17 replies to this topic

[ubkev]

Hey to everyone with DirecTV. With the Viacom channels being out of service temporarily there is blood in the water for all you sharks out there to haggle your monthly bill down. They are offering $10 off a month for three months up front when you call, but if you strong arm them they will do better.

A friend of mine got Sunday Ticket for $100 for the year. And my girlfriend just got us $20 bucks off a month plus one month off of the NHL Center Ice payment.

Good luck to all. Give 'em hell.

[Double-J]

Awesome, awesome stuff. I was about to order Sunday Ticket sometime this week, and the fact that they're dishing it out for $100 is unreal. Will definitely give them a call.

Incidentally, I know Viacom is taking some of their streamed content off, but most of it you can still find somewhere online FWIW.

Edit: Anything in particular to mention other than "I'm really upset I can't watch Snooki and J.Woww anymore, so I need the Sunday Ticket package on the cheap?"

Edited by Double-J, 16 July 2012 - 01:32 PM.

[Claude_Verret]

I called yesterday for my yearly Sunday ticket negotiation.  I got them down to $150 for Sunday Ticket max, but I told them it wasn't good enough and that I'd think about it and call them back.  I didn't remember the Viacom card as I don't really watch those channels.  I'll be sure to bring it up when I call back.

[ubkev]

Yeah, i don't do the negotiations, as I'm no good on the phone. I'm much better in person (that's weird, right) That's why my girl made the call. She's a wretched...never mind.

[Claude_Verret]

ubkev, on 16 July 2012 - 01:44 PM, said:

Yeah, i don't do the negotiations, as I'm no good on the phone. I'm much better in person (that's weird, right) That's why my girl made the call. She's a wretched...never mind.

It's just a conversation, you dont need to be (and shouldn't be) rude when you call.  The key is getting through the phone tree so that you are talking to a customer retention rep, not just a regular csr.  Just bring up a few valid points like viacom etc, as to why you are considering cancelling your service and ask if they can do anything for you.  I've never failed to get some reduction on my Sunday Ticket bill, last year I got it for free.

[Taro T]

When you get the automated operator, use the word cancel when it asks what you're calling about.  And then tell the 1st customer rep you speak to that you're thinking about cancelling and they'll transfer you over to their retention department.  Apparently standard practice is for the transfer to have you on hold for ~20 mintues.  (That's how long I was on hold and seems common according to the people on TSW.)

1st offer from the retention rep was $20/month off for a year and ST Max for ~$150.  Probably could have dickered from there but essentially a reduced bill for a year and free ST was enough for me.  There've been reports over at TSW of savings of ~twice that, but it wasn't worth the hassle to me.

[ubkev]

Claude_Verret, on 16 July 2012 - 01:49 PM, said:

It's just a conversation, you dont need to be (and shouldn't be) rude when you call.  The key is getting through the phone tree so that you are talking to a customer retention rep, not just a regular csr.  Just bring up a few valid points like viacom etc, as to why you are considering cancelling your service and ask if they can do anything for you.  I've never failed to get some reduction on my Sunday Ticket bill, last year I got it for free.

My last roommate was the absolute worst! He would call Comcast (our cable company in PA) like every month and a half to bitch about something. He was such an ###### on the phone, it was embarrassing for me to be in the same room as him when he was making the call. I honestly felt bad for the CSR that had to take his calls. It finally got to the point where they finally called one of his bluffs and he actually hat to cancel Comcast and get DirecTV.

[IKnowPhysics]

Taro T, on 16 July 2012 - 01:59 PM, said:

When you get the automated operator, use the word cancel when it asks what you're calling about.  And then tell the 1st customer rep you speak to that you're thinking about cancelling and they'll transfer you over to their retention department.  Apparently standard practice is for the transfer to have you on hold for ~20 mintues.

I can't reemphasize this concept enough.  Every telephone customer service or tehinical support department is designed to dissuade you from a) quitting and b) costing them money.  But explaining the situation and telling them right off the bat that you want X, Y, and Z or you'll quit will cut throught the ###### and you'll immediately get transferred away from customer service or technical support to the magical land of customer retention.  These are the people you want to talk to right away.  Their job is to keep you a paying cutomer.  These people may try to negotiate with you, but they do have the power to give you credits, discounts, and/or extra services to keep you from walking away to a competitor.

This applies to any major subscription-based service provider (cable, satellite, internet, telephone, etc).

You usually don't have to get irritable on the phone, but feel free to insist that you feel you're getting screwed because of the situation and getting X, Y, and Z is the only restitution that would make it right.

QuikEdit 1: And yes, the closer you play to the edge, the more you have to be prepared to actually quit when they call your bluff.  It rarely happens, but if it does, you either need to quit or back peddle with your tail between your legs.

QuikEdit 2: And for the record, after I had to straighten DirecTV's ###### out once (and only once) for something blatantly stupid they did, I've been pretty happy with their service.  Much better than Dish and the cable providers I've had.

Edited by IKnowPhysics, 16 July 2012 - 04:17 PM.

[deluca67]

We just got a pretty good deal from DirecTV. The wind had moved the dish a bit causing some of the channels not to come in. My wife called and they wanted to charge us $50 for a service call. I got home and called them and told them i wanted to cancel. Not only did the guy come out and fix the dish for free, We got $20 bucks off for 12 months and the guy hooked our HD Receiver up to the internet.

[IKnowPhysics]

That's the way you do it.  I don't care if a hurricane knocked over your house or a mouse farted on your cable modem, as a customer that pays for service, the company must take responsibility for providing the service you pay for.  Otherwise, they're not providing the service and they shouldn't be getting paid.

[elcrusho]

IKnowPhysics, on 16 July 2012 - 04:13 PM, said:

I can't reemphasize this concept enough.  Every telephone customer service or tehinical support department is designed to dissuade you from a) quitting and b) costing them money.  

Until you get the 21 year old kid who just doesn't care

[ROC Sabres]

I've been sitting on my @$$ about calling them about this.  I really want to make an argument with them about how I signed up in January and didn't get full use of my free sunday ticket and see if I can get it for free again.

[PASabreFan]

LOL @ you guys who think you're really "negotiating" with DTV retention.

[ROC Sabres]

PASabreFan, on 17 July 2012 - 07:56 AM, said:

LOL @ you guys who think you're really "negotiating" with DTV retention.

Compared to doing nothing, it is.

[Claude_Verret]

PASabreFan, on 17 July 2012 - 07:56 AM, said:

LOL @ you guys who think you're really "negotiating" with DTV retention.

Call it what you want, all I know is if I don't call at all then I pay full price.

[biodork]

Dispute with Viacom resolved today:

http://www.directvpromise.com/

[IKnowPhysics]

PASabreFan, on 17 July 2012 - 07:56 AM, said:

LOL @ you guys who think you're really "negotiating" with DTV retention.

LOL @ not saving money.

[Claude_Verret]

Direct TV held pretty firm on Sunday Ticket this year.  I ended up getting the max package for $120.  I got it for free last year so i can't complain too much.

I need to call and do a separate "negotiation" for Center Ice.  Last year there were like 4 or 5  Sabres games that I wanted to watch that would randomly not tune in on various boxes.  Usually it was the one out at my man cave that would be the problem.  I called each time and complained and Direct TV acknowledged it was an issue on their end that they were trying to fix.  Since all those calls were documented I'm going for free Center Ice this year.