Unofficial: Current Customer Promo on Dec. 1st

[FreddyvsJasonvsAsh]

I had 3 CSRs tell me that if you currently have VOOM Dec 1st they were going to lower the STBs to $5 (rental fee). Well last night I called and asked if this took effect yet and lord beholds I was lied to again. So I spoke to a supervisor and told him what I'e been told. Now what I'm about to tell you is the funniest thing yet from VOOM. The supervisor says Mr. Wenzloff I'm sorry for what you have been told that but as of now it's only for new customers. Then I said well why would 3 CSRs tell me the same thing. He goes on to tell me that it was SUPPOSE to be for everyone and that they told all their customers that Dec 1st it was lowering. So then I said well why did you tell everyone and then change your minds? I said atleast you should have the respect to call your existing VOOMers back to tell them you gave us the wrong info. Then he shut up and said is there anything else I can help you with? Then I told him I'm going to let the higher ups know how I feel. So Sean & gang if you can FW this on to somebody other then the "I don't know anything" CSR. That would be great.

 

[andrzej]

FreddyvsJasonvsAsh, you must be truly in love with Voom. Seems to me that you keep calling them daily and get excited with whatever those poorly informed CSRs are telling you or not telling you.

 

[FreddyvsJasonvsAsh]

First off it's my stepdads account I just happen to be on it as well because I have a box in my room. The main reason I call is so that my stepdad doesn't get jerked around because he will call it quits if the damm thing keeps acting up. plus it's the only number you can call to get help. Yes I can come on here but you guys don't live here you can't see what problems I'm having so I have to call VOOM

 

[SeattleVoomer1]

Sometimes posting to "Wilt" on VOOM/Yahoo gets some...

action particularly if "the problem" is affecting a number of customers. It's worth a try. Sean and Scott get some action from VOOM as well.

Watching HDTV under lightly raining Seattle skies, Gill

 

[gee]

Hi,

What happens after 6 months, do you think the box rental would go up back to $9.50.

I have currently one box and I am adding 4 additional boxes (giving up my Directv). So the offer was $49 for the 3 boxes and $50 for the 5th one with a 6-month committement.

I hope VOOM stays alive and not close shop.

 

[riffjim4069]

I'm pretty sure the STB rental will remain $5 in preparation for the highly affordable, much anticipated HD DVR.

 

[vurbano]

I thought the offer was $1.00 for 3 recievers installed? then 49 bucks for the 4th and so on. This is ridiculous. 26,000 customers have to call and quit, then sign up again for 6 months to save enough in reciever rental to offset this price increase? What moron thought up this scenario?

 

[BassBlaster]

I thought the offer was $1.00 for 3 recievers installed? then 49 bucks for the 4th and so on. This is ridiculous. 26,000 customers have to call and quit, then sign up again for 6 months to save enough in reciever rental to offset this price increase? What moron thought up this scenario?

Nope. The offer I was told about late last month was $49 installation charge for up to 3 receivers and $5 rental per receiver with 6 month commitment. When I called on 1 December the promo was delayed for an undetermined amount of time...however, the matter was escalated and they extended the above offer to me the following day.

Yep to everything else. I actually cancelled because I knew that was the only way I would receive this offer...or a return call from the Escalation Department. I really didn't want to resubscribe and lose my 'Grandfathered' status. Side note: my phone call was answered quickly and the CSR was friendly, but I spent almost 40 minutes waiting on the slowest computer system in the world - literally! CSR apologized no less than a dozen times while waiting for screens to updated.

Ok, does anyone know why this offer was yanked/delayed/whatever?

 

[Indy]

More CSR info and the "deal"

Just got off the phone with VOOM. I ordered another STB for the upstairs family room. In Jan my VaVaVoom pack is supposed to increase by $10 but the STB rental should go down by $5. So with that in mind $1 to install the additional STB with $5 more per month for the extra STB.

The math goes like this. Price increase of $10, $5 decrease for the existing STB plus $5 for the additional STB. I am getting an extra STB and paying what I thought I was going to be paying Jan 1 because of the price increase. This is pretty good considering 2 month ago an extra STB was going to be $149 for installation plus $9.95 per month rental plus a $5 mirroring fee. Glad I waited.

Now for some CSR info.

I asked the 64,000 dollar question: When will the DVR be out? He said you certainly did ask the big one. The DVR is nowhere near completion or even in production yet. He stated the info he has it is still in R and D and will be for quite awhile.
Next question: When will the elliptical dishes be installed for the additional transponders on AMC 6? He said by March they will be on the AMC 6bird but he does not now when the hardware will be ready for customers. He said by March 2005 they will add 70 HD channels and over 200 SD channels.
Next question: Is a buyout of Voom by Echostar in the wings? He stated categorically NO! Voom has way too much money invested for any offer Charlie Ergan is willing to come up with. The CSR stated Voom is in this for the long haul on it's own and is determined to be the HD leader way into the future.

 

[MarcelV]

When will the DVR be out? He said you certainly did ask the big one. The DVR is nowhere near completion or even in production yet. He stated the info he has it is still in R and D and will be for quite awhile.

This is in line with a response I got from a technical supervisor that handled my case, swapping out an STB for several months, that was escalated through Wilt. In fact, the reasoning was they wanted to get it right initially and not get in the same situation with the software as they got in with this STB. Seems a very good and solid reasoning to me. As far as an expectation, he was very careful with his info but didn't anticipate a full beta release (internal) till mid first quarter 2005.

Unfortunately, that means I have to wait longer for my new toy

 

[sixy]

So.... does the new pricing structure go into effect in January for the STB rental? Cuz my December bill is the same as it's always been.

 

[Indy]

So.... does the new pricing structure go into effect in January for the STB rental? Cuz my December bill is the same as it's always been.

I noticed the same thing so I called Voom. More info to take for what it is worth from the mouth of a CSR. She stated that the new STB rental pricing is not guaranteed to existing accounts. That is the offer to new customers and not meant to be retroactive for existing accounts.

The reason I asked her is I wanted to know if my VaVaVoom would remain at $79 or would it go to $89 at the first of the year. She stated that since I ordered another STB to be installed on the new offer of $1 install I am technically a new account with the new price structure of $89 per month and the $5 per STB rental fee.

In hindsight I think if the VaVaVoom would stay at $79 after the first of the year and the $5 STB rental would apply to me I would not have ordered another STB. But as things go with Voom you can never get a definitive answer from a CSR. Only the canned response of "We don't have that info, you will have to wait and see what your bill looks like."

 

[vurbano]

Sean? Scott? You guys cant get a definitive answer on if existing customerrs have to quit and then sign up again to get the price reduction on the reciever rental? twenty six thousand customers need to call and bring the churn rate to 100% then sign up for 6 months to be charged fairly?

 

[srinivos]

FWIW, I just talked to a VOOM csr and enquired about the addtl receiver deal for current customers. She said that adding a new receiver would cause my basic package to go up to 49.95 from the current 39.95 but at the same time receiver rental would drop to $5 from $9.50. So I am looking at 49.95+5+5(2nd receiver) instead of the current 39.95+9.50.
I also cancelled Showtime from my account but she said that would not affect basic package pricing. I told her that i would add a receiver if she kept my package pricing the same i.e. 39.95. She is going to direct it to supervisor and reply back in 3 business days. I don't know why it takes that long for such trivial enquiries.

Nivas

 

[Indy]

For the second STB install and forfeiting my lower pricing structure I had to look at the whole picture this way. The new commitment is 6 months in duration. Is it worth an extra $60 over 6 months for the added convenance of a second STB? That is about what it cost for me to take the family out to dinner. So with my wife glued to the HGTV channel when she gets home from work and no way to cruise the other channels I say it is worth the extra $60 over 6 months the two STB's will cost. IN 6 months maybe the DVR will be a viable option and we can all start over as new customers when Voom throws a sweet deal on the table for the DVR for new customers

 

[vurbano]

But doesnt our lower price structure expire in January?

 

[Indy]

I know how I said this was a good deal and how I justified going with it, but I called and cancelled my additional install. The reason being the forfeiture of the old pricing structure. The CSR said I was grandfathered in at $79 per month for the VaVaVoom package and that price was good after the first of the year. She checked with her supervisor and confirmed this info.If I did take advantage of the new deal.I would be paying $10 more per month for the extra STB and $15 more per month then what I will be paying if the existing customers get the price break on the STB rental from $9.50 to $5. She did say she does not have the info to say if the new $5 STB charge wail be given to existing customers. It is her understanding that the price break is for new customers only and would not be retroactive to existing customers.

 

[The Stone Man]

Existing customers are being grandfathered at $79/mo for VVV after the first of the year? I had not heard that one before.

 

[Indy]

Existing customers are being grandfathered at $79/mo for VVV after the first of the year? I had not heard that one before.

That is what I am told. I made sure the CSR consulted the higher powers to be before she answered and she said yes. At any rate if we are not grandfathered in the deal is still there on Jan 2nd.

 

[Sean Mota]

Sean? Scott? You guys cant get a definitive answer on if existing customerrs have to quit and then sign up again to get the price reduction on the reciever rental? twenty six thousand customers need to call and bring the churn rate to 100% then sign up for 6 months to be charged fairly?

We are trying.... to get official information.