Moving from HR24/25 to Genie at vacation home

[Longjack]

Currently have 4 HR24 and 2 HR25, keeping 2 of the HR 24 at vacation residence for conveience.
If I were to move to Genie system and keep same options as I currently have above, what Genie equipment would I need?
I would like to be able to record at vacation home location (250 miles from main residence) but wouldn’t that record 2 Genie units if I wanted to keep recording options at both locations and then 4 basic Genies units?
Any advice much appreciated.

 

[texasbrit]

First, let's get the terminology straight. A genie is an HR44, HR54 or HS17 server. The C41/C51 boxes are Clients not Genies.
Clients have to be connected to a Genie to work, they each use a tuner from a Genie.
AS far as Directv is concerned, you have one account located at "home", they do not see your vacation home.
You are only allowed one Genie per account.
If you have an HS17, you can't have any non-clients on the account, that means getting rid of all your HR24s

If you get an "upgrade" to a Genie, Directv will expect to install an HS17 with four clients at your home location (because that is where all your equipment is supposed to be) and you will lose all Directv capability at your vacation home. You might be able to get Directv to install an HR54 at "home" to replace one of your HR24s but that is becoming more difficult to do.

With all that in mind, I don't understand what you are trying to do. The only Genie configuration that would make sense would be an HR44or HR54 at "home", with one of your HR24s still at home and two HR24s at the vacation home. That would give you three more tuners at home. Unless you are desperately short of tuners at home, (2 tuners on an HR24 replaced by 5 tuners on a genie) you are going through a tremendous amount of hassle for not much return.

So what exactly are you hoping to do and why?

 

[Longjack]

First, thank you for helping me better understand the Genie situation, and I apologize for not better explaining my situation.
Been with DirecTV for many years and finally after finally getting around to voicing my issues last year with their ever increasing rates, spoke with “Customer Retention”, who immediately gave me a $50 per month discount, only to jump up my rate a couple months later to almost that same amount while locking me into a one year contract which is now over.
I am completely satisfied with present equipment of H24/H25, and really not want Genie, and I,have it set up so going back and forth between home and vacation home doesn’t require me to call them each time.
In the meantime, have a family member in the same boat, and Costco just gave them a great new 2 year deal, but I think you have to cancel Directv and send all your old gear back to them.Then Costco Directv comes out and installs all new Genie stuff, and as I said, I really don’t want Genie in the first place, but it appears it’s my only option to get any meaningful lower rates after my last experience of getting a discount, only to have them jack up my rates.
Any ideas to simply keep my system...saves them and me time and costs, but also get my bills down...am all ears.
Thanks again.

 

[texasbrit]

First, you can't cancel your Directv account and then sign up again through Costco in order to get discounts. They watch very carefully for that. So as far your current account is concerned, you're stuck. Cancelling a receiver will save you $7 a month, that's all. You might be able to drop to a lower package if it still gives you the channels you want. Otherwise you need to see if you can get a discount. Call Directv and at the voice prompt say "cancel". That should put you through to a retention specialist. Just tell him you are thinking of cancelling and want explore options. Don't tell him your boxes are in different locations. If he offers to "upgrade" you to an HS17, politely decline, tell him that from time to time you use one of your HR24s for tailgating and the HS17 won't let you do that. If he says it will, he's wrong. In any case, it won't save you any money. Only a discount will help. They are becoming more and more difficult to get since the ATT acquisition..
If he won't give you a discount, tell him you are going to explore other actions. Do NOT cancel your account, tell him you need time to consider.

 

[Claude Greiner]

So are you trying to get a discount on your new service or trying to get service for your vacation home without opening a new account?

 

[texasbrit]

I think he is trying to work out a way of getting a discount period.

 

[Longjack]

Just wanted to say thank you again Texasbrit, and yes, you are correct as I’m simply trying to get our costs down, especially when some competitors are offering great pricing, but it’s always such a hassle to switch over.
However, I did want to mention what happened with that family member who was also trying to lower her costs.
While walking thru Costco, she was approached by a rep who offered her new Directv service with a $200 gift card, and she was told to let them come out and install, then call Directv and cancel her service as she was already over her contract with Directv. It’s odd bc I guess Directv came out and installed the Costco deal, she then canceled with Directv and her bill went from slightly over $100 a month down to $70.
Maybe it was a fluke.....but she did get her costs down, and $200 to boot.

 

[texasbrit]

Yes, that's not supposed to happen, particularly at thew same address. Must have slipped through the cracks.

 

[Jimbo]

Just wanted to say thank you again Texasbrit, and yes, you are correct as I’m simply trying to get our costs down, especially when some competitors are offering great pricing, but it’s always such a hassle to switch over.
However, I did want to mention what happened with that family member who was also trying to lower her costs.
While walking thru Costco, she was approached by a rep who offered her new Directv service with a $200 gift card, and she was told to let them come out and install, then call Directv and cancel her service as she was already over her contract with Directv. It’s odd bc I guess Directv came out and installed the Costco deal, she then canceled with Directv and her bill went from slightly over $100 a month down to $70.
Maybe it was a fluke.....but she did get her costs down, and $200 to boot.

Thats very odd, as one of the first things those people ask after, Who do you use for your TV provider ... is an address check ...
At that point, it should have shown D* already being at that address.