Sunday Ticket - Start your Engines

[Montana Mike]

Called 07/14 was offered $10 off my bill for 6 months. Asked for retention and got $25 a month off my bill for 12 months. no contract extension. More than covers ST, plus Starz for 3 months free. Been with DTV since 1997.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Montana Mike

[SDS]

 

Here's what I did this year so try this: Call back and tell them you are canceling. Get transferred to Retention and tell them you want to cancel but schedule the cancellation for two weeks out. If you talk to a different rep in Retention you may get some better offers, for some reason different reps seem to offer different discounts, but if you don't get what you want then stick to setting up a cancellation date around the end of the month. Once they put you in their system as definitely cancelling the service, then more discounts magically open up for you. You may or may not get and email within a few days saying something to the effect 'We heard you are canceling, we want you back' and listing some discounts including Sunday Ticket. Regardless of whether or not you get the email, in a few days you can call back, go to Retention, and mention to them you got an email wanting you back and they should be ready to wheel and deal.

 

Doing this I got: $45 off a month for 12 months. Sunday Ticket Max for free. All movie channels free for 3 months. $200 gift card. YMMV

 

5th year getting Sunday ticket for free.

This.

 

When I canceled my service 8 years ago (Fios internet way more important to me), they practically paid me to stay. Every time I said no they upped the offer.

[TSNBDSC]

Called today and got no where. Customer Retention said they could'nt do anyting for me until a charge shows up on by bill.

[26CornerBlitz]

Made the customer retention call today with the following credits:

 

$30 credit for 12 months Customer Loyalty with 12 month agreement

$10 credit for 12 months HD DVR Service

$10 credit for 12 months Premier Discount

 

$10 credit for 6 months Sports Pak

$7 credit for 6 months HBO

$7 credit for 6 months Showtime

$7 credit for 6 months CineMax

$5 credit for 6 months Value Discount

 

I am already getting Sunday Ticket Max on auto renewal for 4 payments of $40.99 so I settled for that given all of the other discounts they added to my account. They are also replacing an older HD DVR and a non-functioning AM-21 OTA Tuner at no cost with an appointment tomorrow morning.

 

DirecTV comes through again for me.

Edited July 20, 2015 by 26CornerBlitz

[JohnC]

Called today and got no where. Customer Retention said they could'nt do anyting for me until a charge shows up on by bill.

I called a couple of days ago and got no where. I got a retention staffer who offered only a small discount for the ST but nothing else. I will try again. If I don't get a better deal I will switch to Verizon Fios bundle and leave Directv. The retention rep I dealt with was polite but firm. What I was asking for was to get the ST for free. I was disappointed but I'm willing to exercise my options if need be.

Edited July 18, 2015 by JohnC

[eball]

Made the customer retention call today with the following credits:

 

$30 credit for 12 months Customer Loyalty with 12 month agreement

$10 credit for 12 months HD DVR Service

$10 credit for 12 months Premier Discount

 

$10 credit for 6 months Sports Pak

$7 credit for 6 months HBO

$7 credit for 6 months Showtime

$7 credit for 6 months CineMax

$5 credit for 6 months Value Discount

 

I'm was already getting Sunday Ticket Max on auto renewal for 4 payments of $40.99 so I settled for that given all of the other discounts they added to my account. They are also replacing an older HD DVR and a non-functioning AM-21 OTA Tuner at no cost with an appointment tomorrow morning.

 

DirecTV comes through again for me.

 

Jesus Christ, that's the mother lode; congrats. How were you already getting that ST Max discount?

[26CornerBlitz]

 

Jesus Christ, that's the mother lode; congrats. How were you already getting that ST Max discount?

That's what they gave me last year along with many other discounts. The CSR told me I'm on auto renew at the same discounted cost. Not sure why, but I'll take it. I've had this account at my current address since 2002, I have the Premier package, and I'm on auto pay for my bill.....Maybe those factors are a big part of it.

[eball]

That's what they gave me last year along with many other discounts. The CSR told me I'm on auto renew at the same discounted cost. Not sure why, but I'll take it. I've had this account at my current address since 2002, I have the Premier package, and I'm on auto pay for my bill.....Maybe those factors are a big part of it.

I'm all of that and customer since '94...calling now.

[26CornerBlitz]

I'm all of that and customer since '94...calling now.

Good luck!

[eball]

Good luck!

 

Thank you, Mr. 26CornerBlitz -- because of your post I just spoke with a customer retention rep who, in addition to the credits I obtained earlier this month, issued me a full credit for ST Max and an additional $10/12 mos. That was nearly a $500 phone call!

[26CornerBlitz]

 

Thank you, Mr. 26CornerBlitz -- because of your post I just spoke with a customer retention rep who, in addition to the credits I obtained earlier this month, issued me a full credit for ST Max and an additional $10/12 mos. That was nearly a $500 phone call!

Excellent news! Congrats!

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

I will use what 26cornerblitz got when I cal to get center ice for free and free six months of all movie channles

[Griz]

Made the customer retention call today with the following credits:

 

$30 credit for 12 months Customer Loyalty with 12 month agreement

$10 credit for 12 months HD DVR Service

$10 credit for 12 months Premier Discount

 

$10 credit for 6 months Sports Pak

$7 credit for 6 months HBO

$7 credit for 6 months Showtime

$7 credit for 6 months CineMax

$5 credit for 6 months Value Discount

 

I'm was already getting Sunday Ticket Max on auto renewal for 4 payments of $40.99 so I settled for that given all of the other discounts they added to my account. They are also replacing an older HD DVR and a non-functioning AM-21 OTA Tuner at no cost with an appointment tomorrow morning.

 

DirecTV comes through again for me.

Very similar to what I bagged. Ain't life grand?

[26CornerBlitz]

I will use what 26cornerblitz got when I cal to get center ice for free and free six months of all movie channles

Good Luck. Your bargaining power improves quite a bit if your contract with them has expired.

 

Very similar to what I bagged. Ain't life grand?

Indeed it is I'd say.

[Gordio]

Well I called back last week after nowhere with retention earlier this month. I told her to schedule my cancellation for August 1st. She then said what if I give you Sunday ticket for $160(4 payments of $40 each) & $10 off a month for the next 12 months. I said okay. But now reading this I think I am going to call back & ask for Sunday ticket free & threaten to cancel. Worth a shot I guess.

[eball]

Well I called back last week after nowhere with retention earlier this month. I told her to schedule my cancellation for August 1st. She then said what if I give you Sunday ticket for $160(4 payments of $40 each) & $10 off a month for the next 12 months. I said okay. But now reading this I think I am going to call back & ask for Sunday ticket free & threaten to cancel. Worth a shot I guess.

 

Don't overplay your hand...sounds like you just got over $300 with that phone call...

[Gordio]

 

Don't overplay your hand...sounds like you just got over $300 with that phone call...

 

 

Yeah I hear ya but not to seem ungrateful but hearing everybody else's deal, my deal kind of stinks.

[eball]

 

 

Yeah I hear ya but not to seem ungrateful but hearing everybody else's deal, my deal kind of stinks.

 

That's pretty ungrateful. Earlier in the thread you conceded you have always gotten it for free. But suit yourself!

[zevo]

i just called....i got a nice lady...she couldnt do much because she wasnt retentions but she shaved a little off my bill...my bills recently skyrocketed up so i thought my credits were up....turns out i was being bills for the ticket....so i chatted with her for a bit and she told me she would transfer me to retentions to get me a better deal....I got a cool guy and we chatted about sports for a bit....told him my concerns with my service going out the rainfall...he again said he couldnt do anything with the bill just yet because my credits dont expire until next month but he without hesitation gave me sunday ticket for free including the max which ive never had before...and reversed all the sunday ticket charges that had occured on my account...he said to call back after next month and they would get that bills down further. so as it sits i have received ST max for free with hopefully more to come next month. to be honest i am seriously thinking about canceling due to the fact that my dog has issues with storms and i have to get up with him so i want to watch tv...but when i do the service is down. if that doesnt change there really isnt any amount of discounts they can give me to stay. But I have always recieved top notch service with them and this is the 4th year in a row they have given me the ticket without hesitation.

[Gordio]

 

That's pretty ungrateful. Earlier in the thread you conceded you have always gotten it for free. But suit yourself!

 

 

Yeah I know it is ungrateful but I hear stories like Zevo & I think there are better deals to be had. I think I will call them back after my softball game tonight. Doesn't hurt to ask.

[26CornerBlitz]

i just called....i got a nice lady...she couldnt do much because she wasnt retentions but she shaved a little off my bill...my bills recently skyrocketed up so i thought my credits were up....turns out i was being bills for the ticket....so i chatted with her for a bit and she told me she would transfer me to retentions to get me a better deal....I got a cool guy and we chatted about sports for a bit....told him my concerns with my service going out the rainfall...he again said he couldnt do anything with the bill just yet because my credits dont expire until next month but he without hesitation gave me sunday ticket for free including the max which ive never had before...and reversed all the sunday ticket charges that had occured on my account...he said to call back after next month and they would get that bills down further. so as it sits i have received ST max for free with hopefully more to come next month. to be honest i am seriously thinking about canceling due to the fact that my dog has issues with storms and i have to get up with him so i want to watch tv...but when i do the service is down. if that doesnt change there really isnt any amount of discounts they can give me to stay. But I have always recieved top notch service with them and this is the 4th year in a row they have given me the ticket without hesitation.

Ask them to send you an AM21 OTA Tuner (at no cost) so you can at least get Local Channels when inclement weather rolls in.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

I called today prematurely (usually make the call beginning of August) because I was having some issues with my HBO On Demand and my satellite reception. I very politely explained my concerns to the first CS agent, and asked them to connect me to speak to someone about cancellation. Turns out, I only have 5 months left on my contract, so I knew I had some leverage. I was connected immediately with customer retention, a very friendly young lady, and again explained my concerns.

 

Anyway, she asked me if there was anything they could do to keep me as a customer. I've been a subscriber since 2005. I told her that I didn't want to extend my contract, and with that in mind, I would be willing to listen to offers for credits/discounts.

 

She gave me a $15 credit off my bill for 15 months, free HBO for 12 months, and Sunday Ticket Max for free this year ($675 total discounts). Additionally, they are sending out a technician (for free) to look at my satellite and other hardware to make sure everything is functioning properly.

 

I feel good about this.

Edited July 20, 2015 by Johnny Hammersticks

[Captain Caveman]

to be honest i am seriously thinking about canceling due to the fact that my dog has issues with storms and i have to get up with him so i want to watch tv...but when i do the service is down. if that doesnt change there really isnt any amount of discounts they can give me to stay. But I have always recieved top notch service with them and this is the 4th year in a row they have given me the ticket without hesitation.

I found it was worth having a pretty good queue of stuff saved on the DVR for the (relataively) rare occasions when storms knocked out signal.

[eball]

I found it was worth having a pretty good queue of stuff saved on the DVR for the (relataively) rare occasions when storms knocked out signal.

 

...and a Netflix or Hulu subscription.

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

Most TVs have great OTA tuners so no need for the AM21 unless ya want to record and rewind the OTA.

[26CornerBlitz]

Most TVs have great OTA tuners so no need for the AM21 unless ya want to record and rewind the OTA.

Ding!

[HurlyBurly51]

I want to know when they're gonna make the NFLSundayTicket.TV digital subscription available for purchase. Got it last year, though not sure how I qualified, and want to know if I need to make contingency plans such as a slingbox in Buffalo.

[slickwillie]

I was planning to change my channel package and was waiting a bit to try and work in the ST. However, I noticed that ST was auto-renewed on my last statement so I called yesterday to change my channels and take off the ST. I started the chat thing like some had mentioned but she just gave me the 800 number without any code. So I called and talked to someone about taking off the ST and changing plans. The initial offer for ST was $5 off each payment (~$30 total) which I declined. The next offer was $9 off which was $54 total and would make ST right around $200. I declined that as well and that was all he could do. He really didn't press it but mentioned I was eligible for Genie upgrade which I had been thinking about since I am redoing the downstairs and really want to move the TV to a wall that currently doesn't have a cable line as well as set up a TV outside on the deck. So, I took that.

 

I am not sure if that will impact any future attempts to get a deal on ST but I plan to try again at some point...

[zevo]

I was planning to change my channel package and was waiting a bit to try and work in the ST. However, I noticed that ST was auto-renewed on my last statement so I called yesterday to change my channels and take off the ST. I started the chat thing like some had mentioned but she just gave me the 800 number without any code. So I called and talked to someone about taking off the ST and changing plans. The initial offer for ST was $5 off each payment (~$30 total) which I declined. The next offer was $9 off which was $54 total and would make ST right around $200. I declined that as well and that was all he could do. He really didn't press it but mentioned I was eligible for Genie upgrade which I had been thinking about since I am redoing the downstairs and really want to move the TV to a wall that currently doesn't have a cable line as well as set up a TV outside on the deck. So, I took that.

 

I am not sure if that will impact any future attempts to get a deal on ST but I plan to try again at some point...

you have to get to retentions....they have the "power"

[Gordio]

Alright so I called back again, got to retention & told the lady my story & said I decided it is not good enough & I want to cancel my service(I know I am a cheap mother f*cker). She put me on hold & said she could give me a $40 credit this month & a $40 credit nexct month to offset the charges that are going to hit my bill for ST for the next 4 months. So I am just going to have to pay $40 for Sept/Oct & I am still getting $10 off my bill for the next 12 months. I said okay. Though somehow hearing some of these other deals I still feel like I am getting cheated. I don't want to push my luck but I maybe calling them back next week.

[eball]

Alright so I called back again, got to retention & told the lady my story & said I decided it is not good enough & I want to cancel my service(I know I am a cheap mother f*cker). She put me on hold & said she could give me a $40 credit this month & a $40 credit nexct month to offset the charges that are going to hit my bill for ST for the next 4 months. So I am just going to have to pay $40 for Sept/Oct & I am still getting $10 off my bill for the next 12 months. I said okay. Though somehow hearing some of these other deals I still feel like I am getting cheated. I don't want to push my luck but I maybe calling them back next week.

 

I really hate to say this because you're "one of ours" but I kind of hope they call your bluff and cancel your service. You're greedy.

[YoloinOhio]

I have called thrice and only gotten my ST payments from 6 months of 41.99 to 4 months of 41.99. Plus some small discounts. I think I'm done trying. I got it free last year in my first contract year, and my contract will be up next year so I will have leverage to get it free again, I assume. In the end I will have paid about $160 for 3 years of ST. I can handle that.

[Gordio]

I have called thrice and only gotten my ST payments from 6 months of 41.99 to 4 months of 41.99. Plus some small discounts. I think I'm done trying. I got it free last year in my first contract year, and my contract will be up next year so I will have leverage to get it free again, I assume. In the end I will have paid about $160 for 3 years of ST. I can handle that.

 

 

Yes I have called three times also & I think will take Eball's advice & quit while I am ahead. It still hurts to hear some of the other deals people are getting though.

[JohnC]

I have called thrice and only gotten my ST payments from 6 months of 41.99 to 4 months of 41.99. Plus some small discounts. I think I'm done trying. I got it free last year in my first contract year, and my contract will be up next year so I will have leverage to get it free again, I assume. In the end I will have paid about $160 for 3 years of ST. I can handle that.

When I called I didn't get much of an offer for a discount. The retention person was offering $6 discount for the monthly ST billing. I'm going to try one more time. If I can't get a deal that equates to the value of the ST, or near the value, then I'm going to cancel and go with a Verizon bundle deal.

[plenzmd1]

When I called I didn't get much of an offer for a discount. The retention person was offering $6 discount for the monthly ST billing. I'm going to try one more time. If I can't get a deal that equates to the value of the ST, or near the value, then I'm going to cancel and go with a Verizon bundle deal.

Do I have this straight? You are pissed that they will not give you ST for free, something they spend $1B /yr on...and would move to Verizon and does not have the ST? Do you not watch ST at all...it holds no value? I assume it does not , as you state you will cancel unless you get for free.

 

This may be a classic business school case study in a few years if more people do this. if they never gave it it away/discounted, people would not be pissed paying full price...like we did from 94 till a few years ago.

[nucci]

 

 

Yes I have called three times also & I think will take Eball's advice & quit while I am ahead. It still hurts to hear some of the other deals people are getting though.

I received a great deal and others have received better than mine. I'm happy with what I got and don't feel the need to ask for more.

[John from Riverside]

Called customer retention yesterday I have been a DTV customer since nearly the start up of the company .....had two objectives

 

- Free NFL sunday ticket.....I had gotten free basic NFL Sunday Ticket the last 3 years

 

- My daughter is having a baby and we have spent the last 6 months preparing a room in our house for them.......my daughter didnt want any money spent on her so she was going to run a cord so she could watch some tv while she was in the room DTV had been charging everyone we know a additional 30 a month for another box.

 

Got through to retention pretty easily.....sat there and shot the SHIAT with the guy for like 20 minutes having a good time....by the time it was down I had enough credits for NFL Sunday Ticket Max to be free (and then some) and the mini game genie for my daughters room for 5 dollars a month extra (paid for a while by the additional credits on my account)

 

I think I did well......the Max Sunday Ticket should be fun

[JohnC]

Do I have this straight? You are pissed that they will not give you ST for free, something they spend $1B /yr on...and would move to Verizon and does not have the ST? Do you not watch ST at all...it holds no value? I assume it does not , as you state you will cancel unless you get for free.

 

This may be a classic business school case study in a few years if more people do this. if they never gave it it away/discounted, people would not be pissed paying full price...like we did from 94 till a few years ago.

I'm currently paying $94, without the ST, a month for Directv. My phone bill is approximately $50 a month and my internet service costs $77 a month. I can get a bundle with Verizon Fios that covers my phone bill, internet service and TV service for $80, locked in for two years. So instead of paying $207 a month for the combined service I will be paying $80 if I switch to Verizon. Yes I will be giving up the ST but on a yearly basis instead of paying $2484 for the combined service I will instead be paying $960.

 

I have been with Directv for over a decade. I don't feel that I am being unreasonable.

[Felonious Monk]

Today was a good day for me to call, apparently. I'm up for renewal in September, coming off my first two years. For agreeing to a one-year contract, I got:

1). Free Sunday Ticket
2). Free second half of MLB Extra Innings

3). 15 International channels that are important to us
4). New dish/installation

5). Some miscellaneous credit that I didn't bother to question because at this point I was giddy.

6). My bill was reduced. I'm paying $40 less per month. Same core package -- we didn't lose a single station.

 

So, it went like this:

I called the billing department, and the first woman with whom I spoke said she couldn't help me. She was rude, but I played nice. I said, "Well if that's the case, I'd like to give notice right now that I'm canceling service in September." She sent me to customer retention and I got a very friendly woman. I told her that, because our contract is almost up, the wife and I are re-evaluating our options, and whoever gives us the best deal would win our business. "You play fair with us, we'll play fair with you" were my exact words. First words out of her mouth: "How about free Sunday Ticket? Is that a good start?" And we went from there.

Keep calling until you get someone who is willing to work with you. Play nice. It obviously varies by situation -- Last September I was entering the second year of my contract and they offered it to me for $151. I didn't think they would do anything because they had me by the proverbial "short hairs."

Now that contracts are 12 months, I'll do the same thing every year until it doesn't work anymore.

Edited July 23, 2015 by Felonious Monk

[BillnutinHouston]

Called today as well. With a move coming up and my contract up as well, I got:

 

$50 off bill for 12 months

$5 off bill for 6 months

ST Max for one time pymt of $68

Free Genie upgrade

4 months of Showtime or some other crap I won't watch

 

Satisfied customer here.

Edited July 24, 2015 by BillnutinHouston