# be careful when making changes at directv.com



## gregftlaud (Jun 16, 2004)

hey guys, i just wanted to warn you about making changes to your programming services at directv.com

i have the advanced directv protection plan that is 7.99/mo. ok, well, when you go into change your programming package, etc at directv.com, they only have the regular protection plan at 5.99 listed. so if you go in and make changes to your programming before you hit "accept changes" u wont see the direct protection plan that is 7.99 listed before you proceed because it is not a choice. well, i made the mistake of not looking over the list of services i had chosen and hit accept changes and my dtv protection plan was removed. thank god i went in and looked in the recent activities area and saw that it had removed it. and since the 7.99 plan is not on there for you to add....i had to call to have it reinstated. 

i emailed them and let them know of this issue. hopefully they will add the 7.99 plan as well, or i will have to call in everytime i want to make a change to my programming.

greg


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## TimGoodwin (Jun 20, 2003)

All the protection plans are 5.99 now.


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## gregftlaud (Jun 16, 2004)

no they are not. there is an advanced one that is 7.99 that covers hd dvr's, etc. when i called in to dtv to re-instate my protection plan she told me so....and put back on the 7.99 plan.


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## rifleman69 (Jan 6, 2005)

gregftlaud said:


> no they are not. there is an advanced one that is 7.99 that covers hd dvr's, etc. when i called in to dtv to re-instate my protection plan she told me so....and put back on the 7.99 plan.


Hmmmm, when I had the protection plan earlier this year (which included the HR10-250), it was only 5.99.


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## scooby_doo_53 (Jul 19, 2004)

They haven't caught you yet - I had the protection plan for 6 years. Last year they realized I had an upgraded receiver (re - HD Tivo), and sent me a letter saying they would have to raise the rate to 7.99/month. Two months later, my HR10-250 died - received one overnight the next day, and I had called at 6:30 PM Mountain Time Friday night - had it before noon on Saturday. For my money, it's worth it.


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## wmschultz (May 26, 2004)

I'm confused about the protection plan because I have had 2 HD Tivos that failed, one I 
bought from Best Buy a couple of years ago for $1000 and one I bought from D* for $400
about a year ago. 

Both had hard drive failures. I just called and they sent me another one. I don't pay for 
the protection plan. So what is the difference?


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## gregftlaud (Jun 16, 2004)

not sure how you got replacements without the protection plan and since your hd tivo's 1yr warranty had run out. well, i'm paying for it i will take no chance on a product i paid 999 bucks for


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## scooby_doo_53 (Jul 19, 2004)

The best thing about their plan is that it covers everything - your dish, multiswitch, and ALL of your receivers, not just the HR10-250. I had a multiswitch go bad a couple of years ago; My dish went out of alignment last year in a bad windstorm; and I have had my first other HD receiver (not a Tivo device) replaced twice - both times they ended up having bad power supplies.


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## gregftlaud (Jun 16, 2004)

it's a good plan and i'm sure alot of people out there with advanced products from directv such as the hd tivo, etc have the plan and i'm also sure some are paying for the 5.99/mo regular plan or have no plan thinking they are covered for EVERYTHING. they are gonna get a big surprise on the phone if they arent paying for the advanced plan and something goes wrong. just b/c a couple of people in here "say" they have had advanced products replaced with the 5.99 plan or no plan at all do not trust that. no way.

now, the only thing left is directv.com needs to add the 7.99 plan to their choices so when u go in and make changes it is not removed by accident...on their part.

greg


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## wmschultz (May 26, 2004)

Did you notice that they have 2 5.99 plans when you go to their site? It is like there is
an option for 7.99, but they both say 5.99.


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## Maik (Jul 23, 2002)

I had the 7.99 plan until a couple of months ago when it suddenly changed to 5.99. I called DTV and was told that they had changed the price. All coverage remained the same.


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## hoopsrgreat (Jan 2, 2005)

So I have a leased hr10-250, lets say the hard drive goes out this week. I have no protection plan, but its a lease. I just send it back and get another correct?
Cant see why I would want insurance on a product that isnt mine.


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## A J Ricaud (Jun 25, 2002)

hoopsrgreat said:


> So I have a leased hr10-250, lets say the hard drive goes out this week. I have no protection plan, but its a lease. I just send it back and get another correct?
> Cant see why I would want insurance on a product that isnt mine.


The leased receiver will be replaced by Directv at no charge. However, if anything else goes bad, i.e., the dish, wiring, multiswitch(es), diplexers, then it's on your dime.


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## hoopsrgreat (Jan 2, 2005)

I can not see how my wiring could possibly go bad. I just got the new 5lnb dish with the H20.... isnt the dish D* as well now? I have never paid for a piece of equipment from D*. They gave me the multiswitch also. I just dont see how the protection plan helps us now that we are leasing.

I can see it for those that paid 1k fopr the HD tivo.... but those days are over.


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## SpankyInChicago (May 13, 2005)

From what I understood, DirecTV lowered the price on protection plans to $5.99 regardless of equipment type. I could be wrong. I sure hope you didn't call them up thinking the old policy was in place and they took advantage of the situation to charge you a higher than normal price.


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## innersanctum (May 23, 2003)

gregftlaud said:


> hey guys, i just wanted to warn you about making changes to your programming services at directv.com
> 
> i have the advanced directv protection plan that is 7.99/mo. ok, well, when you go into change your programming package, etc at directv.com, they only have the regular protection plan at 5.99 listed. so if you go in and make changes to your programming before you hit "accept changes" u wont see the direct protection plan that is 7.99 listed before you proceed because it is not a choice. well, i made the mistake of not looking over the list of services i had chosen and hit accept changes and my dtv protection plan was removed. thank god i went in and looked in the recent activities area and saw that it had removed it. and since the 7.99 plan is not on there for you to add....i had to call to have it reinstated.
> 
> ...


This protection plan you speak of...I just got my HD DVR installed this past weekend. Part of the deal as they explained it to me, is that I don't own the unit and that it's leased to me through my subscription. The CSR told me that if anything happens to the unit during the next 2 years of my committment, that they would send a box for this one and ship a new one.


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## SpankyInChicago (May 13, 2005)

Here is a good explanation of the protection plan pricing:

http://www.solidsignal.com/direct/tv/content/equipment_protection.asp

$5.99 per month regardless of equipment type, provided you had not subscribed to the protection plan prior to 3/1/2006.

For lease customers, the lease does cover drop ship equipment replacement, but nothing else:

"While the lease program will provide replacement and upgrade hardware via drop shipment to customers ($14.95 shipping and handling fee applies), the Protection Plan covers in-home service calls as well as the shipping costs for replacement hardware."


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## doug25 (Oct 4, 2005)

"A Riddle":
Let's say some part of my system fails (box, dish, whatever). I don't have a protection plan. I call D* and tell them replace my part(s) free of charge or cancel my subscription. What will they say and do?


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## wmschultz (May 26, 2004)

doug25 said:


> "A Riddle":
> Let's say some part of my system fails (box, dish, whatever). I don't have a protection plan. I call D* and tell them replace my part(s) free of charge or cancel my subscription. What will they say and do?


Yeah, no kidding. I tried to activate a used receiver that I got from my sister. When
I called they said that the authorization card was deactivated and I needed a new
one and the price was $25 or something like that.

I said you want me to pay for a card from you just so I can activate a receiver so
I can pay you more?

Sir, we will just send you a new card.

Thank you!


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## chris_h (Dec 17, 2003)

doug25 said:


> "A Riddle":
> Let's say some part of my system fails (box, dish, whatever). I don't have a protection plan. I call D* and tell them replace my part(s) free of charge or cancel my subscription. What will they say and do?


Just a guess on my part:
If your account shows 1 or 2 "hearts" they say "okay, I will cancel you now."
If your account shows 4 or 5 "hearts" they say they will send someone out to fix it. If your account shows three hearts, they will probably work with you to share the costs of repair, once those costs are estimated.

Their heart system rates how valuable of a customer you are to them (and I suspect it has to do mostly with how much you spend and if you pay on time).


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## DonQijote (Mar 2, 2004)

I have 8 D* receivers on my account. This includes 3 HR10-250s.

*All of my statements for 2006 have shown $5.99. * A statement for July of 2005 does show $7.99.

I do not know when the change went into effect, as I have not initiated any changes to my programming. I did get a HR10-250 replaced last December.


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## hoopsbwc34 (Jan 28, 2003)

gregftlaud said:


> hey guys, i just wanted to warn you about making changes to your programming services at directv.com
> 
> i have the advanced directv protection plan that is 7.99/mo. ok, well, when you go into change your programming package, etc at directv.com, they only have the regular protection plan at 5.99 listed. so if you go in and make changes to your programming before you hit "accept changes" u wont see the direct protection plan that is 7.99 listed before you proceed because it is not a choice. well, i made the mistake of not looking over the list of services i had chosen and hit accept changes and my dtv protection plan was removed. thank god i went in and looked in the recent activities area and saw that it had removed it. and since the 7.99 plan is not on there for you to add....i had to call to have it reinstated.
> 
> ...


Same thing happened to me... I emailed and they fixed it as well.


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## gregftlaud (Jun 16, 2004)

first, my equipment is mine not leased...and i paid 999 bucks for it so that's why i treasure this protection plan lol

second, i started the protection plan in june 2004 so that's why i guess i'm still paying 7.99 but that doesnt make any since. why penalize customers and make them pay more (all be it just 2 bucks more) just because of when they started sub'ing to something. if the true price for ALL coverage is 5.99 be it regular or advanced....then ALL customers should be charged the same thing regardless of when they started sub'ing to it. that would be like them charging customes that sub'd to the hd package now for 9.99....then sometime in the future they drop the price to 5.99 (ha ha)....and they make the customers that orginally sub'd still pay the 9.99. 

i'd cancel it then re-sub to it to get the 5.99 if i knew that it was really true that was full coverage but u never know what to believe from csr's and on these boards. plus knowing my luck my hd tivo would blow tomorrow and when u newly sub to the protection plan......coverage doesnt start for 30 days.....


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## Robert Spalding (Jan 12, 2001)

I bought from Solidsignal so I got a 5 year warranty through them included.


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## Vroomfondel (Jul 10, 2006)

gregftlaud said:


> first, my equipment is mine not leased...and i paid 999 bucks for it so that's why i treasure this protection plan lol
> 
> second, i started the protection plan in june 2004 so that's why i guess i'm still paying 7.99 but that doesnt make any since. why penalize customers and make them pay more (all be it just 2 bucks more) just because of when they started sub'ing to something. if the true price for ALL coverage is 5.99 be it regular or advanced....then ALL customers should be charged the same thing regardless of when they started sub'ing to it. that would be like them charging customes that sub'd to the hd package now for 9.99....then sometime in the future they drop the price to 5.99 (ha ha)....and they make the customers that orginally sub'd still pay the 9.99.
> 
> i'd cancel it then re-sub to it to get the 5.99 if i knew that it was really true that was full coverage but u never know what to believe from csr's and on these boards. plus knowing my luck my hd tivo would blow tomorrow and when u newly sub to the protection plan......coverage doesnt start for 30 days.....


June '04 - July '06 = 25 months @ $7.99 = $199.75

Cost of repairs in that time = $0

Cost of future repairs = ?

Value for money = none

If my Receiver dies, I'll call retention and get a replacement for a lot less than $200. If I need the dish realigned, I'll get a local guy for $50 and if I need a new multiswitch, I'll get one for $20 online.

So, I won't pay for a protection plan which amounts to pure extra profit for D*.


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## amallon (Jul 26, 2006)

gregftlaud said:


> first, my equipment is mine not leased...and i paid 999 bucks for it so that's why i treasure this protection plan lol


You do realize that the price you paid for the TiVo is irrelevant when determining the value of a protection plan, right? The protection plan's true value is measured against how much you would save to replace or repair the unit. Considering that you can get new HD TiVo's for as little as $299, and potentially a cheaper replacement through retention (as the previous post mentions), it isn't quite as good a deal as you may think.


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## whitepelican (Feb 15, 2005)

Vroomfondel said:


> So, I won't pay for a protection plan which amounts to pure extra profit for D*.


Every time I speak to a DirecTV CSR and they ask me about purchasing the service plan, I get a flashback to Smithers' line in the "Homerpalooza" Simpson's episode.

-- M. Burns: And to think, Smithers, you laughed when I bought TicketMaster. "Nobody's going to pay a 100% service charge."
-- Smithers: Well, it's a policy that ensures a healthy mix of the rich and the ignorant, sir.


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## gregftlaud (Jun 16, 2004)

well...actually i have used the protection plan three times because of hurricanes they came out and replaced all my outside equipment and did the work for free.

and yes, i know that the value of my protection plan doesnt compare to the value of how much i paid for my hd tivo, but at the time i bought it that was a huge point. the fact i've used my protection plan 3 times in the last 2yrs for repairs makes it worth to me not to get a hassle or run around from dtv to get my dish replaced and everything outside repaired/re-installed for free.

and you know...the point of my original first post was not to discuss the advantages or disadvantages of the protection plan. i was simply making a post to warn those out there who sub to the protection plan and go to dtv's website to make their programming changes......that their protection plan might accidentally be removed.


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

The protection isn't worth it unless you are too old or disabled to plug in the receiver yourself.

For the DirecTivo's, they are basically free, so no cost is worth it for them
For the HD Tivo's, they are now <$300, and DirecTV has long been replacing them out of warrantee.
For the dish, I'll bet DirecTV will fix this for free, as you can't get service without it.
For the multiswitches, they rarely go bad, and they are <$40 if you have to buy a new one.
For the wiring, you don't want some lousy installer running coax down the outside of your house, so you either need to do it yourself or pay someone else.

It's like protection plans on electronics, or extended warrantees on cars. These are THE most profitable things for them, and the least useful for consumers.


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## lromoda (Aug 11, 2005)

As with all insurance plans you have to assess what you're really protecting. I know $7 isn't much money, but that's not the real cost. 

With an Hr10-250 you can buy a PTV upgrade preconfigured drive with networking enabled for $299. You can buy a quality 250Gig HD for far less. 

So you guys are ok with spending $100 a year, every year, to protect yourself from maybe being out $300 if your machine breaks?

Yes, it is all about risk. Just trying to change the perspective a bit.

I long ago decided to "self insure" on all electronics. I figure that over the course of my lifetime the cost of repairs I incure will be far less than the warrantee plans I would pay for for that "free" replacement and cleaning.


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## gregftlaud (Jun 16, 2004)

Like I Said...i Did Not Start This Thread To Discuss Whether Or Not People Should Have The Dtv Protection Plan

I Started It To Warn Those Out There Who Have It Of The Potential Accidental Removal Of It If They Make Programming Changes At Dtv's Website.

SO Quit Jumping On My Back And The Backs Of Those Of Us Who Have The Protection Plan. It's Our Choice To Have It So Get Over It.


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## TimGoodwin (Jun 20, 2003)

gregftlaud said:


> Like I Said...i Did Not Start This Thread To Discuss Whether Or Not People Should Have The Dtv Protection Plan
> 
> I Started It To Warn Those Out There Who Have It Of The Potential Accidental Removal Of It If They Make Programming Changes At Dtv's Website.
> 
> SO Quit Jumping On My Back And The Backs Of Those Of Us Who Have The Protection Plan. It's Our Choice To Have It So Get Over It.


As I said before, it is only 5.99 not 7.99... but hey if you want to keep paying two dollars more go right ahead!


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