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We were offered DIRECTV GENIE system as "the best in the market" ...sadly to find out this is the WORST ever.

We had Genie installed on November 2012 and after numerous calls to the customer service, case management departments and several tech visits, the client's image keeps getting frozen and loosing signal every time we turn off or even change channels in the primary tv connected to the receiver. Sometimes the signal won't come back until the next day.

Two weeks ago we had a technician and a supervisor both visit at the same time, and that visit lasted 8 HOURS!, yes, they were here at home on a Sunday for 8 eight hours! they replaced every piece of equipment, even the cables, and still this is not the answer, the problem persists.

This morning, I called back the case management department (terrible service) and they admitted Directv does not know what the problem is with their Genie system and their techs are still working on it (its been 6 months already!) but still no solution to the problem (how much time their techs need?).

Directv case manager (Elbia - employee # MX1101) refused to open a case and told me that only solution is that I need to restart/reset the receiver "every" time the problem happens; can you imagine that? it can go up to 20 times a day! walking from one bedroom to the other (3 clients and a receiver tv) and then to garage to reset everything. Crazy!

It's so exhausting and frustrating, I call Directv every other day and I spend around 1 hour with them each time, rarely I get help or an answer, just excuses and reps. asking me to restart all the receivers, etc. I feel like instead of being the customer, I am a Directv employee trying to fix their product deficiencies every single day.

Now I am stuck with a 2 year contract with Directv and there has been not a single week when I have not called them to complaint about frozen images, lost signal, etc. I wish I would have kept my old tv/satellite service provider, a little more expensive but definitely so much better.

I've been reading other's complaints stories and realized that there are a lot of Directv-Genie dissatisfied customers out there. It is so frustrating to admit that we have been defrauded by Directv!.

Monetary Loss: $500.

Location: Miami, Florida

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Guest

My family has the same problem and after calling, they will not help us. They actually told us that it was an upgrade they installed to the system that basically broke all the boxes.

But the fact that they haven't fixed this issue yet shows that they don't care about their customers. Very dissatisfied.

Guest

I have the same problem! About half the time I turn on my television in the bedroom that has the Genie the television won't turn on.

The only way to fix the problem is to hit the reset button on the Genie.

Takes a minute or two to do a "diagnostic", then television finally comes on. My solution: I am going to switch to Verizon Fios.

Guest

I have the same problem. Main receiver and my three clients were replaced twice in one month and so was the dish hardware.

The third tech ran a cable from the dish through a window straight to the receiver just in case. The problem still persists. When I change channels, the tv will switch to the new channel for a second and with a loud crack turn off. The no signal notice will appear for a couple of seconds then the channel will switch.

This also happens when I turn on the set. This only happens on the clients and not the main Genie. I thought the problem was solved when everything worked great the last time, but the tech said just wait 20 minutes. I did and the problem came back.

He explained that the default code on the new installed clients works fine, but in twenty minutes or so the new software code down load will be complete. Its apparently the new code that is messing things up. The case manager said they are not showing enough customers with this glitch to be able to diagnose it at this time.

So I am just living with it and waiting. Glad to know I'm not alone

Guest

Me too have had four genie receivers in last year and they still won't admit it's faulty ,they also told me no other complications about the genie

Guest

Same issues brand new genie, January 2016, constantly freezes and becomes unresponsive and have to reset to make run. The remote is not universal.

Guest

I feel your pain. Customer service does not exist @ directv.

We have a Genie. We were told how much better it would be than the HD DVR we had. Worst mistake I ever made was getting this piece of ***. I asked if I could get a HD DVR back like we used to have & was told not without paying an "upgrade fee" as we just got the Genie 6 months ago & weren't due for an upgrade for a year & a half.

I am at the point of boxing their *** up & sending it back to them.

This is how they treat their customers. We have been with them for 16 years & this is the way they treat you.

Guest

My genie experience is almost idetical.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1084827

They evidently Do Not Care about their customers !! I feel like they owe us money back for the loss of signal we have now experienced with our Genie for the last four days, yes four days without signal !

and I get the same customer service as you all.

We are working on the problem, "GEnie" I have one wish that I wasn't paying out my hard earned money for something I thought would be great what a huge disappointment ! I feel as if I have been robbed.

Guest

I hace The same problem, and I just had updated 4 weeks ago, I plan to return the equipment if they no replace it for a regular ones

Guest

yes its been going on with me for a year and direct tv has no answers just that they are trying figure it out it just gets worst every day

Guest

Same problems here ! Same story !

They don't know how to fix it yet they charge us full price every month ! Said they'd keep me updated but lied !

Guest

We are having the same problems with the genie that

we just got a couple of months ago.

TV freezes up and you have to keep resetting it

everyday. Then the genie in the other rooms can't find the

signal..BLAH, BLAH,

I wish we never changed our receiver to the genie. We did not have these problems before.

Guest

we are going to disconnect from DirecTV because they do not know what they are doing - tech support is a joke

Guest

Yes that is the biggest problem with the system. If one wire or one client box is faulty...the whole system crashes. Which makes it almost impossible to diagnose the problem.

Guest

After having the Genie system for about a year I have to say that it has been frustrating when it doesn't work and great when it does. There are two fatal problems with the system.

First is that when one Genie client loses the signal or has some other issue...it causes all of the other clients to destabilize and eventually crash. This makes it almost impossible to figure out where the problem is in your system. The other, biggest problem, is that the contractors that install the system never want to replace the old coax in your home. They just use whatever coax is already there knowing that your system will probably work for about 10 minutes before it crashes.

I have old coax wires from 1989. I've probably had 10 visits from techs and none of them have replaced those wires. One tech finally agreed to leave me 100 ft of wire and I changed the coax myself. System worked.

The Genie system requires perfect installation, perfect wiring all the time or doesn't work. Direct TV needs to include some sort of way to check the signal strength at ever Genie Client. It would make it much easier to diagnose problems.

That's the real problem with the system. It takes weeks to diagnose problems and find out if you have a defective box or wire.

Guest

I'm a Directv customer and have recently experienced my TV freezing at the end of a Toyota commercial. It's happened about 3 or 4 times over the past couple of days (same commercial).

Changing channels eliminates the freeze and then you can return to the channel with everything back to normal. This was "live TV" not a recording.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1028933

I am having the same issue

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1028933

It has been happening to most car commercials

Guest

They need to lose their Geni if they expect to keep business

Guest

Do not upgrade to the Genie!! I have only had 2 weeks & it hasn't worked since the day after install.

They just tell me it is a software problem & they are working on it. But from reading all the posts appears they have been giving this same answer for over a year now. They tell me nothing is wrong with the install or the equipment so they won't send a tech out.

In the meantime we have no TV at all. I'm calling Dish & turning Direct into the BBB.

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