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N.E.W. Customer Service Companies Helps World’s Leading Pay TV Provider Give Customers Options to Extend Protection Beyond DIRECTV Equipment to Additional Home Electronics

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. & STERLING, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV), the world’s leading pay TV provider, in partnership with N.E.W. Customer Service Companies (NEW), the nation’s leading provider of extended service plans, buyer protection services and product support, will launch its new service plan, the DIRECTV Protection Plan Premier (PPP), on April 19. This innovative service not only provides coverage of the DIRECTV system, but also extends the product protection for DIRECTV customers by providing coverage on and technical support for TVs, computers, tablets and products that can be used to view DIRECTV.

“As consumers continue to use more portable devices to watch and enjoy entertainment, media consumption in the home has evolved into a converged solution. This service extends the value of our traditional DIRECTV Protection Plan to provide a more comprehensive and complete package offering for our customers,” said Mike Palkovic, executive vice president of Services and Operations for DIRECTV. “Our partnership with NEW allows us to support such a comprehensive and valuable consumer-centric service offering, and we look forward to providing our customers with the best support possible.”

The Protection Plan Premier includes the traditional Protection Plan, still a stand-alone offering for customers, which offers 24/7 technical support, in-home service, and coverage for power surges and failures due to normal wear and tear for the complete DIRECTV system. Expanding on this offering, DIRECTV PPP also provides protection, technical support, and in-home or repair facility service for all covered home technology used to support the DIRECTV viewing experience. The new plan also includes technical support on mobile devices should a customer experience issues related to DIRECTV programming. In addition, DIRECTV customers can add Accidental Damage from Handling* (ADH) coverage to their plan to protect select portable products from unintentional and unexpected repairs due to spills, drops and cracked screens.

The Protection Plan Premier includes product protection and supports a full range of products, including the following*:

Plasma, LED and LCD TVs
Tablets
Desktops, netbooks and laptops
Home theater systems
DTV systems/receivers
Peripherals, including remote controls, 3-D glasses and keyboards/mice/monitors, plus onetime battery replacement for laptops
Connection cables/electrical cords and customer-owned modems and routers
Quick and easy three-day repairs, guaranteed (products will be fixed and returned within three business days of being received at a repair facility, or for in-home service, an authorized technician will be on-site within three business days of the initial claim call; in the event the guarantee is not met, the customer will be refunded the cost of the Service Fee)*
“We are excited to support DIRECTV with this valuable new service offering, providing consumers with peace of mind on not only their DIRECTV system but also all the home products that complement the award-winning DIRECTV viewing experience,” said Tony Nader, president and CEO of NEW. “This plan fully encompasses the NEW value proposition, providing DIRECTV customers with industry-leading customer service, repair and service operations that are built on quality.”

The DIRECTV Protection Plan Premier will be available starting April 19, 2012, to eligible residential DIRECTV customers for $19.99/month, and an additional $4.99/month for Accidental Damage from Handling protection.

Source : direc tv usa website