Directv's newest SCAM of all scams!

[N2Advnture]

Check this out. I was researching a new Directv receiver for a buddy of mine. So, I went to typical electronics store website(s) and found this new disclaimer for when YOU PURCHASE equipment to use for Directv.

Prices shown are "lease upgrade fees." Additional $4.99/mo. lease fee applies for each DIRECTV Receiver you add. Programming commitment required.

DIRECTV Hardware Lease Terms
Purchase of 12 consecutive months (24 consecutive months for advanced receivers) of any DIRECTV TOTAL CHOICE ($44.99/mo. or above), or DIRECTV PARA TODOS programming package ($29.99/mo. or above), or qualifying international services bundle, within 30 days of equipment lease. FAILURE TO ACTIVATE DIRECTV SYSTEM WITHIN 30 DAYS OF RECEIPT MAY RESULT IN CHARGE OF $150 PER DIRECTV RECEIVER NOT ACTIVATED. IF YOU FAIL TO MAINTAIN YOUR PROGRAMMING COMMITMENT, DIRECTV MAY CHARGE PRORATED FEE OF UP TO $150 FOR STANDARD RECEIVERS (UP TO $300 FOR ADVANCED RECEIVERS). RECEIVERS ARE AT ALL TIMES PROPERTY OF DIRECTV AND MUST BE RETURNED UPON CANCELLATION OF SERVICE, OR ADDITIONAL FEES APPLY. VISIT DIRECTV.COM OR CALL 1-800-DIRECTV FOR DETAILS. DIRECTV programming pricing, terms and conditions subject to change. Taxes not included. Equipment not transferable and may not be sold. Programming sold separately. Pricing residential. Receipt of DIRECTV programming subject to DIRECTV Customer Agreement; copy provided at DIRECTV.com and in the first bill. ©2006 DIRECTV, Inc. DIRECTV, the Cyclone Design logo, TOTAL CHOICE and DIRECTV PLUS are registered trademarks of DIRECTV, Inc. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

This is apparently a new requirement by Directv (it wasn't present when I replaced all my equipment to HD equipment about 7 months ago).

What a bunch of crap! YOU buy the equipment and they own it? WTF?!

Once my exisiting equipment breaks or become obsolete, I won't be renewing!

Just a head's up in case anyone was thinking of signing up.

~Mark

 

[CasaSoho]

Although I don't like it, that was my impression all along in the 2 years I have suscribed. As long as they have the NFL Ticket and are $15 cheaper than the local cable company I will continue to suscribe.

BTW Mark - My wife picked up a Palio from you for my Birthday. After I opened it she commented on how helpful and nice you were. Keep up the good work! Too bad she forgot to order the Got Puros? t-shirt.

 

[N2Advnture]

Although I don't like it, that was my impression all along in the 2 years I have suscribed. As long as they have the NFL Ticket and are $15 cheaper than the local cable company I will continue to suscribe.

BTW Mark - My wife picked up a Palio from you for my Birthday. After I opened it she commented on how helpful and nice you were. Keep up the good work! Too bad she forgot to order the Got Puros? t-shirt.

That's the only reason I have stuck with them...that darn NFL ticket is like crack!

My pleasure bro! Glad to hear that I am doing something right :thumbs:

~Mark

 

[fenian'98]

When DirecTV came out it was supposed to be the answer to all the stunts cable companies pull. Turns out they're cut from the same cloth. We're helpless in this and always will be.

 

[Mrepp]

Ehh what I gather because I chatted it up with a directTv guy is if you want to buy the dish and receiver box yourself you can but they wont customer support it. They send you the HU card. If you get additional rooms you pay the 4.99 for additional cards. Or you can lease there stuff which is included in the normal pay rate and additional rooms you lease an additional receiver box for the 4.99 so from what I saw with them there’s no real point in buying you own equipment. They only thing they want back at the end is the receiver box, they don’t care about this dish. I just switched to dish network which I like more but it goes out a little more often the direct tv did when there’s storms.

 

[Strayvector]

Unfortunately Mark, this is the same thing that Dish Network is now doing. Time to go the route of free to air satellite.

 

[HarvInSTL]

They send you the HU card. If you get additional rooms you pay the 4.99 for additional cards.

They haven't used HU cards for at least 2 years. I wish they still did because it sucks not having free satelite anymore. Or at least thats what I hear...

 

[tigger]

I'm in the midst of a semi-opposite situation with Dish Network, which is almost as annoying.

When my gal and I moved into our new place, we decided that since she already had a set top box, we would use Dish Network to fulfill our, er, TV needs. Wants. Whatever.

After not showing up for the 1st appointment they made, their contractor came out and put an ugly danged antenna on our roof. Small, but ugly, IMO.

We weren't getting all of the chammels we'd signed up for, so the contractor sent a tech out again. Upshot was that because of the location of our house, they couldn't provide all of the programming they guaranteed us, so we cancelled their service.

Now they want $100 to take the dish down, because they gave it to us when we signed up. I sent the President of DishNetwork/EchoStar a letter saying I didn't think they wanted to deal with the liabilty of what might happen with my climbing up on the roof and taking the thing down.

We'll see what happens. :angry:

 

[PSTAN]

The wife and I have had Direct TV since '98. I like their service every time I have called or went online. We still have one of the original big receivers, it is bulky and slow by today’s equipment standards but it still out performs the new HD "Original" Direct TV equipment that my in-laws have. The other receiver unit that we have is a Sony, great little unit. I would rather have to send them back a card in a small white envelope than have to wait on a technician to come by drop off or pickup their equipment. The $4.99 in question is really an issue of owning a receiver that has all the setup/screen options that you like. Personally, the "original/Lease" Direct TV Receivers are not as user friendly because their remotes and screen options suck and I would rather pay the $4.99 for equipment that functions like I like.

We thought about switching to Dish Network last year but I didn't like their receivers and I couldn't locate any that are made by another manufacturer.

Ehh what I gather because I chatted it up with a directTv guy is if you want to buy the dish and receiver box yourself you can but they wont customer support it. They send you the HU card. If you get additional rooms you pay the 4.99 for additional cards. Or you can lease there stuff which is included in the normal pay rate and additional rooms you lease an additional receiver box for the 4.99 so from what I saw with them there’s no real point in buying you own equipment. They only thing they want back at the end is the receiver box, they don’t care about this dish. I just switched to dish network which I like more but it goes out a little more often the direct tv did when there’s storms.

 

[Pyre]

I think the new DirectTV receivers have the P5 card built in, which is why they probably are strict about getting them back. They don't want another HU programming boom happening anytime soon.

 

[mysteryberto]

Yeah a lot of receivers have their cards integrated now. Still sattelite is cool if you can't get digital cable but otherwise I think digital cable outshines it by far with stuff like ondemand.

 

[theorangeman]

I'm happy with Directv - although the extra $4.95 per receiver is sort of a bitch (it adds up). I wouldn't be able to see half the 'Cuse games that I'm able to now without their service (although sometimes a little costly).