Warning about Direct TV/ATT receivers

lilitaliangal · 05-25-2019, 02:43 PM

If you turn off a receiver (camping, summer home etc.) it will never work again, you need a new box! Worse, they don't even tell you when you call in to activate and deactivate receivers, its just a terrible surprise! Run to another provider, this change is horrible.

**Mr. Dan** · 05-25-2019, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilitaliangal

If you turn off a receiver (camping, summer home etc.) it will never work again, you need a new box! Worse, they don't even tell you when you call in to activate and deactivate receivers, its just a terrible surprise! Run to another provider, this change is horrible.

What do you mean by turn it off? ... and where did you hear this?
I turned mine off Tuesday and hauled it 80 miles and turned it back on. It still works! I turned it off and back on today... still works. What?

lilitaliangal · 05-25-2019, 03:06 PM

We have our units deactivated. After 2 hours on the phone we find out AT&T has a so-called new system that will not allow deactivated receivers to be turned back on, you need a new one. This is directly from the tech who had to come and install a new one for our rig. This is not just turn off turn on this is deactivate. We're going to go with the dish DirecTV is terrible

**Mr. Dan** · 05-25-2019, 03:11 PM

OK... by "turn off a receiver" you meant deactivate your service, right? ... and it takes new hardware to reactivate, right?

Iwannacamp · 05-25-2019, 03:12 PM

I had Direct tv for 20 years and I never heard of this. I did have a receiver that was unplugged for months and I had to reactivate when I decided to use it.

lilitaliangal · 05-25-2019, 03:23 PM

Just trying to share the hassle we just went through. This was from the tech himself that this is their new policy. We didn't turn it off we deactivated it so we didn't have to pay for it over the winter. Deactivate not turn off

lilitaliangal · 05-25-2019, 03:25 PM

Yes. We had to come home and have a tech come out to reinstall it. Needed a whole new box. Apparently their customer service does not tell you this when they reactivate it'd. This has been since the AT&T merger and this is their way of generating business or continuing contracts I guess.

**Mr. Dan** · 05-25-2019, 03:30 PM

OK, thanks for the clarification. We never deactivate. We take the main receiver and 1 mini-Genie out of the house when we travel. If we're gone on a trip with the 2 receivers, no one is home to watch TV.

Iwannacamp · 05-25-2019, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilitaliangal

Just trying to share the hassle we just went through. This was from the tech himself that this is their new policy. We didn't turn it off we deactivated it so we didn't have to pay for it over the winter. Deactivate not turn off

10-4. I was not questioning you. I have had good techs and good phone service....and some not so good.

Dtv does make global changes...they ain’t skeered.

Windjammin · 05-25-2019, 05:14 PM

Sounds like a good reason to switch service providers. I have Dish and activate my Wally before we leave and deactivate it when we return. Never had any problems doing this. It stays on my account but simply shows inactive so I don't get billed for an extra receiver.

lilitaliangal · 05-25-2019, 05:18 PM

That is why I am switching. Thanks for the recommendation!

Gumpster808 · 05-26-2019, 07:33 AM

After having an issue for six months they knew about but never corrected we switched to Dish as well.

The day I took the old equipment to the shipping store they said they had a whole room full of direct equipment going back.

Just my observation but they went downhill fast after ATT took over.

D W · 05-26-2019, 01:34 PM

I've heard from DirecTV that if you "DEACTIVATE" (not suspend service), an SD receiver that they will not "REACTIVATE" it. Part of the SD receiver purge, I suspect.

Suspend Service:
You may suspend your residential account or mobile vehicle account up to four times per calendar year. Each suspend request must be for a minimum of 30 days and cannot exceed 6 months.

BandJCarm · 05-26-2019, 01:38 PM

If you deactivate obsolete equipment, of course they aren't going to let you fire it back up. You're leasing it, they'll send you the updated equipment.

rlh1957 · 05-26-2019, 02:11 PM

DirecTV told me if a receiver is off for 30 days whether or not it is connected to satellite (ie: camper, vacation home, etc) it probably won't reconnect without going in yo your online account or calling DirecTV to reauthorize unit.
I kept having to call every camping trip... then the guy told me to just power up receiver every 25 days or so.
On our account unit can be suspended during unused winter months then reactivated for billing.
They haveen trying to get rid of this.

Some strange things are going on at DirecTV since ATT took over. If you have an account that allows other receivers yo be added for bout, RV, vacation home, etc you still can. Newer accounts can't addon remote receivers.

BandJCarm · 05-26-2019, 02:13 PM

Agree that ATT could screw up an Anvil...........but I have a previous receiver I keep as backup in the camper, and it rarely comes on. But when it does, it works fine.

You can go to online account and "refresh receiver". I'd try that.

sam2424 · 05-26-2019, 03:12 PM

Sounds like you were talking to someone that has no idea of the "truth", just make something up to make it sound like he knows what he's talking about. Reminds me of the time I over heard a hardware salesman tell a concerned customer about why the customer had low water pressure in her home. The salesman told the customer the reason she had low water pressure was because it hadn't rained in a long time, He was sure the next time it rained her water pressure would return. I don't know who was the biggest idiot, the salesman or the concerned customer

Photo Lab · 05-26-2019, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iwannacamp

10-4. I was not questioning you. I have had good techs and good phone service....and some not so good.

Dtv does make global changes...they ain’t skeered.

According to our Direct guy, they want to update all of the receivers in the field to the latest DVR type. I suppose their easiest way is to decline to reactivate non current receivers. Can be a pain, but at least they didn't charge us for the service or replacement. By the way, they also replaced the actual dish with a new er model, for better HDTV.

NMWildcat · 05-26-2019, 04:11 PM

I'm not a Direct TV fan, but this change has been talked about for at least two years. Some of our friends with this service got a notification, some didn't. But either way the info is out there.
Call Direct and they will replace your equipment.
Here is just one search result: https://www.signalconnect.com/blog/d...ing-customers/

DouglasReid · 05-26-2019, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilitaliangal

Yes. We had to come home and have a tech come out to reinstall it. Needed a whole new box. Apparently their customer service does not tell you this when they reactivate it'd. This has been since the AT&T merger and this is their way of generating business or continuing contracts I guess.

Direct TV is going Full Digital. This is the result of getting yo MUCH better signals!

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