DirecTV review: directv sucks 820

If I had been told up front about losing my local stations and that I can not get recovery kits until after the service is cancelled I would not have had to speak to 5 different people. I called to ask that my account be closed on June 20th. I'm moving out of state and not taking DirecTV Service with me.

The account address was changed, I lost local channels, I called to find out why. I was told that

my account must stay in my current address and that recovery kits must be sent to my new address and I have to move the receivers with me and ship from my new address. How stupid is that? Now I must call in on the 19th give you my new address

and cancel my account! You are back asswards people! I wanted to have a planned cancellation date and send back the receivers the week we move! But you can't do that!

These idiots have mixed my account with someone else. After talking to three different reps in billing no-one could figure out what they had done. They double bill and will not correct even after I faxed my bank statements to them. Then they cancelled my service even though I had paid the bill in full. When I told them I wanted them to cancel my service they informed me that they were going to charge me $20.00 a month until 2010. To this I say try it! I refuse to pay for a service and then be treated like this. They can stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

New custom under 3 months, I'm very upset with bill they told me one price and I got a higher price. I was charged for a free service. The rebate was not processed what else.I was told by customer services to make call after call to clear this matter after 5 calls I still didn't know what my bill was. You are told you get HBO, STARS, SHOWTIME free for three months I was charged from the get go $35.00 I finely got that credited but I still have to pay the full amount of the bill. I just want to be released form this contract, at no cost to me after all this I want out. I'll sent back equipment.I never had such problem with dishnetwork.I just wanted some one to stand behind what say i don't need this ever month Please release me for this.

In October 2007 my receiver started messing up playboy movies started popping up on my screen, it would change channels by it's self, and sometimes i would have a black screen. I started calling and reporting it as soon as the trouble started. I called for something like 3 months before anything was done about it. Finally they came out and put in a new receiver. When I got my next bill there were charges for multiple movies any where from $15.99-$19.99 each. They added up to $186.64 more than my regular bill. When i called about it they said they got them off my old receiver. Number one I do not rent movies and I never have. And if I did I would not be renting the filth that was coming up on my tv. I also have a password on my account to ensure that no one else rents them. But it doesn't make any sense that they claim to have gotten them off my receiver in april and the charges were from last year starting in oct. plus the fact if movies had been ordered they would not have gotten them off the receiver they would have billed me for them at the time they were viewed. This bill did not have a name for the movies rented all it had was a date and a price, no other info. Even though I called many times about the trouble with my service it seems they had no record of me ever calling no notes no nothing. I find that hard to understand, but maybe that is what took them so long to do anything about the problem. I was told by a customer service supervisor to send this e-mail.

Thank you very much

Mar. 17 dtv shut the service off. The billing date was the 22nd. We paid by electronic check the required lost payment at that time. We lowered the package to 29.00 a month for the next month but never got to pay. Direct TV had shut off. They then demanded the broken contract fees. Of $347.47 cents but took $623.00. Only owed $96.00 at this time. We feel we don't owe for their mistakes. We tried to resolve these issues but spent fruitless hours of phone calls. Our bank is now disputing the a double charges and we are out the money unless we prove them wrong.

Company charges 5.00 a month for receivers I have had for 7 years. I have 6 receivers that's 30.00 a month.

I paid 180.00 last month for a regular package + fees and I do not have a premier package.

They want to charge me 5.00 more a month for Protection plan. Without it if a receiver goes out I have to get charged 79.00 for a service fee for them to make it so I can watch TV.

Worst company along with Sprint in the entire world.

They are a monopoly if you have the NFL Sunday Ticket and the FCC let's them.

Do not get DirecTv unless you absolutely have to.

I have two major complaints...My bill was turned over to collections after telling me that they would give me another week for me to pay my bill. Now I have to pay in full... (on disability)..The bill in full that has been put in collections has sports package on it that I had asked to be deleted back in January, as we do not use the sports channel anymore...they stated they would still bill me and try to work with me on getting it straighten out later...PLEASE DO NOT GET DIRECT TV, YOU WILL REGRET IT!

Direct TV is working with me but this company was very hateful this morning by phone. Time 10:15 - June 18, 2008. I contacted Direct TV right after and they told me it was not a problem they would be working with me as previously discussed during my off time from surgery in May...I would love to nail this company because they are the very one giving others a bad name...Direct TV told me it was noted in my record and there was not a problem and if the company called back refer them to Direct.

They told me my bill would be about 53.00 per month basic package. When I got my first bill it was 78.00. They had charges for receivers and misc. bullcrap. I called and told them to disconnect because they lied about price then they offered to me at 38.00 per month. I told them I was not interested because I felt they were not giving the best price from the start. Now they are saying I owe 450.00 for early cancellation because I had signed an agreement. I signed nothing when I had it hooked up and it will be a cold day in h### before they get a dime.

I have been a customer of DirecTv for over 10 years. During that time if I told you how many times I have had to replace my equipment you would think I was kidding. I have finally come to the conclusion that I am going to have to go to another provider because they do not have an HD DVR that works properly. This is not an isolated situation, this is a factual statement. My son in California has had to replace his 6 times and he has only been with them for 18months.

The bottom line is this: DirecTV developed their own HD DVR for financial reasons and the product was not ready for release but they released it anyway. Regardless of all of the 'software updates and fixes' they keep releasing it can not fix the basic problem with these units. After a short time of use and the hard drive fills up worth recordings, these units stop working properly. Remember these units are a computer with a hard drive and like a computer that is not properly configured or does not have enough space they keep having to be rebooted. What is really unbelievable is that they keep charging people for shipping and handling when they replace the units. I finally have gotten to the point where I refuse to pay for shipping ans handling but it still doesn't change the fact that I have to keep replacing the equipment.
In may 2008 we set the DVR for the Lost season finale. If you follow Lost you understand missing episodes leaves you in limbo. Well after an entire season of following the show we wake up the next day to find that the equipment decided not to record it. My wife was fuming. Luckily I was able to go the ABC Website and watch the episode their. The i only answer DirecTv ever had is 'we are sorry can we give you a few months of free Showtime service'.

If any attorney is out there reading these complaints, their is a lot of money to be made suing DirecTv. They are in breach of contract as they can not fulfill their contractual obligation to provide working equipment to their customers. I run a successful company and can barely get enough time to write this complaint but if I were retired I would spend every waking moment trying to legally go after DirecTV.
You are better off with Dish Network or even your local cable carrier. If you are a huge football fan as we are and want the NFL package, do what we are about to do. Get another service, keep the package during football season and suspend your DirecTV service for 6 months every January. Then restart it in July but just keep enough programming to get the package in HD.

Maybe someday the other services will offer the NFL package. Eventually they will all have a similar number of HD channels as DrecTv offers, then people will leave in droves.

I send two checks to Directv they electronically file them! So fron Aug. 23 until Dec 7 I have been fighting with them. I am sick of it. I can NOT GET COPIES OF THE CHECK because they ELECTRONICALLY file them! I send them a bank statemant 2 times and get the damn thing back from them CAN NOT FINE YOUR CHECK. They cash the damn thing on 8-29 and i send it to Directv LLC Payment Center P.O. Box 78626 Phoenix Az [protected] I think this is a even ### now fine my check or come get your ### out!

Direct TV informed me my contract was ONE year, and I would receive a $20.00 monthly rebate, which I had to fight for (I have a 1 year lease with my apartment). Soon after signing up with Direct TV they informed me after one year I would be obligated to pay the full rate, and I was on a 2 year contract! The service goes down every month while for at least 1 hour during their maintenance. The service has required in home repairs on at least 4-5 occasions, and scheduling time before a tech can come out is 4 day! I am paying for service I am not receiving! I have told them this is unacceptable, and I want to cancel service, but they said I will have to pay to cancel.

I'm paying for a service that I'm not always receiving. Verbal stated terms contract stated are falsely stated

I have been sending to the above address money orders to pay on the directv bill. They have not been cashing them. Keep harassing us that we are not paying on the bill. I mail in the money orders along with their billing statement and in the envelope directv provides.
I want to know why they aren't cashing them and applying to my account. Past month within days i have mailed to them two money orders and they received the one and not the other, i have copies of everything i send to them. L i want thesemoney orders credited to the account.

Allgier
Pob 3000
Mesquite nv 89024

I cancelled my directv back in February after being a long time good paying customer.They made me a great offer if I would go back with them. I was offered 3 months of all the premium channels for free and the Sunday ticket for free.I would only pay $52.60 for the first year. I agreed to this and they deducted this amount from my credit card for the first three months. After the 3 months was up, they sent me a bill for $108.00. I called them and they said that they assumed that I wanted to continue with the premium channels and that was the cost of course I said to turn off the premium channels because I was not going to go from $52.60 to $108.00.I was then offered a deal that would include the premiumree channels added to my channels for $75 a month. I agreed to this offer.I also told them to send me a bill instead of pulling from my charge card. I did this because I had to pay the $108.00 as they automatically charged it represents to my card without my knowledge.they are supposed to reimburse me after the first year. Yes they expect me to wait a year for the price difference. Since my agreeing to pay the $75 I have received my bill.the amount was $85.54. I called and was told that this was the new amount because they removed a $10 credit for an hd receiver. I called back to get the amount that I had agreed to the month before.After talking to a cs representative and a customer specialist, they refused to agree for me to pay the $75 amount.I was on the phone for almost an hour.Since they would not let me pay the correct amount, I told them to take the premium channels off and I would go back and pay the $52.60 as I was paying for the 3 months.I was told that since I agreed to continue with the premium channels that my agreement to pay $52.60 was no longer valid. I could not go back to that amount. I was livid.I called back later in the day and asked to speak to a supervisor.I was put on hold and about every five minutes a lady came on the phone and told me that they were trying to locate a supervisor. This went on for 30 minutes .After the 30 minutes was up, no one came on the phone and I held on for 15 more minutes before finally hanging up. It was pretty obvious that I was not going to get to speak to a supervisor.I expected them to honor the $75 agreement or give me the original amount of $52.60. Directv is run by a bunch of crooked thieves and liars.I guess I am stuck paying the $85.58. People please be aware of this crooked company as they will lie to you.

I have been a DirectTV customer for many years. My reason for writing this letter is to inform you why I will not be needing your services when my contract expires. Your customer service group can use training on how to better communicate with it's customers. One thing I want to make clear is I do not want any movie packages or any free service. This is someone who has had it and feels if anyone in your organization cares you better get on the ball.

My most recent concern involves an agreement I have with your organization. Someone changed my agreement without informing me. I enjoy the NFL channel, I watch it daily. This channel I have subscribed to for probably, since it first aired. This past Saturday it the channel was disconnected .I thought it was a mistake and called customer service. I was informed the channel was disconnected, because it is no longer part of my service agreement. I explained, I negotiated with a representative and we agreed the NFL package was included in my service agreement. It's unfair to change the rules after you agree on a plan. He was not rude but he told me I was not eligible for the NFL channel unless i purchased the entire sports package. This was wrong on two points, first a letter or phone call would have been nice prior to disconnecting. Secondly we agree on specific deal.

I am currently fighting two different cancers. I tell you because it will explain another customer service complaint. It is easy for you to check my payment history, and you will see I never missed any payment. The only exception was my credit card was compromised and I notified you and other companies of this problem. No problem with anyone but DirectTv. Every morning I was awakened by an automated message/call from your company informing me that I had to take action. I attempted to reason with different representatives from your organizations to please stop the calls, because I was on chemo and the best sleep time for me was early morning. You might think why not turn off the phone. Trying to beat some tough odds I was working with NIH &NCI to participate in one of their trials, and whenever they called it ranged from very early morning into late afternoon. So I always had my phone on and with me. The automated DirectTv calls went on for weeks
and I was assured it would not happen again.

Again, I do not want anything from you. As a matter of fact when my contract expires I will be changing my TV service. There is one thing I expect from DirectTv, that is to honor our commitment. Return the NFL channel.

Is this your new policy? Promise channels prior to contractual agreement, and while the customer in agreement you have the right to cancel their channels. But to make matters worse your company does not have to give its customers any notice. It's frustrating turning on a channel you watched yesterday, but don't have today, more like maddening. This is poor business practice. I wish you would bring back those standards that made you a successful company.

I have had diretv for over 2 years, in this time I have encountered nothing but problems from my installation until now. The tech that installed my equiptment threw the cable in some bushes and left it and left a cable running across my bedroom floor that i constantly trip over.
My remotes loose thier programming on a dialy basis and i have to reprogram them at least 2 times a day. Which directv csr tells me i need to buy a new tv. I have a brand new plasma tv that was purchased less than 6 months ago.
The Customer service with this company is the worst I have ever encountered and I will continue to tell anyone who is considering directv not to have it installed.
I had a HD reciever that was not working properly and sent it back to them after they told me they were giving me a rebate for it I found out this was yet another lie. This company seems to be best at lying to thier customers and putting them off until the warentee is out on your equiptment is up. Do not believe anything directv tells you.
If you are considering directv as a satelight company my advice to you is DO NOT do it!

I have had the worst experience with Direct TV. I will never deal with them again when my contract is up. Customer service supervisor totally useless. They like to do the bait and switch and rip off customers. Stay away.

Like the several other thousand of you on here, I was charged an early termination fee by DirecTV when I canceled their service. I had the service for 8 months, after being told when I joined there was no contract. When I quit, they charged me $200, saying I had an 18 month term agreement. I'll spare you all the details of how I fought on the phone with them and their so-called managers over this, and just tell you how to resolve it. I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, which I also encourage all of you to do. Granted it got me no resolution, DirecTV still refused to refund my money, but if enough people file with them, eventually they will have no choice but to take a look at it. It only takes a couple minutes filling out a form on the BBB website. At this point, I filed online at my Attorney General's website. Again, nothing came of it, but it can only help if we pile on the complaints.

So then I filed a small claims court case at my local district court. It only cost like $30 to file. A week before our court date, I received a call from DirecTV's legal department, she was nice as could be. She actually asked ME if I would be willing to dismiss the case if they refunded my $200 early termination fee. She also said they would reimburse me $40 for my court costs. My money has been refunded, and now my nightmare with this horrible company is over.

I encourage ALL of you having similar problems with early termination fees or any other bogus charges they've nailed you with to do this as well. I did not have my credit card company reverse the charges, because DirecTV will send you to collections, and that's a whole other nightmare to deal with. Instead, just file a small claims case if you have a legitimate cause, and if they show up you will then likely win anyway, but chances are they will call you and settle up.

There are hundreds of thousands of people they are hitting with these bogus fees. If even a fraction of a % actually call them on it in a court case, it is not worth their time and trouble to try to fight it, they will gladly refund your money as they are making millions of dollars on those people who just do nothing. Don't be one of those people, fight this company back!

My complaint with Directv is described in the following letter I wrote to them recently.

To summarize their incompetence, here are the stats on my case:

• Number of phone conversations: 18
• Number of minutes on phone: ~780 (or 13 hours)
• Number of CSRs spoken to: 27
• Length ~1 month

Its long, but the detail from every call is there. By the end, you will easily understand why this was the worst customer service experience I have experienced.

I switched to DIRECTV in early October 2006 from Charter Communications (Cable) to enable my wife to watch her team’s NFL games on Sunday Ticket. I began my DIRECTV service with the 4-month Sunday Ticket promotion. I was told that at the end of the 4-month period I should choose a package to switch to. I chose to switch to Choice, and one month before the end of the 4-month period I called DIRECTV to schedule this change of package in advance. I was told by the CSR that this was possible, and he scheduled this change, which was to occur in early February 2007.

A couple of days after the scheduled change, I noticed I was still on the Premier package, and had been billed for that. I called DIRECTV, and asked why I had not been switched to Choice as scheduled. The CSR could not tell me why, however corrected the problem by switching me to the correct package.

I am an avid ice hockey and Atlanta Thrashers fan. The next evening I tuned in to watch the Atlanta Thrashers game on Sports South as I had done for the previous 4 months of the season on DIRECTV. To my surprise the game was blacked out. This seemed unusual considering no game had ever been blacked out before on Sports South for me. Coincidently, the same hockey game was being shown on two other channels as well, to which I was a subscriber; Center Ice and HDNET. I checked these channels, and as expected the game was blacked out there because it was showing on my local sports channel Sports South. But the game was being blacked out on Sports South also.

At this point I began, with DIRECTV, what was by far the worst customer service I have experienced. I have encountered various customer related problems throughout my time as a consumer, but nothing has come close to this experience in terms of length, frustration, cost, incompetence and time. I have also read many other problems customers have had with DIRECTV, and they do not compare, in terms of customer service.

I kept a written call log during the resolution of the issue. I am leaving the log unrevised, so please forgive the shorthand, rushed appearance.

Before I list the call log, I want to summarize the resolution of the problem in a set of statistics. These figures only relate to my contact with DIRECTV, and do not include time spent in contact with the NHL or Sports South.

• Number of phone conversations: 18
• Number of minutes on phone: ~780 (or 13 hours)
• Number of CSRs spoken to: 27

I would not normally write such a long letter, however I am including the call log here, as it inherently reveals my complaint with DIRECTV. The log of the experience is fairly long, but please read it fully. I cannot summarize the events without losing the full impact of what I went through.

I must also point out that the level of detail of the log increased as time went on. Obviously the longer the experience progressed, the more I wanted to preserve the details. Hence some employee IDs and names may be missing from some calls (sic), and the earlier call durations are estimated.

BEGINNING OF CALL LOG:

2/8/2007

• After changing to the Choice package (from Premier), the Thrashers game tonight blacks out. It is also blacked out on Center Ice and HDNet.
• I ring DIRECTV.
• Talked to 1st level support – no resolution.
• Was told that Thrashers games on 631 are subject to blackout.
• Transferred to supervisor.
• Talked to supervisor, no answer for what was happening.
• Supervisor admitted that I should be seeing the games.
• I was told DIRECTV had recently made a change to their Choice package (that week in fact) so that may be why it was being blacked out inadvertently (I believe it was formerly called Total Choice).
• I was put on Premier package for 24 hours so I wouldn’t miss a game (I did that night anyway while talking to DIRECTV). She said after the 24 hours, I would go back to Choice, and the problem should be solved by then.

Length of call: 2 hours

2/9/2007

• I noticed tonight, that the Atlanta Hawks game on Sports South got blacked out.
• Called DIRECTV.
• Talked to 1st level support, then a supervisor. I was told many times games are just blacked out for me and that I would have to accept it. I didn’t want to accept that answer without an explanation as to why I get blacked out for Atlanta Thrashers/Hawks games when I live 30 miles from greater Atlanta.
• Also asked why I have to be on Premier for games not to be blacked out.
• Transferred to a supervisor.
• CSR (name was Jason I think), finally admitted the problem and escalated problem to program manager.
• CSR said to expect a call back in 3 business days.

Length of call: 2 hours

2/10/2007 – 11:00pm

• The Thrashers game is again blacked out tonight.
• Called DIRECTV.
• Started off at 1st level support.
• Was told that DIRECTV is not in control of blackouts.
• I asked why Center Ice is blacking out the game, and SportsSouth at the same time. If Sports South is not my local channel (which it is) why isn’t it showing on Center Ice?
• Eventually transferred to supervisor.
• Greg
• Was given direct tech support line - [protected] prompt PIN - ****. Priority for 1 week.
• After initially not believing that I should be getting Thrashers games, Greg found that 631 is available with the Choice package, and available in all Georgia ZIP codes.
• Stated I should get all Thrashers (and Atlanta Hawks) games.
• Although he admitted the problem, he suggested I just upgrade to the Premier package to fix the problem.
• Proposed 6 month $20/month discount for premier.
• I stated that the customer should not be responsible for working around DIRECTV’s problems, especially when it involves paying more money.
• The CSR admitted there was a big problem as to why I was being blacked out.
• He was very apologetic, and said he was bypassing his supervisor, and sending an email direct to the program manager.
• I was to expect a call back within 2-3 business days.

Length of call: 1.5 hours

2/13/2007

• I retrospectively found out from DIRECTV that they called today and left a message.
• My phone was on all day.
• I received no missed calls and no voice mail messages.
• I received no other call attempts that week (Mon-Fri).

2/16/2007

• It is now the end of the week (5 business days since my last call) and I have not received a call from DIRECTV.

2/19/2007 – 2:05pm

• Calling DIRECTV again.
• CSR’s name is Prisha
• She said there were no Thrashers games scheduled on Sports South, despite it showing on atlantathrashers.com and on all TV guides.
• We spent about 15 mins discussing whether Atlanta Thrashers games are ever shown on SportsSouth. She refused to believe that they were, although I had been watching games on the channel all season, and Thrashers web site clearly shows all games scheduled to be broadcast on SportsSouth.
• Transferred to next level of support.
• While waiting the line gets disconnected.
• Called again, transferred to a manager.
• Her name is Betty.
• Betty was very patient, and began to walk me through exactly what package I wanted. It appeared that she wanted to switch me to my desired package, although there was no evidence the problem was fixed.
• I went along with it. At this stage we also decided that Plus HD was the optimal package for me.
• She changed my account to Plus HD.
• We discussed prices.
• She insisted I accept the Sports pack add-on to my package. She said that is the only way to get 631.
• I stated that is not true. All documentation points to 631 being a standard channel in Georgia with all packages (I also confirmed this with Sports South and had already confirmed this with several DIRECTV CSRs).
• She was very insistent that I take Sports pack. I go along with it for now.
• She offered a discount on the Sports package: $12 normally, but offering $10 discount for 6 months.
• She then decided to try leaving Sports pack off, so I could verify that Sports South was still viewable on my TV.
• She took off Sports pack after finding out 631 is still on with Plus HD and no Sports pack.
• Back to the problem, and she could not give me an explanation of the blackouts.
• I asked for the phone number for Sports South: 404-885-****. (Later called this number and it is incorrect.) Found out the real phone number off a Thrashers forum.
• I asked for the phone number for NHL Center Ice, but none was available. (Later found this online).

Length of call: 2 hours

2/20/2007 – 7:00pm

• Thrashers game blacked out on Center Ice and 631 again.
• Calling DIRECTV.
• First CSR was very unhelpful.
• Transferred to manager.
• Manager said I needed to talk to technical support.
• Transferred again to tech support.
• 1st level tech support couldn’t explain the blackout problem to me.
• Transferred to supervisor.
• So far, have been on hold for 30mins.
• Currently missing 3rd Thrashers game due to this problem.
• Then, the line was disconnected! I heard the phone pick up, people talking, then dial tone.
• Called tech support again..waiting..will I be on hold for another 30 mins?
• At this point, I am getting quite furious.
• 8:00pm
• CSR answers the phone…
• Name & ID: Tresca – Polite
• Explained problem, and I’m getting transferred again.
• Says I’m going on hold for 2-3 mins.
• Talking to male supervisor: Jerry
• Says his computer responding too slowly, moving to another computer.
• 8:13pm, on hold.
• Admits only channel showing current game is 631, so shouldn’t be blacked out.
• After a while, he tells me that I need a phone line attached to my receiver to get Sports South games.
• Says I will need phone line for every receiver in my house to watch Thrashers games (I have 3 receivers)
• This is the first time I have heard that I needed an active phone line to watch Atlanta Thrashers games.
• I partly accepted his explanation, because it was the first time someone confidently told me what the problem was. However, it still did not explain why I could see games when I was on Premier.
• I asked to be transferred to someone suitable to lodge a complaint about the phone line limitation.
• Given customer retention line: [protected] “direct line” (later found out its not direct without a PIN)
• Transferred, and speaking to Derrick
• Says phone line not issue and the previous guy I just talked to was wrong!
• Says Sports South is part of my RSN.
• Says I SHOULD be getting all Thrashers games.
• 9:09pm – still working with Derrick.
• He is trying to fix the problem.
• I’m missing another Thrashers game while he does because they can only test the problem while Thrashers are playing.
• Says specific programming has not been added to packages below Premier.
• 9:16pm
• Is forwarding a form to his supervisor, who then has to submit to Programming Manager.
• Again I am to expect a call in 2-3 business days. However, I request a call tomorrow, as I have already been waiting a long time for this call.
• Is giving me total of $50 off premier for this month. (down to $49)
• Requesting PIN: ****
• Call ended 9:25pm

Length of call: 2.5 hours

2/21/07 – 12:40pm

• Called Richelle with Sports South on 404-230-****.
• Says Thrashers games shouldn’t be blacked out in ANY part of Georgia.
• States that its wrong that DIRECTV is doing this.
• Will refer to her boss, who is returning this Monday.
• I requested he call me.

2/21/07 – 4:30pm

• Calling DIRECTV.
• Dora answered
• I state I am calling because I haven’t received a call back from DIRECTV today like I was promised.
• 1st level CSR says she can’t do anything about it.
• Transferring to supervisor.
• On hold for 10mins.
• Connected to supervisor: Jesenia (or Yesenia?)
• After I explained the situation, she told me Thrashers games were subject to blackout in my area!
• I told her I didn’t want to discuss the problem, I wanted a call back as promised.
• I told her what DIRECTV is doing is not right, and asked why I hadn’t received a phone call.
• Now on hold again to check status of my issue.
• 5 mins on hold
• When she returned to the phone, the first thing she said was “Thrashers games are subject to blackout”.
• By this time I’m irate. She has apparent disregard for everything I have been through to this point.
• I explained the problem again…
• I told her the games get blacked out on all packages but Premier. Why not premier?
• This got her thinking.
• 5:06pm
• She’s investigating, so I’m on hold again!
• Told me she is going to ping her higher ups again, and request that this issue is resolved.
• She left me her voice mail number in case I want to call back and get a status. [protected]
• 5:20pm call ended.

Length of call: 50 mins

2/21/07 – 5:45pm

• Received a call from Aracely
• (Incoming phone number ID – 956 784 ****)
• She states she was referred to this problem by Yesenia, and she has investigated and found that I am being blacked out of these games, end of story!
• In disbelief, I tell her the same things I have told the 15+ DIRECTV employees I have already talked to.
• I tell her that I called Sports South, and they are in agreement that it’s a DIRECTV problem.
• I ask her for a reason why there are black outs for me – she didn’t give me one, and seemed to imply that black outs are an “unknown and unexplainable entity”.
• I ask her why I have to be on Premier to get games – no reason given.
• She says also that I should be able to get the game on Center Ice! (that of course is blacked out too).
• She says she is going to call me back shortly, after doing some more investigation.
• Call ended 5:55pm

Length of call: 10 mins

2/21/07 – 6:10pm

• Received a call from Aracely
• She said she talked to some people, and someone from the dept is going to call me back tonight.
• However, she stated that “there is nothing DIRECTV can do about black outs. It is totally out of our control”.
• I asked her to explain then why there are different rules for black outs on different DIRECTV packages – no answer.
• She said I need to get NHL Center Ice to watch all the games.
• I told her I already have it, and Thrashers games are always blacked out on Center Ice because I get SportsSouth which is my local sports channel!
• She told me to expect a call tonight from someone. She said she doesn’t know when or who would be calling me.

Length of call: 5mins

All today:

• Posted to DIRECTV forum
• Emailed Atlanta Thrashers
• Phoned Sports South

2/22/07 – 10:30am

• I sent an email to DIRECTV online comments and suggestions form.
• I stated in this email, that the avenues I have pursued so far are getting me nowhere, and I would like to pursue other options outside of the call center.

2/22/07 – 4:30pm

• Called Jesenia’s voice mail, and left a message.

2/22/07 – 4:32pm

• Calling express line to ask for status.
• The hold music is a song that has the lyrics: “Call on me, and I’ll be there for you and you’ll be there for me… I’ll be whatever you want me to be…” (I do have a sense of humor, and this lightened my mood)
• As I’m on hold, I get a call on my cell phone from DIRECTV!

2/2207 – 4:34pm

• Receiving call from Amanda relating to my email to DIRECTV.com
• At first, she asked what the problem was, and then began to investigate.
• I told her more than 15 people have done exactly what she is about to do, and I’d rather have the Program Manager call me like they were supposed to. It is now 12 days since my initial report, and I have not had a call back.
• We switch topics, and she asks if I want an address to write my complaint to.
• I get the addresses of the Office of the President and Customer Service.
• She told me she will talk to her manager and call me back within 1.5 hours.

Length of call: 10mins

2/22/07 – 4:50pm

• Receiving call from Amanda.
• She talked to her manager, and he has heard of several other people with similar problems, caused by the new DIRECTV packages. She said the new packages (everything other than Premier) had not been configured correctly, and therefore I was incorrectly being blacked out of games.
• This is the first acknowledgement I’ve had, and the first time I’ve heard that other people are having issues also. I had also spent time researching on the Internet for other people with the same problem.
• She says that receivers aren’t getting the correct information from DIRECTV for these new packages.
• She said she will call back tomorrow or Monday when she has a resolution for the problem.

Length of call: 5 mins

2/23/07

• Received replies from an email I sent to Atlanta Thrashers. My request was also sent to Center Ice for investigation.
• A representative for NHL Center Ice states that she will get in touch with her DIRECTV contact.

2/23/07 – 4:55pm

• Receiving call from Amanda
• Her manager still looking into the problem.
• No resolution yet, she just wanted to keep in contact.
• She said she would call again Monday.

Length of call: 2 mins

3/2/07

• Have not received any calls this week, despite being promised a call on Monday 5 days ago.
• I wrote another email to DIRECTV.com as the resolution of the problem has again stalled.

3/4/07 - 1:10am

• Called DIRECTV
• Asked why I haven’t got a call back for 4 weeks (the only person who called me back was from the web complaints team). No reason given.
• CSR stated he could create a new escalation request.
• I stated that I had been through this many times, and I am trying to find a way to get this problem resolved. I have continually hit a brick wall after supervisors escalate the problem.
• He said the next step would be to write to the President.

Length of call: 15mins

3/5/07 - 4:50pm

• Received call from Megan @ DIRECTV in place of Amanda.
• She said the problem should now be resolved.
She said the problem was caused by a glitch at DIRECTV that was not registering my zip code as a Georgia zip code. Because of this my games were blacked out.
• I stated that I would only like to switch to the correct package (Plus HD) during a game to be sure that the problem is fixed as this is the only way of proving its fixed.
• She is scheduling a call for tomorrow night at 7pm during the Thrashers game.

Length of call: 10 mins

3/6/07

Received this email reply from DIRECTV.com:

Subject Expected calls not received Discussion Thread Response (Aaron) 03/06/2007 10:29 AM Dear Mr. *******,

Thank you for writing. I'm sorry to hear that you have had an ongoing problem with your DIRECTV service. Upon reviewing your account, I found that you have spoken with our representatives several times regarding the blackout of an NHL game on the NHL CENTER ICE package. As the provider of the most comprehensive sports programming lineup in the digital home entertainment industry, it's challenging to describe the blackout rules for many different locations and sports briefly. Please visit our web site at DIRECTV.com/blackouts for our general blackout FAQ, and click on the specific sports package you're interested in for more detailed information.

We realize blackouts can be confusing and disappointing to our customers. However, to honor our agreements with the leagues and other owners of broadcast rights, we must pay close attention to the restrictions that we are required to follow.

Thanks again for writing and stay tuned to DIRECTV.com for the latest news and information about our service.

Sincerely,

Aaron ID *********
DIRECTV Customer Service

[There is probably not a more condescending and insulting email I could have received at this point in time. In my initial email, I had stated that DIRECTV has acknowledged the error on their part. I gave Aaron all the information on my case, and he still refused to acknowledge the facts I had given him. He even misstated my problem as being with Center Ice, not Sports South.

I can’t help but feeling that when any issue relating to black outs arises, DIRECTV employees feel that due to the complexity of the system, they can always give the customer a template answer such as the one above. This was certainly my experience throughout the past month. It is extremely frustrating to talk to so many CSRs who, for the most part, have been trained to assume no fault on DIRECTV’s part, and to supply the customer with the most “appropriate” textbook answer to the problem. When there is a real problem, how does the customer get anywhere?]

3/6/07 – 7:15pm

• Call received from Megan
• We are about to test switching to Plus HD while a Thrashers game is on.
• Thrashers game is not blacked out, so the problem is fixed!
• I received a discount for this month’s DIRECTV service.
• HBO, Showtime discounts for 6 & 3 months respectively.

Length of call: 35 mins

3/7/07 – 5:20pm

• DIRECTV called to try and resolve my problem (relating to an email I sent).
• Before I could explain to him the situation, he stated that because I don’t have a phone line in my receiver, it could be causing the problem!
• I let him know that the problem was fixed now, and the reason why (DIRECTV ZIP code glitch).
• He seemed unfazed by this, and continued to assert that I could have blackout problems without having a phone line attached to the receiver.

Length of call: 5 mins

3/10/07

• Today I went to record a program on the DVR, and the receiver said “DVR is not activated on this account”
• Rang DIRECTV to fix – the DVR wasn’t added to my account after the last change on 3/6/07.

Length of call: 20mins

END OF CALL LOG

Please refer back to the first call I made on 2/8/07. The CSR had stated the possibility that the new packages were incorrectly causing black outs. This turned out to be the problem, although of course we couldn’t have known for sure straight away. However, the resolution certainly did not progress well from this point.

I never did receive a call from the people that the problem was escalated to at the call center (the program managers?). This is despite being promised a call back several times. The only calls I received were in response to my DIRECTV.com email.

In the early calls, several CSRs disputed the fact that Sports South is part of all packages in my state (Georgia). This is despite the evidence I had directly from the DIRECTV web site – the DIRECTV channel line up. I believe that this was caused by their systems not being up-to-date with the new packages.

Every time I called up and spoke to a new CSR, they wanted to know the full story (which I can understand). However, after I told them the story, they disputed facts that I had spent hours establishing with other CSRs (such as Sports South being a local channel for me and the fact that I was not in a black out area for Atlanta Thrashers games). In this case, I can generalize as it happened nearly every time. As a result, I wasted around an hour each call convincing the CSR of all the facts of my case. Most of the CSRs that disputed my statements, were not willing to believe anything I said, and amazingly, anything their own colleagues had already told me. Remember, I recorded most of the CSR’s employee numbers. I was able to quote the DIRECTV employees directly with reference, and yet that was not enough to move on past established facts.

Much of the time spent on the phone was on hold waiting in the queue to be answered. My wait times varied between 5 and 40 minutes, and averaged around 20 minutes.

May I also suggest that copies of this letter are sent to the individual employees that I dealt with. Each of my conversations with a DIRECTV employee was isolated. They usually did not know what I had been through before a call, nor that my statements were truly based on all the events up until that point in time. I believe that if they are able to read of my entire experience it may help them with future situations with other customers. I was often made to feel that my statements were fallacious, and that any investigation I had done on my own was either not helpful to resolving the situation, or wrong.

I apologize for the length, but look forward to receiving your response to this letter.

Sincerely,

July 29, 2008

I too have experienced the DirecTV bait-and-switch pricing policy. You made a smart move to return your new set-top box. I am one year past where you are and you are correct; DirecTV uses BAIT-and-Switch pricing practices.

I had received the NFL package (only) for aver a decade on the non-HD hardware. Last year I upgraded to the dual tuner+DVR set-top box. I too was told the $199 was a purchase for the new set-top box. Further, the DirecTV sales associate assured me that no new charges would be linked to the upgrade.

Once the new HD set-top box was activated they started sending bills that added several *undisclosed* charges. These charges included the $4.99/month for the "Primary Lease Receiver", $5.99/month for "DirecTV DVR Service", $9.99/month for "HD Access" and an annual fee of $99 called "Super Fan" which they said was required to receive NFL games in HD. The folks at DirecTV are crooks. They sell one thing then abuse their customer base.

After much conversation with DirecTV and turning off the service because of all the undisclosed charges they had their Customer Retention department call and they waived the fees that were undisclosed for the first year. They waived the 4.99/mo 5.99/mo, 9.99/mo and the Super Fan uplift. Now that it is time to sign up for the upcoming NFL season again they are trying to add the undisclosed charges back **but this time with a twist**. Not only do they want me to pay for the undisclosed charges listed above they are insisting that I add a "Base Programming Package" as well. Not a chance. I have been a Comcast broadband customer for over a decade at this same residence and have used the DirecTV service for the NFL Package *only*.

You are a smart person. I wish I was as smart as you and would have run away from these DirecTV Crooks. If you are considering service with DirecTV I strongly suggest you get all pricing and fees documented from they *in writing*. Good luck with that as they do not want to disclose how they will attempt to gouge you.

=== Details for those that would like to avoid the frustration of a DirecTV purposefully mis-stating prices only to add undisclosed charges “after” turning up the service. ===

Here is yet another educational tool to use when attempting to deal with DirecTV.

One you successfully escalate out of the black hole of the phone Customer Service group you will end up in the Customer Retention group. Their mission is to prevent disconnect orders. I have had to deal with them last NFL season [protected]) and again this NFL season [protected]).

After being escalated to Carmen (agent ID U 3957) on Saturday 7/26/2008 we were able to come to an agreement on pricing and fees for the upcoming NFL season. When I asked her to send me an email with the pricing commitments she refused. I offered to document the details of our conversation and email them to her to receive confirmation in writing of the arrangements made. She again refused. Carmen simply said I have the new pricing and fee structure noted in your account record and that would be all I needed. I learned my lesson from last season that without commitments from the crooks at DirecTV "nothing sticks".

I scribed the detailed notes from the conversation (Customer Retention rep Carman U3957 and sent it off to the DirecTV Customer Service department (directvcustomercare@directv.com). They replied back indicating that did not or would not honor the commitments made by THEIR CUSTOMER RETENTION AGENT (U3557). Instead, they wanted to break the commitment made at the time of my upgrade which was for the NFL Package *only* ($249) (7/18/2007) and the revised commitment made on 7/26/2008) for the NFL Package + Super Fan + DVR fee/mo + HD access/mo ($491.82 assuming a 9 month NFL season).

In short, DirecTV is now and has practiced unethical and in my eyes illegal pricing policies. Stay as far away from these folks as you can and save yourself the grief.

…marko

@ op
when you sign up with any company there is in the contract a line that says "after the free trial term your bill will revert to the listed price." then later on it states. "If you wish to discontinue the premium channels please contact us before trial is over. If you do not you will incur the monthly fee for the next month till you request cancellation". sounds like you waited 91 days to cancle which means you are contract bound for another month. the first reduction was just them being nice. the second time they had a right to refuse since you appear by your story to "skip out" of your contract with them.

Signed up for DirecTV at the San Diego County Fair under a 1 year promo contract, canceled service after 14 months. Now they are stating I had a 2 year contract and owe them early cancellation fees, even though I have in my possession a contract stating I was under a one year contract. They still will not acknowledge they are wrong and have sent my account into collection.

Never use DirecTV it will be a big mistake, stick with cable.

If you are looking for contact information for Mr. Chase Carey, President & CEO of Direct Tv - please follow the link below. There you can find more useful information for your battle.

Also the Direct Tv Corporate office address is:

2230 East Imperial Highway
El Segundo, CA 90245

Tel. [protected]

e-mail: chase.carey@directv.com

http://consumerist.com/consumer/executive-customer-service/directtv-ceos-contact-info-257620.php

Good luck,
Chris

I have the same issue with DIRECTV with the cancelation fee I am been charged 460 dollars for a cancelation of a contract I was never even informed about I was misinformed and given false information I have emailed the CEO Michael white and chase carey and even the president of customer service if I don't hear a good reply soon resolving this issue I will file a small claim to my local court. I live in Miami Florida I ask for all of you that have been victims of these scams by DIRECTV and you live by my area please email me so we can all go together to court and make a difference because my voice alone may not be as loud but if we all speak up we might be able to put an end to this or stop others for falling for this thieves again. Please think about it and send me a shout my email is lopezangi@yahoo.com

So now they put an on demand movie right above HBO so if you accidentally click on it instead of HBO you get billed 10.99 for a piece of [censored] movie you would never spend a second watching. Then I try to call "customer service" ..HA Ha Ha, what a Fing joke...on hold, for 45 minutes, finally gave up. I'm cancelling my service and stiffing them on their last bill. eat [censored] dtv

They say they have excellent customer feedback, well certainly not mine, Account was basically in my name, so what happens if you lose your job, need to move, they are willing to give you the time to relocate, or If you must leave your current living environment, ex: Your only sister's pregnant from ur husband, need to leave, they don't have the service in the area you want to move to, or pay $200 early cancellation fees. I find that as terrible company protocol. Then the ruin your credit, or threaten to.

Good morning sir:=A0 Our names are Wayne and Laura Treichel and we've been =
subscribers to Directv for a long time. We saw your add on tv promoting "On=
Demand" movies etc, so we purchased the Cinema Conversion Kit to implement=
this system. However when reviewing the requirements (after we set it up) =
it appears that 95% + movies are only allowed if you subscribe to the premi=
um channels ie: HBO, Cinamax etc. Well we don't subscribe to such being ret=
ired and on a fixed income so doing that is not possible. I called your ser=
vice center and asked if we could return the day old system and was told th=
at is not possible so therefore that is why I am writing to you. We still h=
ave the original packaging and all we would need is a shipping label to ret=
urn it for a full refund. Please consider as we do not have any use for it.=
... Thank you very much, Wayne and Laura Treichel=A0=A0 [protected]

I have no idea where this charge came from. I did not authorize this charge and I have already ben charged one time on 9/25/2010 and now I have another charge for $57.61 for 10/25/2010. I want it stopped immediately if possible. I DO NOT know who this is NOR did I APPROVE this. It is being charged to my Visa Debit Card ending in 5384. I don't even know how they got the number.

The DIRECTV Inc. Sales and billing staff purposefully provided false and misleading information to complete a sale. Not one but three DIRECTV staff on seperate calls promised specific services which they knew prior to completing a sale would NOT be covered by DIRECTV service staff. One staff person even promised to send us a written statement of what she assured us would be provided to us if / when we signed an agreement and that promise of a written response was never given. Furthermore, after complaining to DIRECTV supervisory staff following our installation, they would NOT stand behind the commitments made by other DIRECTV staff. In brief, do NOT trust anything DIRECTV staff promises you. Even their advertising promising rewards (e.g., a $200 debit card for subscribing) if you subscribe is very, very decieving. We would happily enter a class-action suit against DIRECTV for their deceiptful and misleading practices. Buyer - beware!

Liars, bad equipment, contracts, horrible customer service. What else is there to say. Oh yeah they are thieves too.

A sales rep lied and offered nine months of discounted service. She didn't have the authority to do so, and Direct TV would not honour the original offer.

20 phone calls later and $1200 in early cancellation fees I have called an attorney. Funny thing is I have a recorded conversation of the original call. He wants to go after them.

Worst service I have ever seen. Worse than AOL and Sprint combined. Please think twice before signing up with a company that is dishonest. It will take you hours and hours to try and resolve any issues you may have.

I have been mislead and lied to by direct TV.

I was told I would be getting service for a said amount of money, but they charged me twice as much.

I called there customer service and was told it was not there problem and I was stuck with there service for two year.

If I cancelled they would charge me $480.00.

I was never told I had a two year contract.

They did not care that I was not told about the contract, that’s my problem.

Anyone considering direct TV be prepared for them to stick it to you.

I will do everything I can to steer people away from Direct TV.

Horrible customer service.2 of my 4 receivers don’t work, they were used when I got them. Now they tell me I have to pay 79.99 for a tech to come out. Told them do just cancel my service. Said I have a contract for another year, and I will be charged 20.00 for each receiver... each month. If I don’t pay they have a copy of my credit card and they will put it on that. That’s fraud and an unauthorized transaction. Have had them for 7 years and pay 100.00 per month for crappy cable. And horrible customer service if I can even get thru on the line.

I paid my last charges to direct tv and returned my Sim card. A month later they sent me an offer to return for $20 a month and a $200 dollar visa card. Then 2 weeks later I got notified I owed $25 for 4 movies direct tv neglected to charge me for from 2010 and 2011. Scheisters.

I was a customer of Direct TV for 2 years, left them because they have no customer retention program. Went to Dish. Left them to get a better deal with direct TV. My contract expires in August 2015. I called about an upgrade, and find out where the hook was since they don't charge a fee. Of course the Jamaican rep tried to get me to buy something, anything. I told her I was on a fixed income, and wanted to reduce my bill, not increase it. She persisted, until I finally asked what they would do for me to keep me at renewal. She gave me no answer that was precise, just to wait till then. I told her that I would make a decision on the upgrade at that time, since you have to sign a 24 month renewal agreement to get the free upgrade. She said I couldn't get that offer then, it was today or never. Now I was the one that called them to see what the upgrade was about, told by a rep of theirs at Sam's Wholesale to call and get the new Genie at no charge. I asked to speak to a supervisor, and was put on hold for 30 minutes before I finally hung up. They are horrible, but so is Dish. So is Time Warner. There is no good service provider out there. They play the numbers game, and know you will leave them after 24 months but will come back when their competition rates get so high you are forced to come back. So you have to change carriers every 24 months, to get an affordable rate. No customer retention program; regardless of what they say. I will switch again next month, like a little lamb. I wished to hell we could as a group cancel all TV for a year, and force them to get on their knew to get us back. It wont happen, we are too dependent on TV. The old days of no TV are gone. The family time we used to have is gone. Kids play on their computer games, we watch too much TV, and are a slave to these corporate masters.

fix it

I filed a claim in April - No-One came out to Inspect my claim issue - Person at the office said On Voice Mail I have 15 days to hear anything. No One is calling back for damage done to my new Great Room That I just recently had extended onto my home.
today is the 15June - Still waiting for answers?!?

I have been a Direct Tv customer for over 10 years. I recently decided to bundle my AT&T service with my Direct Tv service. Let me say first that my service was not in my name but I am an authorized user to make changes to the account. Now. I called AT&T to inquire about the bundle service and was told that I would have to open a new account in my name, not a problem. I was also told that I would have to get new equipment, the Genie, which would put me under contract for 2 years. Again, not a problem. The technician came out, installed the Genie and 4 minis. After he installed the equipment I was informed that the number of shows I recorded would effect the corresponding Genies and those televisions would not be available for use. At no point during my conversation with AT&T was this explained to me. While the technician was in my home I contacted Direct Tv to close the previous account. I spoke with a customer service rep in retention and was told that the account would be closed.
Saturday I contacted Direct Tv's technical support department because the Genie minis had an error message informing me that I had to disconnect one to utilize the other. The technician helped to get that mini working, little did I know it shut down a different mini in another room. When I realized this had occurred I asked to speak to customer service to inquire if I could use my old equipment and still keep the bundle. I was informed that all I had to do was request new access cards to use the old equipment. I phoned Direct Tv today to request new access cards and was told that this was not possible since the account was not in my name and that the previous account was still active because it was under contract. I was flabbergasted. I could not believe what I was hearing. I asked how the account was still under contract and was informed that since I hooked a new receiver, not sent by Direct Tv but one my brother had, that the account had entered into a new contract. This was not told to me when I called to have this receiver connected. I also find that this is a huge double standard since Direct Tv will not allow me to use the equipment from my previous account, since it wasn't in my name, for my new account. With that being said Direct Tv has since informed me that nothing can be done. I now have an account in my name with equipment, the Genie and minis, that I do not want and the previous account, which I thought was disconnected Tuesday, May 26th, showing as active in my home. Which means I am now "obligated" to pay 2 bills. I plan on seeking legal action due to the breach of contract on Direct Tv's behalf by not disclosing all of the "features" of the Genie. I feel as though I was lied to, deceived and manipulated into a contract that I cannot get out of for the next 2 years. Directv does not care about the loyalty shown by long time customers and are only concerned with new accounts.

HD boxes work intermittently. SD boxes work ok.
Can't log on to technical forums but 1 time only.
Log on and password get me to my account but after posting once on technical forum and hoping for answers I am locked out.
Have had service for less then month and asked to get out if contract because of lack or service.
Am venting on this public forum.

Directv is a monopoly. They know they have you in their power and treat you as such. Their programming is exceptional, however their equipment and user interface is horrible. The STB's are slow and the software is atrociousl They care nothing about the customers. The contracted installer obviously used to be garbage men judging on their knowledge and expertise

A year and a half ago I signed up with Direct TV. They told me that they would get me the local channels in 3 months. When I called back so they would put them on, they said that they would not be able to put it on because the equipment they sold us would not be able to deliver it. If they knew this why would they sell it to us? Needless to say, we are not happy with Direct TV.