NEW BEV Charge for transferring receiver

[SteveM]

I bought a used 3100 last week from a friend who went to cable - new charge of $35 (or was it 39?) to transfer receiver to my account.
Makes it almost a waste of time buying used.

FYI.

[GaryE]

They have always had that fee. You might be able to get it waived if you're a long time customer or in good standing order.

[hugh]

The charge was there years ago but I thought they had dropped it. I guess they have re-imposed it. Seems stupid because why does Bell care about where you buy it, especially since they supposedly "lose" on every hardware sale.

It seems its cheaper for Bell to activate a used receiver than activate a new receiver so why discourage activating the used one?

[Battscrew]

I got a used 2700 from a friend in the sumer and there was no transfer charge.

[Nuje]

I just picked up dbarron's used 5900 and activated it without any charge (working great, btw....thanks db!)

[barter]

I added 3 used receiver's to my account since this summer, no $35 dollar charges for either.

[probak118]

Makes no sense to charge for tranfer if still under the limit of units you can have on one account. You would think they'd be happy that the unit is is not working illegally right ?

[I_Want_My_HDTV]

It depends a lot on the CSR. If I get a CSR that adheres to one of EV's more onerous policies, I just say goodbye and call back. Chances are I get someone who does not charge the fee or does whatever I want without hassle.

[SteveM]

I've been with BEV since '99 and have added receivers before with no fee, including two new ones last month. Seems they are applying the fee now, but I'll wait and see if it shows up on my bill.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by SteveM

I've been with BEV since '99 and have added receivers before with no fee, including two new ones last month.

Right, there has never been a fee to add new receivers. Used ones are a different story however.

I agree, if we go along with Bell's position that they lose money on every receiver, why would they be discouraging it?

[mac dude]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Right, there has never been a fee to add new receivers. Used ones are a different story however.

I agree, if we go along with Bell's position that they lose money on every receiver, why would they be discouraging it?

Just a thought: Maybe because of account splitting - situations where it's not "really" being sold to you. (I don't support this at all).

[plutoz]

maybe in some of the cases where 'used' receivers were activated without any transfer charge the 'used' receiver was never really activated with Bell at all... (was used for piracy)

also does it make a difference if you are an existing sub trying to add a used receiver to your account vs. a new subscriber.

[coryl28]

I signed up for my own account in Aug 2004 and activated a used receiver I had purchased from my father. I was charged the transfer fee which they would not waive under any circumstances.

I asked them to waive the fee as a goodwill gesture to a new customer. They stated that since the receiver had been activated before, I was not considered a "new" customer. The fact that I had never had an account with them prior to that day meant nothing.

All in all, I don't understand why this fee is even necessary. Actually I do...it boils down to the almighty $ and increasing quarterly profits.

[Phils]

I bought a receiver from a friend with no transfer fee. Apparently, there would have been a fee except that he remained a customer of Bev but with one less receiver. Had he cancelled his sub, there would have been a charge. Apparently, that was one way to get around paying for PPV's

[coryl28]

My father was (and still is) a subscriber when I purchased the receiver from him. It seems to me that the rules on charging transfer fees are extremely vague. The impression I'm getting is it depends on who you deal with as to whether or not you'll be charged the fee.