Rain fade / dish aiming service charge

**ckone0814** · 06-25-2009 10:24 AM

DirecTV HD customer for many years in SE PA. The last few months I've been getting more rain fade issues, pixelation, etc. I called D* and they said levels were on low side and that dish should be re-aimed for $49 or do monthly service charge for one year minimum.

Anyone ever get that $49.95 charge waived? I am not paying them to come and make sure I am able to pay over $100 a month for THEIR product. I will switch to cable first.

Thanks.

**stonecold** · 06-25-2009 11:57 AM

short answer no.....

Just best bet is to take the deal with the protection plan that way all your wiring etc is covered.

**JMikeH** · 06-25-2009 06:31 PM

Think of it like this. Would you expect the phone company to come into your house to fix the wiring inside your house for free? They guarantee the signal is getting TO your house. In DirecTV's case, the signal IS getting to your house.

Get the protection plan, or good luck with your cable, and higher fees.

**Joe Diamond** · 06-26-2009 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by ckone0814

DirecTV HD customer for many years in SE PA. The last few months I've been getting more rain fade issues, pixelation, etc. I called D* and they said levels were on low side and that dish should be re-aimed for $49 or do monthly service charge for one year minimum.

Anyone ever get that $49.95 charge waived? I am not paying them to come and make sure I am able to pay over $100 a month for THEIR product. I will switch to cable first.

Thanks.

You just gotta get your mind right!

What we have here is a failure to communicate!

There is a model for TV reception that has the sender giving away the signal with content and you buy the equipment. When the equipment breaks you fix it; repair the antenna and replace the picture tube or receiver etc. The sender sells commercial time. Advertisers pay for the commercial time.

DTV says they are selling you the signal with content. They "give" you ""FREE" equipment that they continue to own. You pay to maintain it. Or you can hire them to maintain it. They also sell commercial time. Everyone pays DTV.

The $49.00 pays someone to drive to your residence and do a simple task. You don't have to use DTV but the fix is on you.

What did I miss?

Joe

**stonecold** · 06-26-2009 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Joe Diamond

You just gotta get your mind right!

What we have here is a failure to communicate!

There is a model for TV reception that has the sender giving away the signal with content and you buy the equipment. When the equipment you fix it; repair the antenna and replace the picture tube or receiver etc. The sender sells commercial time. Advertisers pay for the commercial time.

DTV says they are selling you the signal with content. They "give" you ""FREE" equipment that they continue to own. You pay to maintain it. Or you can hire them to maintain it. They also sell commercial time. Everyone pays DTV.

The $49.00 pays someone to drive to your residence and do a simple task. You don't have to use DTV but the fix is on you.

What did I miss?

Joe

the part where directv waives the 49.95 truck roll if he signs up for the protection plan and keeps it for an year.

**Joe Diamond** · 06-26-2009 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by stonecold

the part where directv waives the 49.95 truck roll if he signs up for the protection plan and keeps it for an year.

Quite so.

But there is the $6.00 per month for the year to pay for the protection plan.

6 x 12 = 72 - 50 = 22) The cx is still paying to fix his rig.

The protection plan could be good if receivers die. The equation would change. My point was that DTV has cultivated a customer mentality that says everything is free. Everything has a cost and a value. If you want to receive the value you pay the vendor the cost.

Joe

**Joe Diamond** · 06-26-2009 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by JMikeH

Think of it like this. Would you expect the phone company to come into your house to fix the wiring inside your house for free? They guarantee the signal is getting TO your house. In DirecTV's case, the signal IS getting to your house.

Get the protection plan, or good luck with your cable, and higher fees.

There was a time when the phone company would do just that. They said it was their system and you could use it. It was a public utility.

Them days be gone.

Joe

**stonecold** · 06-26-2009 01:17 PM

Originally Posted by Joe Diamond

Quite so.

But there is the $6.00 per month for the year to pay for the protection plan.

6 x 12 = 72 - 50 = 22) The cx is still paying to fix his rig.

The protection plan could be good if receivers die. The equation would change. My point was that DTV has cultivated a customer mentality that says everything is free. Everything has a cost and a value. If you want to receive the value you pay the vendor the cost.

Joe

Basically though the service call does not cover parts though. If a tech needs to swap out a Multi switch there money out the window. LNB gone bad.... you guessed it another part. Bad remote yeap another part.

So even if the tech replaced only one part say a multi switch or a lnb it already saving money as they are more then 22 dollars.

remotes are 15

Protection Plan is there for piece of mind tech made the offer and the cust got pissy . bottom line I know he thinks it should be for free but it just not going to happen.

**Joe Diamond** · 06-27-2009 12:09 AM

Originally Posted by stonecold

Basically though the service call does not cover parts though. If a tech needs to swap out a Multi switch there money out the window. LNB gone bad.... you guessed it another part. Bad remote yeap another part.

So even if the tech replaced only one part say a multi switch or a lnb it already saving money as they are more then 22 dollars.

remotes are 15

Protection Plan is there for piece of mind tech made the offer and the cust got pissy . bottom line I know he thinks it should be for free but it just not going to happen.

THAT is where it is bro!

With the correct grease what DTV and subcontractors and HSPs do doesn't hurt that much. I see a growing and pent up customer piss off coming. People should not be surprised or have strange expectations about the nature of a contract they have entered.

" Ah seez a bad (ambiguous) moon ah rizin!"

Joe

**tech10150** · 06-27-2009 07:20 AM

That's what the protection plan is for. For $6 per month, DirecTv covers any service calls on anything from the dish to the tv. You can't just waive the protection plan, then expect a tech to come out for free. That's like not having car insurance and expecting the manufacturer to cover hail damage.