Cost of Directv service??

[MJL Atlanta]

Hey guys. I am thinking about switching to Directv to take advantage of the new customer deals. I would get a Genie HR44 and 2 HR24 receivers. From what I have read, the HR24s seem to be better than the clients withy the Genie. I would get the Xtra package. Can you please tell me what I should expect to pay up front for the equipment and installation? I think the Genie is free and I have seen different costs for the HR24s. Is there any way they will throw those in for free as well? Can you also tell me what costs I will pay every month - in addition to the programming cost of the package I choose. For example, DVR fees, equipment rental fees, etc. I am just trying to get a feel for what my total costs will be.

Any tips or suggestions would be welcome. For what it's worth, I would be switching from the other satellite provider.

Thanks so much for all the great info on this site.

 

[raoul5788]

Have you called customer service and asked them? They will likely have the best deals for you.

 

[MJL Atlanta]

I wanted to have as much information as possible before I call. I want to be ready to make the jump on the spot if they offer me something I think is fair.

 

[mdavej]

Monthly:
$25 advanced receiver fee for the Genie
$6 for each additional HR

So you're looking at $37 in equipment fees before the $10 discount they usually give new customers. That's it for additional monthly fees.

IMO, you should be able to get everything you ask for $0-$200 up front. To save money initially you may have to settle for C31s in lieu of HRs. All of that is usually free.

 

[mdram]

directvs website shows monthly fees up tot 2 years out, its better then dish website for future info (from what I recall)

 

[zim2dive]

directvs website shows monthly fees up tot 2 years out, its better then dish website for future info (from what I recall)

2nd this.. when I went thru the signup online, you got a very clear chart/spreadsheet showing you the month-by-month costs over the 1st 2 years. Takes all the guess-work out of it.

You could see all of this info before hitting any button that committed you to buying.

 

[dtro77]

Directv is going to Charge you $199 for each of those HR24's.

They may give you a break, but don't count on a big one.
They are pushing Genies with clients right now for free.

 

[dtro77]

2nd this.. when I went thru the signup online, you got a very clear chart/spreadsheet showing you the month-by-month costs over the 1st 2 years. Takes all the guess-work out of it.

You could see all of this info before hitting any button that committed you to buying.

Its also not 100% accurate . Your first year is only guaranteed , the 2nd year can and most likely will be hit with a price increase.

 

[zim2dive]

Its also not 100% accurate . Your first year is only guaranteed , the 2nd year can and most likely will be hit with a price increase.

It should be as/more accurate than anyone in this thread

Hopefully they are at least honest enough to put some ** next to the pricing for year #2, followed by the small print that says "cable/sat providers are jealous of the silly fees that cellphone companies and airlines charge, and are hoping to add just as many @$#@ fees"

EDIT: at worst, it should give OP a nice reference point.. go thru the process online far enough to get the chart... see the prices.. then call on the phone to see if a better deal can be had. I will say my sign-up process had some glitches, so be sure to make printouts, take screenshots, etc. I needed those as proof when my referral discount magically got lost.

 

[KenStomski]

For a new customer directv will only provide HR24 receivers with a genie for what they consider "low risk" customers. cost will be $398 for the two additional HRs a swm16 switch will need to be installed.

 

[twizt3dsist3r]

For a new customer directv will only provide HR24 receivers with a genie for what they consider "low risk" customers. cost will be $398 for the two additional HRs a swm16 switch will need to be installed.

The cost is correct but Im not sure on the low risk situation however. I know techs can also modify the work order once onsite by calling their WOI team to add the 2 dvrs and remove the clients, however they do ask to talk to the customer, so im not sure if they would rerun credit or not. Also the chances of the tech having the swm16 with it not being on the order originally are swIm to none (lol). So your probably best off dealing with customer service, you can also try calling a Retailer to setup the order. but the 400 bucks is almost a definite. Good call on the 2 dvrs over clients however.

 

[MJL Atlanta]

If I went with the HR44, one HR24, and one client (C41), would the client slow down the whole system? That would save me $200 and give me the functionality I need. I just know a slow system would drive me crazy.

 

[KenStomski]

The cost is correct but Im not sure on the low risk situation however. I know techs can also modify the work order once onsite by calling their WOI team to add the 2 dvrs and remove the clients, however they do ask to talk to the customer, so im not sure if they would rerun credit or not. Also the chances of the tech having the swm16 with it not being on the order originally are swIm to none (lol). So your probably best off dealing with customer service, you can also try calling a Retailer to setup the order. but the 400 bucks is almost a definite. Good call on the 2 dvrs over clients however.

i am an LSP dealer and the low risk information is what directv provided me when genie launched. makes sense because low risk customers always get a better break on advance products (or, high risk customers are not eligible for some AP deals, however you want to look at it)...

 

[KenStomski]

MRV is "sluggish" using either a client or receiver. a client will not slow down an entire system. a receiver would be more responsive over a client.

 

[wabbleknee]

I go thru the web site once in a while and this is the latest, which just puzzles me 44+24+client $200 up front

Month1-3 4-12 13-24 25-36
Xtra$ 62 109 135 145
Prem$ 67 114 142 152

Not that much difference in monthly amount ?

 

[raoul5788]

The 24 is for an HR24, which is not part of the free install. It's the normal price for an hd dvr.

 

[wabbleknee]

Understand the extra cost for hr24, but I am questioning the monthly cost isn't thay much difference, between xtra and premier. $5 at first then $7.

 

[dtro77]

I go thru the web site once in a while and this is the latest, which just puzzles me 44+24+client $200 up front

Month1-3 4-12 13-24 25-36
Xtra$ 62 109 135 145
Prem$ 67 114 142 152

Not that much difference in monthly amount ?

Choice extra is 70.99 a month. Premier is $124.99 , That's a difference of $54 per month. So not sure where you are getting your figures that are only $7 per month different ?
Without discounts
your talking for Choice Extra
$70.99
$25 Advanced receiver fee
$12 for 2 additional rooms.
Total $107.99 + taxes, RSN fee $1-3 if any, and if you want protection plan $7.99 extra.

Premier pack
$124.99
$25 advanced Receiver fee
$12 additional rooms
Total $161.99 + taxes ,RSN fee $1-3 if any, and Protection plan $7.99 extra

The only thing that would make sense with your figures , is if You don't plan on Dropping HBO,Cinemax,Starz and Showtime after the 3 month free period.

 

[wabbleknee]

What I did was go to the DTV web site, choose the equipment, Chose premier first, used the monthly cost at the bottom for the periods indicated, then repeated with the Xtra package. Those $ are from the site itself which figures in the charges and discounts etc. Yes, no channels were dropped or added for this comparison. Protection plan not selected, but would be the same on both packages?

See examples in my next post.

 

[wabbleknee]

Here is the prem cost direct from web site, beginning to end 36 mo total, then the Xtra cost beginning to end 36 mo total. In my examples I rounded up and used the first 6 months and then the last 6 months.