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Equipment Upgrade
We had new siding installed, but prior to that we called to have our dish moved from the chimney and replace the old wiring.
We have the old HD HR24 receivers and planned to upgrade to the Genie. We were told we’d have to wait a couple weeks to order it because a customer rep removed the protection plan from our account that we had for years. When we caught the error, we had them add it back. Now we found out we had to wait for 2 years to be eligible for an upgrade! So, when the tech arrived he suggested we upgrade to the Genie2 and Gemini since we’d have to be on a 2 year contract. Also, have the siders remove the dish and wires and throw them in the dumpster.
Siding is finished. We call DirecTV to schedule an appointment to have our equipment upgraded to the Genie2 and Gemini. They said we were only eligible for the Genie. The rep said if we want this equipment, we’d have to pay $399 for the Genie2 and $120 for each Gemini. We are just beside ourselves!!! We were so busy dealing with our several home improvements, we never thought to check about having to pay for the equipment. Had we known this, we would have had the tech move the dish and put in new wiring, then come back to deal with the Genie. We had all kinds of wiring exposed before the new siding and now want wires hidden.
If we buy the equipment, do we own them? Also, would we be charged for the monthly lease of them?
If the dish goes on the roof, we would have to have multiple wires coming down the side of the house in order to connect to our 2 TV’s.
Any ideas what to do next?
If we cancel, would we be able to sign up as a new customer in a month and get the Genie2 and Gemini for free?
Thanks in advance.
shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.3K Messages
3 years ago
DTV doesn't remove dishes or coax, you own them to do what you want with it.
You don't need the protection plan to get free upgrades, you get free upgrades every 2 years of paid continued service. Who ever told you that was mistaken and AFAIK CSRs can't remove the protection plan unless you told them to.
All DTV receivers are leased regardless of where you get them and that price shown on the third party websites is the upfront lease fee.
You have to wait at least 2 yrs before DTV considers you a new customer.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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23.4K Messages
3 years ago
You cannot cancel and just start new. Has to be over at least 2 years before you are no longer counted as a returning customer.
Per current Federal regulations (OSHA), DirecTV may only install from a spot reachable from the ladder. They cannot step onto the roof. If the roof is not a good spot, then something like a pole mount can be discussed.
As long as it has been over 2 years since your last upgrade, you should be due for a free one. The protection plan is not needed for that. It just gives agents an exact date they can see. As you only have HR24s which haven't been made in years, then you should be fine. I would callback and speak to a different agent, perhaps say "cancel" at the voice prompt as retention agents are usually more experienced.
Request to upgrade one HR24 to the Genie. As the Genie is 5 tuners and 1TB recording space, have that end up on whichever TV you use the most. If you don't already have Whole Home DVR, it will add $3 to your monthly bill. As with any upgrade it comes with a 24 month service agreement.
The Genie-2 (HS17) would require replacing both your boxes as it forbids everything but Clients. It is an all-in-one setup that is a bit restrictive.
With either upgrade option, make sure to be caught up with the recordings of the box you are replacing (both if going to the Genie-2). This is because the replaced box doesn't have recordings copied over.
You don't own the boxes. They are 'leased'. All that means is you return them back to DirecTV (unless they have become non-returnable). It does not affect the monthly bill. Any lease costs are one-time at the time of the order. Your receiver services and TV fees have nothing to do with leased or the old owned options, they would be the same either way.
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