DSTV without contract possible?

JenniferArden

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 16, 2009
Messages
100
If I set it up as a holiday decoder and activate it for a month, will my decoders at home still work? Wont DSTV say you are now away on holiday at your holiday home, thats where you'll be watching DSTV we're deactivating your other decoders?
 

cobussc

Active Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Messages
48
Won't affect your other decoders, as long as you have a separate decoder at the holiday home address. Prepay into the holiday account, then activate on the self-service option for as many days as you wish - you pay only for the activated days.
 

R13...

Honorary Master
Joined
Aug 4, 2008
Messages
46,547
Yes it don't matter so as long as you remember to pay the piper. Or if on debit - I can for reason no longer activate online since I stopped paying them by debit order (because the idiots have made at least 3 billing error in their advantage on my account so I removed access to my bank account from their incompetent hands).
 

JenniferArden

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 16, 2009
Messages
100
It seems incompetence is the norm these days. But like cobussc said, just prepay / credit your holiday account then your'e all set
 

Geoff.D

Honorary Master
Joined
Aug 4, 2005
Messages
26,878
The best reference available, to fully understand how holiday viewing works now, is this link.

The confusion that this thread shows (including mine) is because MC has screwed up this facility for more than 15 years! The last time I tried to make use of Holiday viewing was in the phase when MC allowed you to activate at any time but would only deactivate after a month.

Now there are three options available as per the new process.

"Switch", "Activate", and "Take it with you". Excluding DStv Now, which comes with a whole new batch of complications.

Considering the old days, when all you had to do is go and buy another decoder, take your Smart Card with you and plug it into the decoder at the holiday destination, either your own or whatever decoder was available at the destination.

Then the Security paranoia set in. The PVRs arrived on the scene, the SCs were married to the decoders and the whole process broke down. MC then went through all sorts of corporate stupidity phases before arriving at the existing process. In the process many of us lost interest and just opted out.

The billing chaos that resulted from switching to holiday homes and back, the one month rule, the need to travel with your existing decoders and the suspensions and re-connect charges was just not worth the effort.

Now, having updated myself, I think just maybe, this new process will work.

It is back to pay for the days you use, while allowing you to keep your home account live, as well as shutting down your home account for the period away, and, most important, the customer has the choice which is what we all had effectively, way back in the early 2000's, 18 years ago!

I see that MC also will allow you to set up an Xtraview setup with more than one decoder at your holiday destination. Details are not available and you have to phone MC to do that.
 
Last edited:

Luke7777

Executive Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2004
Messages
8,730
If you use the self-service option, you can use the sliding scale in your holiday option to choose the number of days - I reconnected for 5 days today.
Last time I used it (a year or so ago) , days started at 2 minimum, and I only wanted to activate it for 1 day :)
 
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