Q. My family plans to spend the month of June at a vacation home about 50 miles away from our house, which means we won’t be there to watch DIRECTV. Is there a way to suspend our account for the month of June so we don’t have to pay? — Kelly, Santa Monica, California.
Kelly, thank you for the timely question. Many Americans are planning summer vacations now, but are unsure what to do with their utility and pay TV services. Do you keep them on and just pay even though you don’t use them during your vacation? Or do you cancel the account altogether and try to renew it when you come back?
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Well, I can’t speak to the utility question, but I can answer your DIRECTV inquiry. The satcaster says you can temporarily suspend your account without charge by calling 1-800-531-5000. You can say, ‘suspend service,’ at the prompt and the automated system will handle your request.
But there are rules: To be eligible for suspending your account, you must either be going away on vacation; have a second home and only need service for part of the year; or you are moving or relocating to a new location and it will be awhile before you can reinstall DIRECTV service at your new home.
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In addition, your bill must have a zero balance; and you are allowed a maximum of two ‘suspend requests’ every 12 months if you have a single account.
In addition, your bill must have a zero balance; and you are allowed a maximum of two ‘suspend requests’ every 12 months if you have a single account.
Non-DIRECTV subscribers will be happy to know that other TV providers offer ‘suspend account’ options as well. Some operators may charge you, however, so I suggest calling your cable or satellite service for current details and rules.
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