How to avoid DIRECTV moving fee?

Changing residence can be one of the most exhilarating experiences one can face but it is also one of the most stressful. When you are making your move, transferring services such as cable or satellite television is one of those inconveniences that are associated with the move. Those of you who are already subscribers of the company may be groaning at the prospect of having to pay their hefty moving charges in order to relocate your service to your new house.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do that would help you avoid paying for these moving fees which normally go for about $200 if you are a DIRECTV client. Here are some tips to help you avoid those pesky DIRECTV moving costs when you move to a new house.

Find Out Whether You Are Bound By a Contract The first thing that you will want to determine is whether or not you are with DIRECTV currently signing a contract. DIRECTV often has early termination fees if you decide to cancel before your contract expires. These fees can cost between $10 to $480 depending on how early you breach the contract.

It is also important to note that if you are a new customer who signed up for a contract with DIRECTV recently as part of the customer contract promo rate, then you cannot escape paying moving fees to the company. Unfortunately, it means that you will be forced to pay the $200 to transfer the service to the new address.

Nonetheless, if you are not tied up in a contract, then there are ways that you can avoid certain moving costs. You can arguably cancel the service, then reopen it at a new place to avoid falling under the categories that attract change of service fees.

If there is no contract, think about cancelling first If there is no contract, it would be good to cancel first. If you do not have a DIRECTV contract, then you might be able to just cancel your service before going back to get it at your new address. Although this may seem like an inconvenience, it does let you avoid having to get charged the DIRECTV moving fees.

You can call the DIRECTV customer service and inform the representative that you are going to move soon and thus, you will require discontinuing the service at your current address on the specific date. Explain to the customer service representative that you plan on resubscribing to DIRECTV as soon as you relocate to your new home – this provides an opening for the CSR to inform you of any available special deals for new customers if any.

After cancelling, check out any new customer offers that DIRECTV has available in order to get those discounts when you reconnect after you move. While attracting new customers, providers give them a concession, on the other hand, the old customers are charged heavy amounts such as moving fees.

Do not use your billing address to avoid service. Another clever way of avoiding moving fees by DIRECTV is to change the billing address after moving to a new house. For instance, while you provide a new address of a family or a friend in the same region as the current one, you can still maintain your DIRECTV connection.

Then when you are all set to move to your new home, you should inform DIRECTV to update your account details and billing information. This in a way, deceives the system into thinking that you have not made any movement and thus no extra moving charges will be added.

The only thing that you need to remember is that your legal service address needs to be within the same designated market area in order to make this work. However, wherever you relocate, other than within the current DMA, you cannot escape from DIRECTV’s moving cost no matter what.

Before transferring the service to your spouse, please ensure the following: Another creative solution is to simply change over your existing account with DIRECTV to your spouse’s name first before moving. Following the account ownership flip, your spouse can then later call DIRECTV to provide the new address for service transfer. This process avoids moving costs as on the logbook you have simply switched account holders instead of reactivating service for a move.

Of course, this tactic only works if you have a spouse, partner or family member willing to briefly takeover service before you resume the account in your name post-move. It also expects them to manage the account change when you are occupied unpacking. I will say though it saves you =$>$200+ so could be worth it if you’re willing to work for ways to avoid DIRECTV’s moving fees.

Request a Service Address Modification However, if you are moving and have no choice but to change your service address using DIRECTV, you may be able to convince the customer service agent not to charge you moving fees. Be diplomatic when you have to explain why it is necessary to change your position but do not want to overpay for the relocation fees.

Point out the fact that you have been a customer of this company for not less than “x” years and therefore you should not be charged extra just because you are moving. Reassure them that while you have no intention of canceling DIRECTV service, certain unforeseen moving costs will put you in a state of financial hardship/duress. After that, politely inquire if the representative can waive the fees to show appreciation for your loyalty and commitment to the company.

If you do get resistance when gently bargaining, you can always calmly request to talk to a manager and request that moving charges are removed from your bill. Just remember that calmly explaining your situation and asking for the fees to be removed instead of demanding it is important to this approach.

Compare DIRECTV’s Latest New Customer Deals Perhaps there are also additional costs that it is better to familiarize yourself with before agreeing to pay for DIRECTV’s moving fees. As a consumer, it is always wise to be informed before making decisions in the market. The DIRECTV offers can be found on its website or you can speak to a customer service representative to know what new customer offers are available today.

If you discover that DIRECTV is running any quite attractive offers to lure new subscribers with offers such as lower price, free subscription of such premium channels or account credit – then it would be wise to simply cancel your subscription and make a new subscription using your spouse or your roommate. Taking a few moments to compare the two options is helpful in making the most financially wise decision when it comes to deciding whether to pay transfer fees or not after the move.

Know the Ramifications Certainly, the tips provided above can be helpful to avoid having to pay for the moving fees of DIRECTV However, there are two or three consequences that you must be aware of when using loopholes to work around the system.

First, if you suspended the service, and then regain it, but under the new customer promo rate – all the special packages, chosen channels, DVR recorded programs are gone with the old service and equipment. So you’ll be pretty much at square one with new equipment that must be put in at your new home before getting back to enjoying DIRECTV programming again. To some it may be a small compromise to lose recordings and settings for the $200 which could be a little inconvenient at times.

Furthermore, when you resume service with DIRECTV, you may be asked to have your credit checked, even if you had an account before and paid all the necessary bills on time. That could have a tendency to reduce your score for a short period of time. You also might not be eligible for some new customer promos if another person currently residing at the new address already has DIRECTV service, or if you cancel and then reactivate the service in your name.

Thus, consider the advantages and disadvantages of suspending your programming for a while and comparing it to the problems of moving directly to DIRECTV. More often than not though, it is wiser to go through some motions in order not to fall victim to costly penalties that come with migration of your satellite service.