Protection Plan for $7.99

[Kamakzie]

Am I supposed to be charged this amount still or just $5.99?

[Gweeto]

I don't know but their website says it is only $5.99 so I would call and get it reduced.

http://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/global/contentPage.jsp?assetId=900030

[Kamakzie]

They said its because I have advanced equipment (HD-DVR)..

[hiker]

The CSR is wrong, you should be paying $5.99 now. See my post here (http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=4520298&&#post4520298) and the ones right below it.

[Kamakzie]

So just go online and drop it and re-add it?

[hiker]

Yes, that's what I did. But remember you won't be covered for 30 days.

[coachO]

hiker: just curious. What is your setup using both Hr10-250 and tivo series 3. I need some reason so I can justify getting a series 3! I also notice you have Dish too?

[ericlovestivo]

Slightly OT, but I have to vent... I'm in Advanced Protection Plan hell right now...
I have two HR10-250's and one HR20. One of my HR10's has a bad HDMI port (surprise!), so they said they'd send me a replacement. They sent me an HR20 instead. That won't work for me because no OTA, no ch 50 in HD in DC, no dual buffers. I escalated it within Protection Plan Dept. They filled out a Compatibility Form which is a manager agreeing to push it up with my arguement. Then on Monday they told me that they complied and an HR10 was sent out over the weekend. Yesterday I got my 2nd HR20!!! Unreal. I now have a manager in Protection Plan that has taken ownership of this and he committed to call me on Friday (he has already called me once to clarify a point).
They say they simply don't have anymore new HR10's to send out, but they can try to get me one of the few reconditioned ones that are flowing in/out. At this point, I'd probably keep the HR20 but my son refuses to lose the TiVo in the theater room; I've created a monster!
I'm pretty certain the 2nd HR20 was a sent out manually. There's no access card in there. I doubt D* has any record of that unit. Can I activate that in a new room with one of my old access cards from a non-HD Hughes box?

[hiker]

hiker: just curious. What is your setup using both Hr10-250 and tivo series 3. I need some reason so I can justify getting a series 3! I also notice you have Dish too?
Yes, I have DirecTV, Comcast (Limited Basic, Digital Classic) and DishNetwork BronzeHD. I use a matrix component switch for multiple TVs. I want as much HD as possible and no one service has it all. Comcast cable with S3 has the best PQ. I spend way too much money on TV but I'm retired and have lots of time to enjoy it.

[hybucket]

Boy, you've got to watch these guys like crazy! I signed up for the protection plan last January - called the CSR today about the lowered price, she said it was 7.99 because of my "advanced equipment." When I told that was not what the website said, she put me on hold for an hour or two (actually, about five minutes) and said that she would lower it to 5.99 with a one-year committment, with a $10 penalty if I dropped it before 1 year. I then asked her why I wasn't automatically lowered to the 5.99 when it changed in March. She said they don't do that. She then said the price was lowered when they went up on their monthly fee for certian plans. I said, well, they automatically went UP on my bill for those services, so they should have automatically come DOWN for the protection plan changes. Back on HOLD again...she came back, and gave me a $5 discount for six months for the eight month overchage. You have to wonder how many others out there are getting screwed by all this....

[MikeNorman]

I was told when I signed up for the protection plan Jan 2006 that if I had the HR10-250 and other high definition receivers the charge is the $7.99 amount. Only if I did not have any high definition equipment the charge would be $5.99.

I always payed $7.99.
Mike

[Kamakzie]

Any D* bigwigs post here? Can we get an official answer. I trust hiker but I want to make sure he wasn't given false info from a clueless CSR.

[Blurayfan]

I was told when I signed up for the protection plan Jan 2006 that if I had the HR10-250 and other high definition receivers the charge is the $7.99 amount. Only if I did not have any high definition equipment the charge would be $5.99.

I always payed $7.99.
Mike
When D* changed to their lease policy on 3/01/06 they also removed the $7.99 advanced receiver protection. The $5.99 protection covers all receivers now.

[MikeNorman]

When D* changed to their lease policy on 3/01/06 they also removed the $7.99 advanced receiver protection. The $5.99 protection covers all receivers now.

Thanks DVDKingdom. I called Directv and the CSR person said they would lower it to 5.99 with a one-year committment, with a $10 penalty if I dropped it before 1 year. I received a $20 credit for my trouble.
Mike

[Kamakzie]

Geesh finally got them to lower it. The front line CSR said that the 7.99 charge was correct. I kept questioning that so she offered 3 months of Showtime for free. I kept questioning it still so she transferred me to the "Protection Plan department" and the guy said sure I can take care of that for you. He said it should've went down to 5.99 back in March. They gave me a $16 credit as well for the overpay. So be persistent.

[aaronwt]

Hmm. I'm still getting charged $7.99 plus $.40 tax.

[rb5505]

i've never in my life seen a company have so many different answers to the same friggin' question! i hate to call them and ask them anything. you never know what they'll say next....about anything. below is the reply i just got today to my question about the $7.99/5.99 protection plan pricing. we have 1 hdtivo and 2 std. i'd just gotten a 7 month $2/mo credit to may account, after the operator agreed that it should've been $5.99 since early this year (march i think). then this months bill was back to $7.99. they're one poorly managed company, with zero inter-company communication!

"Thanks for writing. I'm sorry for the confusion the DIRECTV Protection Plan may have caused you. Upon reviewing your DIRECTV account, I found that because you own your receiver(s) and the other equipment, such as the remote, cabling, dish, and multi-switch, the $7.99 plan that you purchased covers all of these items. Please be advised that new customers, who purchase our Protection Plan today, lease their receivers and do not own them. For these customers the receiver is already covered under their lease agreement. Therefore, their coverage only includes the 24/7 technical troubleshooting, the free service calls, and the replacement of the related additional equipment.

We really do appreciate your business, so I will give you the Protection Plan for the reduced price of $5.99. The changes to your account will be reflected on your next DIRECTV bill, or you can see them immediately by signing into your DIRECTV account online at DIRECTV.com/MyDIRECTV and clicking on "View Activity Since Your Last Bill" in the My Account column. "

[rickaren]

Yes, I have DirecTV, Comcast (Limited Basic, Digital Classic) and DishNetwork BronzeHD. I use a matrix component switch for multiple TVs. I want as much HD as possible and no one service has it all. Comcast cable with S3 has the best PQ. I spend way too much money on TV but I'm retired and have lots of time to enjoy it.

Glad to see I am not the only one! Yes I am retired too and have both D* & E* with HD and their HD DVRs. We watch a lot of HD programing (the HD Net Styx Concert with the 171 piece youth band was over the top). I never thought I would be paying out to two providers either but just watching the STYX Concert was worth $100. Help justify the investment in HD and Home Theater!

[Kamakzie]

Well I checked and they never gave me Showtime after all LOL.

[iweinreb]

i've never in my life seen a company have so many different answers to the same friggin' question! i hate to call them and ask them anything. you never know what they'll say next....about anything. below is the reply i just got today to my question about the $7.99/5.99 protection plan pricing. we have 1 hdtivo and 2 std. i'd just gotten a 7 month $2/mo credit to may account, after the operator agreed that it should've been $5.99 since early this year (march i think). then this months bill was back to $7.99. they're one poorly managed company, with zero inter-company communication!

"Thanks for writing. I'm sorry for the confusion the DIRECTV Protection Plan may have caused you. Upon reviewing your DIRECTV account, I found that because you own your receiver(s) and the other equipment, such as the remote, cabling, dish, and multi-switch, the $7.99 plan that you purchased covers all of these items. Please be advised that new customers, who purchase our Protection Plan today, lease their receivers and do not own them. For these customers the receiver is already covered under their lease agreement. Therefore, their coverage only includes the 24/7 technical troubleshooting, the free service calls, and the replacement of the related additional equipment.

We really do appreciate your business, so I will give you the Protection Plan for the reduced price of $5.99. The changes to your account will be reflected on your next DIRECTV bill, or you can see them immediately by signing into your DIRECTV account online at DIRECTV.com/MyDIRECTV and clicking on "View Activity Since Your Last Bill" in the My Account column. "

They tried giving me the same story when I dealt with this a month or so ago. Of course it is complete nonsense, for the reasons described in my post in the thread that hiker linked to above. The bottom line apparently is that everyone really does need to keep a very close eye on their bills.

[Adam1115]

When I cancelled, the told me their is a 1 year comitment on the service plan and it would cost me $10 to cancel.