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Can you negotiate with DirecTV? (2 Viewers)

It’s about that time. On 8/6 they take out double of what I’ve been paying.  Looks like my credits expire 8/2.  Cancelation date set for 8/3? 

I forget do I set up a cancelation date tomorrow? Or after that payment hits. 
 

what are the numbers again for winback. 

 
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apalmer said:
That's the same thing they offered me. Going ahead with the cancellation scheduled for July 31. If I haven't heard from them by then, I'll try calling the winback number (presumably the same number I used last year) on Aug. 1 and tell them I'm about to call Dish and accept their offer but thought I'd give Directv a chance to keep me before I do. Maybe lay out the Dish terms and say "what can you do to beat this?"

I'll post my results here to update you.
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My credits expire 8/2. How far after the credit date are you setting cancelation? 1 day? 

 
Binky The Doormat said:
I've had to be disconnected for over a day the last two years before I got the deal they were giving new customers.  
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Last year my service was supposed to be cancelled at midnight, but it didn't happen until about 7 a.m. I called after work that day (maybe 6 p.m.) and got the deal.

 
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Gally said:
I got a call saying I was eligible for a 50% discount on my bill.  It was left as a message so I called up the number to see about this great offer.  I went through the automated system as usual and finally got to a person.  They told me about this great offer and it would be locked in for 2 years and I would get free HBO and Showtime and this great price was also going to include the NFL ticket at no additional charge.  I just had to pay 6 months up front which would come to about $600.  Basically pay through the rest of this  year now and then start my usual payment in Jan 2021.  I thought this was odd however, I could see that DirecTV may want an influx of cash with people cutting the cord and thought it could be ok.

Then here comes the catch.  This offer is only available because they partnered with Ebay so I had to go to any chain store (except Wallmart) and buy $600 of Ebay gift cards to make that first payment.  I laughed and said no thanks and hung up.  Up until that time it was exactly like every other interaction I had had with DirecTV.  The on hold music/info, the automated questions to get an operator.   It was a very well done scam...….up until they wanted Ebay gift cards.

So my question is, why would anybody fall for that?  No real business is going to require you to pay in Ebay gift cards. 
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Actually, i had the same offer and it does work.  If you want, send me the $600- in EBay gift cards and i can do this for you.

 
Chemical X said:
Actually, i had the same offer and it does work.  If you want, send me the $600- in EBay gift cards and i can do this for you.
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Well, since you are not a real business maybe this is a good idea.  Send me $100 to cover the fees of the gift cards and then I will get them and send them off.

 
Update: Apparently last year was a two year commitment even though it was discounted for one year  

8/7 auto pay $118.20

$83.99 in credits fall off 8/2

Called Winback first 888-333-0804, recommended canceling anytime before of after the credits all off if I wasn’t happy with where they transferred me: said try the VIP number first for certain account holders 855-407-3979

VIP - said my account wasn’t with them and because my credits still appear to try regular loyalty (1-800-531-5000) said disconnect to get to retention. 
 

Offer:  $50 for 6 months off (Called Covid Loyalty) and a one time credit for $10.  She also tried adding a sports package.  Tried selling me that my bill would be $33.00 for one month, but didn’t mention once those 8/2 credits fall off it would be $100+ for 6 months then who knows after that. 
 

Set cancelation at 8/2 at midnight.  Explained last year I canceled was shopping other plans and they called “as I was ready to drop off boxes” with an offer. She mentioned I’ll probably be receiving an offer again.  
 

My last bill will have $130 worth of 12 months disconnect fee. Anyone in the same boat here with 1 year left? i don’t think it mattered in the past. 
 

Will follow up 8/3 and try Winback. 
 

 
apalmer said:
:shrug:  Last year I got a $60/mo. credit for a one-year contract (plus all the extras like free HBO for the year and a Visa card rebate). No price increase (until next week after the year expires, which is why I cancelled and started the process again).
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Last year did they lock you into 2 years? I got the deal last year but apparently it’s a 2 year deal.  Price guaranteed for one. I’m calling their bluff on the $130 early disconnect. Hopefully Winback still comes strong on 8/3

 
Gottabesweet said:
U
 

Offer:  $50 for 6 months off (Called Covid Loyalty) and a one time credit for $10.  She also tried adding a sports package.  Tried selling me that my bill would be $33.00 for one month, but didn’t mention once those 8/2 credits fall off it would be $100+ for 6 months then who knows after that. 
 
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Must be the recommended tactic. The guy I talked to when I cancelled did the same thing:

Me: I'm cancelling because my $60/mo. credit and free HBO ends this month and with the price increase that will take effect next month, my bill will go from $80/mo. to $155+/month.

Him: Yeah, I see that. Let me see what kind of offers I can get you. Hmm, I can offer you $40/mo. off for 6 months.

Me: That's not nearly good enough.

Him: Well, you're paying $80/mo., so you'd only be paying $40/month with that discount.

Me: Except that you're ignoring the fact that my $60/mo. credit will end, so I'd be paying $115/mo. and then even more after 6 months.

Him: Oh yeah. 

 
Gottabesweet said:
Last year did they lock you into 2 years? I got the deal last year but apparently it’s a 2 year deal.  Price guaranteed for one. I’m calling their bluff on the $130 early disconnect. Hopefully Winback still comes strong on 8/3
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No, I only had a one year contract.

 
apalmer said:
Must be the recommended tactic. The guy I talked to when I cancelled did the same thing:

Me: I'm cancelling because my $60/mo. credit and free HBO ends this month and with the price increase that will take effect next month, my bill will go from $80/mo. to $155+/month.

Him: Yeah, I see that. Let me see what kind of offers I can get you. Hmm, I can offer you $40/mo. off for 6 months.

Me: That's not nearly good enough.

Him: Well, you're paying $80/mo., so you'd only be paying $40/month with that discount.

Me: Except that you're ignoring the fact that my $60/mo. credit will end, so I'd be paying $115/mo. and then even more after 6 months.

Him: Oh yeah. 
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Yep, “How about you take this offer today. Then call back when the others fall off. This offer has no bearing on the others. This is a special Covid offer”

No Thanks. I’ll wait till they all fall off and cancel. 

 
apalmer said:
Same date. If you go one day after expiration, you've started a new month and they bill you for the entire month at the new rate, because they won't prorate. 
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Last question. Did you get an email confirming your disconnect date? I set mine for 8/2 haven’t gotten any email etc. 

 
Gottabesweet said:
Last question. Did you get an email confirming your disconnect date? I set mine for 8/2 haven’t gotten any email etc. 
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I got one almost immediately confirming my "order" and got another the next day with instructions on how to return their equipment.

ETA: You can also sign into your account online and check the "my orders" section.

 
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apalmer said:
I got one almost immediately confirming my "order" and got another the next day with instructions on how to return their equipment.

ETA: You can also sign into your account online and check the "my orders" section.
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Perfect it shows my cancel date there. Just no emails yet. 

 
I set my cancellation date for August 3rd on the 24th of July. I called the winback line (888-333-0804) today to see if I could get any offers while the disconnect was pending. 

The rep was talking what sounded what could be a pretty good deal, but there were some technical issues. It sounds like they recently switched to a different system, and it's really buggy. Sounds like AT&T. Anyway, they didn't seem to think it was anything about my account status, etc. and told me to call back tomorrow. 

 
I got fed up with Directv finally and cancelled.  Cut the cord and have been doing a combination of Hulu, ESPN, and Disney with also an antenna for the local channels.  But missing some sort of more robust tv service.

There's a deal for AT&T fiber internet and AT&T internet tv.  Anyone have experience with these?  Sadly, the AT&T internet tv doesn't have the Sunday Ticket.  What are the chances that Directv doesn't win the contract from the NFL the next time they're up for renegotiation?

 
Cancelled tonight, Saturday it's gone.  

I first called VIP.  They did nothing to try and keep me.  I was very polite and explained how my bill had essentially increased 75%, if I wanted the same channels I had been getting for years.  I came home the other night with ESPN and many others gone from my package, out of nowhere.  No notice, I never called, nothing.  She couldn't/didn't offer a single thing except an upgrade from around 80 bucks to 140 bucks a month, just to keep the same channels.  Crazy.  Then she transferred me to customer service to cancel, where I was disconnected.  UNREAL.

I called another number and got a guy who cancelled me quite easily and was good about it.  Nice guy who "didn't blame me".  He was talking from home, btw, and man was it difficult to hear him, but whatever.  

I may get the call by Friday to stay on but I don't see how they can get it under a 100 bucks (for the Extra Package), and that's what it'd take.

 
footballallday said:
I set my cancellation date for August 3rd on the 24th of July. I called the winback line (888-333-0804) today to see if I could get any offers while the disconnect was pending. 

The rep was talking what sounded what could be a pretty good deal, but there were some technical issues. It sounds like they recently switched to a different system, and it's really buggy. Sounds like AT&T. Anyway, they didn't seem to think it was anything about my account status, etc. and told me to call back tomorrow. 
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Interesting. Good call trying to see if you don’t have to wait till it cancels.  Please report back. 

 
Starting the yearly process soon. Called this morning and verified I don't have the Ticket so I'm not charged. I have the $60 month credit. My bill says expires 9/6. The timing on the billing always confuses me. I'm not under a contract. My latest bill has an issue date of July 18. It says the billing period is July 19-August 18 with Autopay for July 27. I thought you used to pay ahead? The agent said I should get a credit on my August bill (which I assume is August 19 to September 18. I know they only do disconnects at end of billing periods now.

So what's the best way to play this? Not even sure they will do football at this point but to stay I want the $60ish discount and free Sunday Ticket. Do I cancel one month early so I can get in place before start of regular season? Or do I set up cancellation for September 18 and hope I can get an offer before I do a full disconnect?

Actually I just remembered 1st week of Sunday ticket is usually free right? I guess a Sep cancel would work.

And forgot to add they did offer me $20 off for 6 months as well. Said no thanks.

 
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footballallday said:
I set my cancellation date for August 3rd on the 24th of July. I called the winback line (888-333-0804) today to see if I could get any offers while the disconnect was pending. 

The rep was talking what sounded what could be a pretty good deal, but there were some technical issues. It sounds like they recently switched to a different system, and it's really buggy. Sounds like AT&T. Anyway, they didn't seem to think it was anything about my account status, etc. and told me to call back tomorrow. 
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Any luck calling back? 

 
apalmer said:
That's the same thing they offered me. Going ahead with the cancellation scheduled for July 31. If I haven't heard from them by then, I'll try calling the winback number (presumably the same number I used last year) on Aug. 1 and tell them I'm about to call Dish and accept their offer but thought I'd give Directv a chance to keep me before I do. Maybe lay out the Dish terms and say "what can you do to beat this?"

I'll post my results here to update you.
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Today’s the day no? You’re our guinea pig for this test. Did it go out at midnight? Typically you can wait to call about 8-12 hours later. Try this evening!!! Good Luck!!! 

 
I can see how some get tired of that song and dance.  The stuff some of you have to go through each year...yet others seem to get discounts and free stuff with ease.

Ive been in the middle.  It hasn't been all that hard to get good discounts and NFL Ticket...only had one time where the thing got shut down (and that was when they screwed up and shut it off the night I called rather than on the date 2 weeks out).  A call the next day had me back up and running, with discounts and NFL Ticket because they were so sorry for their mistake.

That said...I said the middle because some do get a bit better discounts and end up with gift cards that I have never had.  But rarely have I had a super long phone call and sometimes never had to even get out of the chat at times to get almost half off.

I think if I had to have my service cut for several days...Id just be like F it and go elsewhere.

 
Gottabesweet said:
Today’s the day no? You’re our guinea pig for this test. Did it go out at midnight? Typically you can wait to call about 8-12 hours later. Try this evening!!! Good Luck!!! 
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Actually, this is the last day that I've paid for (I think) so it should turn off after today.  Last year they didn't get around to killing it until sometime after midnight (around 8 a.m., as I recall). I called after work (about 6 p.m. or so) and got the deal.

 
apalmer said:
Actually, this is the last day that I've paid for (I think) so it should turn off after today.  Last year they didn't get around to killing it until sometime after midnight (around 8 a.m., as I recall). I called after work (about 6 p.m. or so) and got the deal.
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Tomorrow then we wait!  May the odds be forever in your favor. Without this thread yearly it wouldn’t be nearly as fun.  Haha 

 
Gottabesweet said:
Any luck calling back? 
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Nope. Upon calling them again, they basically told me to wait until the service is cancelled. Based on information provided, I would say they aren't able to drop my discounts that end on the 2nd with this new system, so you either have to be in pending with no current promos or fully cancelled. My cancellation date is set for today, so I'll know pretty soon. 

 
Cancellation took effect this morning. I was paying about $80/mo. for Choice plan with 4 TVs.  Before Calling the winback number, I checked their current promotions and saw that the new customer price for Choice is $70/mo., plus $10 RSN charge. Three extraTVs would take that to about$101/mo. (for the first year, with about a $45/mo. increase for the second year), so that was my realistic expectation. That's just about where I ended up: $105/mo. for a 1-yr. contract, $100 Visa card, free Sunday Ticket Max, free premium channels for 3 mos.

That's pretty close to what I'd have gotten with Dish (about the same monthly price, but they had a $400 gift card but no Sunday Ticket) without the hassle of changeover. Side benefit is that Dish is currently fighting with the Pittsburgh NBC channel, so it isn't being carried by them, which would black out the Penguins' playoff games, starting tonight.

 
apalmer said:
Cancellation took effect this morning. I was paying about $80/mo. for Choice plan with 4 TVs.  Before Calling the winback number, I checked their current promotions and saw that the new customer price for Choice is $70/mo., plus $10 RSN charge. Three extraTVs would take that to about$101/mo. (for the first year, with about a $45/mo. increase for the second year), so that was my realistic expectation. That's just about where I ended up: $105/mo. for a 1-yr. contract, $100 Visa card, free Sunday Ticket Max, free premium channels for 3 mos.

That's pretty close to what I'd have gotten with Dish (about the same monthly price, but they had a $400 gift card but no Sunday Ticket) without the hassle of changeover. Side benefit is that Dish is currently fighting with the Pittsburgh NBC channel, so it isn't being carried by them, which would black out the Penguins' playoff games, starting tonight.
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Not bad.  RSN? Did you try for a higher gift card etc or were content with $100 gift card and monthly bill? 

 
Solid start.  Cancelation was set for 8/2 at midnight.  It’s 9am on the east coast. Still have TV. Does that matter if I call back if I call tomorrow? Does it always go off at midnight? 

 
Gottabesweet said:
Not bad.  RSN? Did you try for a higher gift card etc or were content with $100 gift card and monthly bill? 
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RSN = regional sports network (Rootsports in some locations, ATTSports in others). 

I squeezed to try and get a lower rate, but she was pretty firm that was all she could give. Wasn't actually expecting the card, so I saw it as a bonus.

 
Gottabesweet said:
Solid start.  Cancelation was set for 8/2 at midnight.  It’s 9am on the east coast. Still have TV. Does that matter if I call back if I call tomorrow? Does it always go off at midnight? 
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Last year I still had service until 7 or 8 am. This year it was off when I checked at 7:30. Were you scheduled for midnight as in 12:01 am on the 2nd or midnight as in 11:59 pm on the 2nd?

 
apalmer said:
Last year I still had service until 7 or 8 am. This year it was off when I checked at 7:30. Were you scheduled for midnight as in 12:01 am on the 2nd or midnight as in 11:59 pm on the 2nd?
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It didn’t say. I’ll check tomorrow if need be. I have 3 TVs. Was paying around $73 after tax. So very interested.  

 
Called during the week last week and set disconnection date for today 8/2. Never received and email confirming. Service is still on. When I log into my account online it says my service is scheduled for disconnection.

Guy who took the disconnect call offered $50 off per month. I informed him that the bill was about to go up $94, so uh.... no thanks.

They haven't called to try and keep us. We've switched to Youtube TV and really like the service. Not going to be calling them back this year to do the song and dance again.

 
top dog said:
Called during the week last week and set disconnection date for today 8/2. Never received and email confirming. Service is still on. When I log into my account online it says my service is scheduled for disconnection.

Guy who took the disconnect call offered $50 off per month. I informed him that the bill was about to go up $94, so uh.... no thanks.

They haven't called to try and keep us. We've switched to Youtube TV and really like the service. Not going to be calling them back this year to do the song and dance again.
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Just called. It goes out at 11:59pm if your in the ATT system. It goes off at 12:01AM if your account is with the DTV team. Mine got switched over to ATT. They are clueless again. Looks like I’ll call Winback tomorrow to see if I get an offer. 

 
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Service disconnected this morning. Mine was set to cancel on the 1st. I was paying $55 total for Xtra with HBO. Called the winback line (888-333-0804). Was offered Xtra at $75 (plus RSN, 1 TV) along with a $100 Visa card, Sunday Ticket Max, premium movies channels for 3 months. I pushed back on it multiple times, which is a slow process. Couldn't get a $200 GC or the price down. I will say they are definitely willing to run it by a supervisor, though, so it could be work trying.

I was able to add HBO/HBO Max for the year. That seemed automatic almost once I asked for it. They also had to have a supervisor call me later to finish the offer. Sounds like staff working at home aren't allowed to push the offers through for security reasons. Staff working at home also don't always have good Internet (I think they are mostly out of Central America), so that can slow it down, too.  Whole thing took about an hour. 

Based on my conversations with the winback team, I was given the impression that they'll be able to add those same types of deals that were offered before cancelling. I think they are still willing to give similar rates as before, but you have to do even more for it.  For me, that could be $30 off a month for the year, which gets me down to where I was before.  

Long story short: You probably can't negotiate on price with the winback deal but you can add programming to the offer. Expect to be paying more, but you might be able to add additional credits by calling the winback team later on. 

 
footballallday said:
Service disconnected this morning. Mine was set to cancel on the 1st. I was paying $55 total for Xtra with HBO. Called the winback line (888-333-0804). Was offered Xtra at $75 (plus RSN, 1 TV) along with a $100 Visa card, Sunday Ticket Max, premium movies channels for 3 months. I pushed back on it multiple times, which is a slow process. Couldn't get a $200 GC or the price down. I will say they are definitely willing to run it by a supervisor, though, so it could be work trying.

I was able to add HBO/HBO Max for the year. That seemed automatic almost once I asked for it. They also had to have a supervisor call me later to finish the offer. Sounds like staff working at home aren't allowed to push the offers through for security reasons. Staff working at home also don't always have good Internet (I think they are mostly out of Central America), so that can slow it down, too.  Whole thing took about an hour. 

Based on my conversations with the winback team, I was given the impression that they'll be able to add those same types of deals that were offered before cancelling. I think they are still willing to give similar rates as before, but you have to do even more for it.  For me, that could be $30 off a month for the year, which gets me down to where I was before.  

Long story short: You probably can't negotiate on price with the winback deal but you can add programming to the offer. Expect to be paying more, but you might be able to add additional credits by calling the winback team later on. 
Click to expand...
Thanks for the post. So when can you try adding back those additional deals they offered pre cancelation? Do you just call the regular line tomorrow and get the $30 off for 6 month covid discount? 

 
Gottabesweet said:
Thanks for the post. So when can you try adding back those additional deals they offered pre cancelation? Do you just call the regular line tomorrow and get the $30 off for 6 month covid discount? 
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I haven't tried yet calling back yet. I'm assuming you could try anytime, though. I'm feeling pretty confident you can get those COVID deals on top of any current discounts. I think that's actually why folks had the "oh yeah" moment during pre-cancellation calls where they were adding a COVID deal to current pricing not paying attention that current deals expire. In previous times, if you had promos, they wouldn't give out anything more; COVID appears to have changed that. 

 
footballallday said:
I haven't tried yet calling back yet. I'm assuming you could try anytime, though. I'm feeling pretty confident you can get those COVID deals on top of any current discounts. I think that's actually why folks had the "oh yeah" moment during pre-cancellation calls where they were adding a COVID deal to current pricing not paying attention that current deals expire. In previous times, if you had promos, they wouldn't give out anything more; COVID appears to have changed that. 
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The agent I talked to did mention that "we have different offers available nearly every month. If you call in, you can get additional promos added."

Of course, she also didn't add the free premiums to my account, so now I'm working my way through the complaint department, who keeps saying, "Don't worry, we'll take care of this."

 
Just called. Awaiting the supervisor to call back to process my “deal”

Went from $74 a month (3 TVs) to $105 for the same programming Choice Extra All included. 
 

$100 GC (4 weeks to come) 

Sunday Ticket Max

HBO for 12 months 

Showtime 3 months (Declined as it doesn’t auto fall off. Not my responsibility to remove it )

Also hinted that after I can try getting more promotions by calling the regular line regarding the COVID discount (6 months) 
 

 
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