Didn't know about the Viacom stuff, but here is a copy of my post in the SP thread yesterday:
Just made my annual call, and I'm pretty sure this is the best result with the least BS that I've ever had.
Said "cancel service" at the initial prompt, and then "cancel service" at the 2nd prompt.
Got the guy on the phone & told him that I noticed my bill had been going up recently (previous credits had been expiring), and that I was looking for a way to get it back down & to also get the Sunday Ticket Max if the numbers worked. He asked what monthly number I was looking at getting to, & I said I'd like it in the low 70s/month (only 1 receiver, HD w/DVR, plus HBO).
He started asking me which channels I watched & started to go down the road of getting a lesser package to save $$. I told him although I basically only watched HBO, I still liked having the other channels available, and was more interested in getting to a lower number with credits, as they had been able to do for me in the past.
He said he'd check out what he could do, acknowledged my history with them since August of 2003 (almost 9 years), and my payment history (always pay on time, etc.), and said that they appreciate how I've been a loyal customer, and that he was able to offer me $20/mo for 12 mos off my existing package ($240), and ST for free ($199), with an agreement to stay with Direct TV for 1 year. I thanked him for that offer and explained that I actually needed the MAX package with the Red Zone & To Go option, since I often need to see games remotely & always stream the Red Zone while watching the Browns game.
He said I could add the MAX package for $100, in 4 payments of $25. I asked him if there was anything he could do to offset that charge with a 1 time credit, and he said that he couldn't do anything for that. I then noted that a $8/month credit for my DVR had recently dropped off, & asked if there was any way I could get that renewed for a year, and that if he could do that, it would seal the deal.
He checked it out, again acknowledged my 9 year history as a customer who paid on time & said he could get that credit reinstated for 1 year ($96).
I thanked him & said "let's get it set up then". I then asked him how long I was under contract for (until 7/10/13), and asked him how long I had been under contract for (7/19/13) - knowing already that I was under contract for about 1 year anyway.
So, net result =
no contract extension (since I was already under contract)
$240 off bill ($20/mo for 1 year)
$96 off bill ($8/mo for 1 year)
Free Sunday Ticket basic (not auto renew) ($199 value)
I pay $100 one time payment for MAX upgrade
Boils down to FREE Sunday Ticket MAX + $236 off my bill over the next year, or $535 value for a 20 minute call. I already have a $5 month credit for 24 months that runs through the duration of my contract, and I'm halfway through free showtime for 1 year - all of which remains intact.
Also, the only time I said I was going to cancel my service was at the 2 prompts - never mentioned Dish or cable or anything else, just asked for what I wanted.
A bit of a pain to have to make the call every year, but definitely worth the trouble.
Edit: after that 1 time charge, my bill will be about $70/mo for the remainder of contract, with all credits expiring on 7/28/13.
back free of charge)
