Cancel by not paying my next bill? No longer under contract.

So, there is no grace period…they just continue to wait for my check until it gets costly enough that they send it to collections?

Of course you need to call them to cancel. How else would they know?  

I wanna get every drop before I cancel.  My bill says it is due on the 29th.  Can I call today to have them cancel as of the 28th? Or are they so picky-oony that they MAKE you call on the day you want it canceled?

the bill that is due on the 29th is for NEXT month, right?  So if I cancel before the 29th, I owe nothing more?

thanks for knowing and sharing all this stuff!

Yes…that is why I asked about the billing dates, because I did not understand them.  I am not asking any questions about things I do understand.  That would be a waste of all our times.

Yes, your detailed answer about billing made much more sense.

As obsessive as direct tv is about increasing my rate and getting my money, I am obsessed with getting everything I (over) paid for.   They are trying to squeeze blood from a turnip….plyers or not….   Thus, every drop is my goal.

I did make the call and it only took 18 minutes to get my confirmation number.

Ematic has a great product to replace the direct tv DVR, 30 buck one time charge.  Program guide.  My OTA antenna gets 19 channels.  Now, what to do with my extra 111$ a month?

DTV and all other TV providers have to raise their rates as the content providers and local channels keep demanding more money for their programs.

@Homesteader222 

I certainly would not expect you to ask questions about what you do understand. I was just making sure your questions and the reasons behind them were answered as best as possible. Glad we got on the same page.

As a suggestion, I would not call on the last day of the cycle to make sure there is no processing delay that would not finish until the cycle started over by the following day resulting in another month you did not want.

I would not say that DirecTV is "obsessively" increasing your rate. They only adjust the prices annually. This is to account for all the rate increases from the networks. This is something that all TV providers deal with as they don't own the content. No pay TV provider is immune (not satellite, cable, or streaming).

The only way to avoid increases is watching over-the-air (OTA) locals by regular antenna. If all you watch are locals and you get good signal for those OTA channels, than that is definitely a good way to go. For those that don't get good signal, or those like myself were not satisfied with what is on locals, than we choose the best pay TV provider for us.

I just hope that "every drop" is actually what you enjoy watching. Because regardless if you watch to the end of the cycle or not, it means nothing to DirecTV. Like other TV providers they do not care how much you watch TV as it is subscription based, not usage based. You pay for it, they deliver it. That is how it goes as the hours, minutes, or seconds you watch mean nothing. Otherwise if you just leave the TV on or force yourself to watch without the purpose of enjoying what is on, than that pettiness just hurts you and does nothing to DirecTV (or anyone else).

it makes me feel better.  that matters to me.  i am aware that i am just a consumer to them...and it calms my heart knowing that my 111$ a month won't make a difference to their profit; it will boost my budget by almost 1300$ (if you subtract the 10$ for the antenna and the 30$ for the Ematic program guide/recording device).  my Direct tv was thru AT&T.

as stated clearly in my last post...i have already called to cancel.  Richard was very pleasant, and not condescending at all.  He took some time checking to see if there was a cheaper package that included the 2 channels i told him i was gonna miss the most.  Nope, no luck.  (no surprise).  I got my confirmation number in less than 20 minutes on the phone.

i know many folks that just can't live without their sports or movies or whatever floats their boat.  OTA has lots to offer with many recording/program guide equipment options on the market.  If you are looking at your budget....think about cutting that cord.

I might not get 'every drop' out of my basic cable package as it's been near 50F and sunny in Alaska and i can't waste any of that after 50 below less than a month ago!

thanks again for answering all the questions that i asked, as well as letting me know that i could call in any time before the end on the month I had already paid.  Also, the info about how they would really stick it to me with a 'reconnect' fee if i was to be even one day late paying my bill, without notifying them that i was canceling.  The warning about ruining one's credit should be paid attention to, if you are young.  that threat doesn't frighten me, as i am old and won't need good credit to float a loan, rent an apartment or buy a car...before i die.

If you're not getting enough out of the service compared to what you are paying, that is fair. Then you call and cancel and go without whatever other TV option, or no TV option at all, that fits you better. Nothing wrong with that.

I just hope you're not forcing yourself to stay up all night or trying for days on end, or similar actions, to obsessively "get every drop". I don't see that as making anyone feel better and is just hurting you on some grounds of principal, essentially cutting off your nose to spite your face. Reasonable to get the most out of it that you will enjoy. Just don't push it to the point you are not enjoying what you are watching.

You did right by checking if your important channels were in a lower costing package. I believe too many people don't even bother looking as they cannot stand losing something even if they don't use it. Just to have your bases covered, here is a recent PDF of their channel lineup. I find it best to double check the info itself.

DirecTV Packages & Channel Lineup

My household has no interest in watching sports (other than the Olympics every 4 years). But the variety of DirecTV covers what works for everyone. It is factored in our budget accordingly.

One day late doesn't result in a reconnect fee. When you go past the due date you start getting notices about you haven't paid the bill. Once the cycle starts over then you get a late fee charged and the new bill shows a date on it that you would be put into a past due suspension if you haven't taken care of it. At that point, once you are suspended for past due, then there would be a reconnect fee. So there is a difference from a day past due and about a month late.

The mention about credit was not to be a threat, only a caution on how it works. But in my book, refusing to pay bill and just let it go until it shuts off thereby causing further charges and consequences, is not the action of a mature adult and is very irresponsible. Age doesn't put you above what is responsible and the right thing to do. To not pay and skip out, that is the same as dine and dash, just would make you a petty thief not something to be proud of to share with the next generation.

Specifically where is DTV's legal authority for billing through the end of the billing cycle following a customer terminating service?  I don't mean that this is their "policy" -- I'm talking about where a customer ever specifically agreed to that.

When you signed the work order you agreed to their TOS (Terms of Service) that is their legal authority.  Continued use of the service after an update to the TOS  means you agree to it.