# Buying a used DTivo unit / lease fee?



## scoob8000 (Jul 29, 2004)

I can't seem to get a straight answer from DirectTV, so I'll turn to the community for advice.

I'm considering getting DirectTV, but with the added lease fees in the long run, I come out behind what I'm paying for cable.

Used receivers can be had from ebay pretty easily, inexpensively but at a risk.

If I take the service with the one free receiver, what would I have to pay to add two used units to my account? 

The rep told me just $4.99 a month each lease fee. Even though I OWN the box? It seems some folks just needed to buy a new $20 access card. No recurring fees for used boxes.


----------



## ForrestB (Apr 8, 2004)

There's a $4.99 mirroring fee per month for each additional receiver or DVR, per month. So if you have a total of 3 receivers, you'll pay $9.98 more per month more than if you had 1 receiver.


----------



## KDX (Jun 3, 2006)

As best I understand...

Are you considering SD (Standard Definiton) or HD (High Definition) DirecTV service?

There are some issues to consider if you are talking about HD service. If it is SD service, you may want to look into buying used DirecTivo units from a couple of years ago. Most DVR's in the past two years are lease-only.

Like ForrestB said, you will pay a $4.99 per month "mirroring fee" on an owned (not leased) second DVR/receiver as well as a a third or fourth.

If the second, third, etc. units are leased from DirecTV, then you pay a $4.99 per month "lease fee". Either way, it is an additional $4.99 per month, per unit.

DVR service is $5.99 per month, even if you have more than one DVR.

If you buy a receiver with a card in it from someone who has deactivated DirecTV service, then you might, possibly, potentially, perhaps, be able to get them to activate the card in your name. I JUST bought a new $20 card for a used DirecTivo I purchased used on eBay. It came with no card.


----------



## scoob8000 (Jul 29, 2004)

Okay, thanks for the input!

I guess there's no way around paying $10 extra per month for having 3 TV's.

FWIW, I'm looking at SD..


----------



## snickerrrrs (Mar 31, 2006)

$60 a year for each additional tv is kind of a screw, you might as well buy a used R10 form craigslist.org for $30. At least your getting a dvr for the extra $5.


----------



## Jonathan_S (Oct 23, 2001)

scoob8000 said:


> I guess there's no way around paying $10 extra per month for having 3 TV's.


Nope. AFAIK the only difference between leased and owned receivers is that if DirecTV treats the receiver as leased they make you return it if you cancel your service.

(Which reminds me, DirecTV never did mark my units as owned. Guess I should call them and remind them that refurbs off ebay shouldn't be showing up as leased. Hopefully after procrastinating for over a year I can still get it fixed)


----------



## HiDefGator (Oct 12, 2004)

snickerrrrs said:


> $60 a year for each additional tv is kind of a screw, you might as well buy a used R10 form craigslist.org for $30. At least your getting a dvr for the extra $5.


I guess that depends on what you are paying that $60 a year for. If the additonal TV's have brand new HR20's on them that you got at a steep discount, then $5 a month for all those HD channels doesn't seem like a bad deal. Try getting additional HD DVR's from cable for only $5 a month extra.


----------



## scoob8000 (Jul 29, 2004)

HiDefGator said:


> I guess that depends on what you are paying that $60 a year for. If the additonal TV's have brand new HR20's on them that you got at a steep discount, then $5 a month for all those HD channels doesn't seem like a bad deal. Try getting additional HD DVR's from cable for only $5 a month extra.


The real PITA with the HD boxes is, you pay for them (buy as far as I'm concerned), but you still need to pay a monthly fee, and give them back.

Is it really that non-sensical or am I mis-understanding the terms?


----------



## HiDefGator (Oct 12, 2004)

scoob8000 said:


> The real PITA with the HD boxes is, you pay for them (buy as far as I'm concerned), but you still need to pay a monthly fee, and give them back.
> 
> Is it really that non-sensical or am I mis-understanding the terms?


I paid $1000 each for 2 HR10-250's. They are now worth less than the cost of shipping them to someone else.

I've been with Directv since the mid 90's and I don't see myself leaving anytime soon. I paid less than $100 each for my HR20's after discounts and credits. If they want them back in 5 years, they can have them.

I've thrown away more obsolete Directv equipment over the years than I can count. The whole lease thing is meaningless to me personally.


----------



## KDX (Jun 3, 2006)

scoob8000, do you have analog cable or digital cable?

If you get DirecTV service and want DVR's or receivers from DirecTV, then they will be leased units.

Your home would be wired and have a dish setup for the number of receivers you get from them. For example, they will not run wire for free for "I might buy some used DVR's off eBay in the future, could you jsut go ahead and run the wire for free, right now". 

I was charged $70 for the installers to run wire and set up an owned DVR, when HD service was installed.


----------



## macizcool (Jul 15, 2007)

I purchased a demo unit on Craigslist for my parents. Even though I bought it, I am pretty sure it is still leased. AFAIK, those boxes were never sold to customers as their own, they are all leased. So if you buy one from eBay, you still have to give it back when you cancel. Not 100&#37; sure, but that is the feeling I am getting.


----------



## rbtravis (Aug 9, 2005)

Series 2 boxes were sold by Retailers such as Best Buy, Curcuit City, Walmart as well as leased. Call directv for status questions


----------



## macizcool (Jul 15, 2007)

Are we talking about a TiVo or a DirecTV-brand DVR? My post above was about a DirecTV DVR. 

If you buy one off of eBay, make sure you get the receiver ID and check with DirecTV to be sure it can be activated.


----------

