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Old 12-08-2012, 06:14   #1
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Canadian Wanting to Set Up a Direct TV Account ?

Hello,
We are from Ontario, Canada. We purchased our boat in the US and it has a direct tv system on board. We need to purchase the direct tv card but we are unable to contact Direct TV by phone, unless we are in the states. Any suggestions on how to set up a direct tv account from Canada? Thank you,
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Old 12-08-2012, 16:34   #2
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Re: Canadia wanting to set up a direct tv account?

I hate to be negative, but my recommendation would be to save yourself a lot of headaches and don't bother activating it. I went through hours on the phone with them to get mine setup under the same circumstances (equipment came with boat that I purchased), but I was in the US, not Canada. It took over 4 hrs on the phone across 10 or more calls, and they tried to force me into a 2 year contract even though I already owned the equipment. It was torture, but I still forged through it. Then as soon as I crossed into Canada it stopped working, and never came back when I returned to the US even though the system had a perfect lock on the satellite. I made one more call when I returned, and that was to cancel the service. It took 20 minutes to do that, and they again tried to charge me an early termination fee.
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Old 12-08-2012, 17:02   #3
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Re: Canadia wanting to set up a direct tv account?

You can't set up a Directv account from Canada, so wait until you are on your boat, and phone them then. You will have to give them a US address, and perhaps also a US social security number. Check with a dealer near your boat to find out just what they require. Once it is activated, it will work in Southern Ontario, as far north as about Timmins, so you could bring the equipment home, just don't tell Directv.
I live in Ontario, and had Directv at home until recently, but had to have it activated in a friends home in the US. The Canadian satellite services have improved a lot on the last couple of years, and their signal covers all of the US. We switched to ShawDirect because they allow us to suspend service when we are away from home cruising. We don't have sat TV on our boat.
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Old 12-08-2012, 17:18   #4
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Re: Canadia wanting to set up a direct tv account?

Buy a Magic Jack phone connection,,,you get to choose a U.S. number which comes with it,,,then use that to call from anywhere in North America,,and give them the address of the Marina where the boat is.
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Old 13-08-2012, 05:16   #5
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Re: Canadia wanting to set up a direct tv account?

Thank you for the info. This is what we are concerned about...as we have already send quite a few emails without any success.
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Old 13-08-2012, 05:17   #6
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Re: Canadia wanting to set up a direct tv account?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nemo55 View Post
Buy a Magic Jack phone connection,,,you get to choose a U.S. number which comes with it,,,then use that to call from anywhere in North America,,and give them the address of the Marina where the boat is.
Thank you - we will look into magic jack. Never thought of doing it that way. Appreciate your input.
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Old 13-08-2012, 05:18   #7
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Re: Canadia wanting to set up a direct tv account?

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Originally Posted by Heritage View Post
You can't set up a Directv account from Canada, so wait until you are on your boat, and phone them then. You will have to give them a US address, and perhaps also a US social security number. Check with a dealer near your boat to find out just what they require. Once it is activated, it will work in Southern Ontario, as far north as about Timmins, so you could bring the equipment home, just don't tell Directv.
I live in Ontario, and had Directv at home until recently, but had to have it activated in a friends home in the US. The Canadian satellite services have improved a lot on the last couple of years, and their signal covers all of the US. We switched to ShawDirect because they allow us to suspend service when we are away from home cruising. We don't have sat TV on our boat.
Thank you for your input. Much appreciated.
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Old 17-08-2012, 07:03   #8
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Re: Canadian Wanting to Set Up a Direct TV Account ?

Do some internet searching for satellite television foreign subscriptions, that kind of thing. There are people in NY, Miami, etc. who specialize in this. They take care of all the paperwork, get the subscription, and pay the sat company. You pay them. This keeps you from having to have a US billing address, US credit card, etc.

The satellite companies are not the ones limiting your use. If they are based in the USA, then the FCC licenses them. And the FCC has no authority to license them outside the USA. Therefore, legally, they cannot accept your business outside the USA. But plenty of boaters take their dishes outside the USA. Plenty of RV owners drive their dishes south of the Rio Grande. It's not a big deal.

Half the expats in the Turks and Caicos Islands have Sat TV. We do.

We go through a guy in NY. Can find them in the Bahamas, too.
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