FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
ABOUT DIRECTV AND AMERIDISH

QUESTION: How does the first payment occur?
ANSWER: The technicians are not allowed to collect any money in the field for programming - only for equipment. Therefore, DirecTV requires that the first payment be collected electronically. When the technician has completed the installation, he puts the customer on the phone with DirecTV, at which time the customer picks their rate package and makes their first month payment electronically. This payment must be done by credit or debit card. If the customer has neither, then a check by phone can be used for the first electronic payment.

QUESTION: Are all payments done electronically?
ANSWER: No - just the first payment. After that, the customer will receive a bill in the mail for all other billings. Those bills may be paid however the customer usually pays their monthly bills - only the first month is required to be done electronically.

QUESTION: What if the customer does not have a credit or debit card or a checking account?
ANSWER: We would still like to provide service to all those who desire DirecTV programming. However, it is absolutely necessary that the first month be paid electronically. The customer could work out a plan with a family member where the system is registered under the family member's name and uses that person's credit card or checking account. That person will be held fully responsible for the account by DirecTV.

QUESTION: Why do we need the customer's social security number?
ANSWER: DirecTV runs a standard credit check on every customer. If the credit comes back bad on a customer, then a $50 payment is needed up front from that customer during the electronic payment for the first month. This money is NOT a deposit. The first month's payment will be taken from this $50 up-front payment, and the remaining balance will be credited to the account. For example, if a customer comes back with bad credit, and their package is $39.99 per month, then their first month's payment will be taken out of their $50 up-front payment, and the remaining $10.01 will be credited to their account for use on the following month's payment.

QUESTION: How does credit affect the 2 months of Total Choice Plus for FREE promotion?
ANSWER: If credit is good, then months 1 and 2 are given for free, and payment begins on month 3. If credit is bad, a $50 up-front electronic payment is required at the time of the install, months 2 and 3 are free, and payment resumes on month 4. The remaining balance from the $50 payment is then credited toward month 4.

QUESTION: What happens if a customer cancels within the first 12 months?
ANSWER: That customer will be charged back by DirecTV and by AmeriDish.

QUESTION: If rate go up within the first 12 months of service, is the customer subject to the new rates?
ANSWER: In the past 2.5 years, rates have only gone up for DirecTV once, and at that time, DirecTV added 15 channels. This is far different from cable providers who raise rates often and at the same time take channels away. If rates DO go up with DirecTV, the customer's rates will stay fixed at the purchase price within the first 12 months, but will raise to the new price once the initial 12 month subscription has expired.

QUESTION: What does a standard professional installation include?
ANSWER: A standard installation is perfomed by a certified DirecTV technician through AmeriDish. It includes an 18" mini-dish antenna, 2 receivers with remotes, and all the necessary wiring. Wall jacks will be added when possible. The installation also includes a demo of how to use the system (roughly 10 minuites).

QUESTION: How long does an installation take?
ANSWER: It is impossible to give a universal answer, because every home is very different. If there is pre-existing wiring (both cable and telephone), a standard 2-room installation takes approximately 40 minutes to an hour and a half. If there is no existing wiring, then a 2 receiver system can take roughly 1.5 - 2.5 hours. These numbers are highly subject to household conditions, however.

QUESTION: How does pay-per-view work?
ANSWER: Please refer to the Pay Per View page. Pay-per-view can be ordered using the remote, online, or by phone. Pay-per-views may be viewed ONLY on the box that ordered them. So if the customer has a 2 room system, and they order the pay-per-view on box A, then box B will NOT show the event. If the customer wishes to view the pay-per-view on both boxes, he/she must order it on both boxes, and pay for each box on which it will be viewed. All receivers that wish to order pay-per-view must be hooked to the same phone line.

QUESTION: Why do the receivers need to be hooked to the phone?
ANSWER: The receivers must be hooked to the phone line in order to view pay-per-view events. You may unhook the receivers from the phone lines in order to prevent your children or yourself from accidentally ordering pay-per-views, but the phone line must be reconnected to the receivers before ordering pay-per-views.

QUESTION: Does the DirecTV system interfere with normal use of my phone line?
ANSWER: The receivers only use the phone lines periodcally to transmit your Pay Per View activity, and only for very brief time frames. If you pick up the phone and hear "squelching," your receiver(s) are transmitting such updates. Hang up the phone and try again momentarily.

QUESTION: What is the $1 processing fee mentioned on the order form?
ANSWER: The $1 is a non-refundable processing fee for all customers. This is because it does take time and effort for our company to enter your information into the system and perform a credit check and to determine if your are a pre-existing customer.

QUESTION: Will bad weather cause DirecTV to blackout?
ANSWER: Blackouts with DirecTV are rare. With a professional installation, it takes a pretty bad storm to knock out the service. Our mini-dishes are no longer made of metal, but of plastic, which means that rain and snow are no longer attracted to the mini-dish. There are now also spot-beam satellites in place, which can "crank up" the signal to push through bad weather. When service does go out due to weather, DirecTV is up and running as soon as the weather breaks, which is a strong advantage of satellite over cable, which may take hours or days to repair downed-wires before restoring service.

QUESTION: Does DirecTV provide any service for people who only need the programming for less than 12 months?
ANSWER: DirecTV does offer a seasonal package for customers who, for example, move to a summer home during the summer months. These customers still agree to 12 months of service, and then when they move to their summer home, their service is suspended. If service was suspended after month 9, then the customer is required to reactivate their service on an agreed date and finish their remaining 3 months of service on the original 12 month agreement.

QUESTION: How does a customer upgrade or downgrade service?
ANSWER: Upgrading or downgrading is as easy as getting online or calling DirecTV. The upgrade or downgrade is almost instantaneous, and it's very simple.