# Stop paying for the service plan



## Rinkdog (Dec 21, 2005)

Recently when my HD Tivo shot craps D told me I should have a protection plan just in case my machin breaks to ensure that I can get it fixed or replaced. My reply to this is the $80 + a month I shill out ensures me that my equipment will work.Why would I pay for a plan to protect me against incurring more charges to pay for their service. Everything these days has a protection plan whats next a protection plan on produce at the grocery store in case it rots on my counter. If I add up all of the protection plan I have turned down over the years I have saved up enough to buy a new car.


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## fastep (May 22, 2004)

Starting next month DTV will JOIN Comcast and VERIZON FIOS TV and rent boxes. They claim they will exchange faulty equipment at no charge like Comcast and Verizon. 

THE DIFFERENCE (THE CATCH) - THERE WILL BE A SUSTANTIAL UPFRONT CHARGE unlike C or V! Why? I'll tell you - DTV will offer less HD channels and have a more compressed signal than Comcast or FIOS. Oh yea, I forgot - you still need a phone line and with the new mpeg4 equip a larger dish, more coaxial cables into your living room and an HD DVR with an inferior interface and NO 30 second skip! 

Solution - Obvious.


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## dishrich (Jan 16, 2002)

Well, I did a little different protection plan for my HD-Tivo - I bought the 4 year service plan from Best Buy, since that is where I bought my Tivo. Since their plan was only $100 for 4 years, I figured that would only be about $2.10 a month, as opposed to D*'s $8 a month plan & I was ONLY concerned about getting it for the HD-Tivo, due to all the HDMI issues they seem to have.
Well, I didn't think I'd wind up using it so soon, but I bought my HD-Tivo when I was in the process of moving, so I didn't actually get it hooked up for over 3 months! When I took it out of the box & plugged it in, it lit up for a whole 5 seconds & DIED! Luckily, because I had the SP, I just took it back to BB & they exchanged it for a brand new one off the shelf immediately - I was SO glad I had spent the extra $100 on it!


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## Rinkdog (Dec 21, 2005)

I purchased no protection plan as paying $1000 for an item and shelling out $80 a month in fees not counting premium sports packages should be insurance enough that the thing will work as if it doesn't work, obviously I'm not ggoing to keep paying my monthly bills. After reminding D of this I received my replacement free of charge. Why should I have to pay extra to insure that I can keep watching what I'm already paying for? This protection plan racket has to stop. These things are like your homeowners warranty, on the surface the consumer is duped into believing that he is being protected when in reality it is protecting the company whose product you bought. How can this be? Because now they are no longer liable for selling us defective poorly made crap because it is our fault it broke and we didn't pay extra for the protection plan. We could have been protected for $10 a month for eternity. What a cash cow for these companies, especially when you factor in the fact that because of constantly changing technology we end up buying a new model long before the useful life of most consumer electronics ends. Then we buy a new protection plan for the new model. Add up the money you have spent and could have spent on different protection plans. It is huge because everything has one now. I have never bought one and never will.


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## Mark Lopez (Jan 1, 2000)

Rinkdog said:


> Recently when my HD Tivo shot craps D told me I should have a protection plan just in case my machin breaks to ensure that I can get it fixed or replaced. My reply to this is the $80 + a month I shill out ensures me that my equipment will work.


lol Yeah that argument will get you far.



Rinkdog said:


> I purchased no protection plan as paying $1000 for an item and shelling out $80 a month in fees not counting premium sports packages should be insurance enough that the thing will work .......


See above


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## Rinkdog (Dec 21, 2005)

Evidently it did get me fr=ar as I am currently enjoying a new (refurb) machine free of charge and have not paid a cent into a service plan. These companies would not push these things so hard if they were not making a killing on them.


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## HogarthNH (Dec 28, 2001)

fastep said:


> Solution - Obvious.


I want a pony.


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## Mark Lopez (Jan 1, 2000)

Rinkdog said:


> Evidently it did get me fr=ar as I am currently enjoying a new (refurb) machine free of charge and have not paid a cent into a service plan. These companies would not push these things so hard if they were not making a killing on them.


Well, unless you are still under the initial one year warranty, you must be the first person on the planet to get one replaced for free without a plan.


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## NatasNJ (Jan 7, 2002)

THE HD-DVR Tivo has a 1 yr warranty?


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## Mark Lopez (Jan 1, 2000)

NatasNJ said:


> THE HD-DVR Tivo has a 1 yr warranty?


Yep.


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## NatasNJ (Jan 7, 2002)

Mark Lopez said:


> Yep.


Good to know...


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## Rinkdog (Dec 21, 2005)

Well the odds would seem better to win the lottery, than to be the only person on the entire planet to get this but I did.
Bill Statement Date Previous Balance 0.00
01/28/2006 (-) Payments and credits 240.91
(+) Current charges and taxes 240.91
= AMOUNT DUE $0.00

There is the charge for the eqiuipment, and a credit as copied from my online statement. And here is my plan, no service plan. I'm gonna go buy my lottery ticket now.
ackage DIRECTV DVR Service , Annual Commitment , TOTAL CHOICE PLUS , HD Package 
Mirroring Status Mirrored 
Access Card Number xxxxxxxx4807 





Receiver 2 Package Information - LIVING RM
Package DIRECTV DVR Service , Annual Commitment , Additional Receiver , TOTAL CHOICE PLUS , HD Package 
Mirroring Status Mirrored 
Access Card Number xxxxxxxx2930


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## Mark Lopez (Jan 1, 2000)

Yeah, but did they tell you that you committed to another 2 year contract when you accepted it?


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## Rinkdog (Dec 21, 2005)

Yes they did, howevever I have been with them for 10 years and my option is Charter cable so I'm probably not going anywhere. The 2 yars commit seems like a deal compared to that alternative.


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## jschmidt (Mar 4, 2003)

Mark Lopez said:


> Yeah, but did they tell you that you committed to another 2 year contract when you accepted it?


Recently had the HD-TiVo replaced under their replacement plan. I have 2 HDTivos, 1 SDTivo, 1 HD receiver, and 1 SD receiver. Given the number of boxes, I thought the service plan would be the cheapest way to go.

When the HDMI port on one of my HDTiVos died, I called them to get it replaced. I went through all their hoops and they said that they would send a new one out. Then, when it arrived, I tried to activate it. The rep activated it over the phone no problem. BUT, after it was activated, they told me there would be another 2 year committment.

Granted, my options are slim... DTV, Dish, or Adelphia. But, that doesn't mean that I want to be locked in for another 2 years just because I had one replaced under the plan! It took me about45 minutes and 3 representatives/supervisors. They finally agreed to avoid that requirement.

I couldn't believe it. Surprised the heck out of me. Good thing I was paying attention to what they were saying on the phone. Watch out for this one!


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## Rinkdog (Dec 21, 2005)

How's this for a conspiracy theory, manufacture intentionally faulty receivers so you can sell service plans and lock in sucker I mean subscribers when they need a replacement. Where is Oliver Stone?


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## tem (Oct 6, 2003)

Mark Lopez said:


> Well, unless you are still under the initial one year warranty, you must be the first person on the planet to get one replaced for free without a plan.


I got mine replaced for free about a month after the warranty was up (HDMI problem). I then called a couple weeks ago and got them to remove the 2yr commitment as I made it clear that they have shipped me 4 defective units and I was not going to agree to another commitment due to their manufacturing problems.


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## Mark Lopez (Jan 1, 2000)

tem said:


> I got mine replaced for free about a month after the warranty was up (HDMI problem). I then called a couple weeks ago and got them to remove the 2yr commitment as I made it clear that they have shipped me 4 defective units and I was not going to agree to another commitment due to their manufacturing problems.


Ok, then he was the second. 

Just because a few people might be able to get lucky and get a CS rep that is willing to bend the rules doesn't necessarily make it 'sound advice' to tell people to dump the service plan as being unnecessary.


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