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DirecTV

DirecTV • Billing Problems • Installation • Maintenance • Rebates • Sales Practices • Billing for "Adult" Shows • About those "Adult" Bills ... --- News • DirecTV Takes Disputed Fees Out of Customer Accounts, Suit Charges • Major League Baseball, Cable Operators Reach Agreement • Major League Baseball Extends TV Deadline • Senators Object to DirecTV Deal that Shuts Out Baseball Fans • DirecTV Settles Do Not Call Charges • DirecTV Telemarketers To Pay $75,000 Penalty • Fired DirecTV Contractors Say They Refused To Lie To Customers • Outbreak of DirecTV Porn Charges Hits Philadelphia • DirecTV Fined $5 Million for Do-Not-Call Violations • DirecTV Will Reform Ad Practices, Pay Millions in Refunds • DirecTV Abandons Satellite Internet Plans

It all seems so easy. You go to the mall and emerge with a highly-discounted DirecTV or PrimeStar satellite kit under your arm. It only costs a few hundred dollars and you get great reception. Cool. There�s only one cloud: Chances are you signed a binding multi-year agreement that basically commits you to pay off the rest of the cost of the satellite gear and installation. (That few hundred you paid in the store is just a deposit). If you cancel the service, you still have to continuing paying for the equipment. It�s all in the contract � and it�s a lot better to read it now than later.

Lenora of Copley, OH August 4, 2009

My account went into delinquent status on June 7, 2009. On July 17, 2009 DTV used the credit card on file and charged me 987.66. They had charged me several late fees and for the equipment. I called them on July 23,2009 and spoke with CJ. He stated DTV assumes I wanted to end my service and on the back of my bill it states they can use the card on file. I told him I did not want to end my service.

I have been told by other representatives in the past that if I did not want service on during the summer not to pay the bill and pay the bill and restore services in the fall. Which I have done the last couple of years. CJ said that since I wanted to stay with DTV they would refund the full amount and start off fresh. I would be refunded the full amount I was charged of 987.66 within the next 30 days. I could call back and check the status of the refund to see where the process is at for the refund.

I called back today August 4. I asked the status and was told I was not getting my refund. The woman who took my call was trying very hard to fix the situation but did not do so. She said she would put in for the amount of the equipment 470.00 to be refunded. I asked if the rest of the money would be refunded and she said no.

CJ told me explicity that I would get the full amount back since I have been with Direct TV for years. I would start out with a clean slate with them and would receive my next bill in the middle of August 2009 and payment of 83.00 would be due the beginning of September. I want Direct TV to honor their word on fixing the situation as of the conversation per July 23,2009.

virginia of orange park, FL August 4, 2009

been customer for 10 years and they say directtv payment.l bank sent it to them and they turned us off anyway. i dont think they should have cut us ossoff. tried to give them confirmation number and they would not takeit. they are very rude to my husband on phone. didnt want to listen to him.

Barbara of Belvedere, CA July 6, 2009

I have DirecTV and it works nicely. I use to be able to get the different TV programs on my various radios, but no more. Any sugestions?

Tom of Tampa, FL August 3, 2009

Last year, my wife and I decided to move out West and live in our Motor home while we tested a few areas that we might want to move to permanently. During the process, we purchased (or thought we had) a DirecTV receiver at Camping World here in Tampa where we live. We paid something like 80 for the device, since we already had an antenna that we had used for their service a few years ago.

I called DirecTV up to activate their service, which was where I first got confused. I had already hooked up the receiver in my motor home and just needed to set up an account. Whoever I had on the phone to activate the account took care of everything. We received the signal and everything was cool. A couple of days later, I received a call from them saying they wanted to schedule the installation. I informed them that I had installed everything myself and everything was working fine. They could not understand how that was possible, but ultimately accepted that it was true and cancelled the installation, waiving the installation fee.

We used the unit for 6 months while we were out West, testing life in both Montana and Arizona. Our decision to return to Tampa had nothing to do with DirecTV. When I called up to cancel the account, I was informed that I would have to pay a cancellation fee and return the receiver that I had bought at Camping World. After a 1-hour back and forth discussion about the situation, they informed me that although I thought I had purchased the unit, I had actually only leased it for that price and I would have to keep it until the lease expired (something like 2 ½ more years) and that if I wanted to buy it, it would cost much more (on top of the cancellation fee, so if I bought the silly thing, I would not have been able to use it anyway!).

Since I was very busy with a lot of stuff having to do with relocating my business back to my house in Tampa and I could not find a better solution, I suspended my service with DirecTV.

Six months later DirecTV automatically reactivated the service, since that was the maximum duration they allowed for a suspension. When I received the bill which was for the services which I was not using, I went online and reduced the service to the minimum (29 / month) thinking that I could pay that amount until my "lease" expired and pay less than for the device. The next month, we received the bill for around 50 which included a Home service charge (who knows what that means).

My wife then called and, after spending another hour on the phone with their customer service finally got them to agree to cancel the service (with a 120 cancellation fee) as long as we sent the unit we "leased" back.

Scott of Cary, NC August 3, 2009

I was out of contract, planning on canceling my service with the purchase soon of an HDTV and subscribe to cable. I needed a replacement DVR. I called and Directv said they would supply one for me. I asked if it would effect my contract, operator said no. I asked again (knowing my plans) "are you sure?". "No, it will not effect your contract with Directv".

I took the bait and when I called to cancel 4 months later, surprise! I'm under contract! I wrote complaint letters but received form responses. I was turned over to collection. I submitted my records of letters to them and received yet another form letter which did not address my specific complaint but simply said 'refer online to your contract terms and conditions'. 218.92 THE WARNING: DO NOT ACCEPT ANY NEW EQUIPMENT, REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT, OR ANY CHANGES TO YOUR EXISTING SERVICE.

Cheryl of anaheim, CA August 2, 2009

We have been direct tv customers for over 10 years. We moved last year in November and used the Direct Tv moving service. We were not told at the time that that constituted a new agreement. We thought we were well done and over with the original agreement. So This past April we decided we could no longer afford the 72 dollars a month we were paying for Direct TV. I called to cancel it. I was told that they were offering people that were in finacial trouble the option to put it on hold for 6 months and If at that time we still wanted to cancel We could do so. But I would have to pay a 75 dollar early cancelation fee.

I figured ok fine. 6 months from now I can afford 75 dollars. I took us automatic payment just in case.. I didnt want to take any chances with being billed. So we switched to another provider offering a 10 dollar a month deal. Two weeks later our Bank account was debited 69 dollars. I called and asked why and was told that it could take up to 2 months to cancel the bank account authorization. I was also told that the hold hadnt been put on the account.

So I said just cancel it and send me a paper bill. I had the bank reverse the charges. No bill ever came. And then last night, 3 months later our account is debited for 275. No bill no warning! We called and were told that since we didnt send back the recievers ( they were supposedly free when we origonally signed up) we were charged the 275. We said If you wanted them back why didnt you ask for them! They told us that because we charged back the 69 dollars to them they removed the hold from our account and billed us even though they were not authorized to use our debit card! and They also said they sent a recovery kit to the old address they moved us from! We are cancelling our bank cards first thing tommorow and asking the bank to reverse this charge too.

kelly of st. peters , MO August 1, 2009

they have promotional pricing the equipment is bad and outdated

Mateo of Burbank, CA August 1, 2009

Well, I think my story is like the rest of DIRECTV, I signed up online talking to the online rep.. And she informed me each reciever i get is 5.00 dollars.So i asked if I can have my own recievers and wont be charged. she said yes. When eveything was set I spoke to the operator on the phone to confirm the set up time. The techs came and then informed me i would be charged for the extra receivers.. I argued. "but I own these and I am not leasing. they understood but apparently the rep on the phone they called was telling me it doesn't matter if I own the receivers. By this time they finished my set up and I was to be charged for a disconnection's fee. DIRECTV has a GOOD receptions but the agreement blows!! I want out.. but can't afford to pay the 480.

Irene of Alhambra, CA July 31, 2009

They installed my Direct tv on Monday afternoon on June 15, 2009. I had 2 1/2 days of tv, then no tv for 4 days. So I called to complain and they were not able to provide their promised service or resolve the cable issue. So, on Monday, June 22, I called to cancel the service and mailed back all of their equipment. They charged me for the whole month of 59.99 for service - I was only serviced by them for 2 1/2 days and inconvenienced. Now they want me to send 409 for canceling the service, but no contract was ever signed...I did not sign anything with them.

Stephen of martinsburg, WV July 31, 2009

Just got off phone with Directv after canceling their service, they sent one Fedex box to return a DVR receiver an another standard receiver. Both would not fit into the box, so I packed the DVR receiver and arranged pickup, then called 1800Directv; their customer service representative had me open up the card flap and read the RID # to him, then stated it is not to be returned.

Seeing the paper they enclosed in the Fedex box, specifying the receivers are to be returned within 7 days or I'll be charged 470 (took 3 days just to arrive on our porch to begin with!)--I then asked if they would send me an email or letter confirming it didn't have to be returned--repeatedly got can't do that. Called their Consumer Advocacy Team at 866-785-5537, spoke with "Milana" about their CSR informing me that the standard receiver was not to be returned, but refused to provide any verifiable communication, so if I'm be billed 470 for something I was told not to return, I have some documentation that it was not to be returned. She told me that both the DVR receiver and other receiver are leased so both need to be returned, just place both in the box and send them back--informed her the box they sent is only big enough for one of the receivers (i.e. as packed per enclosed instructions).

When I told her what their previous CSR told me about it not having to be returned, again she emphasized both had to be returned and requested to confirm my address to sent another box; I asked her to send a confirming email, which she refused and said they couldn't. Then I asked she escalate this and she stated there's noone else to escalate it to, she's a "supervisor", and stated she couldn't escalate this further, and couldn't send any email as verifiable communication; I told her their CSR told me the exact opposite of what she is now telling me and I don't want to be responsible for 470 due to their mistake.

My wife then got on the phone with her, confirmed our address and put it on the speaker when "Milana" now told her that it didn't have to be returned, just the DVR receiver. My wife then asked the "supervisor" if she would send an email to confirm a return box was just now being sent to our home for this receiver, "Milana" stated she couldn't. When my wife then asked "Milana" to identify herself, she was told "Milana #R8762 President's office", and told "Milana" since they couldn't send anything to verify this, then my husband will do what he has to do.

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