DirecTV
reviews and complaints

Well I wanted to share my story in hopes that it will help destroy DIRECT TV in some sort of way .I hope people who see this are those who is thinking of switching or getting their services. I would say (DON'T) Read all comments available and listen to us all because we are trying to save you from Hell. To make a very long story short it started out that they promised me, with my package, that I would be able to receive local channels in my zip code area. After they hooked me up I find out it will be 6 weeks for me to get my locals. I wasn't told that when I made my order. Six weeks later I call back, I was then told I could not get it in my area. So I told them to cut my service off and I sent back there equipment. They took out two payments out of my account the first month .I find out only then that it is mandatory to all to pay one month in advance. So now I'm thinking I'm through with them and now they are off my back and I'll just move on and learn from this. Boy was I wrong. Besides harassment calls ect... They are claiming I owe them 400.00 dollars For canceling. Not only that they have me at the credit bureau. OH My GOD! They did not give me my locals as promised so therefore I owe them Liars now. I have had sleepiness nights because of them .The only good thing that came out of this is I was able to out smart them only once. Something told me in my gut to go close my checking account before the next monthly due date. Somehow I had this feeling they were going to try to get that 400.00 quickly. Well don't you know they did try but was denied. Always do want your gut feeling tells you to do. DIRECT TV SHOULD BE sued and taken out of business, I am trying to find options on how to fight them on this matter.But it looks like I will need a LAWYER. Thats what you will end up with if you go with them. PLEASE DON'T! This is just a little bit of my problem with them. But I hope I painted a clear enough picture for you. Besides They never sent my monthly payment in advance back. Anyone that would like to get a hold to me on this matter you can reach me at Doreenas6@aol.com.If there is a way for all of us to fight against as a group count me in.

In Feb, 2008, I decided to get a AT&T bundle discount for DirectTV. I live in a duplex and the other tenants already had DirectTV, so the Tech just connected to their dish which was fine with me. In August, while walking around the back of the duplex I noticed the junction box covers (2) were on the ground exposing the cable connections. I tried to snap the covers back on and they would not close due cables between the two boxes were routed not behind the boxes but on the top side. As such, you cannot secure the covers because of two cables.

I call DirectTV and describe the problem. The young lady ask me if I could just nail a box of the two junction boxes? I said NO and told her their tech had wired it and I wanted it fixed. She stated the 30 day warranty was up. She should work for Ford.

I closed account within three days. They turned me over to two collection agencies. I had to write both of the certified letters that I owed them nothing. It has been over a year & I have 2 HD boxes and another box plus the dish and 100 feet of wiring. They robbed my bank account, even when I changed debit cards. I had to change banks all together.

On the 11th month a man from the President's office called; but I would not talk to him.

I called to file a complaint. There response "you do not have an account we will not help". I own this house they destroyed it by drilling every were and to top it off they cut the existing cables for the house. Who is going to pay for damages? When asking Direct TV customer service "Who do I send the bill to they said I do not know" Who is the CEO or Board of supervisors? No one knows. I need help. We need to put a stop to these companies.

Everyone complain to the NFL Commissioner since they support Direct TV.

Up until my recent move, I have had directv for 7 years. I had two cable boxes in my home, one that I got originally when I signed up for Directv and another one I purchased several years later (Tivo Box). My original box was faulty and last year I called to ask for a replacement box and I asked if I could replace it with a Tivo box. They said no problem and I received it several weeks later and someone came and installed it. Many months later due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to move and since Comcast's bundle deal was a better deal, I switched. A few weeks after I canceled my services I was charged over 200$ which without my permission was taken out of my bank account, which consequently made me bounce a few checks. I called directv in outrage and their response was that I had signed an agreement when I received my new box for another two years of service and that they were allowed to take out that money out of my account. For the whole 7 years that I have had Directv no one ever mentioned that what I was signing was a contract and since when can companies take money out of your account without your permission. They are thieves and I will never again recommend them to anyone!

I am really mad at Direct tv's customer service. I referred Pauline a couple months ago to Direct tv. I gave her my acc. # and the # to refer a friend, [protected]. She hooked up with Direct tv. She Gave them My account name and number and said we would get $10 credit on both our bills for 5 months. When we got our first bill there was no credit, so I emailed direc tv. I was told we didn't call the right number. I know the right # was called because we still have the paper I wrote the # on that Pauline called from. So I called direct tv to tell them their wrong. I talked to a girl named Erica. She said she seen that Pauline did call from the right number and she would fix it and that we would get the $10 off on the next months bill and for 5 months. Well, I see the next months bill and there is still NO $10 credit. So I called [protected]) The man said that Erica told me wrong and Pauline did not do the proper procedure to get the credit. I was so mad I could of spit nails through the phone. WE DID DO EVERYTHING RIGHT ! SHE CALLED FROM THE RIGHT NUMBER, SHE GAVE THEM MY ACCOUNT INFORMATION AND GOT THE RIGHT PACKAGES ETC. I don't think this man (was so mad 4got to get his name) ever told me what she didn't do right just that Pauline didn't go through the right process. Like I told him, 'Just because you guys didn't enter something on your end right, is not our fault and we DID do our part right! ' He refuse to fix it, and I told him it was a scam ! So I went to Pauline's house to let her know we wasn't going to get the credit. She said that its a bunch of baloney. So she called and talked to Mathew and he said that WE WERE ENTITLED TO IT. He fixed it and says we will get the credit in 6-8 weeks. Another Wait...

Now tell me, is this a run around over a scam. OR Do people just not know what they are doing in your customer service area!

I use to have a very high opinion of Direct tv, and now I am embarrassed over this ordeal. I will be very pleased If I do receive the credit Pauline and I are entitled to, my faith and opinion will be mostly restored in Direct tv's customer service. Other wise I will let every one know what I think. Business are still in business like this because of Scams, thats how they have been in business so long. They get people to think they are legitimate, with promotions, promises, and too good to be true type things. Customers call on their promotion told all the right things, then after they have signed for 12-24 month contract then they pull the rug out from under then, then they are stuck in a contract they can't affordable get out of but yet direct tv's are not liable for their promotion ad's and are able to scam people. I will never refer anyone to Direct tv; I don't care if they promise me a million, because I know their promises are as empty as their heads are. Every call is suppose to be recorded, therefore all should be able to be verified. They don't care to satisfy customers, why, they have us by our yinyang in a contract. I personally think these contracts should be changed. If we want out of a contract where we know we have been done wrong especially in the first 3 months, we should be able to with out paying a penalty. I think these contracts are a way for companies to run scams, mislead consumers, and just plainly RIP OFF folks. I will see if they honor their last promise from Mathew. mean while, I have sent Direct tv another email explaining they whole ordeal similar to this report, and will see what they email me back. Who knows. Probably another run around. For anyone reading this, I wouldn't tell you what to do, but please BEWARE and AWARE. I do not recommend Direct tv persay their promotions. My mistake is I didn't check into 'rip offs' and similar sites before referring someone. I don't always believe everything I read, but when I read more bad than good, it probably means they are BAD. If I can, I will let you know how this turns out.

The trick is to scam enough people who can't afford a lawyer. All you need is a few customer service flunkies who are willing to pretend to care about the customer. Hide your contract somewhere within the mass assortment of ads and other junk lurking in the envelope that carries the customers statement. Tell the new customer whatever it takes to reel him in. Whatever you say on the phone doesn't matter. Record only the conversations that benefit the company. Then, while he's grieving the death of the loved one he ordered your service for; smack him in the face with a $340 early cancellation fee. Practice this behavior enough and you won't need to be a decent human being, you'll be a rich one. You can start your own business. Call it, oh, I don't know, DirecTV, maybe.

This is the letter that was sent to the corporate office, if there such a place. In my opinion the letters all go to the same office where the customer service flunkies are. They look at your name, insert it in a 'denial' form letter and email it to you. I doubt the letters even get read.

This letter is a chronological report of injustices for which we feel is an unethical business practice on the part of DirecTV, Inc.

On my first contact in late December 2008, I spoke with a female sales representative, by phone, to inquire about having their service installed in my uncle's room at N**** S*** nursing home in Denver, CO. I specifically inquired about what would happen should he pass away. She stated that all I would need to do is provide a death certificate to their office to have the contract canceled. On December 23rd the system was installed at the nursing home.

I have been legal guardian of my uncle for several years now, due to his dementia. Therefore, I have handled all of his business transactions.

On January 21st, 2009 my uncle passed away. On January 22nd my wife, ****, contacted DirecTV's customer service department to cancel service. A male service representative told her, to avoid any charges, mail a copy of my uncle's death certificate, and return the receiver and remote control in the box which they would send us. We returned the merchandise.

On our January 29th statement we noticed a charged of $340 for early cancellation fee in which payment had been automatically charged to our credit card. My wife called customer service. A female service representative told her to fax a copy of the death certificate when we get it, and the charge on the credit card would immediately be reversed. As requested, we faxed the certificate on February 11th.

My wife called customer service at 5:03am on February 13th to inquire as to why the charge still hadn't been reversed. The male representative who answered said there was no record that the fax had been received.

At 8:03am she called again, in hopes that someone working regular business hours would be in a better position to assist her. Again, she explained the situation to the male representative who answered. This time she was told that they had in fact received the certificate, but the charge couldn't be removed because I placed the order, not my uncle. She explained why I had to order for him. He told her there was nothing he could do. My wife asked to speak with the supervisor and was put on hold then was disconnected after a few minutes.

At 8:26am she called again. A female representative answered this time. She apologized, and then told my wife to explain the situation again and she would put her through to her supervisor. Again, my wife was put on hold and again, she was disconnected.

At 8:49am she called again. This representative asked her to explain the situation again. My wife refused and demanded to be put through to a supervisor. Finally, she got put through to a man who claimed to have some authority. He stated that it didn't matter who the service was for. Because I signed for it, I had to pay. I never signed anything. He offered to provide the address where I could dispute the charge.

I can provide documentation that shows that my uncle resided at the nursing home in Denver, CO where the service was installed, and to show that I was his legal guardian. If you check the billing address for the account you will notice that I don't live in Denver. This service was clearly never meant for anyone other than him.

I am hoping that, as a reputable company, you can see the injustice of this charge and see how badly your customer service personnel handled this incident. My wife called customer service once again, on 18 February 2009, as a courtesy, to inform them that we were sending this letter to you and to our credit card company to dispute this charge.

My Contract with DirectTV got extended without my notice.

I am pissed of customer with DIRECT TV. Issues with Direct TV. Direct TV cheated me by prolonging my contract without my notice. The customer server are real pretty ignorant bureaucratic, no sensitivity towards the customers. I have wasted my hours and hours of time explaining the same story again and again again, several times to several people (so called managers, and their managers etc., ). And I also felt that their escalations are lateral, not to upper levels. At this point, just like other several thousands of unsatisfied/pissed off customers, I am just hanging in there and trying to adjust to their brutality.

my mom has referred myself, my grandma and my uncle over 2 years ago. she has never seen a credit from any of the referrals, she gave up calling because talking to people from india who cannot speak english makes it difficult to keep telling your story over, and over, and over...

i have just had direct tv installed the agent told me i could watch recordings on any tv with whole home tv and we could tape record two shows on each tv and watch live tv all a lie now we have it 2 days and we cant get local channels have to wait till sunday for a visit we had disj for 3 years no problem i will stay with direct till we can leave i will never recomennd it to anyone i stayed on the phone today for 75 mins and they could'nt fix the problem what a scam they have i am calling cunsomer affairs because all i was told i was getting was a lie::::::::::::::::::::

business owners beware direct t.v. has someone come out to your business tells you he wants you to turn on a game i told him i didnt think we had that channel but what a suprise that channel came on that day i didnt think twice about it UNTIL we get a letter from a attorneys office stating we could pay 7500.00 hundred to make this go away or 5000.00 dollars if we subscribe to ONE YEAR OF SPORTS CHANNELS why cant someone stop direct t.v. from ripping everybody off ?

Everytime i go to Churches chicken in Athens, GA there is this one guy (Andy)who always arguring with a Black coustomer.I have heard he is the owner, if he is then that particular Churches should be Kicked out of the francise. I don't know if he feels like becuase he is of another race and from another country that it's alright to be rude or what.The day that i hear that he got what he deserved will not be soon enough. Hey andy if you don't like Americans then take yourself right on back to where you came from, or have you not heard the American term you can't profit from everybody's money and think you can keep getting away with disrespecting them.That Churches Should Be Kicked Out Of The Francise TODAY!

I tried to cancel my directv service after 14 years of service and at first the person tried to overtalk me and try for me to stay. I told them I just called and want to cancel and to please tell me how to send the equip back. after a yelling match back and forth because they wouldn't allow me to cancel, they switched me to another dept. was put on hold for 20 min because they said I needed to talk to a supervisor to cancel...got another cust serv rep. he told me he was a supervisor and could help me then he tried to charge me an enormous amt for cancellation fees $400. I told him I was not going to pay then he says he has to transfer me to a supervisor because he really wasnt a supervisor (so he lied) another person tells me oh no now I also have to pay for a 2 yr contract early cancellation fee I told them hey I had your svce for 14 yrs so that doesn't make sense then he tried to tell me that I also had to pay additional fees because when their service was down I had to call and complain and that is now going to be charged for their cust serv person to tell me to plug and unplug an will charge me additional chg for 14 yrs total chgs. Then they wanted to chg me for a receiver their cust svce dept sent because their equipment didn't work and couldn't upgrade their update system so to make a long story short. I would NOT recommend DirecTV to anyone. They must be hurting because it seems they try to rip off their customers. Sad to say because I thought that when economic times got better I might go back to them down the road but NO WAY after the way I was treated I would not have this SLIMY company back!

I HAVE HAD THE SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM WITH THOSE ###S, AND I WOULD LIKE NOTHING MORE THAN TO SUE THEM

J.PAGE

I cancelled my Direct Tv Sept 1rst 2009 they said there would be a $140.00 early cancellation fee, ok I accepted that, however when I didn't pay it right away, they took $258.00 out of my checking account without my knowledge.

There should be a law against that and I would love to get together with everyone and sue them, I was on the phone 3 days in a row, I sooke to the corporate office and she was very rud, they are the worst company that I have ever dealt with.

it seems as everyone is having the same problem with Direct TV. I think that they should be sued for unautorized withdrawing money from anyone's account, I hope they go out of business,

I think if everyone should e-mail the Attorney General's office and maybe something could be done about them,

Similar thing happened to me, they don;t explain this 2 year committment to you when you order Direct TV, they show up to your house, install everything, then ask you to sign papers. The installer told me, you have to sign to say you recieved the equipment. I told him, I never agreed to a 2 year agreement. He said that is between you and Direct TV. I need you to sign saying you recieved the equipment. THE FCC AND FTC should be brought into this. They are using deceptive practices. They know this, that is why they hide a clause about arbitration in the contract that you don't see until you have the equipment installed. Basically it will cost me 125.oo in arbitration fees to recover my 240.00 that they stole from my checking account. DONT EVER SUBSCRIBE TO DIRECT TV!

I had been a customer of DirecTV for about 6 yrs. Back in March of 2007, I ordered one of those DTV or whatever those recording boxes are called. I knew there was a monthly fee. Anyway, no problem. Then I found out that I could get satellite service cheaper thru my phone company bundled with phone, cell phone, and internet. So I signed up with them. And cancelled DirecTV. Well, they said I owed them about $225 for early termination fee. I said no way, but they told me that it was because I have a early cancellation fee on that box. Nobody had ever mentioned any such fee when I was told about the box and signed up for it. So I am not going to pay it. It will be a disputed item with the credit bureau and if they keep bothering me over it, I will go to the FCC, Texas Attorney General, and any other agencies to complain about their devious tactics to get this huge sum. I never could figure out how to use the box. I am a senior citizen, disabled and confined to bed at this time. I can't hook up and unhook wires and such and this is what they expected me to do in order to get it to work. Never did work for me, so I feel that my stopping the service was valid and because they NEVER told me there was an early cancel fee, I refuse to pay it!

Small claims court! That they'll understand.

I was a loyal customer to Direct TV since 1999. Their cost as too expensive so I accepted an offer with Dish. Upon trying to cancel my service with Direct TV they tried to charge me for a receiver that I bought. They made numerous attempts to debit my credit card without authorization! The credit card was replaced and they STILL SOMEHOW DEBITED MY CARD! The bottom line is that their service is over priced and they're a bunch of CROOKS!

WOW, they sure heck are big time crooks. I gave them my credit card number so I could pay my bill with it. Well the next month I had a charge of almost $400.00. I called and they said it was a mistake and would correct it on the next bill. I got my bill and not only was it not corrected another charge of almost $400.00 was charged. Again I called and they said that the correction had not caught up to it yet. Well the next month the same thing, so I called my credit card company and had them intervene and they finally got it resolved. They called a few months ago and offered a discounted package for 5 monthes. I accepted it and the salesperson told me I could call and cancel anytime. Well I called today to cancel and they now tell me there is a concelation fee.
As I said they are crooks and I advise everyone to stay to heck away from them. Come August when my 2 year contract is up I will be canceling and happiness will be Direct TV in my rear view mirror.

I agree, they are absolutely crooks! The equipment they are sending out now (& has been using it for several years now) is a receiver that runs hot, so hot as to actually burn the access card. Then when you finally make them understand it has died because of that, not something you have or have not done, they send a reconditioned piece of [censor] that either does not work at all or picks up half the channels you are receiving/paying for. These receivers are so bad & they are getting so many complaints that now they don't want to take them back without a service call. Well many of us are not home enough for constant service calls to be set up. A lot of us are having a horrible time just sitting on the phone with them for hours trying to explain that the [censor] is just not working, take it back, and send another "reconditioned piece of [censor] that might/might now work", at least it would be something. Crooks, crooks, crooks! PS: On the receivers that they do take back they usually say they failed to recieve the other one even though you mailed it back the day the "new - reconditioned piece of [censor]" arrived. You lose either way, no matter what you do with Direct TV.

After being a loyal customer for over 12 years, I received a mailer offering more channels and an HD DVR/Receiver for less than half of what I was paying. I called, and the customer service rep said he could get me everything on the lis minus a few movie channels, he just needed to transfer me over to another rep to cancel my HBO service. The next rep told me she would not honor the previous agreement, would charge me $199 for the HD receiver/DVR. I told her I would contact the BBB, when she suddenly changed, offering me the HD/DVR for $99.00, but no movie channels. Every time I tried to talk, she talked over me. They have lost my business. Last time I had to deal with any changes with them was moving from 2 receivers to 1. They kept charging me for two receivers for two years, not responding to complaints. Oh, Check the BBB--their rating with the BBB is an F-. Enough said.

I have had trouble with DirecTV from the get go. First I was promised a portable DVD player. After calling and sending forms for two or three months, I received a cheap DVD player (not portable). When I contacted the company to complain, the person to whom I spoke called me a liar and said a portable DVD player was never offered. I said I had the paper in front of me, he continued to call me a liar. Before my first year was up, I called to cancel the sports channels and any other extras. I had a serious family illness about that time and did not pay close attention to my bill. After three months I noticed I was being billed $115 per month instead of $64. I called them to have this taken care of. I was told I would be credited for the difference. This did not happen. They continued to charge me $115 each month. I called the credit card company and explained the situation and they removed DirecTV from my account. Through the year plus several months I called them many times to hear this would be all taken care of. This never happened. I disagree with the amount they say I owe and have made several phone calls to get this straightened out. All I want is a statement showing how they come to the amount they say I owe. They said to go on line and get it. It is not there. I was told I had to talk to a supervisor. There was none available but, one would call me back within 48 hours. It has been almost 96 hours and I have not heard from them. My service was turned off almost a week ago. My question is can I get out of my contract which is not up until September? My recommendation is never, never get involved with DirecTV.

I signed up for direct tv on a promotional of 34.99 plus tax 37.33 the bill came thru for 60.33 ? after calling to inquire on the difference I was told you had to call to set up the 23.00 discount affective immediately. The next month the bill came thru for once again 60.33? Once again calling to inquire as to why, I was then informed that it takes 6 to 8 weeks for the discount to be applied. the failure on behalf of the Direct TV representative caused 2 transactions in my checking account to bounce@ $30.00 each.Had I been given this information before hand I would have been able to properly budget my finances. If you or I were to steel money from any source we would be charged as criminals . Although they did not physically steel from me, their negligence has led to my loss. During this conversation I asked for a supervisor several times (denied).At no time was I ever rude to the Representative (Stephanie) who actually was very rude to me stating she has explained every thing to me and there was nothing else she would do, then hanging up on me. To Stephanie, I hope you are satisfied with you outstanding customer service. signed, DOESN'T ANY ONE REMEMBER THE BOSTON TEA PARTY!

Last year we decide to get the NFL package.It was for two years and the cost was two hundred and sixty nine dollars total.The first year was fine we paid sixty four dollars for four months and this year we have paid six hundred dollars for four month so we contacted them and they said that they didn't understand why we were over charged, and they wouldn't do anything about it so we canceled and now they want to charge us two hundred and eighty dollars.I feel that this was not part of the deal.

This is what I sent IMMEDIATELY to Directv when I realized I made an error in ordering on their website:
"Customer (Thomas Lower) - 11/01/2009 11:28 AM
I was trying to find programing information on the NFL Package and tried subscribed by mistake. I tried calling your 800 number to make sure I was not charged for this and i was not able to get though. I was put on hold, then hung up on twice. I do not want the package, I have not watched the package and I do not intend to pay for this package. Please do not charge me and please make sure I am not subscribed to the NFL package."

This was their response today:
"Response (Michael H ID U8397) - 11/02/2009 02:57 PM
Dear Mr. Lower,

Thanks for writing. I understand your concern about canceling the NFL SUNDAY TICKET and SuperFan and I can help. I have reviewed our information and see that sports subscriptions can’t be cancelled, transferred, refunded, or credited after the season starts. We have found that your account reflects the correct amount due. DIRECTV is unable to honor your request to remove the NFL SUNDAY TICKET sports packages.

Thank you again for writing and allowing us to respond to your concerns.

Sincerely,

Michael H. ID#U8397
DIRECTV Resolution Specialist"

Here is my response today:
"Another reason that I will not be renewing with your company. I have been a customer for over 3 years, I always pay on time and this one time I ask for something to be removed after I mistakenly subscribe, you cannot accommodate. I sent the email and called IMMEDIATELY after I mistakenly ordered the package. The way that you advertise the package shows it as $49.00, which is why I ordered, then realized that it is only one of four payments AND I couldn’t even watch the game I ordered for. Your company has scammed me and I cannot wait until I can stop doing business with you. Please check out my postings at /link removed/ and with the BBB. I am really disappointed with how you do business with a long standing client, pathetic. I will make sure that all my facebook friends and tweeter followers know about this poor client service as well. Like they say, good news travels fast, bad news travels faster. I am sure the damage to your brand will do far more harm to you than ripping me off for $200."

I payed my February statement to Direct TV for $87.96 Direct TV cashed my check on March 8 and cashed my check again the next day on March 9 for the exact same amount with the same exact check number. I'm a supervisor of a retail store and I don't understand how that is virtually possible to cash the same check, with the same exact check number, for the exact same amount. I called Direct TV and spoke to a rep, she then transferred me to billing. Billing told me to take matters up with cooperate and my bank. That infuriated me and demanded I speak to a supervisor/manager. Once Direct TV cashed my check twice its their fault, not my banks. If this happens again, I'm switching cable companies. I will receive a $0 balance on my next billing statement but this was just so frustrating to be on the phone for 45 minutes to get the problem solved.

i ordered direct tv i signed up for the 34.99 service after a week i called them to tell them that the service i wanted i wasnt getting so they changed it and charged me for changing my service they billed me 19.95 which when asked about the charge it was for shipping and handling what is that supposed to be also i get a bill for 68.99 i called them again oh you didnt sign up for the discounts well they didnt mention anything about signing up on line to get the discounts so far i cannot get a straight bill allready sick of this company

Let me know if you're from PA like me.
They had to pay me $3, 900.
thomasrnr@hotmail.com

Directtv is the worse system I have ever gotten in my years on this earth. The address is wrong. The billing is overcharged. The installation was 2 weeks late. The so called "bundle" with AT&T is a joke. Just take my word for ir. DON'T DO IT! I can't even get an address to write to the BBB.

someone needs to contact a lawyer and file a class action law suit against direct tv. the better buisness bureau needs to help in this matter

Direct TV charges for MLB Sports package

I did not order or ever receive notification of renewal of this service
While Calling Billing at Direct TV I was placed on hold 3 times and disconnected 3 times

After the fourth call I spoke with Loren who informed me he is the highest manager at Direct TV

I stated to Loren that my husband is critically ill and I would not have renewed. His response was "We do not give credit for sports channels and if I was unhappy let him know when I wanted to terminate my service

OF THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SPENT ON ADVERTISING TO GENERATE NEW CUSTOMERS, IS IT REASONABLE TO THINK DIRECT TV WOULD LOSE A CUSTOMER OVER $99.50.

I signed up for service in June 08. The special offer I accepted was contingent on my not suspending my service during the first year.
I called the company 4 times in 9 months in attempts to be removed from the marketing list, as I was being asked via marketing to 'come back to direct'.
As a way to mollify me about the attempts to be removed from marketing, they offered me 3 months of free movies. I explained how I dont use the service for 6 months per year so this offer wasnt going to meet my needs.
The CSR then told me that there was nothing in my original offer that would stop me from suspending for up to 6 months per year starting with the first year. I then requested transfer to a supervisor who agreed with the CSR that i could have cancelled had I asked to. I then immediately requested a $240 credit because had I not been told I couldnt suspend of course I would have and the retro credit should be approved based on the sales persons misrepresentation. I was told this would be investigated and that I would get a response in 2 weeks.
I waited 3 weeks and having not received a response callled the company. After 1 hour of hold I was advised by a supervisor that my request had been denied based on the fact that they would not base a credit on the sales persons 'mistake' and that they did not have a recording of my sales transaction since it happened way back in 6-08. (funny but in another of these complaint posts the company was able to back bill a person for ordered movies 3 years after cancel)
I really dont care about the $240. The sales guy made it quite clear that because of my contract offer I could not suspend in the first year. What I dont like is that he could misrepresent the contract to the point of fraud and the company, while agreeing that I should not have been treated that way, will do nothing for me.
Consequently, I am now waiting 1 more hour until the closest thing to a corporate office will take calls at which time I am going to challenge the premise that they dont have a recording of my saels call. At that point, considering they will NEVER produce the call I will be SOL for legal relief and if I guess correctly they may even cancel me for being such a jerk.
CHOOSE DISH NETWORK!

Sorry to hear about your problem...in fact I had almost the same experience, but the damage done to my home exceeded $2200.00.
Anyone that does business with this firm watch out. I regret changing from cable.

someone needs to contact a lawyer and have a class action law suit against direct tv

I cancelled my Direct T.V. service on July 15th, 2011. Since that date, I have been billed on the 14th of each month for $110.61 for Direct T.V. Service which I do Not have. I have spent many hours on the phone with Direct T.V. trying to correct this or find out why my Visa acct. was being charged. I was just told that there was a problem and that the receiver that I returned is actually active on another acct. Unfortunately, I just noticed this on my Oct. Visa bill. After checking back on previous bills, I found that I was billed, each mo. $110.61 by Direct T.V. Again, I have not had Direct T.V. since July. I would like to have this resolved and be re-imbersed. This will NOT continue to happen because I have alerted Visa NOT to pay this. However, I'm STILL out several hundred dollars.

Hi My name is Shirley A. Willis, I want to make this complaint to you because I have spoken with a member of direct tv and a team manager about a bill that I received. The first one spoke down to me like I was a child. And the team manager just went right along with the other man I had spoken too.
I had caught up my granddaughters bill by Sept 2008. Of 90. dollars and some change. A few days later I called and spoke with a lady who was very nice and I tolded her that I would paying the bills for my granddaughter and who I was. So she placed my name so that I would beable to call. Well it was just a few days later that my tv and my box would not work so I thought that it had been turned off. Even the additional box would not work. So That even made me no that it had been cut off. No I did not call the company because I did not have the money to keep the services and I new that I would not beable to continue paying for it.
When I called and spoke with a rep. he spoke down to me like I was child and tolded me that I would pay for it or it would go on a credit report. I tryed to tell the man that I was a growned women of 56 years old and he did not have to speak to me like I was a child or stupid. But he continual to do so. So I requested a team manager to talk to. I stayed on the phone for 409 minutes waiting to talk to a team manager and then he just kelp telling me that it was my responsible to call and ask why they had cut it off. I ask to speak to his boss and I have been on hole for 1 hour and 20 minutes. until I just hung up. I have not been receiving bills from Direct TV. And today I did and when I did I called them and this is how I was treated. I am a caner patient and I do not need your employees telling me what I am going to do when I cannot afford to buy grogerys at times. I live bye myself and I enjoyed watching direct tv and now because of this I feel that I have been handle in a negative way and this reflects your company. You may call me and talk to me if you wish and I want to file a complaint against the two men I spoke with. The first guys name is andy. And his boss is tyler. The acct number I am speaking of is my granddaughters which is ([protected]) Alicia Walker.
My home phone number is [protected]) You may call me in the evening. The amount is $101.96 and I do not feel that I should pay this when even now the box's in my home neither one is working. I have been using my rabbit ears to watch tv.
Please reply to this complaints
sawillis@windstream.net
I pray that the lord will help you to make up your mine to do the right thing and remove this bill from me. Or my granddaughter. I tryed to tell them it has not been on but neither one of the men would listen to me. All they are worry about is the money. And my granddaughter did work for you all and she loved it.
God Bless you or who ever receives this letter of complaint
Shirley Willis 13121 Adel Hwy. Barney Ga. 31625

I am new to direct TV. and I must say I am extremely disappointed. It has been a constant head ache from the start, everyday talking to sales agents, their supervisors and even their superiors . No one can seem to get it right. I know what I agreed to when the sales agent gave me the terms and condition. When I called and spoke to another agent to confirm it was completely different to what I agreed to. I am tired of these back and forth conversation that are getting me nowhere and I want a firm answer. I do not watch T.V. often that is why I never had cable in the past but when I was offered this supposedly great deal I felt it was time. What I agreed to was the choice ultimate package with the special rate of $30.00 for the first 20 months and last 4 months were going to go up to $40.00 and everytime i spek to someone new the price changes.

Company ( Direct T.V.) was informed that we were moving and was told not to access our private bank account. After we moved they said it was in our contract. However the only access they had by contract was on a once a month fee for services for that month and nothing else.
Why do companies like this keep taking and taking and give poor service or no service and want their money anyway. If a cloud goes over the satellite you are out of services and your money until it passes. And ifi ts snowing or raining forget it you are just out of luck. Poor Service and Poor people services as well.

This is by far the worst company i have ever dealt with... From the day of installation until to day when i finally unplugged their stuff and ordered with another company... they over charge, recharge and still have nothing to watch... if YOU are one day late... its cut off... even if they have your check and just have not posted yet... then you are charged a fee for reconnect and disconnect... but.

If they are late or don't show up or the system goes down due to a storm well hey hey hey thats just business... What ever they SUE me for will be fine... I won't pay it... I'm celebrating to day because those ugly grey boxes are where they belong taped up in a box belonging to another company waiting to for pick up.

When I ordered This service, Direct TV., The add in the local newspaper said that you would recieve a video recorder. I have a handicap and had a Dr's Appointment that day, and my daughter stayed home to allow them in. They did not leave the recorder, I called and they said I HAD TO ASK FOR IT IN ORDER FOR THEM TO LEAVE ONE---NOT WHAT THE ADD SAID! I later moved 5 months later, and I packed all the equipment to the new address, as they said. Then they called me and said it would be 3WEEKS before anyone would be able to come and connect it. Plus they made me pay another $50.00 to come hook it up at my new residence, 10 miles away! Then, 1 nite, I wanted to rent a movie off of PPV, and they said I owed $ 206.00 back due. I always have paid my bills as they come in. And now the darn remote has messed up and I can't get my volume to work on my remote control, they will probably charge me again! Plus if I choose to disconnect, for any reason, I will have to pay $300.00, or they will charge it to my credit card, WITHOUT MY APPROVAL! They have a real game going on here.

I am very upset and would never ever recomend anyone to this company at first all was well then a few months later we bought our first home and moved that was the start of this all we had trouble first with this company it took them over a month to move our service they kept calling and changing the date after a month i was upset then when they did come and move the service they advised no local channels and to call every month to see about coverage now its a year and four months later they do cover this area but it will coast me over $100.00 to change recivers to get local channels and it would not be installed for another month why should i half to pay for the recivers if i had local channels to start? when i asked customer service it was either take it and pay or keep what you have and explained i only had to month of my contract left if i wanted to cancel my service alot of help im stuck with a company that does not care about there customers and pay for service that doesnt work in rain or snow and pay for local channels i do not recive.

On October30th I found a 417.96 unauthorized charge to my debt card from Direct T.V. After calling I was told that when i signed the contract it gave d.t.v. power to withdrawl funds at anytime if and when the acct was delinquent... I cancelled my service with them in July and requested the rreturn boxes. Some representitives confirmed cancelation some were unsure.. bottom line is they dropped the ball and the consumers are paying a huge price for it... Can you imagine anytime for any reason... UNRREAL'''''

I talked to two sales reps and two so called supervisors. Got 4 different quotes
they all lie and cover for one another.
After they installed the dish on our roof i received an email with a much higher quote.
I tore up the contract that I signed prior to the installation, I was then told by the liars at Direct tv that the contract was valid.
I had the installer take the dish off my roof, and told the liars at direct tv to shove it.
You can never talk to the same person, to verify the quote, they are always at a
different office but with the same phone no.
I have never delt with such a dishonest company in all my life.

I was working for smart circle a direct t.v. sub contractor and got fired for being pregnant... im a single mom with 3 kids, no sympathy what so ever and the holidays are coming up.

My household previously had DirectTV service as a bundle package with Verizon. We found less expensive service for TV, phone, and internet through a different company and therefore terminated our service in Dec 2010. At the time of cancellation, we were told that there was a zero balance. We were therefore perplexed when a month ago we received a collection notice from DirectTV. My husband called DirectTV, and was informed that DirectTV had sent a bill to Verizon for service in January, and, because the account had been closed, did not receive a payment back. Apparently, several months later someone at DirectTV looked at the books and decided to hold us responsible for this clerical error, although no bills or notices were ever sent to us, until last month. After spending nearly 2 hours on the phone between various departments at both DirectTV and Verizon, it was concluded that an error was made by the DirectTV Accounting Dept, that we were not responsible for the payment. My husband requested a letter documenting this, and not only did he never receive it, I got word yesterday that this error is now reflected on my credit report.

My husband again called DirectTV customer service yesterday and spoke to a representative named Armando. Despite the long period of time that my husband spent on the phone regarding this issue last month, we were dismayed that not only was it never resolved, very little of the prior interaction was recorded in your customer service system. Armando advised us that if we paid the balance in full, even though we were told previously that we were not responsible for this error, that we would get an immediate email showing that our balance was paid in full, and that we could take that to the credit bureaus. Unfortunately, when we followed this advice and made full payment over the phone, all we got was an email trying to sell us more services! Armando assured us that another email saying that payment in full was made would be sent once the payment had gone through. Today, activity on our credit card clearly marks that a payment went through, yet there is still no email documenting this from DirectTV, and now they have a payment for a charge for services never rendered!

We now have submitted a letter to the CEO, Michael White, re-requesting our original letter, and now requesting a refund of the illegitimate charge. If this leads to immediate remedy of this situation, I will repost. If there is no subsequent repost, assume that we were hosed.

DirectTV was the only carrier offered with our apartment building when we opened in 2008. For these exclusive rights they offered one comp account, which I was given as property manager of the building. When they set up the corporate account and my account they ran my personal information and set up the account under my name, social security number, etc.. My account was covered for a year until I ran into billing issues. They eventually shut off my cable because I was not paying the bill which was supposed to be comp for the exclusive rights to our building (which they still maintain). I now live in Virgina and I recieved a call that I was sent to collections for this bill. I have tried so so so many times to get this resolved. When I call customer service they have no answer for me but to pay the bill. When I ask to speak to a supervisor I am either placed on hold for 10 minutes or my call is dropped. The few chances I have had to speak to a supervisor, the advice was to email billing disputes. When I do this I get the same answer: See below.

Now my credit is in jepordy because I cannot resolve this issue with DirectTV despite the countless hours I have called, sat on hold, been passed around and dropped or emailed. I am so frustrated and I just want this issue to be resolved as I have been fighting with them since 2008.

Subject
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Billing Dispute

Discussion Thread
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Response Via Email(Leisly C. - [protected]) - 09/27/2011 02:00 PM

Thanks for writing. I'm sorry to hear about your billing concern. Please know that your satisfaction is one of our primary concerns. Let me help you with this.

As I checked your account, I see that the balance now of $285.96 includes $125.00 for non return fee for an HD receiver, $15 for disconnect fee and $133.09 for the services that was used before the account was cancelled plus taxes. These charges are incurred for your account and services alone not for the whole apartment building.

We have reviewed the information you provided and we have found that your account reflects the correct amount due. However, you can return the receiver back to DIRECTV and the non return fee of $125.00 plus taxes will be reverse.

If you want to make an arrangement about this balance, you can contact the collection agency where we forwarded your account. The collection agency is CBE Group Inc and you can contact them at [protected].

Thanks again for writing, Ms. Patera. We respect your time and I appreciate that you've given me the opportunity to personally address your concerns.

Sincerely,

Leisly C. [protected]
DIRECTV Customer Service

P.S. Have a question? Anytime, any topic, instant answers - support.directv.com The Answer Center provides you helpful information, 24/7, all at your fingertips

Customer By Web Form - 09/26/2011 02:53 PM
Sent to collections over a bill that was supposed to be covered by my apartment building corporate account. My apartment building signed exclusively with Direct TV and in return Direct TV provided 1 comp account. When Direct TV set this up they ran my information and credit check. This caused the account to move from corporate comped account to an account under my name where I was billed and sent to collections. This was not suppose to be billed directly to me. I have tried to resolve this for years and I need to speak to someone who handles billing to resolve this issue or we will have to remove Direct TV from our apartment building (and future apartment buiding) exclusive offer.

attention:direct tv I recieved a call from my bank on 7/18/11 about charges being charged to my account. Im not sure if this is from a previous issue that
I thought was resolved, or from some new issue that demands my attention.In dec. 2010 I let a friend use my credit card number because a representative he was speaking to told him that he needed a credit card number to waive a fee. I spoke with the guy myself he told me that I would never have to worry about any charges or fees he just needed a credit card to waive the fee. About two months later I did recieve a charge for my friends cable bill. I called, explained the situation, and was tolded that my card was on auto-pay, which it should not have been. I ended up paying a bill that was not mine. At that time I was supposed to have been taken off of that account, now Im recieving new charges and I would like to know why?this is causing serious problems for me, and I need to have this resolved as soon as possible. PLEASE CONTACT phone#[protected] email bosskonni@yahoo.com thank you Shawn Ashford

Been with DirectTV for over 7 years. We had the Premium package ($147 monthly)with 4 leased boxes. DirectTV offered us two FREE HDTV boxes, with free installation. Everything was perfect! All I had to pay was $9.99 additional monthly.

About 5 months later. We decided to close the account.

The Rep told us that we needed to close the account via writing, because we are longtime customers and will get assessed termination fees because we were on a two year contract because of the FREE boxes we accepted. bear in mind that was NEVER explained when the offer was made. We wrote the letter but still got assesed the exhorbitant fees. This is what they said, "Even if the Rep did not tell you on the phone, we send the terms out in writing." That's all fine and dandy, but everything we do with DirectTV and all our bills are electronic. Meaning, we do not receive paper bills from DirectTV. So we do not open mails, as 90% are marketing materials. I sent emails to them, letting them know we are not paying the ridiculous fees.

To be honest, I was planning to switch back to DirectTV, but after this it will take a year and 12 millenia before I do that. I have no issue with their service, but their marketing tactics are unscrupolous, and borderline - if not outright - illegal. I will not tell anyone not to sign with DirectTV, but do not accept anything FREE from them. It ain't!

I started a contract with DirectTV almost 3 years ago. During this time, the DVR failed. I was paying the extra insurance fee to cover any equipment failures, so they replaced it. The technical rep was surprised that I had that particular DVR as he said it had known failure issues and was no longer in their product line. OK, so I had the insurance AND the DVR was a known poor quality unit. Due to economic circumstances I can no longer afford the $76 a month or any monthly fee for that matter. I called Direct TV and canceled. The customer service person said I would have to pay a cancellation fee. I asked why and explained that the replacement DVR was not a requested upgrade - the one they installed had failed, so OF COURSE it was replaced. He said he had waived the fee. Several more calls from DirectTV to get me to stay with them, each person mentioned the cancellation fee, I recounted the story, they said the fee had been deleted. Today I get a bill for a $304.60 cancellation fee. Three calls to billing in which they listened and agreed I shouldn't pay. They each noted that I shouldn't pay and then put me through to connections or the "ACE" department to finalize it. No one bothered to tell "ACE" about the deceptive business practices and how it brings about bad juju to your company. Each person insisted that when the DVR broke, by getting it replaced (remember it was INSURED) I was extending my commitment by 24 months. So, I had a choice not to replace the DVR, not to watch my DirectTV service for a year and have no extension, but since I had the DEFECTIVE DVR that THEY installed replaced, I was automatically signing on to another 24 month agreement. I tried to stay with the logic of the argument but find it unbelievable. "Leah" told me that I should not have allowed them to install the defective DVR in the first place (my bad!). When I mentioned that I would take this to the Colorado Atty General's office as an official complaint of deceptive business practices she stated that DirectTV had their HQ in Colorado "so good luck!". If you are researching DirectTV prior to signing up my input is don't do it. I don't know if Dish or Comcast have this same rule but it appears that if DirectTV installs poor quality equipment and you have it replaced at various intervals, theoretically they can keep your commitment to them extending indefinitely into the future. The world truly is their oyster - unless you want to be chained to them indefinitely or be forced to make a mega payment to separate for whatever reason - DO NOT SIGN WITH DIRECT TV!

Foemer Account No. [protected]. After canceling my service as a customer eight months ago(April 1, 2009) directv billing is sending billing statements to my home, and each statement they send, I'm returning. It's asininine to waste each others time. The customer service dept. has been explained the problem several times. Sincerely, William R. Echard

I have had Direct TV for about 5 years in Texas. The problems that we have are about the same as the cable service provider we had for 3 years and the first service we had in our first apartment 25 years ago, Pay Per View. I dont know if anyone remembers the first Sat TV but it came on around 6pm at night, showed 3 or 4 movies and the last one was rated R or M. Weekends were different I think that they had shows all day and night. The Dish was the size of a dinner plate and the box was the size of an old IBM typewritter. That service was expensive and terrible. The next service we had was cable. Not only was their tech service terrible but it took a law suit with our City to get rid of them finally. That was when we switched to Direct TV. Sure when it starts to rain or the wind gets up over 30mph you will lose the connection and it states Seeking Sat Connection. We had similar problems with the cable when it would crash or a transformer on the elecric pole into the neighborhood would blow the system would be done for days not hours or minutes. But with Direct its only down for a short time with storms.

The single worst part of Direct TV is their website. Too much information overload and since they have been around so long they should have just about every possible Frequently Asked Question available to chose from. Last night I wanted to switch rooms with their service. From a bedroom to our Kitchen. Thats about 230 feet away from the current sat placement. That according to their site wont work. Alternative, add another dish! My home was prewired with thier standard wire requirements thats verified. But, they refuse to wire up my home period. I could do myself but if they became aware they remove our system. Except for the receivers since we purchased those 4 units. Another problem is that on their site it recognizes we have 4 receivers already and questions of that sort are not available. Even though we know we cant have another reiver their site wont let us address the issue of moving a receiver to another room. Therefore we have to call in and speak to someone.

The next problem we have is their billing methods. We have direct prepay. But, if we are 5 days late they can charge us a late fee. And since we recently changed our service to include everything and movies but not sports or adult we have programs that are 20% commercial stations selling crud 24/7. Why are channels included or counted as viewing channels of entertainment? I have heard of people that love to watch commercials and who are lonely old women types in florida or california it seems who watch those shows from their rest homes since there is no one else to keep them company. And it seems on occassion they do purchase some of the crud those stations are selling. Well, why mix those stations in with regular tv stations that are broadcasting shows, movies, sports, news etc? TO DUPE THE BUYER into thinking that they do have 250 channels of viewing pleasure. BS. Again a little less than 50 are 30mins to 1 hour ads for colon blow or how to get someones money using the internet. Place those somewhere is in a group called "Old Ladies Shows" or "BS Shows that want your money and are messing you over because you are stupid or desperate."

In summary, I too hate these services. They all stink and they are all over charging for their services. But, the choice is to purchase an entertainment computer wuth HD screen and sterio speakers and most importantly that has its own remote! Search the internet and see where you can download or sign into sites that offer programming similar to those services but which are free to the public. But, they too have their problems and they do have their limitations. They are mostly free but they are no HBO or ShowTime when it comes to recent movies.

When I moved to Rhode Island from New York, the only TV service that carried the YES channel was Direct TV. The original sales person, who sounded like he was drunk, told me that I would get the YES channel. After the installation I put on the YES channel to watch a Yankee game and found that I did not have the service. I called Dircet TV and was told that it takes time for all of the channels to load up. Two days? When I still get it two days later, I again called was told this time that I had buy a certain sports package (additional $150.00) to get the channel. I paid them the money and again two days still did not have the service. I called again and now was told that the only way to get the Yes channel was to purchase their top of the line sports package (additional $250.00). Even with this additional I would only beable to get 42 games out of 162. I told them that I was tired of being lied to, I wasn't going to pay them anymore money and that I wanted to cancel their service. They said it would cost me $491.00 to do so and told them what they could do with their cancellation fee. I then spoke to a woman in their disconnect department who after I told her the whole story, she told me that she was going to write up the original salesman for misleading me. I also told her that I wanted them to take down their equipment and make any repairs needed to my roof. She was very sympathetic but said that I would still have to pay the disconnect fee. I told her no way and that I wanted to speak to the President of the company. She told me she couldn't transfer my call to him, but when I received my last bill, with the disconnect fee on it, there would be a phone number on the back of the bill which would connect me direct to the President's office. I got the bill, called the number listed on the back and was connected to the Service Department. The woman who was so sympathetic lied to me as well. I called DirectTV three times over the next 2 months telling them to come and get their crap off of my roof. No one ever came. I finally stopped calling. Each time I got another bill, I threw it in the garbage. I finally got a bill from a Collection Agency. I called them and told them I wasn't paying it and the reason why and told them their client could take me to court where they would lose as I had the entire story documented and would have this wedbsite with me to show the Judge what a crap company Direct TV really is. I never heard anything further. Eight months later I got another bill from another Collection Agency, which I threw in the garbage. Meanwhile, no one ever came to take down the dish. It was now time to get back and I did some research. I found out who the CEO of the company is (David White) and where headquarters is ( El Segundo, CA) and started sending him bills for free advertising they thought they were getting by not taking down their dish. I was charging them $2.00 per day and back charged them to the month after I had last demanded they take down the dish. Each bill has been sent directly to Davd White via registered mail. After White received my first 2 bills I got a phone call from a flunky employee who told me that they would not pay my bill and they had no one who could come take down the dish. I was also told that the dish was actually mine as I had payed for it in the beginning. There is no way that I paid for this dish with the little amount of money I originally laid out. Another lie. I then told each flunky that they had installers who could just as easily remove the dish and make the needed repairs to my roof. I was told the installers did not know how to remove the equipment. Another lie and I told the guy he must be a complete idiot to think I would believe his lie. I then informed the last [censor] that the bills would keep coming and when I decided they had had enough time to pay them, I would engage my own Collection Agency to come after David White directly. If this didn't get me satisfaction, my next step would be to go to the media. The bills are now totalled to about $1200.00. I think this is a great ida to go after this shoddy company and everyone else who still has the damn dish on their roof should start billing Direct TV for advertising. If you are interested, I will be glad to give you the mailing address to send your bills to.

I signed up for Direct TV when I signed up for the triple play with Verizon last year. Of course, I had to sign on to Direct TV for a two year contract. At that time I did not get the local channels but I kept getting assurance that it was "definitely" on its way to my area. I was directed to go online and get a waiver for CBS, ABC, Fox and NBC from the east coast area (New York.). CBS, Fox and ABC granted me a waiver for $2.50 each a month. NBC refused. Finally, when I called this past fall they told me that the local channels would be available in my area in November. But I had to keep calling to find out. Today when I called they said it is now available in my area. However, I would have to upgrade my equipment to HD. I said okay what is that? One time fee of $199 for my livingroom TV with DVR and an additional $94.29 for my bedroom TV. Then they will charge me an additional $10.00 a month for local service. What happened to the free local service that they advertise? I told the poor sales person who had to listen to my bad language for 5 minutes that I felt it was a rip off and that Direct TV was sounding more like the Comcast everyday with the additional fees and costs. If things don't change I will definitely seek my service elsewhere or just sell the TV's and start listening to music.