This past year marked our nine year anniversary of using DIRECTV for our TV service. This relationship has lasted a lot longer than I ever thought it would. However, that doesn't go without saying that the relationship hasn't had its bumps and bruises. Like any human relationship, it's about give and take, and our experience with DIRECTV hasn't been anything different.
Here is what our current service looks like:
- “Total Choice Family Package” – 55 channels – $29.99/month*
- DVR Services – $0.00/month for 12 months (normally a $10/month service)
- NFL Sunday ticket – until end of current season – $0/month (normally a $325/year service)
- Showtime – $0.00/month for four months (normally a $14/month service)
- Taxes/Fees: about $2.22/month
- Total Monthly Bill: $32.21/month
Some of you might be saying, “How is his bill so low?”, or “How is he getting all those extra services for free?”, or “How can I negotiate with Directv?” Part of that has been because I have been a loyal customer for nine years, but it really comes down to using The Disconnection Negotiation.
What is the Disconnection Negotiation?
About 5 years ago I read online that a number of people were getting all the things I listed above for $19.99/month for being a new customer of DIRECTV. That really irked my frugal bone, and made me wonder why I couldn't get the same deal. Being the inquisitive thrifty guy that I am, I called in, and implemented my first trial of The Disconnection Negotiation. Here are the steps you too can utilize to lower your DIRECTV bill:
- Call DIRECTV Customer Service at 1-855-387-6898
- Follow the prompts to speak with a customer service representative
- Greet the representative by name and state you'd like to disconnect your service
- They'll ask for your first and last name, and the amount of your last bill. So have that on hand.
- State that you'd like to disconnect your service, because the bill is more than you'd like to spend.
- The rep will typically say that they are sorry to hear that. Ask if they have any promotional offers (ex. Directv packages for existing customers, Directv loyalty discount, latest Directv promotions, etc) that would help you lower your bill and free services that might help you reconsider staying with DIRECTV.
- They'll usually offer $10 off/month, but ask if they'd be willing to throw in some extra channels too.
- Talk it over with your spouse, and decide
It is at this point that you really need to consider, “Is what they are offering me a good promotion or can I get a better deal with Xfinity, Dish, or Cox?” “Or should I consider cutting the cord?” If you've done your research with your other local providers and have seen what their lowest price offers are, then it will help you make a decision when it comes to step #8.
I've used this technique to continually keep my DIRECTV bill low, and it keeps DIRECTV pursuing me as a loyal customer. Even though it takes a little research as to what other options I have with my local providers, the savings will add up.
To give you an example – with my current package – if I had done nothing, I would be paying about $120+ more per year. So basically, if I was lazy, and hadn't fought for my bill, then I'd be out a lot of money over this next year.
This is one technique I use to lower my DIRECTV bill every month, but I'd like to hear your stories. How do you lower your DIRECTV, Xfinity, Cox, or Dish bills? Do you frequently switch providers? Do you use online promotion codes? Please share your money saving stories!
*The “Total Choice Family Package” is not listed as an official package. You will need to signup for another plan first, and then call to ask to switch to this one. It is an extra step, but it is one of the cheapest Directv packages available.
166 Comments
I’ve been with Dtv for many years. Since August of 2020 I’ve been calling EVERY MONTH to have programs I never purchased removed. It’s now June 6 2021, I’m STILL getting charged!! I’ve filed a complaint with The Better Business Bureau for a second time now. I should be receiving another phone call soon. After the first complaint,Directv offered me $85.00 a month for one year. Great. I accepted. That was in April 2021. May was 86.00 dollars. Now my June 2021 bill is $163.75! One more phone call.Then I’ll cancel. This is absolutely ridiculous!
A.T.T. is the worst my bills went from $80.00 to$100.00 to $104,00 to $149.00 all with the same packages always promotions dropped off which raised the bill and no new promotions for loyal customers ,since before they were A.T.T. talked to a a gent out of the usa. Of course because i sked her where she was.She took off the $49.00 and switched packages to ENTERTAINMENT and took away a bunch of channels. Left me with 364 51 and 6 when they are not having troubles with it and HBO free for 3mo other channels i do not watch.This month $190.91 trying to charge me $45.08 taken from last mo.and Put a PPV.WWE $54.95 I did not authorize and another ENTERTAINMENT for $79.99 2 of these idid not agree spent 1and1/2 hr on phone trying to get it taken care of went from person 1 to 2 to 3 t hn a man told me he could not hear me so i said u hav my no. callme back so we can talk no call back .Bill was due 3/17/2021 shut off my service yesterday 3/18/2021 i am cancelling them they are the worst.
I am currently working for Directv and why a lot of this is true, there is more to it. It really doesn’t matter how long you’ve been with the company or how loyal you are. The offers are generated through some unknown system that reps have no access to. We follow strict rules and a script when it comes to negotiating with customers, but if the “loyalty offers” have not been generated then there is nothing that can be done. I’ve seen customers from 1997 with out offers and customers from 2019 with up to $70 off for 12 months and free NFL Max for free. Sometimes I feel like telling customers to just cancel and go with streaming. It makes more sense to me. I feel like it is a dead product but I’m thankful the job was there to help me back into work with a disability but I have to look out for me and my plans aren’t to stay. You can call in and try to negotiate but remember the rep is only there to translate for ATT, who is not the employer for directv reps, its third party. The reps cannot pull magic out the hat. I wish they had a better system to work under. Customers feel really let down and unappreciated when they find out we can’t negotiate but the message is on our screen to let cs terminate services when we can’t. Honestly, it’s not worth the time. You’ll spend half the day on the phone and if you have tech problems or billing issues you’ll jump from agent to agent. Replacing leased equipment will put you back into 2 year agreemnt and tech services can cost you $49 to sometimes $399 unless you have a protection plan. If it seems like prices are increasing it’s because they are. It’s sad.
My husband called today to get our Direct TV back down to a reasonable amount after it had gone up 35% when their “promo” from last year ended. The best they could do is offer a discount of $2.50!!! Really?? We have had DTV for at least 10 years and this is the best they could do?! When asked to speak to a higher up, we were told that she was that person. We will be switching to a cable company, apparently Loyalty means nothing to AT&T any longer. Plus, it’s ridiculous to have to call EVERY year to negotiate.
I called DTV’s Loyalty dept today to see how much I could lower my bill.
Here’s their # – 877-999-1083 (You don’t have to go through a CSR)
I was helped by a very sympathetic young woman who spent 50 min going through
the labyrinth of DTV’s pricing maze. She was able to lower my bill $40/mo. I was
hoping for more, but I’ll settle for now. I wanted to get back to what I was paying two years ago(around $60/mo for the Choice pkg), when I started a new contract.
That new contract began the same day I cancelled service at the end of the previous contract. I also received a $200 debit card to use anywhere.
You should realize that DTV most probably peruses sites like this, so, I won’t be using my real name. But it’s the info that counts.
Calling this number just worked for me. Without any hassle they lowered by bill to the original deal, which dropped it $60/mo.
How much is the package price for seniors
I am sure I am a long time customer and will appreciate some “loyalty” consideration
I wanted to lower my Directv bill. I have been affected by the coronavirus. I have the cheapest package which has (all included). Since I have that, I can not change to a cheaper package. I can only upgrade to a higher priced package. I asked to speak with a supervisor and while getting transferred I got disconnected. About fed up with this. I can take my business elsewhere if that is what needs to happen.
You might want to try calling and talking with them again, be nice to them and just explain your situation. I did it today and it actually worked for me. My promotion just ended this month and I knew that my bill was going to back up to about $160+ and I explained that I was impacted due to the Covid-19 (my part-time job has been furloughed for two months now without pay) and I was really really nice and praising them and the guy ended up getting me $40 discount for 12 months on top of the $10 off a month since I am automatic payments. So, I think it depends on when you call, who you get, and what you say them and how you treat them.
I am a 24+ year customer of DTV. About 6 years ago, I got tired of high bills when new comers were getting same thing cheap. I called them up and automatically asked for the next higher person because the first person will not be able to offer anything to you. I have been getting $25-$35 a month for a year discount. This past year they gave me $60 month for 12 months. If they say they don’t have anything to offer, just tell them you are going to turn it off then. Keep pushing, they will find stuff to give you!
Whenever I call to lower my bill they do it for 12 months only but they say I have to sign a 24 month contract again, I’ve been with them 15 years.
Is there any way to get a discount without a 2 year contract?
I lowered my bill by canceling their service. Went from $160 a month to $0. After nine years of my bill steadily creeping up I decided to look for cheaper options. And am I glad I did. I discovered streaming and now have even more TV at a third of the cost.
Streaming is great but where I live there is no affordable internet service. My only internet is through my phone mobile network. I would love to find good internet but my phone doesnt pickup well enough most times to even keep z phone call going without disconnects.
I’m dealing with my bill going up significantly and I called the number in the article 855-387-6898 and it was for adding the NFL Sunday ticket with no other options, even though I pressed 2, then 3. Does anyone else have a number beside the 800-531-5000?
I just called as my $45 discount expired this month. Talked with Sean. He was able to get me $30 off for 12 months and then after that applied, talked with his supervisor and got additional $15 off so. So back to what I was getting last year. Sean was great.
Awesome!
Question:
To try & get a better deal, Is it better to try this during a certain part of the day? (rather than in the evening)
I may keep calling until I can get a rep that will satisfy my request.
Any other tips?
Hi Bill. This is what we’d recommend – sometimes it is best to call again and get another rep – they may be more flexible or willing to lower your bill. Best.
That method USED to work. Not anymore.
I too, had DirectV give me a deal to stay on ($50 off per month for 12 months)
That was then.
This past week, after it expired, I tried to get a similar deal , no luck.
Best they’d do is take $15 off per month (12 months) I told them unless they can make the deal better, I was going to call their competition to see what better deal I can get from them, and the next call they receive from me will be to cancel the service.
The “Loyalty tech” told me sorry, that’s it…. $15 off is the best they can do.
So they are now willing to say bye bye to longtime, loyal customers.
Same thing happened to me today!! I cancelled!
You act like you’re doing them a favor by being their customer lmmfao
Bye bye because they are not going to be around for long.
I just called…asked to speak to rep.
I told rep my bill just went up because of last promo had expired and I really couldn’t afford to pay the bill (which is an outrageous $221 a month). He even agreed that was a lot.
I asked nicely if there were any promotions he could offer me and he gave me $37 off a month for a year. I then asked if there was anything else he could do because it was really still too expensive and he gave me a $25 credit off next bill. He told me to call back next month to see if there was any other promos that could be offered to me.
Took about 7 mins on phone.
Great to hear Sue!
I have had direct tv for at least 10 yrs. my bill was stable in PA but since moving to NC it constantly increases. Since moving over a year ago, it has nearly doubled. I have noticed since AT&T took over, the discounts have dried up and they use an off shore call center who gives me NO confidence they know what they are talking about.
when I first got mine they said that they gave me a promotion for 2 years that price at $40 a month and now the prices skyrocketed some deal huh
I’ve been with Direct TV since 1986. I started calling Direct TV 2 weeks prior to my move to NC. I have nothing good to say about their move dept. (5 yrs ago I moved and it was a breeze). I have since moved and they have not disconnected my service nor have they moved my service to my new address. I also have complained about my bill for the past two yrs since it went up over 30$ per month and gotten nothing more than a royal run around. I am cancelling my service- actually on the phone with that dept now. I will miss OANN and Newsmax the most but not the high fee or speaking to someone in Asia who doesn’t give a rats behind about Lori in NC.
I understand fully. I called for an explanation about changes on my bill. The first call goes to someone in Southern Asia and he wants to hook me up with a 100 dollar gift card at Walmart. I told him I did not want that. All this after 4 call prompts about the same thing. So he says he can’t help me and hangs up. I call back and someone else I presume, who lives in the same part of the world explains the changes after I stay on hold and figure it out for myself. That call drops and 5 minutes later I get a callback, 1 point in their favor. I go through the “boy this bill is getting high, any specials, it’s getting hard to pay”. And then I’m put on hold for 5 more minutes only to be told there are no promotion plans. Conceptually, the article may be correct but experience tells me, and this is not the first time, that you’ll usually get nowhere after listening to multiple call prompts and being placed on hold several times. It isn’t worth the aggravation.
I have been with direct tv for going on 2 years now and in that time the bill has continually gone up, its never the same for 2 months in a row I have cancelled all channels but basic service and now my bill is more than double I’m disabled and on a fixed income so my budget is pretty tight, antennas don’t work out here so I’m stuck with direct because most other companies say they don’t service this area, and whats even more frustrating is even trying to get a definite day to view my bill and because they went up so much on this months bill I don’t have the money to pay it, and its impossible to make out a budget when I get paid due to their unreliability, I’m trying every avenue to get a little relief from this problem and get things more affordable is it even legal for them to increase the bill by more than double?
Sorry to hear you are having issues with your DirecTV bill, Helen. I know these providers do have increases after a year or so – but to have it go up as often as you state, is troubling. I’d be curious to know if there are any other services attached to your bill you may not know about / being charged for.
I paid 59 for a year told me it was good for 2 years they raised it to $101 for the lowest pkg and 2 boxes . I have no internet or phone through them. Its ridiculous price. If it rains or snows my tv goes out
That does seem like a higher than normal price for those services, Caroline.
I just called the 1-800-531-5000 number for the 2nd year in a row (I said I was thinking about cancelling my service and got sent straight to the retention dept.) and got an even better deal that last year (see my comment from Feb 7th 2018 posted below)! My bill went from $38 (for the Entertainment package) to $78 when my previous discount expired yesterday and today the rep knocked $60 off and I’ll be paying $18 for the next 12 months. I didn’t agree to anything extra or switch my cell service (although I politely let him go through the spiel about why I should switch to AT&T…) and I’ll be paying $20 less than the past 12 months. My current bill couldn’t be knocked all the way down but he even took $25 off that so it’s down to $53; I just checked my account and that credit has already been applied. The entire call lasted 28 mins.
What discounts you are offered totally depends on what rep happens to pick up your call and that sucks but it is what it is; I’d say if you don’t like the offer you’re getting to hang up and start over again with someone totally new. I was respectful and didn’t demand anything (and all I said to start the process was that my discounts from last year just expired and I wanted to see what they could do for me otherwise I was thinking about cancelling my service) and the rep did all of the work; I almost felt guilty asking him to deal w/my current bill because of how much he’d knocked off the next 12 months but I asked and they reduced it too!
I just called direct tv, by bill tripled. I told them I can’t afford and I would need to cancel. I was very nice. They told me that there were no promotions to offer me at this time. I politely asked why, she explained that I have been a loyal customer for 3 years and have done nothing wrong. She said that sometimes the computer allows them to five promotional discounts and sometime it doesn’t. She have me a one time $20 discount and advised me to call back next month but couldn’t make any promises. I didn’t make my payment and am considering changing providers once I do my research.
…very disappointing
Hi Sherry – did you try asking for the retention dept?
Hi Aaron. Yes, that’s who I spoke to.
I did this last year and was able to lower my bill. It just didn’t work for me this time. I did the same thing last month and they offered me a $40 discount and asked me to call back this month. Just isn’t working for me this time.
Ok, so I called back today and simply said “i need to pay my balance and cancel my service” (I did not say, I need to cancel my service and can I please spell to your retention department). …as I have done for the last 2 months and got nothing. They asked me a million questions and the call took about 2 hours, but I got my bill back down to what it was before. So, I guess they may be catching on to the “can I speak to the retention department ‘
Took some work but it paid off at the end of the day…well at the end of the 2 months, lol
I called yesterday because my discounts had expired a couple of months ago. Politely explained that I needed to cancel because my bill was simply too high. All they offered was $15 a month discount so I set up a disconnection date. Haven’t heard anything back from them yet.
Follow up. Called back after receivIng a win back offer via email, but since my account disconnection hadn’t taken effect yet, the agent could only offer me $65 a month off for 12 months to stay. I took the discount and stayed with Direct TV. If the first agent I had spoken to would have given me that offer straight away I would have never set up a disconnection date to begin with. It really does come down to what pops up on the screen of the particular agent you’re talking to at any given time it seems. Best advice is just keep calling and eventually you’ll get the agent who is able to give you a significant discount.
I called directv for the second time tonight and no luck getting my bill lowered in fact the last time I called when they lowered my bill they misquoted what my price would actually be going forward so I called tonight and I got the credit for the amount that the bill was was too high for but they will not offer me any future promotions or credits. Said there are none available. I even reduced my channel package last time I called in February 2019 and still they want $140 for tv and internet. So I’m letting it go as of the end of this billing cycle . Good luck to others but I’m not paying that, been a loyal customer for 4 years. Have had my att cell phone for 20 years, still no loyalty discount…nice
great info but i believe the phone number changed to 800 531 5000, you can save by also getting paperless, autopay and normally $10-20 discount. Try to keep from getting into a contract, that way you are still in drivers seat for future changes
Thanks Rod – I doubled-checked and the number we have listed still works too. Yours is easier to remember though! Appreciate the other tips.
I spoke with a great representative and I am down to $85.62 for 12 months with no contact. The tips you posted saved me so Thank You!!
Glad to hear!
help…the loyalty dept is not willing to help. they are charging me $101 for basic tv with 1 dvr and say we are in a contract for 2 years. It was $55. Any help would be appreciated
Amanda – I would recommend calling again to see if you can get a different rep. They seem to differ on what they’ll offer. If you’re in a contract however, that could be another matter.
Ive been trying to get my bill lowered and I always get a rep from outside the US and all they offer me is to switch to ATT cellular service or Change Internet to get a “better” deal.
Thank you for this! Got mine lowered from $150 to $63 for 12 months!
No problem. Happy to help!
I currently do this with Cox each year. I live in Omaha and am happy with over-the-air channels. I use Cox for internet only. Every year, I have an appointment on my calendar to call them to negotiate a lower rate. Usually, you have to threaten to leave but they will eventually give you their lowest rate – usually what new customers are paying.
I’ve been with them since 2002 2003 and I’ve never tried any of this stuff before I really need to I am paying way too much
Good to see that somebody has good luck with dtv but i was promised a 200$ rebate card and have not seen it any ideas
I would call back in, and provide your confirmation number. They should have on record that $200 rebate you should be getting back.
Sadly I just changed the Spectrum. I tried lowering my bill to no avail. Called that numerous times. The last time the person on the other man told me they would be more than happy to cut my service off for me if I was not happy. It gave me no choice but to leave. I only been with AT&T DirecTV since it was best self Bonnie
Call Group o and you had to have internet and DirecTV installed at the same time and did not have your first month’s bill late if you did then you would have been disqualified and if you didn’t pay on time and they would send you a white envelope with no markings on it that looks like junk mail and tells you how to redeem it and you add an additional 6 weeks
Yes I had the same issue the girl who did my upgrade and went above and beyond measure as someone who was just an att employee. I did receive my claim letters with a few weeks the cards took longer but read the fine print I had them tell me 45 days once and it was already mailed. It’s ur life and money so tell them if I’m not getting what’s promised why show I keep this service. U can’t squeeze blood from a turninp as my grandmother would say. I have yet to get a bill in the amount I was told. Actually higher so as with all these companies now read and key rule Nothing is FREE!
They promised me $400, 200 from Direct and 200 from AT&T. I ended up canceling Direct, because they wouldn’t follow through on the promised rebates. After going around and around with these jackasses, I FINALLY got $200, but lost a $10 a month discount that I was initially getting, when I canceled. So in essence I got screwed.
I called 1-800-531-5000 and said I wanted to cancel my service (bill went from $64 to $113/month after 1st year of service) and immediately got a pleasant employee that, after speaking with me for a bit, gave me $40 off/month for the remainder of my 2 yr contract. He also threw in 6 months free of the sports package. After looking over the channel packages, I moved down one level and now will be paying less ($60 vs $64) for the 2nd year of service than I did for the first; I had the package I did because it was the same price as the one I switched to for the 1st year – why not get more channels for the same price….
Will be calling tomorrow for my retired mom paying $140 for tv service after initially starting at $70.
In NY, $118 is for tv, phone and internet. Florida direct TV is crazy.
Been a loyal customer with DTV for over 25 years and my bill increases slowly over 6 month period, they usual get bill down to $80. Month but within 6 months it’s back up to $150. Month. Ive been doing this for over 25 years but when I called them today, they said they have no promotions for 2018 and they’d have to leave the monthly bill where it was at almost $150 a month. I also learned that every since AT&T Purchased DTV they try to get customers to switch their cellphone provider to AT&T. They have tried getting me to switch from straighttalk. After I told them I wasn’t interested in switching cellphone providers they told me they had no customer loyalty plans for longtime customers. I told them to cancel my DTV account as of end of billing cycle which is 2/20/2018. They gave me my
Cancel confirmation # and I was as very pleasant throughout the entire conversation. Good bye DTV.
I called ATT last night. I have cell, internet, and Directv. I’ve been with them since Directv came out in 1995. I told them I was about to cancel they lowered my internet from $54 to $40 a month and Directv from $123 to $60 a month. No negotiating or anything. Lady was very helpful.
Steve – that is great to hear! Being friendly with the customer service goes a long way to helping you lower your bill. Great job!
Wow! This is legit! I got my payment to be reduced from $169.28 to $90! Thank you SO much for sharing this.
Jennifer – more than likely your bill will increase again in a year, so what I do is schedule a reminder to make sure I do the same process every year. This will help you ensure that you are continually saving money.
Beth – good for you! I thought I had a lot of loyalty! Isn’t it amazing how a few minutes just saved you over $130/month! Crazy.
Just lowered mine. It’s down from $202 (was I nuts?) to $66.98 but we lost Showtime. The operator offered me a $100 credit, too — 17 years loyal don’t ya know! Plus new equipment.
Woohoo!!! That is great to hear! I’m always glad to hear when people are saving money from our tips and tricks! Thanks for leaving a comment and don’t forget to subscribe to our e-mail subscription list so you can receive other money saving tips.
January 5, 2018
I had gotten my bill from December it was $122.56… I was floored because I had only been paying $70.00 a month .. so I called used the I’m gonna have to disconnect. if I can’t get it lowered … needless to say my bill was lowered by $60.00 plus as a bonus I get 4 months of Showtime free. I’m glad I ran across this site when I did . it worked wonders an they will do anything to accommodate ur needs … this was with direct tv . THANK YOU SO MUCH
I got a new bill for $139 from $81.. Obviously I called as stated the obvious ridiculousness of that. Told them that “this is the last straw, cancel my service” . All they offered was some free movie channels. Waiting to see what propaganda they send me to get me back, but as of 1/21/18. I am done.
Sean N., if you still currently have service with them, and haven’t actually disconnected yet:
1) find (possible negotiation leverage):
-your last 3 bill amounts, and
-the competition’s offer for same service you have/want
2) Call your provider and straight away, immediately ask for the “retention dept. please” or “loyalty dept. please” (If they try to talk/help you, (ex. “Is there anything I can help you with?) it’s ok to
simply say “No thank you.”, and just wait for them to transfer you.
3) When retention/loyalty dept answers, (**as sweet as sugar, using their name) say “Hi Joe, I’m REALLY hoping you can help me. Can you tell me if there are any promotions, specials, or what-ever,…that could help lower my bill”
(While they start looking, they’ll make sympathetic noises, just say,) “yeah,…I’ve got to figure out something, …cause I don’t wanna lose my sanity over my tv/service,…but you know…priorities.” “I really appreciate your help, Joe!” (keep killing them with kindness and being absolutely respectful, kind, sincere and gracious. Keep thanking them, profusely! They’ll want to help you more. Also, repeat the deal back to Joe to make sure you understand.) Remember Every discount/break/deal/freebie is more than you had before, so be honestly grateful. Every time they find/do something in your favor, praise them, “Oh ok… Wow, thank you. Joe, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your helping me with this. You are a life saver!”
(When you’re finally done:) appreciate and thank “Joe” for “going above and beyond”, “for truly making me feel like a loyal/prized customer,” “for saving my sanity,…cause I need y tv”.
Karla,
You’ve hit the nail on the head. This is exactly what I do. I used to work in customer service. It doesn’t matter what kind of customer service you work by phone. I’d go out of my way to help gracious kind people. The ones who are not, forget it. They can really do what they want you know. I’ve had people that in customer service loyalty help me and although I was kind, they must have been having a bad day. In that case I ask to speak to a supervisor. 9 times out of 10 they come back after putting you on hold to find a supervisor and say, “ i talked to a supervisor and they said we can give you”…
How long have you been with Directv?
I’ve been with DirecTV for 13 years.
I ve been since 1999…..I hate the service since AT&T combined w DTV. Long wait on phone. The other night I wanted technical help, it took me over an hr because I was in Puerto Rica w people reading out of a book. Pissed sorry Service.
My bill keeps getting higher & higher, I asked for promotions, no deal. After being w dtv since 1999, she told me I could get a Jennie II but would have to sign a 24 month agreement……duh r u kidding me.
More than loyal customer & have protection plan, too.
Any suggestions
I’d suggest calling back in and try and get a different customer service rep and continue to be friendly with them. This is been the most effective for me. Persistence is key!
Got my bill lowered from 170$ to 67$
Great to hear, Chad! Probably didn’t take you very long either did it?
Can I ask you if it was lowered for a set time like a promotional or “permanent” and just going to go back up on the regular increases/
I have been with directtv for 20+ years & have always been satisfied with their service but my bill has almost doubled since my last billing period. I was getting some promotional discounts & my bill was $50.25 for July & has increased to $98.40 for August. I called last week 09/05/2019 & talked with the the retention depart. I was told that most of my promotional discounts had ended & that means my bill will increase again for October & there were no new discounts being offered at this time. My 2 year contract expires on November 13 2019 & the CSR told me to call back then to see if any new discounts were available at that time. My service is bundled With CenturyLink my local telephone & internet provider. I have The Genie DVR with two clients in other rooms & the Select directtv package & no premium channels. I live in a rural area & my only options are CenturyLink for phone & internet With a max speed of 5 mbps at a ridiculous price of $45.00 for this slow speed which pretty much rules out any decent streaming & Direct or Dish are my only tv options. If I can’t get any discounts after my contract expires with direct my phone, internet & tv service will exceed $170.00 per month which I cannot afford. Any suggestions to help get my cost lowered would be appreciated.
Robert–
Don’t know if you’ve found a solution yet, but I’ll share my satisfaction with the AT&T Rural Home Phone & Internet program. I found this discussed on my RV users’ forum a couple of years ago & really like it. Apparently this was developed to provide some competition for internet access in rural areas & small towns. The phone has been generally good, with just a few glitches–though I had virtually **no** glitches with the Straight Talk Home Phone ($15/month) from Wal-Mart, which is technically on the Verizon system. I switched to add the internet service after losing my other rural provider. I purchased this via the AT&T franchise store in my little town here in the boonies of north Missouri.
I don’t have a cell phone that gets carried all over creation, but for $60/ month (+~$8/month for fees & taxes) I have a router that runs off the AT&T cell towers. I plug into the wall for power & then either plug a phone into the router or run a line from the router to a phone jack & all the phone jacks in the house are hot. It also comes with 250 gigs of internet. I can take it in the RV, plug into the inverter that runs the TV off the batteries charged by the solar panels & I’ve got phone & internet. I’ve not tried streaming TV with it, but the tech gurus on the RV forum who had discussed this thought it should work for streaming.
I ditched the no-longer-local cable company about the same time & went to DTV for $50/month, which was way cheaper than the cable. My initial two-year contract is up on the 24th & the DTV is going to $90/month, so if they can’t keep it down, I may be learning how to stream TV with the internet I’ve got.
Good Luck–Eva
Robert, for inexpensive phone service check out companies like Red Rocket online. This is the most reasonable company I found. You can get plans through these providers as low as $25 a month.unlimited talk/text and 1gb monthly data. With Red Rocket it’s $5 a month extra for 1.5gb You bring your own smart phone.
Robert, you are in my exact situation. I live rural, have DTV nearly 20yrs and C.link internet and Verizon cell service (the only Cell provider with a signal at home) With a Verizon network extender of course) I’ll start from the top. DTV’s rate is lower than Dish for TV service now. You can get a 2yr locked In deal with Dish now which works out roughly what I’m paying for DTV now, but watch out. After your 2yr promotion ends your Dish rate will sky rocket to much more than your paying with DTV. I do the same as The person above with DTV. Call DTV’s cancellation dept often to find out what kind of discounts they can give a loyal customer of 20yrs. Just say “cancel DTV” when the computer asks what your calling about and your next answer will be “No” to are you cancelling because your moving? They’ll usually offer something by way of discounts ranging from 1 month to 12. MOs. If they’re not willing ask if you can take that up with a supervisor. That’ll help! Century Link has changed in the past year offering only the price for life. Normally internet is around $55 mo (for life) they were offering $40 mo for life at the time my contract renewed. I’m more fortunate with speed as we have a tower out here somewhere so I have 40mhps C. Link does have a program you can apply for for lower income family’s. Call Century link and ask. You can also find the application on their website. Email it in and process time is very quick. I think I get $12 something off my bill each mo. But it helps when your on a fixed income. As far as the cell service. I purchased a Centurylink network extender. My cell service went from none to pretty good. Oh! Don’t rent equipment from providers. I purchased my C.L. network extender at Best Buy for less than C.L. Charged. I purchased my C.L. internet modem/router at Best Buy on sale also. When you call your provider to hook up they will record all pertinent info from your devices. Also, I don’t purchase DTV protection plan. I’ve never had a problem getting $99+ service charges waived. Or new equipment upgrades free. Make sure that you double check with DTV that they documented that or get that info from a supervisor. I hope this helped you. I’d call C.L. also and complain about paying $45mo for slow internet! Work with a supervisor!
My bill went from $71 last month to $119 this month. Not in contract. I called DirectTV
and asked if they could discount. First guy said no offers are available. I then said fine i want to cancel. Next guy offered me $55/mo discount for 12 months and free HBO for 6 months.
I would have saved more if I cancelled and then had them contact me to come back, but this is good enough. So I took the new deal. No contract. Can cancel anytime. I’ve been with DirecTV for 10+ years.
Dylan – that is great to hear. I would have done the same thing. Customer loyalty goes a long way and I’m surprised that more companies don’t honor this with special discounts.
Also did you and other people just receive a letter right before the holidays that they are going to increase their prices? What gives with that?
I just made my annual call which knocked my bill down from $111 to around $60. They even threw in HBO for six months. At first they said that the biggest discount she could give me on my CHOICE package was only $40 and that I would need to go down to ENTERTAINMENT package to get it back down to $60. I told them that the only reason I had CHOICE was for Sports so she just gave me the ENTERTAINMENT package and threw in Sports package for free. Works for me. I’m always amazed at how varied all these offers are. I never see any consistency.
As others have said, make the call today. It’s easy and painless.
I called DirecTV and got customer service rep I then was transferred over to an account specialist where they offered me $80 a month discount for 12 months and free HBO and Showtime for 6 months with them taking it off for free. That is without having to extend any contracts. I told him I just wanted to save a little bit of money during the holidays. I have been with DirecTV since 2007. It’s worth the call.
I just now called the DirecTV customer service number and asked what they could do to lower my bill. The rep asked me what I wanted to pay and I said about half (I paid $124 last month – we get the Choice Xtra Classic package – which includes all taxes). She tried to offer me cheaper premium channels but I told her I’m trying to reduce my expenses. She was pleasant and transferred me to the Loyalty department. This rep was also very pleasant and almost immediately offered me a $60 per month reduction for 12 months plus 6 months of the sports package for free (I won’t have to call to cancel since it just ends). Took a total of 12 minutes on the phone (so I just saved $60 per minute!) and no threats to cancel required (although I did my research about what Comcast is currently offering). Woo hoo!!
I just got in a 24 month contract with direct tv but my package is $50+ tax a month for 12 months then after that I have to pay the regular price of $95 until the contract ends. Is there a possibility I can stay paying the same $50/tax a month for the whole 24 months?
I called and went from 100+ a month to 45 same service for good and hbo for free for 6 mo !!!
Thx for the tip !
Be real and be honest they will do what they can i didnt want to keep switching service was my claim.
Got a $15 discount/mo and 4 free months of showtime. Thanks
This doesn’t work. They have caught on because it is all over the internet to do this. Now they will only offer $10 off a month with a renewed contract. My mom is in her late 80’s. She has been a customer since mid-1990s. Do you think they care? no! “oh we thank you for your business, we see you’ve been a long time customer” I have tried supervisors, everything I can think of. They won’t budge. Basically they are calling you on your bluff about leaving. Her bills are 126.00 a month. Crazy
Wow, sorry to hear that but I’ve done this for 5 years now and it’s been a breeze every time. In fact, this time they didn’t even lock me in to a 12 month contract and STILL knocked $50 off. They even gave me a credit on my latest bill that was at the higher rate.
I have been a customer since 2005. Called today because my bill went up to $ 141.00 for the extra package. Sat on the phone for an hour arguing with the loyalty dept. Tried to transfer to a supervisor but they were updating and couldn’t transfer me. They lady was rude and basically said she has nothing to offer me except lowering my plan and losing 40 channels for a $9.00 discount. I am so mad right now.
Frustrating! I’d try back again – and see if you can get another agent. And then ask for loyalty straight away.
I have been with DTV since 1999. I have called several times to get a better deal. The last time I called was 10 months ago. I called the retention dept. The guy I spoke to said that he thought they could do something but would have to clear it with his supervisor who was no in at that moment. He said that I had never been late and always paid my bill. About that point, he said his supervisor was there and he put me on hold for about 45 seconds. He came back on the line and said that they would lower my bill by $20 a month for 24 months and throw in HBO for 12 months TV for 24 months.. After 2 month….My bill increased again… I called again and was told there was nothing they could do. I am tired of their contracts and high prices. I’m thinking of calling again and asking what they can do.Still have 14 months of contract left.
I just called in and asked to speak with the Loyalty Dept about an hour ago. Nice woman by the name of Jasmine answered. I was pleasant with her, explaining my situation to her and asked what she could do to lower my bill.
Next thing I know I’ve got $55 of per month for 12 months (12 month commitment), HBO free for 6 months (no auto renewal; it just drops off after 6 months), and the kicker, free NFL Sunday Ticket for this (2017) year. Only spent 25 minutes on the phone total, and most of that was waiting to speak with someone in the confirmation dept to confirm the changes.
Ended up calling. Prepare to wait a long time on hold. Ended up saving $35/month with 12 month agreement. They offered NFL at a reduced rate but I still cancelled that. They are providing red zone for free. Worth the time. Next up Centurylink
It is amazing what a few minutes will save you over the course of the year! Thanks for commenting Andrew.
I have been with DIRECTV for 4 years now. I have always had EXCELLENT customer service until recent. My 12 month promotions just ended escalating my bill by over $40. I have called them 4 – 5 times over the past two weeks. Today when I called and spoke to a woman in ‘retention’ the best she could offer me was 2 months of Showtime unlimited. I was shocked!
I told her that I would really have to think about my service & consider cancelling.
Do I really have to set up a cancellation date & hope to get a call back from someone, or be persistent in calling?
Glad to see this discussion. I too, have been a direcTV customer since 1999, & have gotten intermittent discounts thru the years. The acquisition by AT&T has completely ruined the dtv customer service experience!
That said, I finally took the time today to try & fix my svc which had been steadily climbing even tho I downgraded a year or so ago.
In the most recent stmts, I had been paying $134.
After a couple hours, (literally, 4 hours I’d messing with it, figuring what comcast could do, so I could contrast with dtv) & finally getting to the loyalty dept, I will now be paying ~$61!! Less than half I’ve been paying for quote a while!
Only caveat is I must keep for 12 months.
One discount expires in 6 mos (hbo/showtime) so will have to call again (argh), but I plan to have my roku & digital antenna by then and cut this dang cord! I can purchase the content I want monthly, & spend more on my internet speed and still pay less than what that cable bill was! Thanks to Charlie for the suggestions and for this forum!
Thanks Charlie and others! In my favor, I’ve been a loyal DirecTV customer since 1998 (yes, the 19 hundreds) and was currently paying $140/mo (280 channels, 3 recv, dvr, hd) + $360 NFL/yr. I just read this article and comments, looked up best dish network promotion price for negotiating, and called DirecTV. I said I was going to cancel as my first statement. They transferred me to loyalty department and I said I wanted to cancel and go with Dish unless they could come close to $80/mo offered. I really sold the point that I was calling to cancel (and was mentally prepared to follow through with this). After a minimal amount of haggling, they gave me a $80/mo rate and free NFL ticket perennially! They also threw in 4 mo of movie channels. They will be out next week to upgrade receivers to 4k for free. $1080/yr savings!!! Steak dinner tonight.
Only downside is that I need to call and renew the loyalty rate (12 mo. cycle) or the rate goes back up.
Just did exactly what you said. Ten minute call – got the bill knocked down from $130/month to $78/month on my existing package. The rep was really cool about it and kept mentioning my loyalty (signed up Jan 2013). Thanks for the info!
I am on the lowest package that directtv offers which is $50 a month for me right now. If I call to “cancel” what would they possibly offer me? I’ve only been with them for 5 months.
Diana – you aren’t on their lowest package. They offer an unlisted “family” package for $29.99. They can offer you additional discounts to get it below $29.99. For instance, $10/month off for 12 months, and some additional movie packages. That is currently the plan I’m on, and pay about $27 after taxes and fees. You can also reference the fliers you get in the mail from DirecTV that say $29.99 for new customers. So obviously they can budge a little more than $50/month.
I can’t find the channel lineup for that package. Do you know where I can? Also, is there a way to lower my bill without changing packages?
If you follow the above steps, then you can keep the same package you have and they will still lower your bill. Worked for me.
I’m paying $135/mo for Directv and hating it. First, I do not watch sports at all, yet I’m charged $6/mo for the “Regional Sports Fee”. Second, $7 for having two TV’s? Third, $25 for Advanced Receiver Service. Finally, $88 for the package. I can save $34 by switching to another package, but why do that. MY QUESTION IS: How to get them to drop the “Regional Sports Fee”. And is the $25 for receiver service rent? Could I buy my own DVR and save money?
My first year of DTV service was up in March and my bill skyrocketed so after speaking to numerous reps that do not help you out at all…I finally contacted the cancellation dept today and was able to knock my bill down from $115 to $60 by lowering my package of course and starting another 24 month contact with $15 off each month.
Didn’t work for me. I was transferred 7 times I was on the phone from 1:12- 2:56pm. The last person I spoke with kept making me repeat my phone number over and over and then she hung up.
Just got off the phone with them. I had a promotional rate that expired in March, a few months shy of one year that brought my rate up by $50. Then they gave me another promotion for six months without mentioning a previous promotion would be running out at my 1 year mark. So today (two months after I spent over an hour and three separate phone calls with them), I received a bill for $165 a month. I told her I was told that my bill would be $108 a month. She said there’s no note of that whatsoever. So now they have to pull a previous phone call which can take 72 hours to 10 days and when I told her I’d rather just cancel she said fine but you’ll pay hefty fees so isn’t it worth just waiting out the call. I’ll be waiting out the call but I don’t have much hope. It seems that either they are getting harder to negotiate or just trying to rip you off when they can.
Well surprise surprise no phone call was ever pulled. They actually lied to me. This makes me more inclined than ever to cancel. Today I used my sweet voice (which I have in small supply after the numerous calls) and she said she’ll have a manager call me today. I’m not holding my breath. I will call tomorrow to officially cancel if I don’t hear back. For a bill to jump 50% after one year is absurd. I used to have FIOS and wish everyday it was here. Their customer service sucked and your bill went up after the contract expired, but that was after and you could always sign on for a new package. Here I’ll actually save money even paying the early cancellation fee of $220.
Today just called up to cancel my directv I was paying 120 a month. Told them I wanted to cancel they asked what I use to pay which was 70 a month. They came back offered me 60 a month for 12 months with the same package I already had. Pretty happy they gave me a good offer best thing was it only took about 20 minutes to do it.
Chav – That is great to hear! It is amazing how 20 minutes of work can save you $60 x 12 months = $720. Do you realize that you just earned $2160/hour? That is a great utilization!
Hi! I’m hoping I can get some advice on here. I just ordered a DirecTV bundle with AT&T internet, and it’s supposed to be installed tomorrow. The deal is $105/month for DirecTV Ultimate and Internet 50 from AT&T. It requires a 24 month service agreement for the TV, and a 12 month for the internet. It also states that the 24 month price guarantee is for the TV only.
I’ve spent my morning reading horror stories about how they will raise your bill after the first 12 months. I am on a budget, and I’d like to avoid that if possible. Especially since it says it’s a 24 month price guarantee. Just trying to avoid surprises after 12 months, and then be locked in a contract I can’t get out of. I’ve spent the entire week negotiating with these people and I’m exhausted. Hahah. Any help you can offer would be great. I still have time to cancel this before tomorrow, so I need to make a decision soon! Thank you!
Hi Kat. If you have the 24-month guarantee in place, they won’t be able to raise it on you. Besides, typically after that period is up, you can call again to see if they’ll keep it the same / lower your rate. I think they’ll work with you.
After 47 minutes on the phone and being transferred 3 times, I was able to save $50 per month for the next 12 months! I was kind, made a lot of small talk and it paid off! I have never had such a nice experience with a great outcome with DirecTV. Thank you for the tips!!
So I am just finishing year one of my two-year original contract. (We got DirecTV when we moved from the east coast to the Midwest.) Just got off the phone with the retention department and they didn’t really offer me anything except to downgrade my programming. This was after I shared how happy we were with the service but that with a new baby arriving next month we didn’t feel comfortable with the bill.
In the end, I stuck with the service but told them I will likely be calling back in a few months if the bill is too much. We currently pay $65/month on our introductory plan and the bill would have increased to $115/month. Now it will be $101/month. Still WAY too high but I figured if I “played ball” with them some now I might be able to try again in the next few months.
Overall, disappointed with the encounter.
Receivers overheating – My 1 year contract with DIRECTV expired 2 months ago & my bill jumped up by $40 to $110 per month for the select package with 3 tv’s. On Tuesday, I started getting a message on 2 of the receivers saying that the receivers are over heating. DTV wants to charge me $20 to ship me 2 new receivers & they say that they have no promotions to offer me & I would have to go to the next lowest package to lower my price. Can I negotiate new equipment along with lower price?
One of their service guys told me that since they have sold over to AT&T it is a bit chaotic within their DirecTV business. That could explain why people are getting so many contradictory messages. The service guy said one hand doesn’t know what the other hand is doing and some of their service is now off-shore and some not and it’s all simply chaotic, even for the DirecTV workers. So the strategy of calling back until something works for you makes sense at this point. I am personally sorry they sold out to AT&T, think it has lowered their overall offering especially if you live in an area where you can’t get AT&T for internet (which is my case- so I can’t bundle and get a better price that way). My negotiation experiences echo others who have commented- frustrating and definitely not easy.
I am stuck with them until October of this year. They helped me out the first time my bill jumped from introductory $61 to $138 after 3 months. They lowered it to $111 for 6 months. It jumped back up to $138. We were flooded right at that point where I suspended my service for 4 months when we were out of our house — our first bill when we had service restored $316!!!
I then had to call to lower my package and get rid of some of the movie channels we have – that got us down to $150 as of now but that is only guaranteed for 6 months – they would even give me 12 months price guarantee nor did they have any kind of compassion in the fact that our home was flooded and slapping us with a $300+ bill.
I switched from cable to Directv right before the ATT buyout. Had I known prior to that about ATT aquiring them, I would have kept my cable package. AT&T was ALWAYS a problem for me – with all of their services. I have had them buyout companies and I’ve left every single time because they simply don’t care. They are going to keep raising prices and give us less channels no matter what we threaten because they have enough people stuck in contracts (like me) who won’t break contract and continue to pay too much for what we get in the contract.
They use to thank us for being long term Directv customers, but since they tied into At&t they don’t care. In fact they have become down right rude. We’ve been with Directv since they started and bought out our old service. I tried the cancellation deal through chat, but they said you need to call in to get promotions. I called and they still gave us the run around. Now days its all about bundles. The problem with bundles with at&t is you have to be in their service area, or you are SOL. I’m researching now new services, buts its hard to find everything we want. I just Directv would go back to being just Directv. At&t stinks.
Hi, I canceled my service tonight after 19 years. I gave them at least 5 opportunities to offer me something better than dropping to a lower package for $15 less per month (which isn’t a deal–it is just a different package). I had done my homework and knew a competitor could save me $70/month. ..still nothing better to offer. I know they are offering new customers Sunday Ticket for free. I disclosed I had ATT wireless. Still, no budging.
I know someone will call me because I did the cancellation, but this is such BS. Reward me for being a customer in good standing for 19 years. I shouldn’t have to call 3 times to get the “right” customer service agent. Or cancel and wait for you to beg me to come back. I don’t even feel bad. I look forward to trying FIOS when we move in June.
I followed these instructions and they happily canceled my service after only offering me a $15 discount. My bill had doubled overnight and they told me there was nothing they could do so I told them to cancel and agreed to pay the $220 fee to cancel early. The next day I hadn’t heard from them but got a standard flyer in the mail from DIRECTV and Dish offering a price that was half what I had been paying for 24 months guaranteed price lock for new customers. I called directv back and asked and was told that was for new customers only and if I had no further questions that they couldn’t help me since I canceled already. I hung and called right back to get someone else, they referred me to another department (can’t remember the name, but it started with a P) and they helped me instantly. I politely told them I had already canceled and was curious why I couldn’t take advantage of the same low rate as new customers and the lady immidietly said she could take my monthly price from $120 per month down to $55 per month, give me free movie channels for 6 months, credited me $50 to my account to help with the high bill last month, and dropped the $220 early cancellation fee from yesterday. So if you cancel and they don’t seem to care, like they did with me, just keep calling back and getting tansfered around. Eventually you will get in touch with someone helpful. I talked to a total of 6 representatives over the course of 4 phone calls. One offered me the $15 discount, the rest offered nothing, and finally the last lady offered me all that I got. I told her she was the most helpful person I’d spoken with and she said, “thank you I try not to keep people on the phone any longer than they have to be so I just go ahead and do all I can up front”, so it really does matter who you get in connected to. Thanks so much for the article! Persistence pays off!
ctsechre – thanks so much for leaving a comment on what your experience was in trying to get a bigger discount! It is comments like yours that encourage us to be persistent and let the media providers know that the consumers are in charge.
Also way to use the person’s name while talking to them on the phone! I know that I’ve gotten a better response with their customer service when I use their name and treat them well!
Usually this works for me too but the last 2 times I tried, All I get is that I can move to a lower package. I am also paying $23 a month to “rent” a receiver. Anyone have tips on how to avoid $10 a month for HD receiver $10 a month for DVR receiver $3 a month for whole home receiver. I only have 1 receiver and 1 television so why is this $23 a month. Over and over she said all she could do was much me to a lower package. Can I buy a receiver somewhere else and use it instead of renting?
I still wasn’t able to do anything. Maybe its because I was speaking with the retention department and not the loyalty department. I went ahead and cancelled.
Must say the phone number didn’t work for me but the artical worked. Used your advise. Bill was cut in half and this months bill was credited 52.37! Thank you for you help.
Glad to hear it worked! Thanks for leaving a comment! I encourage other people who find the article to do so as well.
I have been a Direct TV customer since 2004. I was on a “promotions” plan which took $20 off my bill for the last 12 months. Those 12 months passed and my bill shot up $20/mo ($106.81/mo.). We’ve been on the Entertainment Package. I called Direct TV yesterday and was told that no further promotions were available. I asked to negotiate as I have been a loyal customer, but was told no promotions were available. I told the woman that I would need to discuss this with my husband and would call back if we intended to cancel.
I called back today and asked to cancel. I was sent to the “Loyalty Department” and spoke with a nice rep who talked about options. By switching to another plan (the Family Package), he knocked $15/mo. off my bill for the next 24 months with no contract. I also decided to return the 2nd receiver for our 2nd TV, and that dropped another $7 off the bill. All in all, for the next 24 months our total bill will be less than $50. He told me that I should always ask for the “Loyalty Department” in the future if I am hoping to negotiate. They are trained to help keep customers and seem to have more negotiating power. Yes, I had to drop a few channels, but he asked me which channels were typically watch, and the Family Package will meet our needs. I was very pleased in the end.
Thanks for your website – it gave me some very helpful tips for the negotiation!
I believe your account must be in good standing and not interrupted to be able to get any deals at all. I tried calling to cancel and they would not transfer me to the cancel department because my account is interrupted right now. I also pretty much begged the representative to lower my bill or give me some credits and all she would credit me was the late fees of six dollars!
Good point, Denise! You are right. You need to make sure you aren’t in a period of an existing contract with discounts already appliied, because then you don’t have any rights to cancel or face a penalty. If you cancel anyways, then more than likely they’ll call you to offer you a deal to attract you back.
I have been with directv since at least 2005 and usually they lower my bill eveytime I call. This month it shot up to $117 a month and the retention department would only drop it by $14. I usually pay $76 a month. I told them I would cancel and they did not care. I asked to speak with a mgr and they said the mgr could not do anything. Blows my mind that I have been with them for over 10 years and they just did not care.
Hi Misty. I would try calling again and ask for the retention dept / cancelation dept right away. This could help you get to someone whose main aim is to retain customers.
That is who I spoke with and they flat out just didnt care. Usually the retention dept acts like they want my business.. I am always on time with my payment and a loyal customer. I cancelled and figured they would call and they havent. I also posted a message on their website and they asked for my account # and phone # so I will see if they call.
Really even if they do drop my bill back to what it was I dont know if I would stay with them after the way that agent treated me.
Same thing happened to me. The worker at Direct told me she could not even afford Direct herself and at this point the company is not giving out any substantial or worthwhile promotions. Very frustrating for families who want local sports and the NFL ticket. Trying to get that combination without Directv is impossible.
I have been a Directv customer since 2007. I just got off the phone with them, trying to get my bill lowered. It went back up this month, after having a $40 a month discount for the past year. They flat out told me that my current package (Choice Xtra Classics) has been discontinued, so they didn’t have any discounts to offer me.
Their only suggestion was…choose a lower priced package. When I asked to be trans to the ‘retention dept’, the rep told me that that’s who I was talking to. Finally got her to give me a supervisor to speak to, and he basically told me the same thing…no discounts available – call back next month and see if they have anything. I told them I will be checking with Dish, cuz I know I can get a better price there.
I have been with them for seventeen years and this same thing happened to me. I asked them to help me lower my bill and the first “customer service” person I talked to said he could lower my bill to $65.00. I asked him four times if I would lose anything and he assured me nothing would change. That night, I turned on the TV and was shocked to find nearly all of my channels were gone…that is how he saved me money! I called back, talked to someone else and she said she couldn’t help me. Funny way to reward a very long time customer and I am looking to change to something else.
Dear Charlie,
I have been a direct Tv user for 6 years and my bill jumped from $99 a month to $155.80 a month and we don’t have any moves or internet or phone service with them. We can go to the cable company and get all 3 for $150.95 a month. My husband has tried for months to get it lower. When we called tonight about the bill and told them we where going some place else. They said we are sorry to hear this and my husband told them to cancel it and they did. We have the cable company coming out on Sunday.
Shell – if you had waited a few weeks, then I almost guarantee that you would have received a phone call, email, and mailing, with some type of discounted price to get you back. That is what they do in order to get you to come back, and they realize that you were serious about canceling. Sometimes that is what it takes to get your bill lowered. Thanks for leaving a comment. Let us know if DirecTV tries to reach out to you again with a discounted price.
Who cares if they call back weeks after? DO the morons at Directv think consumers can’t live with out their services? I lose my picture when it drizzles out. I have had Directv for years and we all hate change but I guarantee you this, if they give me crap about reducing my bill which increase at least once a year at various times then OK shut it down. I have noticed every year the package gets increased 15% then other services like the Local Sports package went from $3.28 to $7.46 the next year. My equipment total went up $2.50. They get you everywhere soothes is why you have to negotiate every 2-6 months. The people who don’t are stooges! Sorry but its a fact.
Thanks for the information and tips Charlie. Your article was very insightful and provided me just the motivation I needed to get a lower bill.
Here’s my story… after my 12-mo DTV promotion expiring in Jan/Feb my bill went from approximately $60 to $110. So I called DTV on Friday. The lady was nice but would not provide additional discounts and said she would have to transfer to a special promotions number. After speaking with the second person, he still would not provide any discounts. At this time I thought I would need to cancel my service (which I did mention to the second person I spoke to).
On Monday morning I called back after doing a little research… when prompted by the IVR, press /or say “Cancel Service”. Once connected with a very friendly customer service rep, within two minutes she says “well it looks like we have a special promotion for you… I can save you $52 a month. Would that be good?” And she also included HBO and Cinemax for 6-mo’s. Also, since I bundle DTV and ATT wireless service, she offered to look at my data plan and gave me an extra 1 GB of data and took $10/mo. I bet their software tells them that there is a high likely hood that I was going to cancel service on my second call. And rather than having me go through the “cancellation discussion”, the rep preemptively was able to provide me with new promotions. Needless to say I will continue to be a satisfied DTV customer.
Thanks for sharing your experience with us Dan / glad you were able to see your DirecTV bill lowered.
11 yr customer. Just called and got $25 off per month for 12 months with a 12 month commitment.
Sweet Judd! Make sure you set yourself a calendar reminder 12 months from now to call back in and save some more money after your 12 month discount expires! Glad to hear it worked! Thanks for letting us know.
I tried this and kept getting the response of “this is why they print the discounts on the bill so you know how much you are saving,” whatever that is meant to do. My bill went from around $32 (start up price) to $70 within a year. She said there was absolutely nothing she could do for me. She refused to even try. Her only option was to get rid of one of my TV’s.
I have been a DTV customer for 10 years, and I agree that the cost is outrageous. I just celled them to lower the bill and went through the cancellation process. They let me cancel. I gave it a 2-week shut-off window, so it will be interesting to see if they call me back and make an offer. If they don’t, it’s no loss on my part. I can get all of the programming that I want elsewhere.
PK, I am curious to know what happened in your case? Did they call you back and offer you a deal?
I feel like Karl, I have been with directv for almost nine years and my bill is terrible. I do have a past due balance, but its still terrible. I have called several times and was only given $5 dollars for 12 months. It’s very frustrating but I will keep trying.
Dionne – you are right. You need to be persistent. They are getting clever. Make sure you ask to be transferred to the cancellation department. That is the group that will be able to lower your bill.
I must be doing something wrong. I can’t really cancel since I’m only 12 months into a 24 month contract. Their base package listed online is $90/mo. I asked 3 different times through the call if there was any way to lower it even more and they said there wasn’t. They said there was another one that would give me even fewer channels, but it was $89/mo. Should I try again tomorrow and hope for a different rep?
You have to actually cancel sometimes . My buddy did this today he cancelled service they called him back after 6 hours gave him a 200 gift card. Sunday ticket for free and 53 dollars a month off the bill . They are getting smarter so you really have to go the extra step sometimes .
Ask to speak with the loyalty dept!
I just called Direct TV and got a $100 credit on my bill! They also said to call back in the morning to ask for promos and continuing service credits!
Excellent Julie! I’m glad to hear that our money saving tip worked! Make sure you set yourself a calendar reminder on when to call back in 6-12 months to get more savings.
Did you call back and did you get a promo
I did call back and got my HD channels on a promo for a few months.
The first guy I talked to told me that I can call every week to see what they have going! I have not been calling…. I really should bc I am broke, hahahah!
Thank you for the tips. I simply called and asked if my bill could be lowered without mentioning anything about cancelling my service, and my bill went from $106/mo to $66/mo. All I had to do was promise to stay with them for the next 12 months, which we were going to do anyway. I ended up chitchatting with the service rep for about an hour. Do they pay certain reps just to chitchat with customers to keep them loyal to the company? LOL
That’s not too shabby of a bill. I’ve heard of people doing this from time to time to score better rates.
However, I’m just not a big fan of cable companies in general. I don’t like the deceitful tactics they use to keep you on the hook for payments every month. I really hate that, after you threaten to leave, they offer to lower the cost of their service. It’s like they’re admitting they’ve been overcharging you the whole time.
Anyhoo, I’m scared to death of cable companies now and switch to simple online streaming. I use a Roku to Stream Sling TV (I think it’s $25/mo) and I can cancel whenever I want and don’t have to beg for better rates.
For about $15 extra I am getting a lot more value AND my local sports package. All it takes is a quick phone call once a year. I don’t see what’s so shady about it. You either make the call, or you don’t. It’s your choice.
Sling TV has potential but the fact that it is streaming and not that much less is the deal killer for me. I know that I would miss the DVR tremendously.
Here are the salaries for the 5 top dogs at Directv. Use these salaries in your calls to Directv:
Michael White Chairman $12,327,415
Bruce Churchill $6,107,95
Larry Hunter $4,610,296
Romulo Pontual $3,386,320
Patrick Doyle $3,503,189
That’s a total of 30 million bucks a year for just five employees. Thing they can lower their prices a tad?
These guys are pikers. The CEO of Spectrum made over $98,000,000 last year.
Just did this today and went from $79.99 a month to $32.98 a month. And they cut my past-due balance in half.
So glad to hear this worked for you Sue!
I call and talk to someone today I have the bundle package my bill was 300.dollar least month now my bill 281.67 always high really looking for something else cause I can seem to get my bill under 100.00
Negotiating bills is one of my favorite ways to save money every month Charlie. I’d also add to do your research and know what the competition is offering, if they don’t offer a lot of ammo when negotiating they tell the rep you are considering switching to Netflix and an over-the-air HD antennae.