DIRECTV Reviews

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About DIRECTV

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DIRECTV is a direct broadcast satellite provider that transmits to homes throughout the United States and the Caribbean. There are many different packages to choose from, each offering a variety of features, channels and DVR options. It's important to note that DIRECTV requires a two-year contract, and most customers experience an increase in prices after the first year.

Pros
  • Various programming options
  • Easy to relocate with
  • Multiple packages available
Cons
  • Costly to cancel
  • Price increases after first year

DIRECTV Reviews

Over 10k reviews since 2012

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    Page 76 Reviews 14640 - 14840
    Customer ServiceSales & Marketing

    Reviewed Nov. 26, 2012

    I was offered a $200 rebate from DirecTV for signing up and was given the runaround every time I called to inquire. Nobody knew where to find the rebate form online and they couldn't mail it out to me. They kept saying that I had to print the form and mail it in, but the form was nowhere to be found. DirecTV is scamming people and needs to be made to pay every customer back for pain and suffering. I'm going to write Washington and advise all customers to do the same. This can't be legal. Take action, people!

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Nov. 25, 2012

    When signing up for rebates, get it in writing. Or, if posted, print and save it from your online account (if they follow through). If the rebate does not show up on first bill, email them (don't call - you will have no record) ASAP and request your credit. Do not call, only email so you have proof in writing, and save a copy in a DTV folder. I have had many problems with billing and rebates promised. I have had the adjustments given after many emails, which I could resend proof of reps offer. It is not easy, and they make it very difficult. Be patient and persistent if you were promised certain offers. Good luck!

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 25, 2012

    I switched to DirecTV in September through AT&T. The representative stated that this would save me about $60 a month on my bill. At the time of this conversation, I asked the rep if the DVR and service would be the same (whole house - four recording capability) and he said yes. So, I went ahead and said yeah. Hey, the same service and $60 savings, who wouldn't? The installer came in and ripped out the AT&T phone and internet lines but can't put them back together. He then said it's up to me to call AT&T to get it fixed. That I did. Then he started explaining the functions of the remote and I noticed that I am not getting a DVR. He told me that's $20 per month extra. I told him no, AT&T specifically stated that there would be a DVR included. He called the office and they decided to give us the DVR.

    Lo and behold, on my monthly bill, I saw the $20 charge. That's okay. After this guy leaves the house, I noticed the DVR is working, but only in the living room. I called DirecTV and they informed me that this is what I am paying for. I explained that since I switched from AT&T to DirecTV, we should be considered as new customers, and where is this Genie deal that they are supposed to be offering. The rep tells me no, that we have to pay $299 for the Genie. What a bunch of crap. I'm not paying $299 for a DVR and if it is an upgrade on their equipment, they should be upgrading this 1990's DVR that they are pushing off on their customers instead of trying to charge them out of the kazoo. I am going to invest in a TiVo and send this piece of junk back to them. They play the bait and switch game at DirecTV, even the program sucks.

    What I was getting from AT&T and what I'm getting now are not the same. I had to call and upgrade my programming (and everything is an extra charge by the way), and I am still not getting all the programs I should be getting. I'll live without them before I pay DirecTV another dime. They really need to get their act together or they will be losing a lot of business over their practices. And then they never have to ask you to refer a friend, only if you want them to be your enemy. Believe me, as soon as I can get rid of this junk system, I'm going to. Never in my life have I been treated the way this company treats their customers.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 25, 2012

    I cancelled my account on Nov. 2, 2012 for multiple reasons. I am starting a military career, moving and was tired with the inconsistent billing. I spoke to a representative who assured me that I would not be charged a cancellation fee of $500. I would have 20 days to return my receivers or I would be charged the cost of the receivers. I returned the receivers a week after receiving the return shipping boxes. I then received a bill for around $600 which included the cancellation fee and my final bill. I then called customer service and reminded them that the cancellation fee would be waived and asked them to send me a correct paper bill for my records. They still have not sent a correct bill and have automatically withdrawn the money from my account. Not to mention, I had to explain to them why I couldn't take my receivers with me to basic training three times!

    I called and spoke to a senior financial advisor and the manager and they stated they only give individuals 20 days after cancelling their service to pay their bill or it is automatically deducted. I argued that I never once signed up for auto pay or gave them permission to take money out of my account. The manager stated that it didn't matter I did not sign up for auto pay, that was their policy. I asked for a credit/refund to my account. She stated they could not access this payment system and would not be refunding or crediting my account.

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    Reviewed Nov. 24, 2012

    On November 23, 2012, I contacted DirecTV about moving. When they set up the order to move, I was told I had to pay $237.00 to move from my old address to the new one. When I asked why I had to pay a fee to move when all I had to pay was the first month's bill when they set it up, I was told it was my choice to move. I asked if the $237.00 included my monthly bill and was told no. I pay almost $200.00 a month for their service and this is how I get treated. When I was asked if I would have to pay the cancellation fee because I couldn't afford the moving fee on top of my bill, they told me yes, I would still have to pay it.

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 23, 2012

    Word of warning, do not use DirecTV! I cannot even explain enough my disappointment with DirecTV. I will never again use their service or recommend them to anyone else. To be treated that way after 5 years of loyal service is unacceptable. Back in June, I had our service suspended temporarily due to a cross-country move. The rep I spoke to said it wouldn't be a problem. She said that I would get an email or a phone call to let me know when the suspension was due to expire so that I could renew if we had not yet found a permanent place to live. About 3 months or so later, I received a bill in the mail telling me that my payment was a month past due. I called DirecTV and the rep told me that they don't ever send out reminders and that I would have to pay the past due amount (for service I never received) in order for my account to be put back on suspension. I told him that in that case, he could just cancel our services. I was then told that since my husband is the primary account holder, he would be the one to have to cancel. Funny, he didn't have to be the one to start the service.

    About a week later, I called back when my husband was available to speak with them and explained why we were cancelling the service. The rep was very nice and told me it was a mistake. They credited the bills back to my account and reinstated the suspension for December 1st. After we closed on our house in mid November, we were ready to turn our service back on. I called DirecTV to get everything set up. I needed to add two receivers to what I already had because my mother had moved in with us. I was told that the extra receivers would cost $69.99 each even though I have never had to pay upfront for them before. I already have three receivers that I pay $5/month for. I asked why I suddenly have to pay for the receivers and was told that it was because my account had gone into collections. My account had not gone into collections. It was that bill from September that I wasn't even supposed to have! At this point, I am beyond frustrated.

    When I told the rep my feelings on the matter (after I had been transferred to the retention department), he was very rude. He said that DirecTV has the right to make money too and that I shouldn't expect to get stuff for free all the time. I said that I wasn't asking to get the receivers for free. I was just asking to be put on the leasing program like I have for the others. DirecTV would still be making their money. Keep in mind that I was paying well over $100 a month for this service. At that point, he said there was nothing he could do about it. At that point, I told him it didn't matter because I was so disgusted with DirecTV that I wanted nothing more than to cancel our account. He said okay and said that after prorating, we would have to pay over $400 to cancel! I was flabbergasted.

    I was told when I renewed our contract in February 2012 that the cancellation fee was $200 and it would be prorated. When I mentioned this to our rep, he basically stated that that was my problem and that it was a matter of record for many months before that, that cancellation was a $480 fee. At that point, I just wanted to not have to deal with them anymore. I said, "Fine, send me a bill and I would pay it." He then stated that the fee would be charged to the debit card I have on file! I continue to be absolutely appalled by DirecTV's horrible customer service and the rudeness of some of the reps that I dealt with in regards to this issue. Word of warning, do not use DirecTV!

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Nov. 23, 2012

    We had DirecTV for a few months. We were in the middle of a job change and a job loss so our income fluctuated, which made us cut bills to be able to maintain rent, food, etc. So they canceled our contract. Five weeks later, boxes showed up to send back our receivers. Less than one week later, which was the weekend before Thanksgiving, a random debit appeared on our account for $141, which broke the bank as we were between paychecks. My wife called customer service, very angry, and demanded to know why we did not receive a paper bill to warn us in advance of the bill. The lady on the other end of the phone told us that the next debit would occur in 15 days, no less. The very next day (which happened to be a payday, no less) another debit for $398 appeared! I called DirecTV, furious, and demanded to know why another debit had occurred so quickly.

    They stated that they could charge any card used for payment until a balance was made. I told them we had just gotten the boxes to send their equipment back - to which they replied it had been sent out four weeks ago. Of course this was a lie on their part. I demanded that they take my credit card number off of my account as it had depleted the money I needed for groceries and rent. I had to become very verbal with them to ensure they had taken my card off of the account, as well as stating to a supervisor that I did not want them to be able to debit my account for any reason whatsoever. They offered to refund it all - if I get the tracking numbers for the boxes when I send them back. I got all $500+ back within 30 days. Horrible service. I would never recommend my worst enemy to go to these numbskulls.

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    Punctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Nov. 22, 2012

    I planned on getting a job transfer to Malibu, so I was excited and started organizing so my move would be smooth. So I ordered DirecTV & they installed without any TV. Simply brought receivers & plugged wires together, then the Tech had me sign for his installation acknowledgement. I didn't get the job transfer and DirecTV is charging me $500. DirecTV hasn't mailed me one bill to my living address or mailed the return boxes for receivers. For the past 6 months, I have called them each month to correct this mess. They say if I transfer, their service fees will be waived; however, I already have service. Now, I arranged the new tenant to order DirecTV thinking they'd not lose a client. It's still not acceptable to their terms/policy etc. I think that it's unfair to be informed of early cancellation fees after the fact of service. I should have been informed prior, obviously know what I am getting into. I'd like to know if I have rights. DirecTV has all the rights?

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    Reviewed Nov. 21, 2012

    I was not able to get access to several channels. Customer care gave no answers and lacked concern over the issue. I felt like a number calling in and they wanted to get me off the line as soon as they could to keep their customer care statistics up. I am very disappointed.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 21, 2012

    On Nov. 17, DirecTV canceled all the best Chinese TV channels in the world. Now I’m left with some old, cheesy movies that no one wanted to waste time watching. They gave a very short notice about this change. When I called customer service about my account information or the new changes plan, the representatives and supervisors are not at all prepared for the changes. DirecTV gave the worst service among all the entertainment cable companies. Don't open an account or stay with them. That's no hope. DirecTV treats its customers like **!

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    Staff

    Reviewed Nov. 20, 2012

    I have been a long time customer of DirecTV and recently became aware that the Jadeworld Package has been cancelled as of 11/18/2012. I was not made aware of this in advance and it is totally wrong for them to up and pull this package. When I contacted them, I spoke with a representative that was not helpful at all and was attempting to sell me on another Chinese package that didn't include all the previous stations. I have since cancelled with them and moved onto Dish. They were helpful and glad to have me as a customer. You can contact them at 877-342-2104.

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    Contract & TermsSales & Marketing

    Reviewed Nov. 20, 2012

    DirecTV ripped me off! I am a disabled veteran. I live on my disability check from the VA month to month. My DirecTV contract ran out, all my discounts expired and my bill was sky high, so I called to change my plan to a more affordable rate. My bill was about $89.00 a month. They put me on what they said was the next plan down. I got half the channels as before (still had all 200 of the infomercial channels). They said my bill would be $55.00 a month and they would "throw in" the Sunday football package. They were all lies and deception. The $55.00 would soon go back to $87.00 a month because my new discounts for signing back up were only for 3 months!

    When I called to cancel my subscription because of the bait and switch tactics, they hit me with a $100.00 penalty for canceling the football package they threw in! Don't fall for this free football package because it obligates you no matter what! Even if you are a 100% service connected, disable veteran with multiple amputations! They just can't fix the mistake and make it good! I'm screwed and I am going to ride this out until my contract obligations are expired, but I am going to every single site I can to post a complaint about DirecTV being a ripoff! Tell everybody you know!

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    Customer ServiceSales & Marketing

    Reviewed Nov. 19, 2012

    My receiver lasted 2 years before it stopped working properly. If I wanted to pay for a third party service tech, it would be $50 upfront (DirecTV offers no live service) or pay to have a new one shipped to me. Either way, I pay for their malfunctioning equipment monthly or pay to have the piece of junk replaced. I spent over an hour wasting my time trying to reset the thing with a tech. I laugh every time I see their ads claiming wonderful customer service. That is a joke.

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    PriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 18, 2012

    I'm currently in day 2 of my attempting to sign up and have an installation completed with DirecTV. I've had seven different sales agents, seven, yes seven different price quotes, different surcharges and numerous mis-characterizations of services to be provided. It seems each agent has been consistent about one thing. They all stated the previous agent was wrong, did not have proper training, or probably was not aware of a specific service. How am I supposed to know the skill? Am I supposed to know the skill set or voracity of the agent I am speaking to at the time I try to order a service? I would go into details but I am physically sick and my hands are shaking out of anger and frustration. Direct TV is the most incompetent and dishonest company I ever came encountered in my lifetime. Horrible. The Attorney General should investigate them.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupContract & TermsPrice

    Reviewed Nov. 18, 2012

    We had a DirecTV dish installed in July and it was problem-free until late October (after the 90-day warranty expired). We called DirecTV and had a technician out to fix the problem, which he did. The tech said the problem was due to faulty installation - one of the support posts came out of true because it was installed backwards. The cold weather and rain in Wisconsin caused the metal to contract and shift slightly. The repair technician said that if it was installed correctly, this would not have happened. When I called customer service, they basically said it was past the 90-day warranty and I signed off on the installation, relieving them of any responsibility for the installation. So basically, because a DirecTV technician initially installed it incorrectly (and how would I know it wouldn't stand up to 30-degree weather - the connection worked, so I assumed it was installed correctly), I must pay to have his shoddy work repaired.

    If I was knowledgeable about satellite dish installation, I may have caught the mistake. Alas, I am not. I would have had no problem paying the repair bill if it was due to a storm or animal causing the problem, but it was a DirecTV installer that was the problem! How am I to know that the repair was done correctly? Will that repair present problems in the summer and cause another $50 tech visit? Is this the type of “customer service” I am to expect from DirecTV? When I called, I was basically told (in other words) I'm out of luck, but I could purchase the monthly service protection to protect against future problems. I'm only four and a half months into a two-year agreement. It's starting to make me miss Charter Communications - they had high prices but at least were problem-free for the 14 years we had them. Is there nothing that can be done to fix this problem?

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 18, 2012

    I started my DirecTV contract on 01/2012 with HD service. The promotion at that time was that if I enroll Auto Bill Pay, they will waive the $10 HD monthly charge. So I called to enroll and they told me that the HD fee will be waived. At the same time frame, I also cancelled my equipment protection plan. Since it is auto pay, I did not check my bill to protect myself. I just checked my bill on 11/2012 and found out that they have been charging for HD and protection all along. I called and requested a correction and a refund for those months that they had over charged me. They said that they will fix the price from now on but won't be refunding anything.

    They made the mistake and I have to pay for it! They said that I should have checked. But why do I have to check when I am entitled to those? Also, why will they not refund the money they had over charged me when it was their fault? They will not do anything and they don't listen. I asked for the complaint phone number or department number and they said that they have no such department (told by employee # **). DirecTV business practice is sneaky, and if we don't catch them, they will get away with it and we, as customers, have to pay for their mistake. Also, they just don't not want to help and listen to us. I am an angry customer and I will never do business with DirecTV again.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsSales & MarketingStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 17, 2012

    We were, at one time, DirecTV customers and after a couple of years, it seemed that our monthly bill was just too high. We decided to switch to DISH Network which did indeed lower our monthly bill. After a few months with DISH Network, we started receiving letters in the mail from DirecTV stating that DirecTV would pay the cancellation fee (up to $200) to switch back to them. We disregarded the first few letters from DirecTV but then one night I made the mistake. I decided to call to see what kind of specials that DirecTV had and if they would indeed pay the cancellation fee to get out of a contract with another company. After talking to a DirecTV representative, he confirmed that DirecTV would indeed pay a contract cancellation fee of up to $200.

    I was hesitant at first to change because the package that the DirecTV representative was trying to sell me was not a huge savings over our monthly bill with DISH Network. After a good while on the phone with the rep, he had promised us several things that brought our monthly bill down quite a bit. It seemed like a good deal so I agreed to change from DISH Network back to DirecTV. To make a long story short, it has now been five months and we have called DirecTV many times only to get the runaround about the $200 visa card that was promised to us to cancel our other contract with DISH Network.

    Not only that, but our monthly bill is $30 a month more than we were told it would be. Also, the rep told us that we could use one box for two different TV's which after calling DirecTV later we were told that we could not mirror the TV's using one box and that it was illegal to do so. I talked to a representative for the last time on November 14. I told him that this would be the last time that I would contact them. The next contact would be from my attorney. He promised me that someone would call me back on the 16th. Guess what, no call today. So Monday morning, I am going to get in touch with my attorney. I will be suing them not only for the $200 but for all the mental anguish that DirecTV has caused us for the past few months.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 15, 2012

    I signed up for auto bill pay when I joined DirecTV, was told my bill would be $60.99 a month and would come out on the 15th of the month. I also would get a $10 a month credit for using auto bill pay. Awesome, or so I thought... On to month 2, I still haven't been billed the correct amount. I have been overcharged both months the discount I was supposed to get. Two months and literally 3 hours on the phone, I have had to argue to get my discount applied. Month one rolled around and they never auto-debit my account. Fearing a late payment, I called in to make sure there weren't any problems. Lo and behold, there were problems! They said there was no record of my auto-bill pay at all. Sweet. They supposedly fixed it and assured me it won't happen again.

    Today rolled around and I was again charged the wrong amount, so I called in again. It was the usual runaround and then I'm told, "Your bill pay will start again next month." What? So I have the lady transfer me to a supervisor hoping he can explain the situation. The guy, "Alex" was his name, regurgitated my bill info to me over and over again as I asked him questions, not even listening to me, and most of the time actually talking over me. Never did I get an explanation from the guy other than, "You never set up auto-bill pay." I gritted my teeth and tried to calmly tell him that I have set it up twice now and I am still having issues. His response was, "I can't issue a credit on your account, your records don't show auto bill pay," and then he started regurgitating my bill to me again. Listen! It's $10, I'm not going to die over $10, but a contract is a contract and I didn't sign on to pay an extra $120 a year for this service.

    ll I wanted was an explanation of why my bill pay was getting messed up every month, and I never got it. Alex was rude, and not helpful at all. I actually asked him to transfer me to someone else so I could get actual help and he verbatim told me, "That's not going to happen," and "I won't transfer you to anyone else." I'm pretty disappointed in the customer service thus far, mostly with the Alex character and his lack of listening or helpfulness. He sounded like a robot set on the repeat cycle the whole phone conversations. I understand these guys don't have the greatest job on earth and dealing with ** off customers isn't fun, but not everyone is out to get you. All I wanted was my issues resolved, and I am doubtful that happened. I guess I wait till next month to see if the correct bill comes in.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & Setup

    Reviewed Nov. 15, 2012

    On 10/29/2012, I applied for services with DirecTV. They checked my credit and told me I was approved and then also received $21.50 from my credit card to start services. I also made an appointment for them to install my services on 11/8/2012. November 8th came around and 2 hours into waiting for a service person to come and install the cable, I called DirecTV to ensure the person was coming out. I was then told the order had been canceled because there was a problem with the account.

    First of all, 10 days had passed and no one from DirecTV bothered to call and tell me about this "problem with the account". No one called me to inform me not to wait for a service person to install because they weren't sending anyone out. Ten days passed and no one from DirecTV tried to refund my money back to my account. When I inquired as to why my order was canceled, they asked if I knew someone named "April". I said yes, she was my sister. They proceeded to tell me because she hadn't paid her bill, they were denying me service.

    Their reasoning was because I lived at the same address as she at some point. My sister and I, along with 8 other people lived at the same address at "some point". I lived at the same address as my sister for 1 year, and since have had my own address, while they all continued to live at the "address" for 2 more years. How can service be denied to someone not because of their credit, but because of their address? When did this become a law? I want proof this is lawful!

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    Contract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 14, 2012

    I chose DirecTV for a satellite upgrade after they gave me a price promise for two years. I had used them for 8 years already. Once the install was complete, I tried to confirm pricing (at the sales rep's suggestion). I found that they could not keep the price promise for the second year of my contract. I went round and round with many DTV people with no luck. I gave up, thought I would just try at the start of the second year of service. Now I have received my bill for the 13th month of service. It is $25 higher than the original promise. I called again to see if anything could be done. I got stonewalled at every turn.

    This company is dishonest and not at all forthright with its pricing. I will do whatever I can to get out of this contract. I will never use DTV again, under any circumstances. I don't know how they get away with this, but apparently I am not the first long term customer they have treated poorly. I have spent many hours on this issue already.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 14, 2012

    I was forced to use DirecTV when I moved into a new development that had not been wired yet by any other company for cable. That was in April of 2010 and DirecTV has been a nightmare from that point on. I have moved and wanted to get rid of DirecTV for two reasons. First, wind and rain meant the cable will go out and your TV will look like an acid-trip from the 60s. Second, I'm very unhappy with the company in general and how their customer service people are not upfront at all and basically lie to you by omitting the fact that they are on the other end of the phone signing you up on contracts that you are not even aware of. I am on my third move since getting associated with this company and with every single move, I have tried to dump this company and I am threatened with I am on a contract I knew nothing about and I will have to buy my way out.

    This time, I have had it and I mean big time had it. I called in again to let DirecTV know I was moving. I did not need their service any longer. I am moving where cable is already in place, so please turn my service off. After telling one customer service person the details, I thought that was the end of it. Wrong. I was transferred to another department and had to start over with why I did not want their service. I have never in my whole life dealt with a customer service person who literally would not shut up and let me end my service. I was told he had a special offer for me. I told him I do not want it and, “What part of I don't need any cable company now do you not understand?” He told me I had to buy out a contract they had set up that I had no idea existed and also asked me if I had any friends or relatives that I could transfer my service to so I would not have to buy my way out. I could not believe it.

    Then he started back up with the special offer he had for me that could save me money from having to buy my way out to get rid of DirecTV. He told me he could charge me $16.99 per month for the remainder of yet another contract I did not even know existed. They would not set up the service where I am moving, but I would pay them the $16.99 every month for the remainder of their bogus contract. Are you kidding me? Now I was beyond irritated and shocked at the incredibly ignorant offer DirecTV's customer service rep had apparently been trained to throw out on the table. I had been a customer since April 2010 and it was October 2012. I obviously had already fulfilled any contract they signed me up for behind my back anyway. Fifty five minutes later, I was off the phone with DirecTV. That is longer than it took me to call all of my utility companies to disconnect service on the date I needed. Ridiculous waste of my time and the most frustrating experience I have ever had with any company.

    I have now received a final statement from DirecTV and they have charged me an additional $140 for discontinuing service with them and that is an amount I am to pay to do it their way, to buy my way away from them. Not happening, not now, not ever. I absolutely will not pay DirecTV off in order to end a relationship with them that I was never happy with in the first place but could not get rid of them to save my life due to all their threats of me having to buy my way out. So I would break down after so much pressure and say fine, I will keep your service. This time is different. I don't need cable and there is nowhere to transfer it to in order to shut them up. Paying for service when I was using it, fine, I did that. Pay for not needing their service, no, I will not. I will be writing to DirecTV's Corporate Offices to see if anyone there has better sense than their trained customer service reps have and I will also take the time to file a complaint with the BBB. Stay away from this company is my advice.

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    Staff

    Reviewed Nov. 13, 2012

    There's a full page ad in today's Register Guard (11/13/12) with headline: Game time is all the time, but Charter and DirecTV have you on the sidelines. The ad goes on to say: "Don't miss another second of Oregon and Oregon state sports. Available on Ashland Home Net, Beavercreek telephone company, Bend Broadband, Coltontel, Comcast, Crestview, Dish, Fios by Frontier, Minet, Monroe, Reliance Cable, Scio Cablevision and Wave Broadband."

    I can't tell you how upset and angry I am with DirecTV for holding back from their millions of customers for money, money, money. They seem to care nothing about their loyal customers. Millions of fans living in the Pac 12 area don't get to watch football games, and now basketball games, because of crappy DirecTV. I do believe karma will spoil their game eventually. All the above carriers care more about their customers than big-whopping DirecTV. I will continue to badmouth DirecTV anywhere I can. DirecTV is selfish and money-hungry.

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    Customer ServiceReliability

    Reviewed Nov. 13, 2012

    DirecTV is the worst company ever! We have been customers for only a few months and have constant issues with their service - both their technical and customer service. I'm not sure which is worse! Today, our box just died for no reason. When we called to get another box, they refused to send a technician over with a replacement. They took no time to troubleshoot over the phone, insisting that our error code meant a dead box. No problem. We just wanted someone to come replace the box. Again they refused, stating that we could only wait for a replacement in the mail which would be 2 days. Unacceptable.

    We asked for a supervisor who also refused. We didn't (and still don't) understand why DirecTV does not do service calls. It's not like we live in a rural neighborhood. We live in the middle of San Francisco! We escalated again two more times to no avail. To sum up, our 2-hour excruciating phone call, DirecTV refused to send someone over to simply replace a box, further stating that our reason code did not warrant a service call and that the 2-day wait was incorrect - more like 3-5 business days. Didn't know that the protocol for a major cable company of incompetent paper pushers ran by supervisors/managers who cannot think for themselves and make a decision was the norm that I am supposed to accept. Well, I do not.

    Now I need to sit and wait for 3-5 days with no service for their faulty equipment because of their laziness. Incomprehensible! How do they run a company like this?! DirecTV, this is not over!

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    Contract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 12, 2012

    In 2007 I signed up with DirecTV. Then in October 2011, I was moving and cancelled my service. I was told that I was going to be charged $160 for an early cancellation fee. Of course I said, "What?" I have been a customer since 2007 and my contract was for 2 years and told them to send me something I signed stating I renewed my contract. Of course they never did and they sent me to a collection agency. Then I sent them a letter telling them to provide me a detailed statement showing why I owed them $283.49. They finally did. The statement did show me that I had a balance on the account and I was willing to pay that. So, I called DirecTV and said that I would pay the past due balance, but would not pay the $160 cancellation fee.

    I spoke to someone named Jessica and she was not helpful in any way. She said I owed the early cancellation fee and that I had to pay it because I had extended my contract in July 2010. I asked her to provide something I signed renewing my contract. She said they didn't have anything but when I signed up with them in 2007, it said in the contract if I upgraded my equipment, it automatically renews for 2 years. Absurd, I said. I asked to speak with a supervisor and that got me nowhere. So now what do I do? I had to rack my brain to figure out when I supposedly upgraded my receivers.

    Back in July 2010, one of my receivers was not working properly so I called for service. They came out and replaced the receiver. During that visit, they said I had the old receivers in the other rooms and that they would replace them free of charge. So of course I said sure. No one ever told me that was going to renew my contract for another 2 years. I am so frustrated a collection company is calling me all day long and I have no recourse? There has to be something, right? Any suggestions?

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 10, 2012

    I was approached at my local Best Buy to switch from AT&T Uverse to DirecTV. I agreed to switch, and since then, I have had nothing but trouble. It started with the installation and continues today. I have been promised rates that are wrong, and when I called back to see why my bill was twice as high, I was told "Oops, the CSR made a mistake and we will not back it up." I am so frustrated and want to cancel, but of course, I will be charged $20 per month for the remaining months until July of 2014 for breaking my word that I will remain a customer for 2 years. However, when DirecTV breaks their word to me, nothing happens.

    I wish someone, anyone, at DirecTV would go back and listen to the conversations I've had, because my calls are recorded for quality assurance and see exactly what I am talking about. I was also promised a $150 Best Buy gift card for signing up and spending over $400 at Best Buy that day. The representative failed to give me the right paperwork, and when I returned to the store to get it, they were "between reps" and could not help me. When I finally found the form online, the timeline had expired. I called AT&T Uverse and they offered me a $200 gift card that will pay for 1/2 the cancellation fee. I may just have to take them up on that.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 10, 2012

    Should have known the first time I left DirecTV several years ago. Shame on me! The first time we left (although we did not have PPV access on our receivers or through our remotes), we received the final bill with two raunchy titled movies attached. We called and disputed, and of course, they removed after a lengthy discussion. We left DirecTV again several weeks ago, and sure enough, 2 more charges. Again, they claimed that, "Although it was not added to your bill two years ago, it was on your access card." The initial person I spoke with, I had to cut off because he was not at all helpful and had horrible customer service. He explained to me that they were valid charges on my "access card" (again from 2 years ago after we came back) and how me speaking with his supervisor would be a waste of my time. I did speak with his supervisor who again removed them after having to elevate my blood pressure again.

    The fact that they have now done this twice is ridiculous, and now, I feel as if others should be aware. Even if you don't have access on your account to order PPVs by remote, apparently, you can still be charged for them. Yes, interesting, I know. I don't recommend DirecTV to anyone going forward and will be sure to post this information on every available outlet for others' awareness. Stay away from them - they are horrible! Very dishonest! Looking at what other options are for reporting this now. Be careful when you leave them.

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    Punctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Nov. 8, 2012

    I bundled DirecTV and AT&T internet and was quoted $66.99 per month for both. I have been overbilled every month (sometimes as much as $200) and have spent hours and hours calling AT&T. Each time, they eventually credit my account and promise it won't happen again; and then it does. It is maddening! I have been getting late fees as well on an account that has never been late. If I could get out of the contract, I would. Don't sign up for the AT&T/DirecTV bundle!

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Nov. 8, 2012

    I have been trying to get my $130.00 back since August 2012. I keep getting the runaround. They owe us the money, they took off my card for a charge that was bogus, and I am still trying to get it back. It is now November 8, 2012, and every time I call, I get nowhere. So this is what I am going to do. Everyone with issues with this company, if you have tried everything, even going to the CRG department with DirecTV, then I suggest you file a complaint with FCC ** and threaten DirecTV with this. And maybe, if enough people do this, something will get done. Dealing with DirecTV is like slamming my head into a wall. Every company has to answer to someone, just as a doctor has to answer to the Medical Board. This should get things moving for you.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Nov. 8, 2012

    My package went from $70 a month to $95 a month, within a month. I cancelled my service. I was sent an email that I had a credit of 76 dollars, I sent my receivers back. About 2 weeks later, they sent me another email that I owed 56 dollars. I told them that wasn't possible because I had a credit. They said that when they get the receivers back, they pull the memory card out and read it. And I had some PPV movies that I wasn't charged for. So I asked from when. She said from 2009. I find it really hard to believe that I still owe money from 3 years ago. And how am I supposed to remember if I paid it or not? So I was already mad about that. Then 2 weeks later, I'm looking at my bank account online and DirecTV had taken over 150 dollars out of my account.

    They did not inform me that they were taking that money. I'm furious, so I talk to Gina at DirecTV. I tell her that I don't even believe that I owe from 3 years ago. But I was told $56 not a $150. Then she started all this stuff again. I said, “You said when the cards are read, they are correct. Why is the amount different now?” She said, “When we read the other card, we found more charges.” I said, “Is DirecTV crazy?” She said, “Well, when we send a final bill, we only give you so long to pay it. Then, we take it out of your account.” I said that I was not told about these other charges. And you just take 3 times the amount that I was told out of my account. I have never been so upset with a place of business. They steal from the customers, and no customer service at all.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupCoveragePricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 8, 2012

    I'm rating DirecTV customer service 2/5 since some of their staff knew their stuff to be fair, but others didn't and directly lied to me. Brief overview before I begin my DirecTV experience. I've been a Time Warner cable client of cable television and internet for the last 5 years until 2 weeks ago, where continued internet issues finally made me cancel their service. I intended to switch to AT&T as my next choice, but they purposely hid information from me that ultimately led me to cancelling service before it started. I initially scheduled an installation appointment for my area through AT&T and was told it would take 11 days. I escalated the issue twice to expedite this ridiculous wait time since DirecTV was offering me next day installation. I was told both times that a team lead would contact me back with an expedited date. They never called back but I was informed that they had notes that an escalation was entered as if this would somehow ease my mind.

    Finally, 11 days passed by and I ended up cancelling before it got installed, thanks to the informative technician. The first issue is that they neglected to inform me that they have a 250gb data cap and I had let them know that this connection would be used for business purposes where downloading large files would occur. The second issue was the AT&T U-verse television package itself. I told them I needed 6 independent receivers but they neglected to tell me that their service is limited to 3-4 live feeds per household. This meant that only 3 or 4 people in the household could be watching something live or even less if the DVR feature is recording. The other 2-3 users would be forced to watch one of the current feeds. Under Time Warner, this was never an issue but this was an obvious deal breaker for me. The technician himself admitted that they purposely avoid telling you this in hopes that you'll still sign up and it was his protocol to have me speak to his supervisor for cancelling.

    AT&T ultimately wasted my time, never returned my calls and neglected to inform me when I made clear statements of what I needed. So I called DirecTV and expressed the issues that had occurred over the last 2 weeks. This specific representative knew his stuff and ultimately gave me correct information. I was offered their new genie whole house DVR to cover 4 of my 6 independent receivers (same limitation as AT&T regarding live feeds), the other 2 receivers would have to be ordered as stand-alone DVR receivers to watch independent content. The issue we had was that there is a one-time lease equipment fee on the 2 additional DVRs of $199 each ($398 total upfront costs). They also offered $10 off their normal $20 a month "advanced" receiver fee if I signed up with auto-bill pay. I expressed concern over the auto-bill pay since I cancelled Time Warner cable two weeks prior and had turned in all their equipment to completely shut off service/billing through them. Problem is, I had auto-bill pay with Time Warner and they decided to still charge me $200+ automatically the following month even though

    I had already cancelled service (which I should be receiving back within 1-2 weeks, as if it's my fault their system isn't synched up to catch these type of errors). DirecTV wouldn't budge on this issue and I submitted my card to pay the upfront equipment charges ($400+ with tax) and signed up for their auto-bill pay and scheduled a next day appointment. I didn't order an internet bundle with DirecTV as their local partner is AT&T, wasn't going to do that with the experience I just had with them. I went and grabbed the mail and saw an ad for Dish Network. I gave them a shot and called them up to see how they compared. They ultimately offered a lower price but more importantly, no upfront $400+ one-time equipment lease if I ordered HD receivers for all 6 of my TVs with no DVR functionality. This was attractive since I never had DVR service through Time Warner and I would ultimately get the channels I needed. So I called back DirecTV to try and see if they'll match or work with me on the fees. The number I called recognized my phone number through caller ID as recently placing an order and this is where the problems begin!

    There was an option to press 2 if I would like to cancel my order. I spoke with the representative over what I had been offered through Dish. His counter was to offer me their new genie recorder with 5 mini client receivers (6 total units) as opposed to my initial 3 mini clients and 2 independent DVR receivers. I expressed my concern over the 4 live feed limit I was told about earlier. He informed that the earlier representative was incorrect and that they wouldn't offer receivers that couldn't watch independent content (this can be accomplished if 2 receivers are off and only 4 are on). I questioned him again since he didn't actually answer the question. I drilled down and asked if all 6 could watch independent content at the same time. His answer was, "Yes, 6 receivers, 6 remotes," which didn't exactly sit well with me. He quickly changed the subject by saying that he just saved me $300+ as I would now only have to pay $99 in equipment fees. He also promised better picture quality over Dish and that they display content in 1080p.

    I knew Time Warner only did this with OnDemand content but he claimed that their live content was also 1080p on some channels. I went along with this and was told I would be refunded the initial payment of $400 within 1-2 weeks and they will now be charged a new fee of $100+ after tax. But now a new surprise. He claims that by calling the DirecTV and pressing 2 to cancel an order automatically cancelled my next day appointment. Now I have to wait 2 days as my original appointment is now lost. I was never aware that my appointment was cancelled. I expected to be taken to a representative to accomplish this action (as if they would ever make it this easy). Regardless, I didn't complain since 2 days is nothing compared to the 11 days AT&T had me wait. To put things in perspective at this point, my bank account has now been drawn by $700+ (Time Warner/DirecTV combined) with close to $600 pending refund. After the call, his answers didn't sit well with me so I started doing research online and looked for genie DVR reviews.

    To my discovery, it appeared the original representative was truthful, this genie DVR is limited to 5 tuners so it isn't possible to display 6 independent content streams! Before calling again, I went to the DirecTV website and spoke with live chat personnel. The representative here confirmed that I wouldn't be able to view 6 independent channels with the genie DVR and the 5 mini clients that piggyback off the unit. He recommended the original setup I already had initially with 2 extra HD receivers. So I'm now calling DirecTV a third time, this time I avoid selecting option 2 to cancel my order as I now know this would cancel my appointment. So I went around this by selecting the add service option. I explained the frustration to the representative. Her response is that both the initial representative and the online representative are incorrect. Her claim is that all 6 receivers through the genie client can watch TV at the same time, all independent content each and that I've been misinformed.

    I told her that I did my research online, she then placed me on hold for about 5 minutes to confirm the information with her supervisor. Five minutes passed and she claimed that she is correct in her statement and her supervisor supports the claim. To be fair, I was told that I could test the equipment after it's installed and I would have 24 hours to cancel the service if I'm not satisfied. But I pushed on and had her navigate to the DirecTV and show her where it displays that the unit only has 5 tuners and asked her to explain how it can possibly display 6 live independent feeds. I was then placed on hold again for about 6 minutes until the call itself got disconnected on its own. I expected a call back since she had all my information in front of her. Never happened. My only assumption is that she realized her mistake and didn't wish to confront me.

    I now called back a 4th time and this time directly asked for a supervisor. I once again explained the entire story. This floor supervisor was completely unprofessional and was laughing at the whole scenario. She admitted that the initial representative and the online representative were correct, but asked for me to understand since this is a new product of theirs. It shouldn't be my job to do all this research and teach DirecTV staff about their own products. To fix the issue, she wanted to refund me the $100 back and once again, charge me $400 to fix the problem. I found this unacceptable and explained that I would now be drawn on my bank account by $1,100 if I went along with this based on mistakes that these providers get away with.

    She laughed at it and told me I would get my refunds back, but it's not as if everybody has that much money to just toss around and lend interest-free. Since I refused, she offered to send me 2 non-HD receivers free as a courtesy, but this is an option available online so it's not her helping the situation at all. She then got defensive and said I wasn't being reasonable, as if this is a big investment once you're locked in for 2 years. At this point, I became extremely frustrated and demanded to cancel and told her how unprofessional she was. In the end, I was extremely disappointed with the various carriers but more so with the inconsistent and uninformed staff at DirecTV. It's a shame that they're allowed to get away with these lies and lock customers into long term contracts. I wish I had an alternative happy ending to you folks, best of luck!

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    Reviewed Nov. 8, 2012

    After overpaying for 13 years with never a complaint, I decided to cancel my subscription for the NBA League Pass because they are unable to provide

    Lakers games. I was told that they were unwilling to refund my money because the season is underway. I had to threaten to cancel all three of my accounts before they would yield, even though they have yet to broadcast a single Lakers game. I will be looking for a different provider.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 8, 2012

    I had a DirecTV-Frontier bundle package, and Frontier and DirecTV recently decided to split and bill separately. A representative from DirecTV called to collect on a bill that I had already paid to Frontier. They insisted that I needed to pay them for the bill I had previously paid for. I have never ever received a collection call from any bill organization and I was livid. The conversation got heated and I explained that in 8 years with them, there was not one payment missed and I had already paid the bill twice this month and they insisted I pay the same bill an additional two times making a total of $400 for one month of TV. She realized that she wasn't winning the argument and I told her to cancel the service. They transferred me to the cancellation department and the argument resumed. They insisted that I was responsible for getting my money back from Frontier and paying them now!

    I told them DirecTV agreed to let Frontier act as its agent and it was their responsibility to get their money. The rep called Frontier and Frontier confirmed that the bill was duly submitted by them and paid. I made the Frontier rep repeat it three times that it was paid. At that time, they backed off but this evening resumed the argument insisting I would have to get my money back from Frontier. I have dealt with this company for 8 years without a glitch from the billing department. When DirecTV started billing separately, I sent that check directly to them and they have never cashed that check even though all my other checks that were written at the same time have cleared the bank. Is anyone else having trouble with the Frontier-DirecTV billing split?

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Nov. 8, 2012

    OMG! DirecTV has got to be the worst company ever. Their customer service sucks! I made a payment, it didn't post and I got disconnected. I called the night before, making sure no disconnection was ordered and I was reassured 100% that it was fine. Then in the afternoon, it was off. I called supervisors and managers. Nothing. Here I am with no TV. I'm so angry. What a disgusting company. Never again!

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    Reviewed Nov. 6, 2012

    I made a one time payment on my father's account. DirecTV stored my credit information and continued to deduct my father's bill from my checking account. I did not sign up to have my information stored. Upon calling DirecTV, they told me they would keep my credit information and would not take it off on auto pay. I lost a lot of money. I am still trying to dispute it with the bank.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPrice

    Reviewed Nov. 6, 2012

    My mother has an account with DirecTV. She had a stroke in late August and was hospitalized 2 months before she finally passed away. I called DirecTV to advise them and suspend her account for 3 months. I was told she had to pay her bill down to zero before they could suspend her account. I paid her monthly bill with my credit card. They informed they would keep the card on file. I was told they would not charge my card. When she died 2 months later, I called to inform them and was told if her estate had not paid them, they were going to restart her account and charge my card! There is no way they are going to get their money that soon. Now I have to cancel my credit card. I received no service from them and signed no contract to pay my mother’s bill. How can they legally do this?

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    Contract & Terms

    Reviewed Nov. 6, 2012

    We have been with DirecTV for the last 14 years and lately we have been treated horribly. We have had problems with our receivers and instead of sending us a new one, they keep sending refurbished ones. The last issue we had almost a week ago was that the "refurbished" one completely seized. After being on the phone with them for almost an hour, I was told that the best they could do was offer another refurbished one. I told them that was unacceptable. The only other solution was to order me a new one and extend my contract. This is ridiculous! I am strongly considering cancelling my subscription and going to online streaming.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsSales & Marketing

    Reviewed Nov. 6, 2012

    They (Directv) sent me a bill for high def after I was promised free HD in a promotion. A rep fixed it and 6 months later they began billing me. Oh, some of the shows in HD like American picker don't come in HD, or CBS or all listed as unavailable. We moved and paid $150 for the move. They said we would get a free DVR as a bonus. Guess what? No DVR, even after repeated calls. We did not get any billing notice and fell behind by 10 days. We immediately paid the $84 (for stars and basic service + the HD charge) and less than 2 days later got a second bill in the mail for an additional $95, due immediately. After giving our account number repeatedly we were finally transferred again to someone who listened to our complaints and said we had till the 11th to pay up.

    The next bill would still be due on the 18th! I never heard of such a mess. Actually, reading these posts informs me they do this scam routinely or at least it looks like that. This last bill was the first one they sent us in 3 months. In our opinion, this company has poor service, poor reception and misleading practices. They will not suspend service until we pay the $95. We are going to return the equipment, cancel our checking account to block theft and pay $200 on the remaining contract. I have 1 word: DVD.

    If you are an American, I advise you to pick another service.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 5, 2012

    I signed up for service with DirecTV in 2009 and had a receiver replacement in 2011 and so they restarted my two-year agreement without notification to me. We then moved to Minnesota to take a job and were told to suspend my account for 30 days until we found out if we could have it installed in our new place. The apartment complex said ‘no’ because of the age of the building itself and the fact that we do not have patios or balconies we cannot have it installed. And I was told that the cancellation fee would be waived. Well, then they took my money anyways. So after dealing with this for the last five days and getting nowhere, I decided to take it to the street so to speak. All I want is my fee back so that I can feed my family and put gas in my car so I can get to work. Here is the information I have so far and will continue to fight not just for me but for several others also:

    Sissy, Taylor, Ryan, John, John Alfred, Chris, Sherwin, Joan Mae, Sasha, and Julie have done nothing to help remedy the situation and I have been told it doesn't matter what I do, they will not refund my money and that all the employees, Mike, Craig, John, and Sheila, Tom, and a few others have told me that they can and should waive my fee but the people above have told me it is impossible because all of the call center people have lied and should not have told me it could be waived. So again, here we are with a bunch of corporate liars and you cannot believe anyone or anything they say. I say if you have DirecTV and you are at the end of your contract, run away and find a company that actually appreciates their customers and will do anything to help them. These people do not care about you. If you don't have DirecTV and are considering them, don't do it! They will lie, cheat and steal from you. They have over 3000 complaints against them so far, that I have found and all within the last 3 months. Share this with your family and friends.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 5, 2012

    They are charging $240 cancellation fee because my apartment will not allow satellite. If I were to transfer, they would have charged me a $150 moving fee that was never disclosed. I was told by a rep that my contract term was 1 year, as long as I didn't get HDTV - as I knew I'd likely be moving and told him that upfront. My girlfriend signed the contract (I have a copy) and has paid the bill on her credit card. However, they claim that she isn't on the account and when she has called DirecTV, they have refused to discuss the bill that's being charged to her credit card (hung up on and she was told by one agent that she's not on account because I don't love her).

    They are charging me for alleged late fees, though I have bank statements proving this was automatically withdrawn from our account since the beginning. We agreed to a set monthly fee, however, their fee varies monthly by over $30 ranging from $70 to over $100 (way over the contract) without warning or explanation ever from the company. I've made attempts just to cancel my service. I've gotten switched from rep to rep getting told different things and lied to (I've made over 10 calls). I was told by an agent that if I waited one additional month to cancel, I'd waive fees. This was a lie. Now not only do I have the $280 cancellation fee, I have the cost of an additional month because I was lied to. Thousands of people are complaining about the same thing. If they can rip me off of hundreds of dollars, imagine the yearly total of their racket.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupContract & TermsCoverage

    Reviewed Nov. 4, 2012

    I am not going to quote either the customer agreement or the equipment leasing agreement as you can get them on the internet. This company places unfair liability on the consumer for both of the above agreements and guarantees nothing. Its stipulations leave the consumer at high risk while the company can change anything stipulated in either agreement. None of these are covered in the initial phone conversation with the DirecTV rep where only the attractive promotional offerings are covered. I can only imagine how many consumers have been hurt by not being apprised of the content of these two agreements by the company before paying the order fee for installation of DirecTV. I'm wondering if the courtroom isn't pretty familiar turf for this company in its dealings with the public. "The Devil is in the details" is an old red flag which seems very appropriate when it comes to DirecTV.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Nov. 3, 2012

    After eight years, I cancelled my DirecTV service due to programming, poor customer service and equipment that frequently breaks. As a result of my cancellation, DirecTV, with no authorization from me, debited the cancellation fee of $328.83 from my bank account. DirecTV has refused to refund this illegal transaction.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Nov. 3, 2012

    I signed up in 2002 and moved and sold the house in 2008. I called to have equipment sent back, and boxes didn't show till three months after I moved. It took almost half a year to get a new set of boxes to return equipment. After they got them, they charged me 166 dollars for early cancellation (LOL, six years). I said, “How long was the contract?” 10 years. A deal with the devil.

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    Customer ServiceContract & Terms

    Reviewed Nov. 3, 2012

    We had a two-year introductory agreement, which went pretty well. But after the introductory contract ended, that is when the predatory billing began. We called customer service and were not allowed to talk to anyone regarding charges on the bill until the bill was paid. Finally, we gave up, and when service was terminated, we left DirecTV. Never again. Now, they say we owe them an additional $400 in fees. I think the overpayments made for the extra months of service should be their pound of flesh.

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    Sales & Marketing

    Reviewed Nov. 3, 2012

    Repeated loss of signal over the course of 8 weeks now. They say they will call. They do not. They say they will come to fix it. They do not. They want to know about my internet service, which has nothing to do with this system and makes me wonder if they are trying to scam me into upgrading services that I don't need/want.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 2, 2012

    We cancelled our bundle service with CenturyLink in Oregon at the end of August 2012. The agent asked where we were relocating. We told him the Tampa Bay area. He said unfortunately we have no service in that area. We set-up all service with CenturyLink and paid one bill through CenturyLink. They never mentioned that I also had to cancel with DirecTV, or that DirecTV had service in that area.

    As of August 30th, we had no access to phone, Internet, or TV at our old address. We paid our final bill. Over a month later I received a separate bill from DirecTV. They had continued to bill me for continuing service and also slapped on a contract fee of $220. After I thought I had paid the final bill for services through August 30th, DirecTV billed me another $360. I called them three times.

    First, they sent me the boxes to mail their equipment back and I told them we cancelled on August 30th. Then, I got a second bill and they finally cancelled and told me I would not pay for service after Aug. 30th, but I had to pay the cancellation fee. I said fine. They said they would send the final bill when the equipment arrived. They sent out another bill and still had service charges through the middle of October and the cancellation fee. I called and discussed for over an hour, and they said they had no record of my call in mid-October, and it was "too late" to correct the fees. Then they took the money out of my auto credit card with CenturyLink. It seems they are only not aligned when it is in their favor. I am disgusted with both CenturyLink (for poor communication) and DirecTV (for playing dumb and being crooks). I will never deal with either of these companies again.

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    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Nov. 2, 2012

    I have been with DirecTV since 2008 and each month, my bill is different from the last. They have recently started charging me an additional amount for a protect plan that I rarely to never used and is also not the best quality service. I am so upset about the inconsistent billing and no one seems to know why my bill is always such a different amount. I have called several times to complain and no one is ever able to assist with my concerns.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPrice

    Reviewed Nov. 1, 2012

    I just started this service in September. I signed a contract for a bundle for cable and AT&T Internet. After I signed the contract, I was told that AT&T doesn't provide service to my area. DirecTV said they would still give me the bundle price since I was given the wrong information. I thought okay, great! My bill was supposed to be $44.99 a month plus taxes. They have my credit card information on file, but they weren't supposed to charge anything automatically.

    In September, two weeks after I started service, I was charged $139.99, which they automatically took from my bank account in error. They refused to refund the money, but told me they would credit my account. With the credit applied, I was told I wouldn't have a bill until December. I now have a $40 bill due on 11/9/12. I have spent literally hours on the phone with them trying to figure out the billing issues. Two months of service and I have already been billed for $179!

    Basically, all the prices I was quoted two months ago are no longer valid. I am being charged $25 more a month for the service than I was originally told, as well as extra fees that they really can't explain. As a bonus, I can only cancel if I want to pay a $500 disconnect fee. DirecTV doesn't give exact information in their contract - how long you have to cancel or what the cancellation fees are. Do yourself a huge favor and go with another cable provider!

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 1, 2012

    I paid all of my bill except $38 and my service was cut off. The billing rep advised me a supervisor was too busy to speak with me and other customers were waiting. He said I have been dealing with this for years and they won't help you with your bill. He also was very rude and refused to get a supervisor online. This company sucks and I am really thinking about leaving asap.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Nov. 1, 2012

    This company is probably the most unethical company I have ever dealt with. What makes matters worse is we, as the consumer, continue to allow them to do what they do. It's time we stand up to this type of dirty business. My issue started with this company giving a free package premium. I never asked for it or authorized them to do anything, period! Next thing I know, I have charges coming in on my bill for extras totaling $100 more than my normal bill. I called to get this issue resolved and was treated as if I was the one in the wrong. I was told by their supervisor that I never told them to remove it, so there was nothing he could do about it. Long story made short, here I am now paying for services I never asked for! My contract is up in February of 2013, thank goodness. I will not continue to use their services and I just want others to know about this. It's a shame you have to worry about things like this. Guess that's how they end up making a profit and staying in business. They cheat others for their own gain. If you are reading this before you start up with them, run, run, run from them. Heck, just go get some old school rabbit ears. It would be better than being taken advantage of.

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    Reviewed Nov. 1, 2012

    My story is pretty much the same as the others. I had my service (DirecTV) disconnected, sent in the access cards, then a few months later, received a bill since the access cards had recorded "unpaid" films that I supposedly ordered from my remote. The only difference in my complaint from those of the others is these were from 2003, just about 9 years ago. I sure don't want to pay for these charges.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 31, 2012

    I received a $200 welcome back rebate offer in the mail addressed to me at my home from DirecTV signed by **, VP customer relations. I was in Walmart and signed up for DirecTV service the same day. While the installer was still at my home, I called about the rebate and was told I should notify the installer. He said he didn't know what they were talking about. I called back to DirecTV two days later and was told that I didn't qualify for the rebate even though I activated an account and attempted to get the form that I was supposed to be able to get at DirecTV/rebate. Apparently, ** is not a person who honors a pledge made to a former customer. Certainly I will be a former customer as soon as possible and will tell everyone that I know about this disgraceful lie! I offered to fax the letter but was denied a number to fax it to.

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    Customer ServiceSales & Marketing

    Reviewed Oct. 31, 2012

    Pulling credit inquiry without permission - The sales ran a credit report without permission when I called in for package information. I told the sales I'm just checking out prices. The sales did not ask for my social security number yet they can pull the credit report. Why? How can this be done?

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 30, 2012

    This company is very difficult to work with from all perspectives. After giving us one year of basic service with very limited channels at a mid-level price, they doubled the rate and shut us off for non-payment of the difference. Then we tried every possible avenue to contact them, to no avail. They have phony office locations and dummy telephone numbers that have been disconnected, and their customer service agents hang up on you when you get through. I was really shocked to see such a big company running so many scams. I'm not a complainer, I honestly just want to spare others from getting involved with this outfit. We have triple the channels now with our cable television for the same price.

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPrice

    Reviewed Oct. 30, 2012

    I had problems with DirecTV charging me for NFL ticket every year. If I would not have noticed it every year on my bill, by a certain date, you are automatically charged and cannot get credit if the season starts. How can they have the right just to charge you for channels? After I cancelled my service, they sent boxes to me to return the receivers in. When I returned the receivers, they were trying to tell me there were movies in the box that I had rented that had not been invoiced from 2 years before when I signed up for the service and all in one night! First of all, I did not have a phone line in my home to be able to use this service. If you select a channel in the remote that is pay-per-view movie, it automatically saves this in the box even though you cannot watch the movie, so they contend they can bill for that! Anyone who uses DirectTV is making the biggest mistake of your life. They are the biggest scam in satellite TV.

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    Punctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Oct. 29, 2012

    My fiance is a tech for DirecTV. With the current bad storms that brought winds of over 50 mph and severe rain and cold temperatures, they still had the guys outside working, including doing installs late at night in the dark. This is ridiculous and unsafe for the techs. It is already risky enough making them do installs in the dark, but when it is storming, especially as bad as it is right now, the offices need to be closed and the techs sent home. Cable TV is a luxury, not a necessity, and not worth risking these guys lives over.

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    Reviewed Oct. 29, 2012

    DirecTV used my debit card unauthorized. DirecTV refused to make restitution for the unauthorized use of my debit card unless I would reconnect with them.

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    PricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Oct. 29, 2012

    Each time I have a failure of their equipment and have to pay to replace another leased receiver; they restart the 24-month term of service. Since I have 4 receivers, I will never be rid of them. When I do go to another service, they are going to hit me with financial penalties for early cancellation even though I have had their service (and it is a poor one) for 10 years. When a receiver fails, they want to send out a technician for $49. Don’t let them if you know for sure that the equipment is broken because you are going to have to pay to replace their equipment anyway. The $49 charge is just to get more out of you.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Oct. 27, 2012

    I ran into a setback with my finances this month, so I called DirecTV because I received a cut-off notice. This company couldn't care less about their customers and are all programmed to say the same things. They have horrible customer service. I will switch my services to AT&T.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 26, 2012

    We had an account with DirectTV for almost 2 years. We had a total of 2 TV receivers in our home. We had an account with them for almost 2 years as of October 2012. We always paid our bill but had constant problems with them having charges that I did not feel we had accrued. The problem began with a non-HD receiver that blew out during a thunderstorm. When I called they offered us an HDTV receiver "free" because we had been such loyal customers. Being a suspicious person having dealt with this company before, I had repeatedly what I would owe. They guaranteed that it would be "free" except for a one-time charge of approximately $20. I asked if they wanted the damaged receiver back and they said "no."

    After the new receiver was in place and working and I got my new bill, I was shocked. I was charged not only for the use of 3 receivers, but a charge of $125 was given for the receiver. Upon calling their customer service they told me that it "would take some time" to research and that they "couldn't find the problem" and I would have to "work it out with CenturyLink" who does the bundled billing until they (DirecTV) could get the problem resolved. I was very angry as we had been through this with DirecTV before, and I no longer felt I was getting my money's worth because the adjusted charges never seemed to come out right although it was hard to figure out what was wrong.

    It took a long time to comb through my bills because of charges added, subtracted and added it again. I began to feel that it was a deceptive practice on their part to get a free loan from consumers until they could resolve the same inexplicable problem. Because of the time I spent calling DirecTV customer service and researching DirecTV billing, I decided that it wasn't worth it and abruptly cancelled my account with them. The account was cancelled on Sept. 25th 2012, just a month short of 2 years. DirecTV then told us that because we were given a new HDTV receiver, our 2 years contract started with that. This was a deception because we were told it was free. I was not at any time told that an HDTV receiver required what would have been a new 2 year contract.

    Now, DirecTV has threatened to put early cancellation fees of $166 on our credit card. I am extremely angry that this company victimizes customers with such deceptive practices and customers are deceived into paying money that they do not owe. I told them that I refused to pay a bill for services I did not agree to nor I received. I have seen from an internet search that DirecTV was recently told to pay back money to consumers for deceptive practices and I can say with honesty that I do not see that this company has changed its practices. Free does not mean a 2 year contract which equates with monthly charges. Please investigate DirecTV and do not let them rob and victimize any more of their customers.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupContract & TermsCoverageSales & MarketingPricePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 26, 2012

    DirecTV: I just want to say that you are unethical. No, not in a direct way - but in a worst circuitous way, camouflaging unethical practices and robbing guiltless citizens in the most conning way. Let me begin with your sales associate Steve who knocked on my door and solicited your service with lies. Lie number one: “We’ll be in the area tomorrow, ma’am, installing services for five others in your neighborhood.” When the tomorrow arrived, Steve called to cancel the installation since the technician was not in the area (as he had said) and my appointment was to be rescheduled. So, what happened to the five of my other neighbors? Or, was that just a sales lure to lie yourself into an unscrupulous contract? Perhaps, this is something you include in your employee training and you build business on falsehood from the very beginning?

    Lie number two: “I need a credit card, ma’am. It won’t be charged. I’ll just need it to keep on file.” It better not be, Steve. I said, “It better not be! I don’t want my card to be charged.” “It won’t be, ma’am.” I told Steve I don’t want a contract and I’m telling him this upfront. “You’re not signing anything today, ma’am. I’m just gonna fill this paper to order service.” That was his lie number three. A few days into the service, I received a bill. Amazed as to how one could receive a bill so quickly, I reason I’d fallen into an unusual billing cycle. Hence, I paid my bill early - a few days early, as a matter of fact. A few days later, upon checking my bank account, I realized that DirecTV has charged my card without my authorization, even though my monthly commitment was already paid.

    When I called to complain about the unauthorized charges and move my service, I miraculously discovered that I am in a 24-month contract, which I don’t have a recollection signing in the first place. Moreover, you will charge me $235.00 to move my services. DirecTV, at this point, I am beyond words. But hold on: it gets even better.

    What I want to know is who gives you the authority to charge my card without my consent? What contract did I sign? And where is my copy? In fact, I demand a copy. And if in truth I did sign a copy, why aren’t you providing full disclosures upfront? Or perhaps the email I never received and installation contract, in which the 24-month period was never mentioned, makes me responsible. If your policy is so severe, shouldn’t that be an important disclosure? I mean, really! So, no, please don’t move my services! Another penny is too much for a corrupt company such as you! Hence, I called again - this time, though, to cancel my services. I demand to speak to a supervisor. Ms. **, who does not bother to listen to anything I have to say, refused to transfer me to one and decided to take the matter on her hands. After clarifying my unheard reasons, she, with her scheming ways, persisted to remind me of my contract.

    What contract? I inquired, “What contract?” “The one that we emailed to you,” she responded. I said I don’t know what she’s talking about. I never received any emails from her - and better yet, I never even gave her an email address.

    “Well, we sent it to you to the email address on file.” Are you hearing me, Lucita? I never gave you an email address. She asked, “Well, ma’am, what’s your email address?” Why should I give it to you, Lucita? You already have it on file, right? So, DirecTV, when I refuse to give my email address, Lucita continued verifying it. “So, is your email address **?” What? What are you talking about? I never heard of that email address in my life. Are you telling me that you created an email address without my knowledge to send me an illicit contract that I never signed? DirecTV, what I want to know is how many such illegal accounts have you created to email contracts people never signed? But to make me happy, Lucita erased my email on the file, the email that I haven’t the clue about nor do I have access to. Wow! Just wow! I got to hand it to you, DirecTV: you’re clever! Very, very clever! Yet, not clever enough. At least not for me.

    See, I worked in a call center before and I do know that all the phone calls are recorded. My call was yesterday, October 24, 2012, at 6:40-7:00 pm Eastern Time. Or by any chance, did you erase that phone call, too? I wouldn’t be surprised. After Lucita informed me that I will be losing all the rebates that were claimed in the email address I never created, she also informed me that you would charge an early cancellation fee of $440 that would be charged to the credit card on file, which I never authorized in the first place. So, I gave her to go ahead because that card no longer exists, thanks to my bank; instead, you’d have to bill me. How awful is that? At last, as the phone call ended, I proceeded to research online only to find out that tens of thousands of complaints such as mine - pages upon pages, cases on top of cases, and including lawsuits on state and federal level had been filed for the very same unethical tricks you attempted on me.

    And I’m telling you that you picked the wrong person. See, I’m going to tell you, just as I told Lucita last night, that this isn’t a threat. It’s my promise to you. My voice will be heard all the way to the attorney general’s office, local and nationwide Better Business Bureau, States Trade Commission, including countless websites for your bad practice of ethics. See, what you don’t understand is that it is not about being deceived into a contract, unauthorized charges, creating unapproved email accounts, or undisclosed $440 cancellation fee. It is about you not abiding by your own code of ethics and building your business based on lies. It is about the myriad of innocent individuals with similar grievances against you. I speak for them. My goal is one alone and that is to stop you from being unethical. You, DirecTV, need to be boycotted until you’re out of business. Period.

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    Reviewed Oct. 25, 2012

    I was a DirecTV customer for 12 years. After selling my house, cancelling service and returning my boxes, I received an email that my account was closed with a $0 balance. Four months later, I received a bill for 10 movies I supposedly ordered 5 years ago in 2007. The movies were supposed to have been stored in the receivers "chip". How can I fight back? Everyone I talk to says they can't do anything about it because the account has been closed. I say we all get together and file a class action suit!

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 25, 2012

    I had my DirecTV high-def receiver go out. It no longer transmitted an HDMI signal out to the TV. I had to call DirecTV service several times. Each time I would have to put up with a computerized "troubleshooting" dialog, and then, after a long time on hold, finally got through to a quite inexpert service person who proceeded to go through a standard checklist. Several times, the call got dropped, and I had to start over, and went through the same infuriating Q&A and procedure. I know that the process was geared to prevent DirecTV from having to spend any money on replacement equipment.

    Finally after hours on the phone, I finally got to the end, and convinced the girl that it was indeed a DVR failure. She first tried to convince me that I should work around the failure by hooking up the component cables. I wouldn't have that; their equipment had failed and needed to be replaced. She had to get her "supervisor’s permission" to replace the DVR. Then they charged me $20 for shipping and handling. I am very indignant that I should have to pay for the repair of equipment that I am renting monthly from DirecTV, after having to pay to get it in the first place.

    It seems to me that if a company that provides a service can no longer give fair treatment to its customers, then it should be looking to get out of the service business. I can only assume that DirecTV is in dire financial straits, and cannot afford to provide realistic customer support any longer (and still pay their executive salaries). I am seriously considering jumping over to Dish Network. Perhaps DirecTV should sell out to another organization that can make better use of their satellite resources.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Oct. 23, 2012

    Back in May of 2012, I contacted DirecTV to notify them to stop using my debit card on my then girlfriend's DirecTV account because I was moving out, which they had no problems doing as I opened a new account at my new address. Now 5 months later, I noticed 2 withdrawals from my debit card account for almost a total of $900.00 in charges. I called DirecTV to find out what the charges were for and they told me it was for my ex-girlfriend's account that she hasn't paid since May. I told them I moved out of that address and they told me to file a claim. I filed a claim with DirecTV and they denied any credit to my account and that I was liable for that account. I asked them how could I be liable for that account since I no longer live at the address and followed what DirecTV told me to do when I moved. They told me that was the finance department's decision. I asked if I could get a phone number for the finance department and they told me they do not take incoming calls and that I would need to send them a fax about my claim that they have already rejected. Needless to say, I am still fighting this and trying to get my money back.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 22, 2012

    On September 28th, I was scheduled for DirecTV installation. The technician was knowledgeable and skilled. Because I was not able to access major network channels from the Pittsburgh market (I live in Wheeling, WV), I cancelled the installation. I was pre-billed $21.15 on my credit card (which I paid) for installation hardware. On September 28th, I spoke with Olivia at DirecTV who assured me that my account with DirecTV was cancelled and that I would receive a check (within 5 to 7 days) for the $21.15 billed to my credit card. I have not received this refund check and today I contacted DirecTV to determine its status. I spoke with two folks (Leon and Mindy) - neither was able to respond to me as they were unable to locate my account though I provided my name, phone number and account number repeatedly. I assume that DirecTV will not refund the $21.15 owed to me.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupSales & MarketingStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 22, 2012

    I've signed up online for a great package for DirecTV, hoping to catch all the live NFL games this season. Ok, good, so I did. I called and had techs come out to evaluate the proper installation method and placement of the dish. After getting the association approvals to put on the roof, next to the chimney (mind you, where all of the other home owners on our block have their dishes installed), I've scheduled the actual installation. It was scheduled on a weekday, end of day. I was hurrying home after work and my wife was at home, waiting to hear from these people. I pulled into the block of our house, and the DirecTV van was leaving. My wife tells me nobody rang the doorbell. I called DirecTV and said nobody came. The rep on the other end (disrespectful and rude) disagreed with me, and I objected that nobody came to our home.

    So, I've rescheduled for the Sunday, when I will be home. It's scheduled for 0800 hours, and I was waiting and excited for the satellite to be installed so I can watch my NFL team. The tech called and said he'd be in around 9-10AM. He asked me what kind of house it is, brick or siding. Siding, I'd answered, just like 90% of all homes. He said ok. 9:10AM, he showed up (I recognized this guy from somewhere.), and I showed him where the dish is to be mounted (It's a two-story home.), just like the neighbors 50' away. He looked up and said he can't do it because it's next to a chimney.

    The initial techs that came out wanted to put it in that spot, and DirecTV told me no problem on the phone. This guy on a Sunday basically looked like he didn't want to install it and climb on the roof of a 2-story home. He'd explained to me the new rules and liability regulations, etc. I said, "Well, everyone puts their satellites on the roof!" Long story short, after several days of aggravation and rude customer service (and oh, at Sam's Club they had a rep trying to sell me DirecTV and I told him straight up "I've just disconnected your service this morning!), I called and cancelled DirecTV. The sales team didn't even care why or try to prove/convince me otherwise. Oh well, looks like they're doing too good to get new customers.

    Good luck. I just wish your customer service/service/billing/scheduling was as nice as your website. Unfortunately, I will never try you again nor recommend anyone to DirecTV. Shame.

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    Sales & MarketingPrice

    Reviewed Oct. 22, 2012

    I have just been watching an episode of SVU with my husband and a banner of tweet comments has been running across the bottom of the screen. I am appalled that you are now running these onto our screens. If I want to see comments about the programs I am watching, I will go on the internet to see them. I don't need to have them in my face while watching a program. It magically stops when a commercial comes on (now isn't that amazing?). It is already bad enough that we have 10 minutes of program and 3-4 minutes of commercials, and you have been putting channel ads and coming shows flashing in the corners and the bottom third of our TV screens for some time now. We don't watch TV to see garbage internet comments and more advertising. We are already paying a hefty price for the privilege of seeing current or rerun programs. If all this continues, I may need to seek out some other way of watching TV.

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    Price

    Reviewed Oct. 21, 2012

    So, after two years of being unemployed in this economy, I actually have an opportunity at a low-paying job on the other side of the country and so we have to move. We are going to live in a hotel and maybe an apartment after some period of time. Will we be allowed to even get DirecTV in some place where we don't even know where we are living, who knows? Even though we have been a customer of DirecTV for 7 years or more in the last 10 years, they will still charge us the $230 disconnect fee. Hey, DirecTV, you have loyal customers. Why don't you be a loyal supplier? I will be battling with this until this is resolved and no matter what, they have lost a loyal customer forever! What an absolutely ignorant way to do business. Anger your customers over in the short term so you can lose them forever.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 20, 2012

    I am so very disappointed with DirecTV. Since I had the service installed two months ago, I had issues with it. Both my wife and I had to take time off work to accommodate the technicians' attempts to fix the problem. We had to make ourselves available because their techs are so busy. We had to take the appointment. Initially, our wait for a technician to come out to our place was usually about a week. So we were forced to live with the problem. We had several techs come out at various times in the two-month period. We could not record some shows completely that we wanted to watch and we weren't able to watch complete shows live because of the problem. From the news to Presidential speeches, to TV shows, to football games, in the middle of the programs, the service would cut out! This was not what we signed up for. We were assigned a case manager who assured us that they would fix the problem and compensate us for the inconvenience they caused us.

    Well, after two months, they did fix the problem. However, a $37 (roughly) credit is not a balanced compensation for the inconvenience. I was told that they would count every day the two months that I had problems with the system in total. They broke it down to a few days because those were the days I actually told them I had problems. In other words, I didn't call them every day to report the problems every day. I believe this a cowardly way to do business and to treat a new customer. I am appalled to be stuck in a two-year contract with DirecTV. Time Warner Cable was expensive, but never treated us this way. I will continue to spread my disgust with my initial experience with this company to everyone I can until my two-year contract is up. It is my hope that I can turn as many people away as I can. Unless they are able to properly compensate me for the extreme efforts, I had to go through to get my service working properly and billed for in full while I did not receive my full service.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Oct. 20, 2012

    I have been attempting to get a credit check from them for three months. After our service was cancelled, they continued to bill Century Link racking up about two hundred fifty dollars in charges before we were notified. The cancellation was because we moved and they could no longer provide us service. I have spent countless hours on the phone attempting to find out where it is and I am always given a later date (always 30 days). I have been told now if after ten more days it's not here, we can escalate this issue. Don't ever go with their service; their customer service sucks!

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 19, 2012

    I have been with DirecTV since 2010. I would call them to cancel things and they'd say the stuff has been taken care of. Well look here, I got my bill and they have charged me for the stuff I asked to have taken off. Well I got tired of the runaround so as of October 18, 2012, I called and canceled my services with DirecTV. When I had the services put in, I had to put down a $200.00 deposit. So I asked the lady what my balance was. She told me and she asked how I was going to take care of that. I said when I had services put in, I had to give a $200.00 deposit so go ahead and use that and send me the difference. She said, "Ma'am, you don't get that back." I said, "What, so you're just taking my $200.00?" She said no. I said, "Okay then, what do you call it?" She then said, "Oh that was a start-up cost." I said, "How is that when everything was free services when I had my stuff put in?"

    I guess DirecTV just takes your deposits! I'm going to contact the Better Business office for this is wrong. I am a single parent too. I don't just give $200.00 away to people that don't need it. And if I knew this was going to happen, I would have never gone with this company at all.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 17, 2012

    DirecTV has the worst customer service. You never get any answers, until the 3rd person you speak to and about an hour on the phone. I am still not sure the issue is solved. We were military for 22 years and moved a lot. This is the worst connect and getting the billing straight that I have ever experienced. If there were not a huge disconnect fee, I would go back to Cox. When you sign up even though you ask the questions, they still add additional things on. Century Link is just as bad.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 17, 2012

    In an effort to save money, I decided to change my TV/internet carrier. To my dismay and naive trusting nature, I was unaware of the financial burden that I am to face for the next two years. After comparing prices, I decided on DirecTV which offers U-Verse internet bundling package. On 10/07/2012, I called DirecTV and started the process of switching services. As a lifelong customer of Comcast, I felt uneasy but decided I needed the change so that I can balance my budget more efficiently. I spoke to the DirecTV sales representative who explained to me the introductory package. The DirecTV sales representative quoted me a price of $75.00 per month for two years with also has a two-year contract for bundled services through DirecTV and AT&T U-Verse with no installation cost.

    The DirecTV package included HBO, Starz, Showtime and Cinemax free for 3 months and NFL sport package free for the 2 years. The AT&T U-Verse package included the elite internet package with high speed. After setting up the package with DirecTV, I was told that they needed to transfer me to a U-Verse sales representative to complete internet portion of the package. After being transferred four different times, I finally reached the right department. I had to explain why I was being transferred to complete the ordering process. Although I was quoted no cost for installation from DirecTV sales representative, I was told by U-Verse that the installation cost would be $149.00. I opted to do the self-installation to save myself the $149.00 installation fee. Note: During my initial conversations with both DirecTV representative and U-Verse representative, I repeated the $75.00 a month price at least 20 times with my husband being a witness. Each time the representatives confirmed the $75.00 a monthly bundled.

    After ordering the package, it came time to install all new services. Since I was unable to be present for the DirecTV installation, my husband decided to stay home from work to ensure proper installation. My husband explained to me that the installer tried to run the cable across the roof and down the front of the house. In the process of installing the cable line incorrectly, the installer damaged my fairly new roof by putting staples in it. My husband requested that the installer remove cable from the roof and properly install the cable lines along the siding of the home concealing the cables. The installer apologized for his sloppy work and correct what he could. But still an unsightly cable runs down the front of my home.

    Next was the installation for the U-Verse internet service. The modem was to be mailed by UPS. Unfortunately, the U-Verse representative never relayed my proper address to UPS, so I corrected U-Verse's mistake by contacting UPS to give them my proper address. Once I received the modem, it was time to install it. Unfortunately I overlooked one important detail. Because I have been a long time customer of Comcast, I never noticed that my home did not have a phone jack. As you may have already figured, I could not complete the installation process. I contacted U-Verse to see if they could help. I was told that I would have to pay $149.00 to have a representative come and install the phone jack. I requested that they waive the fee. They told me they could not waive the fee and further informed me that if I choose to cancel my services, I would have to pay a $180.00 cancellation fee. Note: I still do not have internet installation in my home. I do not have the $149.00 to pay for the installation service.

    My dilemma and torture does not end there. After only a week of TV service and still no internet connection, I received my first bill from DirecTV. The amount due to DirecTV on or before 10/29/2012 is $94.99. After reviewing the bill, I noticed that the bundle charges were not on the bill. After about six hours total of being transferred and speaking to various representative and supervisors from both DirecTV and U-Verse, nothing has been resolved. Each time I was spoken to as if I am a peon, disrespected or I was apologized to for the inconvenience. One of the DirecTV representatives even went as far as to tell me it was my fault for not activating the rebates prior to the services being connected and for not notifying each provider of service (DirecTV and U-Verse) of the bundled services so that the bill and rebates could be applied properly.

    The representative further stated that the rebates are not going to take effect for an additional 6-8 weeks of services for DirecTV and that the U-Verse rebates will not effect until the 13 month of service. When inquired about having my services canceled, they politely told me that I would have to pay the $480.00 cancellation fee and that the fee cannot be waived. After pleading with the representative from DirecTV, they offered to transfer me to the retention department to see if someone in that department could help. In a last ditch effort with still a glimpse of hope of a resolution and a bit weary, I agreed to be transferred to the retention department. Well aware of the fact that the retention department is mainly for long term dedicated customers, I explained my situation to the representative.

    The final outcome was the same. Sorry, there is nothing that can be done. But this time the representative accidentally revealed the lies that have been told to me and the lies that have been recorded in the notes. The only request I had for her was to please waive my cancellation fee so that I do not have to deal with them for the next two years. As sarcastically as she could, but as respectfully as she could told me, she stated it was impossible to waive the fee and that I was given the full month $20.00 credit so all I have to pay is $460.00 to cancel my services. Coming to terms to my reality of being forced to stay with DirecTV and U-verse, I requested that I at least get my bill bundled into one bill versus two bills. I couldn't even get this resolved. Both DirecTV and U-Verse stated that they did not have the capability to do so and that I need to contact the other provider to have my services bundled under one bill.

    Ultimately I am left with only two choices: (1) I have to pay $480.00 to DirecTV plus $180.00 to U-Verse, cancel my services that I have only had from DirecTV for a week and I have yet to get internet services, all because of this 2-year contract that they trick people into getting or (2) keep the horrible service and pay the ridiculously monthly high charges and hopefully receive the rebates and discount in the future; possibly 13 months from now and pay extra $149.00 for U-Verse to install the phone jack.

    I need help. All I am asking for is what I was quoted for or cancellation of my service with both DirecTV and U-Verse with no cancellation fee. Please help me. I have teenagers in school that rely on the internet service to complete their mandatory school assignment. Not only am I being financially burdened, but my kids' grades are being affected.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Oct. 16, 2012

    Installation - I was charged a $50.00 fee to run cable made out to DirecTV. I wrote a check. I have the carbon copy. The installation company electronically charged my account $51.95. I know $1.95 is not a lot of money but I did not authorize this amount. I am sure it’s billing fraud or something like that. Basically, DirecTV doesn't want to accept ownership of the problem. I wanted the company called and then I wanted a follow up from DirecTV. They have yet to call me and when I called about something else, I got the runaround.

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    Reviewed Oct. 16, 2012

    I ordered DirecTV at the beginning of September from their website. I reviewed my order which listed out all of the features I had selected and the equipment. The page said my first month's bill would be approximately $55. The first bill came in just one week later and was $87. I called customer support to ask about the difference in the bill and was informed that there were rebates that I have to go online and select prior to activation (none of which is mentioned on the order form or the order confirmation - even the fine print).

    After an hour, I had finally gotten the rep to push my rebates through and she said she would also apply them to my first bill, so I would be left with a credit. She even went as far as to give me an estimate for the following month's bill of $25-$30, which makes sense as the normal bill should be $55 and I was to receive a $30 credit. I was not completely happy, but the solution was acceptable.

    Fast forward one month. My bill comes in to the tune of $55. I took a few deep breaths, even waited a day before I called. In short, I was told that I had declined the $30 refund and told the rep I didn't want it. So, I asked to speak with a manager, which led to at least 30 minutes on hold, without even the decency of hold music. The "manager" comes on the phone and is able to find my rebate and refund information almost immediately. I politely informed her that I had now spent close to 3 hours on the phone with customer support in the first month trying to straighten out my bill and I would appreciate cancelling my service and sending the equipment back.

    She then said I would be on the hook for the early termination fee of $460! I asked why I should be on the hook for the ETF when they had messed up my bill twice in the first 2 months and I had already spent so much time on the phone trying to get it all taken care of. She said there was never a problem with the bill, pointing back to the rebates that were shown on my order and order confirmation and said I had to sign up for them. This brought up the previous month's anger that I had never (prior to phoning customer service) been prompted or informed that the rebates on my order had to be signed up for a second time through their Web site.

    I then asked why my credit had not shown up and she said there was not any note on my account for issuing a credit - which she had just confirmed there was 5 minutes prior. Then, I asked when I would see that credit, she said I had just declined the credit, which I had not. I asked what person in their right mind would call customer service to complain about not getting a credit and then decline the credit when it was offered. I then cited this exact customer service experience as to why I should not be held liable for an early termination fee.

    In short, all I will say is this: Buyers, beware. Their 2-year contract does not hold them to any standards, just you. The worst part is that there's not even a link on the Better Business Bureau Web site for DirecTV, only the retail outlets, so there's no consumer protection. The image attached is where I was told to look for the link to apply for rebates. If you can find it, you are a better person than I.

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    Reviewed Oct. 16, 2012

    On August 5, 2012, I received a phone call from DirectV. I was offered free NFL Package for this current season 2012-2013 and 3 free premium channels for 3 months if I upgraded the current channel package I had, Choice Extra to Choice X- Package, a difference of $6.00. I was told to that if I did not want to keep the NFL ticket for next season, to call and cancel on Super Bowl, and to cancel the HBO Package on November 4, 2012 in order not to be charged $45.00 for the next month. I was also told that I would see the charges for the NFL Ticket and the Three Premium channels, then under credits and adjustments, I would see a credit issued for each charge.

    On August the 8th, 2012 I contacted DirecTV to advise them that my channels for HBO, Cinemax or Showtime had not been available to watch. I was told by Customer Service I had to contact a different department about the problem. I was given the number, 18663980992, to call and inquire about the problem. I spoke to the gentleman and he apologized and told me the channels would be on that day and that was the case. I looked at my account later that day and saw that I was being charged for the NFL Ticket. I called and Customer Service saw where I was not to be charged and told me that they were the ones that I had to speak to the Promotional department and they would issue me the credit for the charges and they did.

    On August 15th, I called to inquire and to ensure there were no more charges. I was told I was not being charged and later that day I saw that I was being charged again for the NFL Ticket. I called back again. Then, I was told that there was nowhere on my account that showed that because I upgraded my account that I would get the NFL package for free, only the Premier Channels. I told them again I was contacted for upgrading my service and getting free NFL and HBO. This time, I was told they see where I am only getting the Free Premier channels and the NFL package I had to pay for. So after this call, I said, "If you cannot give me what was offered, I do not want to pay for the NFL Ticket." So, I was told they would credit me - which they did - and last month on the 5th of September, they charged me again.

    I called and was issued a credit again. I asked that they put me on a Do Not Call list to call and offer me any more promotions as it relates to the NFL Ticket. So today, I got my bill and I did not get a credit for HBO. Now the story changed again to because I do not have the NFL Ticket, I cannot get the premier channels for free even though last month I was told I would. Please help. I have called at least 6 times and have been on the phone over an hour each time I need help. They change and delete information from my account.

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    Reviewed Oct. 15, 2012

    I signed up with DirecTV for the incentive bonus of a $100 gift card to Menards and that I thought they were an honest and trusted company because of their advertisements. I have now found out they are not what they say they are. I have gotten nothing but a runaround from day one on my gift card that I have not received. I was told so many different times that I would receive it within 6 to 8 weeks after installation. Nothing. I was told again I would receive it in 2 weeks. Nothing. I was told again I would receive it in 5 to 10 working days. Nothing. It has been one lie after another with this company and the runaround I get every time I call. I pay my bill on time every month, and this is the kind of service I get.

    Obviously, many hundreds more people like me are going through the same thing. I even had trees trimmed at my cost of trimming and hauling away all the brush just to get service through them. And when I call to talk with someone, I am always put on hold for more than 5 minutes and transferred here or there. And it always ends up costing me due to the fact they are wasting my minutes on my cell phone. Something needs to be done and corporate needs to hear and read these complaints from their customers. We pay our bills and try to live day to day and paycheck to paycheck and customers of DirecTV should not have to or be mistreated like this. I am so upset that I was told today to call back within a week. Well, my sister is a corporate lawyer with a very big firm out of Texas and she is going to hear about this. Hopefully, she will have an answer for what I and all you others are going through also with DirecTV.

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    Reviewed Oct. 15, 2012

    I have been laid off since Feb but I kept up with my DirecTV payments for as long as possible. I called to let them know about the situation and said that I would have to cancel. Then, they charged my card $249 without authorization. I received a bill from collections saying that I owed $415.89. This is a rip-off! If I can't afford my monthly payments, how can I pay this amount? My home is currently on foreclosure and I have bigger problems than to have to worry about a cable company trying to rip me off.

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 14, 2012

    DirecTV has the most horrible, unethical customer service practices! Shame on them! They snuck the NFL package into my bill as 6 small payments so I wouldn’t notice?! I finally catch it on the 4th billing statement, and now they are telling me they won't turn this service off?! That they won't stop billing me for something we do not watch and did not order?! That they are going to continue to bill me 2 more times even though I demanded that they stop the service and not continue to charge me?! This is how they treat their customers?! This is how they do business?! Way to con people out of their money!

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 13, 2012

    This is the worst customer service ever. After being a loyal customer for several years, my account was canceled creating an early termination fee. After my complaints, I got my service back up and my money back. I tried to create a move order and I was told that I was going to be on a longer contract that I already had. I had to go through many obstacles to finally get someone form ACDT team or something to that affect. They confirmed that I am a month to month customer and they helped me create move order for Thursday, 10-11-12. Tech comes out, says he cannot complete my order because I don’t have all my receivers, and confirms my new appointment is Saturday, 10-13-12. I go home for lunch and no one has been there as I check with my family. I spent 1 hour and 45 minutes calling DirecTV for someone to help me and got hung up on two times and re-routed to the main menu three times. No one wants to escalate this to a supervisor to help me out. I just want to cancel now!

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Oct. 13, 2012

    I overpaid on my bill & in less than a month, it was well over $100 again & they're back charging me late fees. I did more than pay the bill I overpaid. I live on a fixed income & I don't have extra. I pay my bill every month on the said date. I asked if they could change my date to go according to the way my money comes in. They said they could only do it if I signed up for Auto Pay so they can just go in & take the money. But I know people that had done that & wished they hadn't & with me I always round up when I pay so when the next months bill would hopefully be less. But to my surprise it never is; it's always higher. How is that possible?

    I have read a number of others complaints from people that are similar or worse & I think this should be looked into. I don't believe DirecTV should get away with what they are doing. When I try to let them know what is wrong, they don't want to listen to what you have to say. They cut you off by talking around the bush & talking over me. That gets people upset. When I asked how my bill went from zero balance plus I overpaid get back up to over $100 & them charging me late fees again, they didn't want to answer me. I truly believe this matter of mine and thousands of others needs your attention. This is a billion dollar business unlike me. I live off a fixed income and can't afford to pay any extra.

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 13, 2012

    Wow! I just spent nearly an hour trying to find out what it would cost me to buy a "Bundle" that includes DirecTV (basic package) and internet service. I never got a price estimate, but the sales person asked me for loads of personal information including my social security number!? (Are you kidding me?) What kind of company keeps you on the phone this long without giving you an honest answer to the question, "How much will this cost?" I got so fed up, I gave up, then hung up. It smelled like a scam to me. After reading these comments, I am so thankful I did not sign up for two years of this nonsense.

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    Reviewed Oct. 13, 2012

    On less than a month, I got billed for a month and a half after I overpaid on a bill. How is that possible? I feel DirecTV has been ripping customers off for years. They're a billion dollar company robbing the little people on fixed incomes.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPrice

    Reviewed Oct. 12, 2012

    My wife and I ordered DirecTV. We were told specifically and I asked many times to make sure that the 24 months contract will be the same price for the entire 24 months. They lied to me. Upon the 13th month, my rates increased by over $20 a month. We called them to discuss what was happening and they told me I was out of luck. This was the first dishonest practice DirecTV did to me. My finances were tight and therefore decided to cancel DirecTV and pay the cancellation fee. DirecTV told me they would not debit my account for the last bill as there was no money. We set up a payment plan for the rest. Wrong. They took the money (as much as they could) out of my account without my permission after I told them no. They strung me along for a month while they waited to directly take out the rest of the money I owed them.

    During this month, I received 5 different answers from their customer service. No, we will not take out the money, we promise. Yes we see the mistake, we will put the money back into the account. Then later, no I don't see that we would never put the money back. Then later, yes sorry we will. The confusion and frustration continues. It's not constitutional nor ethical the way they do business. Horrible.

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    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Oct. 12, 2012

    I just received a bill from DirecTV stating that I owe $376.35 of which most of the charges are from PPV that was ordered way back in 2011. Now I started service with them on 10/15/2010 and disconnected my service on July 31, 2012. It took them 2 weeks almost to send the boxes and the return labels. I was told that once I get the boxes sent back, my final bill should be $160. Instead, I got a bill for $185.62 dated 08/29/2012, then I got another one for $180.62 plus $190.73 in PPV totaling $376.35. So, I called them on 10/12/2012 and asked what these charges were and the rep said, "Because you did not have a phone line and the only way we can charge you is through the access card." So, I told her that I am not paying for charges that was wrongfully put on my account. Then, I did some research and it looks like I'm not the only one.

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    Price

    Reviewed Oct. 10, 2012

    I cancelled DirecTV 2 months ago (moved), returned all equipment, and got a credit of $13.00 (that is good). Then 1 month later, I received a bill for $400.00 for movies charged since 2011. The monthly bill has been being paid directly through the bank every month. No problem there. So, help me out here. What was the $400.00 bill for? DirecTV said they can charge after you returned all your equipment and they can find out what you have ordered since the time you opened the account. I am being double-charged here, right? Paid full every month and pay again after you cancel? What? Careful out there customers! DirecTV charges double!

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 10, 2012

    I moved about 45 minutes South, just across the board into North Carolina. When I was in Virginia, DirecTV provided to me both state's local channels. Normally, I could pick up both state's locals easily with a roof top antenna, so I thought it was great that DirecTV provided those for me so I didn't have to worry about the antenna. So, when I moved to my new house in North Carolina, DirecTV took away the Virginia channels. I can understand if I moved 300 miles away, but I was still well within distance of picking up VA local channels at the new house. In fact, we were able to pick them up with an indoor antenna using rabbit ears. I called DirecTV about this, and the guy gave me some type of song and dance that it was illegal for them to provide both state's channels (which I later found out wasn't exactly true) and that they were not allowed to provide these channels. I asked him why I was provided the channels in VA, and he couldn't tell me.

    So, I then asked what I needed to do to hook up a roof top antenna and to integrate it with my DirecTV channel guide so I could DVR the channels, and he said there was no way possible that could be done. Not satisfied with his answers, I turned to DirecTV's online discussion board for answers, and, lo and behold, a DirecTV technician said it was easy to integrate OTA channels through the latest HD-DVRs, that all you need was an AM21 unit that plugs into the satellite box via USB. So, my first complaint is that the customer service is not knowledgeable with the product they try to support.

    The second issue that comes with the moving is that DirecTV offered some sort of "mover's deal" where you can get all of this stuff worth $500 when you move. This included NFL Sunday Ticket or Whole Home DVR. Instead, DirecTV charged me $130 just to move when I'm the one moving the actual equipment. Their customer no-service told me that it costs them $500 to send a tech out to install everything - yet somehow it doesn't cost them this amount of money when you're a new customer? It just doesn't make sense. The customer no-service also said that I didn't qualify for any of the promotions even though I was moving! I had to call back and get another customer service rep, and he was surprised that the first rep didn't give me any promotions at all. So, he finally gave me NFL Sunday Ticket.

    So, in summary, I'm not sure which would have been worse, to just pay the disconnect fee from DirecTV and be done with them, or to have them charge me for wanting to be loyal enough to maintain their service at my new location? Like most satellite and cable companies, DirecTV will bend over backwards for you as a new customer and give you awesome deals on service. However, once they know they have you under contract and your promotions end, then they gouge you and do nothing for you to keep your service with them. I think this is horrible of a company, and I understand why more and more people are cutting the cables and going with free OTA TV - which is what I will be doing once my contract is up.

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    Reviewed Oct. 10, 2012

    DirecTV put their dish on my fence with screws handing out about 1 or 2 inches, which is a hazard. I asked them to remove them and they refused to do it without charging me $49.95. Their technician put the dish on a fence with screws sticking out and now they want the customer to pay for their mistake.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Oct. 10, 2012

    I recently called and signed up, and inquired about the Pac-12 Network. I was promised by opening day that I would be able to watch my team. This sealed the deal for me. Three months later and halfway through the season, I still have nothing. In addition, I keep getting called, saying my account is delinquent, when in fact, I am on their Auto Pay system and have paid all of my bills. I have called several times to no avail on any problem I have been faced with. I just keep getting the runaround. Finally, today 3 months later, I am assured that I will not be getting these calls, and that I am now properly enrolled. We will see, but I cannot wait to leave this horrid company. I am even thinking about leaving right now paying the disconnect fee, and moving on. The promise when I signed up was broken, and they refuse to do anything about it. They are a joke.

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    Contract & TermsPrice

    Reviewed Oct. 10, 2012

    My daughter moved into low income housing which included DirecTV at a reduced cost. The receiver was already there as when one moves in; it is part of the rental. When she moved out, it was part of the contract with the housing authority that it stays there for the next occupant. 7 months later, she is now receiving bills for the equipment that is still in the apartment and being used by the new occupant. The housing authority has tried to explain to DirecTV this is how it is done with every apartment rental. She has called DirecTV several times and been assured that it is taken care of and now she is getting bills again. Since the equipment is being used by the current occupant, why can't they get this straight?

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Oct. 9, 2012

    I ordered a special HBO and Cinemax package for the advertised price of $15.99 per month. After ordering, I received an e-mail confirming my $15.99 purchase. But I was charged $25 the first month and now $27 for the second month! When I called, they said that is how their computers are set up and there is nothing they can do.

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    Customer ServiceContract & Terms

    Reviewed Oct. 9, 2012

    In June 2012, I called DirecTV about getting a receiver for another room in my house. My concern was that I did not want to do anything that would extend my contract, which was to expire in December 2012. I wasn't planning on leaving DirecTV; I just don't like being locked into contract. They told me that I can purchase my own receiver on Amazon.com and would not extend my contract, so I purchased one. I called to activate it and again asked them if it would extend my contract and was told no, it would not. Today, I call inquiring about purchasing a DirecTV DVR and not only am I told it will extend my contract if it turns out to be leased, but when I activated the receiver in June, they extended my contract for 12 months! I asked if they would take my contract expiration back to December, since I was lied to and they said no!

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 9, 2012

    I signed up for DirecTV a year ago because it was the only service offered in my neighborhood. I called and set up a simple basic service of $16 a month. They did not inform me that my package had NFL Ticket attached to it for a free trial that will auto renew itself for $200. I signed up for auto payment because I travel often and I'm not always home to receive my mail. I called to speak to them about the service and after speaking to three different people, they still refused to do anything to help my situation. I even canceled my account and even still, they told me I'm still obligated to pay the remainder of the NFL Ticket price they auto renewed at $200.

    Basically, they are willing to lose a valued reliable customer who has never missed a payment rather than step up and just agree they are scam artists and refund my money. Instead, they are going to try to send me to collections since I canceled my account and credit card they have on file, because they still want the remainder of my money for a service I never agreed to have or ever signed off on. I have had better customer service at Spirit Airlines and if you have ever flown with them, you know that's a major statement.

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    Installation & Setup

    Reviewed Oct. 8, 2012

    DirecTV has been trying to bill me for an install. They say that someone was at my home on Oct. 3rd. No one has been here this month or last month. They are trying to hit me with $49.99 plus tax for a service they did not do. I have been fighting with them for weeks on this issue. I agreed to auto pay also and they are over charging my debit card now. I am going to cancel auto pay because if they screw up, it's just too bad on the customer and you will have to pay OD fees with your bank because DirecTV does not care. I have lost my respect for them. They say I cannot get any more credits so they won't remove the charge. I said, "Ma'am, this is not me asking you for a credit. I am telling you to remove a bogus charge."

    This is how they get you. They put a bogus charge on your bill and then tell you that they have given you so many credits and that you cannot get any more credits. So, I started getting really mad and finally figured that this is not a credit I am asking for. This is the removal of a bogus charge. Their online billing sucks and I am ashamed to even do business with this company. I have been a loyal customer since 1999 in Long Beach, CA and now in MS. And when my contract is up, I am so canceling this service with them. They are hitting people with bogus charges hoping that a lot of people are not watching their bills especially those who are rich and wealthy who don't care, so you don't catch their mistakes, thus making DirecTV richer. Imagine if they hit everyone 1 month with bogus charges. If 50% of the customers don't catch a $53 charge, how much would that add up to if they have just 1 million customers? $50 million.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupPunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 8, 2012

    I signed up to have service with DirecTV in September of 2011 at my apartment complex. Now it is October 2012 (over a year later) and my service has to be stopped because there is all of a sudden no line of site. Unbeknownst to me (and pretty sure my neighbor as well), DirecTV was pulling off of my neighbor's service and when those neighbors moved, they had to cut off my service. I have two DVRs and one of them I recently leased for over $200.00 this year, but had I known they were doing something illegal and that ordinary consumers can't do (pull off of someone else's service), I never would have contracted with them or wasted my hard earned money.

    Now I have to return all equipment. I just renewed my lease for another year at my apartment complex, so I cannot just pick up and move anywhere as one of their representatives suggested. None of this was explained when the service was first installed or the numerous times they had to come out for service calls because of issues with service interruptions. The customer service representative stated that I and my neighbor would have signed something allowing DirecTV to have access to the neighbor's line so that I could have television. I told her no such thing occurred and if she could produce the document where my neighbor and I signed, I would love to see it. The conversation was quickly moved to the next subject. Misleading and deceptive in my opinion. It would be great to at least get my $200.00 back. But no, I will never do business with DirecTV again.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 7, 2012

    After having spent over half an hour with a DirecTV rep, we were promised a discount of between $25 and $30 off of our monthly bill. We called to cancel and move to a Laker-friendly cable company, but they did not want to lose our business. We called back and spoke again to a rep, and they told us the same thing. On the 3rd callback, with the original confirmation number from Rep #1, we were told by Rep #3 that there is no such thing and they can give us a discount of about $7. We asked to speak to a supervisor who was not helpful at all. They do not stand behind Reps #1 and #2 and don't care if they lose the business. In the meantime, they had added things to our account, and at one point, the supervisor said our account had been cancelled. We had not cancelled it yet. Just as soon as we contact the other cable company to set up a time for installation, we will be cancelling DirecTV for their incompetence and deceitful practices.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 7, 2012

    I've been a customer since 1999, generally run late on paying my bill. I was disconnected on 9/26, paid the bill in full on 9/27 with online bank/check draft. Service was immediately restored. On Sunday, 9/30, I was called by DirecTV. Because I have had two returned payments, my payment of $275.50 would not be acceptable, and payment with a debit/credit card would be required, or service would be immediately disconnected. I checked my bank account online while we were talking; check had not processed. I was assured that check would not be processed, so I gave a debit card number for the same bank account, big mistake!

    On Monday evening, 10/1, I found that both payments had processed. Customer service was unhelpful, so I called back on 10/2. I was told that it would take 10 business days to put the money back in the checking account. I said that was unacceptable, and they agreed to expedite to 3-5 business days. Finance department would call me within 24 hours. Bank could not stop payment on either transaction. I checked back with DirecTV on 10/4. I was told that the refund would be sent by check in 6-8 weeks, that I had been informed of the double hold on the money that occurred with the processing of the debit card, and that no one ever talks to the Finance department. Both payments had been posted to my DirecTV account, but that doesn't pay the electric bill.

    I contacted my bank, and filed a dispute on the debit card transaction. Bless the bank. I haven't heard back from DirecTV yet. If I didn't live in the middle of nowhere I'd get cable. Also, one of the nicer customer service reps, who actually seemed to know what he was doing, and cared about the hardship caused, supposedly gave me NFL Sunday Ticket at no charge due to the trouble and my long-term customer relationship with DirecTV. That's not showing up on the account. That's probably a good thing, since they'd probably charge me for that too.

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    Installation & Setup

    Reviewed Oct. 7, 2012

    I was told when I moved from NC to Washington, I was entitled to one free move, yet I was charged $74.88. I have been with DirecTV for over 20 years, since they were Prime Star and never missed a payment. Now, I am told I was charged because I did not upgrade my programming. Not once was that ever mentioned to me. When I scheduled the appointment for installation and told them that the dish had to be put on a pole, the installer was not informed of that, so it is sitting on the ground. The installer made an appointment for another installer to come out on 10/6 to finish the job between 8-12. No one showed up. We have another appointment for this coming Thursday. Supposedly there will not be a charge for a second service call, we will see about that. How can DirecTV, ask for referrals of friends and family when this is the kind of aggravation you get in dealing with them?

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    Contract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 6, 2012

    It was a big mistake switching from Dish, and trusting DirecTV sales agent. The agent provided low prices as incentive but failed to mention several fees while also providing installers that installed the HDTV receivers for non-HD TVs that we own. Of course, DirecTV gets an extra $10 per month for HD receivers. I am counting the days until our two-year lock down contract expires and then DirecTV will get their due - zero revenue for the remainder of my life. We have no such problems with Dish, at our secondary home. DirecTV also has failed to offer the Pac-12 Network. Of course, the other carriers completed their negotiations. I will now leave my home to watch the WSU game because DirecTV is unable to negotiate in a reasonable manner. I can't wait to tear the DirecTV unit off my property!

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    Price

    Reviewed Oct. 6, 2012

    DirecTV refused to change my address and send a technician to my current address after I had told them that all of my equipment has already been moved and mounted and all I need is a technician to come out and fix the degree of angle and elevation. Now, I have no service and I am still being charged a monthly fee and am being told they have to charge a full fee of $230 when there is no need for that fee or services. All that is needed is technical support. I was never allowed to speak with the supervisor and though I asked repetitively, I was continually denied. Then, I was transferred to an automated machine to leave a voice mail. This is absolutely repulsive behavior and horrendous service and I demand to be treated with respect.

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    Contract & TermsSales & MarketingPrice

    Reviewed Oct. 6, 2012

    DirecTV sends advertising to your email with low prices (from $24.99) then when you call the sales department, a representative will try to set up a plan for a little bit higher amount based on additional fees that are not clear in the promotion that you originally received. Not a big deal yet; it is still a good offer ($29.99). Then, you receive your first bill - it is higher ($44.99) than the offer received by mail or the price that you agreed with the sales representative. You call to cancel but unfortunately it is too late; you have an early cancellation fee for a 2-year agreement. Welcome to red tape and enjoy your free NFL Season ticket.

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    Reviewed Oct. 5, 2012

    I have no service and it will be 4 days for repair. The service has been going out (code 771). Reps have given me the spiel 4 times now: tighten cables, reset DVRs and box. It has worked twice. The other times, I just had to wait until the signal came back. I will try and cancel the service this week. I have to pay a $50 service fee to have someone look at it for their equipment that’s malfunctioning. I will take any advice at this time. I hate to pay them to cancel for bad service.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 5, 2012

    I subscribed to DirecTV in December of 2010. My old tube type TV is going out, so I purchased a new TV that is very confusing to me to connect to the satellite service. I called to ask for assistance and was told the split wiring and all of the wiring was very simple, but I needed an HD receiver to make it work properly. After agreeing and paying for shipping/handling for an HD receiver, I was sent to a "3rd party verifier" who told me at that time my charge would be $10 per month to add HD (not mentioned on the initial call for a new receiver) and that I had to say, yes, that I understand my contract will be extended to October 2014. When I said I was confused, the guy continued to say, "Is that a yes?” I felt confused and intimidated explaining that all I wanted was for my new TV to work on my satellite service. I am a senior citizen and feel I was taken advantage of by DirecTV.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & Setup

    Reviewed Oct. 5, 2012

    DirecTV sucks! You can't watch on-demand shows from any TV without recording the show on the DVR first! On-demand shows are downloaded via your internet connection forcing you to upgrade your bandwidth! If you have the average WiFi router in your home, you'll have to buy one that pushed out more bandwidth or no other devices can use the WiFi. DirecTV has the worst customer service I've ever encountered!

    On 14 September 2012, we had DirecTV installed in our home. We are big on0demand fans as we enjoy watching TV on our schedule, not the networks'. When DirecTV was installed, they did not install the Home Cinema Kit which lets you access on-demand shows. We called DirecTV and they sent us the kit but to the wrong address twice, taking over a week and a half for one to actually get to us. I hooked it up and we could now get on-demand shows but only on the DVR not the other 3 DirecTV boxes. I called DirecTV for the 10th time about this issue and was informed for the first time that only the DVR would allow us to watch on-demand shows. But if we wanted, we could download the show via the DVR and then watch it on any other TV. We were sold this system under the impression that it would work just like cable, which it doesn't! To resolve this, DirecTV will send us another DVR for $280 or disconnect for a huge fee.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 4, 2012

    This should be illegal. After the workman installed DirecTV, on his way out the door, he called a 1800 # on my phone then handed it to me and left. The person on the phone stated she was offering me a deal on the warranty for my remote, wires and cable boxes. I told her this is something that should have been told to me before I had the work done. I did not know I was responsible for those things. I asked to speak to a supervisor. She said one was not available, but someone would call in within the next 24 hours. I told her that would not be necessary, just have them remove the equipment from my house. She said she could do that.

    My internet did not work so I called the workman back. He said I need to purchase another part from Direct to use with my Bright House Internet. After making three more phone calls, I was able to have service disconnected I thought. However, they told me it will be disconnected some time before midnight tonight but per Litaisha, the customer service person, I cannot have a confirmation number or email until after they disconnect my service. I am waiting to see if this is dragging out any longer. You see if the service is not disconnected within 24 hours of installation, it is $400. I don't have a good feeling about this. This company has not stood behind anything I was told. And the sad part is the graphic for their service excellent but customer service terrible.

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 4, 2012

    Omg! I just tried to order from these idiots. They argued with the price in the letter that DirecTV sent me! Then after asking for a supervisor, the agent on the phone said the supervisor told her to get back on the phone. So once again, I asked for another supervisor. When that idiot got on the phone, he would shut up long enough for me to finish 2 words. He said, "let's get through this." Well, you have to ** long enough, **!

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingPriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 4, 2012

    This is bait and switch. I ordered DirecTV Bundle/AT&T U-verse. Employee ** tells me I didn't sign up for a bundle with AT&T when I did. I am being overcharged as a consumer. Either honor the quote I was given or disconnect. I don't need threats of $400 charges of early activation when they aren't fulfilling their quoted price. Why would I have AT&T U-verse and DirecTV and for it not to be a bundle. DirecTV told me I had to call AT&T to get internet and now they are telling me I don't get the discounts because I didn't sign up for the bundle. I am a detailed businesswoman and have detailed notes. I was quoted $50.99 monthly and now I'm being charged $67.32. I could have signed up with Dish or cable but agreed to go with Direct because of price. This is bait and switch. Employee ** tells me I have to wait until month 13 for another $10 discount. I was given all these little discounts if I signed up and now all those discounts aren't valid? How can these employees be so disrespectful and DirecTV stay in business. I've had Dish (at my lake house) and cable previously. I've always been billed what I was quoted prior to DirecTV.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupContract & Terms

    Reviewed Oct. 3, 2012

    We signed up for DirecTV because we were told we could bundle our TV and internet. Several days after they installed our TV, we got a call from the internet provider stating we were not in their service area. We called the person that signed us up and they said they would look into it and get back with us. We never heard back and left multiple messages with no returned phone call. We have now found a provider that can bundle our TV and internet, so we called DirecTV to cancel since they couldn't honor what we signed up for. They won't let us cancel without paying a $20/month cancellation fee until the service contract is up. This is ridiculous! How can they bind us to a contract when they couldn't provide the services promised?

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 3, 2012

    I signed up for the $34.99/mo. plan that included NFL Sunday Ticket free, plus HBO/Cinemax free for 3 months. I was told during the ordering process to redeem my rebates prior to the first bill. I have an email dated 8/16 with my rebate confirmation numbers. My first bill came 9/6 and was for $138.02. I have Auto Pay, so I had no choice but to pay the first bill. I contacted them via telephone, and was told that I would hear back regarding that issue within 10 days. I did not hear back. I emailed on 9/19, explained the issue, and received an email back the same day apologizing, and stating that the rebates would be on my next statement.

    My second statement was for (you guessed it) $138.02. I phoned immediately and was credited $90 for the free HBO/Cinemax, but told that the rebates may not show up for 6-8 weeks. The customer service rep had a thick accent, and it was difficult to understand him. I'm now waiting the 10 business days it takes for a reply. I do believe that DirecTV is purposely overbilling and would like to see it stop.

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    Price

    Reviewed Oct. 2, 2012

    So I don't understand, last year there was only 1 NFL package which I signed up for. This year, they advertised discounted packages. I contacted DirecTV and they told me I was already signed up. I look at my bill and I am being charged a higher price for the "Max" NFL package that I don't want or didn't order. I contacted them again to give me the lower rate and they told me in not so many words "Too bad", thus scum bags as my subject line. How do you treat your existing customers so bad in order to get new ones? Eventually, the new customers will get screwed just like the old ones. This is such a deceptive practice!

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    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Oct. 2, 2012

    I was told by the HOA to move the dish off the railing of the balcony. When the service tech showed up, he didn't have any tripods so he put it on bricks. It looks ridiculous. I called DirecTV immediately to tell them it wasn't going to work and was told, "No problem, we can come back and move it at no charge." Now I'm being told that I have to pay another service charge. So, I have to pay because their bozo service tech didn't have the right equipment. What a joke this is. They suck. I will not pay again.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupContract & TermsSales & Marketing

    Reviewed Oct. 2, 2012

    DirecTV falsely advertises that moving your services is free. This is a lie! I was charged by DirecTV to move and install my service at my new home, and forced to renew my contract as well. I was then separately charged by the installer when the contractor came to my home or he would not install my services. I have contacted DirecTV to right this wrong and can get no satisfaction. I would cancel my service today if I could! They also add services to my account without my permission and then I have to take the time to call and have it removed (ex. NFL package). As soon as my contract can be cancelled with DirecTV, it will be cancelled. Also, all my friends and family will never carry DirecTV services. I am spreading the word about your false advertising.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Oct. 1, 2012

    I've been a customer for 11 years and have auto payment withdrawal and have never been a day late. This being said, I upgraded a standard definition receiver to an HD receiver. The receiver kept malfunctioning. I called and informed them that the receiver was not working properly. They said that they needed to send a technician out to make sure. I asked them if there would be a charge and they informed me no. As long as it is the receiver, there will be no charge because it is within the warranty for the device. The technician came out and said, "Yep, it's the receiver," and replaced it. My next bill showed a service call charge. I called to have it removed and they gave me rebuttal after rebuttal from one department to the next and told me it was a valid charge. I have come to the conclusion that DirecTV does not value their loyal customers. I will be shopping around for a new television service provider.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Oct. 1, 2012

    I called DirecTV to sign up for their offer of the Entertainment package. I have had DirecTV several years ago and was generally satisfied with them so with the good price they offered with their promotion, I figured it would be a good deal. I had no idea of the amount of lies and hassle I would have to deal with. First, the person I spoke with told me channels were included in my package which were not; also said I'd get NFL Sunday Ticket free, which I didn't. When I called to complain, I was basically told it was my fault for believing the representative and not knowing myself what's included in their packages. They added sports channels free for a month to make up for it which took 2 days and 3 separate phone calls to actually receive. Then, after emailing their corporate office, they gave me NFL Sunday Ticket. Nice maybe, but it still is only what I was originally promised.

    Then after 1 month, they add $5.99 for their protection plan which they do not tell you about. They just sneak it onto your bill. I called to have that taken off. I was told that it was and told I was being credited back the $5.99. Wouldn't you know it, when my auto pay came out, I was still billed for the plan. I called again to see why. I was told it was never cancelled and there is a $10 cancellation fee on top of it! I have to pay $10 to cancel something I never signed up for?! After much haggling, I was able to get credit for the $5.99 and the $10, but my final bill has not arrived, so we will see if that was just another lie too.

    Finally, this last Friday, I was called by them to offer me NFL Sunday Max "free" for the weekend. I could cancel on Monday with no charge. I asked if the call was being recorded, took down his name and made him repeat that I could cancel on Monday with no charge. If I decided to keep it, it would be $25. I called today to cancel and an extremely rude person tells me that there is no note that it was free and it is four payments of $25. I ask to talk to a supervisor and she tells me there is no point because everyone will tell me the same thing anyway. Well, I finally did get a supervisor and he did take it off for me, but told me they were not offering any promotions so he wasn't sure what I was talking about.

    Do their employees really just call people to make false promises and then once you're signed up, no one has to be held accountable? It's a horrible, horrible, unethical company. I see why they make people sign 2-yr. contracts because otherwise as soon as people find out what they're dealing with, they would cancel as fast as they signed up. I will be done the day my contract is up.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Sept. 30, 2012

    When I called to make the appointment for an installation, there was no mention of a 2-year contract. The base monthly price was $54.33. After the installation was completed, the technicians produced a contract page that I had to sign and told me then of the 2-year contract. They said I had 30 days to cancel since I was considering having to pull all the stuff they had just installed. The technician said that it happens all the time, that the representative on the phone does not say anything about the 2-year contract, and that they as technicians have to deal with customers who have not been informed of a contract.

    Agreeing to this, we went ahead and signed. Then I called that same day and the supervisor on the phone agreed that my bill would be the $54.33 for the whole of my contract. Today, 18 months into my contract, dozens of angry phone calls later, I have decided to cancel my contract with DirecTV since I'm the only one who is held to anything the contract states. I have paid my bill on time every month but DirecTV has not held themselves accountable for their end of the bargain. Best of luck with that, DirecTV. We will never do business with you again.

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    Customer ServicePunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 30, 2012

    When I signed up, I told the rep that I didn't want HBO and NFL Sunday Ticket. In spite of that, he included them as "promotional," that I would have to cancel within a certain time frame to avoid being charged for them. I called within the specified time period and asked to cancel all of the promotional stuff. But they never cancelled the NFL Sunday Ticket and started billing me for it. When I discovered that, I called again. I was told I was 5 days too late and that I'd have to keep paying for the rest of the season. I explained that I didn't want a refund or credit - I just wanted to cancel it. They would not budge. I'll have to keep paying for something I didn't want. It's not the money I'm upset about so much as the way they hooked me into pay for something I never wanted in the first place.

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    Reviewed Sept. 30, 2012

    DirecTV is unethical and uses unfair business practices by charging customers for services they didn't order, and then refusing to cancel these services or credit the charges. Join me in filing a complaint with the California Attorney General about DirecTV's unfair business practices. The people and their Attorney Generals should file a class action lawsuit against DirecTV requiring them to be fair in business.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 28, 2012

    We have all seen the commercials for the NFL Ticket on DirecTV. They state that it is free. Where in these commercials does it say for new customers only? This is a blatant misleading commercial. We have been a customer for over 10 years, but the only reason is for the ticket. Their customer service is by far the worst I have ever encountered. I feel the commercials should be removed immediately and a class action lawsuit should be filed.

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    Coverage

    Reviewed Sept. 28, 2012

    DirecTV charged me for the NFL season ticket that I did not request. It was a promotion given to me last year as a new customer. I did what I was told and cancelled the promotion in January of this year. DirecTV has this documented. They, however, charged me for it without my consent on this month’s bill in the amount of $299.94. This money was all I had to my name. It has left my bank account in the negative with multiple overdraft fees charged. My services are being shut off due to non-payment, such as my electricity, car insurance and water/sewer. I asked that the money be returned to me, but DirecTV will not return my money. They will only give me a credit on my bill.

    This is unsatisfactory. That money is mine, not theirs, and I need it. I have two small children that I provide for and now I am broke. I have no money to even make my rent payment. This has caused a hardship that I couldn't have imagined possible. I account for every penny I earn and spend. I cannot in anyway just walk away from $300. I don't need a credit on my bill, I need my money back to live and take care of my children! DirecTV is not doing me any favors by giving me a credit. They are doing themselves a favor by keeping my money to make sure their monthly bills are covered. I, however, am almost homeless because of this!

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 28, 2012

    I used to love DirecTV, but either they have completely changed their attitude or I just misjudged. I did have an issue when I first signed up in that I signed up for an offer to buy my HD DVR receiver instead of rent, but they charged rent anyway. Never could get that corrected. Two years ago, my HD channels disappeared, and after spending a lot of time with their tech dept., they tell me, "Oh, we forgot, the channels no longer say ‘HD’ on the guide. You still have HD.” When I explained the picture used to be better, they didn't seem to believe me. While at a friend’s house a year later, I see "HD" on all kinds of channels on the guide. Turns out I didn't have HD for a year, and they refused to credit me at all.

    6 months ago, my receiver started having all sorts of issues and had to be rebooted daily, kept freezing up, etc. Tech dept. blamed the signal, which was ridiculous, and wouldn't change the receiver. A few months ago, it finally died. I call to get a replacement on the leased receiver, and guess what, instead of credits for the time I will be out of service because they don't send someone out, they charge me $19.95 shipping! Then, the tech guy says my dead receiver is obsolete, and they don't want it back so just dispose of it (how I wish). Just in case, I keep it. What do you know, 2 months later, a return box shows up on my doorstep, and a $143.00 charge shows up on my bill for non-return of the receiver!

    Now, the kicker. In August, they call me with a great offer - try out some movie channels for 3 months, and it will only raise my bill $6 a month for those 3 months, and they will even throw in free NFL Sunday Ticket with no commitment, cancel anytime. Guess what, I'm on a 1 year contract and didn't get Sunday Ticket for free - it's $150.00! I just spent all kinds of time on the phone with them, getting passed around, and they refuse to credit me or let me out of the contract! They won't even cancel NFL Sunday Ticket! Who knows a good lawyer?

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    Customer ServiceSales & MarketingStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 27, 2012

    I signed up with DirecTV in June 2012 for an extra choice package for $39.99 that included 4 upgrades: HD DVR and 3 receivers. At that time I was told by DirecTV representative Jackie that if I moved during the first year, it would be free. This was the start of many lies DirecTV has told me. I didn't get three receivers free, I must pay for them. Three months later, I was moving again to a rental unit while building a house. That move is now not free. It was included in my package, but now that was removed from the package I signed up for. That is called bait and switch and is illegal in the State of Minnesota.

    I must pay for the move because I have to show loyalty to DirecTV. Loyalty is defined by paying your bill on time which I have done every month. Where is the loyalty shown me by DirecTV? When I call DirecTV, I have asked to speak to supervisors. They are always on another call and will call you back. Never have I received a call back. Now when I call, I document each call and each representative. I make sure to get their name, ID number, where they are located and time and date of call. I have collected the ID numbers of Ashley, Rafael, and Ladinal. These representatives have been rude and sarcastic on the phone.

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    Sales & MarketingPrice

    Reviewed Sept. 27, 2012

    DirecTV rebate is a scam. DirecTV promised me a $24/month rebate for 3 months when I signed up for DirecTV Choice HD w/all the premium channels. I talked to a DirecTV rep to apply for my rebate and received a confirmation number. That was month ago. The rebate has yet to show up on my CenturyLink bill has promised by no later than September. Meanwhile, the price keeps going up and is now though the roof outrageous - three times higher than the CenturyLink rep quoted. I hope the FCC rules are true so I can switch to another provider and never again be forced to deal with these horrendous crooks!

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 26, 2012

    I noticed that my bill was going up each month for about 2-3 months, so I called because I knew I had not added anything to my features. I was told that the NFL Ticket was automatically added to my account. I politely asked for it to be taken off because for one, I did not sign up for it and for two, I don't watch it! I spoke to about 6 different people and they were very rude and not willing to help me. I asked to speak to a supervisor and the lady told me, "No, there is no one else you can speak to!" I am a single mother and I cannot afford an extra $80 on my bill each month! I don't use the NFL Ticket so I need it off my bill! I was told it would stay on for another 4 months! This is completely unacceptable! How can they make people pay for services that were never ordered and are not wanted?

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 26, 2012

    I chose DirecTV because of the price. I was promised $29.99 plus $6.00 for an extra box. I never received my first bill. I found out that the first payment would be taken out of my account 15 days after my service was installed when I logged onto my account on DirecTV’s website. If I hadn’t checked the site, I would have had the money taken out without me knowing. Not only was I not notified that the money is taken out in advance, but I was charged $70.00 instead of the promised $36.00 plus tax. When I spoke to customer service, I was told that they take the payment out 15 days in advance and they bill 30 days in advance.

    I was told that the rebate rate would not take effect until the next billing period, even though I was promised it in the beginning. The service keeps cutting out, so they keep sending a new signal. We cancelled to go with Comcast and I am being charged $480.00 to cancel before 30 days of service. I was told that I had 24 hours to cancel when there should be a 30-day trial period in any contract. I gave DirecTV permission to talk to Keith **, my fiancé, and they told him that they were going to hang the phone up on him if he didn’t give me back the phone, even though I gave them permission to talk with them.

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    Reviewed Sept. 26, 2012

    The service was disconnected due to nonpayment. I am unemployed and received an unemployment check, which is a direct deposit in my account. At the beginning of my DirecTV service, I had approved of auto withdraw. But as it became hard to manage my other bills, I had it stopped and paid my debt, in which I called it in. On 9/5/12, DirecTV did an auto withdraw out of my account without my knowledge, causing me some hardship with not being able to pay my doctor co-pay. I had to cancel an appointment, which I was there and without knowledge of not being able to pay.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 26, 2012

    My 8-year-old child and I were watching HGTV on DirecTV at 3:30 pm est, when a commercial by DirecTV came on exposing my 8-year-old to a fully naked woman lying on her stomach which revealed her bare butt and then she slowly sat up revealing her breast almost to her nipples then the scene cut. I called DirecTV to address the situation and was basically told, "too bad" and they denied that they even had this channel in their network. I would like my service cancelled without a penalty. I am not satisfied with DirecTV's service since they cannot guarantee that this won't happen again. They told me that I can prerecord all my programs for my child and myself so we won't be exposed to DirecTV's advertisements. The images that I have provided is of the naked woman that my child was exposed to and is of the channel that they were advertising for on HGTV.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupPrice

    Reviewed Sept. 25, 2012

    We unfortunately were forced to cancel our service mid-contract as we sold your home and moved to another home in which we were not allowed to install new wiring or dish as we only rent. I understand the $300 cancellation fee and planned on paying it. We returned all 6 receivers and all remotes as you requested. I had removed my billing option from the automatic withdrawal due to I needed the control of paying the fee when I had the funds. Believe it or not, moving can be very expensive.

    We got the bill and it noted to pay by check, no longer noted the date it would be withdrawn. You took the money, $381.08, from my account yesterday which another payment came in at the same time which caused my account to be withdrawn. It does state on the bill in very tiny print that you will automatically take the funds from the credit card on file within 15 days of the date on the bill. However, did you ever think that the mail forwarding delays mail? We get our mail 2-3 weeks after the post stamped date.

    Now, I am dealing with several fees from the bank as well due to you just taking the money. I never once asked for that fee to be waived. I had always planned to make that payment, just check our payment history for the last like 10 years we were with you. I called billing and of course, he would not listen nor help out. It just simply stated the 15 day notice on the bill. Up until this very day, we had always planned to get DirecTV again in the future but never again will we get DirecTV service. We are totally upset, dissatisfied and will for sure pass this bit of horrible customer service and billing service onto as many people as possible.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 24, 2012

    I have been receiving offers for DirecTV for a very long time. When I tried to get DirecTV in the past, your company sent technicians out to find the signal for your satellites. Everyone of them plus a supervisor or two tried but could not get both satellite signals needed for service. They all stated that I would not be able to get satellite service. I then called Dish Network and they both found the required satellite signals needed for service but also got my business. I want you to cease sending any more mail to my mailbox. I don't want or need your service, so please don't send any more stuff to my postal box or email box!

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 24, 2012

    I called and asked what I can do to stop auto bill pay so that it would not automatically be taken out on the 24th. Your customer service told me to pay a certain amount and that it would not be taken out. So, I did that and called just to verify that it would not be taken out and guess what, on the 24th, today, it was taken out. I called and spoke to 3 supervisors and no one will fix the problem and put the money back. They even agreed with me on the problem. You did not back what your own customer service told me to do. I am very angry at this.

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    Contract & TermsCoverage

    Reviewed Sept. 23, 2012

    I only agreed to DirecTV terms because I was guaranteed to get coverage of the SF Giants and 49ers; unfortunately, that is no longer available due to the issues between Fox Medford and DirecTV. I am an angry customer - seeking a new carrier!

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    Reviewed Sept. 22, 2012

    USC/CA State football game - How can you not show this game to your So. Ca. customers? If you are not going to carry USC football, let me know. After 25 years with you, I will be checking on my contract to see when it is up. Let me know if you will not be showing the games. I will bet I am not your only customer to feel this way.

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 22, 2012

    I have been a customer since 2009 and in that period, I do not recall ever having to request an extension on my account. However, last week, I requested an extension by the automated system. I was granted extension until 9/23/12. Since then, I ran into a financial situation. I needed my account extended again until 9/28/12. Your customer service representatives would not give me an extension all because "your system will not let them because I was already scheduled to be disconnected". I have never experienced a company that will not give you a second extension considering I have always been pretty good with paying my bill. This is 2012 & gas prices are sky high & with the way our economy is & people struggling to keep lights on, I find it very disgusting that no one in your company would assist me for a simple 5-day extension for a $109 bill. I am sure Cox or Dish does not treat their customers this way.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 21, 2012

    Every time I have ever called DirecTV, the calls have always ended being screaming matches due to their lack of customer support. I tried to get an HD box and they were gonna charge me $200 at first and then all of a sudden they had a standard HD box for $100. I said it’s fine and I will get the $100 box - I don’t really need HDR. So then I said, “Wait, does this sign me up for another 2-year plan?” They said yes (I had to ask - they were not going to tell me). I said no way. I can’t stand DirecTV, but I only have 9 months left and I just want to finish my contract and then go somewhere else. They said they can’t do it without another 2 years. I said no way. Maybe if you guys were not so rude every time I called, I would think about it. But the way I have been treated, I will not re-sign with you guys. It ended once again in a scream match and I said, “Cancel my plan now!”

    Then I get calls every day about how much they want me as a customer back and I can give you this and I can give you that. I said no way, I would not sign back up with you guys for free for life. So, I just tried to call to dispute my cancel fee and once again the "supervisor" says he can’t waive it, that everything is my fault, and to either pay the fee or pretty much I’ll get screwed. What happened to customers are always right and make things right to the people that are upset? They don’t care about the people - they only care about the money. You think they would say, “Sorry, you have had a bad experience with us - let me make things right,” but no, this supervisor named Ross was very rude and not helpful at all. I did just pay the bill because I did not want that on my name, even though I feel I should have had that waived. I was still the bigger person and did pay my bills just like I did every month.

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    Contract & TermsPrice

    Reviewed Sept. 21, 2012

    Services are not what was represented - I changed from Dish to DirecTV and asked for the same options, i.e., pause live TV, choose a room from which to record, and be able to watch recorded programs from any of the three receivers we were paying for. They will tell you what you are getting from DirecTV is the same as Dish, but that is not what you get. You can pause live TV, but in only one room. You cannot designate what room a program will record in. The TV on the DVR can only record two shows at a time, and you have to watch one of the shows being recorded. Then, if you pay for receivers in three rooms, only two can watch recordings at the same time. We liked Dish much better. Now, I'm told to get the options I was told I was getting will cost more than $500.00. And I have to agree to another 24-month contract.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 21, 2012

    I'm sorry to say that DirecTV is the worst company I've ever had to deal with. I woke up this morning with no TV - not because it is cloudy out today or raining, which is usually the case, but because they shut off my service. I admit that this month I had to call and tell them I would be late paying my bill. It was due on Sept. 16, and I asked if I could pay on Friday, the 21st (pay day). They told me that would be fine. Today is the 20th, and I woke up with the service disconnected. When I called to ask why, they told me one thing and did another. I could not speak to a representative until after I made my payment in full. Is that even legal? What if I had a question about the bill being too high (which I did)?

    Also when DirecTV was ordered, it included the NFL Ticket and Premium Channels for free for the first 12 months. After I paid for these services because the year was over, they finally allowed me to speak with customer service who I could barely understand and then told me they were now charging me for these services. This took over an hour and a half to get everything straightened out and get the bill to where it is supposed to be and have service reconnected (which they charged me for, not to mention the disconnect fee for a mistake they are responsible for). This has been a very frustrating morning, and as soon as my contract with DirecTV is over, I will be cancelling the service. I advise everyone to find a different provider if you do not wish to have the stress and aggravation DirecTV has put me through over the past year.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 20, 2012

    On September 11, 2011, I called DirecTV to cancel my service as I had to move, and the new place could not accommodate this service. The representative said, "No problem", and I was under no contract with them (been a customer for 10 years). He was polite and tried to talk me out of it, but I told him it was out of my hands, and I asked if I could pay for everything then, as I did not have a current mailing address at the new place I was relocating to. Then in April 2012 (seven months later), I received an email from them saying my current monthly payment was due. They reinstated my service, at my old address, where I do not live, nor had any receiver (sent back), so it must be ghosts using that service.

    I called numerous times (try getting through to anyone - a joke). I sent them three emails. One response was they were correcting it, another response was they were discounting the price of the payment due. Whatever happened to, "Sorry, our mistake, we will keep account closed and paid-in-full"? About three months ago, a representative called and asked if I had sent the receiver back, and I said "yes" (I even had an agent at post office help re-tape it as they only send you one strip of tape). She said she hadn't checked for its return, but it was probably there, and I asked if everything was cleared up, and her reply was: "Yes, your account is closed and you owe no more money!" I was excited to finally talk to someone that had it together. I got excited too soon.

    Now 3 months later, I am currently being hounded by creditors sent by DirecTV, now stating different amounts I owe for cancelling my service on May 11, 2012. Hello? My service was cancelled September 11, 2011, and I even have the reference number for that transaction and bank statement. The Attorney General's Office needs to deal with this company, as they are not honest, and I read everyone else's complaints, and there are thousands out there. They have been taken to court before and lost. I think they will be making another court appearance, as too many unhappy people got screwed over by them. It's sad, because over 10 years ago, they were a pretty good company - not now.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 20, 2012

    I have so many mishaps with the receiver. I called at least 4-5 times because I would be watching a program and a movie would come on or a little cartoon show, mostly "Hub". After calling technical services for 3 times, I knew the drill from being told each time I had called before. I spoke with a customer service rep on my last call to DirecTV and told her about how dissatisfied I was with the service. She told me that the technicians should have sent me two new receivers or offered, but they never did. The call prior to her call when I requested the disconnect, this service rep was a bit defensive and disputed me that she only saw one call. Someone had not done their job to enter my calls.

    I disconnected the service because I am relocating to another state to be with my son who has cable. She could not understand that and kept insisting that I can use DirecTV in that area when I told her I did not want to since cable is already installed at my son's house. I am moving out of my present home on the 28th. DirecTV was disconnected today. I was told that it has been disconnected 5 days prior to moving out, which is terrible. Now we are left without any entertainment for 8 days. You really need to perfect this policy. I am sure there are others that feel the same way.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 20, 2012

    Faulty Equipment and Bad Customer Service - Our DirecTV receiver stopped working, but fortunately we had a replacement plan. We called to report the problem and worked with the service rep to troubleshoot the receiver. They decided our receiver needed to be replaced, and that they would send us another receiver but it would take up to 5 days. We were then told we must mail the faulty receiver back to them within 7 days, or we would be charged $400 (for the broken piece of junk).

    We are not happy about how long it is going to take so we asked if we could swap out our box by visiting a local DirecTV office (the way Comcast used to allow us to do), and they said no. We can only get the new receiver sent to us. When I called to complain to customer service, my call was routed to a support person in the Philippines. The connection was terrible, and the person was very difficult to hear. I asked to be transferred to a US based customer services rep and was routed back to another Philippines representative two more times.

    We think it takes too long to get a replacement receiver. We think we should be given more time than just 7 days to return the broken equipment without being threatened with a $400 charge, and we would like to receive service from US based representatives only. When we were on Comcast Cable, I was never routed to a rep outside the US, ever! I don't like how DirecTV does business.

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    Reviewed Sept. 19, 2012

    Unauthorized withdrawal - DirecTV spontaneously drafted $661.00 out of my account. I consequently have a negative balance of $500 with fees still accruing. I just needed help and didn't know what to do.

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    Sales & MarketingPrice

    Reviewed Sept. 19, 2012

    DirecTV advertisement offers hundreds of channels for a low price. They then add on $20 for monthly receiver; each TV is $6 extra, protection plan is $5.99. Most of the channels are paid advertisements. After you get this and the price will go up even higher in the second year, you cannot cancel without a hefty penalty. There are only a handful of channels that have any real programing on them.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 19, 2012

    I tried to cancel my service in November 2011 and they talked me into suspending my service for 6 months. They failed to tell me at that time that my service would automatically start up after 6 months. They said they notified by email, but it must have gone to my junk mail. I am not sure why they didn't notify me by USPS or by phone, which is how they look up your account. I am sure they use email because it would be most likely missed or overlooked. The worst part about this is when you call them to ask for a credit of any sort, they refuse. They act like they have no knowledge if you have been using their services, but DirecTV knows when you have your boxes on. Just try to reset one of their boxes without having to give them a call to read them your sim card number in your box.

    It is pretty sad that they have to resort to being sneaky to make a dime. Unfortunately, you have to be rude to get them to cancel your service which is what I should have done in November. This is another great business plan of DirecTV to make your customers so upset that they will never come back to your services.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 18, 2012

    Over billing, unwanted add-ons and failure to disconnect. I called to cancel many times. I keep getting told I never have called or it would show up on their report.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 18, 2012

    I’m not satisfied with their customer service knowledge. I called on 9/17 to report that some of my stations were not coming on. The first person I spoke to was unaware of what I was talking about so he transferred me to another department. The lady stated I did have those programs and she was rebooting my TV. I got home and still did not have those programs. I called back, got another associate that stated I did not have those programs. I explained that they come up as the shows I have. She stated I was misinformed and rebooted 3 times and the programs still came up. She said I can’t help you any further, sorry. This is help?

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 18, 2012

    I signed up for DirecTV in July of 2010. I signed a 2-year contract. I asked when I signed up if I could put the service on hold for vacation. They said anytime I wanted. They failed to tell me that when I put it on vacation, it would be subtracted from my time. I waited 2 months after the 2 years to cancel, I went with another carrier. I called to cancel today and they told me I would have to pay a $240.00 cancellation fee because I cancelled before my time was up. Unbelievable. I have never dealt with a sorry company like this my whole life. I am 62 years old and don't need this aggravation. I will never recommend them to anyone. I have lots of friends with DirecTV and I will make sure to tell them all about this. Why should I have to pay for a mistake that was made by those incompetent people?

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    Installation & SetupContract & TermsPrice

    Reviewed Sept. 17, 2012

    We originally thought our contract with DirecTV will end on 01-28-13. We called to see about transferring because we are moving. They wanted to charge us $118 to transfer while new customers get free installation. In the last month, our satellite TV has been out at least 4 times when it rains. I was also informed that they extended our contract without knowledge or permission to 12-15-13 because of a receiver we exchanged. A reputable company does not need to resort to underhanded tactics to get money they did not earn.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Sept. 17, 2012

    We recently moved from Sarasota, FL to Sun City Center, FL and wanted to continue with DirecTV because we were happy with the programming and service. The area where we moved is new and we wanted to bundle the internet, phone and TV in one package. We wanted the Verizon FiOS and phone and were being told we could get it and use Direct for our TV. Then we found out we could not get the Verizon FiOS and were forced to go with a Bright House package that did not include DirecTV. We had been with DirecTV for 11 years, never missing a payment or even being late once. Now, we get a $360 early cancellation fee and they will not waive it no matter what we do.

    It's early because we upgraded to an HD DVR box when we bought a new TV last February. They told us that anytime you make a change to your contract, it automatically starts a new 24-month contract (which they never told us at the time we upgraded). We were on the phone with them for over an hour, talking to two different people and the answer remained the same - no! It's amazing how a company can mess up their reputation so easily.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 16, 2012

    First I would like to preface this by saying I'm a broker of both DirecTV and Dish Network services. I have sent over 120 customers to DirecTV and about 15 or so to Dish. With that being said, I too went the DirecTV route because of the NFL ticket in February, just as I recommended to the 120 customers of mine. I just got off a 1 hour 52 minutes and 5 transfers phone call with DirecTV.

    I signed up in February with DirecTV and was told I was getting the NFL package which, let's be honest, that's the only real reason of going to DirecTV vs Dish Network. I chatted with the sales person about why I was choosing DirecTV over Dish and how I enjoyed watching the NFL ticket at a friend's house. I was told I had the NFL ticket for the 2012 season and he even went over the online and phone apps for it. Today I found out I don't have the ticket on my account. The first person I talked to said they couldn't help me and had to transfer me to another department. When the second person I was transferred to answered, he didn't even say anything. After 10 seconds of silence, I said hello with a response of "I'm here, what can I help you with?" After letting him know I signed up and supposed to get the NFL package, he said that my bill was 2 days past due and couldn't talk to me about it until my account was brought current (what!).

    I asked him, "So you can't help me with me with something I was supposed to have on my account from the beginning?" There was no response. He placed me back in a queue where I waited for another 25 minutes before another customer service rep from the moving department (?) picked up. I explained what had just happened, asked to speak with a manager. The manager from the moving department refused to speak with me as this wasn't a moving department issue. So, I was transferred again and placed into another queue. After speaking with another rep (4th transfer) and waiting on hold for another 30 minutes to speak with a manager (5th transfer), one finally picked up. I explained the issue and he said that it was never added to my account and there's nothing he can do about it. I asked, "So you can't add it after being told I was given it?" He simply said no.

    Long story short, they promised something and refused to do the right thing. Sad thing is, with 2 hours on the phone with them, I'm sure most of the 120 customers of mine that I converted to DirecTV services too are having the same issue, which makes me look bad as a business owner. I now will recommend Dish Network services from here on out, especially after researching all of the DirecTV customer service issues I'm seeing. They have gotten too big and just no longer care about the individual customers. Even with small business owners like myself that have an affiliation with them, they refuse to do what's right and told me I have to purchase it. It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever experienced. It's not like I'm asking for anything I shouldn't have or was promised to me.

    If you are reading this and contemplating between the two services, unless you are not dead set on the NFL package (which they promise and don't give anyways in my case), I would go with Dish Network. I had them before and their customer service was really good. DirecTV just doesn't care! Sorry for being so long winded, just frustrated and embarrassed that myself, as well as my customers, have to deal with issues like this.

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    Contract & Terms

    Reviewed Sept. 14, 2012

    DirecTV took money out of my credit card for service that isn't mine. I made a payment for my mother with my card and they went and decided months later to charge my credit after I complained to the BBB about them having me on the account. They said they took me off the account and then two weeks later, they charged my credit card. They said that it is in the contract but it's not my contract, not my service. I never signed or agreed to anything and they refuse to give me my money back.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 14, 2012

    My service was disconnected on Sept. 9th and my bill statement says I owe $252.32 but when I added up things, it is really $250.36 (which includes my current bill). When I called to restore service, they said I had to pay $174.33 and I asked how they arrived at that amount. My past due is $133.50 and the current charges are $116.86 and I should only have to pay past due. They can't explain how they arrived at that amount. My statement is also saying my past due is $88.12 They did the same last month when there was an inconsistency with my bill.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 14, 2012

    I called into customer service and waited on hold for a long time to get hung up on by a less than cooperative employee. I called back and waited another long wait. I spoke to another girl who advised me I should have paid my bill. And then I was transferred to a so-called supervisor who hung up on me. I had to call back three more times where I asked for a supervisor and was either hung up on or transferred back to main menu. This was Friday night and I was on the phone for an hour and a half making back to back calls to customer reps who were hanging up and being plain rude.

    My son was also upset for he had to listen to this disrespect and frustration! I was very upset. After six calls into customer service, I finally spoke to another supervisor who was very helpful and who said she would also report my complaint. I don't know if that was done because I have not heard anything but this was very upsetting and disturbing to think I pay money for a service and get treated like that by customer service when they know it's a long wait time. They aren't trying to help you resolve any issues but they just hang up on you. I would like to be contacted. I have names and specifics written down at home.

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    Reviewed Sept. 14, 2012

    Due to illness in the family, I got behind in my payment and it went to collection. I was billed in excess of $1,000 for the past due and equipment. I contacted Focus (all collection agencies should operate like Focus), the collection company, about paying the past due amount and restoring my service. The Focus representative called DirecTV with me on the phone and talked with a customer service manager and was told if I pay the past due charges, they would restore my service. This was told to both of us! I paid the past due charges and again we called DirecTV and was told I still owed the full amount and my service would not be restored. I asked to speak to the customer service manager's manager and was told that upper management would return my call. To date, I have not received a call. I was wrong in getting behind but I attempted to pay and keep DirecTV. Shame on me! Do not do business with DirecTV. They lie!

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    Installation & Setup

    Reviewed Sept. 13, 2012

    I transferred my services and was told I would have to pay $200 for a mover's fee because I got free installation and could have been charged $500 but was reduced to $200. I spoke with a sup who told me that I could have paid $500 and to be thankful they reduced it. I told him they offered me free install and why would they charge to transfer my service. My account was current and I truly feel this was an injustice to me and anybody that has ever had this done to them. It's a rip off!

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    Price

    Reviewed Sept. 13, 2012

    We decided to change service company when cable became available in our area. We asked DirecTV to send boxes. They did, but it went to another address. We asked again. We never received boxes but they said they were shipped. Now they will not send boxes and said we are responsible for the equipment cost. This has been going on a while. This is messing up our credit score and they don't care.

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    Contract & Terms

    Reviewed Sept. 13, 2012

    I had DirecTV service and moved to a location where I was not allowed to carry my service because the landlord said it had been tried before but the reception was poor and he did not want a dish drilled in to his property. I had to get my TV service from a cable company. I was only a few months into my contract period and was told I had to pay $20 for every month left on the contract. Yes, I did say contract, but it is an indictment on DirecTV that they would not give any lenience, especially since it was necessary to move out of the house where the service was. I determined that this was not fair play. I now have to pay a penalty of almost $300 for consequences beyond control. I will not deal with this company anymore.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsSales & Marketing

    Reviewed Sept. 12, 2012

    I signed up for DirecTV for their two-year promotion on the Premier package and I was supposed to be billed only $84 a month. As of 09/04/12, I'm being billed for the regular price of the package of $119. I called DirecTV and all they could say is it was a 3-month promotion which is not true and that they refuse to correct their mistake. So I will be trying to cancel this contract in every way possible and just like another consumer stated that they are crooks and lie about their advertisement just to get you signed up. Because once that's done, they start dropping the ball and billing you for all kinds on unnecessary things. To all, please be aware of DirecTV because when I'm done with this company, I will never ever sign with them again, as well as I will tell all my family and friends of my experience and let them know to stay away from DirecTV.

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    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Sept. 11, 2012

    I've dealt with a lot of cable companies both here in the States and overseas (hubby was a diplomat for a while), and DirecTV is pretty awful. They wouldn't replace a box that was not working and just wanted to argue that if we only unplug, replug, take it out for dinner and a movie first, that it would work. My hubby had a fit with a supervisor and about a week later, another box arrived. The price just keeps going up and the DirecTV people just keep on calling trying to get us to take all those stupid movie channels we wouldn't watch anyway.

    One called the other day and tried to get us to talk about the channels we like. Well, we're geeks and proud of it. We like BookTV and CSpan, we replied. She hung up and hasn't called back. When our "contract" is up in February, we will be changing cable providers faster than blinking. Where has all the good cable gone?

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 11, 2012

    Horrible service, DirecTV is a rip off! Customer service is a joke. The boxes are a joke. I too had the same problems with having to "reset" the box and then you have to call into DirecTV, etc. A pain in the neck service, they just plain stink! Half of their customer service reps do not speak English, and/or are so hard to understand; you just get nowhere with them. I've been billed for channels I didn't order or authorize, even after writing five letters. My usual monthly bill has turned into a nightmare and I'm going with another company.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 11, 2012

    I was in Wal-Mart on Saturday when the salesperson Edith asked me if I wanted to try and see if I could get direct cable (she was very nice). I did apply and was told I have good credit to get service and paid $21.60 to start and someone would be here on Wednesday to install the cable. I even received an email stating confirmation. Today (9/10/12), I received an automatic call telling me I needed to call in (no problem, I did) and the first young lady was nice about it and told me I owed $219.00 (no problem, I don't even remember having direct cable but just did not have the money today). After hanging up, I thought about it, and yes, I do owe the money. I was going through hard times back then and could not afford the cable, which is why I had no argument for her, but I called back remembering my son Elijah called in for Wednesday so that he could be here to let the man in.

    The second lady that I talked to was so mean and rude, I just wanted to speak to a manager; and she put me on hold for, I know, 10 minutes; and then sent me to the voice messages that kept saying all of our representatives are busy now. I cried sitting there thinking how my son is going to miss a day of work and trying to help me, and she did this to me. But now I can afford cable and I will get my cable on and pay my son for his day. After coming on this complaint line, I am glad now I did not get the cable. All I can say is keep doing what you are doing, DirecTV; you won’t have any customers because, one at a time, we add up; and that same ** that was so rude, she will be fired first. Miss telephone lady, my thing is my SS # is still the same, and it should have showed right then and there instead of playing tricks with people.

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    Punctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Sept. 10, 2012

    I was never told about some of the charges that appeared on my bill. I was never told I was enrolled in auto pay until I received my statement showing my credit card had been charged. I was never told by submitting my "rebates" online, I would receive an extra $5 per month off my bill (that no one I spoke with can undo). I was never told I would have to pay extra per month for receiver service. There were obviously hidden charges. This company is a thief and I want my money back! I was threatened with legal action if I terminated my service early with them. Has no one been able to take legal action with them about all they have done?

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupSales & MarketingPunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 10, 2012

    I authorized DirecTV to make a onetime installation charge of $24. I just received my credit card bill that showed DirecTV charged me $95 on August 3 and $94 on September 3. I called them up and asked why they charged my credit card when I never authorized it. I said that I only authorized on Aug 31st, 2012 a onetime charge for installation with a guy in the Philippines who could barely speak English. DirecTV said they couldn't credit my account and offered a $25 rebate. I told them to cancel my service. When I first ordered DirecTV, they gave me 5 different days for an installation and they never showed up. Finally, a man called and said he was leaving Fresno, California and was on his way to my house. I told him I lived just south of Albuquerque, New Mexico a few thousand miles away.

    A week later, an Installation man showed up and I finally got DirecTV installed. The DirecTV worked only for a few hours and went out. For the week I had it, it worked for only a few minutes at a time with hours of no service. DirecTV came to my house a week later and installed all new equipment. Finally it worked. When I spoke to DirecTV about the billing, I asked why my bill was $94 instead of $29.99. They said I had to email my rebate on their website. I explained to them that their operator from the Philippines who could barely speak English never told me that. They told me the rebate of $25 lowers the bill to $6. Warning: Don't order DirecTV. They lie, then cheat and scam you.

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    Customer ServicePriceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 9, 2012

    I signed up with DTV because I was looking for ways to save on some bills. I was told I would be on a promotion and pay $29.99 for the first 12 months and $39.99 the second twelve months. That would have been less than what I was paying for Dish Network. I was with them for years and had no issues, just wanted to save some money. I first made the change on April 21, 2012. The problems started as soon as I received their estimated bill showing what was to be expected. There were charges on it I knew nothing about. I called and didn't get any resolution; it was just the way it was. That's what I got (even if it isn't what I wanted) and that's what they were charging me for.

    My first bill was a nightmare. There has not been one correct bill yet. My last was in August. Everyone I talk to tells me something different. A charge for $20 for an advanced receiver finally disappeared, only to have 2 charges for Advanced Receiver DVR appear for $8 each that was never on my 2 bills before. So, they credit $20 to recharge $16. Their charges should have to be in black and white with no gray areas and we should be able to see them before being charged anything. What a crock! I kept reading these posts knowing exactly what they were talking about. I wanted to cancel so bad after signing up, but they kept threatening to charge me $400 and some odd dollars even though what I was getting billed was nothing like what was told to me.

    Each time I called took from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours being the longest. Next month's bill will have adjustments on it too, which means my first chance of having one correct bill to see how much it really might be when correct will be in November. Let me state again, I signed up in April. Something wrong with this picture? Reading these posts was like watching a slow motion train wreck. You want to stop reading but you can't because you can't possibly believe they are doing the same thing to so many people. What gives? How can they get away with this?

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 9, 2012

    I signed up for a package deal for $69 a month for 13 months which included four receivers. After three months, they increased my bill to over $111 which they said was for HBO and Starz. I specifically told them at purchase date that I didn't want any extras, just the $69 for 13 months. They are refusing to refund my money. Furthermore, the satellite goes out too often. I am extremely unhappy with DirecTV and I would suggest to anyone thinking about purchasing from them, try another company. Their customer service is very rude and unaccommodating.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 7, 2012

    Being charged by DirecTV for 28 adult movies - I received a bill from DirecTV for 16 adult movies at $14.99 from 2006 and 2007 that I did not watch. I called and was credited for 10 of the movies. The next month I was charged for 12 more adult movies at $14.99 from the same years. They will not credit me the charges. I checked online and noticed multiple complaints. Is there anything that can be done?

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    Contract & Terms

    Reviewed Sept. 7, 2012

    We have signed a DirecTV contract for 24 months, but we are not a "valued customer." We are just a 24-month piggy bank. We have an issue with their receiver. It does not work properly. We have to reset it each time we turn it on. We have called DirecTV and explained the situation. They told us they can send a technician, but we have to pay 50 bucks. When we replied why we have to pay if the problem is on the DirecTV equipment not on mine, they said that’s the DirecTV procedures. We have been DirecTV user for 12 months and pay timely by direct overdraft. We want to shift the awful and dishonest service, but we have to pay the early cancellation fee. We truly not recommend DirecTV ever.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPunctuality & SpeedStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 7, 2012

    I signed up for DirecTV a year ago and was never told anything about a contract nor did I get the package I signed up for $29.99. After one year after my service, my rate went up so high. I called to cancel the no good service in May and asked them to please send boxes. The boxes never showed up until August 25, 2012 after calling 30 to 40 times. On Sept. 5, 2012, my card was charged $442.79 and was told that they would not reverse this fraudulent charge. They have charged my card without my authorization when I spoke with Mark who stated that he was a supervisor. He was not only rude, he hung up on me. But before he hung up, he told me that DirecTV is not located in the USA! Not only is this company fraudulent, but we needed to file another lawsuit against them. They have not learned their lesson about stealing and breaking the law. $14 million was not enough for them to payout. They are still doing business the same way. BBB gives them a D. This is thievery in the highest degree! But they have not heard the last of me.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 6, 2012

    I was told that I would get credited the premium channels after the promotion fell of which is a total of $45.00 for 3 months, and was denied that when they were informed that’s what I was told. I was also told that the warranty protection service was $19 and am being charged $25. I want the discounts promised and the charges at the price I was quoted. I was told fraudulent information and false promises, and rude and unprofessional help from customer service reps and supervisors. No resolution was given, I was basically told to go fly a kite.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 6, 2012

    Like most folks, I had fallen behind a month’s payment. I had a daughter that was having medical issues and another daughter sending off to college. I had tried several times to make a partial payment online and access was denied. There was a number that was on the screen the last time I tried to make a payment. I called the number and was only given the option to pay the whole amount. Of course, I could not make the whole payment. I tried calling again and finally was able to talk to a human being. DirecTV charged my credit card 3 times; without my approval, twice in one week. This also made me overdrawn and have overdraft fees applied. I have never signed up for "auto pay" either. I was told this was a "convenience" for their customers, not! There are a lot of hidden charges that are never mentioned when you sign-up, so please be careful. Customer service is a joke!

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    Installation & SetupContract & Terms

    Reviewed Sept. 6, 2012

    On 8-8-2012, an installer from DirecTV came to my home to upgrade my service. I have had service with DirecTV for years, but never had movie channels. The installer was unable to complete the installation, and told me someone would have to come back to finish the job. By Monday, nobody from DirecTV had come back to finish the job. I called DirecTV on Monday, 8-12-2012, and told them I was cancelling my service with them. This was exactly the 2nd business day after the installer had been at my home.

    At that time, I was informed by DirecTV that they were going to charge my account $400.00 for terminating my service early, because according to them, I upgraded my service, thereby extending my contract with them for another 2 years. I told them I cancelled before the third business day. They told me DirecTV's policy is that cancellations must be within 24 hours. They have subsequently charged my credit card $400.00 for terminating my contract early, even though I cancelled it within the 3-day limit.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 5, 2012

    I signed up the entertainment package with DirecTV last May. The person who helped me is Tracey in North Carolina. She lied to me about everything. My monthly bill is supposed to be $29.99 but every month I receive a bill four times my monthly bill. When I call them, no one is able to help. DirecTV is the worst company to be with. I would never recommend DirecTV to anybody because they are dishonest. They lie to customers in order to get them sign up for services but they don't keep their promises.

    People out there, please be careful. Do not let any of the DirecTV employer lie to you. Do not listen to them. They will try to rob you. Do not sign up with them. You're going to be disappointed, believe me I would never lie to you if it was not true. Anyone who wants to contact me about this, please feel free because I have proof to support everything. I wrote down every conversation I had with them, the time, the date, and hour of our conversation on the phone with them because I don't trust anything they say anymore.

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    Price

    Reviewed Sept. 5, 2012

    What's up with this DirecTV? They charge an arm and a leg for service and a majority of the programming we pay for is infomercial **, especially in the evenings. Also, you'd think with the changeover from Analog to Digital TVs where people have had to invest a lot of money for nice flat panel big screen TVs in order to have picture perfect, beautiful digital images on screen, that they would have that delivered to them, but no, most all of the good shows we watch on DirecTV are inundated by pop-ups, station identifiers, station logos in the corners of the screen through all the programs.

    People don't need to be reminded as they watch the show what station they are watching. That's what the menus are for. "Get a clue, DirecTV. People want to see a show with uninterrupted digital imagery, that's it, nothing more." Why can't they make the viewing experience the way it should be? And that would be without all this nonsense. Lastly, many times, what shows on the menu is not the show that is aired. You'd think with all the money that this company makes, it could hire competent people to set up the menus to reflect what is actually being aired in that timeslot.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 5, 2012

    On Aug. 20, we contacted your office to discontinue service on one of three TV's. They said they would send a return box via UPS to our home so we could return the unit. No box has ever appeared. I called the company and was on the line with various agents from 10:45 to 11:23, that is more than 30 minutes and I am hanging up now. Oh now, Bunnie says there is another person's name on our account. Hog wash! This is unacceptable! All I wanted was an address in town to take the darn thing to or to get a box delivered as DirecTV had promised 12 days ago. What are you going to do to make me think yours is a company worthy of my trust?

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupStaff

    Reviewed Sept. 5, 2012

    On August 24, 2012, I called DirecTV and was told that I had been approved and that they would need a payment sent to them through Western Union. And I was told that once that payment was received, I would need to call 855 679 4357 to schedule an appointment for the tech to come to install. They stated to allow 24 hours to go by and to call back with the Western Union information. Well, 24 hours had gone by and I stayed on hold for 45 minutes for the call to finally be picked up and I was hung up on.

    I called back to stay on hold for 55 minutes for the young lady to quickly tell me that I had the wrong department. She transferred the call to the customer service rep for me to be told that I had the wrong department and that I needed to call the 855 number that was given to me. I had explained to him that I did and that the lady had just transferred my call. He had assisted me, only to tell me that they couldn't see where the payment had posted and that I would have to wait 48 hours to call back to see if the payment had posted and if it didn't, I would have to request a refund from Western Union. He also gave me a new account number just in case it didn't go through but that if the payment did go through, I would be contacted by a rep.

    Needless to say, no one contacted me. I called the appointment line, and an automated system stated that an appointment had been made for September 2, 2012 for the tech to install. On September 2, 2012, the tech came to supposedly install. He stated that he couldn't install the dish due to line of sight and that some tree branches had to be cut down in order for him to install. I informed him that I didn't have anyone to cut the branches and that a dish was already installed by DISH Network for the tenant who lived downstairs and that no branches had to be cut to install it. I asked if he could install it anywhere else and was told no. The tech was there for about 9 minutes, only to say he couldn't install it. He left and told me to call and reschedule an appointment when the branches were cut.

    I called back to the appointment line and explained what had happened. The young lady was nice. She took down the information that I had told her about a dish already being there and that I was disappointed about the tech. She stated that someone from Tech Services would call me back. I received a call about an hour later and had explained the same story about the dish, for the tech rep to state to me that maybe I should have gone with the other company instead of DirecTV and that a supervisor would come on Tuesday, September 4, to review or look at the whole line of sight issue to even see if the dish can be hooked at all. I have attached pictures for you to see the whole line of sight for your self, and you decide. This is one dissatisfied customer, and guess what, I am still waiting.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Sept. 5, 2012

    I have switched to Time Warner Cable. I have cut DirecTV off as of 9-4-12. I have spent hours waiting on the phone and no one will help me. This is the craziest thing I have ever gone through. I'm going to my bank tomorrow and stop payment.

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    Reviewed Sept. 4, 2012

    I'm having a DirecTV bill without me ever ordering your service. On 8/27/2012, I received a bill by Convergent Inc., creditor of DirecTV, for the amount of $149.03 (client account #**, convergent account #**). I have never in my life ordered your service at all and I am not paying this amount because it wasn't me who made this bill. I am not liable for this.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsPricePunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Sept. 4, 2012

    Thinking of changing to DirecTV... do not do this! They never honor the amount that you contract with them. They charge for every little thing. They tried to charge me late fees when I am on auto pay. I am on the phone disputing charges every month. The Bundle with AT&T is a joke. I have never received the right bill from them either. It is true that they are thieves. I am a mature adult that has always paid my bills but I am tempted to renege on this contract and let it go on my credit. No help from anyone I talk to.

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    Customer ServicePrice

    Reviewed Sept. 3, 2012

    I have been a loyal customer (that's what DirecTV calls me) since 2002. I never had a problem except them raising my bill. So now I have several complaints. I will start with my most recent complaint. Back in July 2012, I wanted to cancel my programming and get a competitor. The reason I had wanted to change was because my bill had been outrageous and I only had the basic programs, no added channels and was paying almost $100 monthly for 2 TVs, one with HD. Some of my friends that were new to DirecTV were not paying that much.

    So in July, I had ordered another package, U-Verse, and called DirecTV to cancel on July 7, 2012. After speaking with the Retention department for about 30 minutes, he made me an offer to stay with DirecTV. My package would include the choice package for $54.99 and $8.00 for the HD DVR totaling $63 per month for a year price guarantee and a 2-year commitment. This would give me $20 off the base package and $10 off HD. The rep included 6 months of Starz, Showtime and Encore free. I agreed and made an appointment to set up installation of the HD DVR for Saturday, July 21.

    The first month, my bill was $50.52 which I thought was credit for the channel block during the dispute with Viacom. Now, I get my bill for Sept. and it's $73. I called them on Sept. 1st and they said I already had a $10 credit for the HD and couldn't get another one. We went back and forth and I told her I wanted what the original rep promised me. She said I could only get the discounts for 6 months, not the year I was promised and offered to give me $5 off. I told her I would write to the President of DirecTV and she obviously did not care. She gave me the address to write him. So now I want to cancel them and get the competition like I should have. I have my notes from this because of past interactions with them. I moved to an apt. in 2010 and had them install my disk at my new location. I wanted a 3rd box and had to commit to a year just to get it.

    My second complaint was years ago and it was the same thing. My daughter bought me a new TV in May 2010 and it was HD. I called and ordered HD and was supposed to get $10 off the HD for 1 year with an 18-month commitment, another lie. They gave it to me for 6 months and said there was no documentation for that price guarantee and then overcharged me. We went back and forth and they wouldn't correct it, saying to write to the president. I have all my notes for this also.

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    Staff

    Reviewed Sept. 3, 2012

    I was sent a letter by DirecTV offering a $200 Visa gift card for switching to them and that my other rebates would take effect on my first bill if I got the rebates in before installation. I put in for the rebates prior to installation. The status said "processing" until the system was installed. Then, the status changed to rebate will be paid back in 6 to 8 weeks. I'm dreading my first bill. Also, they promised to mirror two of my TVs. Then, the installer insisted that DirecTV can't mirror TVs and said the only way it would work was if I got two more receivers. That's $12 extra a month.

    The $200 gift card rebate form is nowhere to be found on their site and after five frustrating hours being shuffled around between departments, it was finally established that no one at DirecTV - though they acknowledged I was entitled to the gift card - knew where to find the form to apply for it. I'm not sure how they get away with this. I'm going to have a first bill far higher than the service I left when I was moving over to save money. The gift card would help but I'm concerned I've been baited and switched. I still have the letter offering the gift card. I'd really like them to be more professional right out of the gate.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupCoverageStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 31, 2012

    I was walking through my local Sam's club when a DirecTV salesman approached my wife and I about the services he could offer. We explained that we were happy with the service we already had with another company. He proceeded to tell us how he could save us money and that our cable bill would double in the next year. We let him continue, and he did have more channels that he could offer us for the same money that we were already spending, so we talked a bit more. We explained that we were renting the house we were in, and would soon be buying a house, and he covered that angle too, by saying not to worry about the moving, as DirecTV would move us for free. This is where he lied to us.

    DirecTV, as I have been told by the 7 people I have talked to so far, will not move us for free but they will for a $240 charge. After 3 weeks of calling, I finally found someone that would help me. She explained that if you have to have your dish removed for any reason such as installing a new roof, that for just $49.99 that had to be paid to her while I was on the phone, they could remount my dish for me. I agreed, and moved everything to our new house, installed the boxes, and waited till 9:30 at night for my installer to arrive.

    Once he showed up and saw that he needed to install the dish, he stated that the cable lines inside the house were too small to handle the DirecTV stream and that he would need to rewire the whole house, and this might run about $100 through his company and that his supervisor would call me the next day to set something up. I just got off the phone with the supervisor with Skylink, DirecTV's installer company, and he told me that there was nothing he could do for me, and that I needed to contact DirecTV again. So to this day, we have been without our satellite for 3 weeks. We have paid DirecTV $49.99 plus a month's service, and have gotten absolutely nothing in return from them.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 31, 2012

    Today, I received a HD receiver from DTV. I was forced to agree to a two-year extension of my contract when I contacted them the other day. When I opened the box, I noticed scratches all over the receiver. I checked the back and saw the receiver was manufactured on 10/22/07. The paper that came with it stated a 90-day warranty. I hooked it up and found the HDMI connector was loose on the unit. I called tech support and they got the receiver going, but with a lower quality picture than my other HD receiver in my living room. Both TV's are Sharp Aquos and are the same age. I tuned them to the same channel and you can tell the difference of the picture quality. It's like night and day. I called DTV back and explained the problem only to be hung up on.

    I called back again and was laughed at by the rep. I asked what was so funny. I guess customers have become a nuisance to them. I called them back again and spoke to a supervisor who said she would send me another receiver. I asked would it be new and she said no. So now I'm stuck with another two- year contract with a company that doesn't give a flip about their customers. One last tidbit, when I was on the phone with tech support, the woman asked what the DVR access card number was in my current receiver. I gave it to her which I found out about two hours later when I went to watch a movie that she had deactivated my DVR features. I had to call DTV again and have them reset my living room DVR. This company is truly pathetic.

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    Price

    Reviewed Aug. 30, 2012

    The DirecTV van came to the house and took my DirecTV dish that I paid cash for from the store. They cut all my old wires tips off and left them connected to the house and on the roof with the stand from my dish. I told them I didn’t want any more holes on my roof because the last installer from 5 years ago caused a roof leak. This guy put 6 more holes and DirecTV wouldn't do anything about it or help to retrieve my personal dish I paid for. They want to charge me $124.00 to have it corrected.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupContract & TermsSales & MarketingStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 29, 2012

    I was receiving flyers in the mail advertising "bundles" from DirecTV daily. I called to inquire/order and questioned the representative several times about the service. I wanted to make sure I was receiving telephone, internet and the satellite services. I was assured that I was getting what I wanted for $50.44 per month. They came and installed the following day.

    About a month after the installation, I was dismayed when I had no telephone or internet service. I called DirecTV and was told that I never ordered a bundle. At that time, I was instructed to contact Verizon for the remainder of my "bundle." After doing so, I was told that that is an additional $40+ per month. They explained that they were not able to offer the phone and internet. I requested a transcript or tape of the recorded conversation and was told that this request had to be submitted in writing via US mail.

    I sent the request and was contacted by phone with a message that they needed to speak with me in order to process the request. I called and was given the runaround for over 30 minutes only to be told that they do not release these transcripts/recordings due to "security purposes." When asked about cancelling the contract, I was told there would be a $500 penalty.

    This advertising is very misleading, and I was lied to by the representative in an effort to get me to sign the contract. I cannot get any resolution through DirecTV. I am now paying almost as much as I was before this ordeal began, and I am not satisfied with the service as we lose our signal during storms. I have been unsuccessful in getting to speak with a supervisor and I am very angry!

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 28, 2012

    My husband decided to get DirecTV for his RV and he said the installation experience was great. He's had no issues, that's why decided to change from Dish Network after 8 and 1/2 years to DirecTV for the house last week. Well, the tech came out last Tuesday the 21st and was here for 5 and 1/2 hours and hooked up three TV's. He got to the fourth one and found a short in the cable. He told me he had other jobs to do and would call that evening to schedule another time for him to come back and finish. He did call that evening and he told me he wouldn't be able to come out the next day (Wednesday the 22nd) but he would definitely be out Thursday the 23rd and he would keep in touch. We didn't hear from him on Thursday. We called the customer service number on Friday the 24th and asked when the installation would be completed. We were told DirecTV would contact us within 24 hours to resolve the issue. No one called.

    We called customer service number again on Saturday the 25th. We told them what was going on and, by the way, told the rep that the installation tech also left his badge at our house! She escalated the complaint to a supervisory level and told us someone would contact us on Monday the 27th to resolve the issue. No one called us. So, I called today, Tuesday the 28th. The customer service rep was rude and when I asked to speak to a supervisor, he told me they were all in meetings. How convenient. I asked to talk to the technical department again so he transferred me and I told my whole story once again. She told me someone could come out Friday, the 31st, to finish the job. I told her that was not satisfactory as we have waited over a week already for the installation to be completed.

    I then asked to talk to a supervisor and after another 15-minute wait on the phone, I was put through. The supervisor told me the exact same thing. She didn't care she had an unhappy customer. She was matter-of-fact and if I didn't like their terms, that was fine with her. I am so unhappy with this company! We are seriously thinking about going back to Dish Network even though they don't have as many features and such. Great customer service, like we received from Dish Network, is more important to me than a lot of fancy features.

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    Reviewed Aug. 28, 2012

    They said they would give me capability of recording 3 programs at once with no equipment fee. When they got here, they said it only records two and the other recorder would be $99.00. They're not standing behind what they said.

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    Reviewed Aug. 28, 2012

    They claim I owe them over $100, more than a year after I cancelled their inferior service. As a result, my otherwise excellent credit rating has been compromised and they should be fined, retract their claim, restore my good credit and be held accountable for their actions. Thieves. I want to press charges.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsSales & MarketingStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 27, 2012

    Let's see where to begin. Let's start with the rude technicians that put a giant dish in my patio and would not put it on a tripod! Second, realizing my bill is very high and not the 34 I signed up for! I called customer service and asked why my bill is so high. They told me I did not submit my rebates and will not let me submit after 90 days. I was shocked because this was the first I ever heard about the rebates. Then, my MTV and Bravo gets cancelled. I feel that DTV is misleading their customers in their sales pitch. And the technicians that set up your satellite act like you are signing off on a work request when no you are signing the official contract which they rush you to sign because they need to go to the next victim! I hate DTV; I wish I just stayed with Cox. I have no TV and will not pay the ridiculous amount.

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    Installation & SetupPunctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Aug. 23, 2012

    I paid the balance owed of $82.83. I was double charged on my debit card and they will not refund. They tried to give me a credit but decided to terminate the service. I was a customer since ‘04 so you would think they would just refund it; very, very greedy. When I moved in ’08, they never showed up to install after I scheduled it and took a day off from work. Then they said they couldn’t find my trailer. **. Trailer; I never lived in one and don’t plan on it. So then I was supposed to get a free month. Guess what, it never happened. Greedy, greedy, greedy; it’ll catch up with them. No more DTV as of 8-27-12.

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & SetupContract & TermsPriceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 23, 2012

    In August of 2011, we installed DirecTV bundled with AT&T DSL internet. AT&T internet had continuous problems due to overloaded process centers, which made certain times of the day difficult to access the internet. In August 2012, after one year, our contract was over so we decided to switch to Time Warner (for cable internet only). This is when we found out that the DirecTV install technician had pulled the Time Warner cables. I know this because the previous owners of the house had Time Warner internet and DirecTV. When they were contacted, they stated they couldn't be sure that is what happened and said they would add more cable for $49. My reply was why did they pull it and why do I have to pay to have it back when it wasn't theirs to begin with.

    Three supervisors and a team leader (Brian **) said it didn't matter. There is still the $49 cost and they made accusations that the cable wasn't there to begin with. After discussing things with Time Warner, they stated that this is common practice for DirecTV to make an additional $49. Time Warner install tech stated, "It's a shame because we see this all time. They're not supposed to touch our cables and we are not supposed to touch theirs." I ask that they replace the cable that they had no authority or permission to take from my home at no charge.

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsReliability

    Reviewed Aug. 22, 2012

    Essentially, our living room receiver has been acting up from the moment we signed up for DirecTV. Most morning, you couldn't hit the power button on the remote and have it turn on. We had to actually go to the receiver to power it on, not too hard. They knew about the issue but it wasn't bad so we never pursued it. Today, it completely became unresponsive with the remote but would work intermittently. The remote would do something 1 out of 20 times. I could control it from the receiver and with the remote when it was 1 foot away. I called and talked to a tech and they did a bunch of troubleshooting. I did everything before the call because generally, companies have a procedure before going into advanced tech support but I did it once again while he was on the line, including resetting the receiver and remote. Nothing worked. He informed me that unfortunately this didn't warrant a defect or a technician to come out but that I would have to change the channel by the receiver until it stopped working. Once this happened, I would have to call and have a technician come check it which would take another two weeks after it stopped working. Essentially, I'm leasing the equipment from them so I assumed it would be covered but I have to wait.

    Essentially, I am paying $70 a month. I have to jump up every time I want to change the channel, not to mention the reduced functionality such as no channel recall and no page up or down. I have to scroll through the entire list one by one which now is reset, so hundreds of channels that I don't watch. There's no keypad to enter the number manually (which I am used to). With my photographic memory, I remember every one of the channels I watch by channel number. I have another receiver that I purchased a couple of years ago, just in case receiver and now I find out that every card is set for a specific receiver and that I can't just change receivers, which at the time they told me I could. It really isn't a big deal but it's the fact that I'm paying them good money and have been with them for years and they won't help me out at all or do anything to fix this. Look out, DirecTV. Comcast is on its way. (I'm not under contract and they can take any contract and put it in a place that doesn't shine.) Oh and just for the record, I do not want an attorney to call me so the number is not a voice number but rather a number for my internet so no incoming or outgoing calls. And the address is my old address. This stuff shouldn't be required. I don't give out that info to any website.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 22, 2012

    On August 20, 2012 at 8:27PM, on phone number 800-347-3288, I spoke with your representative to add Whole House TV. I was informed I needed two more HD receiver boxes and an internet modem in order to install this Whole House TV service. Your representative wanted $200.00 upfront for the extra HD boxes. I asked if we could handle this with no out of pocket expense to me right now. The representative put me on hold and came back to offer me $25.00 per month for 8 months until the $200.00 was paid in full. I accepted and we scheduled an appointment for August 22, 2012 around 8-12AM/PM.

    On August 22, 2012 at 8:00AM, your installer showed up with only the internet modem and no order for the receiver boxes. The installer called the office and found no order was written for the two HD receiver boxes or anything about connecting the whole home service. The installer handed me his telephone and I spoke with the representative. The representative indicated that there is no mention of whole home service; however, she can provide that to me at a cost of $200.00, which must be paid right now by my credit card.

    I told her that I was offered the $25.00 a month for 8 months until it was paid in full. The representative suggested no conversation took place and she could not break it down into payments. I was extremely frustrated and angered that a 29.8 minute conversation was not written/recorded by the representative on August 20, 2012. I informed the representative that I would be filing a complaint and we hung up. The installer hooked up the modem to our TV, apologized for the mix-up and left.

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 22, 2012

    I signed up for DirecTV online. I paid a deposit and set an install time. The time came for the tech to come out and passed with no one showing up. I called DirecTV only to find out that since I had a family member living with me at one time that owed them money, they wouldn't hook up my service. By the way, I had never had an account in my name or the service ever hooked up at my house. It was just the fact that this person once received mail at my address. I spent two hours on the phone with them just to get my money back. Being bounced around from department to department, I lost track of how many times I was accidentally disconnected. This company is an absolute joke and has the rudest reps I have ever dealt with!

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    Customer ServiceContract & TermsStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 22, 2012

    To no avail, I've called and complained to DirecTV several times about not receiving the package they promised. They claimed that I was getting channels I was not getting. One customer rep kept saying she was "confused" every time I explained the situation to her. If I'm going to be in a contract, I want it to be with a company that is not easily "confused" and can understand what I'm saying. If they were a reputable company, they wouldn't need a 2-year contract to keep customers.

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    Reviewed Aug. 21, 2012

    We cancelled our services with DirecTV and sent the boxes back on 8/3/12. According to tracker #'s, they received the boxes on 8/10/12. I called them after they took money out of banking account which caused us overdraft charges. They said on the 10th of August that they didn't received the boxes. I then said I have the tracking numbers and it stated boxes are in their facility. Long story short, I'm still fighting with them after speaking to four people, two of whom are supervisors and no further ahead. When I called today on 8/21/12, they said the boxes were never processed even though the last supervisor assured me that he would expedite the process. All I want is my money returned to my bank account. Then, they had the nerve to send me a bill for $5.64. I don't have a clue as to why I received that bill. I need the $425 they took out of my account and they don't care if you lost money to overdraft charges or you can't make payments because they have my money hostage. Who do I call next?

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    Customer ServiceInstallation & Setup

    Reviewed Aug. 20, 2012

    I had a 12-4 pm appointment to have DirecTV installed; it is now 6:17pm and still no installer has arrived. I was contacted twice to confirm my appointment. The last was at 2:30pm. At that point, I was told the installer would be here around 4pm. I called DirecTV at 5pm angry and was told someone would be here soon. At 5:25pm, I was called and told via an automated voice that the installer would be here in 15 minutes. It's now 6:21pm; I'm in the middle of cooking dinner and still no installer. This is complete **. I cannot believe they cannot get this crap together. I just got another call saying the installer is on the way! I’m ** pissed off!

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    Customer ServiceStaff

    Reviewed Aug. 20, 2012

    They offered me a rate then bill kept changing. Company claims the person that offers the deal is no longer there. They cancelled service balance in collections. They have an arrogant attitude when contacted and refuse to honor their salesperson’s commitment.

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    Customer ServiceContract & Terms

    Reviewed Aug. 20, 2012

    DirecTV is dishonest. I set up an automatic payment plan with them. They debited my account multiple times for packages that I didn't authorize. When I would call to question, they said sorry and I would get a credit. I told them that it was illegal to debit more than was authorized and the lady on the phone said, "We have your account info we can charge you whatever we want." I assured that was not true; an unauthorized payment is illegal. I told them that I was upset with their company doing this and they told me I owe $220 to get out of a contract. I never signed a contract or was informed that I was under contract. They claim they mailed me a notice. But how does mailing me something mean I agree to the terms? I refuse to pay them to cancel. I think it’s dishonest to debit my account for packages I didn’t ask for or authorize. I think it’s also dishonest that the salesman never mentioned a contract and now they are obligating me to pay for being in breach of one. They deserve to lose customers because they are not above board with their business conduct.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Aug. 18, 2012

    I paid a bill for a friend one time and the phone number on that account is **. When the transaction was made through your DirecTV representative, she asked me if I would authorize to have my card number attached to that account. I did, at that point, inform your representative that this was a one-time authorization. On August 17, 2012, there was a withdrawal from my account in the amount of $401.66. That transaction was unauthorized by me, the account holder. That transaction is causing me an extreme hardship. The $401.66 was food for my family of four as well as gas to commute back and forth to work. I also have pending transactions on my account. The invalid charge processed by DirecTV will create four overdraft fees in the amount of $60 per pending transaction.

    DirecTV charged my account for $401.61 which was unauthorized. When I tried to talk to a supervisor to resolve the problem as soon as possible to keep me from being in a hardship, I was told to email my bank statement and in the process of doing that, the phone call was disconnected between myself and that supervisor. I called again and I was instructed that it would take 10 days to get the problem resolved.

    It did not take 10 days to withdraw the money from my account illegally for an account that is not mine nor have I ever resided at the address listed on that account. I need to have that money replaced now, not in 10 days. Please have a member of management contact me today at ** or on Monday, 8/20/2012, at **. This is definitely illegal; this is a life or death situation for me! Please correct this error promptly. Thank you in advance.

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    Contract & Terms

    Reviewed Aug. 18, 2012

    My two-year contract was up in two weeks so I trimmed services from my package. I got rid of my HD box. Then, I was told I would be charged $49 to move my box even though I have line service protection. That would bring my bill back to the same amount before and when I asked if I could just pay the amount and send out a service tech, they said that even though I'm a paying US customer for two more weeks, that account's close to the end of service terms - can't have any techs sent out. Now my cable doesn't work and I'm stuck with the bill.

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    Punctuality & Speed

    Reviewed Aug. 16, 2012

    Lies, lies from DirecTV. I have been a customer of DirecTV for about eight years and the way they treat their customers is awful. I pay my bill each month. I was never late. They told me my bill would be credited because of channels that were lost. I got credited one month; the next month, nothing. This is bad business. I would never recommend DirecTV to anyone.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Aug. 16, 2012

    After DirecTV dropped 28 of my original channels and then increased my bill by $20.00, I called and cancelled my service. I was told I had to return my receivers by a certain day or get billed a non-return fee. They have to mail me boxes to do this. After 7 days, I still did not have the boxes so I called. I was told that the boxes weren't even mailed out to me for four days after I cancelled the service. Then, it still took another 9 days before I got them. Once I did get them, I boxed everything up and took them to the USPS the next day.

    Upon tracking the boxes, I found that DirecTV's parcel return service provider (no one can tell me whether this is FedEx or UPS) did not pick up the boxes from my USPS for nine days. In the meantime, I did call them the day I took them to USPS and asked for an extension since they took over two weeks to get the boxes to me and I just mailed them that day. I was told I won't need it, the box should make it. Then, I found out that it took nine days for them to even pick it up at my USPS. I called again and was still told that even though I have only 5 days left, it was on its last leg of the journey and all was good.

    Three days later, they billed me for almost $500.00. I called again and was told that a refund would be made in no less than 48 hours. Two days later, I called and was told that the boxes had been received and my refund would now take 5 days. Fed up by now, I asked for a supervisor. I spoke with someone named Madeline, who claimed to be a billing supervisor and she said that the boxes have not been received and the previous person I spoke with had manually cancelled the tracking. I asked for someone over her and she said that everyone in finance (which is who handles refunds) is in a secluded area with no phones. I will have to issue an email and wait to be called back in 24 hours.

    Okay first of all, this is not the pentagon. What is with the "secluded area routine" and if they have phones to call me back, then why can't you direct my call right now! No one I speak to gives me the same info. It is like they only want you to accept what they say so they can hang up and move on to the next person. Meanwhile, every day someone from there has called and asked me to come back to their company. No way! I don't think they should have a deadline for return if they can't give you a way to drop off the merchandise in person and be handed a receipt. Once those boxes left, I now am at their mercy to be honest in their arrival and processing. I think everyone should be forewarned. They will say anything to get you sucked in and then they will rip you off.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Aug. 16, 2012

    I can't begin to explain the entire fiasco that we have been through with DirecTV. But to summarize, my daughter ordered a new box and was charged $123.00. They sent it to the wrong address twice, then they cancelled the box to send it to the right address and charged her dad $240.00. It took over a month for her to get her box. They then charged her card with the monthly bill (this is her dad's account and he pays it automatically on his card). This charge caused her bank account to bounce due to the double wrong charges. So then after hours of fighting with them, they refunded the $178.00 monthly charge from her account and took off the $240.00 off her dad's. Then they charged her dad $123.00 to his account, along with 2 months billing.

    We have tried for 2 months to get the refund to my daughter's account, each time spending a minimum of 30 minutes on the phone or longer and being told the refund would be within 72 hours and nothing. We feel that DTV does this so people will get fed up and quit, and they keep the money. I wonder how many others are going through this. Now they are stuck in another 2-year plan because when she ordered the upgraded box, they said she had to re-up for 2 years. First of all, she should not have that ability as it is her dad's account. Only he should be able to do that.

    We are sick of DTV's deceptive ways, plus rudeness. Anyone who says they can call DTV and get free stuff is delusional. We said we were going to cancel and go to Dish and they said go ahead and we will charge you the cancellation fee because you just signed up for 2 more years even though we screwed up. Too bad.

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    Customer Service

    Reviewed Aug. 16, 2012

    DirecTV decided to falsely charge my account $260 without my permission. Now, they will not return my money. I sent a receiver back to them on August 5th; they just received it now on August 13th. So they automatically charged my account because it took over a month to get to Ontario, California. They hung up on me numerous times and are withholding information from me. The last lady I talked to was Cherry from the Philippines.

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    DIRECTV Company Information

    Company Name:
    DIRECTV
    Company Type:
    Public
    Ticker Symbol:
    DTV
    Address:
    2230 East Imperial Highway
    City:
    El Segundo
    State/Province:
    CA
    Postal Code:
    90245
    Country:
    United States
    Website:
    www.directvbundles.com