
Javona of Elgin, IL on July 25, 2011
Satisfaction Rating: 1/5
On June 30, 2011, I received notification from my bank that a $633.50 debit was processed for Direct TV. Since I do not currently or ever had Direct TV as a service provider, I immediately contacted my bank to ask about the charge. They were only able to advise that this payment was deducted and that I can contact Direct TV directly to dispute the charges. My bank advised me that it should not take them long to refund the $633.50, if I disputed the charge through the bank, as it may take up to 60 days for the dispute to be settled.
As directed by my bank, I contacted Direct TV to dispute the charges. I was advised that I would have to fax a statement from my bank showing that the funds were debited because I have no account with them and that this was the only way they would be able to find the debit. On June 30, 2011, I faxed the information as requested and requested a call back as confirmation that the fax was received. I faxed the information again on July 1, 2011, July 2, 2011, and July 3, 2011.
On July 5, 2011, I called back and spoke with Elaine, a customer service supervisor, who advised me that I have to wait up to 10 business days for a response. I asked 10 business days from when, and she responded from the day I faxed the information. I requested to speak with her manager or to give me a number to contact the department that I sent the fax to and she told me that the department only receives fax and that they don't have a number for me to call. After 52:45 minutes, she finally transferred me to her manager, Katherine ** who read from the same script. I asked to speak with her superior and I was told that he would call me back within 24 hours. I waited but there was no call back.
On July 11, 2011 (now 10 business days later), I called Direct TV again and spoke to a supervisor by the name of Mark. He told me that I just have to wait for the Mystery department to call me back. When I advised him that I have waited for 10 business days, he repeated to just wait. When I insisted, he hung up. I called back and spoke with another supervisor named Robert. He was unbelievably rude and he told me that there was nothing he could do and that I needed to wait. He also told me that I must have an account or they wouldn't have debited the money from my account. After back and forth with Robert, I finally hung up and called back hoping and praying that I would get someone else willing to help me.
I called back and spoke to a supervisor by the name of Shelly and she was a little more helpful. She asked me if I had ever let anyone use my card to process a payment or to make a deposit, I advised yes, my stepfather. She asked for his home phone number and I provided her with the information and she pulled up his account. She told me that the dispute had been resolved and that the Finance Department had issued a reversal of the payment, as of July 11, 2011. It could take up to 10 business days for the funds to be posted back to my account. Since I had to cancel the compromised card with my bank, I had concerns that the refund would not post properly, so I called the bank with my concerns. I was advised by my bank that the account associated with the compromised card was not closed. The card was blocked, therefore, when Direct TV reversed the charge, it would still post to the account. So I waited, and waited, and waited.
On July 25, 2011, I contacted Direct TV again, as this is the 10th business day. I spoke with Marshall ** and told him that the funds had not posted to my bank account. Marshall advised me, at that time, that he could not discuss the account with me since I was not authorized. I asked how they can deduct $633.50 from my bank account if I'm not authorized. I also advised him that I am not interested in the actual account and that I am only concerned with my refund. Marshall then advised me that he was not at liberty to discuss anything on the account. I asked to speak with a supervisor again. After being placed on hold many times, he came back and advised me that to have the $633.50 refunded, I had to fax a copy of the posted transaction with my name and phone number. I told him that I already did this and that I didn't feel I should have to do this again, as I was advised on July 11, 2011 that the charges had been reversed, and it would take up to 10 days to post to my bank account. He advised me that the Finance Department didn't refund me and the transaction never posted to my account because the funds were not available. I asked again for a supervisor and I was placed on hold for about 15 minutes to wait for a supervisor.
While waiting, I contacted my mother to have my stepfather contact Direct TV to see what was going on. She called while I was still holding for Marshall to find me a supervisor. When she called me back, she had a Direct TV representative on the line insisting that the funds were reversed on July 11, 2011 and should have posted to my account. While still holding for Marshall, I advised the representative on the phone with my stepfather, that nothing posted to my account. Finally, Marshall returns advising me that I must fax this information back to the Finance Department. I hung up from Marshall and continued to speak with the representative that my stepfather was speaking with. While speaking with the new representative, I used my cell phone to contact my bank again, as she insisted that it had to have posted to the account by now. The bank advised me that there was no post or pending credit from Direct TV and that the only transaction dealing with Direct TV was the $633.50 debit. The bank's representative also advised me that if they had reversed the charges on July 11, 2011, it would have posted to my account within 3 to 5 days not 10 business days. I hung up from my bank and requested to speak with a supervisor.
After 48 minutes with the new representative and my stepfather, a supervisor comes on the line to tell me that since today is the 10th business day, the funds have to be with my bank. I went over the conversation with my bank, as well as the earlier conversation with Marshall that the funds had not been reversed, and that I had to fax the information again, and wait another 10 business days for the above mentioned Mystery Department to contact me. I asked her to read the notes he left on the account advising that the funds had not been transferred. She stopped talking, then said that she can speed up this matter and asked me for my contact information. I provided her with the information again. I asked her where do we go from here, because it is now almost a month and the charges had not been reversed, pending, or posted to my account. She became quiet again and hung up.