Questions about new service with an old Tivo

[destarr]

I'm looking to go to directv from mediacom. The cost for my mediacom has become outragous and I think that directv would be the way to go since I could not get dishnetwork due to some issues with trees. I have a friend that has directv and I like the service but not the reciever. He has the new SD- DVR unit made by directv, way to slow reacting from the remote for me. I am looking to purchase an older Directivo unit there at Ebay.

First I need to determine if I can even get the service, but apparently I cannot do that unless I sign up for service, which leads me to several questions.

1. Do I need to purchase the Directivo unit first, or can they give me a temporary unit first, just so I don't spend my money only to find out that I cannot get the service?

2. When I talked on the phone with a rep, she said that I needed to purchase an access card as well as the directivo unit. Doesn't the unit come with an access card that they can "activate"?

3. When I do go with directv I'm looking at getting the 49.99 plan for 185+ channels and the DVR. Does directivo service cost extra, according to the rep I talked to yesterday it does not and is covered by the $5 dvr charge?

4. I really do not like signing up for a commitment (just ask my wife how long it took me to marry her ) and if I have to I want the shortest term possible. According to the rep I talked to yesterday I have to sign of for a term and the shortest that she would give me was 1 year if I get the standard reciever without dvr for free. Is what she told me true or is there some way to get it without signing up for a contract?

Thanks for the help, and if you are in the sales arena of Directv I'm totally fine with purchasing the service through you, rather than getting it through someone that doesn't understand what there even selling.

 

[iceturkee]

i'll try and answer these as best as i can.

1. i believe you have 30 days to cancel your service after an installation, if you are unhappy. as a new customer, you should receive a standard definiton receiver or you could get a free upgrade to either a hi-def receiver or sd dvr. this way, there is no upfront cost....so no money out of your pocket, if you don't like.

2. yes, you will probably have to spend 20 dollars for a clean access card, even if you purchase a tivo on ebay. some csr's will activate the card that comes with the unit, if the account was canceled in good standing and there is no past due.....no guarantee.

3. if you sign up for total choice extra plus, i believe the dvr cost is included. it isn;t with total choice extra.....an additional $5.99. regardless, you are going to get a year contract obligation....if its hd, its 2-years.

hope this helps. these might not be the answers you were hoping for.

 

[destarr]

Thanks for the help, I was able to find a lot of information on the tivo community forum as well, just in case someone is looking for help with a similar problem.

 

[cariera]

Check this out first:

DIRECTV - Best Offer

1. You can get a free dvr with no upfront cost by ordering online. It is a leased receiver so if you decide to replace it with a TIVO unit you will have to return it.

2. If you get a unit on eBay and it has been used before you will have to replace the access card.

3. See the above link. The DVR charge is included. Keep in mind this price is only for a year and you do have to fill out rebate forms to get it.

4. If you get the DVR there will be a 2 year commitment.

 

[iceturkee]

tivo community forum has great info........glad you checked it out.

 

[destarr]

Check this out first:

DIRECTV - Best Offer

1. You can get a free dvr with no upfront cost by ordering online. It is a leased receiver so if you decide to replace it with a TIVO unit you will have to return it.


2. If you get a unit on eBay and it has been used before you will have to replace the access card.

1.Unfortunately I have tried out the DVR available from directv and have found it to be very subpar compared to the older tivo systems

2. According to the Tivo community as long as the card does not owe anything you can use the old card.

 

[iceturkee]

i would double check on number 2. i have been told if the account is totally cancelled, the person no longer has any type of directv programming and the account was in good standing when cancelled, you can use the card.

if a person is just selling a unit but still has an account with directv, you have to replace the access card. presently, i have an h10 and a tivo unit that aren't being used.....so the access card is not active.......but they are still listed on my account. understand?

 

[harshness]

1. i believe you have 30 days to cancel your service after an installation, if you are unhappy.

This is not the case. The money back guarantee went away some months ago.

 

[harshness]

The cost for my mediacom has become outragous and I think that directv would be the way to go since I could not get dishnetwork due to some issues with trees.

The DIRECTV SD satellites are in the same locations as the Dish Network satellites (110W, 119W) plus some off to the East (101W), so you need to demand a site survey.

If your view is a little more East than South, you've got a shot at DIRECTV. If it is more Westerly, you're not going to be able to see DIRECTV's key satellites in the 101W vicinity and that's never going to work.

 

[iceturkee]

This is not the case. The money back guarantee went away some months ago.

i'd like you to post that for us, as i would be curious to see.

anyhow, you can still cancel your service prior to installation and will receive a full refund. this is cited in letters i have received from directv!

 

[iwc5893]

i'd like you to post that for us, as i would be curious to see.

anyhow, you can still cancel your service prior to installation and will receive a full refund. this is cited in letters i have received from directv!

Yes, you can cancel before the install and get a refund. Once the installer shows up, you're stuck unless you call to cancel before you sign the lease agreement. (see below, emphasis added)

Within 30 days of provision of DIRECTV equipment to you, or on the date that the professional installer has installed or is prepared to install your DIRECTV equipment, whichever is sooner, you agree to activate each and every DIRECTV Receiver ordered by you or provided to you

The only thing mentioned in the Lease Agreement from D* is the requirement for you to activate all of your receivers within 30 days, or they will charge you for each one you don't activate. Nowhere in the lease does it say that you can cancel in the first 30 days without charge or penalty.

This is provided that your state laws do not have some provision that would allow you to cancel your service without charge.

 

[meStevo]

2. According to the Tivo community as long as the card does not owe anything you can use the old card.

I wouldn't count on this, it wasn't possible when I worked in a D* center and i doubt it is possible now, a few years later. Just no reason to stop charing $20 for a new card, and it wasn't technically possible to move them between accounts.

As long as the card has never been used, you can use it. The cards store information, how will D* ever know if it owed anything if it never had a phone line connected. This one of the larger reasons why they cant be reused after activation.

 

[harshness]

i'd like you to post that for us, as i would be curious to see.

It is difficult to give you a link to something that is no longer available. I tried using the Wayback Machine, but it references current terms, conditions and FAQs.

I couldn't find any announcement of the starting point of the program in DIRECTV's press releases. As I recall, it was a rushed out program to combat a program that Dish Network had at the time. One post on a different site mentioned that the program was available only during the month of April 2006.

 

[destarr]

I stand corrected, after doing a bit more research you have to call to the activation line to check to see if the Unit owes money not the access card. You do have to buy a new access card, but you still need to check to see if the unit owes any money before you can use it, Correct?

Now on the same note, can I use the access card from the unit that they are going to give me, or does it really not make a difference because they will charge me the $ 20 either way. According to the Rep that I talked to the equipment is free, so I'm hoping that is part of that free equipment.

As to the debate over whether or not I will have to pay just for having the guy come out, I talked extensively with the people there at Directv and they said that all monies will be refunded if I'm unable to get service. In fact one of the reps did say that if I was unsatisfied in the first 30 days it was a money back guarantee. I know, reps words are iron clad , but I just wanted to pass along what they told me.