Contributor
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2 Messages
Self-installation of HD DVR
We have been loyal (and lucrative!) customers for 11 years, and have 2 dishes, 2 HD DVR receivers, and 1 HD receiver – all of which we have installed ourselves. We have an electronic dish aiming device, and get 95+ readings on both our dishes. We know what we’re doing.
Recently, we wanted to take advantage of your offer of a free HD DVR receiver to replace the non-DVR HD unit we have. However, we do NOT allow strangers in our home and will not agree to your agents installing the receiver – especially when all it will require is unplugging the existing receiver from the power, the TV, and the existing cable and plugging the new receiver into the power, the TV, and the TWO existing cables (one not being used right now). Simple stuff. You save the money of paying the installer, and we get the service we want without compromising our home’s security. It’s sad, but in this era we cannot be sure ANYONE isn’t casing the house for nefarious purposes. We’ve had experience with “bonded” workers who turned out to be drug users, so we have learned our lesson.
Unfortunately, after talking with 6 different people at DirecTV, we have been completely thwarted in our request to take advantage of your HD DVR offer without professional installation. We are not asking you to spend more money on our behalf; what we wantwill SAVE you money, yet you refuse to simply send us the receiver. We will be glad to sign off whatever is needed to make you feel confident that we know what we’re doing and take responsibility for it.
What is wrong with this picture??????
peds48
Expert
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32K Messages
13 years ago
we are customers like yourself, so they CSR's you spoke to, are not "our agents". you can try to order online and see if it will you the option for self install, otherwise you can order the receiver from places like solidsiganl.com Of course, going this way you will have to pay the full lease price of $199.00
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litzdog911
ACE - Sage
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46.4K Messages
13 years ago
Note that if you don't already have a Single Wire Multiswitch setup, then you'll want a second coax cable from the dish to your new DVR if you want to use the second DVR tuner. You'll also need B-Band Converter modules for both DVR tuners, unless the HD DVR is an HR23 model.
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cabletech
Guru
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533 Messages
13 years ago
Also, if you do not currently have HD service, it WILL require you to replace your dish for the newer HD availablity.
Also, why do you need two dish's. Upgrade and cleanup your house with just one dish.
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west99999tech
Scholar
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306 Messages
13 years ago
also get off your high horse you are nobody special and none of dtvs techs want anything you got they are paid very well and i doubt they would put their job in jeapordy by "casing your house" or anything else for that matter. are you doing something illegal in your house that you dont want someone to see? prejudice? if you want to install it yourself go online and order it for $200 for a retailer or something. i bet your install is horrible and not done right at all.
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dcd
Expert
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20.7K Messages
13 years ago
I can see it all now. Grandpa has chest pains and EMS is called. Of course they have to wait in the street while mtngato slips Grandpa's limp form out the garage door. Let's all hope it isn't raining on that fateful day.
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TexasBrit
ACE - Expert
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14.1K Messages
13 years ago
Hey, calm down everyone. It's fine for the OP to be concerned about security, and I understand that. But it's also true that doing a self-install is not the easiest thing to get right, and DirecTV has seen many self-installs go horribly wrong, they have no idea if a particular customer has the ability to do this correctly and that's why they are so nervous about a self-install.
The OP already has HD, so I assume he has the correct dish. He also already has five tuners, so either he has a multiswitch or he has an SWM dish, or one of the DVRs is set to single tuner mode, that would be good to know.
As peds says, if the web site gives you the option to self-install, then go that route if you want to take the risk. If it does not, you have two choices. Allow DirecTv to do the install, or as peds says, get the DVR yourself from a vendor like solid signal, and pay the full lease fee (plus buy any other equipment you need, without knowing the details of your exact installation it's difficult to know what that might be).
On your current install, unless you are showing mid-90s on the 99c, 103ca and 103cb satellites (not just on 101), then your dish isn't correctly aligned, and of course a DirecTv tech would do that for you while he is installing the new DVR.
And although it's your choice, I don't think allowing repair people or techs into the house is much of a risk. I do this all the time and I have never had anything stolen.
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dcd
Expert
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20.7K Messages
13 years ago
I'd guess the basic problem may be that the books show 2 DVR's existing on a conventional dish and when you add a 3rd DVR it triggers the need for a SWM system (or a multiswitch) which negates the ship for self install option.
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TexasBrit
ACE - Expert
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14.1K Messages
13 years ago
It should not be in error, because any additional receiver would have to be activated by DirecTV. None the less, I would not be surprised to find that was the problem. If the DirecTv records show you don't have a multiswitch or SWM, and you try to add a fifth or sixth tuner, I would expect the self-install option to disappear.
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