Directv deactivated my HR10

[fredflint]

I finally bit the bullet and accepted Directv's offer to upgrade my HR10-250. I planned to activate the new HR21 they sent and keep my HR10-250 as a backup.

About 24 hours after the install, I noticed that my HR10 had been deactivated. Onsreen message is telling me that I have to call in to get it reactivated.

Is this standard procedure or is this just a sneaky way to extend my commitment when I go to reactivate my old receiver? Right now, even with the new HR21, my account shows "no annual commitment". I want to keep it that way.

[litzdog911]

I think they assume you want the HR10-250 deactivated if you're "upgrading" to a newer HD DVR. But you should be able to keep the HR10-250 active on your account. Give them a call.

[shibby191]

If you didn't tell them to keep it active then they would deactivate it since it's technically a "swap" and that's what usually happens in such a situation. But all you gotta do is tell them you want to keep it active.

[TyroneShoes]

...it's technically a "swap" and that's what usually happens in such a situation...I don't think so. I called saying my HR10 was dying and I needed a swap, and was sent a new DVR, which I activated. My HR10 was not deactivated (this about 2 months ago) and I conveniently did not ask for it to be, wanting in reality to have them basically give me a 4th DVR (and keep the other 3 active).

My understanding of the ways of DTV (a limited one, I freely admit) is that the folks involved in getting me a new DVR to swap are quite different from the folks who activate and deactivate DVRs (OK, they can both do both things, but calling for a swap and activating the new DVR are two separate acts performed days apart by different CSRs).

Maybe they're finally on to me (and my ilk), and are now trying to discourage fake swaps that are really additions. A swap is usually free, while an upgrade is usually $99 or $199.

But if the left hand knows not what the right hand is doing (which is what I was counting on), it should take initiation on the customer's part to deactivate the HR10. After all, that's $5 a month they still get until you tell them you don't want to pay to have it active anymore, so what would be their motivation to purposely lower their revenue when keeping old boxes active is like free money for them (even if $1.25 of it goes to Tivo)?

I can see discouraging fake swaps that are really upgrades, but once the DVR is on the account I can't see why they would shoot themselves in the foot by automatically disconnecting the other one, which is still printing money for them for free.

Maybe I got off because I did not indicate exactly which DVR was the "failing" one, and if you have but one they pretty much know already which one you claim is failing even if you don't identify it to them.

[shibby191]

I don't think so. I called saying my HR10 was dying and I needed a swap, and was sent a new DVR, which I activated. My HR10 was not deactivated (this about 2 months ago) and I conveniently did not ask for it to be, wanting in reality to have them basically give me a 4th DVR (and keep the other 3 active).


If people take advantage of the free swap deals usually the CSRs will assume deactivation of your old one (because the "swap" is to "replace" what you have now). But your millage may vary of course, who knows what the CSR will do.

But in any case, to assume anything with these big companies is a bad idea. If you want something to remain active, make sure you ask for it. Never assume anything.

[zdude1]

But in any case, to assume anything with these big companies is a bad idea. If you want something to remain active, make sure you ask for it. Never assume anything.
Agreed. I had 4 HR10's and 2 HTL-HD's swapped out for 4 HR20's and 2 H20's, but I requested at the time of accepting the swap that the HR10's remain active so that we could finish watching all of the recorded content.

They never tried to say that I could watch recorded content after disconnection, and I don't remember if the capability exists, but that is a moot point for me; I wanted to keep 2 of them forever bc of the archived content on them (upgraded to 650GB and 750GB). The installer came, we disconnected one HR10, did the setups of all 6 new units one at a time with those sat feeds, then he left and I placed the 6 units where I wanted them. I still have all 4 HR20's and the 2 HR10's active. I've since removed the 2 H20's and 2 HR10's off the account.

Here's where this deal got really sweet:
On multiple occurances, I have even asked csr's which units are leased, and only 1 HR20 is leased according to them. I own everything else and have point-blank asked them if I could sell the owned equipment without penalty by Directv. They confirmed that only the 1 HR20 unit could not be sold, and the account needed to remain active for remainder of 2 yr commitment or pay penalty. Right now, I have no plan to sell any of them, well maybe the 2 H20's, but it's nice to know that if I cancel, I can raise more than enough cash to pay the penalty by selling a couple units.

This works for me.

[TyroneShoes]

If people take advantage of the free swap deals usually the CSRs will assume deactivation of your old one (because the "swap" is to "replace" what you have now). But your millage may vary of course, who knows what the CSR will do...I think you miss my point. The original CSR will assume deactivation, but until recently at least, it did not matter what they might assume, since the CSR setting up the swap was not the CSR doing the activation or deactivation. Getting a DVR sent to you on an existing account is an opera in three acts; you have one CSR send you a DVR, later shipping and receiving happens, and then even later, you call a different CSR to activate it when you are ready.

There is no way the first CSR has anything to do with activating the new DVR or deactivating the old one. My best guess would be that until recently, the "activating" CSR was also completely unaware of whether the transaction was a replacement or an addition.

So also until at least recently, activating a new DVR was an isolated event, completely independent of whether the DVR was a replacement or an addition.

Maybe they have finally figured out that they can tie that info together in the computer so that a "replacement" has a different status than a "addition", when activation time comes, cueing the "activating" CSR to act differently dependent on the original scenario, and thwarting those of us trying to convert a replacement into an addition. Saying you needed a replacement and then not deactivating the older DVR usually did not carry the cost to the customer that simply adding a DVR did, even though they are technically the same thing if you don't deactivate. Maybe they want to stop us from turning a replacement scenario into a addition scenario by simply not deactivating, and maybe they are trying to finally take control of that by deactivating the old DVR automatically whenever the transaction is flagged as a replacement.

That's what I would do, but then I never would have allowed the customer to have that option in the first place, and would have flagged replacements in the computer from day one. The difference between being proactive and reactive can cost a company a lot of dough until they eventually figure these sorts of things out.

It was a loophole. Maybe they finally closed it.

[fredflint]

Update: All it took was an easy 5 minute call to reactivate my receiver. My account still shows "no annual commitment".

[JimSpence]

That's great.:)

But, where on the DirecTV account page did you find that you have no annual ommitment?

[fredflint]

Within my account, I clicked on "my equipment". There is a tab called "my current setup". No annual commitment is listed under "my services".

[sjberra]

Within my account, I clicked on "my equipment". There is a tab called "my current setup". No annual commitment is listed under "my services".

Do not have anything like that on my account display, and I know I do not have a commitment - spent 2 hours on the phone with the access card department getting everything straightened out

[newsposter]

Within my account, I clicked on "my equipment". There is a tab called "my current setup". No annual commitment is listed under "my services".

i know i do have a commitment and it's not listed

[shibby191]

Do not have anything like that on my account display, and I know I do not have a commitment - spent 2 hours on the phone with the access card department getting everything straightened out

I think it's only on an account that took advantage of these swaps since there has been so much trouble with people actually getting the no commitment properly. Just my thought.

[fredflint]

11502

[sk33t3r]

So if some wanted to upgrade their hr10-250, DSR7000 and 2 HDVR2 to HR21's what would you do? I already have 1 HR21-200

[tucsonbill]

11502
Yep. Sure enough, that's a bitmap file.

[samo]

So if some wanted to upgrade their hr10-250, DSR7000 and 2 HDVR2 to HR21's what would you do? I already have 1 HR21-200
You call them and tell them that you are considering switch to Dish because they have a deal for $10 a month for 6 months that includes free HD DVR, 3 months of HBO and 12 months of Showtime. Then depending on your negotiation skills you can squeeze a deal for what you want.
In my case I got free HR22 (really didn't need anything else, but perhaps could get more if I tried)

[JimSpence]

11502No such image on my current setup.