Early termination question

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TDK1044

SatelliteGuys Guru
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Jun 23, 2008
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I'm about to leave DirecTV simply because of the awesome offer I got from U-verse. I understand that the initial two year contract with DirecTV requires that the customer has to pay $20 per month for the remaining months of the two year contract if the customer terminates the contract early.

For me, this would be 15 months at $20....$300. Coincidentally, exactly the same amount that U-verse is giving me on a pre paid Mastercard.

Here's my question though. When I had DirecTV installed, the installer was unable to activate my service because the servers were down. He promised to come back the next day and activate my service. I never saw him again. I therefore activated the service myself the following day.

Because the installer can only get the customer's signature on a service contract after service has been activated, and because the guy never came back, I have never signed any service contract with DirecTV.

Does this mean that I can legally claim that I am on a month to month contract with DirecTV and only have to send their eqipment back to them?

I understand that morally I owe them the money. I have no real problem paying them because U-verse are compensating me anyway, but wouldn't an Arbitrator take the view that without the customer's signature on a service contract there is no contract?

What do you guys think?
 
boba said:
You activated Directv Service you accepted the terms of the contract at that time. Sorry you still owe ETF.
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Then why do they have a written contract at all? And how can I accept the terms of a contract that I've never seen? :)
 
The Arbitrator would take the view that since you activated the receivers and you've been paying DIRECTV for the service for 9 months that you are under contract.

I wonder when you get that pre paid MASTERCARD ?
Within the first month ?
After you've had UVERSE for 3 months?, 6 months?, 12 months?

Once D12 comes online DIRECTV will have so many national HD channels that no other provider will even be close.
 
fleetfarmer said:
The Arbitrator would take the view that since you activated the receivers and you've been paying DIRECTV for the service for 9 months that you are under contract.

I wonder when you get that pre paid MASTERCARD ?
Within the first month ?
After you've had UVERSE for 3 months?, 6 months?, 12 months?

Once D12 comes online DIRECTV will have so many national HD channels that no other provider will even be close.
Click to expand...

We'll see, I hope you are right, but I'm not holding my breath.....everything I hear says otherwise....
 
It is worse than you said.

DTV has your card and will use it, per contract. Then you have to get an arbitrator to give your money back.

If there was a point before you activated the rig....long before nine months of acceptance...that time has passed. You are exchanging the FREE installation for the promise to keep things going for the contractual period.

If the new deal looks good to you...off you go!

Joe (IMHO)
 
wildbill129 said:
We'll see, I hope you are right, but I'm not holding my breath.....everything I hear says otherwise....
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Like what ?
:confused:
I hope you don't say 3DTV, they're only going to have 2 3D channels this summer sometime. D12 isn't gonna deliver 200 3D channels.
I hope you don't say 400 more PPV channels, I'm pretty sick of hearing that one.
 
Once D12 comes online DIRECTV will have so many national HD channels that no other provider will even be close.[/QUOTE]

No provider will even be close??
 
I went through the same thing with DISH. You call to cancel. You get put through to the Retention department. They try and persuade you to stay, then you pay them what you owe them over the phone and they send you the boxes to return their equipment. No biggie. :)
 
Before cancelling DirecTV why not just put it on suspended service and see how U-Verse works/looks for you. If you like it then cancel DirecTV, if you don't then just reactive it.
 
fleetfarmer said:
The Arbitrator would take the view that since you activated the receivers and you've been paying DIRECTV for the service for 9 months that you are under contract.

I wonder when you get that pre paid MASTERCARD ?
Within the first month ?
After you've had UVERSE for 3 months?, 6 months?, 12 months?

Once D12 comes online DIRECTV will have so many national HD channels that no other provider will even be close.
Click to expand...

The card typically arrives 4 to 6 weeks after your service begins.
You're right about D12, but it's not just about available HD channels to me, it's also about the cost.

With U-verse I'm getting a better programming package, with an almost identical breakdown of HD and SD channels that I currently get with DirecTV. I also get some free movie channels not included on my D package.

I will be saving about $75 per month by bundling TV/Internet/phone with AT&T. Well hell... I already have phone and internet with AT&T, so I'd be crazy not to cut my costs by $75 per month. :)
 
TDK1044 said:
Then why do they have a written contract at all?
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The signed documents are largely for the benefit of the installer. That's how he lets his employer know that he's done his job. Chances are pretty good that the installer didn't get paid or they forged your signature in order to get paid.

Either way, you've got nothing to show for it other than an apparently successful activation that consummates the commitment.
 
raoul5788 said:
You can, of course, provide proof of your claim.......
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DirecTV has made no secrets that the bulk of d12 will go to "DirecTV Cinema" I doubt we will see so many new channels that we blow past any competitor.....it will be a tie at best and the rest will go to PPV and HD locals.......
 
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