Direct TV Protection Plan Premier

Hi there, @rparker94.

We are happy to help you understand more about the DIRECTV Protection Plan. Please tell us, did you register your TV when you signed up for the protection plan? You can do so online or by dialing 800-531-5000. We hope to hear back from you soon!

Ariel, AT&T Community Specialist

@rparker94 

Unfortunately, just like insurance, you pay for the protection plan whether you use it or not. The documentation shows what is covered or not. Having a claim denied because it is not covered by the terms of the plan doesn't mean you get your money back.

If you have Protection Plan Premier, the 2nd level of the PP, then it does not cover damage. It is more like an extended 3rd party warranty. The 3rd level, Protection Plan Premier with Accidental Damage from Handling (ADH), is for covering issues that are not a manufacturer defect or other traditional warranty issue. https://www.directv.com/technology/protection_plan

Without the protection plan, DirecTV service calls are $99, delivery of replacement boxes $19.95, remotes $15. DirecTV also provides 90 day worry free coverage on those service calls and replacement boxes, so no additional charge if they must go back out within that time. Personally I find the one-time costs much cheaper in the long run. Even the base level of the PP is $8.99, which is $107.88 over 12 months, higher than a single service call. I find it more useful for people who need a set small cost every month so they don't have to prepare for the unexpected, even if they pay more for it overall.

With protection plan, just like insurance or many other services, regardless of what any agent says (or what you think they meant), read the paperwork. It is the official paperwork/terms of service that matter. And those terms are not set for life, so in 13 years exact coverages might have some differences. So either way whatever someone "said" 13 years ago, has no bearing today.

Thank you to both who have reached out.  

YES I registered this TV and other devices when I signed up for the plan.

This is the one and ONLY claim I've attempted to file since I've been in the plan (7 years 2012) and it has been nothing but negative.

*** Regarding Juniper's response... I was mistaken when I said that I signed up for the premier plan 13 years ago (2006). It was actually 7 years ago (2012).  You seem to have all the numbers around cost  and how the plan works but no clue as to when the plan started. I'll disregard everything you said in your response because you don't even know that the premier plan didn't start until 2012.

After further review... the TV had been having issues on the right side of the screen for the last 4 years where lines were occurring.  The lines would go away after the TV heated up.  I will also mention here that the TV had appeared to be running even more hot (Heat coming off of it) than normal for an LCD TV lately...

I believe it to be entirely possible that the increase heat from the panel behind the screen caused the panel to crack.

I am being told that this claim will not be covered due to accidental and physical damage.

I now DO NOT believe an accident occurred nor is there any damage to the screen, back or frame of the TV.  All of the damage is to the panel BEHIND the screen.

With all of this being said... I would like to be clear as to my feelings and the next steps:

I believe this protection plan premier to be a complete and total SCAM by AT&T and Direct TV where they take the money and just deny claims whenever they can.

Next Steps:  Unless this issue is resolved ASAP... I intend to report this to the Federal Consumer Protection Agency, the Better Business Bureau, my local TV news and anyone else who will listen to expose this as a SCAM.

Thank you... Please let me know when you're ready to resolve my issue.

@rparker94 

The Premier Plan creation date being 2012 does not invalidate anything I said. Didn't need to research the exact date as that doesn't change the response. Shouldn't disregard a post because of your mistake of saying the wrong amount of years.

What is relevant is to check the terms of the plan, no matter how many years ago you got it.

@rparker94.

Thanks to @Juniper for the useful information!

In regards to the possible heat damage you are mentioning, we'd recommend you contact our DIRECTV Protection Plan support team to discuss it further. Please call 1-800-288-2020 and ask to speak with the DIRECTV Protection Plan support team.

Let us know if you have any questions, thanks for choosing AT&T.

Ramses, AT&T Community Specialist

Great point Juniper.

You keep referring to the Terms and Conditions and what is stated in them.

I'll take this opportunity to point out that the Terms and Conditions also state that members of the plan will have their equipment upgraded every 2 years. I can't even tell you when my equipment was last upgraded. I can tell you that NO ONE HAS EVER REACHED OUT TO ME TO LET ME KNOW THAT I WAS ELIGIBLE FOR AN UPGRADE.

If you want to follow the terms and conditions as they are stated... FOLLOW ALL OF THEM rather than being selective on the ones you follow!!!

@rparker94 

An upgrade of your DirecTV equipment doesn't affect your TV claim, so mentioning was not needed. However, since you brought it up...

The protection plan guarantees an exact date when you qualify for a free upgrade. There is no requirement that DirecTV notifies you upon hitting that date. Even if you qualify, there is no guarantee that an "upgrade" would be better than what you currently have as new lines of equipment are not being created every two years. So it depends on your exact setup if using the upgrade would be worth it or not. Even without the protection plan you can get free upgrades, usually around the 2 yr mark is when you would qualify anyway. All my free upgrades have been without the protection plan.

I would suggest before taking advantage of your free upgrade to post the models of every box you have so that you can get guidance from experienced users. Some agents can go overboard and not give what is the optimal upgrade for your individual setup. So good to check before placing the order.

Juniper... Thank you for your statement that the upgrade of my equipment doesn't affect my claim. *****

Let me make myself clear...  

***** Unless you can resolve my issue this will be going over your head at AT&T.

DO NOT REPLY TO ME AGAIN UNLESS IT IS TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE!!!!

I will now be taking this issue to the Federal Consumer Protection Agency, the Better Business Bureau and the TV news in my area so this SCAM is exposed as promised. 

Have a nice day!!!

[Please keep it courteous]

This is a customer to customer forum not DTV/AT&T support and you are dealing with a third party service company that DTV only bills you for.

Shannon, 

Thanks for your response. I was told to post out here by a Direct TV employee who suggested that it would be a way to have my issue resolved. Now I'm told this is a customer to customer forum. It would be really nice if the employee who suggested this to me knew that. I see a coaching opportunity here but then this is not surprising when it comes to AT&T/Direct TV. Seems to be a ton of coaching opportunities.

As for me being billed for this third party company... How exactly am I being billed for them?

The price you pay for the protection plan is sent to this third party company minus the fee DTV charges them to collect it.

---

@rparker94 wrote:

Shannon, 

 

Thanks for your response. I was told to post out here by a Direct TV employee who suggested that it would be a way to have my issue resolved. Now I'm told this is a customer to customer forum. It would be really nice if the employee who suggested this to me knew that. I see a coaching opportunity here but then this is not surprising when it comes to AT&T/Direct TV. Seems to be a ton of coaching opportunities.

 

As for me being billed for this third party company... How exactly am I being billed for them?

---

You were told that so they could get you off the call and move on to someone else.  

DirecTV actually has very little to do with the Premier Protection Plan because it's provided by an outside company. 

@rparker94 

My posts may be blunt, but they are honest and provide a realistic perspective to the situation. Your complaint has been about the protection plan not covering your TV exactly as you expected, and then brought up the upgrade of equipment seemingly to try and further strengthen your stance on the original issue. I simply responded accordingly and clarified the information so that you are hopefully better informed going forward. And I still stand by reviewing your setup in the forum before calling DirecTV when you want to take advantage of your upgrade so you can get the best upgrade for you, or even to hold off if you already have your optimal setup so you can save it for later.

You can certainly try talking to the protection plan support department again, but if they reconfirm the damage is not covered by the level of plan you have, then that is as far as it goes here. Fee free to contact other entities as you have stated, but they have left the protection plan alone over the years with finding no issue in it.

As has been mentioned since my first post, this is a public forum that is customer to customer. Once in a while the Cares team may post an official response, but usually it is other experienced customers or the occasional user with the "Employee" tag who is posting on their personal time and not in an official capacity. So the forum is a place to get guidance, and on occasion to correct bad info given by an agent who needs more training, but not a place where action may be taken on your account.

Juniper... In my last response to you I said "DO NOT REPLY TO ME AGAIN UNLESS IT IS TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE!!!!"

Yet you continue to reply to me anyway with another long winded reply in an attempt to fill me in on how the world operates.

Allow me to fill you in on how the world I live in operates:

When someone says "DO NOT REPLY TO ME AGAIN UNLESS IT IS TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE!!!!" it means that unless you have resolved the person's issue you DO NOT write a reply to the person and hit the submit button.

When someone makes a request as this and you IGNORE it and reply anyway... well Juniper that is HARRASSMENT!!!

STOP HARRASSING ME!!! I DO NOT CARE ABOUT ANYTHING YOU HAVE TO SAY!!! 

DO NOT REPLY AGAIN!!!

I have in writing that this is the second time I've requested that you DO NOT reply to me.

Go harrass others and leave me alone!!!

This is a public forum and I will post where I choose, just like everyone else. However, I do not intend to go in circles. So unless there is any new information, I consider the matter completed as you have received your answers.