Directv renegotiate - what is the going rate?

[whatname]

Need to call and renegotiate with Directv. Anyone done this lately? If so, what deal were you able to get? Thanks!

 

[Accident]

Have you looked into partner discounts? many service oriented companies have partners and you can get discounts at both if you happen to just use the stuff and it's usually not verified. For example, have an at&t phone or internet? you could probably get a few percent from both at&t and directv just because you use services of both companys. Banks, supermarkets, certain insurance companies, the list is rather interesting if you can get them to talk to you about it and the discount goes both ways so you want to also call up the comapnies you find and get the opposite discounts for the same things..

I recently dropped my plan with directv and we've started to keep a channel diary in the house. We've started to notice we only watch a couple channels with many a couple extra news channels if something is happening in the world. FCC requires all pay tv providers to offer an a-la-cart option where it's a minimal fee per channel you actually want. They can't refuse you.

 

[ICF]

FCC requires all pay tv providers to offer an a-la-cart option where it's a minimal fee per channel you actually want. They can't refuse you.

do you have a link to that, because I've never heard of such a thing.

Per the FCC website.

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/choosing-cable-channels

Are cable systems required to offer "a la carte" and pay-per-view channels?
No, but they may choose to offer channels on a stand-alone basis ("a la carte") or as a pay-per-view channel. Commission rules also prohibit cable systems from requiring customers to subscribe to any tiers beyond the basic tier in order to have access to a la carte channels or pay-per-view channels offered by the system.

 

[ICF]

Need to call and renegotiate with Directv. Anyone done this lately? If so, what deal were you able to get? Thanks!

I think there is lot that goes into it....for starters are you in or out of contract? How long have you been with them? Do you have any premium / sports packages?

Last month they gave me $20 / off a month for a one year commitment. I still had 10 months on my contract, so really it was only 2 extra months.

The previous time I called to see if I was eligible for any current credits/promos and they told me I wasn't....first time that had ever happened. I think since they've become part of ATT the credits are fewer.

If you are out of contract -- you should be able to get a good deal, especially if Dish or your local cable company are offering any good deals right now. Just tell them that you have an offer from a company to switch to them for $X / mo and they usually will work with you.

 

[Disneefun]

This last time I called and told them I was going to cancel, switch, blah blah blah. They said there's nothing we can do for you. Didn't even try. I said fine, cancel me. Again, didn't even make an effort to keep me, just pulled the plug and said the fedex boxes for the return of the satellite boxes were on the way. (I wasn't upset because I can take or leave it. It's an easily dropped expense around here so when I said cancel it wasn't just a bluff.) Fast forward less than 24 hours the phone rings (exactly as I'm unplugging their boxes and getting ready to send them back, funnily enough). And it's the most contrite, helpful rep I've ever heard. I ended up with free movie channels for a year and $30 off the bill for a year, plus an upgrade to the next package up.

I sort of wonder if someone got in trouble. I suspect they weren't supposed to actually let me cancel that easily. Anyway, the moral of the story is that if push comes to shove, go ahead and cancel. Then see what happens. It's possible you'll stay cancelled, I guess, but if you're willing to risk it, it can pay off.

 

[whatname]

Thanks for the info. I already have att, so maybe I can work with that. I will cancel, if needed. I have to wait until after the Austin and Ally finale on Jan. 10. DDs will be upset to miss that. After that is over, I can do without tv, if they don't want to deal. Thanks for the help!

 

[Duchie]

When AT&T scooped up DirecTV we called to see if we could get some sort of package deal. We had DirecTV, along with AT&T for phone and internet. They said no, nothing they could do. So we switched phone and internet to Time Warner. Suddenly when we called to cancel they were all about trying to save us. Nope, I said - you had your chance. They are STILL trying to get us back.

 

[RitaE]

It's been about a year for us. We had to cancel and then sign up as a new account under my son's name. At which point they installed a new improved dish and gave us a new receiver and the rate was about $20 a month cheaper. I hate playing these games but it's almost like they require it.

We usually try to negotiate in late summer/early fall and ask for NFL Sunday Ticket for free. They usually offer at least one movie channel but we really don't watch those channels often even when we have them for free.

 

[whatname]

Guess I have to threaten to cancel and be willing if they call my bluff. I can do that. I would get rid of tv completely, if my family wouldn't complain. Thanks!