I followed the advice of those on the forum and, after haggling for 21 minutes with the retention department, I got them to give me a HR10-250 for shipping/handling of $19.95. Thanks to those who have shared their experiences. But, it wasn't easy.
I told them I was a ST and SuperFan subscriber and was considering canceling because I could not fully take advantage of the service without an HD-DVR. I said I wanted an upgrade. She acts like she has never heard of anyone asking for this before. First, she offers me a $100 off ($299). I tell her that is not good enuf -- I have spend lots of money buying D* equipment (HD receiver, dish, DVR, etc.) and want a better deal. Then she offers a $10 credit on HBO for 6 months. I say still not good enuf. I tell her that others in my situation are being upgraded free. She says this is the best deal she can give for someone in my situation.
Then I ask if there is someone else I can talk to about getting an HD-DVR upgrade for a longtime customer and question whether D* is interested in retaining me as a customer. She goes on and on about how expensive the equipment is and how D* wants us subscribers to invest in it. Then she says the equipment will be replaced in a couple months with 4mpeg technology. So I tell her, why are you asking me to pay $299 for something you say is obsolete? Then she asks, how much do you think is fair? I am thinking this is going nowhere so I say, I shouldn't have to pay more than $100 for this HD-DVR. At that point, I am clearly losing.
She says "let me check my notes." Then after about 5 minutes on hold, she comes back and says I can have the HD-DVR for free! She says you need to "be persistent" and ask for another opinion. Apparently, either (a) she talked to someone else who told her that D* was giving ST customers the HD-DVR and she didn't know it before then or (b) D* has trained these people to play stupid, negotiate, and try to get something when people ask for the free deal.
So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. All you forum members who pitched in with information saved me a few hundred $. It did take more than 20 minutes of haggling to get there, but it was worth it.
I told them I was a ST and SuperFan subscriber and was considering canceling because I could not fully take advantage of the service without an HD-DVR. I said I wanted an upgrade. She acts like she has never heard of anyone asking for this before. First, she offers me a $100 off ($299). I tell her that is not good enuf -- I have spend lots of money buying D* equipment (HD receiver, dish, DVR, etc.) and want a better deal. Then she offers a $10 credit on HBO for 6 months. I say still not good enuf. I tell her that others in my situation are being upgraded free. She says this is the best deal she can give for someone in my situation.
Then I ask if there is someone else I can talk to about getting an HD-DVR upgrade for a longtime customer and question whether D* is interested in retaining me as a customer. She goes on and on about how expensive the equipment is and how D* wants us subscribers to invest in it. Then she says the equipment will be replaced in a couple months with 4mpeg technology. So I tell her, why are you asking me to pay $299 for something you say is obsolete? Then she asks, how much do you think is fair? I am thinking this is going nowhere so I say, I shouldn't have to pay more than $100 for this HD-DVR. At that point, I am clearly losing.
She says "let me check my notes." Then after about 5 minutes on hold, she comes back and says I can have the HD-DVR for free! She says you need to "be persistent" and ask for another opinion. Apparently, either (a) she talked to someone else who told her that D* was giving ST customers the HD-DVR and she didn't know it before then or (b) D* has trained these people to play stupid, negotiate, and try to get something when people ask for the free deal.
So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. All you forum members who pitched in with information saved me a few hundred $. It did take more than 20 minutes of haggling to get there, but it was worth it.
