I have been a DirecTV customer for just 15 months but I decided to give them a call and discuss what I see as nothing more than a sales tactic of not allowing the Redzone to be purchased without Sunday Ticket.
The first and most important thing to note is that you get more bees with honey than vinegar (sorry Grandma's voice was ringing in my ear)... AKA be nice not a dbag threatening to cancel like your account is the most important in the world.
I simply asked the CSR if she could let me know when my contract with D* was up. While looking this up I also asked her to research the cost of the absolute lowest no frills tier of programming they offered (I am currently on a premier tier).
As she was researching this I was asked if I was considering canceling. I politely told her that I liked the service and enjoyed the deeply discounted Sunday Ticket from last year, but felt frustrated that someone who does not want/is not able to pay $300+ for ST should be excluded from Redzone when Dish offers this service for what amounts to $5 a month.
She explained (lied) that they are not allowed to decouple RZ from ST because of the NFL... to which I again politely told her that a statement like that was one of the reasons for my frustration. I stated that she may not be aware or may just be following rules, but made clear that her statement was inaccurate to be kind.
She then proceeded to tell me of my status left on contract and confirmed they have a $29.99 a month tier. Before she could finish her sentence she asked me if I would hold a moment. She came back about 45 seconds later and said she found three promos on my account to its current "status".
These options were:
1. Free Redzone for the year, no charge.
2. ST for $166
3. $20 a month x 6 discount plus free showtime for 6 months (assuming with ST purchase)
I quickly chose free RZ and I am happy as a clam. No threats no anger, whole thing took 10 minutes tops.
BE NICE and call back if you get an unwilling rep. I also agree that the retention department has more authorization for promos but note I did all this with the first person that answered call.
The first and most important thing to note is that you get more bees with honey than vinegar (sorry Grandma's voice was ringing in my ear)... AKA be nice not a dbag threatening to cancel like your account is the most important in the world.
I simply asked the CSR if she could let me know when my contract with D* was up. While looking this up I also asked her to research the cost of the absolute lowest no frills tier of programming they offered (I am currently on a premier tier).
As she was researching this I was asked if I was considering canceling. I politely told her that I liked the service and enjoyed the deeply discounted Sunday Ticket from last year, but felt frustrated that someone who does not want/is not able to pay $300+ for ST should be excluded from Redzone when Dish offers this service for what amounts to $5 a month.
She explained (lied) that they are not allowed to decouple RZ from ST because of the NFL... to which I again politely told her that a statement like that was one of the reasons for my frustration. I stated that she may not be aware or may just be following rules, but made clear that her statement was inaccurate to be kind.
She then proceeded to tell me of my status left on contract and confirmed they have a $29.99 a month tier. Before she could finish her sentence she asked me if I would hold a moment. She came back about 45 seconds later and said she found three promos on my account to its current "status".
These options were:
1. Free Redzone for the year, no charge.
2. ST for $166
3. $20 a month x 6 discount plus free showtime for 6 months (assuming with ST purchase)
I quickly chose free RZ and I am happy as a clam. No threats no anger, whole thing took 10 minutes tops.
BE NICE and call back if you get an unwilling rep. I also agree that the retention department has more authorization for promos but note I did all this with the first person that answered call.
