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Jvfan57 said:

One of our TV's gave up the ghost over Christmas. It'll be a while before I replace it. What is the procedure for deactivating the HR23-700 that's with that TV?


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maestro7 said:

As another commenter stated, call them up to deactivate. It's likely they'll want to know why, and you can have them notate the account as to why (I always ask them to do this and keep my own notes).

In fact, I'm going to have to change my signature now because our HR22-100 had a whirring sound (either fan and/or hard drive sounding like it was having issues). We deactivated our HR22-100 after we received our replacement HR24-100 (actually a slightly upgraded receiver as that replacement). On deactivation, DirecTV is supposed to send out a replacement kit (box and pre-paid shipping) because ours is able to be turned back in.

So, you might want to ask what the process is for deactivation, especially since all DirecTV devices are leased and are therefore DirecTV's property (assuming your receiver is one that is separate from your TV).

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Jimbo said:

They actually wanted an HR22 back ?

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maestro7 said:

Apparently so.

I know this because I'm becoming exceptionally anal with DirecTV, as I've had to make numerous calls into them over the past weekend regarding various issues (including their own issues of hanging up on me, a CSR having a bad headset during the call and subsequently hanging up, etc.).

Therefore, when I noticed that my replacement receiver had zero boxes, pre-paid mailers, or anything of the sort, I immediately called up DirecTV to confirm. They took the Serial Number of my old receiver to confirm/deny whether they needed the old receiver back. It turns out that (contrary to the formal email that's sent on ordering a replacement receiver) a replacement kit is actually sent when the replaced receiver is deactivated (I even had the CSR confirm by observing DirecTV's systems that the deactivation did, in fact, kick out an order to send me a replacement kit).

Also, a bit of interest: when I initially called in for trouble on old receiver (which actually took two phone calls to make happen. The first call they merely annotated my account; they didn't actually make the replacement order happen), they answered my questions regarding the replacement (that it was a replacement, not an upgrade; there was a snafu on that a year ago that I had to work through, involving re-upping a contract that I never authorized), what the shipping charge was, any additional fees, that this would not impact programming contract length, and when I was expecting to get the replacement receiver.

Then I asked *the question*: how long do I have to return the old receiver? This was a fascinating process. Initially they wanted me to buy the line that it didn't matter (which I repeatedly told them that all DirecTV is leased, therefore it is DirecTV's property, not mine, and if I don't know my time frames, I am on the hook for any/all damages/fees that would be incurred by DirecTV not receiving their devices in a timely manner). I literally had to ask one person, "So, if I keep the receiver for 10 years, is that a problem?" and they answered, "yes [with a giggle]", so I said, "OK, then please tell me what time frame there is between the time I receive the replacement kit and the time that DirecTV expects to receive the old receiver."

You'd think that would be a simple question, no? And I received a few stories on that, on anything from 30 days (calendar, not business) to two weeks. I was getting the idea that DirecTV wanted to actually charge customers like me (who's been with them for nearly two decades) an additional fee and so were being cagey about when they should expect to get the old receiver back.

So, FedEx is tracking the replacement kit (so DirecTV knows when I've received it), and I have precisely one week (calendar days) to send the old receiver back to them. In the event that somehow FedEx is slow and a charge shows on the account, when DirecTV actually receives the old receiver, they say the charge would then be waived.

And as if the above weren't enough, one of the CSRs was nice enough to tell me that on a particular day in November of 2016, AT&T decided to add a MISC change to our account for Showtime for three months. Apparently there is no way to cancel this, as it automatically falls off (they claim) after three months. I've already noted on my account (and had them send some semblance of a change request) that I want no further MISC charges on the account for "gifted" services. So, I have to call back on the day the "additional service" is alleged to automatically roll off to make sure this doesn't become a cramming issue (Google AT&T cramming if you want to know that whole backstory). Technically, this isn't cramming yet, because we're not being charged for something that neither my wife nor I actually authorized on the account (DirecTV admitted we did not authorize this change on our account). Further, there's apparently no easy way for us to prevent further MISC changes on our account, so apparently I have to always be vigilant.

I love DirecTV's video service, but honestly, they are becoming more and more like Comcast ever since AT&T took them over. I was hoping this wasn't going to be the case.

That was a long-winded response, but I've been on the phone with DirecTV for a few hours in total this past weekend, and I figured this was the best place to share.

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Jimbo said:

I returned a box not too long ago and when the return box got here, the paperwork said, Please return within 7 days.

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Jvfan57 said:

RandallA:

Did they ask for the access cards back?


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maestro7 said:

Right. However, my initial DirecTV email upon ordering the replacement receiver said IF there was pre-paid postage and/or other inclusions, then I'd be sending things back.

Our initial replacement receiver never contained any such things.

From a QA perspective (my main professional domain), this is terrible process, where I'm a reasonably intelligent individual and I went out of my way to confirm the process is not per what DirecTV states.

If process improvement were for real, then DirecTV's email verbiage should be changed to state that if you've received a replacement receiver, you'll receive a replacement kit to ship back the old receiver once you've deactivated the old receiver (assuming said receiver is marked to be returned, which can be confirmed by using the receiver's serial number).

What's fascinating about all this is that the paperwork that actually is included in the replacement receiver box is quite correct regarding the process of setting things up, including wiring diagrams.

So, all good on the setup, but terrible on the logistics. I guess that's siloed thinking in a mega corp for ya.

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RandallA said:

On one of them, not on the second one. I assume they got ID # and shut it down.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using the SatelliteGuys app!

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Jimbo said:

I've always found the paperwork for returning is in the bottom of the replacement box when I've needed to return one.

The issue I find odd is some recvrs they want back, others of the same make they may not.
Now you know as well as I do that D* will charge you for the recvr if it hasn't been returned in 7 days, but they seem to have no urgency to get the return box to you, I have called back in weeks after I turn one off to see where it is, sometimes they send another one out, other times they say no need.

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maestro7 said:

Maybe they treated your return differently than mine. I scoured that box, both inside and out, including the packing slip that's wrapped in shrinked plastic on the outside (knowing exactly what you're talking about), and there was nothing. In fact, the only directions were to recycle the receiver, which is what prompted me to call DirecTV about the situation and subsequently find out about the serial number requirement in finding out if DirecTV wanted the unit back.

Regarding the replacement kit, in my case, I happen to have a FedEx account and so I see everything that's ever destined for my physical address. As such, I've been tracking their kit being sent to me. And according to what they've told me, my return clock doesn't start until that kit hits my house. We'll see!

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