms that get the DTV service. they 'mirror' the service to each reciever for a fee, usually $5 per recievre or tuner.

[Boston Fan]

Well I just called and they changed over to the lease options.. no free dvr option.

$99 plus shipping and warranty for long as you have directv account.
Guy offered me 99cent a month for 6mths to cover my existing 2 dvrs. UGH.. DANG IT..

Not a bad deal but I will check around for a free dvr still.

:confused:
Did he offer the 99cent/month protection plan only if you ordered a leased DVR, or even if you didn't?

[rgnok]

Long time lurker, first time poster here.

Thanks to this forum, I got $15 off my bill for the next 6 months plus free showtime for the same 6 months and a DVR for $14.95.

First -- I ordered the DVR (dvr4me) on the last day, Tuesday Feb 28. I received a Hughes HDVR-2 Tivo unit today (Friday) via FedEx. That, of course, was just what I wanted.

First problem I encountered -- no power cord. Aside from being a bit ticked at the slight, it was no big deal as I had one that matched so I was in business. I put the unit in place, all my cabling was pre-existing, so I just had to switch out boxes. Started it up and called to activate. Other than the CSR seeming to have a real problem understanding that I did not have an R15, I didn't have much trouble activating.

I confirmed all through the process (and have reconfirmed again, after the fact), that my account was not hit with a new service commitment.

The only real problem I had . . . and the one I'm warning others to watch out for . . . is this:

A few hours after getting activated, I was looking at my account online and noticed, deep down in my details, that my new DVR was listed as LEASED.

It took a couple of phone calls and about 5 different people to get it corrected, but they did agree that it is, in fact, owned, and they got it corrected! So be on the lookout for this one!

[kuhars5]

Ever since I uprgraded to the 6.2V software the DVR functions stop working so when I called the RETENTON Center they gave me 6months of Showtime for free and and DVR service for .99 cents for 5months and there sending me a New DVR with free shipping but the DVR will be under the lease programe but I wont be paying the 4.99 lease fee they noted the account so I wont pay it

[94SupraTT]

I called retention today and I asked them if they had anything offers for existing customers. The rep said "no but we are always look to keep our existing customers happy". She asked what I was looking for. I let her know all I really wanted was the BOOM channel for the old cartoons. She reupped my free Showtime, Starz/Encore and my $2HBO and she gave me Total Choice Plus its normally $3 I think but I am getting a $5 credit so its $2 off my bill for a year! All this with no committments. :up:

[AutoDestruct]

Wow, DTV really pissed me off.

1) So, when I ordered the DVR4ME receiver, I made sure to check the fine print and found that no contract extension was required.

2) I received my receipt via email, and it indicates: 'You are not obligated to continue your subscription to DIRECTV programming for any specific duration.'

3) When I activated my receiver (I replaced an existing receiver), the CSR told me there was no commitment requirement.

Then, I open up my next bill, and it states: Annual Commitment: 2 years !

So, I call DTV, and the CSR (in very broken English) states that she was sorry that the original CSR didn't tell me, but there was a 2 yr commitment for this unit. It took me 15 minutes to convince her to remove the commitment. And then she tried to tell me that there was no commitment on the unit, but rather that the commitment was on the service for the receiver... (even though the original CSR said there was no requirement). BTW, she stated everyone will get a 2 yr commitment.

This sounds like fraud! On the website, in the receipt, and when signing up, it was made perfectly clear that there was no commitment required. Then, DTV underhandidly slapped on a 2 yr commitment, after it promised not to. Am I the only one that sees this as fraud? Is anyone else upset?

I feel like calling up the TV stations or the Internet news people to get them to expose DTV's slimy practices..

[fareal]

Call back, ask for retention services if you've already tried regular customer service a couple times. There have been more than one person who has got it activated without a commitment. Not sure if they've checked their bill afterwards, but retention services is worth a try.

[codespy]

I bought and activated a HR10-250 in January, the 2 year commit showed on my account. Then got the DVR4ME in Feb. and 2 year commit still showed on my account. Talked to retention a couple days later, they took 2 year commit off for the DVR4ME. Now, however, nothing on my account states a 2 year commit for anything.

[newsposter]

Maybe I'm misreading a few posts here, but are some people trying to say that if you activated a receiver last year, and legitimately have a 2 yr commitment that you expect this new free receiver to nix that commitment because it clearly states "no commitment" if you get the freebie? or do you just mean that your previously valid 2 yr thing doesn't get extended? That I can see. But no way does anything you do today involved any previous commitments

(geez wasted my 8000th post on this :))

[MikeF]

(geez wasted my 8000th post on this :))
Congrats on 8,000 :)

Yes, you are correct, this offer should not change a previous committment. But some have reported that CSRs did add on a commitment (extending a previous one basically) when they shouldn't have. They then called in about that, and have found that the old commitment is now gone too (so basically the CSR just removed any commitment). Either its a clueless CSR :eek: or D*'s system only shows the current commitment, so they can't see the previous one.

[Tonedeaf]

Congrats on 8,000 :)

Yes, you are correct, this offer should not change a previous committment. But some have reported that CSRs did add on a commitment (extending a previous one basically) when they shouldn't have. They then called in about that, and have found that the old commitment is now gone too (so basically the CSR just removed any commitment). Either its a clueless CSR :eek: or D*'s system only shows the current commitment, so they can't see the previous one.
This is exactly what I experienced. Called in to be sure that I did not have my commitment extended and they removed mine entirely.

[ClayMan]

Well guys let me share my experience.. i joined D* almost 2 months ago. (I'll put this in a nutshell lol). Umm i got the R15 - realized it had bugs blah blah... i went out bought a R10 (that walmart still had on it's shelf) so i could COUNT on getting my shows recorded. I called to get it activated and she said "well your 2 year committment starts from today". I ofcourse hit the roof...meanwhile beforehand she was all "i'm soo sorry you've had so many problems w/ D*". After this point it's like talking to the wall and I ask to speak to a supervisor and in her attitudish way she was like Ok one moment, but she will tell you the same thing. Well umm she was right! I heard "i'm sorry sir" over and over. She credited me $4.99 or whatever after i said I haven't fully benefited from the R15. (ok this nutshell is getting big). I called Retention department and the lady was nice and i was telling her the problems w/ the R15 so she said "i'll put you through to technical support". I was thinking OH GREAT here we go AGAIN. I thought well she didn't do anything much. I checked my account online and saw that she removed my committment.. it now says NO ANNUAL COMMITTMENT". I printed it off the printer so i'd have evidence! ha It can stand up in a court of law ;)

[codespy]

Well, maybe some will think I still have a commitment. Okay. Besides the CSR saying there is no commitment on my account, here is what DTV.com shows as of today:


Programming Service

DIRECTV DVR Service
We Appreciate Your Business -
To Our Valued Customer:
TOTAL CHOICE PREMIER
HD Package


Change programming
package



It used to indicate 'Annual commitment' last month.

[buckeye1010]

I called retention last night. I got 6 mo of HBO for $2/month, with a 12 mo comittment. I'm ready for Sopranos - got the season pass now.

[iceturkee]

i am just gonna say, from personal experience, buyer beware with these people. i cancelled my hd service (and contract) about 6 weeks after i upgraded because the pq was horrible and they lied to me about the hd locals several times. they told me as long as i had another contract (which i did on an sd tivo upgrade), they would cancel the two-year contract without penalty.

fast forward, a few months later. they told me that contract was never cancelled and they would assess early cancellation fee, accordingly (we're talking august instead of may).

even when you call retention, you get several different answers, depending on whom you're speaking with. i got so fed up with the BS, i told them i would never due business with them again. AND, they would not see a penny of the $21, i still owe.

the first time i terminated service with them, they tried to charge me a 200 dollar termination fee on sa tivo unit i had to cancel. it was supposedly off my record, but it wasn't. they had the audacity to tell me they would waive that fee, if resumed my service.

why i went back to them a second time is beyond me. all, i'm saying, is that you better tape their phone conversations or ask for a written statement of the transaction. they will find a way to screw you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ClayMan]

You may want to pull a copy of your credit report... if it goes unpaid they will more than likely report it to equifax and/or transunion. I know your frustrations..i feel like it's a cell phone company that lures you in and traps you into a contract that is impossible to get out of. They give you 7 days to cancel from initial set up (is that enough time? noooo). I have filed away my documents and we'll see what happens the day i want to pull the plug.

[Unregisterable]

I called retention and got $5 off for six months and $2 HBO for six months. Didn't really need any equipment, so I'm a happy camper.

Tony Soprano is now on my radar for Sunday.

I love the Internet. Thanks to all for sharing!

[94SupraTT]

My HBO for $2 ran out and my Showtime and Encore for free was about to. I called and asked them if they had anything for existing members. I ended up with an upgrade to Total Choice Plus and a credit to my bill of $5. They also redid my HBO for $2/6months and Showtime/Starz/Encore for free.

[rkester]

I've dealt with them recently several times and not once did I get any sales pitch for their crappy DVR as a remedy for my tivo issues.

BTW, they no longer have any receivers that currently have the low speed data port for tivo control or so they told me. (they wouldn't lie to a 5 heart 10 year dtv customer would they?)

Ironically I ended up activating a twin reciever and still have their crappy R11 sitting on a speaker unused.

[CessnaDriver]

Just hung up with retention, I got HBO for 6 months at $2/month and the HDTV package for $5/month for 6 months.

I was really just wanting HBO for Sopranos.

It was very easy, just a 5 minute phone call and I got right through on my first try.

Thanks DIRECTV!

[kevostl]

Was only offered Showtime free for one month. Guess it is better than nothing!

[fareal]

Was only offered Showtime free for one month. Guess it is better than nothing!

Don't know about that, nothing is pretty good compared one free month of showtime. I'd call back if I were you and try to get your nothing back ;)

[kuhars5]

well I got my replacement DVR yesterday its a r10 my phillips dsr7000 hard drive failed so when I called the retenton center last Friday they gave me a free replacement and they gave me 6 months of showtime HBO for 2.00 and free dvr for 5 months and 10.00 off my bill for 4 months

[Jace5]

I called them on weds evening and got a new dvr and a 12 mos credit and a new contract and also told them that I didnt have any plans to get rid of directv when they told me about the commitment contract

[SKDude]

Hi, I am new to D* and Tivo. I signed up for D* in January (No DVR) and ordered the DVR4ME in February. A DSR704 arrived 1 week later and I hooked it up no problem. Everybody in the house loves it! I kept the installation because I needed some cable and a coverplate. The installer came on Saturday. I told him he could just drop the stuff off. He liked this. He also had an R15 for me, which I was willing to take for free. I set it up yesterday (which took multiple calls). But I just looked online and I think the R15 has a $1/month leasing fee.
Its not a lot of money but I am bugged by this. Do you think I have any options? I ordered it (sort of, via the DVR4ME) in February, and when I activated it no one mentioned this fee, only the DVR fee. Previously they were free and you owned it , now I am paying and I don't own it. Thanks.

[Sty]

Called DTv yesterday and got HBO for $2/6-months and $5 off for 6-months. I could've gotten Showtime free for 6-months but Showtime sucks. I have been with DTv for 6-years or so.

[kuhars5]

anyone know what is the retenton # is

[gshumaker]

(800) 824-9081 Customer Retention

[colobbfan]

and the other info I've found. My one and only experience with DVR is my R15 that I've had for 3 months. So please accept my thanks for the old timers here who share their knowledge.
I went for the free Starz package. and d* is doing the free hbo, max this weekend so plenty of chances to compare.
colobbfan
John

[rkester]

So, I am reviewing my DTV bill tonight online and I notice that it's quite a bit more than it should be. I look back, and realize that the free Showtime and Starz are being billed to me from the date I got them for 'free' on 1/14/06. And, there's an additional receiver charge for a receiver that is dead and deactivated on there as well.

My mobile phone hates me, and hangs up on me every call about 7.5-10 minutes into the call. Every time. So, by the time I get a person on the phone, and explain myself, it hangs up. I call back, wait on hold, warn them my mobile will probably hangup, and then re-explain myself. Then it hangs up again. (Im replacing it eventually but Cingular sucks so they refuse to let me do so cheaply until nov but thats another rant)

Frustrating when you are trying to get help to fix a problem.

However, thru the magic of the internet, I can now watch them fixing my account as I sit here. I wait for a few minutes and refresh my recent transactions list and watch the credits hit here and there.

I think its all fixed, I see credits for the Starz/showtime, for the additional receiver.

And they offered me 3 more months free of both.

i'm supposedly a 5 heart customer, yet I dont have a direct # right to a person. I did but last call it was disconnected. Bleh.

[TeSter70]

Must be nice I didn't get offered jack sprat! :mad:

Oh wait... if I'd agreed to monthly auto pay on my credit/debit card I could get a DVR for 99 bucks! w00t :down:

And hubby thinks it's no big deal paying the bill late all the time, what a putz!

[viruseater]

Do they penalize late paying customers? I mean is that possibly why they didn't offer you anything?

I've been with Dtv for a little while now (august) and I'm still infuriated. I got two DVRs when they had a 100.00 rebate. I never got either rebate, and because of errors in their ridiculous online order process I got double billed $176.50. They now try to tell me they've credited that back to me, however my bill has not reduced a penny.

I am going to call retention I guess. I pay 104.00 per month right now with two DVR and one standard box (no HD). I have that total choice which means I have a bunch of worthless movie channels, a couple decent ones (hbo) then the ones I watch (usually starz/encore).

I'm frustrated.

[newsposter]

virus, have you asked for a supervisor and tried (it's hard i know) to ask about this in a calm manner. I found that when i just bypass the peons in a kind way and say that i've dealt with this problem too long i just need a supervisor, no offense, they react pretty well.

Also try to say things like you hate calling in here all the time, it makes you unhappy and it drives up directvs cost and i'm sure they aren't happy about fielding your calls every month etc.

may not work but did for me.

[beartrap]

As soon as I saw this thread appear back in January, I called to see what I could get for being a good customer for 9+ years. Well, they gave me $5 off my monthly bill for 12 months, 6 months free Showtime and 3 months free Starz.

I just looked at my my most recent statement (dated yesterday, 3/31) online, and the $5 monthly credit has magically been reduced to $3! I'm on hold with D* now, while the issue is being "researched."

No, $2 is not that big a deal, but thought that I would post here to see if anyone else that was given a monthly credit has seen the credit amount reduced. I'll post again with the results of D*'s "research."

[viruseater]

virus, have you asked for a supervisor and tried (it's hard i know) to ask about this in a calm manner. I found that when i just bypass the peons in a kind way and say that i've dealt with this problem too long i just need a supervisor, no offense, they react pretty well.

Also try to say things like you hate calling in here all the time, it makes you unhappy and it drives up directvs cost and i'm sure they aren't happy about fielding your calls every month etc.

may not work but did for me.

I was only 'uncalm' when speaking to billing :)

anyway, I'm going to try this week to chat with someone. I bought an HD TV with plans to get an HDDVR but then I saw the prices and decided not to.

However. My career is taking me to a new city in Lousianna and I'll have to maintain a household in two locations. So I am going to have to get DTV there too. I'm not sure if I can do it with one account or if I should open a new one. If I can't get the specials and discounts I'll open a new account. Just not sure the protocol.

EDIT: Hopefully that new job will also teach me how to SPELL Louisiana too

[fareal]

As soon as I saw this thread appear back in January, I called to see what I could get for being a good customer for 9+ years. Well, they gave me $5 off my monthly bill for 12 months, 6 months free Showtime and 3 months free Starz.

I just looked at my my most recent statement (dated yesterday, 3/31) online, and the $5 monthly credit has magically been reduced to $3! I'm on hold with D* now, while the issue is being "researched."

No, $2 is not that big a deal, but thought that I would post here to see if anyone else that was given a monthly credit has seen the credit amount reduced. I'll post again with the results of D*'s "research."

Was it reduced or is that a new credit?

I noticed this month and last month both..
- RCREDIT-05 $-3.00
- Program Cr 6 Mos. $-5.00

I'm not sure what the RCredit is because it wasn't on the first bill when I got these freebies, but I'm not going to call and ask either.

[beartrap]

Was it reduced or is that a new credit?

I noticed this month and last month both..
- RCREDIT-05 $-3.00
- Program Cr 6 Mos. $-5.00

I'm not sure what the RCredit is because it wasn't on the first bill when I got these freebies, but I'm not going to call and ask either.

On my first two statements after I called to get the freebies, the $5.00 credit was listed thus:

"Programming credit for 12 months -5.00"

On my most recent statement, that was gone and this appeared:

"Courtesy credit: ends 12/2006 -3.00"

D*'s "research" resulted in giving me back the $5.00 "programming credit" for this statement cycle, and keeping the $3.00 "courtesy credit" as well.

Interestingly enough, the price of my programming package (Total choice w/locals) on this most recent statement increased by $3.00; from $41.99 to $44.99. I'm thinking now that the $3.00 "courtesy credit" is meant to negate that price increase, and when that was done it accidently wiped out the $5.00 "programming credit." I don't know. I guess I'll wait and see what happens in a month when I get my next bill.

[fsufan]

called and got $20 off my package for 6 months

[gshumaker]

called and got $20 off my package for 6 months

That's pretty nice :) - what package do you have to get $20 off each month??

[newsposter]

Tcp

[trixie]

I called customer retention last night and received a HD DVR and new HD dish and installation for $133.00 dollars plus a 20 dollar credit for 6 months.

[viruseater]

Man I must just have bad luck. Fortunately i did get my rebate. But that's not a discount or perk, that's paying something that was owed to me.

I wasn't offered a free package, a discount or any perks at all. I'm not sure how you guys handle the calls, but I didn't get angry or threaten to leave. Maybe I should have? Heck I don't know. What I do know is I really want an HD Dvr and when I asked about it I was told $499.00 plus the monthly.

[Wolffpack]

When I got my deal in December I had been a customer since '97. I'd never gotten any credits for packages or receivers as I always bought them from BB or CC. I've subscribed to TCP, NFLST and MMM for years (MMM was just last year) and I've never been late in payments. I don't know how much any of that has to do with getting a deal, but I got my Hr10 for something like $50 after all was said and done.

[icebergz]

I just called and got all of the following: The first thing she look at was how long I've been a customer- since 1998.

$10 discount off my bill for the next 12 months (Total Choice)
Starz free for 3 months
Showtime free for 6 months
HBO $2 a month for the next 6 months

Thanks D*!!!

[scorpus]

Man I must just have bad luck. Fortunately i did get my rebate. But that's not a discount or perk, that's paying something that was owed to me.

I wasn't offered a free package, a discount or any perks at all. I'm not sure how you guys handle the calls, but I didn't get angry or threaten to leave. Maybe I should have? Heck I don't know. What I do know is I really want an HD Dvr and when I asked about it I was told $499.00 plus the monthly.
virus,
I wanted a HD DVR from DTV also. I only became a subcriber early Feb. and got all the free equipment plus free install plus free premiums for 3 mos. I called Cust Retention about a week ago and told them I wanted to upgrade to a DVR since I really miss that feature after switching from Time-Warner cable. He quoted me $499 with a $100 mail-in rebate. I told him that I had neighbors who got one for around $199 (not entirely the truth) and I'd like the same deal extended to me. He told me to hold on and let him check on promos. He came back on the line and offered me $100 instant service credit to my account.....so with the rebate my end cost would be $299 which I thouhght wans't too shabby for only being with them less than two months.

Try this angle and call Customer Rentention back! Good luck to you.
BTW--I'm really enjoying my HD DVR! was installed last Friday! :-)

[or270]

virus,
I wanted a HD DVR from DTV also. I only became a subcriber early Feb. and got all the free equipment plus free install plus free premiums for 3 mos. I called Cust Retention about a week ago and told them I wanted to upgrade to a DVR since I really miss that feature after switching from Time-Warner cable. He quoted me $499 with a $100 mail-in rebate. I told him that I had neighbors who got one for around $199 (not entirely the truth) and I'd like the same deal extended to me. He told me to hold on and let him check on promos. He came back on the line and offered me $100 instant service credit to my account.....so with the rebate my end cost would be $299 which I thouhght wans't too shabby for only being with them less than two months.


Watch out, When they do the instant $100.00 it sometimes makes the mail-in rebate invalid.They just give you the rebate instantly upfront..

[raiderguy8]

I have been a long time reader of this site and have learned lots of things that have helped me enhance my D*/TiVo experience namely multiswitches, what they do and how to install them yourself. I wanted to pass on my experience with D*this past week.

Last Monday I purchased a HD television and thought the $500 fee for the HD TiVo was a bit steep for me. We already have 2 D* TiVo's and thought that I would be able to live with just a standard H20 receiver with this TV. I was wrong. After a couple of days I realized I was too used to having TiVo and regretted my decision. I remembered reading this thread and thought I would give it a try and see what they might be willing to do. I called this past Friday and spoke to a gentleman named Max who turned out to be extremely professional and helpful. I asked what offers they had for existing members and he asked what in particular I was looking for and I told him I had read that their were some HBO and Showtime offers I had heard about and he then asked if I was interested in some hardware upgrades. I responded that, as a matter of fact, I was interested in an upgrade. I told him about my desire to upgrade to the H10-250 and he said there was a $200 discount he could offer me. Jackpot! As soon as he said that though he immediately said that was for new customers only but if he could put me on hold he would see what he could do. He came back on the line and said he had spoken to his supervisor and checked my account which has been in good standing for 5+ years and would be willing to offer me a $200 credit on my account and would spread the $499 over my next 3 months statements. He checked and there was an available installation appointment the next day from 1 to 5. I asked if I would be getting a TiVo based model or a D* DVR and he said it would be a D* DVR. Oh well, I guess I can't ask for everything right?

The next day the installer shows up and drills a new hole for a jack in the room where there had only been one jack so I can hook up both tuners and then brings in the unit. When he opens up the box I see the remote, that lovely peanut shaped black remote that I have for my other D* TiVo's!!! I asked if the unit was indeed TiVo based and he said yes, that he still had a few that he carried with him. I wanted to jump up and down.

So in the end I got a $5 a month credit for 6 months, HBO and Showtime for $2 a month for 6 months and a HD TiVo with an immediate $200 credit which I checked and it has already been applied to my account. Now if Best Buy will accept my H20 back on return, I will be extremely happy. Hope this helps anyone else that might be looking for a good deal on an HD TiVo.

[newsposter]

Raider that's a great story and I hope that BB takes it back. the only thing disturbing was that the rep didn't know that there is no dtv dvr for HD yet :) Maybe he was looking at his supersecret notes and it's on the way soon though.

You almost must had had a good install inexperience, which is nice to hear on this forum.

So wanna place a bet how long until you want to upgrade or get another hdtivo? :)

[Tonedeaf]

Watch out, When they do the instant $100.00 it sometimes makes the mail-in rebate invalid.They just give you the rebate instantly upfront..
In my case, I called to complain that I hadn't received my rebate. It had been 12 weeks since I had mailed it in and the CSR put me on hold, came back and applied $100 credit to my account. 2 weeks later I received $100 check from DirecTV. :D

[raiderguy8]

Raider that's a great story and I hope that BB takes it back. the only thing disturbing was that the rep didn't know that there is no dtv dvr for HD yet :) Maybe he was looking at his supersecret notes and it's on the way soon though.

You almost must had had a good install inexperience, which is nice to hear on this forum.

So wanna place a bet how long until you want to upgrade or get another hdtivo? :)

Yes, I had a great install experience. Only a single day's wait and he was right on time. I had asked if the installer was needed, and the CSR said that it was. Then I realized that even though I had room on my multiswitch, I didnt have anymore existing cables run to allow me to have connections to all tuners on all 3 TiVo's. So I agreed to have them come out and run another cable while they were there. He was there and gone in less than a half hour probably. Funny, I could've sworn that I had read that there was a D* HD DVR out already. Well I worried for nothing. :cool:

And as far as betting on my next upgrade, I have TiVos on every TV already and I dont plan on buying anymore anytime soon. When the installer found out that we already had 2 TiVos and we were hooking up a 3rd he looked at me and said "How much recording do you guys do"? I just laughed and said it was more for the ability to tape the few HD-only channels and the ability to rewind, pause etc. but that TiVo had spolied me forever.

[HDTVsportsfan]

So in the end I got a $5 a month credit for 6 months, HBO and Showtime for $2 a month for 6 months and a HD TiVo with an immediate $200 credit which I checked and it has already been applied to my account.

I guess D* isn't as bad as alot of folks on these forums seem to think.

[newsposter]

And as far as betting on my next upgrade, I have TiVos on every TV already and I dont plan on buying anymore anytime soon. .

nope the dvr is supposed to be 'within the next year' (leaves self lots of space)

As far as on every tv...I had 3 stacked (2 HDtivo and one T60) and all hooked up to my living room tv - with a home made distribution network to the other tvs and my dvd burner. Thank goodness for switchers and multiple inputs (I still owe someone a pic of those stacked tivos now that i think about it). 99.9% of viewing is in the LR and I need the HD space as you noted. I fear that the disconnected sony will just have to sit there until i have time to watch the 1 yrs worth of old stuff I saved on it.

[raiderguy8]

nope the dvr is supposed to be 'within the next year' (leaves self lots of space)

As far as on every tv...I had 3 stacked (2 HDtivo and one T60) and all hooked up to my living room tv - with a home made distribution network to the other tvs and my dvd burner. Thank goodness for switchers and multiple inputs (I still owe someone a pic of those stacked tivos now that i think about it). 99.9% of viewing is in the LR and I need the HD space as you noted. I fear that the disconnected sony will just have to sit there until i have time to watch the 1 yrs worth of old stuff I saved on it.

I am really glad you responded describing your setup. I have not returned the H20 non-TiVo receiver yet. It could just be me but I thought that the non-HD channels on D* (not OTA) looked better using the H20 receiver than it does using the H10-250. Does the fact that the H-10-250 doesnt support MPEG4 make non-HD channels not look as good as the H20 makes non-HD channels look? Maybe the H20's tuner is just a better tuner? If the H20 does make it look better I could conceivably keep it and go back and forth.

[Dirac]

I guess D* isn't as bad as alot of folks on these forums seem to think.

You always hear about the "Bad" experiences in these forums. I had one so-so installation, and one GREAT installation. He went through and basically taught me how to do the install, wire fish, everything myself. I've now installed at my last 2 houses. Not sure if I can tackle the AT9 at my new place, but I think I'll give it a shot.

To the OP, make sure that receiver shows up on your account as Owned, not Leased, unless you actually agreed to lease it. DirecTV just came out with a lease-only policy last month for additional receivers, and yours may automatically be a Lease according to their system. Someone else verify this?

EDIT: Horror story: http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=295021

[newsposter]

I am really glad you responded describing your setup. I have not returned the H20 non-TiVo receiver yet. It could just be me but I thought that the non-HD channels on D* (not OTA) looked better using the H20 receiver than it does using the H10-250. Does the fact that the H-10-250 doesnt support MPEG4 make non-HD channels not look as good as the H20 makes non-HD channels look? Maybe the H20's tuner is just a better tuner? If the H20 does make it look better I could conceivably keep it and go back and forth.

I dont know a thing about the H20 PQ, sorry. My gut tells me that dtvs signal should look the same for SD no matter what receiver, at the same resolution, but i definitely dont know the mechanics of these machines that well. I did hear the the H20 OTA is better than the hdtivo, but that's not your question :)

These guys write a lot about the H20, i'm sure you can get answers there. Post back when you find out what the story is as i'm curious.

http://www.satelliteguys.us/forumdisplay.php?f=44

[keith2425]

Heaven Forbid That Anyone Should Pay The Actual Retail Price For Any Equipment Created For Our Enjoyment!!! I Will Have Everyone Know I Pay Full Price For My Dtv Service And Full Price For My Hd-dvr And I Enjoy My Equipment More Than Anything Else In My Home I HOPE That Makes All Of You That Are Cheating Dtv Out Of Money End Up Broke In The Gutter Someday

[Arcady]

Isn't is a pain to type the first letter of every word as a capital letter? How about putting some of that effort into finding the period key instead?

[newsposter]

Isn't is a pain to type the first letter of every word as a capital letter? How about putting some of that effort into finding the period key instead?

He just came out of the post closet after 7 months of hiding. i dont think you should jump down his throat on just the 4th post. now we prob wont hear from him for another 7 mos. :D

[scalo]

Heaven Forbid That Anyone Should Pay The Actual Retail Price For Any Equipment Created For Our Enjoyment!!! I Will Have Everyone Know I Pay Full Price For My Dtv Service And Full Price For My Hd-dvr And I Enjoy My Equipment More Than Anything Else In My Home I HOPE That Makes All Of You That Are Cheating Dtv Out Of Money End Up Broke In The Gutter Someday
For your information it is not "Cheating Dtv Out Of Money" when you call and ask to take advantage of current member offers that they are more than happy to give us. As for your statement about "Paying Full Price For Your Equipment" I am willing to bet that when you bought your last car you did not pay sticker price for it, so you cheated the the dealer out of money and maybe you will end up broke and in the gutter someday.

[icebergz]

Heaven Forbid That Anyone Should Pay The Actual Retail Price For Any Equipment Created For Our Enjoyment!!! I Will Have Everyone Know I Pay Full Price For My Dtv Service And Full Price For My Hd-dvr And I Enjoy My Equipment More Than Anything Else In My Home I HOPE That Makes All Of You That Are Cheating Dtv Out Of Money End Up Broke In The Gutter Someday

Wow. Some people just don't get it, do they? Cheating D*? When D* AGREES to offer us certain pricing, how is that cheating?

[fsufan]

That's pretty nice :) - what package do you have to get $20 off each month??


I have been with them for 11 years
I get everything
I have been getting the ST for about 9 or 10 years.

[breid]

Just called in.

Got all premium movie channels for free for 2 mos.

[Alfer]

Been with them for 8 years now and contract expired months ago...month to month now....however with a new HDTV, I'm tempted to go with the Cox cable HD bundle...

I called DTV and asked what was being offered these days..got switched 3 times and finally got retention...

She offered $200 credit toward 2 new 100hr STD DVR's or 1 HDDVR..plus $10 off per month for 1 year on my TV+ package...may have a few months of free Starz thrown in too....I'm going to make my decision next week,,,wish me well....

:)

[cambo357]

I havent been with DTV long, about a year and a half, so I really cant expect much. but, I do expect my legit rebates to actully be fulfilled.
there was a mix up between me buying a new R10 at Xmas time, and then buying a refurb box on the DVR4ME deal. after many weeks, and getting told everything was fine, I was finally told that it was actually denied. a "second tier" CSR looked at it all, and understood the problem. so in lieu of getting the rebate, she credited my account for the $100. though it sucked being told wrong info in the beginning, I was very pleased that at least one of the CSRs had her head on straight and worked it out.

-Cambo

[grecorj]

Nice...just called...TC Premier for free for 2 months...similar to the TC Premier for 1 month free deal floating around, but for 2x as long :D

[kpurcell]

Just callled today and got 6 mos. Showtime free. I also got a $5 discount for 6 months. I also got a discount on NFL Ticket for 41.xx instead of 49.75 per month. Then I asked is Showtime the only one you can get and she said I can also do Starz for 3 months free.

I did not threaten anything. I simply said (exact words). I am calling because I'm a long time customer and I was wondering if you had anything free to offer to long time customers.

Thanks for advice. Didn't have to lie or deceive anyone.

[Boston Fan]

Just callled today and got 6 mos. Showtime free. I also got a $5 discount for 6 months. I also got a discount on NFL Ticket for 41.xx instead of 49.75 per month. Then I asked is Showtime the only one you can get and she said I can also do Starz for 3 months free.

I did not threaten anything. I simply said (exact words). I am calling because I'm a long time customer and I was wondering if you had anything free to offer to long time customers.

Thanks for advice. Didn't have to lie or deceive anyone.Double-check on the NFLST deal they offered you. Last year the auto-renew rate was $199 (broken up into 4 payments of $49.75). This year it is $209, but it looks like they will be spreading the payments over 5 payments of $41.80 each, meaning they are still charging you full price.

Hopefully they really did give you a deal on the rate, but I think there's a chance that they weren't entirely forthcoming with the fact that you will be paying for 5 months instead of 4 months.

[poee]

I just called and asked what offers they had for existing customers. HBO + Cinemax for the price of 1 premium ($12) for 6 months. That's it.

Well, I guess I can't complain, since it's an extra premium channel for free, but I had higher hopes after reading this thread. Maybe it's because I've only been a customer for 2.5 yrs with only TCPlus + HBO. Maybe it's because I don't buy PPVs. I don't know.

[schell]

I called a few days ago and asked what kind of promotions they had for existing customers, they gave me 10$ off for 6 months

[grecorj]

Ugh, I feel a little guilty. I double-dipped and got some more goodies after my 2 month TC Premier for $50/month expired last week.

Called today and got:

1. HBO @ $2 for 6 months (I already subscribe to HBO, so this is really a $10/mo discount off my bill for 6 months)

2. Starz! 3 months free

I was actually calling just about Starz!, as my wife thinks they show a good variety of movies (old & new), but got offered HBO discount as well. Was also offered Cinemax 3 mo free if I kept HBO at full price, but I decided to go with the first offer of $10 discount.

Checked my account online and $10 credit and Starz @ $0 had already been added.

It pays to call and just politely inquire about deals for existing customers!

[jackie879]

I just called and got Showtime free for 4 months. Again. :)

[grecorj]

Showtime -- free for 3 months.

The best part is that these freebies just roll off at the end of the period, no need to call/go online and cancel. :-)

[disco]

Get an R15 DVR* for FREE ($0.00 + $0.00 shipping/handling/installation). Just call 1-800-DIRECTV and mention "DVR4U2" as a promo code.

Or, log on to directv.com and use that code to order it FREE....totally, TOTALLY *FREE*


*notice: the R15 is not a TiVo DVR...I know....for TiVo users, use of the R15 may result in chest pains and frustration. TCF, TiVo Inc., and disco are not responsible for any adverse reactions to using an R15. But hey. It's free.

[MrBill1964]

Get an R15 DVR* for FREE ($0.00 + $0.00 shipping/handling/installation). Just call 1-800-DIRECTV and mention "DVR4U2" as a promo code.

Or, log on to directv.com and use that code to order it FREE....totally, TOTALLY *FREE*


*notice: the R15 is not a TiVo DVR...I know....for TiVo users, use of the R15 may result in chest pains and frustration. TCF, TiVo Inc., and disco are not responsible for any adverse reactions to using an R15. But hey. It's free.
I took advantage of this deal a couple weeks ago and recieved my R15 totally free. I called today and mentioned the same code and got 6 months of Showtime for free. YMMV.

Bill

[TiVoMoJo]

I've been a D* customer since Dec 2003. I called Retention in early Feb 06 because of this thread and got Showtime free for 6 mos and HBO for $2/mo for 6 mos. I ended up not canceling the HBO in time and was charged the full $12 price on my Aug bill, so I called up retention to see if they would take that charge off and cancel HBO. They were happy to credit me $11.xx (prorated) and then I took a shot and asked if they had any deals for existing customers. They offered NFL ST for free if I signed up for TC Premier for 4 months @ $70/mo, plus a $10 credit for 12 mos. So, I'm spending $15 more a month than my basic Total Choice w/locals plus 2 dvrs, but I think that's a pretty good deal. Plus, after I call up and cancel the TC Premier in early Dec, I should still be getting another 8 months of $10 off.

[Shamus375PA]

I just called in and got Showtime free for 6 months and she said that in a few months they will have the new HD DVR that recieves locals over the Sat Feed that we will be eligible to get for free (leased). Better than a stick in the eye, I guess.

RLTW!
Aric

[bnm81002]

Get an R15 DVR* for FREE ($0.00 + $0.00 shipping/handling/installation). Just call 1-800-DIRECTV and mention "DVR4U2" as a promo code.

Or, log on to directv.com and use that code to order it FREE....totally, TOTALLY *FREE*


*notice: the R15 is not a TiVo DVR...I know....for TiVo users, use of the R15 may result in chest pains and frustration. TCF, TiVo Inc., and disco are not responsible for any adverse reactions to using an R15. But hey. It's free.



I am thinking about taking this offer since basically it is a free DVR, I know that the R15 is not a Tivo based DVR but since it's going to be replacing my standard receiver, I figure it has to be better than the standard receiver, at least it can record programs even if I only connect 1 line instead of the 2 lines that is needed,
I have the "Total Choice Premier" package, the DVR service charge is included and since I am replacing the standard receiver, the $4.99 additional receiver remains the same, are there any other extra charges that I will be hit with? is the R15 really that bad of a DVR unit? I know the Tivo based DVR's are better I have 2 Philips units so I'm not comparing the R15 to them but the R15 itself is it worthwhile to upgrade to with this promotion or should I just keep the standard receiver instead? thanks for the help

[goony]

I have the "Total Choice Premier" package, the DVR service charge is included and since I am replacing the standard receiver, the $4.99 additional receiver remains the same, are there any other extra charges that I will be hit with?Sounds like there should be no surprises.


is the R15 really that bad of a DVR unit?Many people that have used the SA Tivos or DTivos can't stand the R15. Sure, it's a matter of personal preference. If you have never used any DVR, you might say the R15 is just fine. Then there is the issue of bugs - at this point, the Tivo-based DVRs have much more 'mature' code (nearly bug-free) but the R15s are still having growing pains. (It seems D* decided to develop & test DVRs the way Dish Network used to :p - let the customers find the bugs). Also, the R15 has some un-advertised limits in how many shows can be scheduled to record - these limits don't exist on Tivo units.

To use an analogy: They are both "fruit", but say one is an apple and one is an orange. If you only want fruit- any fruit- then either will do. If you're making apple pie and expecting apple pie flavor then you won't like the results using oranges as a substitute.

Many people also hack their DTivos via the Zipper (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=265929) and thus have many of the features of the standalone Tivos plus a few more, thus an R15 (currently) cannot hope to match the features of a hacked DTivo box. Today, I can do multi-room transfers, access my 4 DTivos remotely via the internet to schedule/check recordings... I hardly want to give that functionality up!

Wisdom suggests that you spend some time in the R15 forum at this site: http://www.dbstalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=106 to learn more about the R15, then you can decide if you want one of those or not. Read the 'sticky theads' at the top first.

[bnm81002]

Get an R15 DVR* for FREE ($0.00 + $0.00 shipping/handling/installation). Just call 1-800-DIRECTV and mention "DVR4U2" as a promo code.

Or, log on to directv.com and use that code to order it FREE....totally, TOTALLY *FREE*


*notice: the R15 is not a TiVo DVR...I know....for TiVo users, use of the R15 may result in chest pains and frustration. TCF, TiVo Inc., and disco are not responsible for any adverse reactions to using an R15. But hey. It's free.



if I take this offer to replace/upgrade my standard receiver(D10) to the free R15 DVR, is it being "leased" or "owned" in my situation in my account? thanks

[scalo]

If you get an R15 from D* it will be leased

[Rkkeller]

is the R15 really that bad of a DVR unit?


I have 2 DirecTiVo's and also 2 R-15's (both free thru different offers). If you are not really used to any one user interface (cable DVR, TiVo, etc...) or the other, the R-15 will be easy to learn and use from what I have experienced. Its the people so used to one UI over many years that have all the complaints as its not what they are used to. Its really different than the TiVo UI and some options are called different things. It can be done easily as I was used to the DirecTiVo UI for many many years and learned the R-15 UI with no problem.

To be honest, with the R-15, you ARE going to have some problems. The SL/SP logic is not 100%. It will record your series but ALL the shows, even dups. It is only very accurate on the locals, pay channels and a few others. You can simply deselect the dups from recording or just delete them afterwards as a temp fix. The last update made unstable some of the playback controls and occasionally but not always, they will stop working correctly. The good news :up: is the fix and newest update will be released countrywide this week.

The R-15 works well enough that I already made it my main viewing area DVR, added a 2nd one and depending what this new update fixes/breaks I might even deactivate my DirecTiVos soon.

[bnm81002]

The R-15 works well enough that I already made it my main viewing area DVR, added a 2nd one and depending what this new update fixes/breaks I might even deactivate my DirecTiVos soon.


so what Directivos models do you have?

[Teacher Steve]

Hi All,

I called Retention this afternoon and was blown away with what they offered me...

Free HR-10-250 or HR20-700
Free Dish upgrade
Free 4 months HD Package
Free SuperFan if I order ST
Shipping & Handling ($20)

Wow! All this for being a "Valued Subscriber". It only took one call. I've been with D* since 6/2002, but I didn't expect this good of a deal. I had to commit to another two years, but I don't see myself leaving D* anyway. I think I'll order ST...

Teacher Steve

Edit: Called Retention back to order NFL ST...
Free SuperFan
6 mos. Premier Package @ $20 discount
Free upgrade to HR20-700 in Spring 2007 if I get the HR10-250.

Sweet!!!!

[bobgeorge]

I tried calling their most recent retention number tonight (800.600.8977) and I was directed to 800.531.5000.

I am an 8-yr DirecTV customer looking for the following:

Upgrade to 5-LNB and appropriate receiver
NFL ST Superfan package
A clear answer as to when DTV will add new HDTV channels, especially NFL Network (which is slated to go 24-7 HD soon) and NESN (New England Sports Network, which already is 24-7 HD)

Which is the current correct retention number?

Thanks,

Bob G

[jasonp5]

Retention is giving me nothing...

I got 10 bucks off a month and Showtime and HBO for $2.00 a month total..

HD Tivo/DVR receiver for $299 with free install and then a $100 credit and $5.00 off a month a year...or find my own HD Tivo/DVR receiver and get $100 credit and $5.00 off a month for a year on activation and they would install it and supply new dish....both would give free HD service for 4 months...

Superfan for free with Sunday Ticket purchase...

I took the 10 bucks off and movie channel deal, now going to see if I can find an HD Tivo receiver for less than $299 elsewhere...

[jasonp5]

UPDATE!!!

just called back again and talked to someone new...Got an HD DVR (or TIVO - wasnt sure which would arrive) for free (19.99 handling fee) with 4 free months of HD service...Jumped all over that...Install is a little ways out...Oct 6th, but he escalated it with the hope that we could get it in sooner...

Overall I'm pretty happy...got the 10 bucks off a month and the 2 movie channel packages for only 2 bucks and now the free HD DVR w/ install and free HD service...

Retention is giving me nothing...

I got 10 bucks off a month and Showtime and HBO for $2.00 a month total..

HD Tivo/DVR receiver for $299 with free install and then a $100 credit and $5.00 off a month a year...or find my own HD Tivo/DVR receiver and get $100 credit and $5.00 off a month for a year on activation and they would install it and supply new dish....both would give free HD service for 4 months...

Superfan for free with Sunday Ticket purchase...

I took the 10 bucks off and movie channel deal, now going to see if I can find an HD Tivo receiver for less than $299 elsewhere...

[whalerfan]

I tried calling their most recent retention number tonight (800.600.8977) and I was directed to 800.531.5000.

I am an 8-yr DirecTV customer looking for the following:

Upgrade to 5-LNB and appropriate receiver
NFL ST Superfan package
A clear answer as to when DTV will add new HDTV channels, especially NFL Network (which is slated to go 24-7 HD soon) and NESN (New England Sports Network, which already is 24-7 HD)

Which is the current correct retention number?

Thanks,

Bob G

NESN is already in HD on Directv. However you need to be living in the Boston area to get it. It's available here in Hartford on Comcast but we're outside the spotbeam. Same as YES and SNY.

Check this link: http://www.boston.com/sports/nesn/aboutus/hd/

Dishnetwork has NFL Network in HD.

[Bob_Newhart]

Get an R15 DVR* for FREE ($0.00 + $0.00 shipping/handling/installation). Just call 1-800-DIRECTV and mention "DVR4U2" as a promo code.

Or, log on to directv.com and use that code to order it FREE....totally, TOTALLY *FREE*


*notice: the R15 is not a TiVo DVR...I know....for TiVo users, use of the R15 may result in chest pains and frustration. TCF, TiVo Inc., and disco are not responsible for any adverse reactions to using an R15. But hey. It's free.
I was going to do this today. Question: The website says this includes free "professional" installation. I just want to swap out an old non-tivo DVR. Will they just ship it to me or will a "tech" have to come out?

[newsposter]

historically DTV will not let you install anything they sell. I've only seen self installs for warranty replacements (how that differs from another swapout eludes me) That being said, people on here have signed the papers and let the tech leave after 2 minutes.

[Bob_Newhart]

historically DTV will not let you install anything they sell. I've only seen self installs for warranty replacements (how that differs from another swapout eludes me) That being said, people on here have signed the papers and let the tech leave after 2 minutes.
What if the unit you want to replace is at another location (such as a beach house)?

Theoretically, I mean.

[purwater]

What if the unit you want to replace is at another location (such as a beach house)?

Theoretically, I mean.


I guess the best route to take for your theory is to pick up the receiver at Best Buy, Wally, etc. It's cheaper to pay the full price for the receiver than to take the risk. In theory anyways.

[newsposter]

What if the unit you want to replace is at another location (such as a beach house)?

Theoretically, I mean.

as I had to sell my beachhouse after the crash of '29, I'll defer to others.

However, My guess is if dtv doesnt know about the beach house (and just thinks the unit is in your den for example), you could switch out units from there to 'wherever' you do want them to come and see. Then you'd be safe.

in theory

[restino]

curious as if wether or not D* makes you sign up for a contract if you buy an R10 off ebay, or from Best Buy or CompUSA, etc? DO they figure its an R10 so its older and they don't care?

What about if you bought a new HD unit from any of these stores?

thanks