Here’s How My 2018 Lower-My-Bill Call to DirecTV Went

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This post is great for an example of what was received last year and the process that ultimately resulted in my DirecTV savings deal.

A more up-to-date example, though, can be found in my post “My 2019 DirecTV Retention Call Was a Mixed Bag, But in the End I Save – and Made – Money.” Give it a look for details on what deal I got this year and the steps I took to receive it.

Longtime readers of Savings Beagle may remember my previous articles in which I discussed my experiences trying to keep my DirecTV bills at a reasonable level.

My first attempt calling DirecTV to reduce my monthly television charges was in August 2016.  There were some extenuating circumstances surrounding that call…thanks to a thunderstorm and a misbehaving tree taking out my DirecTV dish…but I think the outcome would have been the same even without the property damage aspect.

Being without DirecTV service right before my contract was about to expire, though, introduced me to a number of TV alternatives that made my DirecTV call a little easier.  Without what I would have considered a fair deal from DirecTV, I was fully prepared to walk away.  You can read what I was considering as alternatives back then, and exactly what I received as a result of my DirecTV call in my first DirecTV post.

Not to spoil the surprise, but my 2016 call did get me what I felt was a fair deal, and I stayed with DirecTV for the following year.

Unfortunately, these money-saving deals usually only last 12-months, at which time you must make another Lower-My-Bill call or pay the exorbitant amount to which the monthly DirecTV bill jumps.

I’ll be the first to acknowledge, my 2017 call to DirecTV did not prove as fruitful as my 2016 call.  That, however, was on me.  I simply didn’t push as hard as I could have.  And, to be completely honest, while the savings weren’t as good as they could have been, I was content with the deal I received.

Which is key in my mind when playing the money-saving game.  You don’t have to get the absolute best deal, you just have to get a deal that’s good for you.  And last year’s deal was just that, good enough for me.

You can read about my 2017 Lower-My-Bill call to DirecTV and see exactly how you can lower your DirecTV bill utilizing a number of the tips I’ve compiled along my money-saving way.

And it was those tips that allowed me to save big on my DirecTV bill for my next 12-month cycle.

Here’s How My 2018 Lower-My-Bill Call to DirecTV Went

For those who didn’t go back and read my previous DirecTV posts, below is the DirecTV package on which negotiations were based and my DirecTV equipment.

• Select Package
• 1 Genie HD DVR receiver
• 1 Wireless Genie mini receiver

Total Monthly Charge (including all taxes/fees) – $53.23

My goal for the 2018 call was to, once again, keep my monthly bill as close to $50 as possible.

If you don’t want to wade through any more “story-telling,” I’ll give you the specific numbers associated with my 2018 deal upfront.

2018 DirecTV Deal

• Upgrade to Choice Package
• Same equipment as before
• 12-months of HBO
• 6-months of Cinemax
• 4-months of Showtime
• 3-months of Movies Extra Pack

Total Monthly Charge (including all taxes/fees) – $47.49

I was able to increase significantly the number of channels while lowering my monthly bill by $5.74!

The deal I was able to get this time around is a $75 per month credit on the regular Choice Package price of $105 per month (taxes/fees make up the difference in final pricing).

And, as with most of these retention deals, I’m locked in for another 12-months with DirecTV.

Which is fine by me considering the low monthly price I was able to get.

How Exactly the Process Went

For those who want more details on how I was able to get this deal, here you go.

Again, these, and other tips, are detailed in my post “Lower Your DirecTV Bill with These Tips.”

Knowing that haggling with DirecTV’s customer service reps just doesn’t work for lowering your bill, my call to the main DirecTV number (800-531-5000) was solely to set up a disconnect date for my DirecTV service.

My rep was very nice, and, as expected, asked why I was leaving DirecTV.

I replied that credits I had received last year were about to come off my bill and I wasn’t interested in continuing service at the increased price.

She said she understood, and asked, if she could offer me a deal, would I consider staying with DirecTV?

I said yes, but it depended on the specifics of the deal.

Keep in mind, I had done my research on what kind of retention deals were being offered – you can find this info in my “Lower Your DirecTV Bill with These Tips” post – so I knew what I wanted to hear, and that it likely wouldn’t be what she was going to offer.

Sure enough, it wasn’t.  The offer was $15 off my monthly bill, nowhere close to the deal I figured I could get.

I said thanks for looking, but I wasn’t interested in staying with DirecTV at that price, either.

She then asked what service I was switching to…if any?

I responded that I was going to cut my entertainment expenses by going with an over-the-air antenna and supplementing that with various streaming options, Playstation Vue being the one I liked the best.

We talked about Playstation Vue a little…more conversationally than anything else…while she set up my disconnect date for two weeks from that date of my call.  The DirecTV system seems to limit scheduling of disconnects to two weeks or less from the date you call.  So, in most cases, it’s best to make your disconnect call two weeks before your current service contract is set to expire.

She then mentioned DirecTV Now as a streaming option – I was well aware of it, but specifically didn’t mention it as an option in case staying in the DirecTV family might affect my getting a deal on regular DirecTV service – I said “Oh, I’ll have to look into that,” and left it at that.

And that was it, she finalized the disconnect request, went over the specifics of the disconnect and returning the equipment, and said DirecTV would love to have me back in the future if anything were to change.

I thanked her for her help, hung up, and waited for the “money-saving dance” to begin.

I was surprised at how quickly it did begin.

The next day I began receiving calls to the phone number associated with my DirecTV account.

I received approximately 4 calls that day beginning early afternoon and running through early evening from the same phone number.  Caller ID did not show it as being from DirecTV.

I wasn’t able to take any of those calls, so I don’t know for sure it was DirecTV, but I’m pretty sure it was.

The next day the calls began again, this time from a different number.  I wasn’t able to take the first one, but the second I did answer, and thus began the retention deal negotiation.

For reference purposes, here are the telephone numbers and associated locations that showed on my caller ID.

• (970) 300-3211 – Aspen, CO
• (870) 345-3640 – Arkadelphia, AR

The Arkadelphia call is the one I answered and can confirm was DirecTV.

I’m sure there are a number of telephone numbers associated with DirecTV’s call centers, so don’t feel the numbers I’ve listed are exactly what you should be watching for.  Rather, keep in mind the numbers don’t seem to have DirecTV associated with their identification information, and if waiting for a “please come back” call, answer any unfamiliar telephone number.

The call began with a long lag after answering, so I knew it was a call center of some type.  After a few “hellos,” a rep answered and said she was from DirecTV calling regarding my recent disconnect request.

The rep mentioned how they’d like to keep my business and asked if I’d be open to returning.

To which I responded yes, depending on the specifics of any deal they could offer.

Thus began a discussion of what I watch most, etc.  I mentioned how I’d like access to the various sports channels for the college football season and asked what kind of deals they had on a package that would provide me that access.

Which is how I was offered, and accepted, the upgrade to the Choice Package.

After she confirmed my final monthly price based on the Choice Package, I mentioned how it would be nice to also get a movie channel or two.

She quickly said no problem and listed off all the movie channels that she’d add to my deal.  It was more than I expected, and I was happy with the addition to the offer…especially the full year of HBO.

She asked if I would come back for that deal and I said yes.

It took a few more minutes of setting everything up on her end, and, finally, the deal was done.

Total time on the call – about 10 minutes.

Could I Have Gotten Even More?

DirecTV is known for its NFL Sunday Ticket programming.  And there are many reports from deal-seekers who call this time of year being offered Sunday Ticket for free with their retention deal.

In fact, some DirecTV subscribers make getting Sunday Ticket and its associated channels their primary goal, with saving on their monthly bill a secondary focus.

For me, getting Sunday Ticket wasn’t of interest, but from initial questioning from the rep, I felt free access for the upcoming NFL season was likely an option.

So I left that on the table.

And some hard-core retention deal negotiators report getting Visa gift cards ($100 and $200) as part of their deals.

The gift cards are offered as part of new subscriber sign-up deals.

To get these gift cards as part of a retention deal usually requires some significant persistence, though, often requiring the request be elevated above the retention rep to his/her supervisor.  And even then, success rates are mixed.

I  didn’t feel like putting in that effort, so I left that, potential, option on the table too.

If a complimentary subscription to Sunday Ticket is of interest to you, and especially if getting free “cash” as part of your DirecTV retention deal is appealing, keep in mind that these options are possible.

Wrap Up

My 2018 Lower-My-Bill call to DirecTV proved very fruitful.  I was able to upgrade my DirecTV package, as well as add a number of movie channels to my lineup, all while lowering my monthly bill.

Yes, I probably could have gotten more – Sunday Ticket and possibly a Visa gift card – but I was very happy with the deal I was offered this go around.

As many DirecTV deal-hunters lament, “it sucks to have to make these calls every 12-months, but the money that can be saved makes the effort well worth it.”

To which I respond, “I agree completely!”

For the specifics of how to get your own DirecTV retention deal, don’t forget to check out my post “Lower Your DirecTV Bill with These Tips.”

If you have any questions on the DirecTV retention deal process, just ask in the comment section below.  And if you have an extra minute or two, definitely pass along your DirecTV retention deal experience to help readers preparing for their own Lower-My-Bill call to DirecTV.