HD "movers" beware

[directvrep]

Well, the time has come. Those who have "moved" are about to be sorted out. D* is now drop-shipping MPEG 4 HD receivers to customers in PST and MST to replace the MPEG 2 HD receivers currently owned.

Effective 5/15/06
All customers 1)in the markets with HD locals in PST and MST zones; or 2) live in PST or MST zones and have HD- distant networks from LA; 3)and an MPEG 2 receiver that is active and has not been "swapped" for the MEPEG 4 locals will automatically receive a drop-shipped, address confirmed receiver.

This offer is automatically fulfilled at no cost to the customer. Shipping dates will be staggered due to availability.CSR can NOT order, and the customer can NOT request this offer.

If the customer has multiple MPEG 2 HD receivers all, they will all be replaced. If multiple receivers are shipped, they may not all arrive at the same time.

At that time, if the package is returned "undeliverable", "package refused", or "not a resident of this address" then the subscriber MUST contact D* and update any address variations in order to continue services.

If the package is confirmed as "delivered" the new HD receiver must be activated with the card that comes with the receiver. The old receiver will at that point be disconnected and no longer be used. The replacement receiver will be activated as an "owned" receiver, which will be at the customer's discretion to continue service on. The replacement receiver will not be re-shipped without confirmation that the original shipment was returned to D*. Any receiver shipped must be activated at the address, and on the account it was shipped to.

Once the receiver is activated the customer will be prompted to upgrade their satellite dish to ensure future compatibility.

No HD-DVR is currently available for swap.

 

[CWS_kahuna]

No HD-DVR is currently available for swap.

So do they plan on sending non-DVR hd receivers to those of us with HD-DVRs? I will not get rid of my HD-Tivo until D*s new HD-DVR becomes available.

 

[Smthkd]

This can only mean they are ready to turn off Distant Feeds and are trying to complete the upgrade process for those times zones ASAP! This sounds exciting but a little premature all at the same time! I think this is going to cause alot of confusion!

 

[directvrep]

No.

No HD-DVR is currently available for swap.

We won't swap a DVR for a non DVR.... well, the offer is actually available to do so, but I certainly wouldn't.
Let me put it this way, HD-DVRs will not be sent a replacement for that receiver until the new HR20-250 is available.

 

[KimmiKat]

Are they going to require the 2 year commitment for those boxes or is this simply a swap out?

 

[Brewer4]

Are they going to require the 2 year commitment for those boxes or is this simply a swap out?

Good question. :up

 

[Kentstater72]

It seems hard to justify a commitment when they are sending them out unsolicited.

 

[guffy1]

This can only mean they are ready to turn off Distant Feeds and are trying to complete the upgrade process for those times zones ASAP! This sounds exciting but a little premature all at the same time! I think this is going to cause alot of confusion!

Anyone that is worried about this simple shenanigans should just go buy there own H20 and have it activated, like today... Buy and install your own AT9 while you're at it

 

[x1hdtv]

So I guess this mean I need to reactivate my Zenith HD receiver to get a new replacement? Wait a few months and deactivate if I choose without any commintment?

 

[newsposter]

do they send out free dishes too? If i got a free mpeg4 receiver, i'd sure want a dish that works with it. Yes i know they are backwards compatible but what if someone has an old dish but lives in an mpeg4 area and hasn't yet upgraded. Could they get a free dish?

 

[newsposter]

So I guess this mean I need to reactivate my Zenith HD receiver to get a new replacement? Wait a few months and deactivate if I choose without any commintment?

I was thinking the same thing. Who knows how long to the east coast though. I'd be paying 5 a month for 'nothing' until they came out.

but i wonder how they will handle if you do activate a receiver now?

 

[hiker]

do they send out free dishes too? If i got a free mpeg4 receiver, i'd sure want a dish that works with it. Yes i know they are backwards compatible but what if someone has an old dish but lives in an mpeg4 area and hasn't yet upgraded. Could they get a free dish?

I don't think there will be a free dish, you'll have to pay the regular upgrade fee ($100) if you want one.

Once the receiver is activated the customer will be prompted to upgrade their satellite dish to ensure future compatibility.

 

[vurbano]

It seems hard to justify a commitment when they are sending them out unsolicited.

excellent post.

 

[guffy1]

They never added a new commitment to my account when I purchased and activated an H20 about 2 months ago..

I dont pay a $5 monthly fee for the box either..

With D* you just never know what they are going to do... They could accidentally send you a crack rock in the mail just as easily as they could mistakenly not sign you up for a new commitment..

Every customer gets totally different treatment than the next...Either by design, or just simply by being one of the most poorly run customer service dept's on the face of the Earth...Im quite sure its the latter, because I definately should not have any breaks coming from them...

 

[Wirelezz]

I have self-installed all my DTV equipment for the last 12 years (dishes, receivers, etc. etc.) since signing on with D* back in 1994. I upgraded to my Newegg purchased HR10 Tivo & Phase III dish in Jan. '06, (which I installed myself, naturally). Upon activation I was told by the CSR that when my Denver DMA went MPEG4, I would have to have the new AT9 dish & MPEG4 receiver installed "professionally" by a D* installer.

When I argued the point, I was told unequivocally that a "professional" install was MANDATORY, and customer installs were not going to be allowed on this new MPEG4 compatible equipment. The main reason that was given was that the AT9 dish was considered too difficult for a subscriber to install. Also mentioned was the fact that the existing RG6 coax most likely would have to be replaced since the new equipment would require solid copper core conductor quad shield which wasn't used in previous installs. The fact that I had installed several DirecWay systems for neighbors (a much bigger, heavier dish than the AT9) and owned an AccuTrack sat. signal meter and already had the required RG6 coax in place made no difference to them. Subsequent calls to other CSR's including Retention confirmed this.

I for one do not want any of D*'s "professional" installers anywhere near my house. I particularly don't want anyone messing around with my entertainment center, especially since I can't be here during the day. So if D* is relenting on the "professional" install for the upcoming upgrades, I am relieved! Also, there's no way I will exchange my HR10 for any non DVR receiver. For those of us with HR10's, will D* be drop shipping the HR20 to us when it becomes available? And how about the required AT9 dish?

BTW, I'm relatively new to this forum. Is the OP actually a D* CSR? Is this reliable information?

 

[JustBob]

So I guess this mean I need to reactivate my Zenith HD receiver to get a new replacement? Wait a few months and deactivate if I choose without any commintment?

I was just thinking that as well. I've been considering replacing my second TV with an HDTV. This would be an easy way to get a free HD receiver upgrade. I still have my old RCA DTC-100 that I could re-activate and get swapped out. However I'm not sure if I could live with a non-DVR receiver again now that both my receivers are Tivos.

I was thinking the same thing. Who knows how long to the east coast though. I'd be paying 5 a month for 'nothing' until they came out.

but i wonder how they will handle if you do activate a receiver now?

5 months at $5.99/month ends up being a pretty cheap receiver upgrade. I figured something like this was going to be coming for a while. Eventually they're going to have to move all of the HD channels to MPEG4 in order to add more channels. It's good to see some action out of DirecTV.

-JustBob

 

[hiker]

What's with D*'s rush to get receivers swapped if they are not doing the other required piece by swapping the dish? It would be almost trivial for the dish installer to swap the receivers. This is not making much sense.
I wonder if D* is planning on dropping the LA HD DNS as soon as the receivers are swapped thereby forcing everyone who wants HD locals to upgrade the dish?

 

[newsposter]

5 months at $5.99/month ends up being a pretty cheap receiver upgrade. I figured something like this was going to be coming for a while. Eventually they're going to have to move all of the HD channels to MPEG4 in order to add more channels. It's good to see some action out of DirecTV.

-JustBob

i dont understand the 5 month thing? Where do you get that? I thought only west coast was announced so i'd be paying an undetermined time until they did east

 

[newsposter]

What's with D*'s rush to get receivers swapped if they are not doing the other required piece by swapping the dish? It would be almost trivial for the dish installer to swap the receivers. This is not making much sense.
I wonder if D* is planning on dropping the LA HD DNS as soon as the receivers are swapped thereby forcing everyone who wants HD locals to upgrade the dish?

See i can't understand that either. I'd think a dish costs way less than a receiver so why not have a promo that free dish with receiver for 100 bucks?

anyway, how does switching everyone to mpeg4 for free help their bottom line (think as a company man now). you literally get the same programming as before but just a new receiver. And if there's no commitment, what's to say you can't sell it?

OR...will the replacement receivers be LEASED and not owned ???? (sininster music inserted here)

that will really piss some people off

 

[hiker]

...
OR...will the replacement receivers be LEASED and not owned ???? (sininster music inserted here)

that will really piss some people off

According to the memo in the OP, the replacement receiver will be activated as "owned". I guess they mean if the replaced receiver is "owned" since it would make no sense to replace a "leased" with a "owned".