Can you get out of the Direct contract?

[BamaPanda]

I got caught in a two year Direct contract - was not installed right - am thinking of paying the penalty and canceling out - going back to Dish.
Is there a way to get out of the contract with less financial pain? The opt out now is 12.00 a month penalty - for 23 months.
Thanks for any help here.

[DodgerKing]

Originally Posted by BamaPanda

I got caught in a two year Direct contract - was not installed right - am thinking of paying the penalty and canceling out - going back to Dish.
Is there a way to get out of the contract with less financial pain? The opt out now is 12.00 a month penalty - for 23 months.
Thanks for any help here.

What was wrong with your install? You can have them fix it.

[msmith198025]

they will come out and fix it for free. what types of problems are you having.
And no, the cancel fee is pretty standard

[BamaPanda]

Originally Posted by msmith198025

they will come out and fix it for free. what types of problems are you having.
And no, the cancel fee is pretty standard

That is what I am finding out.
I left Dish with no contract thinking I was making a good move to Direct HD. Hopefully they will be able to fix it all when they come out on Friday - but the pixelization and channels just going away is driving me and my wife nuts.

[rightcoaster]

Originally Posted by BamaPanda

That is what I am finding out.
I left Dish with no contract thinking I was making a good move to Direct HD. Hopefully they will be able to fix it all when they come out on Friday - but the pixelization and channels just going away is driving me and my wife nuts.

Hang in there. A properly installed D* will make you very happy.

[msmith198025]

Originally Posted by BamaPanda

That is what I am finding out.
I left Dish with no contract thinking I was making a good move to Direct HD. Hopefully they will be able to fix it all when they come out on Friday - but the pixelization and channels just going away is driving me and my wife nuts.

I hope it gets done to your satifaction. Ever since ive had the HD service it has been crystal clear

[mshulman]

Ask them about cancelling. When they say there is a fee, have them send you the paper work which shows you agreed to it.

If they can't produce the paper work, then they can't charge you.

I used that to get out of a Verizon Wireless contract

[DtvRep07]

Originally Posted by mshulman

Ask them about cancelling. When they say there is a fee, have them send you the paper work which shows you agreed to it.

If they can't produce the paper work, then they can't charge you.

I used that to get out of a Verizon Wireless contract

Unfortunately for him, you're incorrect. Here are some links to the customer agreements for DirecTV, of which a paper copy is produced with the first month's bill, which the customer "signs" by activating the service (which is why you don't get the agreements until after you start service-if you order and don't get installed for a month, you will not get these terms in the month time period because you are not in a commitment prior to activation.)

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/global/con...ssetId=1100106 (simple)

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/global/con...ssetId=P400042 (full customer agreement)

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/global/con...ssetId=P500014 (lease addendum)

http://directv.com/DTVAPP/global/sec...ssetId=P400036 (additional links to other legal stuff)

here is a direct paste from the customer agreement--IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT THESE TERMS, PLEASE NOTIFY US IMMEDIATELY AND WE WILL CANCEL YOUR SERVICE. IF YOU INSTEAD DECIDE TO RECEIVE OUR SERVICE, IT WILL MEAN THAT YOU ACCEPT THESE TERMS AND THEY WILL BE LEGALLY BINDING.


My advice is to have a tech come out to fix your install. You are entitled to a 30-day installation guarantee with no fee for the service call. But get it done before you 30 days are up or you waive that entitlement.

[tcarcio]

When I had problems with Direct tv because of bad reception it went on for about 5 weeks with them sending me new recievers, techs coming out to fix the problem and couldn't fix it. When they said it was an uplink problem and they were not responsible I said that I wanted to cancel. They gave me the ''You signed a contract'' tactic and I said yes I did and the contract said I would get a quality picture and sound and that they were actually in breach of the contract by not giving me what I signed up for. They cancelled me with no fee and that was 3 years ago so you can get out of the contract under certain circumstances.

[nascarhawk]

I was a Dish customer for ten years. I switched to Direct recently. Dish called several times and offered to pay my Direct buyout if I came back.

[schneid]

If they are not providing you what you paid for they are in breach of contract. Sue them in small claims court. I don't think them mailing you a bunch of fine print buried in your bill holds much water in most courts in this country.

Judges are people too. They drive lemons, buy Chinese toys for their kids, and hate the cable guy like the rest of us.

[golfchamp]

Let them fix the problem. If you can get Dish, you can get Direct it's just a matter of getting that dish aligned and installed properly. Too many of these techs are terrible at their job. Hopefully the next one will take the time to get it done right. You will LOVE it when it's up and running PROPERLY.

[BamaPanda]

Originally Posted by golfchamp

Let them fix the problem. If you can get Dish, you can get Direct it's just a matter of getting that dish aligned and installed properly. Too many of these techs are terrible at their job. Hopefully the next one will take the time to get it done right. You will LOVE it when it's up and running PROPERLY.

They are due to come out Friday. I am thinking I have a bad box, as it has been doing some really weird things, such as locking up entirely - no response with the remote or directly at the box. After a spell I can reset it, and it will work OK for a while, then slipping back into searching for a signal.
Even if it is the box it will be a good time to make sure that it was installed properly. One day I will learn to check forums like this to make sure I know what to look for B4 I make the leap.
Good point on the Dish. I have read that Dish HD can be just as problematic as Direct. Oh ..the Dish I had that was working so well prior to this was non HD - a simpler alignment for sure.
Thanks for all the responses.

[Scizz12]

So I signed up for DTV today. The rep told me HD local channels were available, but upon further investigation they aren't. I don't want to buy another OTA dish and even if I could, I'm not sure if I could DVR those HD OTA shows anyways with the DTV HD DVR which is what my wife and I usually watch. So, can I just call and tell them I want to cancel? I'm not suppose to be installed until mid December, and I didn't sign anything. Any ideas?

[rightcoaster]

Originally Posted by Scizz12

So I signed up for DTV today. The rep told me HD local channels were available, but upon further investigation they aren't. I don't want to buy another OTA dish and even if I could, I'm not sure if I could DVR those HD OTA shows anyways with the DTV HD DVR which is what my wife and I usually watch. So, can I just call and tell them I want to cancel? I'm not suppose to be installed until mid December, and I didn't sign anything. Any ideas?

You sign the contract when they come to install. If they haven't installed it yet, just cancel it.