# Cancelling...should I call the retention line?



## Ratdog43 (Aug 19, 2002)

Or just the regular # to cancel. I've had DTV for close to 10 years but it is getting to expensive. I'm hoping they will slash some prices to keep me but it would have to be quite a bit as I am spending over $100 a month. I have threatened to switch to cable before and gotten a $10 credit here and there with no intention of leaving but this time I would cancel for sure. What's the best way to go about this?


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## litzdog911 (Oct 18, 2002)

Customer retention is your best bet. Just realize that DirecTV has lately gotten much more willing to customers leave than offer overly sweet retention deals.


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## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

If you are really going to cancel, just call the regular line. If you want to make a deal, go to rentention. But you say you are really cancelling so why bother with rentention?


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

Ask for a ridiculous deal, if they don't meet it, then cancel

worse case, you cancel anyways

best case, you get a crazy deal you would be comfortable w/


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

Why not just drop to the lowest priced subscription? It's a lot lower than $100.


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

litzdog911 said:


> ...DirecTV has lately gotten much more willing to customers leave than offer overly sweet retention deals.


Which is probably because they know they have the best deal, best DVR, and best HD lineup out there, and will for the foreseeable future. IOW, they are not any more willing to let you go than they have been in the past, but they have a stronger hand now than they did two years ago and can call your bluff more readily.

They are also trying to pay off the debt on those new sats and MPEG-4 technology. They probably can figure a number in their mind that represents where they will make a deal or let you go (depending upon which side of that number you fall) based on what they have to do to keep you, and that number is probably higher than it was before they overextended themselves with MPEG-4, Ka sats, and local HD.

I got some good deals from them in the past by simply saying "I'm so frustrated that I'm thinking about putting everything up on eBay and giving cable a shot. My brother-in-law has cable and gets all the HD channels I want and the PQ is actually a little better." After a long pause, a $359 Tivo HR10-250 became free with a year of Showtime thrown in.

But would that work today? Hardly. First, boxes are leased, not owned, so the eBay thing is an empty threat. Also, they know they outstrip all cable TV in HD (as well as DISH). Finally, the PQ is as good as cable, where as it was somewhat in question back in the days of "HD Lite".

So you really can't bluff about going to DISH or cable, because they can see your cards, and they know they are holding a winning hand.

But what you should probably do is figure out what you really want. Do you really want to cancel? Or do you want to make them think you will cancel for a better deal? (which is what it seems like, and if you are that transparent to us, you have no shot at bluffing DTV).

I think possibly the best strategy right now is to play the economy card. "My wife got laid off and things are tough all over. The kid needs braces. I think we're going to have to cut back on our subscription. We can get HD off our antenna and it looks great. What would my monthly be if I drop HBO and the NFL Pak?" And mention things you actually are willing to give up. This will probably net you a lower monthly price and they might throw in some credits. They know it's unlikely you will go to another vendor, but they don't know how likely it is that you will drop them in favor of no vendor at all. Remember, the economy dictates that they will lose net subs, and that is what they fear the most, as it impacts their bottom line in a bear-market economy. If they peg you as a victim of the bad economy, they may want to work a bit harder to keep you rather than loose you altogether. IOW, you can work that to your favor.

Let them work with you line-item on your subscription. Consider dropping anything that they will not try to get you to keep, even if it means dropping down to the lowest package. Keep anything that they make a good deal for (typically by offering credits or PPVs). Forget about what you really want, be willing to drop anything they won't deal for. You can always call back later and add something you really wanted to keep, but if you don't see a deal, let them drop it, which positions you as a serious downgrader that is willing to sacrifice anything. The more you drop the more nervous they get and the more credits you will get. A reduced bill is a nightmare call for them, and credits are free to them, so they will use them to keep you from dropping too much.


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## MikeMar (Jan 7, 2005)

TyroneShoes said:


> Which is probably because they know they have the best deal, best DVR, and best HD lineup out there, and will for the foreseeable future. IOW, they are not any more willing to let you go than they have been in the past, but they have a stronger hand now than they did two years ago and can call your bluff more readily.
> 
> I got some good deals from them in the past by simply saying "I'm so frustrated that I'm thinking about putting everything up on eBay and giving cable a shot. My brother-in-law has cable and gets all the HD channels I want and the PQ is actually a little better." After a long pause, a $359 Tivo HR10-250 became free with a year of Showtime thrown in.
> 
> ...


one word - FIOS

I'd switch in a HEARTBEAT if I could

and I have the HR20 and do NOT think it's the best DVR out there, it's ok but nothing special. Still love my S2's a LOOOOOOOOOOT more


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## Ratdog43 (Aug 19, 2002)

I really should cancel as I doubt I will be able to knock it down far enough to make it worthwhile. Can I restart service at any time? Is there an activation fee?


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## shibby191 (Dec 24, 2007)

Ratdog43 said:


> I really should cancel as I doubt I will be able to knock it down far enough to make it worthwhile. Can I restart service at any time? Is there an activation fee?


What is your current package? I used to have Premier and I dropped down to Choice Xtra and I pay around $110 a month and that includes Sunday Ticket.

Choice Xtra is $72 a month and that includes both DVR and HD fee so if you don't need the movie channels and want *all* the basics then you can go with this package. If that's not low enough there is the Family pack which is just $30 a month and a package in between that is just over $50 or so.

If you're just looking to keep what you have and get a "deal" then good luck with that. Try and if you don't get it then at least you tried and you cancel anyway. No biggy.


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## jcaudle (Aug 16, 2004)

TyroneShoes said:


> Which is probably because they know they have the best deal, best DVR, and best HD lineup out there, and will for the foreseeable future. IOW, they are not any more willing to let you go than they have been in the past, but they have a stronger hand now than they did two years ago and can call your bluff more readily.
> 
> They are also trying to pay off the debt on those new sats and MPEG-4 technology. They probably can figure a number in their mind that represents where they will make a deal or let you go (depending upon which side of that number you fall) based on what they have to do to keep you, and that number is probably higher than it was before they overextended themselves with MPEG-4, Ka sats, and local HD.
> 
> ...


I don't know about best DVR. Cox has been willing to give incentives whenever I call. I have now twice gotten Starz, HBO, Showtime and Cinemax promotions for 15.99 for 90 days. Another complaint reduced my internet charges for 6 months to 14.95. There are no charges for downgrading a package like Directv and you can add it back after 24 hours with any new incentives.

My only complaint with Cox is that Switch digital video channels deny customers new HD channels added until the Tuning adapter is available the end of the year if using cable cards in a Tivo.

The reason I left Directv was lack of support for a new Tivo. The present Directv DVR does not have the expandablility of the Tivo either through the internal drive upgrade or the DVR expander. Its also expensive to get your second HD DVR. The DVR doesn't enable more than 50 season passes and although they have the new software allowing transfer of shows to your computer there isn't any way to transfer programs between DVRs. Cable isn't perfect, but doesn't shut down when there is ice/snow on the antenna or heavy rain.

Hopefully the new Directivo will be better than the HR21/HR22, but I still prefer to own my DVR.


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## JimSpence (Sep 19, 2001)

Hmmm. There's a lot of choices less than $100.

The Family package is @29.95
Choice is $49.95
Choice Xtra is $54.95
Plus DVR is $59.95

Of course this will go up with extra receivers etc.


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

jcaudle said:


> I don't know about best DVR. Cox has been willing to give incentives whenever I call. I have now twice gotten Starz, HBO, Showtime and Cinemax promotions for 15.99 for 90 days. Another complaint reduced my internet charges for 6 months to 14.95. There are no charges for downgrading a package like Directv and you can add it back after 24 hours with any new incentives....The present Directv DVR does not have the expandablility of the Tivo either through the internal drive upgrade or the DVR expander...


I was not trying to stir up the DVR debate. They are different. I like both for different reasons, but the HR10 and the HR2x are undisputably in the same league (even if one of them will not get HD soon other than OTA), while everyone else's DVR just simply is bush league (based on owning 13 different DVRs since 1998 and recent experience with S-A and DISH DVRs).

If you had those 4 HD channels from Cox from DirecTV instead, you would have had, instead of 4 premium HD channels, 18 premium HD channels, plus another dozen or so SD premiums, including some from Encore (bundled with Starz) and The Movie Channel (bundled with Showtime).

DirecTV does not charge for downgrading, unless you have had the pak for less than 30 days. This is done to prevent folks buying HBO for a weekend when a big blockbuster premieres, and them giving it away essentially as a $0.50 PPV. If you were to play that game with Cox, I doubt they would tolerate it for long either.

And, you could not be more wrong about expandability. The HR10 is expandable using two Weaknees 750 GB drives, to a total of 200 HD hours, which is currently the largest upgrade supported. The HR2x, on the other hand, can use either a 1.5 TB internal or a 1.5 TB external drive, for a maximum of 360 HD hours. That is not opinion, but rather is a fact. You can look that up. As a matter of fact, while you can't use both drives simultaneously (you must reboot to switch which drive is mounted), you can use BOTH the internal and x drives to give a single HR2x up to 720 HD hours, which makes the fully-expanded HR10 look a little "HD light".


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## justapixel (Sep 27, 2001)

I don't get the question. If you call to cancel, don't you automatically get retention?

They will offer you some deal, and you can take it or leave it.

I have their crappy HD DVR and two D*Tivos and HBO and don't pay $100.00 so I suspect you have some sports package. Do your research and see if you can find it cheaper elsewhere. If not, take the deal they offer you.


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## Ratdog43 (Aug 19, 2002)

Yes...I have multiple packages...HBO, HD channels, DVR fee, 2 Dvr's...so it all adds up. If i cancel and want to start up again do they charge activation fees or can startup services with no fee?


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## TyroneShoes (Sep 6, 2004)

Ratdog43 said:


> Yes...I have multiple packages...HBO, HD channels, DVR fee, 2 Dvr's...so it all adds up. If i cancel and want to start up again do they charge activation fees or can startup services with no fee?


I think there may be a website that can answer those questions better than casual posters here can. I'd try directv.com for starters.


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## justapixel (Sep 27, 2001)

Ratdog43 said:


> Yes...I have multiple packages...HBO, HD channels, DVR fee, 2 Dvr's...so it all adds up. If i cancel and want to start up again do they charge activation fees or can startup services with no fee?


They aren't going to let you cancel and then start up again immediately with no activation fees.

Why just not call and see what kind of deal they offer you? When you call and hit cancel service, you will automatically be transferred to retention. Explain that it's too expensive and see what you get.

If you have a package deal from, say, Dish that gets you the same thing you have now at a better price, then tell them that.


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## fslec2 (Nov 26, 2008)

I cancelled my DTV 2 months ago after Fios became available. They tried their usual BS to try and get me to stay... 3 new HD dvr's and dish with no commitment for free, but I told them it was to late... Fiios already installed. They were interested in what kind of deal Verizon was offering and I gladly told them... compitition is always a good thing for pricing. They said there was no way they could match the $30 a month for all premium movie channels Verizon was offering. 

A couple day ago they sent be a letter saying they wanted me back, I was a customer for over 10 years, and offered once again the free upgrade with a 1 year commitment, Choice Xtra (with HD) for 29.99 a month for a year and all the premium movie channels for 3 months free. By the way... FIOS is awesome besides the crappy dvr interface


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## ouzomee (Jul 1, 2003)

I had called three months ago and threatened to cancel and got my rates reduced, and free Showtime and other channels free for three months, etc. But my cell phone disconnected, never fallowed up, and three months later I get a HDTV and want to upgrade my tivo in the basement. 

Long story short, they had no record of my attempt at a discount, and were no longer offering free HD DVRs, and pretended to not know anything about stars or customer rating. After a lot of friendly talking, she was really cool, it became clear during the Christmas season they are no longer offering free DVRs and the best time to haggle is during the NFL season, better offers than I imagined.

After telling my sob story for 45 minutes, people getting several HD DVRs for free, Dish / FIOS / Uverse / Comcast knocking at my door / not the same as tivo, etc, / she caved in and free HDR-22 w/ free installation and free HD for a year. You have to be friendly, drunk at night doesn't hurt. She really did save a customer.

Edit: Oh yeah, and just like buying a car, don't say anything. Silence is your friend. Keep it friendly, conversational, and off-topic helped me with this one. Just don't say no or yes, keep tactfully giving your reasons for no (other providers, not a tivo, etc). THEN KEEP SILENT. Wait for them to ask what are we gonna do, and how about this, and then you get somethin' for free. Like you knew you could, and you deserve it my dear friend.


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## Jimbo713 (Dec 25, 2001)

I cancelled many months ago to go with Time Warner and HDTiVo - and I'm being slammed by mail from D'TV offering really incredible offers.


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