Your Questions About Direct Tv Customer Service

Nagesh answers:

Thanks everyone. I finally got through to them and they said that Direct TV tried to download and upgrade to new software last night and it actually didnt “go as planned” and now everyones DVR’s are effected like this. He said that they “are hopeful that it will be resolved within the next couple days” So… I hope its fixed soon.

Nagesh answers:

I had dishnetwork for over 5 years. They charge extra for local channels and don’t have as many different channels as direct tv. I switched to direct tv last November. I never needed customer service from dish network. I’ve needed customer service from direct tv. They missed the first appointment. When they did show up, I discovered that my hd had not been installed properly. The guys who showed up corrected everything, were apologetic, and professional. I’ve also received a $10 credit/month for the first year. Hope that helps.

Nagesh answers:

If you have a second Direct TV receiver, you could use that to see if the antenna is out of alignment or if your first receiver is defective.

If you don’t have a second Direct TV receiver, reset the receiver following the instructions in the owner’s manual, otherwise there’s pretty much nothing you can do yourself. Call Direct TV customer service.

Good luck.

Nagesh answers:

Check a few connections before you try my troubleshooting. What kind of connection do you have between the TV and the receiver – coax, RCA (red white and yellow), composite, HDMI, etc.? Do you have a VCR connected? Are all of the cables plugged into the proper places (input plugs in input spaces, output plugs in output places)? If you have RCA cables, does the receiver have a switch that says 3 and 4? What channel is your TV on?

First, press the menu button on your DirecTV receiver ONCE. This ensures that even if it’s not getting a signal you will be able to verify you have the correct channel.

Once you’ve checked all of that, try a few things. First, if you have the receiver routed through the VCR, turn it on and put it on the proper input channel (some of them have separate channels for that).

Next, make sure your TV is on the proper channel. If you are using a coax cable, it’ll usually be channel 3 or 4 (if your receiver had a switch, go to the channel it had selected). If you’re using anything else your TV will most likely have a separate input channel. See if your TV or the specific TV remote (not the DirecTV one) has a button that says Input, TV/Video, AV, or something similar. Flip around to see if you can’t find the right channel.

Check all the cables again. Oftentimes this is the cause. Your TV should have at least one place that indicates that the cabling goes IN. The receiver’s cables should be plugged into the OUT TO TV selection.

If that doesn’t work, try unplugging your receiver for 30 seconds and then plug it back in. Then check then input channels again.

If that doesn’t work, call customer service. They have a bunch of stuff that you can check and if it doesn’t resolve the issue they will either send out a technician or a new receiver.

Nagesh answers:

They are really about the same. I like the deals better with Dish and I hated Direct TV’s customer service. That is the reason I switched from them. If you want many hi-def channels, Direct has more but if that doesn’t matter to you, look at the plans that they offer. Look at the promos each is having and the contracts. Also ask friends and family about each. You may be able to help them get a lower bill if you use them as a referral and they may be able to get you a certificate for a lower price as well. I know Dish offers those incentives anyway.