DIRECTV PROTECTION PLAN Question

[cournaextra]

Having just switched to D* from E*, the installer mentioned that it would be a good idea to add this plan.
I currently have two H-20 receivers with the 5lnb slim line dish.
I looked at the plan, but still am not sure if its a good value or not.
Any suggestions/opinions?

Thanks

 

[apace]

The cost of the plan for a year would be about the cost of one service call. and it covers everything down to the cable connectors.

 

[meStevo]

It's generally a good deal. Like all insurance, you hope you don't have to use it, but it's good for what it covers (everything reasonable more or less).

 

[LonghornXP]

The Protection plan will cover all service calls needed to fix your service. Say if snow or wind knocks your dish from getting a signal the protection plan would cover a truck roll to fix those issues at no cost to you (besides the cost of the protection plan of course). All multiswitches, boxes and cables are fully covered even if your box gets fried from say power issues.

If you have lease boxes on your account they will be replaced free of charge if they stop working even without the protection plan "but" any replacement will require a new two year commitment. If you have the protection plan it (the plan) would provide a free box replacement "without" a new two year commitment.

Those are the key main benefits of the DirecTV Protection Plan in a nutshell.

 

[rad]

I thought that D* charged $19.95 shipping charge to replace a leased receiver if not on protection plan.

 

[LonghornXP]

I thought that D* charged $19.95 shipping charge to replace a leased receiver if not on protection plan.

That is a question I have no idea the answer but it wouldn't surprise me if that was correct.

 

[Jimbo]

That is a question I have no idea the answer but it wouldn't surprise me if that was correct.

I just had a HR20 replaced with the protection plan, no mention of a fee of any kind.

Jimbo

 

[wmj5]

I don't have the protection plan, I got another receiver for $19.95, on my account on pc it says no commitment:

 

[Rassilon]

Are you sure that they require you to agree to another 2yrs if they have to replace a leased box that isn't under the protection plan? I recently got D* service and I don't remember them explaining that to me when they told me about it.

 

[steve615]

We have had the protection plan since day 1 with D*.From our perspective,it has been well worth it.We have 2 owned H20-600s and 1 leased HR20-700.The H20s went out on us and D* replaced them at no charge with the protection plan.We have also had to have the HR20 replaced.We started out with the HR20-100.The hard drive went out in it.It was replaced with another HR20-700,only to have another hard drive failure in it too.D* replaced it with another HR20-700.I guess the third time was the charm with the HR20.This one has been working very well,so far.All of these replacement receivers were shipped with no charge to us and no re-upping for the 2 year commitment was involved.Overall,the protection plan has been worth every penny we have paid for it to date. :up

 

[scotsmanron]

I have the plan, but that doens't mean that I don't think it's a rip off.

We lease the equipment. They get it back if we leave, yet if it craps out we have to pay for it. Something is wrong with that picture. I used to lease my vehicles. If the car had a problem I called the dealer. It didn't cost me a dime. If you lease your house you don't pay for repairs. This is the only company I know where you pay on both ends of a lease deal that I can think of.

 

[rad]

I have the plan, but that doens't mean that I don't think it's a rip off.

We lease the equipment. They get it back if we leave, yet if it craps out we have to pay for it. Something is wrong with that picture. I used to lease my vehicles. If the car had a problem I called the dealer. It didn't cost me a dime. If you lease your house you don't pay for repairs. This is the only company I know where you pay on both ends of a lease deal that I can think of.

I also leased cars for a couple times, back before they had warrenties that went to 3yr/36K miles. Back then if something broke on the car that was outside the warrenty period I had to pay for the repair, leasing didn't provide any additional coverage over and above what the manufactures warranty provided.

 

[scotsmanron]

True, but we are talking two year commitments aren't we? Seems to me that inside that two years that D* shouldn't charge for a protection plan. THEN if you decide that you don't want to upgrade your equipment THEN you are on your own.

 

[rad]

True, but we are talking two year commitments aren't we? Seems to me that inside that two years that D* shouldn't charge for a protection plan. THEN if you decide that you don't want to upgrade your equipment THEN you are on your own.

Back to your lease car comparison, you make a commitment for leasing the car. If something broke that wasn't under warranty you have a choice of either paying to get it fixed or breaking the lease and paying a big fat charge. Same for D*, you can always leave early and pay the prorated $300 fee.

 

[scotsmanron]

I can see that, but that, again, isn't what we are talking about. D* won't fix anything without a charge if you don't have a protection plan, even if it is in the two year committment period. It doesn't matter if it's under warranty or not. Can you imagine BMW telling you that you are on your own even though the 328ci you leased is broken down? I buy auto insurance because of things that I do, or someone does to me, but not because of mechanical failure, even if it is minor. With D* even if they come to your house and find out it some thing wrong with their equipment and you didn't have the protection plan you are still stuck with the service call. Great. Just great. There is no way you can defend D*'s practice on this thing. If they are going to take the responsibility of being a company that leases equipment then they need to take responsibility for the equipment.

 

[rad]

Yes we are talking about the same thing. You're wrapping warranty and commitment together into meaning the same thing, I'm talking warranty and commitment as two seperate things. If something is outside the warranty period thing then unless it's covered by an extended warranty or protection plan then you have to pay to get it fixed, leased or not. If it did fail within the 1st 90 days then D* does replace it for free, after that you pay.

 

[vurbano]

If you have lease boxes on your account they will be replaced free of charge if they stop working even without the protection plan "but" any replacement will require a new two year commitment. If you have the protection plan it (the plan) would provide a free box replacement "without" a new two year commitment.

D* has no responsibility to provide functional leased equipment to recieve their service during the term of the lease? And if they replace some of their defective equipment you commit to another 2 years? . So the protection plan is like a get out of jail free card? Its just silly, so if you have a problem call and get the protection plan and after its fixed drop it.

 

[cournaextra]

So I guess the bottom line is that without the protection plan, my cost on the receivers under a lease would be limited to a 19.95 shipping charge,
but any dish, cabling, or dish re-alignment needs would need to be paid for on an as needed basis.

Any idea if a new receiver triggers a new 2 year commitment?

In 7 years with E*, I never had to return a receiver or have outside work done, so I think it maybe worth it to not go with the plan.

 

[rad]

So I guess the bottom line is that without the protection plan, my cost on the receivers under a lease would be limited to a 19.95 shipping charge,
but any dish, cabling, or dish re-alignment needs would need to be paid for on an as needed basis.

Any idea if a new receiver triggers a new 2 year commitment?

In 7 years with E*, I never had to return a receiver or have outside work done, so I think it maybe worth it to not go with the plan.

I don't see anywhere on the D* web site that says a replaced leased receiver starts a new 2 year commitment. I would think that's something I'd like to get resolved in writing if that's a concern.

Glad you had no problems with E*, in the 30 months I had them I needed to get a 6000 and 501 replaced, had their protection plan so no problems doing that. I have the D* protection plan and for me it's worked out, I had a R15 owned R15 replaced that kept blowing out access cards, a owned H20 replaced that wouldn't boot up anymore and a AT-9 dish realignment after a bad wind storm.

 

[Tyrate]

I think it's all silly, I agree something doesn't seem right when a consumer pays $99 to $299 for a box you have to return after your done with the service, especailly when you consider they will replace all the equipment for free if you move of course under a new 2yr commitment. It just doesn't make much sense. I also have the protection plan I've been with DTV for like 8 yrs and I've used the plan once to replace my samsung HD reciever got a cheaper H10 box as a replacement. At the time I paid $500 for the box so I was pissed when I didn't get the same one back but I guess it doesn't really matter at this point considering they use MPEG4 compression now. All and all considering that you pay the cost of one service call a year, have them come out and realign your dish once a year and I guess you'll get money worth. Other than that it may not be worth it.