Need Replacement Box - Have Question

chris83 · 08-10-2006, 08:57 AM

Hi All,

First of all, please pardon my "Newbieness" with this question.

I've not yet taken the "HD Plunge"; that probably won't happen until early 2007. However, I don’t want to negatively impact myself when I DO go to HD, so I need some advice. I realize this isn’t currently an HD question, but it may affect me down the road.

Right now I have a very simple setup, with an "HBH-SA" Hughes box. I’ve had the equipment for about 3 years. Anyway, I believe the box is on its last legs; when we turn it on, it flashes on and off and constantly keeps resetting itself, going thru the "installation" setup routine. Then it stays on for a moment, flashes off and goes thru this again. It won't stay on.

Here's my question: by contacting DirecTV for a replacement, do I lock myself into another 2 year commitment? I really don't want that, since I plan to explore ALL alternative options (Dish, Cable), or at least have all options available to me as a negotiating consumer when I DO go to HD.

If I purchased another similar Hughes box (perhaps an HAH-SA Dolby capable) on eBay, could I just put the access card from my current box into the new one?

Again, I just want to know how to approach DirecTV on this, without committing to anything long term. I've never had any technical trouble with my equipment before, so I'm OBVIOUSLY new to this.

Thank you for your help.

Chris

lwilli201 · 08-10-2006, 09:31 AM

Your best bet may be to call retention at 800-824-9081 and ask about getting a replacement box without an additional commitment. Since it is an older SD reciever, they may just send you one for the cost of shipping. The access card has to be keyed to the reciever, so if you get a new reciever it will have a new card that will have to be activated. To work, the card and STB serial numbers have to match the D* files.

davecramer74 · 08-10-2006, 09:52 AM

whatever u do, dont pay for one. Ive got like 6 of them. If you need a box just pm me on here. If you want to pay for the shipping ill just send you one. Ive got a stack out in the garage. They are all from the last couple of years. You shouldnt have to do any kind of commitment.

If you call directv and say yours keeps cutting out and ask if you can have them ship you a new one. It should be free of charge. How long have you been a customer?

chris83 · 08-10-2006, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davecramer74

whatever u do, dont pay for one. Ive got like 6 of them. If you need a box just pm me on here. If you want to pay for the shipping ill just send you one. Ive got a stack out in the garage. They are all from the last couple of years. You shouldnt have to do any kind of commitment.

If you call directv and say yours keeps cutting out and ask if you can have them ship you a new one. It should be free of charge. How long have you been a customer?

I've been with DTV since 2003...

davecramer74 · 08-10-2006, 04:44 PM

they will probably give you a free dvr. When i upgraded to my HD, i just called and told them i wont be able to justify to my wife spending anymore money on tv and asked if there was anything they could do to help me out. I got 2 h20's out of them and 6 months of free hdtv. Oh and the 5lmb dish. Ive prolly been a customer about as long as that. But, i was paying them for the platinum package, mlb and football packages as well. So they've got their money out of me over the years. The least they can do is kick me down some equipment.

With that said, i called up and asked for the HD dvr from them in march. They wanted like 400 bucks or some crap. So i "suspended" my directv account and went with comcast. Footballs about to start and im on the fence whether to re-activate directv for the football package or not. At this point, im thinking not. i was too livid about them wanting another 400 for a dvr when im paying them fockers like 120 a month.

chris83 · 08-11-2006, 05:07 PM

Well, the folks at DirecTV were very cool. Here's what I ended up with:

*New receiver, at no cost to me
*Free upgrade to the H20 and 5 LNB dish when I make the move to HDTV
*$10 off per month on my bill for the next 12 months
*HBO for $2 per month for the next 6 months

My wife had called Dish to see what they had to offer; when I told the people at DTV what Dish had said, the above is what they offered us. I wasn't interested in doing a TON of haggling, just getting something decent in return for staying with DirecTV; I got that, so I'm happy.

Thanks to all of you for your advice.

08-10-2006, 08:57 AM	#1
chris83 HD is Life Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 42	Need Replacement Box - Have Question Hi All, First of all, please pardon my "Newbieness" with this question. I've not yet taken the "HD Plunge"; that probably won't happen until early 2007. However, I don’t want to negatively impact myself when I DO go to HD, so I need some advice. I realize this isn’t currently an HD question, but it may affect me down the road. Right now I have a very simple setup, with an "HBH-SA" Hughes box. I’ve had the equipment for about 3 years. Anyway, I believe the box is on its last legs; when we turn it on, it flashes on and off and constantly keeps resetting itself, going thru the "installation" setup routine. Then it stays on for a moment, flashes off and goes thru this again. It won't stay on. Here's my question: by contacting DirecTV for a replacement, do I lock myself into another 2 year commitment? I really don't want that, since I plan to explore ALL alternative options (Dish, Cable), or at least have all options available to me as a negotiating consumer when I DO go to HD. If I purchased another similar Hughes box (perhaps an HAH-SA Dolby capable) on eBay, could I just put the access card from my current box into the new one? Again, I just want to know how to approach DirecTV on this, without committing to anything long term. I've never had any technical trouble with my equipment before, so I'm OBVIOUSLY new to this. Thank you for your help. Chris

08-10-2006, 09:31 AM	#2
lwilli201 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Concordia, Missouri Posts: 274	Your best bet may be to call retention at 800-824-9081 and ask about getting a replacement box without an additional commitment. Since it is an older SD reciever, they may just send you one for the cost of shipping. The access card has to be keyed to the reciever, so if you get a new reciever it will have a new card that will have to be activated. To work, the card and STB serial numbers have to match the D* files. __________________ Sceptre X37, 1080P 2 Westinghouse LTV-32w1 HR20-700S H-20 H-10 DVR39

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08-10-2006, 09:52 AM	#3
davecramer74 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bay Area California Age: 35 Posts: 1,008	whatever u do, dont pay for one. Ive got like 6 of them. If you need a box just pm me on here. If you want to pay for the shipping ill just send you one. Ive got a stack out in the garage. They are all from the last couple of years. You shouldnt have to do any kind of commitment. If you call directv and say yours keeps cutting out and ask if you can have them ship you a new one. It should be free of charge. How long have you been a customer?

08-10-2006, 04:44 PM	#5
davecramer74 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bay Area California Age: 35 Posts: 1,008	they will probably give you a free dvr. When i upgraded to my HD, i just called and told them i wont be able to justify to my wife spending anymore money on tv and asked if there was anything they could do to help me out. I got 2 h20's out of them and 6 months of free hdtv. Oh and the 5lmb dish. Ive prolly been a customer about as long as that. But, i was paying them for the platinum package, mlb and football packages as well. So they've got their money out of me over the years. The least they can do is kick me down some equipment. With that said, i called up and asked for the HD dvr from them in march. They wanted like 400 bucks or some crap. So i "suspended" my directv account and went with comcast. Footballs about to start and im on the fence whether to re-activate directv for the football package or not. At this point, im thinking not. i was too livid about them wanting another 400 for a dvr when im paying them fockers like 120 a month.

08-11-2006, 05:07 PM	#6
chris83 HD is Life Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 42	Well, the folks at DirecTV were very cool. Here's what I ended up with: New receiver, at no cost to me Free upgrade to the H20 and 5 LNB dish when I make the move to HDTV $10 off per month on my bill for the next 12 months HBO for $2 per month for the next 6 months My wife had called Dish to see what they had to offer; when I told the people at DTV what Dish had said, the above is what they offered us. I wasn't interested in doing a TON of haggling, just getting something decent in return for staying with DirecTV; I got that, so I'm happy. Thanks to all of you for your advice.