Directv National Downgrade Day Feb. 28, 2005

[charper1]

Or as my wife told me; skip your 2 - $3 espressos each day! DAMN, B-slaped by the wife, and she was right.

 

[longshot]

Why would you downgrade? You are Grandfathered in as long as you never change your package yo will allways pay what you pay now!

 

[mcsj]

Why would you downgrade? You are Grandfathered in as long as you never change your package yo will allways pay what you pay now!

How? I don't see it! At most you can keep your price until your 1-year contract expires. That is, you call D* on 2/28 and somehow to make them require you to commit a year contract (I don't know how without purchasing anything, all I can think of is maybe a receiver replacement, or purchase a DVR or something), then you can keep the current price until your Jan 2006 bill.

 

[Tonedeaf]

Seems like not too many people will join in the downgrade. Check out this poll from Tivocommunity.com Downgrading service???

 

[cr0mag]

The day is set. Don't forget to call and make your voice heard. Directv has decided to thrust a cable like increase on its customers March 1, 2005 by raising price on T.C. by $2.00 a month and T.C. Plus by a whopping $3.00 a month. Show Directv that your mad as hell and not gonna take it by participating in the first annual Directv National Downgrade Day this Feb. 28, 2005. Downgrade a little or downgrade a lot, but just downgrade.

I have a better idea for you.... downgrade your entire D* service, cancel your internet service alltogether and sell anything electronic in your house. Then you can save a lot more $$$ and you won't be able to whine.
I feel that $3 per month is not a huge increase at all considering what that money is paying for and considering that I've been with D* for four years with no rate hike at all. If I would have been with cable for that time, I would have seen almost 1 rate increase per year.
I admire your fire and passion, but direct it somewhere or to someone who needs it... maybe tsunami victims, mudslide survivors, or folks looking for loved ones under an avalanche....
Or just quit watching tv so that you won't know about the bigger issues of the day.

 

[Ncc1701]

Well Said Cromag.

I'll bet that Feb 28, Voom stops transmitting and on that day D* receives 20,000 phone calls for new subscribers. That'll teach the greedy bastards!

Let me say I've been a D* sub for 6 months. I have an HD Tivo. I called D* to ask them if there is anything they can do to help offset the cost of the Tivo. They immediately said sure and just like that credited my account $150.

With service like that you think people are gonna be upset over $2? I LOVE MY HD TIVO AND I LOVE D*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[cmcgill]

So, over the course of the next year, you'll pay $36 more. How much do you spend on gas each month? Do you downgrade to a smaller car each time the price of gas goes up? If so, you're probably driving a Matchbox car by now.

$3 a month isn't a big deal. You probably spend more than that for your lunch each day. DirecTV is head and shoulders above cable. Since I live out in the country, I don't have a choice between the two, but if I did, I'd stick with DirecTV.

My parents had DirecTV, then they were having reception problems due to a tree, and they decided to switch back to cable. I told them that they wouldn't be with cable long. Within a month, they called someone to cut the tree down and they went back to DirecTV. If you can get everything that DirecTV gives you for the same price (or less) from a cable company, by all means go with them.

 

[cr0mag]

You bring up a great point, Ncc1701. Just look at what good customer service can do for a company, then look at what bad customer service can contribute to. Voom's impending demise is a culmination of a lot of factors, not the least of which was / is their customer service from what I've read. I'll pay an extra $3 per month if it means that I keep getting great service.

 

[jdspencer]

If I did decide to downgrade, I would do it via the website. Why wait on hold, for who knows how long, just to make a point? That extra $3 doesn't make a big difference for me. Especially considering what's coming in 2005.

 

[cr0mag]

If I did decide to downgrade, I would do it via the website. Why wait on hold, for who knows how long, just to make a point? That extra $3 doesn't make a big difference for me. Especially considering what's coming in 2005.

AMEN BROTHER! The plan to tell the CSR "Happy Downgrade Day", and give up something you wanted in the first place just reeks of consumer martyrdom and sounds utterly ridiculous. If you are truly unsatisfied, then cancel all together and pay more somewhere else.

I'm out....

 

[ddobson]

Why would you downgrade? You are Grandfathered in as long as you never change your package yo will allways pay what you pay now!

A D* CSR posted on one of the boards I read that the increase would apply even if you were on a one year agreement this time. In their words "It's across the board, everyone will get the increases".

 

[lee espinoza]

A D* CSR posted on one of the boards I read that the increase would apply even if you were on a one year agreement this time. In their words "It's across the board, everyone will get the increases".

how to we know 100% that is a directv csr.

 

[nashley04]

I say that the rate increase is not problem. I think the OP needs to look at the cost of living increases and send a letter to a the president or better yet just decide that its too expensive and stop living.

Can people really be so greedy as to get every penny out of everything that they can? If you want how about you downgrade your services and then create another post about how you miss the services you used to have but are not willing to stop rubbing the a@@ checks to squeeze pennies to make up the difference.

Not a personal attack but c'mon business is business they have to make money. I cant find the post but I do remember reading on this board or another site about how much money D* has lost on retention. I wonder why. Sorry I'm done

 

[quickfire]

I've been a D* sub for 9 years......and i'm not complaining about a rate increase.Its just that D* has raised there rate increases 3 times in the last 3 years.Heck I had there service for 6 years and D* never raised there rates???!!!!I believe that they'll continue to raise it once a year until the customer tells them ok.....enough is enough!!!!!!!

 

[nashley04]

I've been a D* sub for 9 years......and i'm not complaining about a rate increase.Its just that D* has raised there rate increases 3 times in the last 3 years.Heck I had there service for 6 years and D* never raised there rates???!!!!I believe that they'll continue to raise it once a year until the customer tells them ok.....enough is enough!!!!!!!

You are right on this but so has cable, E*. I think that you are right in the increases but as long as customers request more channels, features, new equipment and then factor in the retention costs. I mean we have people on this board who brag about how much they got for free. I'm not saying that I would not say no if they offered but directly calling a retention rep and trying to haggle? I can agree that lately cable has good things to offer and if you are really going to call the retention department then have the nerve to actually cancel your account while you still have the 1 year oblgation to go to cable. Dont expect the fee to be waived. Its a bill that is defined and increases are advised with notice. I guess I am old fashion but theft is theft.

 

[DTV-T2-Tech]

The rate increase is for everybody , 1 year comment or not.

 

[chewy]

I would pay a $5 increase. D* is the SH**!!!
Heck I might just upgrade...

 

[Ken101]

Thanks for all the great feedback via e-mail. Things are looking great for the first annual downgrade day. Hey when gas went up. I drove less. And when I had to replace a vehicle due to age, I went from a 8 cylinder @8mpg to a 4 cylinder @26mpg. A $1.00 increase, no problem. A $2.00 increase once in awhile, no problem. $3.00 though when last years was $2.00, Houston we have a problem. On another forum just over 50% surveyed said they would downgrade. And a friend of mine who works at the Boise call center said that they do expect a large amount of calls on, before and shortly after March 1.

 

[Ken101]

At the Tivo forum about 14% have indicated they would downgrade or cancel (and I didn't vote as I'm not registered there) that works out to approx. 1,820,000 subscribers downgrading or who cancel their service. If that holds true and I know that the poll is not scientific, it would send a very large message

 

[BFG]

Wherer are those 1.8 mil gonna go? Back to cable and pay even more money...