Able to add Showtime on the phone without switching grandfathered base plan

[SLOmike]

Saves me $2 per month.

My wife wanted to add Showtime (to get the Tudors).

I currentlly have Total Choice Plus @ $54.99 / month and DVR svc @ $5.99 / month. (combined $60.98 / month)

I went to the DirecTV web site and it said:
"Before you can make any changes to your account you are required to change your package.
Why do I have to change my package? You have an older package that does not support the programming/service you have selected.
Can I switch back if I change my mind? No, since we no longer offer your old (discontinued) package, you cannot switch back once you've changed. "

I determined that I would have to switch to Plus DVR @ $62.99 / month to get the stations I watched and add ShowTime.

Because I have had problems with losing programming when making changes online in the past I decided to use the phone to make changes. After verifying with the agent that I would not be charged extra for makeing changes over the phone, I requested that ShowTime be added. The CSR was able to add ShowTime without changing my base package.

This will save me $2 per month for making a phone call. Just wanted to share an easy way to save a few bucks.

In the past I had lost DVR service when I added/removed BabyFirstTV (which was great when my daughter was younger). I was also woried about losing my DNS feeds since they did not show up on the website.

-Mike

[avburns]

SLOmike, this was somewhat discussed in this thread:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=389162

I'm in the same boat you are, however, as someone who would routinely switch in and out of premium channels via the website, I can't help wondering if bypassing the CSR (i.e. calling them everytime I want to change premium channels) is worth $2 a month (which is about what the next price increase will probably be).

I do recall once being able to make channel changes via the phone's automated system. Is that still possible or can it only be handled by the CSR's?

[Ilovetorecord2]

I used to change the premiums from time to time also and was unable to find a way online.

I did call as suggested and got one switched for the other without an additional charge. Probably would cause problems in future if done regularly or maybe if our older packages are upgraded then we can switch like we use to?

Someone will have to bite the bullet to find out maybe.

[SLOmike]

I was told that there is now a fee if you keep a premium channel for less then 30 days.

I can understand that after the stories of people turning on HBO only for Sunday nights.

-Mike

[TonyTheTiger]

I was told that there is now a fee if you keep a premium channel for less then 30 days.

I can understand that after the stories of people turning on HBO only for Sunday nights.

-Mike

This has been the case for some time. People were, in fact, enabling a channel for one night a week for their favorite series and then canceling it the next day, so the 30-day rule was imposed.