Bad customer service

DTV replaces defective receivers for $20 to cover shipping. You own everything else to maintain which is why DTV charges you to fix your dish or coax.

Everything but the receiver/client boxes is owned by you upon install. That means the dish, cabling, etc. is YOUR equipment. If the issue were just 'their' equipment, they ship a replacement box. A tech goes out when the issue is beyond the boxes and into what is now yours.

Call centers got hit the hardest by the pandemic with all the stay at home restrictions and the huge caution many companies had, especially with mandatory quarantines. A call center is a petri dish. Many call centers closed (temporarily during that time). So they have been short staffed on company trained employees and had to rely more on outsourcing. Now those restrictions are being lifted, but getting back up to full staffing is going to take some time. People complacent working from home, finding collecting unemployment to be less stressful (and more profitable than other job options), etc. means it will be slow going.

Outsourced or not, you are getting customer service. Not liking what options are available to you does not change that fact.

$100 to make a service call unless you sign up for $8.99 a month service plan. 

Bunch of B***S****.  Switching to another company that doesn't treat it's paying customers like atm machines.

Dish also charges for service calls.

$100 for a service call is quite reasonable by todays standards. Ever called a plumber?

@CamelCrush 

Once installed only the receiver/client boxes are DirecTV property. Everything else (receiving dish, coax, etc.) you own. So if they send a tech out to work on what is your property, then of course they will charge. They are not going to work for free. If an issue is just the box, what is still their equipment, then a replacement is shipped.

The Equipment Protection Plan is optional. If you are good at managing your finances, I would recommend getting it. The one-time costs when/if needed are cheaper in the long run.

They are not treating you as an ATM (M is machine so need to say it twice). A tech comes out to work they sure are going to be paid for it. If you want people working for free, check with a local charity.

Bunch of AT&T Shills on this forum.

I pay for a service if the service does not work, I should not have to pay to have my service to be reinstated.

Millions of people will testify the service is working fine. Your system is not. DirecTVs service policy has not changed. Who do you think pays for the service call if you don't?

@CamelCrush 

Realized I had a typo in my post. I would NOT recommend getting the protection plan because the one-time costs are cheaper in the long run. You would pay for it if you use it or not. Only good for people who need a small known monthly cost instead of having reserve funds when needed.

Leave the false accusations/lies at home. I am a customer like most others here. Those on AT&T's payroll are identified as such by their tag (employee, associated member, etc.). Though they are on their personal time (off-the-clock) when they post as only the official ATTHelp (shown with the official logo) are working in an official capacity.

If the equipment you own is broke (dish, cabling, etc.) then you pay to have it fixed. But just the boxes then they ship out a replacement. This is per their Terms of Service that all us customers are subject to upon getting DirecTV. So yes you 'should' pay for a tech to come out. The only time you don't is if they are coming back out within 90 days of install to fix an issue as the work done has a warranty.

If the issue is the service side, not the equipment, then that is another matter of course.

This is the reality of how it works.