Can you negotiate with DirecTV? (5 Viewers)

[phishphan]

My contract is up in August. This is a stupid question but can I cancel and renew the next week to get the new customer deals?

The offer that I received from them today is:

$200 Sunday Ticket Max ($100 off)

6 month free HD ($60)

New HD / DVR box ($200 value)

$5 off family package ($15 value - I downgrade the package during the summer)

New On Demand features ($99 value)

Free Starz for 6 months (I have no idea that value)

Total savings is $475 (not including free Starz)

I want the Ticket Max for $50 or $100.

Whats this?

Good question. He said it was something that were new OnDemand features. I didn't ask much about it -- I will though the next time I call and report back.

I think it's called Directv Cinema. It will have movies and some TV shows on demand.

I needed a new HD DVR to replace an old DVR (new TV for bedroom). Talked to them about whole home DVR. They are bringing me a NEW HD DVR (I already have one in another room), 2 new HD receivers, installing the new Directv Cinema and everything for free next Saturday.

 

[SoCalBroncoFan]

Called and told them that the kids are home for the summer and that the wife is very frustrated by the kids not being able to watch Spongebob and the other shows that the kids love Nick. I mentioned that she already was frustrated with DirecTv's prices and that we have a friend who works for Verizon and can give us a deal to switch over to Fios at a greatly reduced rate. Not having the Viacom was the last straw and that we wanted to cancel. I was sent over to customer retention and the guy offers me $50 off per month for 3 months, $40 off per month for months 4-6 and $20 off for months 6-12. I told him that I needed to talk to my wife. I muted the phone and sat there for about a minute and a half and came back on the line and told him that it was a really good deal but that those rates would only put us in line with what we would getting with our Fios hook-up. I then mentioned that the reason I wanted to keep DirecTv was that I wanted to get the Sunday Ticket, and it was a big selling point for me. He then offered me free Sunday Ticket on top of the previous offer. I asked if he could do the Max with with that. He said no, that he couldn't waive the entire $100 fee, but that he could offer me a 1 time $50 credit on my account, and that would cover half of the fee.

So in summation:

Free Sunday Ticket

Max for $50

$50 for 3 months

$40 off for 3 months

$20 for 6 months

$390 off bill, plus Sunday Ticket.

BTW, there is no wife and kids at home... The story does help...

 

[Socrates11]

Anyone getting the sweet deals while still under contract? I just moved and had to re-up for another 2 years. Called today and I could only swing:

Update channel plan to add more channels for less $

Get $5 off for 6 months

Free HD service for 6 months

Sunday Ticket for $100

I tried threatening to cancel, even used the old 'cable would reimburse the early termination charge', but that's the best he would do. I'm thinking I didn't get more because of having almost 2 years to go on the contract.

 

[beavers]

Anyone getting the sweet deals while still under contract? I just moved and had to re-up for another 2 years. Called today and I could only swing:Update channel plan to add more channels for less $Get $5 off for 6 monthsFree HD service for 6 monthsSunday Ticket for $100I tried threatening to cancel, even used the old 'cable would reimburse the early termination charge', but that's the best he would do. I'm thinking I didn't get more because of having almost 2 years to go on the contract.

My contract expires next month and I couldn't get a good deal. I need to call back and ask what kind of deal would I get if I extended my contract for a year...

 

[Wingnut]

Ugh. Called today and CR guy only offered $10 for next three months, 3 months of Showtime and Starz for free. Only had a small window for lunch, so I told him I'd think about it and call back later. How many CR guys did you have to go through until the deals started coming in?

I was sent from the phone prompt directly to customer retention. Make sure when asked by the computer the reason for calling to say "cancel service". You get immediately directed to customer retention. Then you can explain, as polite and as calm as possible, what your issue is. You can say you are thinking of switching to Fios, etc. Just be polite. I was lucky in this I got it all done with one rep, but it took a while because I let him vent about how nasty most callers are. After he vented he went and found another deal for me just for being nice. These CR guys get crapped on by the customers so some politeness can go a long way.

This is important. When I called the other day, when I finally got a Cust Retention Rep on the line, the first thing I said was something like "Im sure youve been swamped with calls and have had to deal with a lot of crap over this Viacom thing...I know its not your fault, Im not calling to complain and give you an earful"....she confirmed that fact and she also vented for a minute, even saying that she herself has DirecTv, she feels the same as everyone calling and isnt happy about the Viacom thing and how she cant call to complain about it. I said "You could complain to the rep working next to you..." and she laughed and then proceeded to be very nice. I always try to lighten the mood at the beginning, it seems to work.Bottom line is just treat them like a person, be polite, dont use profanity and dont sound bi###y about it and youll usually get a satisfactory deal.

 

[Wingnut]

New On Demand features ($99 value)

Whats this?

Good question. He said it was something that were new OnDemand features. I didn't ask much about it -- I will though the next time I call and report back.

I think it's called Directv Cinema. It will have movies and some TV shows on demand.

Oh, that. Ive had that for a year and have checked it out once or twice when I first got it hooked up. Lots of non-new movies for free and newer movies you have to pay for. I havent used it since.

Anyone getting the sweet deals while still under contract? I just moved and had to re-up for another 2 years. Called today and I could only swing:

Update channel plan to add more channels for less $

Get $5 off for 6 months

Free HD service for 6 months

Sunday Ticket for $100

I tried threatening to cancel, even used the old 'cable would reimburse the early termination charge', but that's the best he would do. I'm thinking I didn't get more because of having almost 2 years to go on the contract.

My contract expires next month and I couldn't get a good deal. I need to call back and ask what kind of deal would I get if I extended my contract for a year...

I have a year left on contract and I got what amounted to free Sunday Ticket/RZC and $80 in credits over the next year. Sunday Ticket is all I was trying for, Im 100% sure I could have milked some free movie channels or other goodies as well, but I didnt really want anything else at this point. Its all a combination of which rep you get, and you how play it.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

I'm looking at getting out of my cable service and literally my only option is either DTV or Dish, and I'm not doing Dish.

So If I understand correctly, you can't watch Nick on DTV because of contract negotiations, but I found this site and you can watch Nick shows online with something called Direct TV Everywhere...

http://www.directvpr...-ways-to-watch/

So when I look at say Phenias and Ferb (my daughter loves this show), I realize these are only 3 season, but there are new episodes listed ...

http://www.directv.c...=ep_search_item

what am I missing??

ETA: OK As I scroll through more of that website, looks like SpongeBob and some others liek Victorious (she likes that one too) aren't available online, ecxept for through netflix, etc.

 

[beavers]

New On Demand features ($99 value)

Whats this?

Good question. He said it was something that were new OnDemand features. I didn't ask much about it -- I will though the next time I call and report back.

I think it's called Directv Cinema. It will have movies and some TV shows on demand.

Oh, that. Ive had that for a year and have checked it out once or twice when I first got it hooked up. Lots of non-new movies for free and newer movies you have to pay for. I havent used it since.

Anyone getting the sweet deals while still under contract? I just moved and had to re-up for another 2 years. Called today and I could only swing:

Update channel plan to add more channels for less $

Get $5 off for 6 months

Free HD service for 6 months

Sunday Ticket for $100

I tried threatening to cancel, even used the old 'cable would reimburse the early termination charge', but that's the best he would do. I'm thinking I didn't get more because of having almost 2 years to go on the contract.

My contract expires next month and I couldn't get a good deal. I need to call back and ask what kind of deal would I get if I extended my contract for a year...

I have a year left on contract and I got what amounted to free Sunday Ticket/RZC and $80 in credits over the next year. Sunday Ticket is all I was trying for, Im 100% sure I could have milked some free movie channels or other goodies as well, but I didnt really want anything else at this point. Its all a combination of which rep you get, and you how play it.

Good advice. So what I need to do during my next call is to try to get some of the crap stuff off (Starz and the Cinema OnDemand) for the real savings from the bill. I'm surprised he wouldn't negotiate more given my contract is up next month.

 

[GoFishTN]

I'm looking at getting out of my cable service and literally my only option is either DTV or Dish, and I'm not doing Dish.

So If I understand correctly, you can't watch Nick on DTV because of contract negotiations, but I found this site and you can watch Nick shows online with something called Direct TV Everywhere...

http://www.directvpr...-ways-to-watch/

So when I look at say Phenias and Ferb (my daughter loves this show), I realize these are only 3 season, but there are new episodes listed ...

http://www.directv.c...=ep_search_item

what am I missing??

That Phineas and Ferb is a Disney Channel show?

 

[Peak]

I'm looking at getting out of my cable service and literally my only option is either DTV or Dish, and I'm not doing Dish.

So If I understand correctly, you can't watch Nick on DTV because of contract negotiations, but I found this site and you can watch Nick shows online with something called Direct TV Everywhere...

http://www.directvpr...-ways-to-watch/

So when I look at say Phenias and Ferb (my daughter loves this show), I realize these are only 3 season, but there are new episodes listed ...

http://www.directv.c...=ep_search_item

what am I missing??

That Phineas and Ferb is a Disney Channel show?

This is correct. You'll have to look for SpongeBob, iCarly, or Big Time Rush for Nick shows.

 

[Peak]

Ugh. Called today and CR guy only offered $10 for next three months, 3 months of Showtime and Starz for free. Only had a small window for lunch, so I told him I'd think about it and call back later. How many CR guys did you have to go through until the deals started coming in?

I was sent from the phone prompt directly to customer retention. Make sure when asked by the computer the reason for calling to say "cancel service". You get immediately directed to customer retention. Then you can explain, as polite and as calm as possible, what your issue is. You can say you are thinking of switching to Fios, etc. Just be polite. I was lucky in this I got it all done with one rep, but it took a while because I let him vent about how nasty most callers are. After he vented he went and found another deal for me just for being nice. These CR guys get crapped on by the customers so some politeness can go a long way.

This is important. When I called the other day, when I finally got a Cust Retention Rep on the line, the first thing I said was something like "Im sure youve been swamped with calls and have had to deal with a lot of crap over this Viacom thing...I know its not your fault, Im not calling to complain and give you an earful"....she confirmed that fact and she also vented for a minute, even saying that she herself has DirecTv, she feels the same as everyone calling and isnt happy about the Viacom thing and how she cant call to complain about it. I said "You could complain to the rep working next to you..." and she laughed and then proceeded to be very nice. I always try to lighten the mood at the beginning, it seems to work.Bottom line is just treat them like a person, be polite, dont use profanity and dont sound bi###y about it and youll usually get a satisfactory deal.

Thanks. I'll have to call again tonight when I get home.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

I'm looking at getting out of my cable service and literally my only option is either DTV or Dish, and I'm not doing Dish.

So If I understand correctly, you can't watch Nick on DTV because of contract negotiations, but I found this site and you can watch Nick shows online with something called Direct TV Everywhere...

http://www.directvpr...-ways-to-watch/

So when I look at say Phenias and Ferb (my daughter loves this show), I realize these are only 3 season, but there are new episodes listed ...

http://www.directv.c...=ep_search_item

what am I missing??

That Phineas and Ferb is a Disney Channel show?

yep, you are right...they are directing you to Disney shows online instead..my bad...thanks

 

[DA RAIDERS]

i am under contract. and already have a $5 and a $10 credits for 12 months in place.

just made my yearly call. i was nice as pie and very upfront. i told them that the bill was too much, proved this by cancelling showtime(a useless channel except for their original programming), and that my 6 year old and wife were both not happy with the viacom thing. i also mentioned that i knew the sunday ticket was coming and that it certainly wasn't gonna help with lowering the bill.

i was on the phone for 31 minutes..talked to 2 people. the first lady hung up on me as she transferred me to CR

first lady gave $10 off for 3 months instantly and free starz for 6 months. this is automatic due to the nick jr stuff. she then suggested i should talk to CR to see if they could get more off my bill. then she hung up on me by accident.

called right back, got CR on the line. told chelsea(she sounded hots0r ) my story. she sympathized as her daughter is 4. she looked at my bill asked me what i like and offered Sunday Ticket Max at half price. i said that's great but my fbg ifriends are getting $20 off for a year.....she was and then said hold on. she comes back with 2 offers. $10/12 mo + half off ST or $20/12mo and full price ST. i accepted the former.

so....

$10 for 3 months

$10 off for 12 months

free starz for 6 months

$151 off sunday ticket max, which includes the mobile viewing this year.

$351 off i'll take it!!

 

[Hawks64]

First thing is always say cancel service and talk to Customer Retention, those are the best deals. Called and in less than 30 min had free ST, free whole home DVR and 20 off for a year. Have been a customer since 2002, but I am getting really tired of this BS with losing channels all the damn time. I am seriously thinking about Comcast since they don't seem to lose channels often.

 

[beercat]

Got the redzone channel for free. ETA: without the Sunday ticket

How did you manage this?

 

[shuke]

Got the redzone channel for free. ETA: without the Sunday ticket

How did you manage this?

I think I got this too. I didn't even ask for it.

 

[shuke]

Free HD access for 1 year20 off for 12 months10 off for 3 months10 off for 6 monthsfree sunday ticket with redzone, call took 12 min

Seriously impressive.

 

[3C's]

So in this Viacom/Directv mess, Viacom decided to not only pull their channels from Directv but they also shut down online streaming so we can't view shows there either. #######s <_<

These two companies seem to be run by 10 year-olds.

Jon Stewart wins again.http://www.boston.com/business/technology/2012/07/18/viacom-decides-not-block-daily-show-online/1gwHVmPbuV1aWWadWrc6cO/story.html

 

[lumpy19]

Free HD access for 1 year20 off for 12 months10 off for 3 months10 off for 6 monthsfree sunday ticket with redzone, call took 12 min

Seriously impressive.

I should mention I'm under contract and already have other discounts applied to my bill. 2 years ago I wasn't under contract and when I made my call they wouldn't give me a thing....no idea how they decide what to do, seems completely random.

 

[3 hour lunch]

Semi-related, but I've been meaning to call about whole home DVR for a while and did so today. They offered me that equipment, service, and install, which includes a receiver upgrade, for $49 (& $3 monthly). Apparently it's worth $200-$300 or something normally. I would have to sign a new 2 year contract though, which I won't do until Viacom is resolved. Is that a good deal? Is the whole home service as good as it sounds? Would have tried to get it for free but already made the complaint call yesterday.

 

[JShare87]

Semi-related, but I've been meaning to call about whole home DVR for a while and did so today. They offered me that equipment, service, and install, which includes a receiver upgrade, for $49 (& $3 monthly). Apparently it's worth $200-$300 or something normally. I would have to sign a new 2 year contract though, which I won't do until Viacom is resolved. Is that a good deal? Is the whole home service as good as it sounds? Would have tried to get it for free but already made the complaint call yesterday.

It's pretty cool but then again I didn't have to pay anything for it and I didn't have to sign a new contract either.

 

[Fantasy Girl]

Well I was all set to make my annual Sunday Ticket call when I happened to check my bill this morning and they recently charged me $175 for not returning a defective DVR a few weeks back. (I did return it within the required time frame using their shipping box and label) After about 3 hours on the phone with 3-4 different Directv employees and 2 different Fed Ex people they did finally track it down. It WAS returned to Directv but due to some type of error it never was noted that it had been returned. One lady assured me I would receive a credit for $175 next month...we'll see. Anyway after all that I made the call to customer retention... I was very polite, mentioned we may be cancelling as it's too expensive and we can't really afford the Sunday Ticket and that is one of the main reasons we got Directv, kid not happy with Nickelodeon situation, I know I have some credits on my account getting ready to run out and am I eligible for anything else? Best he could do is $15 off month/3 months and $3 off month for 3 months...YUCK...I had to ask for any discount on Sunday Ticket or Sunday Ticket Max and he said he could do 50% off the Max ($147 discount) I told him I'd think about. I'm not too happy as I have done much better in the past but we just renewed our contract when we moved and I got a new HD DVR so not much bargaining power I guess. I told him that even if we pay the $400 cancellation fee that's only like 2 months worth of bills anyway. Not a big deal. (I would never actually cancel...I can't live without the Ticket) Going to call back later and tell him I have some friends that have gotten Ticket Max for free and see what they say...

 

[St. Louis Bob]

Fantancy Girl <

 

[GreekFreak]

Between the wife complaining about no MTV and the kids crying about no NICK. I am done with directv.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

one thing to mention. if you have current promos going it will interfere with their abilities to add new ones. usually you can only have 3 going at once.

HTH

 

[Buck Stop]

What is ST Maxx?

NFL Sunday Ticket MAX which gives you pretty much everything.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

What is ST Maxx?

NFL Sunday Ticket MAX which gives you pretty much everything.

last year i had ST and Red Zone, what else is there?

mobile. which is cool if you travel.

 

[Fantasy Girl]

Well I was all set to make my annual Sunday Ticket call when I happened to check my bill this morning and they recently charged me $175 for not returning a defective DVR a few weeks back. (I did return it within the required time frame using their shipping box and label) After about 3 hours on the phone with 3-4 different Directv employees and 2 different Fed Ex people they did finally track it down. It WAS returned to Directv but due to some type of error it never was noted that it had been returned. One lady assured me I would receive a credit for $175 next month...we'll see. Anyway after all that I made the call to customer retention... I was very polite, mentioned we may be cancelling as it's too expensive and we can't really afford the Sunday Ticket and that is one of the main reasons we got Directv, kid not happy with Nickelodeon situation, I know I have some credits on my account getting ready to run out and am I eligible for anything else? Best he could do is $15 off month/3 months and $3 off month for 3 months...YUCK...I had to ask for any discount on Sunday Ticket or Sunday Ticket Max and he said he could do 50% off the Max ($147 discount) I told him I'd think about. I'm not too happy as I have done much better in the past but we just renewed our contract when we moved and I got a new HD DVR so not much bargaining power I guess. I told him that even if we pay the $400 cancellation fee that's only like 2 months worth of bills anyway. Not a big deal. (I would never actually cancel...I can't live without the Ticket) Going to call back later and tell him I have some friends that have gotten Ticket Max for free and see what they say...

Called back for second time...got basically same deal first guy offered plus a one time $50 credit. (Have to pay Sunday Ticket Max in one payment)$10 off for 3 months$5 off for 3 months50% off Sunday Ticket Max ($147) (no installment plan available)One time $50 creditThis is on top of the current discounts I already get:$10.00 Advanced Receiver-HD 24 months free HD access$5.00 Premier 24 month credit$6.50 Premier 1/2 off Starz for 12 months$5.00 Premier 12 month value discount$10.00 Premier Save $10 month for 24 months$6.00 Primary TV FreeI really wanted ST Max for free but I suppose with the discounts I am already getting and considering I just signed a new 2 year contract a few months ago for a 2nd free HD-DVR when we moved (I still have almost 20 months left on my contract) it's still a pretty good deal!

 

[headcrack]

I just made the call and I must have got lucky because I got the coolest, friendliest, hot-sounding girl . I told her I had an offer from Comcast for their Premier package w/ internet for 119.99 which would be a huge savings over the 127.99 for direct tv and 50 I'm paying my current ISP. I also told her that I haven't really been happy with paying so much for awhile and that the latest loss of channels really had me considering a switch. She came right out with an offer of 34.50 off per month for a year. Then I asked her about Sunday ticket and if it was possible to get just the Red Zone channel and she looked around for a minute and gave me Sunday Ticket plus Red Zone channel for free. I had to accept a one year contract but damn, she just saved me 713 bucks so it was the least I could do. Like others have said, the key is to be nice, joke with them and hope you get an awesome retention rep.

 

[Bull Dozier]

New On Demand features ($99 value)

Whats this?

Good question. He said it was something that were new OnDemand features. I didn't ask much about it -- I will though the next time I call and report back.

I think it's called Directv Cinema. It will have movies and some TV shows on demand.

Oh, that. Ive had that for a year and have checked it out once or twice when I first got it hooked up. Lots of non-new movies for free and newer movies you have to pay for. I havent used it since.

I was at my sister's house and her husband was playing with something where you could essentially download anything that has been on TV instantly to the DVR and add it to your playlist. This would be useful, for example, when trying to find a movie to watch. You can essentially get on demand anything that has been on any channel you have and watch it instantly. Is this the DirecTV Cinema? It would be really useful, as when I want to watch a movie, I always seem to browse what is coming up, set it to record, but have to wait. If I see something has been on recently, I can go back and record it.He also went and recorded every episode of a Showtime original series he missed watching at the beginning. It seems like a cool feature, but I'm not sure how much I'd pay for it.

 

[Jobber]

Between the wife complaining about no MTV and the kids crying about no NICK. I am done with directv.

You should check out the We've Cut the Cable thread. You'll be surprised how much you WON'T miss DirecTV/Dish/Charter/Comcast.

 

[SwampDawg]

Made my yearly call. $25 a month off for 12 months and Sunday Ticket Max for half price ($146). I'm not under contract so I've been getting something close to that the last 3 or 4 years.

 

[Wingnut]

I just made the call and I must have got lucky because I got the coolest, friendliest, hot-sounding girl . I told her I had an offer from Comcast for their Premier package w/ internet for 119.99 which would be a huge savings over the 127.99 for direct tv and 50 I'm paying my current ISP. I also told her that I haven't really been happy with paying so much for awhile and that the latest loss of channels really had me considering a switch. She came right out with an offer of 34.50 off per month for a year. Then I asked her about Sunday ticket and if it was possible to get just the Red Zone channel and she looked around for a minute and gave me Sunday Ticket plus Red Zone channel for free. I had to accept a one year contract but damn, she just saved me 713 bucks so it was the least I could do. Like others have said, the key is to be nice, joke with them and hope you get an awesome retention rep.

Holy crap!Winner so far.

 

[SpurrierisisGod]

I just logged in to my account to check if I am out of contract and printout out a sheet to compare packages with Uverse.

Under the programming tab and "my current sports", I noticed Sunday Ticket is activated. $32.99. It does not say /month or anything like the other premium channels do and I have not seen a charge on my bundled bill (with At&T). I am hoping that by doing nothing, I got the Ticket for $33 and not a recurring monthly charge. Also noticed I can upgrade to max for a one time $100 payment. They must have started beiung proactive.

Still going to call and give the "kids not happy" schtick and see what I can get.

 

[Gambino]

Just made the yearly call, invested about 20 minutes to yield:

Free Sunday Ticket Max

$20/month discount for 12 months

$10/month discount for 24 months

I was under contract until December 19th, so I called to ask what it would cost me to break my contract. Rep said, "$100, but why would you want to leave?" Broke into the whole Sunday Ticket costs too much and I should probably just bundle with Uverse to get my cost down. He instantly offered ST for free, I pushed for ST Max, he came back at $50...I asked nicely if there is any way I could get it free...put me on hold an said "sure, since you're a loyal customer". Without me asking, he said "and you wanted to try and lower your bill too, right?".

From there he offered up the $20/month off for 12 months and $10/month off if I signed up for auto-pay. Only "gotcha" was that I had to agree to a 12 month contract...but clarified that was starting from today, not from my original December end date. So I'm happy with $480 in savings and free ST Max, bringing the total savings to $779

 

[Wingnut]

I just logged in to my account to check if I am out of contract and printout out a sheet to compare packages with Uverse.Under the programming tab and "my current sports", I noticed Sunday Ticket is activated. $32.99. It does not say /month or anything like the other premium channels do and I have not seen a charge on my bundled bill (with At&T). I am hoping that by doing nothing, I got the Ticket for $33 and not a recurring monthly charge. Also noticed I can upgrade to max for a one time $100 payment. They must have started beiung proactive.Still going to call and give the "kids not happy" schtick and see what I can get.

I'm pretty sure they break the ST payments down to $33/month...I'd call and ask before you are charged for months.;

 

[dancingbones]

I just logged in to my account to check if I am out of contract and printout out a sheet to compare packages with Uverse.Under the programming tab and "my current sports", I noticed Sunday Ticket is activated. $32.99. It does not say /month or anything like the other premium channels do and I have not seen a charge on my bundled bill (with At&T). I am hoping that by doing nothing, I got the Ticket for $33 and not a recurring monthly charge. Also noticed I can upgrade to max for a one time $100 payment. They must have started beiung proactive.Still going to call and give the "kids not happy" schtick and see what I can get.

I'm pretty sure they break the ST payments down to $33/month...I'd call and ask before you are charged for months.;

Yep, you probably had the Sunday Ticket on auto-renew, & they broke it into 6 monthly payments. A call is definitely in order.

 

[headcrack]

Just made the yearly call, invested about 20 minutes to yield:Free Sunday Ticket Max$20/month discount for 12 months$10/month discount for 24 monthsI was under contract until December 19th, so I called to ask what it would cost me to break my contract. Rep said, "$100, but why would you want to leave?" Broke into the whole Sunday Ticket costs too much and I should probably just bundle with Uverse to get my cost down. He instantly offered ST for free, I pushed for ST Max, he came back at $50...I asked nicely if there is any way I could get it free...put me on hold an said "sure, since you're a loyal customer". Without me asking, he said "and you wanted to try and lower your bill too, right?". From there he offered up the $20/month off for 12 months and $10/month off if I signed up for auto-pay. Only "gotcha" was that I had to agree to a 12 month contract...but clarified that was starting from today, not from my original December end date. So I'm happy with $480 in savings and free ST Max, bringing the total savings to $779

Wow, it sounds like they're in a giving kind of mood today. That even beats the deal I got. And here I thought I got mine because I was so smooth with the hot-sounding rep I got.

 

[Fensalk]

It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.

 

[GDogg]

I already have a $10 and $5 credit for 24 months on the bill.

So, I just got offered another $10, $5, and $5 off of each of our premium channels for 6 months and the Sunday Ticket for half price. She claims it is the best offer the computer will give her.

I'm going to call back in 30 minutes (like I told her) after I've spoken with my wife about our options. My tactic is to tell whoever we get that we can get FiOs for $99 for Internet, TV, and phone for 2 years as we already have FiOS internet and phone and that my wife has some coworkers that told her they have the ST for free and she really wants to jump ship (but I don't). And, this is my last ditch effort to stay on, although I'll go to bat for them after the call (that way I can point to something else when I agree to their terms). We'll see how it works.

 

[GDogg]

I already have a $10 and $5 credit for 24 months on the bill.So, I just got offered another $10, $5, and $5 off of each of our premium channels for 6 months and the Sunday Ticket for half price. She claims it is the best offer the computer will give her.I'm going to call back in 30 minutes (like I told her) after I've spoken with my wife about our options. My tactic is to tell whoever we get that we can get FiOs for $99 for Internet, TV, and phone for 2 years as we already have FiOS internet and phone and that my wife has some coworkers that told her they have the ST for free and she really wants to jump ship (but I don't). And, this is my last ditch effort to stay on, although I'll go to bat for them after the call (that way I can point to something else when I agree to their terms). We'll see how it works.

Called back and they gave me the Sunday Ticket for free.So, I'm in the midst of $15 off for 2 years, $10 off for 6 months, $5 off for 6 months, and another $5 off for 6 months plus the Sunday Ticket for free. I'll take it.

 

[GoFishTN]

I'm probably switching over in December when my Comcast deal runs out. Can you really call every year and get these discounts and they never mention you calling the previous year?

 

[GDogg]

I'm probably switching over in December when my Comcast deal runs out. Can you really call every year and get these discounts and they never mention you calling the previous year?

Yes. And, the second person I spoke with told me that since I was getting ST for free that it would not be on auto-renew next year, so I should call back around this time next year if I decide I want it and ask for "another great deal."It's why I've never understood anyone who complains about DirecTV. They will eventually give you tons of discounts and free stuff to keep you as a customer. All you have to do is ask.

 

[Wingnut]

I'm probably switching over in December when my Comcast deal runs out. Can you really call every year and get these discounts and they never mention you calling the previous year?

Nah, this thread is just a contest to see who can come up with most believeable ficticious deal with the most savings. Some pretty creative deals being concocted up in here.

 

[GoFishTN]

I'm probably switching over in December when my Comcast deal runs out. Can you really call every year and get these discounts and they never mention you calling the previous year?

Nah, this thread is just a contest to see who can come up with most believeable ficticious deal with the most savings. Some pretty creative deals being concocted up in here.

I knew it!

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Wife called last week to complain about Viacom issue, and was offered $5 off/month for 3 months or Showtime free for 2 months. She accepted the Showtime deal since she knew Big Brother was starting.

After reading this thread today (Thursday), I called them back and threatened canceling service. I was polite and allowed the female rep (Sonia) to vent. She talked about her mom complaining about not being able to watch Stewart and Colbert, etc. She offered $10 off/month for 3 months. I asked about ST. She offered half price. I asked about RZC only. She put me on hold, then came back and offered me RZC for free. I've never had ST before, so I couldn't push the whole "ST is getting too expensive for us" defense. So I accepted the $10 off/mo for 3 months and free RZC. These are in addition to the Showtime deal, and a few other in-place discounts.

 

[Mrs. Rannous]

What the heck just happened? I have major déjà vu here.

 

[Wingnut]

Bob youre quite tenacious. I think if you called one more time you would have got ST for free. You went about it the right way, though - wear em down by calling multiple times and stick to your script. Next time make that 11th call.

 

[Peak]

FYI - Just read that they finalized the contract with Viacom and that those channels are back already.

Link

 

[Socrates11]

Anyone getting the sweet deals while still under contract? I just moved and had to re-up for another 2 years. Called today and I could only swing:Update channel plan to add more channels for less $Get $5 off for 6 monthsFree HD service for 6 monthsSunday Ticket for $100I tried threatening to cancel, even used the old 'cable would reimburse the early termination charge', but that's the best he would do. I'm thinking I didn't get more because of having almost 2 years to go on the contract.

Called back because, hey what the hell. Told the rep my wife was mad because it seems everyone is getting Sunday Ticket for free but us. Rep said due to other discounts, etc she could not offer the Ticket for free. I said we are going to look at other options then. Rep said hold on, let me see what I can do. On top of what we got on the first call:Added a $15 off for 3 months.Added $10 off for 12 months.One more call, another $165 off bill.