DirecTV Subscribers Still Face Unexplained Porn Charges
Bills sent to collections if customers don't agree to pay
03/07/2011 | By Truman Lewis
|
ConsumerAffairs.com
| Cell Phones & Smart Phones
One seemingly unavoidable
hazard of modern life is being billed by DirecTV for pornographic
movies, whether or not you actually watch the skin flicks.Complaintshave piled up for years and the company has
occasionally said it is “evaluating possible solutions”
but customers complain thatDirecTVreps are unsympathetic and unbending.
As recently as March 2, Jerry of Coral Springs, Fla., complained that after he terminated his DirecTV service in January and paid the final bill, he received a new bill for $29.35, supposedly representing Pay Per View charges from 2004.
“I have NEVER in 10 years as a Direct TV customer EVER ordered anything much less filth!Jerry told ConsumerAffairs.com. “Iam beyond disgusted to be threatened with collections by Direct TV for refusing to pay for this fraudulent bill.”
Jerry, like many others, took note of a2006 ConsumerAffairs.com storythat told of an outbreak of similar disputed billings in the Philadelphia area. DirecTV refused to help, even though some of those billed were not even DirecTV subscribers.
One theory then was that rogueemployees at some DirecTV subcontractors were setting up bogus accounts for the commission a theory that Jerry thinks might explain his problem.
“A few years ago, I had my Direct TV account and satellite plus receivers upgraded by a subcontracted field rep for Direct TV. I complained to Direct TV that I should be dealing with an employee not a subcontract and they did not care. Now I am finding out that these subs are stealing account info from the cards removed from the old receivers and charging pornographic material on them.”
Jerry is not the only one belatedly billed for viewings that supposedly occurred in 2004. Lisa of Minneapolis received a bill in December 2007 that included porn charges,she said. DirecTV insisted the bill was accurate and said she would be charged a late fee, even though she had not previously been billed for the supposed viewings.
Company can't corroborate
A company spokesman said he could not comment on the individual cases and would not concede that any such incidents had ever happened.
Asked what customers could do in the event of inaccurate billing, he said, “Our customers cancall 1800DirecTv. We have proficient customer service reps who can assist you.”
But not all consumers have found the customer service reps helpful.Kimberly of Shannon, N.C.,said she was charged $197 for pornographic movies that she said she did not watch. DirecTV refused to waive the charges, even though a customer service rep agreed that the purchases did not show up in her purchase history, Kimberly said.
Melissa of Stern, N.C., who is a technical writer, and her husband, an engineer, took great pains to avoid unauthorized charges when they set up their DirecTV account, seeking to ensure that their mentally-disabled son would not inadvertently incur charges.
“As soon as the system was installed, we set the Parental Locks and Limits feature to restrict the purchase of pay-per-view movies, as instructed by DirecTV, she said."We are technically competent and believe we set up the controls correctly. “
Despite their efforts, they were billed for several Pay Per View movies. DirecTV eventually agreed to block movie orders via the remote control and reduce the unauthorized charges by half, but refused to refund the entire amount or allow Melissa to cancel the account.
