Boat owners: DON’T call DIRECTV’s call center

Satellite TV on your boat. It’s amazing. Seriously. I mean, as cool as it is to get hundreds of channels of programming from a dish on your roof… it’s ten times cooler to get the same programming 50 miles offshore on a moving yacht. I mean, that’s what the 21st century is all about right?

Considering all the technical stuff that goes on with marine satellite, it’s pretty darn reliable. Even in choppy seas, if you have a good view of the sky, you’re going to get reception. That’s next-level stuff, if you ask me.

But for those times when your marine satellite system does give you trouble, my advice to you is simple. Call Signal Connect. Don’t call DIRECTV.

Nothing against DIRECTV but…

Look, I have nothing against DIRECTV or their call center. The company has tens of thousands of agents spread all across the world.  For the kind of organization they are, they do an amazing job. They deal with all sorts of people and solve thousands and thousands of problems every day.

However, as you keep reading, keep in mind that DIRECTV’s marine base is about half of one percent of their total customer base. It’s not a mainstream group, and it’s a group that has very special concerns.

Why marine customers need (and deserve) special attention

Marine DIRECTV systems are very unlike the ones you’ll find on a roof. Of course, they are continuously self-aiming. They’re also more likely to see fewer satellites at once. They need an antenna control unit to work properly. And of course, they’re on boats on the water, which means they aren’t likely to be internet-connected.

All this can throw your average DIRECTV support rep for a loop. They aren’t going to have a script that deals with the issues you have. Even worse, they may give you incorrect information that only makes sense to people on land.

Business accounts need special attention

Many marine accounts are business accounts. This is done because people use their boats for real business purposes and deduct operating costs off their taxes. If you have a commercial account, it will be flagged when your DIRECTV call center rep pulls up your information. They’ll refer you to a commercial dealer, most of the time it will be Signal Connect. (We’re the largest commercial DIRECTV dealer in the world.) That means the time you spent waiting on hold won’t amount to anything. Why waste your time?

Even if you don’t have a commercial account, there are most likely special “flags” on your account to show that you’re on a boat. A savvy call center rep will see these and again, the next step is to ask you to call us. Why not just  call us first?

The attention you deserve

As a marine customers, you didn’t just get a free dish on your roof. You put in an investment into your satellite TV service. That investment deserves to be honored. You deserve white-glove service, and that’s what you’ll get when you call Signal Connect instead of the DIRECTV call center. As I said, the folks at DIRECTV are great, but you deserve top, top notch service. And, there’s one way to get it.

Get concierge-level service from Signal Connect

When you call us, we’ll connect you with a representative you can reach whenever you need. There are plenty of cases where people needed help after hours and our experts stayed on the line with them as long as it took. We have the real “extra-mile” types at Signal Connect,  people who do whatever it takes to serve their customers. That’s what you want, and that’s what you’ll get.

Start with a call to 888-233-5763 during East Coast business hours. We’ll link you up with the right person and once you’re connected, you’ll be able to reach them when you need them, even after hours.

After all, that’s what you really deserve!

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.