DIRECTV Reviews

I was promised DirecTV would provide better service than I currently had with more features at a lower rate than my previous provider for satellite TV. I was given misinformation and rushed installation without being provided any documentation about the contract that I was entering or the 24-hour cancellation window. I am now stuck with an inferior service, inferior equipment and a hefty $500 cancellation fee if I want to rid myself of this company. I contacted customer support, specialists and complaint departments. None of which satisfied anything except saying, "Sorry, but you're stuck with us for 2 years." I had the installation on Friday and the next Monday tried to cancel and was told basically tough luck. I am stuck with an inferior service and an extra $400 to equal the service I previously had or a $500 cancellation fee to get rid of this service.

I just purchased a condo in Taylors, SC, and called DirecTV for installation because I have their service in my other home in Pensacola, FL, and have enjoyed it up until now. Service was scheduled for between 12PM and 4PM Friday, June 26th. When no one showed up by 4:15 PM, I called DirecTV CS. They tracked the technician and told me that his status showed as on-site. He explained that could mean that he was either at my location or on the way. Since he was obviously not at my location, I could only assume he was on the way. I asked the CS rep how long I should give him before calling back. He said to give him until 5:00. At 5:00 he did not show.

I had DirecTV service and I got behind on my payment because I lost my job. I owed them around $190 and they shut my service off and rightfully so. The next thing I knew, there was a draft from my bank for $977. Needless to say, I was in shock. They sent me boxes to return their equipment, which I did on 6/24/09. I called them today, 6/29/09, to ask how soon I would be credited for the equipment. They told me 6-8 weeks! I can not believe that they can do this to people and get away with it.

I was a user of DirecTV services since 1995 and had problems with my service for a long time. I happen to have a house that is next to a mountain and doesn't have line of sight to the satellites that Directv has HD and local stations on. I called on several occasions and had to go through the story each time. The final outcome was "free" service for HD and locals. Well, the final straw came when I had problems with a receiver and purchased an upgraded HR21-700 and put the card in from the old machine and called Customer Service to get the new receiver activated. They got the service going and nothing was said about having to lease the equipment I had just bought or having to commit for two years service?

DirecTV’s customer service people are the most untrustworthy that I have experienced. They tell you one thing and do something else. I only get paid once a month. I call in early to get a one-day extension and was told that it was approved. My past due was $114.00. Now, this morning, June 29, 2009, they cut my services and say that I have to pay $230.00 to have my services turned back on. I told them that is crazy and I will not pay that. I am a single parent and TV is my kids’ only entertainment (teenage girls) for the summer. I can't afford to take them nowhere, so they accept that and like to look at teenage things on TV. Customer service showed no concern when I called in this morning to ask why they canceled my services. My mailman has not even given my mail yet. All I was told was, “Well, you have to pay it all.” I have other bills where I am allowed to pay the past due if I am behind, but DirecTV says no, I can't.

I cancelled service on 5/7/2009. I was told I had an early termination fee of $150 for returning and replacing a receiver in 7/2008. I have been a customer since 2/2003. I refused to pay. It's the first I heard of the fee. No one told me or was I aware of such a practice. Also they are now charging a late fee on the bill since I have not paid it. I want to purchase a product in the future and am afraid that this will hurt my credit score if I do not give in to their demands. DirecTV keeps calling about the charges every day.

I was told that my total monthly bill for TV, internet, and telephone would be $112 the first year, and $120 the second year. The actual charge is $120 the first year, and $141 the second year. I was told we would get HD. Now I am told it will cost $10 a month more. I was told we would get the local channels, but we don't get channels 7 and 9. I called DirecTV about this and was told that we would get them in 45 days. I found out later that the General Manager for channel 7 said that there is no deal for DirecTV to get channel 7. When I called them to disconnect, they told me it would cost me $400.

We purchased a package through DirecTV. This was to include our internet service. The price quoted was approximately $60 to $65 per month. The installer came on 6-25-09 and installed the dish. I asked about the internet service and he stated that he just did the dish only. I would have to call about the install for the internet. We called the next day and were told that the internet was not offered through CenturyTel in our area. This was after being told by two sales reps that it was and I was given the same package price. Upon calling Direct TV within 24 hours and asking about the internet, my wife and I were given the run-around.

I submitted an order to bundle services to include DirecTV. Order was to install 4 standard receivers and 1 DVR receiver. Upon installers’ arrival (on a Saturday install), he immediately cut the cable line coming in from Charter Cable, then informed me that he could not reconnect it if I were to cancel the order. Verizon is closed over the weekend and was not able to be reached to resolve the missing receiver from the order. DirecTV representatives refused to modify/correct the order, saying it had to be addressed to Verizon, but the install could be completed and the issue resolved during business hours on Monday.

We started up new satellite TV service with DirecTV. The ad in newspaper had fine print not included in the main body of the ad, but outside there’s a wide blue border along the bottom of the ad and between the DTV ad and large similar sized ad below. The fine print was unreadable. Our local dealer, not listed, has been helpful to us, but they are not able to deal with the company on our behalf. ** of DirecTV in Old Highway 2, Bloomfield, IA 52537. We should be receiving a special introductory rate for services started March 2, 2009.

We have signed two years contract with DirecTV in 2007. We had problems with one of our receiver from the beginning. They finally came to our house to find out that the problem was the receiver. They replaced the receiver. Now, I found out that they have extended my contract for two additional years without letting me know. When I called them, they were very rude and told me that I could not do anything about it. I will never get DirecTV and I will encourage everybody not to get DirecTV. I will fight this with all I have. Now, they are telling me to pay them $480.00 if I want to disconnect my services. I do not have money to fight this, but I will go to Florida attorney general. What they have done to me was illegal.

We signed up for DirectTV in March 2009. We were quoted a certain price, and we visually verified that price on the website, as we spoke to the salesperson. When the first bill arrived, the price was higher than quoted. Because the service was new, we figured it would take a couple months to correct itself. After three months of payments, the price never adjusted. So we called DirecTV.

The salespeople misrepresented the product. We were promised to receive a channel, but did not. We were promised again by salespersons that we would get the channel, but never did. Later, I found out it was part of a major league baseball package. Upon cancellation for misrepresentation, DirecTV assessed a huge fee. Shouldn't a company stand behind what its sales reps promised? I wrote a letter of complaint to them and received a form letter back which did not address the issue. Ms. Andras is 93 years old. She was assessed a cancellation fee of $360, which is causing her great economic and emotional distress.

I was with DirecTV and had an HD DVR. I saw another one about a year later and I purchased another DirecTV HD DVR from a thrift store. I called DirecTV to activate it and they said there is something wrong with the receiver. "We can send you out another one free of charge." They did so and I had to send the one I purchased from the thrift store back to them. I used it for about a year and it was stolen from my house. Some very rude customer service man said since I cannot return it then they will have to bill me $476. "Put it under your home warranty insurance." I said I do not want to do that. Then he said I will have to pay. The more I explained this to him he got even more rude.

Apparently, it is DirecTV's policy to screw over their own customers as a quick search on this website reveals the exact same scam to other customers. They have a policy to lie to customers who call to cancel their service because they are moving and tell them they just have to put it into hibernation for six months while you move and find a new place. They tell you just call when you are in your new place and they will come and install the equipment and you can start service with them again if you choose. The reality is they start charging you for service again after six months, even though they know they are not providing you a service and it is without your permission or knowledge. Also, they will not refund this money to you, even though they know they did not tell you they were going to charge you for nothing.

I've read the blogs and found the CEO's (?) e-mail address. I wrote, stating the problem, included our account #, name address, and phone number. Two hours later, we got a phone call from DirecTV. It seems like problem solved. I'll let you know if it isn't.

DirecTV installation was provided to my residence on 4/25/09. We later determined that through miscommunication with the technician on the phone, we received the wrong converter box for our television. I contacted DirecTV on 4/27/09, once it was determined that we did not have the correct device. We were told that we would have to pay an additional $100 because we did not request the HD converter box during the initial installation.

I received an advertisement in my mail that listed DirecTV Dish service for $14.99, plus free installation up to 4 rooms. I ordered the special, and the installation technician came out to install the dish and charged me $40.00 for installation and an extra supply fee for a twin connector that is to be used for installation of my one-bedroom hookup although I requested a three-bedroom installation.

DirecTV service is lousy! PBS in our area is carried on two channels. DirecTV claims to provide "local channels", but instead of providing both KQED and KTEH, they cooked up KQET and they said that satisfies their requirement to provide "local channels." But we PBS lovers get cheated out of one PBS channel. On the other hand, we get hundreds of channels with ridiculous content we could not care less about. We pay a hefty monthly bill, and yet, we are powerless to get the channels we want. What can be done?

I wrote in about a week ago to explain the problems that I was having. DirecTV charged me for an early cancellation fee and when I called to complain, they credited back the deposit and offered me a credit of $13.01. Instead, they charged me that amount. Therefore, they owed me $26.02. There was no number that I could call, no supervisor with whom I could speak, no address to which I could write. I was frustrated. I stumbled across a website that listed the CEO's email address and wrote to it explaining my problems and they fixed it! They sent me verification that they've credited my account and are sending me a check.

After switching from Dish to DirecTV for more HD channels, I discovered that I did not get any local channels, something I was assured many times that I would have free of charge. Upon making this discovery, DirecTV informed me that I would need to purchase an additional antenna because those channels were not available in my area. To have access to network channels, I would need to pay and additional fee per channel except for CBS, which wasn't available at all.However, I was told that with the digital transition. I would have access to my local channels. I would get a credit toward my account for the amount I had paid for network channels and a waiver would be filed on my behalf to have access to CBS.

My family decided to move closer to work due to the outrageous gas prices and the 45 min drive one way to work. When we were looking at our current townhouse, I asked the manager if we could have DirecTV since we were still under contract. He told me no problem, so we signed a year lease. When the installation tech came by, he was told he couldn’t mount the dish on the roof. Therefore, DirecTV was out of the question.

I too wanted to choose a different cable company to possibly save money because at the time, I had basic cable through another company. I allowed a friend to refer me to DirecTV where she was given a $50 finder’s fee. I spoke with a representative who sent someone out to install the service. It wasn't a week before I have to call them back because I was getting a code number and unable to get local service. When a service person came out, he stated the tree out front is blocking the signal and I would not be able to get local service on a regular basis.

I had DirecTV in ’06. I decided to cancel. I paid what was owed to DirecTV because some collection agency harassed me until I paid. I don't owe them any money. My daughter got DirecTV in her name in June of ’06. Now, they are trying to make her pay on an account that was paid in full. DirecTV has violated my rights. I heard them talking to my daughter about this matter. I never gave DirecTV permission to do this. Also, they committed slander and identity theft, because they are giving my daughter my alleged account, which is falsified.

I had DirecTV in ‘06, I decided to cancel. I paid what was owed to DirecTV because some collection agency harassed me until I paid. I don't owe them any money. My daughter got DirecTV in her name in June of ’06. Now, they are trying to make her pay on an account that was paid in full. DirecTV has violated my rights. I heard them talking to my daughter about this matter. I never gave DirecTV permission to do this. Also, they committed slander and identity theft because they are giving my daughter my alleged account which is false. Someone from DirecTV told my daughter that she has to pay this money before her service can be restored.

We had moved from Los Angeles to Boston, and DirecTV put our account in suspended status in the event we returned to our home in Los Angeles. We did not return (until 2 years later) and unknown to us, they reactivated the account (after about a year) and then sent us a bill for three months service. Since we didn't use the service and indeed could not (since where we lived, DirecTV is prohibited; it is a Comcast-only condominium) and since out tenants in Los Angeles were using their own service, paying for it through their own account, we did not see why we should be charged for this.

I was sold a package that I was told the installer would have a rebate coupon that I could use for one year. The installer did not have the rebate information. I called the 800 number and finally got a e-mail address and applied for the rebate. I have never received the rebate.

We have called twice about the problems with a defective box. We, from the very beginning, had problems with the box cutting off by itself and not working. It seems to have a short. We reset it numerous times, as then it only works for a short period of time. We went to the tech support people for help, and they gave us info which did not resolve issue.

I signed a 2-year contract in June 07. After only months, I became very dissatisfied with my service and customer service. Pure constant frustration. I kept trying to get out of my contract, but the reps told me I’d have to wait until June 09, or pay 440.00. So I waited and waited and June finally came. I called yesterday to get on a new month to month plan and was told that my contract had been extended until 12/2010. I freaked out on them and asked for an explanation. I was told by the lady that because I reactivated a bedroom receiver, I had temporarily been shut down. Now, according to DirecTV, any changes you make to your plan creates a new 2-year contract. I was not told this on the phone. In fact, I was told that it would not effect my contract outside of the $5.99 extra charge each month to turn the box back on. I am outraged! The rep told me that they don’t have to disclose that on a phone call because it was stated in the original contract. Shouldn’t new terms apply if it’s a new contract anyway?

I opened my bill yesterday, 06-15-09, from DirecTV and noticed the price was higher then usual. I scanned the bill and noticed they had charged me for pay-per-view movies we had ordered back in January. I keep my bills and looked up my January bill and sure enough those 2 movies were on there. Paid in full. I called them to ask why are they charging me for these movies when we already paid for them and why is it in my June billing. Their response is we watched these movies on 2 different TVs and it was like buying 2 of the same movie, but my question was why you are charging me 5 months later. After reading all these complaints about DirecTV, I am now sure they are scamming the public. We were talked into changing to them with their false promises and monthly billing errors. That's why I keep my prior bills with them.

I closed my account out with DirecTV. I was never sent a bill and my checking account was debited. I called the company and asked for an explanation. I was told that there was a bill that had a balance and now that it was paid, my account is officially closed out with no balance. So less than a week later, I received a bill for $257.70. So I then called DirecTV and spoke with a representative who explained to me that the only balance on my account was for $49.95, for a fight order last year (Jan 2008). I asked the rep why I was sent a bill for $257.70. He expressed to me that he was unaware of that charge and the only charge on my account was for the $257.70. So I asked to speak with a supervisor. I was connected to another representative. He explained to me that he would submit a ticket for review by the manager and the rep gave me a conformation number. He also explained to me that he would give me a call and email me to let me know the problem was resolved. I never spoke to a manager after I requested to speak to a manager.

For cancellation fee, they charged $350.00. Our contract expired long ago. However, our boxes stopped working, so they sent us new ones and said that because of this, we started a new contract. For what is that charge every month that I've been paying for the maintenance? What a ripoff. Please do something about this. We told them we refused to pay this charge. They told us if we had ever given out our credit or debit card number to them, they would charge it. Isn't that against the law? I sure would like to fair business practices in this country. It seems like every time you turn, some company is ripping me off. This will harm my credit and bounce checks on my account, not to even speak of all the charges from my bank.

Whatever you do, get what they say in writing. Insist upon it. They will lie to get you off the phone and have no accountability. They absolutely can give you something in writing. We signed up for a free trial and we were instead billed almost $500. When we called in, they said they would credit the account. We canceled the account and we are still being billed $500 for the "free" trial.

I tried to use an old DirecTV box that was here in the house. I was told that I could use that box because it belonged to my mom and it's in collections. I said okay and I was told by Patrick that I had to have my own box and that he would give me $20.00 dollars off if I purchased a box from Best Buy. So that's what I did. He never mentioned to me that I couldn't get service at this address and I’ve had service for 2 yrs. or more already.

I tried to use an old DirecTV box that was here in the house. I was told that I could use that box because it belonged to my mom and it's in collections. I said okay and I was told by Patrick that I had to have my own box and that he would give me $20.00 dollars off if I purchased a box from Best Buy. So that's what I did. He never mentioned to me that I couldn't get service at this address and I’ve had service for 2 yrs. or more already.

I just recently received a bill from DirecTV stating that I was behind in payments and service would be shut off. I knew this wasn't possible because I am always one month ahead. So I called. The lady I spoke with said there was a PPV for Wrestlemania for $54.99! I never, nor anyone in this house, watched wrestling! I told her this is impossible because we do not have a phone cord hooked up to our server. They said it was done over the phone with our account number. I argued because this charge is totally bogus! She laughed at me literally every time I told her that no one did this at my home. I also talked with a supervisor. They would not budge on credit. I have no history of any PPV's. I have an excellent payment record and have had DirecTV for five years or better. I'm canceling after reading all the reports of bogus charges! That's my advice to anyone who is thinking DirecTV. They did say if you have a codeword on your account that the charges have to be verified by that codeword. However, after this charge, they will probably say that it was verified by the password!

I cancelled my service after the two-year period was expired. They charged me a $25.00 cancellation fee. I called and they assured me that they'd remove the charge and credit me with $13.01 due to the time I had equipment I couldn't use. They did credit the $25.00. Then they charged me for $13.01. Now they owe me $26.02, but I can't call customer service because they're the ones that screwed up my account multiple times. I'd really like the refund and nothing to do with DirecTV ever again.

in March 2009, I reactivated my services with DirecTV. I had previous service with them. At this time, they promised me I would be paying $39.95 a month for two receivers that I own. They told me I needed to go in online and apply for the rebate that would bring my account down to $39.95. Then I applied for the $20 rebate.

I have inquired about DirecTV numerous times, one time in Dallas and one in Houston. I was looking at promotions on that they had in store and online. One was $39.99 for ChoiceExtra (it may have been $49.99). I was told on 2 separate accounts that this amount indicates how much you will pay per month and if you get the Starz, HBO, and ShowTime for the first three months, afterwards it will go up to about $75 (give or take) a month thereafter. This is not true. I have statements coming to me for $100-plus a month and then they are applying the $39.99 rebate that on their advertisement says you are supposed to be paying a month anyways. I went to the website to sign up for the rebates, but I still do not understand why they have agents selling their services that are telling people this false information. I am not dumb. I quickly apply for rebates since we are still in recession. I try to save money and thought I was doing this.

I was in contract with DirecTV for 24 months, which ended in January 2008. This was after being with DirecTV since 1999. A few months later, my DVR unit stopped working. I called DirecTV and they said the unit was out of warranty and I could lease one for $20 per month for 24 months under contract, or buy it for $200 without contract and a $5 fee for service. I told them I did not want to enter into another contract and I couldn't afford to pay $200 at this time. The representative suggested for me to buy a unit at a retail store on my own and call in to get it connected to service for $5 a month, no contract. Several months later in December 2008, I purchased a DirecTV DVR unit from Amazon.com at half the price. It was an older model just like the one I had. I called in and connected it to service for $5 a month usage fee, at least that's what I was told.

We are absolutely fed up with DirecTV and them not following through with their "customer promise" of being "committed to principles of integrity", to "provide you with excellent service" and to "do their best to resolve issues”.

They were unable to fulfill their end of the agreement at initial installation of satellite dish. I told the technician I would be cancelling services shortly, but wished to leave on the cable until I found another company that could provide all the channels originally ordered. Due to trees, he could not receive a signal therefore, I was unable to get all the channels. Over the phone, when I ordered the cable, I told the agent I only wanted it if they could provide these channels. The agent assured me they could. At no point did the agent inform me I would be under a 2-year contract and neither did the technician. I only found out when I attempted to cancel. They said that the form the technician told me he needed signed in order to release him from the work site was a contract. I was never informed of this at all. I still do not receive my channels, they refused to let me out of the contract, have sent techs and have found no way of providing these channels.

On February 02, 2009, I called DTV as one of their current subscribers and spoke with employee no. ** and asked if she could provide a quote to bundle our current TV, telephone, and high speed Internet services. She said, “You have joined forces with Quest,” and offered the following proposal to which I agreed: To bundle (a) Telephone, with no change in services that we currently had; (b) TV, exchange our present HD10 receiver with their latest HD receiver and add two additional of the same, one in the study and one in the exercise room including installation with all current programming to remain the same, except drop "Starz".

I wanted to receive HD service though DirecTV. I had been a current member for over 3 years. I was going to upgrade my service and was billed accordingly. I was then told that I couldn't receive HD service due to the fact that I wouldn't get a signal due to the fact that a tree obstructed the signal. I cancelled my membership and went with a different TV service that I could get the HD through. I was disputing a bill and never received information that I requested but continued to be billed the amount that was in dispute. I called several times but never received the statement showing the credited amount. I was then sent to collections and I have paid the bill, but I want DirecTV to take this off the credit reporting agencies since the amount that was sent was due to the fact that I never received any information regarding the credited merchandise. I did pay the bill through the credit collections but feel that this should have never been sent since the amount was being disputed.

I viewed my bill online last 6/11/09 and discovered a charge for $3.99 dated 9/17 for a PPV movie. I called to inquire about the charge and learned that the charge was from 9/17/06. I explained that the charge is over three years old and I could not possibly be in a position to check the validity of this charge because it was from again, three years ago. I also explained that I don't believe the charge is valid and requested a credit.

I phoned DirecTV's customer service department on June 10th, 2009 to cancel my account that I have since 1998. I was told by customer rep. "Eunice" that last year, when I requested a replacement for my 10 year leased old broken receiver, that I agreed to commit to an extension of my contract for 18 months as a price for that replacement. I assured her that I never agreed to any extension or signed any agreement to that effect. That, in fact, they told me at the time that since I had been "a loyal customer since 1998", they would send me a replacement leased receiver at no cost, just pay the regular $4.99 per month, the second receiver fee. Eunice further informed me that there would be at least a $150.00 fine for closing my account early.

DirecTV took extra money from our bank account without permission. I paid what their automated phone system has said and they took more money out. We also called months ago about an extra receiver we had and wanted to know what to do with it. DirecTV said we owned it and just keep it. Then 2 months later, I received a box to send it back and I called and they told me we did not own it and they charged us. Every time I call and speak with someone, I am told a different story. They told me that they would send me a check for the over charge, but I did not receive one.

If you are thinking of getting service from Directv, be sure and ask about the early cancellation fee. Normally, you will have to sign a contract to have service for at least 24 months. If you cancel before then, you will be charged $20 for each month of the contract you have not completed. I had been a customer for 5 or 6 years. During that time, we had upgraded, we moved out of state and took the serivice with us, upgraded again, had some reception trouble, gotten a new receiver, but never, ever cancelled our service.

I canceled with DirecTV and switched to another TV provider in November 2008. I had a credit on my bill which I never received. After six months, DirecTV started helping themselves to my credit card as if I was receiving service from them! They don't cancel, they call it suspension and then think it legal to start billing/paying themselves from your auto pay after six months! I intend to file a class action.

I'm writing this on behalf of my wife's account with DirecTV. We have been with them for five years. Their product is good but their billing is very confusing. Still, we stayed with them since we like the product they provide. This year (2009), we decided to cancel since we can't afford their rates. We called, cancelled the account and was told that they will send the box to return the HD DVR.

My husband and I have had service with DirecTV for over 10 years. We never had them come install anything and we owned our equipment until last year when lightning struck our boxes. We went to Best Buy and purchased 2 new boxes. We were never told we were re-upping our agreement or going into any type of contract for any specific time period.

I went through a retail to get DirectTV. They said they were going to charge me $250 deposit and I said no. They called later that day and wanted my second last name and a credit card with security number on the back to verify.

We have just experienced the same problem with our DVR hard drive as the poster Bill from Lincolnton, NC. We are in Raleigh, NC and our issue happened the morning of 06/09/09. Our account is two weeks old. After turning on our box, a message popped up informing us of a software upgrade. I checked the system and the software version was noted as x0312. As I went to see our recorded program list, I noticed that all of our recorded programs had been wiped out as well as all of the timers we set up.

Back in October 2008, I ended my service with DirecTV in order to sign up for Verizon FiOS. At that time, DirecTV offered to suspend my account for six months in case I was unhappy with FiOS and wanted to come back. I had a $12.00+ credit with them at the time. At the end of the six months, if I wanted to stay with FiOS and not return to DirecTV, they would close my account and send me the check for $12.00+.

I cancelled my DirecTV service on May 30, 2009, after having it since December 2005 signing up for a 2-year contract. When I cancelled it, the rep said there was no cancellation charge. Two weeks later, they debited my bank account for $149.91. When I called in, they said the charge was for early cancellation. I am not a math wiz, but it sure seems that I fulfilled the 2-year contract! All because they are angry because I no longer want their service. Beware if you are thinking about signing up with them. I am out the $149.91 and who knows what they will do next? I have no recourse against them. This is criminal and someone needs to stop them.

I previously paid a DTV bill for my uncle back in 02/09 and 03/09. On 06/01/09 and 06/02/09, I was charged $574.19 from DTV. I called and explained to them this bill is not mine; therefore, it is not my responsibility to pay for it. The customer service rep, Lauren, agreed and requested I fax a printout from my bank to her, so this could be credited back to me. I did so immediately.

They’ve added one year to my contract after we moved. I was told on the phone by DirecTV that this would not extend my contract.

We were given an upgrade by DirecTV in April 2009. They did not inform us that it extended the contract. In fact, I asked the representative that installed the upgrade in April 2009 (Kendrick 843-412-9318) if we would be charged or if contract extended and he said no. This is not the main issue. We are mysteriously being charged for PPV Adult Movies from May/June 2008 which Direct TV says was on our receiver, which were ordered by remote. We cannot order movies by remote because a landline has never been connected to our receivers. We vehemently denied these charges. Neither I nor my spouse watches these types of movies. There are no other people in our home and we have a security system which is activated when we leave so no one could have gotten in to order these movies. There have been numerous other complaints through Consumer Affairs for this very situation. And my spouse does not know how to activate PPV movies.

After reading the current complaints about DirecTV, it appears they have not changed their aggressive, retaliatory behavior. We signed up 6 years ago, cancelled within 24 hours and spent months arguing with them until we had a VP contact us when I threatened to sue them in my circuit court. They refused to send boxes for the receivers and threatened to send us to collections, but when I threatened to sue the local agent as well, things started happening. It seems the little agent isn't as protected as the big business. Keep every printed material; take names, dates, phone, etc.

The only reason I signed up with this company is that I was told at the time of signing that they carry Arabic channels and that I can add it to my account at any time without any additional costs. When I was ready to add the Arabic channels to my account, I was told by DirecTV that they will no longer carry the Arabic channels effective June 1, 2009. My native language is Arabic and I would have never signed up with this company if they did not provide Arabic channels.

I had contacted DirecTV to cancel my service, and they said if I stayed with them, they would reduce my monthly amount by $10. I went ahead and stayed on. When it finally got too much for me to handle financially, I had to cancel completely as they did not hold up to their end of the bargain. They have now sent me a bill for early cancellation and because I cannot/will not pay it, it will also show on my credit report. I feel this is unfair as there is no place to contact to settle these matters. DirecTV refuses to listen.

I canceled DirecTV service around March 2009. I was told at that time that a box would be sent to return HD receiver in. Service was discontinued at that point. Two months later, still no return box. Then to my surprise, a $510 unauthorized debit was made to my checking account. I then contacted a customer service rep who commenced to run off a long list of unexplained adjustments and charges that included $260 for the HD box that they had yet to send a return box for. I then talked to a supervisor who tried to tell me that we had just canceled service on May 28th. When I explained to her that we hadn't had service in the past two months because we canceled it, she said we should have let them know that our boxes were not working. A class action suit should be filed. Just because you use your debit card for a one time payment gives them no right to raid your bank account at will.

I have had service with this company for about 10 years. I decided to cancel service and use another provider. I was charged $208.21 as a cancellation fee. I never signed a contract and had purchased my own receiver for about $1,000 years ago from Best Buy. They tell me I agreed to keep their service for 24 months when I installed another receiver. I have tried to write letters to the company to resolve the issue. They have turned this account to collection. They have threatened to ruin my credit and continue to call me demanding payment.

I added an additional receiver for $69.00 on December 5, 2008. Under terms and conditions, there’s nothing noted about extending contract for 18 months. I added it to my cart to purchase. Again, nothing came up about an agreement for 18 months. I never received a letter like they said I should have received. I have been a customer of DirecTV since 1996 and loved the service until now. Unfortunately, I have to cancel service because neighbor's tree grew. Now, we can't get reception.

We are victims of the DirecTV scam. Now DirecTV is getting the dirty end of the stick. Over $5.0 million in charges for calling consumers in National Do-Not-Call List.

They are so desperate to keep clients. They will do anything to keep them on the books, including making it hard to cancel.

I called to disconnect service. I was told that we were in a two-year contract. I did not agree to a two-year contract when upgrading the box! It will take $140.00 to get out of it. Yet, I had been charged $4.99 a month since February 2008 for a box that the installer did not take off. And upon trying to explain that the third man said we had not been charged, the two boxes remaining we have been paying for are both on the bill when the second is supposed to be free.

I signed up for DirecTV at a monthly price of $30 after various rebates. I was not told that I had to apply for the rebate on the Web (luckily, I noticed it later and applied on time) or that I had to sign up for automatic bill pay for the last $5 of the rebate. When I did not receive the rebate the first month, I called and was told I had to wait 4 months for processing. I called after 4 months and was told that had been incorrect. The person I talked to reduced my bill to $22 to account for the error and told me to wait to pay the bill until I received a re-issued bill. I never received a re-issued bill. Instead, when I received my next monthly statement, I was charged the entire "previous" amount plus a late fee.

I have been a DirecTV customer for almost two years. When we first switched from Dish TV, a mistake, we spent three months going through four different receivers before we got one that worked. That was in the past and we dealt with it. Most recently, another receiver stopped working and we called their customer service who assured us that the hard drive in the receiver had gone bad, so they shipped us another receiver and charged us for the shipping. When we began talking to neighbors of ours who were also DirecTV customers, we learned that they had the exact same problem on the same day as us, so it was not a hard drive problem after all, but rather some sort of system problem that DirecTV was not even aware of and didn't bother to check out. Their customer service representatives were jerks when I tried to explain this to them. They charged me $20 for shipping a receiver I did not need.

I became a customer in 12/08. I was told that I would have all these promos when I signed up and that local channels would be free and that I would have an 18-month contract. I got papers. It stated 24-month contract and a higher price. I called, and they stated that the local channels had to be paid for, so I added them for an extra $10.00 a month. Then we were told that we would have the HBO package that cost $36.00 for free until 12-09. okus credit for $18.00 redemption 12/09, DVR service credit $6.00 until 12/09, price guarantee $3.00 12/09, and primary lease credit for $5.00; All of which total $32.00 and the free HBO pack which was $36.00.

I ordered DirecTV services to be installed on May 19, 2009. The day before the installation took place, I noticed there was a $25 pending transaction on my checking account from DirecTV. I called, and they informed me it was to insure that the debit card information that I provide was correct. It never posted my account like the customer service rep indicated. This made me feel very uneasy about their business practices. Within 24 hours of the installation, I cancelled the services; and the customer service rep informed me that I would not be charged anything.

I subscribed for service in March 2008, at a specific rate. This rate is a fixed, monthly charge. Starting with my very first bill, the invoice did not reflect the charges we contracted for. I remitted payment for my agreed charges on time every month. I called, and called and e-mailed, but nothing was resolved. After 13 months, my rates were increased on the invoice I received. This was just adding salt to my wound. Again, I called and begged for some type of explanation. I finally asked that the contract, which was never adhered to in the first place be dissolved. I was then billed for early termination. This is outrageous, and should not be allowed. I am disgusted to know that such dirty business dealings can go unhindered.

I signed up through the Internet with the offer that said there was no commitment; I just had to pay a $300 deposit. The monthly charge was stated to be $34.99 for 150+digital channels. The bill is for $61.99. I think DirecTV is such a scam agency. Now I cannot cancel unless I pay $700. They say I signed up for 2 years. There was nowhere on the Internet site that I had to check approval for 2 years. I would have never signed up. I cringe every time I see their commercial saying they are #1 in customer support.

I wanted to get Verizon Fios but was informed by Verizon that Fios was not available to me at my address. They urged me to get DirecTV because of their direction, I did so. The problems started almost immediately. Everything they said would happen happened differently. Nothing cost what they said it would. I had problems with the picture pixellating and called for help. They had me reboot the DVR and that didn't help. They sent out a technician who checked everything and pronounced it healthy. No change.

I'm a new customer for DirecTV. Yesterday, my service stopped, and I decided to call and inquire about what could be the issue. After having troubleshoot the service for several minutes, it was determined that my receiver was not receiving signal from the satellite and was informed that a technician will have to come in to solve the issue. I was informed that I have to pay $49.99 for the technician to come. I informed the operator that all my internal equipment (receivers, cables, and remotes) were in good and that I'm not responsible for their satellite issue. I was informed that they pay each time a technician come to see about an issue and that I will have to pay to receive satellite signal again.

For months we had been receiving advertisement from DirecTV for a special offer of $29.95 per month for 2 satellite receivers. We eventually leased 3 receivers which they said would cost $34.95. However, we are being billed $69.95. In addition, they are withdrawing it from my account, something I did not authorize them to do. I have called the company every month for 3 months, and each time, they tell me that my rebate has not yet been applied.

Joleine tells me that I can sign up for a $29.99/month deal for 12 months. First bill is for $72. I contacted DirecTV and they say I have signed up for a $52.99/month contract for 18 months. I never agreed to 18 months, let alone a $52.99/month package. DirecTV will not help in any way and they are a bunch of crooks. After talking to 6-8 different people (they try to wear you down), still no help in getting them to honor their agreement they offered me. Is there any way I can get help straightening this mess out?

On May 29, 2009, I called to cancel my service. DirecTV stated that when I upgraded from a standard receiver box to an HD receiver box, my agreement was automatically re-initiated for two years. I balked stating that I was not adding equipment, but upgrading what I already had, thus creating more revenue for DirecTV, and I was never notified that upgrades would automatically extend my contract. I also stated that I don't see how they can automatically do that since the receiver box is not free. I pay for it in my monthly fees. Customer Service responded that my customer agreement states this fact, and that is all the notification they must give. I asked if this was the agreement that I agreed to when I signed up for DirecTV service five years ago and haven't seen since? They said that was the one.

I was soon very unhappy with the service. The On Demand feature is on a time schedule - On Demand starts at 7 next Tuesday - and if you can't make it, then you can't order that movie. I was unhappy. I called customer service many times - but they were rude and patronizing.

The new customer agreement as of 04/24/2009 authorized DirecTV to charge your credit or debit card plus bank accounts without your authorization. I was not notified.

After having service for 7 years, our receivers were faulty and we were not able to fully utilize what we had been paying for. Also, with storms, the service would go out entirely, so we decided to switch to AT&T UVerse who was offering $200 cash back, free install/hook up, two free HD ready receivers, free DVR, no contract term! We explained in our disconnect call to DTV what the other offer was and to retain our business advised they would match this offer. The bottom line is that we ended up paying for the installation, paying $100 for one HD ready receiver, while ending up with a partial install of just 1 of 2 receivers and no DVR, along with a cracked board on our home where they installed a new satellite dish.

Their customer service and installers are perhaps the worst I have ever had to deal with. We have had an intermittent problem with one receiver and every time you call, they put you through the same crap that never solves the problem. They treat you like you are the dumbest person on the earth and you have no right to be alive. They set up appointments for service and the technicians don't show. We had one appointment; he was to be there between 2:00 and 5:00 pm. He showed up at noon and left because no one was home. Right now, we are waiting. He was supposed to show up at 8:00 am, the first appointment of the day. It is now after 9:00 am and he is still not there.

I disconnected my service on March 18, 2009 because I got a contract with Dish Network for 2 years. Now DirecTV is still sending me bills. When I called them, they said that my account was still active. I told them that's not my problem because I called to disconnect my service. They told me they weren't sure if I was still using DirecTV in any other home, like I have more than one house like I told them. I told them I wasn't going to pay the amount of $182.03 because I had already disconnected. Daniel, a representative, said he was going to send me the boxes for the receiver and the bill so I can pay what I owe. Again, I told him I wasn't going to pay something that I haven't used. My account number with DirecTV is ** and the telephone number I used to have with them was **.

I contacted DirecTV through an ad I was told that I could get the programming and receivers I wanted at a reasonable price, so I switched to them. When he installer came out, we had to rearrange our furniture in order to see the recorded shows from downstairs on the upstairs TV. After trying to accomplish this, I called their customer service. I was told that recording on one TV and watching it on another was not possible. I wasn't happy, but I dealt with it. Lo and behold after six months, our rates doubled. I called them and they said that I had promo rates and they expired. I cancelled the service. I was then told that I would be charged $300 for early cancellation. I told them in no uncertain terms would I pay that and they had seen the last dollar out of me. They told me it was fine, they would just charge my credit card. I will protest the charge when it comes through. They continually lied so I find no reason to pay them.

I ordered the service over the phone after viewing deals on the website. The deal I chose was "Choice package for $34.99 per month plus $5.00 per month for receiver lease, with one receiver provided at no cost." In my case, three receivers at $5.00 each plus one for $0.00. The first bill came the price billed $69.13. That is when I called to dispute the amount. I was informed that I needed to call a rebate center in order to get the price I agreed to over the phone during my purchase of the service. No mention of a rebate required prior to this conversation. I immediately applied for my rebate via phone #1-877-286-4808. When my second bill came the following month, the rebate had not been applied on bill #2.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009, 10:50 a.m. - I called and spoke to David (**) at DirecTV. He informed me Amanda would return my call within 2 hours. Amanda (**) at DirecTV called and offered me 60 days credit. I politely refused and again informed them that I would be suing in small claims court and filing criminal charges for unauthorized use of a credit card. Amanda kept telling me that DirecTV had spoken with me and I had not called DirecTV to confirm the disconnect and that DirecTV had billed me for approximately 30 months before I noticed. I stressed to Amanda that I had never been contacted by DirecTV after my initial e-mail in July 2006 and that I had never spoken to DirecTV about this account until February 24, 2009, when I discovered the fraudulent billing.

I canceled my service in December 14, 2008. The following month, I received a bill. So I called and a rep said it was taken care of. The following months I kept receiving bills. DirecTV told me I was charged for early cancellation. They refunded that part of my bill. My balance was down to $0.00 when I called to cancel because I was getting a different service. I never had a problem with DirecTV before this. I guess when they asked why I was terminating service, I told them I was using another service. I've had nothing but problems ever since. The question I have is “How could I be charged with early cancellation for 12/14/08 but get billed for two more months of service? Then I get a notice for interruption of service in February.” Now I am going to have a negative report on my credit report only because I don't want their service.

I canceled my service in December 14, 2008. The following month I received a bill, so I called. A rep said it was taken care of. The following months I kept receiving bills. DirecTV told me I was charged for early cancelation. My balance was down to $0.00 when I called to cancel because I was getting a different service. I never had a problem with DirecTV before this. I guess when they asked why I was terminating service and I told them I was using another service, I've had nothing but problems ever since. The question I have is how could I be charged with early cancelation for 12/14/08, but get billed for two more months of service, and then get a notice for interruption of service in February?

Picture freezing problem reported, but bad customer service encountered - I have had DirecTV for 16 months. Last month the picture started freezing randomly with no audio. I called up DirecTV for this issue. The customer rep Carroll got all the details. She gathered the info and asked me if there was pixelation, for which I said no. But she was confident of my issue and said that for these issues, we need to send a tech to my home for $49.99. She had asked me to check the signal and they were ok. So I said why she can't just swap the receiver, and she said that I have only 2 options - either pay $50 or take the maintenance plan. No details were given. She was insistent and rude.

When I subscribed to DirecTV, I was told I would get my local channels and I specifically asked about certain channels. When it was installed, I was informed that I would not receive certain channels because they were not considered local. I talked to many different people around the world and had numerous disconnects and dropped calls. I finally talked to a person in Texas who said he could hook me up - he couldn't. He told me I could cancel and not be penalized since I had been misled. I followed through and returned the modem, etc. and canceled. DirecTV is trying to get $347.08 from me saying that I breached their contract. They have been rude, unprofessional and take advantage of people especially a senior citizen like myself.

I made a deal with a DirecTV customer service rep. on May 22, 2009 to pay the full balance due within the week. We confirmed it up by restating the deal once more. DirecTV still turned off access this morning, May 24, 2009. I called them to say "I made an agreement with you guys that I would pay the full balance due within a 7 day week, by next Friday," but that didn't matter. The representative who helped me on the 22nd didn't make note in the file to say what we planned. Therefore, it didn't matter what I said and I'm still out of service. How are we to verify that the customer rep inputted the plan that we just made? Do we ask to fax us a copy of the screen to prove it? This is ridiculous.

On 5/24/09, I called to cancel my DirecTV service due to moving and spoke with a customer service rep. I was informed I would have a $220 disconnect fee even after being a customer over 6 years. I asked why there was a fee and the rep informed me that I was only 6 months into an 18-month contract. I told the rep I did not have a contract. He stated when I received a new receiver on 11/24/09 that started an 18-month service contract. I told the rep that I called the technical department back in November and let them know the equipment I had, the receiver, was not working. I asked them what do I need to do to fix it and they sent me a new one. I did not know that a bad piece of equipment replaced would obligate me into an 18-month contract. I did not have any resolve in the matter.

DirecTV alleges that I am under a two-year contract, and now that I want to cancel, they are trying to charge a large fee. I was a customer since 2005 and completed a two-year obligation. In 2007, I purchased a used DVR system from another source and had my service switched over to this new receiver. DirecTV insists that by my doing so, I agreed to a new contract, which is specifically why I purchased my own equipment. Upon activating the equipment, I made sure the DirecTV agent agreed that this did not constitute a new agreement or contract term. I was under no obligation to them for any time period at that time. DirecTV also says that they own my equipment and that the burden rests on me to prove otherwise and that I have to return this equipment. I think the burden is on DirecTV to prove that any equipment I have in my possession belongs to them. I need not prove anything. I have spent nearly three hours on the phone to no avail with them and am quickly becoming exasperated. I think they count on this tactic. Despicable.

I'm writing this on behalf of my mother, Marjorie. She is 75 years old, a widower, and lives on social security. While checking on a charge to her AT&T phone bill, she was offered a deal to combine her satellite, internet, and phone for a substantial savings to her. She was not told that DirecTV would be her provider. She knew that they were crooked, because I had had problems with them the first of the year. And that it cost me almost $400.00. They trick you into using a debit card or credit card to pay for the initial setup fee, and that way they have your number.

This is nothing less than a scam. DirecTV preys on elderly people. It hooks them up on false promises of what the price will be, fails to help them understand how their systems work, and then punishes them with a cancellation fee when they stop the service. In February 2009, my parents agreed to a promotion with Qwest for telephone, internet and satellite television service. On March 3, a technician from DirecTV installed four units in their home. The technician, in his haste to get home for dinner, never informed them of the cancellation fee (nor had anyone else from Qwest or DirecTV) and hurriedly required their signatures before allowing them to read the documents. Lastly, he neglected to educate them in the use of the remote controls, which resulted in confusion operating their televisions.

I signed up for DirecTV with an installation date of May 13 between 8 AM and noon. At 11:10, I received a call from DirecTV wanting to know if the technician had arrived yet. I told them no and they said they would check on his whereabouts and let me know. At 11:50 AM, I received a call that the technician did not come to work that day and they were sorry and would reschedule the installation.

I requested service over a year. I had to move and when I called to update, they automatically renewed my contract for 2 years. I have called several times to cancel and they refuse to cancel it. Instead, they said I have to pay $600 penalty. The customer service department is useless. I had told them I did not request additional services and they keep telling me that I had agreed for a new contract. My landlord wants me to take that services out of the building, but I don't have the money to afford the cancellation fees. Is there anything that I can do? Please help.

On 5/19, I went online to view my bill. It stated I had a total due of $212.62. I paid the balance in full. I went back to the site approx. 2 hours later, and noticed an amount due of $40. I contacted DirecTV, and a supervisor named Pam attempted to explain to me that these charges were "added" after the fact. I explained to her that balance due, means just that and you cannot change the amount due, once a customer tries to zero out their balance, and Pam told me they could, and they do it all the time. This is very disturbing to me, and this company's policy of adding charges to a customer's account after they pay needs to be stopped.

I moved and DirecTV is not in the area I moved to. They took $313.94 from my checking account without notice and when I called about this, they explained their policy about having to continue to pay the service for 18 months even though I can't use it?! I am a senior and disabled trying to live on a fixed income. Taking my money has put me in a jam and I need that money put back into my account. I will need medicine and after I had a stroke, I need rehab. It's not my fault that there is no DirecTV where I moved, so why take my money for something I won't get anything from? I never signed any agreement to this ripoff. Thank you.

I was quoted over the phone $57.98 for 4 months of cable service. I was billed $74.99 for each month. I called to complain after the first bill and they said the price billed was the correct price. I paid $57.98 for 4 months as per the original agreement and I would send in a letter each month outlining the incorrect billing amount and I never received a response. My service was cut off in January 2009 for past due amounts. I called to cancel the service and was told that I was under a 2-year contract and there would be a $420 cancellation fee. I was never informed nor did I agree to a 2-year contract. I returned the 2 cable boxes and I am still being billed $503.17. DirecTV has never supplied me with any documentation where I agreed to a 2-year contract commitment. I am 55 years old and am trying to retire but if companies like DirecTV "scam" innocent senior citizens like me, then they need to be held accountable.

Since the first date I got service on May 3, I've been having problem with them. They're cutting channels without notice. When I called to complain, they just said they are no longer in service. I have two televisions where in one, I can see all the channels that came in the package. TV number 2 does not. I called them to ask about that and then went into an argument. I told them that I want to cancel my service and then they started telling me about all these things about the agreement and the fees. I told them "What about you? I am paying for the package you offered me and you are not doing your part of the contract, with the channels and everything. But you are good in charging me with equipment that I don't have." In other words, I've been having problems with them since day one. I wish you can help me about this matter. Thank you.

Service had been installed on 5/06/09. It rained that night and my service was interrupted because of the weather. I called the next day to cancel the service. The DirecTV person told me that I had 14 days to cancel without getting charged a cancellation fee. Today, 5/17/09, I called again because it rained again yesterday and the service was interrupted again. I called and told them that I wanted to cancel. The person was very rude and told me that it didn't matter who I spoke to that day, but that I would be charged a penalty fee. She checked the phone record and saw that I called the next day on the 7th, but said that the penalty fee would come out of the credit card that was tied to the account.

I had DirecTV service in 2007 and decided to cancel service because Dish Network was offering a better package price at the time. When I called to cancel service, I was informed by the agent that my service ran from the 27th of the month to the 27th of the next month and since I was canceling on the 1st, there was a small balance that would be billed to me. I told him no problem. A few weeks went by and I received no bill and called to find out why. I was told that since it was only $8.83, that it was being waived by the company. I also received a letter in the mail a few days later stating the same. I was willing to pay it, but thought, "Oh well, if Dish doesn't work out, I'll go back to DirecTV."

I tried to cancel service on March 30th. I paid my bill. They continued to bill me, and it's May. Upon calling, they refused to cancel my service by leaving me on hold, not picking up, referring to a team leader (BS) and now I shall contact you and then an atty. Luckily, I tape recorded my conversation with them about canceling on March 30th. This is shoddy, fraudulent practice of retaining customers against their will. Never sign up with DirecTV.

I tried to order DirecTV service online. They told me I would have to pay $300 deposit and I was okay with that. So I paid that plus the cost of an additional receiver. Total cost is $407.14. I called the next day to cancel the order but instead of DirecTV issuing a credit, they issued another charge. I have sent my information to the so called financial center but you can only fax them. They don't have a number or anything. I still don't have this resolved and do not know where to go from here. It doesn't look like I will get my money.

The marriage between Verizon and DirecTV is intentional misrepresentation at its best. Isn't that a Tort Claim in the courts? When a consumer is induced by false claims (a great price, free Showtime) and relies on those false claims to make a judgment call to enter into a legally biding fiduciary (one that involves giving your money over to the criminals) contract and when that information is false and the company knows this information to be false, it is intentional misrepresentation (fancy word for they lied to us on purpose) for their own gain. This is a big no no folks.

They have fraudulently taken payments from my bank account and now they are saying that I owe them more money than I signed up for. I have only had their services for 2 months and eight days. I have already invested $384.88 into their services. Now they have turned my service off and claim that I owe them $115.02 immediately, to have service again. It is shameful that people play on the seniors so hard. They know that we are already poor and, for some reason, they seem to think that we all have no sense. It's hard to live 70 yrs. with no sense. Now, I have no television service and I am $384.88 in the hole. Who do I turn to, to stop this from happening to people who are just trying to live the rest of their lives out in comfort? It is a bitter slap in the face when you can trust no one.

The same thing as everyone else with DirecTV; Feb 21, 2009, a coupon scam caught my eye – I ordered the service, 4 receivers, 1 free DVR, 12 months service, $34.99/mo... Yipeeee... Yeah right... My checking account hit with $120 worth of NSF fees, I can't figure out why. A-HA... DirecTV has been automatically paying themselves from the account. I never authorized it.

I recently decided to sign a contract with DirecTV, who I used as my satellite provider several years ago. As with many providers, I signed the standard two-year contract, in which DirecTV provides the service and equipment for a monthly charge. 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, in order to prevent my mentally-disabled adult son from making unwanted purchases. My husband is an engineer and I am a technical writer, so we are technically competent and believe we set up the controls correctly.

Unauthorized debit from my checking account using credit card number on file from single past payment. They admitted error and promised reimbursement, plus additional fees charged as a result then recanted - causing more fees to be charged. They debited $214.42, resulting in $30.00 overdraft fee. $100 in additional NSF fees for returned checks that were written based on their promise to credit my account within 72 hours of complaint.

Since I had DirecTV, I had problems. My bill never was correct and now the service I have is terrible. I have a receiver that went out on me. I have protection on the equipment so they sent out a tech to fix my problem. When the tech arrived (today), he told me they don't make the receiver I have any more and he could give me one that is almost the same. The receiver he offered me did not have the HDMI cord connection for me to receive a better picture on my flat screen and it is a downgrade. I feel I should not have to downgrade my service because they don't make the box anymore.

We had a service with DirecTV since 2006. On April 2009, we wanted to switch to Verizon Fios. Since the contract to stay on the same service is 2 years, it expired in 2008. When we terminated the service with DirecTV, they informed us that we must pay $180 for early termination fee. They told us that our contract was extended for 2 years when we replaced the DVR equipment.

Price quoted was for $39.00 a month and really, you are paying $77.00 until you submit a rebate. Rebates can take 1-3 months. Also, purchased with the agreement was no long-term contract, but now DTV states it's a 24-month lock-in contract and $480.00 to buy out. This is a misrepresentation of the services requested. Customer service is a joke. They cannot provide any help but $10.00 credit in which it was stated, "We really should not give you this..." by the rep Nikki. So, if the customer is given false information and tries to be accommodated, the answer is, don't call customer service or even ask for their supervisors because they cannot change anything.

A couple of years ago, I was disgusted by poor reception on DirecTV; poor customer service; and their failure to carry a local network channel, even though they charged me for it. Every time I would call and try to cancel, they would switch the call over to someone who would try to resell and up-sell me. Last time they tried to do that, I just said to disconnect me and I switched to MediaCom. They tried to send a bill for service I didn't want or receive after the switch. I called and told one of the phone drones off. I thought that ended it, but now (2 years later) I'm getting letters from a collection agency. I know better than to deal with bottom feeding collection agencies.

I had DirecTV HDDVR box that was overheating. When I called DirecTV, I was informed the box I had was recalled due to a fire hazard because of overheating. I was sent a replacement box and surprise, a new lease agreement starting my 2-year contract over although I had less than 1 year left on my original agreement. I have spent 8 months and countless hours dealing with this and have been assured many times it will be resolved only to call back and find out nothing has changed. I cancelled our service at the end of our original 2-year period and just received a bill for $350 for an early cancellation. I am beyond fed up. One representative even told me I should consult an attorney because DirecTV was liable for not informing me of the recall. It is crazy that they are trying to bill me for their multiple mistakes.

I am writing this letter to dispute the amount of $309.93, for the supposed early termination fee. When I first called DirecTV to order new services for **, New York, NY 10032, I was informed by the Customer Service representative that in the event I would move to another residence and the landlord of the property did not allow satellite dishes on the premises, I would not be charged any termination fees.

I signed up online for 12 months at $54.99 with the 3 months of free HBO, Starz and Showtime. They had an online rebate form that included a green rebate of $20 for paying with credit card. I canceled the movie channels before the free trial ran out. Now we are being billed more than $100 per month. Figuring they were billing us for the premium movie stations even though it was canceled, I contacted DirecTV support. Their answer was that I could go to a website to get the rebates and then said in the next paragraph that more than 60 days had passed since I started service so I no longer qualify for the rebates.

I submitted a service termination in 2/09 which covered my bill through 3/4/09. Retention Services called me and told me they were going to give me $150 credit not disclosing to me that after the $150 credit was over, my services would continue and I would be billed for it nor disclosing to me that if I call to cancel within 90 days of the credit issuance that I would be liable for the $150 credit. So the only way I can avoid the $150 liability is to continue my service for another month and then I have to call in again to terminate my services. If I would have known this upfront, I would never had agreed to the $150 credit and I would have terminated my service as 3/4/09. I feel lied to, misled and misinformed and where all the particulars were never disclosed to me so that I could make an educated choice for myself.

In a nut shell, they quoted incorrect price, promised equipment at no cost (never received) and promised visa cards of $25 and $100 for inconvenience. I was told to go online for promotions and rebates but I was not told that those rebates would be in effect until second month of billing. When I complained about not receiving equipment as promised (DVR), they asked me to pay an additional amount of $6 per month but I would have to pay up front for fees and installation and they would reimburse me in 6-8 days. I said no way. I never did get any satisfaction. The cost per month went from as quoted of $29.99/month for 4 rooms no additional fees to $79.99 per month and we cannot cancel without a penalty for early contract cancellation.

Be very wary of DirecTV. They auto charged me for March Madness 2009. I never ordered it. It seems that they auto charge you for any package that you have ordered in the past. It is up to the customer to stop them from charging for unwanted services. I told them I am going to cable unless they reversed the charges. Too bad was the response. They took the money for the programming that I never ordered, so I did make the switch to cable. At that point, they did offer to rescind the charge. Too late for me. They burned that bridge.

I called DirecTV to sign up for "DVR Plus" service on 4/28/09. While on the phone with Natalie, I inquired about the $100 friend referral rebate advertised on TV. She told me I would receive a form with my first bill and I could obtain two $50 debit cards (one for me and one for my friend) by returning that rebate form and continuing to sign up for the DVR Plus service for $45/month. My service was installed 4/29/09 and I received my first bill on 5/5/09. The only rebate form included with my first bill was for $21 worth of bill credits per month for 12 months, which will not go into effect for 6-8 weeks after I return the rebate form (which I submitted online 5/6/09).

I canceled DirecTV service after many years of using DirecTV. They tried to charge me $402 for early cancellation. That was removed and then they charged $401 for the DVR that was returned. I was told the charge for DVR would be credited back to my account within 24 hours and it was not credited. I'm still trying to get my money back.

After being a DirecTV customer for 12 years, and many equipment and package changes later, they turned off the Encore movie channels package without any warning. Their Customer Service Agreement says they will typically give one month's notice.

On 12-24-09, I switched from Cablevision to DirecTV and I have had a problem with DirecTV every month. I have been accused of harboring an extra receiver (a Box). They FedExed a box (which I found in my trash) for me to return the extra receiver. The box also included a letter stating that if I do not return the extra receiver, I will be fined. I called and complained and an investigation ensued. DirecTV would not contact me to see the outcome. I had to call them back in two weeks. I called back and it was all a mistake.

I was misinformed about the product/services/cost. They missed installation appointments. It was impolite customer service from managers and supervisors. I was lied to about resolutions.

I called to cancel my service as FiOS became available in my area and I was offered a very attractive package by Verizon. I was informed that, in order to cancel, I would have to pay an early termination fee of $300. It seems that when we purchased a new TV in Sept., we needed a new box for it. By requesting a new box, I was "automatically" entering into a new 2-year contract. I was never advised of this - ever - until I tried to cancel service. I did not agree to a new contract. I never signed anything nor would I have!

I was promised a bill of $44.99 a month after I paid the initial $70.05 and applied for my rebate online. I did all of the above and when I got my first bill, it was $76.04. I called DirecTV and talked to a Greg. I explained all of this to him. He told me that I have to go online and apply for the rebate. Again, I explained to him that I had done this on the day of the installation. He then said that I should see the amount I was quoted ($44.99) on my next bill. At this point, I am very disappointed with DirecTV for not keeping their agreement. This false advertising needs to be checked into.

This is our second letter to you guys regarding this problem with DirecTV. We are being harassed by the company for leaving them after 3 years of service. I entered into a 2-year contract on 7-18-05 and ended service in 2008 (the contract was over by then). In early 2008, my husband bought an HD DirecTV converter box at a garage sale and tried replacing it with our other existing box. When he hooked this HD box up to our TV, he was told by DirecTV that it would not get HD channels unless we purchased an HD satellite for our house. He said, “No, thank you,” that he just wanted to have a new box to replace the old one that was having problems.

We recently signed up for DirecTV. Nobody told us that there would be a $450 penalty unless we kept the service for 24 months. This should have been told to me when I inquired about the service, not in tiny print on the back of the congratulations letter from AT&T. We are over 75 years old. I don't know where we will be tomorrow, let alone the next 2 years. This is a totally unethical way of doing business. This has already happened to us with Dish Network & they have a $200 claim against us even though we returned all their equipment and paid their totally outrageous bill. We are not people who do not take responsibility for ourselves, but this is simply not fair. I would not have left Comcast at all if I knew about the penalties. If I took Dish Network to court, it would cost me over $200.

I went online to see what prices were available for DirecTV. I ordered the bundle package, telephone, internet and satellite TV. My phone bill the first month was $88.54 with installation of $41.50. The internet wasn't even available in my area (only told this after everything else was installed). After the guy installed the satellite, he informed me that it was a year contract. I would never have agreed to this. Then my first bill came and what was supposed to be $39.99 was $55.99. So I called the company. They then told me I had to go online and apply for my rebate. First, I had heard of this. So I did, only to be told that I didn't qualify, just like all the other complaints I have now read online.

When I switched to HD, my reception was never completely satisfactory. I kept getting a brief noise on music channels and Fox News was always scrambling during the same time each day. The serviceman that came out stated that my signal strength was only 39 (out of a possible 99). He said he moved the dish 5 feet. During this time, the company was calling me using automated dialers to collect on a bill that wasn't even 30 from the date of the bill. When I answered the phone for these calls, sometimes no one was there.

We have been DirecTV customers since August 2004. The original contract was a 12-month agreement. In August 2008, our TiVo (I purchased from Best Buy) went bad and we called them to see what our options were. The rep stated we were longstanding customers and qualified for a free DVR. At no time was a new contract discussed nor was a contract signed. We received the DVR in the mail, set it up and it wasn't working properly. We made a call and the tech came out and fixed it. At this point, we signed a service form from the tech. No contract.

I had DirecTV service for 4 years and have had multiple problems. They extended my contract without telling me for 2 years. I lived with that and waited to two years out to cancel my service. During those two years, I had a DVR that was broken. I contacted DirecTV and they told me that they would not have it fixed or replaced because the receiver belongs to me. When I was finally able to cancel after the added two years, they told me I had to send that receiver back to them. I told them it belonged to me and they threatened me with a $600 fee. Not wanting to pay an additional fee for a receiver, I reluctantly sent it back to them and paid all remaining service charges I owed them.

My DVR needed to be replaced in November of 2008. My contract was until December of 2008. I was going to switch to the new AT&T U-Verse package yesterday (which seems superior over what DirecTV offers!). I called DirecTV to cancel and was told I agreed to a new 2-year contract with them when I had my DVR replaced. I was never told about this and signed nothing! That is very deceptive of DirecTV!

I switched from Comcast to DirecTV in order to save money on a monthly basis because when my contract expired with Comcast, the monthly service fee increased by over $60. I called DirecTV and placed my order for cable. I requested the 12-month agreement for $29.99 per month, including 3 free months of HBO/Showtime and Starz. I was then referred to the AT&T sales department to start the DSL service. I had to change this as well in order to get a bundled discount rate, plus a rebate that allows me to get the monthly rate on the flyer. I placed my order with AT&T. I was never told there is a contract with AT&T for service. I thought my contract was only with DirecTV. I called the rebate number and an automated system stated I am not eligible for any rebate.

DirecTV was installed on April 8th. I didn't like their service and the price I was told I would pay monthly for TV, internet and phone turned out to be $40 monthly more than what I was told it would be. I notified them that I wanted to cancel on April 13th, after being away for the holiday weekend. I was told I couldn't cancel without having to pay cancellation fees of $480. Someone else there told me the only way these fees would be waived was to write a letter to the billing dispute department and asked to be let out of the contract without any fees. She also advised me to keep my service until I heard back from them on that matter.

I was a customer of DirecTV for several years and never had a problem. I had 4 receivers and enjoyed their programming very much. I sold my home and moved to an apartment that would not allow DirecTV because each apartment was pre-wired for local cable and they did not want wires exposed outside, and did not want holes drilled into their hardwood floors. I called DirecTV and was told that one of our receivers was still under contract. They would send a box to my home - to put the box in and send it back. I agreed and waited for the box.

I ordered Verizon's Fios deal. When it came to install, the internet and TV were not satisfactory. The internet was slow and TV was stopping, just like it did before and lost signal. I had it installed Friday afternoon and we cancelled on Monday at 9:00AM when Verizon opened. I had no idea that we had to call DirecTV and cancel within 24 hours. They are trying to charge us $417.92 for the unreturnable service. I gave them back everything and I feel I should not be charged because I was unhappy with the service. I had 3 working days to cancel any contract. They are telling me no and want me to pay the contract out due to it being a high definition controller that they got back.

I moved from a home into a townhouse. My fees would have been around 400 dollars. The technician did not install the service due to there being a complicated install. I cancelled my service. I received a bill from a collection agency two months later saying that I owed a bill for 279 dollars for services that I did not have. The technician did not tell anyone that the service was not installed. No matter how much I explained this to DirecTV, no one seemed to get it. The technician told me that he would put inform DirecTV and that I would receive a rescue package. I was billed for two 1/2 months for services that I did not get. I was told that I should have called them and told them that the technician did not install the service therefore. so they were still sending the signal. I don't understand that concept.

I am a new DirecTV customer. I got DirecTV due to signing up for the triple bundle with Verizon. Since signing up three months ago, I have had constant problems with my internet and phone line service and had no choice but to cancel my account. Since I got my DirecTV as a bundle, I have no choice but to cancel it as well since it alone is too costly. When calling to cancel, I spoke with Robert in the Texas Call Center. He was very rude, not caring about my difficulties at all. He would just repeat, "You don't need to cancel DirecTV. Just order internet and phone service with another provider."

A continuing series of incompetence since July of 2008. A continuing billing of my account since this time, despite my account being suspended. I have spent at least 4 hours in an attempt to take care of the many problems, not only in billing, but their mistakenly disconnecting my internet service back in summer of 2008. I still get billed on a monthly basis despite not having service and it is debited from my account. I have spent several hours on the phone and am continually misled as to when I will receive a credit. I am convinced that this misleading is intentional.

This is a continuing series of incompetence since July of 2008, a continuing billing of my account since this time despite my account being suspended. I have spent at least 4 hrs in attempt to take care of the many problems not only in billing but their mistakenly disconnecting my internet service back in the summer of 2008. I still get billed on a monthly basis despite not having service and it is debited from my account. I have spent several hours on the phone and am continually misled as to when I will receive a credit. I am convinced that this misleading is intentional.

I signed up for service and installation by phone for DirecTV, Choice Xtra for $39.99 a month for 12 months, and free HD DVR receiver. They brought the basic receiver and said that they would bring the DVR receiver in a week. Now they say that I am not eligible for the HD receiver or the rebate of $39.99 a month, and are billing me $60.00 a month. How can they do this after I signed up and was told that I would receive the "special" package offer? I told them to cancel my service and they said that I will have to pay a cancellation fee now. Unbelievable! I just want the service that I was told that I would get for the price that was agreed upon. Otherwise, I want a full refund and no cancellation fee.

First of all, all of you who have complaints about DirecTV, call your state's consumer affairs department and find out how to file a claim for unfair business practices. In Florida, you can call 1-800-HELP-FLA. If enough of us complain, the Florida's Attorney General's office might be willing to get involved. My story is about the same as everybody else's. DirecTV is an unscrupulous, conniving, lying, and thieving company to do business with. They tell you one thing and then do the opposite.

On April 8, 2009, I called DirecTV requesting for an installation of service. They came to my house on April 9, 2009, to install it. In order to get the service, they asked me for my credit card to automatically deduct the initial payment of $21.60. On the next day, April 10th, I called back to cancel it because I lost my job. A customer service representative, by the name of Alfredo, with a demanding attitude, gave me other options to keep the service. I insisted that I can't because I will not be able to pay it because I lost my job. He responded with an agreement and said I owe nothing.

On April 8, 2009, I called DirecTV requesting installation service. They came to my house on April 9, 2009 to install it. In order to get the service, they asked me for my credit card to deduct automatically the initial payment of $21.60. I called back the next day, April 10th, to cancel because I lost may job. A customer service by the name of Alfredo, with a demanding attitude, gave me other options to keep the service. I insisted that I can't because I will not be able to pay it due to that I lost my job. He agreed and told me I owe nothing. On April 20, 2009, I went to my bank Washington Mutual to make a transaction on my account and found out that DirecTV have debited from my account $479.88. I was very surprised and upset.

I have to agree with all the other reviews to date. DirecTV is operating on false promises and on hiding disclosures. I have been taken advantage of several times and misled and each time, it cost me more money. The latest was a receiver that broke. We agreed that it needed to be replaced. Since I am paying a leasing fee for this equipment, you would think that since they own it, they would give you a replacement for free. "No, sorry, no can do," they said. I was told that it was outside of its 90-day warranty period and therefore did not qualify for free replacement. It was explained to me that the leasing fee is really called a mirror fee and is a legal term so customers do not have to pay the basic fee for each receiver in their house; however, on your bill it clearly says leasing fee and DirecTV owns them.

I have been a customer since 2005 and I saw the advertisement for Direct TV service, offering more channels than the other competitors for $45.99. When they came to install the satellite, the installer broke our window completely, which caused over $100 worth of damage. After three months, the bill increased to $56.99. I then called to ask if this was in error. The representative then told me that I was supposed to receive notice via mail but that they can increase the bill at any time. I then told her that I should be notified via mail if it should happen again.

I was/is a DISH customer. I had signal problems and thought I called DISH. Unknown to me, DirecTV is only a digit off. They offered to send out a tech for $90 to fix or I could cancel and upgrade to more channels and HD. Finally, at the end of the call, I realized that it was DirecTV. The rep never told me I had mistakenly called DirecTV. I assumed that DirecTV and DISH shared customer service or something. Now, I'm battling DirecTV and of course, keep getting voicemail and never get to talk to a human! They scammed me.

I paid my bill for March 23, 09 to DirecTV, and they sent my bill for the next month doubled. They said they did not receive my money. I called my bank and they mailed my statement to DirecTV. Still, they say I owed them, and I mailed the statement, and still no results, stay cut my services off. They robbed me with their computers. They should be investigated.