Did pay 199 to lease a box?

[Maestro]

I called directv about making the full switch. I told them I have a total of 5 boxes from BHN. So she says, well, you would have to pay 199 for each of the HD-DVR boxes and 99 for the HD boxes...For a total of like 600 bucks or something for everything I would need...

And then I say don't you lease the boxes like BHN does...and she says that IS the lease price. Is she right? When I set up D* in the beginning I thought I was buying an HD-DVR box from them for $199...am I wrong?

Anyone have any insight? Because if that IS the deal, then no way I make the switch...pay 600 bucks up front to save 10-15 bucks a month!? Are they nuts?!

[AmelFl]

when you sign up you get them for free

I am not sure what she is talking about

[LonghornXP]

AmelFL is wrong on everything he said to start. Firstly yes the price DirecTV told you is indeed a lease price. This cost is the lease upgrade fee for the HD DVR. Most people order the Plus HD DVR programming package which includes both HD Access and DVR Service. The Plus HD DVR package is priced at 69.99/month at regular price and includes all channels except premium channels. This will get you all HD channels except the premium HD channels (ie HBO, Showtime, Sports Pak etc).

So to get an HD DVR you must pay the 200 upfront lease upgrade fee. You will not own the box and as such you must return the box if you cancel service or you must pay the difference between what you paid and the cost of the box. This runs around 400 bucks per box if you don't return them. Beyond that you pay a lease fee of 4.99/month for each box beyond the first on your account. This used to be called the mirror fee but they changed the name to lease fee.

So say you wanted three total boxes on your account and all were HD DVR boxes this would be your upfront costs and your monthly costs below.

200x3=600 for the three HD DVR boxes. This is your total upfront costs which again is 600 bucks.

70.00/month = Plus HD DVR programming package at regular rates. New customers I believe get 20 bucks off a month for a year right now.

10.00/month = lease (mirror) fee of 5 bucks a month for second and third box on your account.

So your total non discounted monthly bill would be 80 bucks a month before taxes and this will give you the bulk of the available HD channels. You must again pay extra for your premium channels as these aren't included in the Plus HD DVR package.

Beyond everything I said above sometime early next year DirecTV will be dropping the price of their HD DVR lease upgrade fee by 100 bucks for new and existing customers. So by waiting one month you most likely could get three HD DVR boxes for 300 bucks upfront instead of 600 bucks. The best deals will always be for new customers so I'd suggest waiting.

Also if you can wait without one of the HD DVR boxes for say a few months I bet you could get DirecTV to provide a free HD DVR upgrade as an existing customer. They tend to give many customers "one" free HD DVR upgrade every six months. This was done when the boxes were 300 bucks for existing customers so I'm sure they would still do this when their costs for these boxes dropped 100 bucks. Its much cheaper for them to provide a free HD DVR in a month from now compared to say six months ago.

My suggestion is to wait until next month for these reductions in price to occur. Heck if you can wait until say next August I bet they would have free HD DVR boxes and one heck of a NFL Sunday Ticket promo. That might be a bit long to wait though but either wait at least wait until the next month. I'm hearing the first or second week next month they will have the price reductions.

Edit...I'm hearing that new customers next month will get a "free" HD DVR upgrade. Beyond the first free HD DVR I've heard that each additional HD DVR will be either 100 bucks or 200 bucks. Most of my contacts have said 100 bucks but enough have said 200 bucks that I'm not sure enough to say one or the other yet.

[Roger 9]

When I first ser up DirecTV, I got two boxes for free (one was HD). I had to spend $200 for the HD DVR, which I chose to install. You have the choice to upgrade and if you have a DVD recorder, you won't need the HD DVR.

In addition, most deals include four rooms - free - and as far as rentals, you get box #1 free regardless. Al, others are $4.95, still less than cable.

Because I was a new customer and after I purchased a second HD set, I had to "purchase" the second HD box. If you are an established customer the upgrade won't cost you.

Somehow thee is too much emphasis put on the cost of the boxes. They are protecting themselves. Would you simply hand over a bunch of $1,000+ boxes to someone you don't know?

If you have HD in all five of your rooms then that is a decision you have to make in order to get the service. But if you have one HD set and all the rest are flat panel/SD sets, you will have to pay for just one box. There is also a way to "jump" a signal to a non-box set without going through the purchase.

Conmsider a four room house. Four boxes, one free and 3 x $4.95 = $14.85. Cable 4 rooms x $5.95 (or at least that's what it was when I was with them) = $23.80. That's a difference of $8.95 which essentially pays for the HD service.

There are plusses and minuses to each, cable vs. dish, but I went DirecTV because of service, picture and availability of stations never offered by BHN. Been with them for nearly a year and I cannot be happier I made the switch, even with the Florida boomers. When It all come down to it, I get more for less even though I couldn't hold off to add an additional HD set and cost me that 200-bucks.

[AmelFl]

I am sorry, I thought about the regular box

I don't know how it works with DVR boxes

[Maestro]

Well...I told DirecTV thanks but no thanks. I am going to keep the one hd box with the family choice play (29 bucks) just to keep around for the NFL season.

In the meantime, I told BHN to take a hike and got the triple play with FIOS. 20/20 for internet...got to love that..And FIOS threw in a 200 best buy gift card! Sweet...

[Maestro]

Longhorn,

So how is this cost effective for DirecTV if fios or BHN give the boxes with no upfront charges? How does DirecTV justify this? FIOS and BHN dont charge a nickel up front. It seems like a no brainer not to go with directv.
Steve

[Roger 9]

Longhorn,

So how is this cost effective for DirecTV if fios or BHN give the boxes with no upfront charges? How does DirecTV justify this? FIOS and BHN dont charge a nickel up front. It seems like a no brainer not to go with directv.
Steve
Again, there is NO up front $$$ with DirecTV with boxes unless you want a second HD or DVR. If you have one HD set there is no charge because that box is free with the install and standard boxes for three other rooms are free as well. The rental is for the three extra rooms, just like BHN or any cable outfit but you save a buck a month for each and the $5.95 for the one you get free with the service from DTV.

[Maestro]

Again, there is NO up front $$$ with DirecTV with boxes unless you want a second HD or DVR. If you have one HD set there is no charge because that box is free with the install and standard boxes for three other rooms are free as well. The rental is for the three extra rooms, just like BHN or any cable outfit but you save a buck a month for each and the $5.95 for the one you get free with the service from DTV.


OK. And more and more today people are going with multiple boxes since they have televisions in different rooms. So for a person who wants 5 boxes, then it is a no brainer. DirecTV is going to charge you through the nose for those 4 extra boxes while cable will lease them to you with no upfront charges.

I'm not sure my situation was clear. I already have directv on one TV in the house. I use it for the Sunday Ticket. I called to see about wiring the entire house for directv and dropping cable. Since I would have to lay out 600 bucks for this to happen, it isn't going to happen.

Steve

[LonghornXP]

Again, there is NO up front $$$ with DirecTV with boxes unless you want a second HD or DVR. If you have one HD set there is no charge because that box is free with the install and standard boxes for three other rooms are free as well. The rental is for the three extra rooms, just like BHN or any cable outfit but you save a buck a month for each and the $5.95 for the one you get free with the service from DTV.

New customers can get the first "HD box" OR an "SD DVR box" for free. New customers who want an "HD DVR box" must pay 20 bucks upfront. Beyond this above all additional boxes for both new and existing customers cost extra "except" for basic digital boxes. Here is the pricing below okay.

SD DVR box = 100 bucks.
HD box = 100 bucks.
HD DVR box = 200 bucks.

The only way to get the above discounted is by calling customer retention who can give discounts for good customers.

Even with the prices above you still must pay 4.99/month per "box" for every box except for the first box on your account. It doesn't make a difference what boxes you have and what you paid upfront for them you still must pay this charge.

I hope we have this issue cleared up now as way too many people aren't checking the facts before speaking and thus confusing the original poster.

[LonghornXP]

Longhorn,

So how is this cost effective for DirecTV if fios or BHN give the boxes with no upfront charges? How does DirecTV justify this? FIOS and BHN dont charge a nickel up front. It seems like a no brainer not to go with directv.
Steve

In my case I have three HDTV sets that all have HD DVR boxes. So with DirecTV I would pay a one time upfront fee while with BHN I'm paying 50+ bucks a month for these boxes. I'm paying more now for BHN even after the triple play bundle than I was paying for DirecTV with a double play bundle of internet and phone.

Just because you pay this cost upfront or on each monthly bill doesn't mean your not paying for it because you are. Lets look at what BHN charges me for their boxes.

6.95/month - Rental for first HD DVR.
6.95/month - Rental for second HD DVR.
6.95/month - Rental for third HD DVR.

9.95/month - DVR Service fee for first HD DVR.
9.95/month - DVR Service fee for second HD DVR.
9.95/month - DVR Service fee for third HD DVR.

So last time I checked I'm paying 51.00/month for my HD DVR boxes. So I'm pretty sure I'm going to pay far more for boxes with BHN compared to the upfront fee with DirecTV but I have no choice as I cannot get a signal.

[Maestro]

In my case I have three HDTV sets that all have HD DVR boxes. So with DirecTV I would pay a one time upfront fee while with BHN I'm paying 50+ bucks a month for these boxes. I'm paying more now for BHN even after the triple play bundle than I was paying for DirecTV with a double play bundle of internet and phone.

Just because you pay this cost upfront or on each monthly bill doesn't mean your not paying for it because you are. Lets look at what BHN charges me for their boxes.

6.95/month - Rental for first HD DVR.
6.95/month - Rental for second HD DVR.
6.95/month - Rental for third HD DVR.

9.95/month - DVR Service fee for first HD DVR.
9.95/month - DVR Service fee for second HD DVR.
9.95/month - DVR Service fee for third HD DVR.

So last time I checked I'm paying 51.00/month for my HD DVR boxes. So I'm pretty sure I'm going to pay far more for boxes with BHN compared to the upfront fee with DirecTV but I have no choice as I cannot get a signal.

OK. So you still have the monthly fee with DirecTV even after the rather large upfront cost. Im not saying you wont eventually end up paying more for BHN, but it sure will take a while when you add the monthl fee's + the upfront costs.

Actually, had they made me a sweet deal I would have been happy to go full DirecTV. But to hear that I would need to drop 500 bucks to hook up the remainder of TV's was insanse. Instead, I went with FiOS who is charging me 0 up front, gave me 100 off the first bill, and a 200 dollar gift card. So if I am comparing, I am already 500 dollars ahead and will probably take about 2 years to pay VZ what I would have dropped in one charge to DirecTV.

Don't get me wrong though...I do like DirecTV. LOVE the Sunday Ticket and will keep the dish just for that.
Steve