Today I learned:

• DirecTV needs a better RMA system.

So back in October DirecTV decided that they were no longer going to support the HD TiVo based DVR (which I and everyone else I believe, LOVED). All new HD channels would be MPEG-4 and to decode them, you would be responsible for upgrading to a 5 LNB dish and their new (first generation) DVR. Even worse, customers have to PAY for this extreme downgrade (almost $300). Alas, to say the least, the new DVR is the buggiest device I’ve seen on this earth to date.

So I’ll spare you the gory details, but tech after tech came and couldn’t figure out the issue. I suggested swapping out my demon spawn for a new device, and magically most of the issues went away (though it’s still only “less buggy”). The tech told me that I would receive an RMA, box, and shipping label in the mail within the week. If I didn’t send it back I would be billed for the price of the new machine. Well… A week passed, then two. Then a month, then three months.

As you’ve read, I just upgraded my family room to HD, but I didn’t have a receiver, so I decided to take the demon spawn out of the closet, dust it off, and fire it up. Unfortunately it still has “the syndrome” it had months before but hey, I could watch TV.

Then the idea struck…

I called DirecTV and asked them if my account was in good standing and if I owed them any hardware. They said nope and that everything was in order. Hmmm… I decided for fun, to mention the technical issues Demon was having and the tech was kind enough to, after trouble shooting, send me another! So come Wednesday, I will now have three DVRs in my home (for the price of one). Of course, I was advised that I would need to send the non-working device back, or I would be charged for it. No worries, that will leave me with two.

So that’s how I turned one DVR into two. I won’t go so far as to say I’m stealing. I’m just borrowing it until they send me the Fed Ex box one day. ;o)

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