Menu
DirecTV Customer Service Phone, Email, Contacts

DirecTV
reviews and complaints

www.directv.com
www.directv.com

Learn how the rating is calculated

2.0 2197 Reviews
Verified
The authenticity of the customer service contact information for DirecTV has been meticulously verified by representatives from ComplaintsBoard using our proprietary verification system.
Share
Claim Your Business
Take control of your profile: address complaints and engage with reviews
Write a review File a complaint

DirecTV complaints 2187

ComplaintsBoard
L
10:04 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV pricing, contract length

I signed up with Direct TV only for an international package which they had available. It was expensive and it required a "basic" plan in addition. The "basic" plan was 9.99. It's not even been 6 month since we signed up and it is already 12.99. When signing up, I explained that I will need the international package for a few months only. They said the contract is for 12 months, but I can always drop the international channels and just keep the basic. Well...I call in to do just that and they say, noooooooo. You can't do that "MA'M". If you remove the international channels, you will need to get a "different" basic - 29.99! And "MA'M" your contract is 18 months. Since when? Ok, so after going around and around, I get this 29.99 package. What do I see. "GOD TV", Prayers, and other religious channels. I don't need that. I call them back and say, I don't want all those channels, they say, sure, the next one up is 59$! This is horrible. Oh, and if your reception is not good, you have to pay for them to come out and fix it.
This is the worst company ever!

Read full review of DirecTV and 3 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
3 comments
Add a comment
D
D
Debe Kennedy
Orange, US
Feb 14, 2011 1:57 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

yes I agree this is the worst company ever!

D
D
Debe Kennedy
Orange, US
Feb 14, 2011 1:56 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I signed up with Direct TV as a $300.00 promotion with the purchase of a new television. I have had them for (4) four years. I bought another television from Best Buy and also bought a HD DVR from Best Buy for about $ 200.00 about 1 and 1/2 years ago. In June of 2010 I got a new bill from Direct TV increasing my bill from $ 97.00 per month to $ 128.00 per month. I called and was told that I had been on a promotional agreement with them and that there was nothing they could do to reduce my monthly cost.
I called Dish network and they gave me basically the same programming, television connections for $ 60.00 per month.

I called to cancel my subscription with Direct TV and was told that when I bought a HD DVR from Best Buy for $ 200.00 it extended my contract another 2 years. They do not have a copy of any agreement that I signed they said it is all in the original agreement.

I want to make sure everyone is aware that anytime that you have anything installed or upgaded by Direct TV you have extended your contract and you do not have any way to negogiate the balance or any way out of paying the cost.

How can you buy equipment from a retail store and it does not belong to and also extends any contractual agreement with the main vendor, that cannot be fair or legal.

Just want to make sure that no one suffers the same issues that I went through, Dish is the way to go.

J
J
JayT68
Anaheim, US
Jul 19, 2009 2:50 pm EDT

I agree. DirectTV has the worst packaging, plans, contract structure. It just kills you. I stick with Dish Network.. Atleast there is no contract so I can leave them anytime, the receivers are better (e.g: I can record two shows simultaneosly and watch a third one).
I will never go to directTV

ComplaintsBoard
J
11:31 am EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV shoddy and ugly install

I'm complaining about the tangle mess of white cables hanging from the front eves of one of my properties. I looks like scrap!
I asked your installer if there was a more suitable place to hide those gang of wires because I did not want them in the front of the building. He told me this is the way he was going to install it or he would charge more to reroute it.

How would you like a tangle, unsightly mess of wires hanging in front of your mansion? You wouldn't let that happen, right? So why do you treat our property differently. You're no better than anyone else! All your company does is makes holes, have wire and cable run everywhere and break roof tiles and leave unused equipment everywhere. You show property owners no consideration or respect when you install your precious little box and wires. I've just recently spent thousands of dollars to repaint the building and trim and now your company destroyed the look and character of the building with those appalling, unsightly hanging wires. Come out and look at the crappy job your installer did and tell me you want the same job in front of your mansion.

I want you send someone to reroute those white cables and box from the front of the building and hide them on the roof or the rear.
I also want you to replace broken roof tiles your installer walked on. This should be done ASAP! ...If I do not receive a response or satisfaction within a few days then I will take legal action. In addition I will contact the Apartment Owners Association and discuss with them about the same issues I have with your company.
Mr.Lew

Read full review of DirecTV and 2 comments
View 0 more photos
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
2 comments
Add a comment
B
B
blueapples
glenale, US
May 07, 2013 12:24 pm EDT

Direct TV just did the exact same thing at my condo. ugly white cables (three of them) dangling two stories down from a dish tey just put up on the very front corner of the building. Totally ugly. I feel your pain. I feel like my property value goes down every time a new dish goes up.

M
M
marajagha
, PK
Oct 06, 2009 8:13 am EDT

Glogal Shipping, Logistic Management and Supply Chain Management.
Service Info

FedEx Courier Service, West Africa
4th floor (government Zone)
Lagos State, Nigeria
Shipment Code: CPEL/OWN/9876
Parcel No: EG2272-NIG

Dear Mr Syed Maraj-ud-din Agha,

Greeting to you from the entire staff of FEDEX COURIER EXPRESS COMPANY NIGERIA, Thanks you for your e-mail. With all due respect, i Mr. Fredrick Gardner, the (Senior Delivery Officer).The reason why you are to pay the keeping fee is for the Security keeping fee of your parcel which is $250.00 USD.the Security keeping fee is due to the fact that we don't know when you will be contacting us via email that we have your parcel.we informed the sender to contact you on time so you will not have to pay more that $250.00 USD on dumurrage.With the above facts, i want to advise that you to make the payment for the Security keeping fee, so that your parcel can be delivered to you on time. Meanwhile, i want you to note that your parcel has officially cleared from the FEDEX SEVICES ORGANISATION (FSO) because we have confirmed your real address for delivery of your parcel which contained a Bank Draft/Cheque worth the sum of $10.5Million United State Dollar and other documents which cannot be seen by any of our agent until the parcel is successfuly delivered to you.Delivery will be made to your doorstep according to our delivery requirement under 24 hours.

PAYMENT INFORMATION (WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER)

You are to make the payment through WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER Or MONEY GRAM INTERNATIONAL MONEY TRANSFER as to speed up the process of your delivery.You are to locate the nearest Western union or Money Gram Office close to you and make the payment to this account officer address given below.

ACCOUNT OFFICER INFORMATION ARE STATED BELOW:
Account Officer Names:GABRIEL DONALD
Receiver's Address: #1 Lawrence Road, Benin City Edo State, Nigeria.
Text Question to be use:Trust
Text Answer:God
Amount to sent :US$250:00

S ECURITY KEEPING CHARGE : US250:00

You are to send back to me this information below after payment is made

Sender Name:

Sender's Address:
Receiver Name:
Mtcn (Control Number):
Amount Sent:

MODE OF DIPLOMATIC DELIVERY
As soon as we Recieve the security keeping fee, Our international Diplomatic agent will depart NIGERIA with your CONSIGNMENT BOX and your Shipment Airway bill will be sent to you immediatly to track your Cargo to your given address within 24 hours . Our Diplomat agent will call you on arrival to your country to hand over your Consignment Box to you.

NOTE:You are to scan Two(2) passport photograph for identification purpose when sending the payment to us via email, so that we can eaily recongnise you when we get to your house address in your country.

Your satisfaction is our priority and we look forward to provide you the best of our quality service.Do have a wonderfull day in anticipation of hearing from you ASAP.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. Fredrick Gardner
(Senior Delivery Officer)
Mrs. Victoria Williston
FedEx Online Team Management
Tel: +[protected]
Email:fedexcourierdeliveryservices01@hotellos.nl
Email:fedexcourierdeliveryservices@hotellos.nl
2009 FedEx INTERNATIONAL.

ComplaintsBoard
T
10:18 am EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV unprofessional installation and poor customer service

I recently moved to a new home and after much research decided to choose DirectTV for my TV service. One of my deciding factors was your promise that you offered professional installation. This is a very important factor to me because my home is very special and I do not like to employ hacks to do work in my home.

When I called to order the service the person I spoke to on the phone was very courteous and knowledgeable. I especially asked if the service would be installed by a professional type person and was assured they would do a good job and would completely hook up everything to do with my TV (VCR’s, DVD players, ect.) and that when they left I would be up and running.

The first thing the installer did when he got here was tell me that in order for my service to work I had to have 2 lines instead of one and that DirectTV charged an additional $75 per line for this service. He then went on to say that he could do this service “on the down low” for $100. This immediately made me feel that he was lying about the 2 lines and was just trying to rip me off. I felt very uncomfortable, intimidated and confused about what to do but really needed to get my TV service going so I agreed to his terms. After he looked at my attic he changed his tune and told me he didn’t need to run the extra lines but could just drill through the house at no charge. Again this left me to believe he was lying the whole time and just trying to take advantage of an elderly, uninformed person.

My dish had to be placed out in my yard on a pole about 20 feet from the house. He said the service included burying the cables up to 20 feet with an additional charge for anything over that.

He buried about 3 feet of the cables and then told me he was going to leave the rest above ground. I argued with him that I did not want cables stretched across my yard (ugly and can’t mow) but he persisted and since I was already feeling intimidated and frightened by having a dishonest person on my property I gave in just to get him to leave. He also did not put wall covers on my wall so I now have ugly holes showing and he left behind bits of insulation from the inside of my walls and trash as well.

He also refused to hook up any equipment other than my DVR receivers.

I do not consider this professional insulation. I called the Direct TV customer service number and reported this incident and was told someone would contact me to come back out and finish the insulation. After a few days with no response I emailed their customer and they too said someone would get in touch with me to resolve this problem. About 5 days later a "supervisor" called and said she had received the complaint and she was putting a notice into the local office and they someone would be in touch to schedule an installer to come out and resolve the problem. 5 days after this someone called and left a voice message that they were following up on the installer and that if he had not yet completed the job to give them a call.

Now here I am with cable lines running across my lawn, I can't mow these areas, and I have to call someone back and explain to them that no one has ever called me to schedule the installer they were following up on. And my first bill is due and if I don't pay it my service will be shut off and I will get a ding on my credit report. Needless to say I am very frustrated and disappointed with this company and their service. I would never recommend them to anyone.

Read full review of DirecTV and 2 comments
View 0 more photos
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
2 comments
Add a comment
JustSayNo
JustSayNo
Charleston, US
Jun 27, 2009 5:56 am EDT

I am SO GLAD I changed my mind about DirectTV and cancelled the installation!

G
G
gtremil
willmar, US
May 31, 2009 10:54 am EDT

i agree they did their professional installation in my house and my 5 year old could do a better job. Im sure they hire any guy off the street for 10 bucks an hour and think they are going to have no problems

ComplaintsBoard
G
3:11 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV 30 months of fraudulent billing

30 months of fraudulent billing!
Wednesday, may 27, 2009 10:50 a. M.

Called and spoke to david (U2631) at directv he informed me amanda would return my call within 2 hours.
Amanda (R9631) at directv called offered me 60 days credit I politely refused and again informed that I would be suing in small claims court and filing criminal charges for unauthorized use of a credit card. Amanda kept telling me that directv had spoken with me and I had not called directv to confirm the disconnect and that directv had billed me for approximately 30 months before I noticed. I stressed to amanda that I had never been contacted by directv after my initial e-mail in july, 2006 and that I had never spoken to directv about this account until february 24, 2009 when I discovered the fraudulent billing.

Directvs position appears to be that I did not catch directv soon enough so directv intends to keep most of the funds that directv fraudulently removed from my bank account and that I did not catch directv quickly enough. The approximately $100 credit directv offered does not equal the approximately $1600 dollars directv obtained fraudulently.

Read full review of DirecTV and 4 comments
Update by George F Griepp
May 28, 2009 1:57 pm EDT

Realist,
If someone you contracted with for service billed your credit card for 30 months after termination of contract would you not consider this theft/fraud? The service provider was no longer authorized to withdraw funds from your credit card after terminiation of service. the lates DIRECTV communication follows:

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Received phone message @ XXX- XXXX instead of number I furnished in my communications with DIRECTV, from Amanda regarding “media inquiry” will return call tomorrow a.m. and record.

DIRECTV 30 Months of Fraudulent Billing!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009 10:50 a.m.

Called and spoke to David (U2631) at DIRECTV he informed me Amanda would return my call within 2 hours.
Amanda (R9631) at DIRECTV called offered me 60 days credit I politely refused and again informed DIRECTV that I would be suing in small claims court and filing criminal charges for unauthorized use of a credit card. Amanda kept telling me that DIRECTV had spoken with me and I had not called DIRECTV to confirm the disconnect and that DIRECTV had billed me for approximately 30 months before I noticed. I stressed to Amanda that I had never been contacted by DIRECTV after my initial E-mail in July, 2006 and that I had never spoken to DIRECTV about this account until February 24, 2009 when I discovered the fraudulent billing.

DIRECTVs position appears to be that I did not catch DIRECTV soon enough so DIRECTV intends to keep most of the funds that DIRECTV fraudulently removed from my bank account because I did not catch DIRECTVs fraud quickly enough. The approximately $100 credit DIRECTV offered does not equal the approximately $1600 dollars DIRECTV obtained fraudulently.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
4 comments
Add a comment
U
U
Umbroke
, US
Mar 01, 2010 11:47 am EST

Called and spoke to David (U2631) at DIRECTV he informed me Amanda would return my call within 2 hours.
Amanda (R9631) at DIRECTV called offered me 60 days credit I politely refused and again informed that I would be suing in small claims court and filing criminal charges for unauthorized use of a credit card. Amanda kept telling me that DIRECTV had spoken with me and I had not called DIRECTV to confirm the disconnect and that DIRECTV had billed me for approximately 30 months before I noticed. I stressed to Amanda that I had never been contacted by DIRECTV after my initial E-mail in July, 2006 and that I had never spoken to DIRECTV about this account until February 24, 2009 when I discovered the fraudulent billing.

DIRECTVs position appears to be that I did not catch DIRECTV soon enough so DIRECTV intends to keep most of the funds that DIRECTV fraudulently removed from my bank account and that I did not catch DIRECTV quickly enough. The approximately $100 credit DIRECTV offered does not equal the approximately $1600 dollars DIRECTV obtained fraudulently.

R
R
realist
Meridian, US
May 29, 2009 3:50 pm EDT

make sure that you let them know RIGHT AWAY that the conversation is being recorded, otherwise EVERYTHING said is not admisable before any court, and if you tried to bring it before the court when you did not let the party/person you were recording know RIGHT AWAY OR AT ALL then this is considered intrapment or worse. You definately dont want to play the game that way. Mouser hit this right on the nail, this is negligence on your part, no court in the free country is going to side with you.

M
M
mouser
Huntington, US
May 29, 2009 2:14 am EDT

I agree with realist on this...what type of person honestly leaves from a contracted service and does not follow up to be sure it was fully cancelled out? Furthermore, what type of person is negelegent enough to not catch the billing on their bank account or credit card for almost 2 and a half years? Personally I check all of my statements monthly and if something is, in my eyes, incorrect I call the responsible party to find out what caused the charges, but 30 months, 2 and a half years? A month or two I could see, but that long, I think not, looking at it from a legal perspective, a small claims court judge is going to ask you why you didn't realize this was happening sooner and call to stop it. If you take this to court and use this as part of your argument, any judge worth his robes would see the utter negligence on your part to watch your own finances and you'll give directv's legal team all the information they need to win the case putting you out even more money.

R
R
realist
Meridian, US
May 28, 2009 1:39 pm EDT

Your going to waste your time and money at small claims court, that for sure. Most, if not all, companies out there can only dispute 30-60 days back. A company such as directv can not disconnect/terminate your services until all is confirmed and the legality of the disconnection is gone over, so if you stated at any point that you were going to call back, then you must fallow through with that, its not on the company. FURTHERMORE you waited 30 months to say a thing, now its the companies fault? Get real, serriously. It sounds as if you are trying to rip the company off, who doesn't notice charges for 30 months. Any judge, or jury for that matter, with half a brain cell is going to see it that way too. You would be lucky to get a refund for the charges back 60 days, but 30 months I HIGHLY DOUBT IT. Beside directv is a multi billion dollar company, thier lawyers are going to make you look like an idiot, not that you are not doing a good job of that yourself. Its going to take a lot of time and money to dispute this for which you will most likely lose and be out even more moeny.

ComplaintsBoard
W
8:51 am EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV wrong billing

I have been with Direct TV for over 10 years. I recently had to move in another location. I scheduled a movers connection and had the tech come to my home, this man worked on my service for 2 days without getting a signal to any of my tvs. the tech him self explained to me that he could not get a signal and that I should go with another provider, and suggested Comcast. In about a month time I received a bill from comcast for $195 for a early cancellation fee. How in the world can a company charge be a early cancellation fee if they can't get signal to my home. I spoke with Direct Tv and they advised me if I get a ground short repaired I could get the signal. who in the world has over $1500 to get this repaired so they can connect satelite in my home. I did mention that I have been with this company over 10 years and and they will not waive the fee.

Read full review of DirecTV
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
ComplaintsBoard
J
10:19 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV any dispute - report your credit card stolen

We recently had an issue with direct tv where they did a bait and switch on the pricing and then refused to talk to us about it to resolve it. My advice to anyone with a dispute with direct tv is to call your credit company and report your credit card stolen (or lost). Otherwise they will charge your card for the disputed amount without giving you an opportunity to resolve the issue. If you reporting your card stolen (or lost) that will give you a little negotiating power since they will be trying to get payment. Otherwise the minute there is a dispute they will charge your card for the amount of the dispute plus a $170 cancelation fee without telling you first.

Hope this helps!

Read full review of DirecTV and 1 comment
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
1 comment
Add a comment
B
B
bexarsgirl
Unkown, US
Sep 27, 2013 3:52 pm EDT

This is actually not true at all. When it comes to disputing debit/credit card transactions, it comes down to whether the card was physically present or not. DirectTV transactions will always be considered not present, therefore there's no need to report your card lost or stolen in order for your bank to dispute it. Not to mention, if you report your card lost or stolen and they dispute the transaction as an unauthorized charge, Direct TV is just going to come back with your information showing it's a valid charge. Then you are responsible for the charges. What you actually NEED to do is 1) not listen to someone telling you to falsely report your card stolen and file a fraudulent dispute and 2) contact your bank to do a merchant dispute. With that you stand a chance of recovering the funds. I research these every single day and I can always tell immediately when someone is lying on their dispute paperwork. So do yourself a favor, don't lie and just dispute the charge the right way.

ComplaintsBoard
A
2:49 am EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV faulty power supplies in model # d12-500 standard receiver

Despite the information I received from Direct TV Tier 2 Tech support for the Protection Plan department in a city in Pennsylvania, Direct TV has not notified customers that they "Know" that
the model # standard-D12-500 receivers, have defective or faulty power supplies.

I became a customer less than 1 year ago, and today the 3rd different receiver I had professionally installed by their own contractor/installers, has in fact quit, died, doesn't work.

Each receiver was installed in separate locations in my home, all are on power strips, all are on different
circuit breakers, but still the model # standard-D12-500 receiver died.

The first receiver was the least used, and it died first.
The second receiver was the most used, and finally the 3rd unit died and here is the problem;
They do not want to replace what they know is faulty, even though I bought and maintain their
"Direct TV Protection Plan". Instead, they have referred me to an internal department called:
"Case Management".

After talking to a rude condescending, smarmy, Pennsylvania Supervisor named: "Steven" in their Tier III Technical Support area for the Protection Plan, He did nothing, and worse, said that
"he could do nothing and that even though I keep talking now for 12 minutes, that you [I], would have to talk to "Case Management" before a replacement would be ordered".
- He did not empathize or ever say he understood my dissatisfaction at all
- He made no effort to resolve the problem
- He was very condescending, smarmy in his tone, attitude and was clearly obvious he didn't care
- He would not give me the phone number to the "Case Management" department
- He made no attempt to do ANYTHING!
* In all honesty, I called him a "Smarmy, condescending punk". [Many would have said much worse]

If Direct TV knew there is an issue with the model receivers, why should I have to talk to anyone before the unit gets replaced? I have paid for the protection plan, and even though they are fully aware of their model # standard-D12-500 receiver having defective of faulty power supplies, in stead,
because they have another layer of wasted processes that I have to jump through in order for them to "make good" on both their Protection Plan, and for them to deal with their own know issues dealing
with model # standard-D12-500 receiver having faulty or bad power supplies.
[as told to me by their own Tier II Technical Support area for the Protection Plan Associate]

I am very angry, but unfortunately, I've got some more months left on my contract.
I guess that is what I have to look forward to from their customer service, and from their company.
I guess they feel their are more customers, "in the bush" they'd rather have than the ones they already have being happy.

If they make good, I will post that here too. But as for now, I have to talk to their
"Case Management" department. I hope they are not from Pennsylvania too!

Read full review of DirecTV and 4 comments
Update by Angry Customer in Nv.
Jun 18, 2009 1:12 am EDT

Hello All, I am the "Angry Customer in NV. who originally posted the complaint on 5/26/09.

As promised I am following up with the resolution.
After multiple phone calls from and to their "Case Management" department,
their "Customer Advocacy Team- Cimarron" and also after sending emails through
their website, to their COO, and being very persistent with them, they did get me
a replacement receiver, but failed to send me a "Recovery kit" to mail them back their defective receiver.

Even with a "Protection Plan", I was on the verge of getting shafted by Their "Case management Team" for a $55.00 fee. You see, if you do not return the defective unit within 7 days, a fee is charged to your Direct TV account. I had to continue to talk to another "Case Management Rep." to get a "Recovery Kit" sent to my house. The actual replacement receiver came on 5/28/2009 in the afternoon, it did not come with return shipping instructions or even activation instructions.
[I was glad that at the point of talking to each layer of people in each department redundantly,
I asked the same questions over and over to every person I talked to, because the information I was given seemed to change with each person, and department - somehow I discerned their process]

I did not get the "Recovery Kit" until 6/3/2009, and it wasn't picked up by Fed Ex until around noon 6/4/2009. [The shipping label Direct TV provided was a Fed Ex "Express Saver", not overnight]
Again, I had 7 days to return the defective unit, and they were cutting it too close, and again, it was
their processes of doing business which kept me angry, and still looking at them critically. To date,
they have no concern that they got me angry to begin with or having gave a defective unit, broken processes, and misleading personnel. This can be fixed with the right process consultant, I happen to have been one in my business life for a very large multinational corporation.

HERE IS THE "CASE MANAGEMENT" PROCESS I WAS SENT THROUGH/(condensed):
[*Please note: Additional time, emails, and conversations were had with my initiating them in between each step of this process outlined below]

1- I made my original complaint late on 5/26/09, to mainly the "Protection Plan department"
[who I had been forwarded to because it was a technical issue according to the initial phone rep.]

2- The "Tier II Technical Support" [which is the Protection Plan department"] forwarded me to
"Case Management". {The reason they gave was that I had already had 2 defective units replaced and their was too much "account activity".} DUH!

3- "Case Management" called me the next day, and ordered a replacement unit, but forgot the
"Recovery kit" to mail back to them the defective unit".

4- I called "Case management" daily until the unit arrived. They gave me a PIN to even get through to their department, without a pin, you cannot even contact them, and it changes daily.
[*Case Management reps, all promised that I would be contacted with an ETA of the replacement unit, but the "Case Owner" never did provide that information to me nor did she call me back when I left messages for her to, nor did she notate my account on the ETA so that any Case Management Rep. could have told me that information easily.]

5- Each time, daily when I called "Case Management", I had to speak to a different person, because
it is their "PROCESS" to not give you a direct line to the original person you talked with.
Instead, whichever Case Management Rep you get, sends the "Case Owner" a request by email for them to return contact to you. [My case manager never did return my calls, until after I got the replacement unit installed and activated with yet another "Case Management Department Rep."]

6- It was my questioning that Case Management Department Rep who helped get the replacement receiver activated, for the "Recovery Kit".

7- That Case Management Department Rep. did not know "HOW" to get me a "Recovery Kit",
and so I was on hold while he got trained in ordering what should have come with the replacement
receiver to begin with. He finally was able to order the recovery kit, and I at this point requested that
my "CASE" remain "OPEN" until the unit was sent back to them, and that I was not charged the $55.00 fee for missing the 7 day deadline due to their errors in their processes.

8- I got the "Recovery Kit" on 6/3/2009, and Fed Ex'd the defective receiver back to them on 6/4/2009.

8- The "Case Owner" from the Case Management Department called after many days, and my phone calls to ask if everything was properly operating with the replacement receiver they sent. She called
on 6/5/2009 at 2:59 Pm PST. [She hung up abruptly, not allowing me to question her about not charging the $55.00 fee to my account for not being able to return the defective receiver within their
specified timetable.]

9- So far, the receiver is working fine, and I will be watching to see if they have the nerve to charge my account that $55.00 fee for missing their deadline, but you know I'll keep you posted.

*Special Note[s]*

It is Direct TV's process that when your account goes into their "Case Management" department,
the first person who calls you is referred to as the "Case Owner".

Also,
I did purchase the protection plan from the moment I ordered service from Direct TV,
and yet, they sent my account into "Case Management". In fact, I was told that anytime I call
them from now on, [for the next 9 months] I will immediately sent to one of the "Case Management" reps.

And,
A "Recovery Kit" consists of: a Fed Ex return postage paid label, packing instructions, and Fed Ex instructions.

** Whatever you do, take copious notes which includes getting employee I.D. numbers which they
must give you even though they may not tell you their actual real first name. [most do not]
SO make sure you get employee ID Numbers. Ask ever person you talk to the same questions,
each one has a level of knowledge and willingness to either give you the correct information or not.

** Many of the Reps. just want to pass the buck via "Noting" your account, and don't really do it, make them read back to you the information you want noted on your account to insure they did it at all, especially your phone numbers or contact information and information you are requesting specifically. Make them read it back to you, make them read it back to you, do not let them off the hook by telling them your information again after you ask them to read it back to you. If they admit to failing in properly noting your account, give your information to them again, and repeat the read back. It is the only way to get what you need documented on your account.
__________________________________________________

If they charge my account the $55.00 or something else happens, I'll keep you posted,
-- Angry in NV.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
4 comments
Add a comment
G
G
gaz3051
Bloomingdale, US
May 08, 2010 4:47 pm EDT

Same thing happened with me...I have two of these receivers that died in a 4 month span and DIRECTV won't do diddly to replace them. I am in month 22 out of my 24 month contract. They wanted to charge me 21.00 for shipping and then they would send me another unit but they would have to renew my 2 year contract...what a SCAM.

Take care of your customers DIRECTV, treating your customers in this manner when you know about problematic piece of equipment will only be your demise. Quality control and customer satisfaction prevents your churn in customer base - this has been going on too long. DIRECTTV executives need to step up and listen to their customers!

Jeff Gasner

S
S
SCentralPennsylvania
Halifax, US
Feb 12, 2010 10:56 am EST

I had the same problem with the same receiver (and I live in Pennsylvania.) I had one die, and they sent me a new one and charged me the 21.00 shipping. Not less than a month later, the second one went out in the same manner. (I too have everything hooked up to a power strip, etc. etc.) However, I do not have the protection program. I called and talked to some Brit/Aussie who made me go through the ridiculous procedures to check if I didn't have it hooked up properly (I tried explaining that the exact same thing happened less than a month ago...yet he made me go through the hoops unless I wanted to be labeled "uncooperative".) Having done that, I asked if he could send me a new one (for the $21.00 fee again) and he told me "no, I could either a) buy the protection program or b) have a tech come out and install a new one." I told him I didn't want to take a day off work for a tech to install a new one (and charge me for a tech fee, whatever that might be) and I didn't want to get the protection plan (which seemed to me a scam; why should I pay for a protection plan when the problem was with their equipment?). I ended up telling him I couldn't wait till my contract runs out to which he had no reply. I am sure that if I let my contract laps and return the unusable receiver they'll charge me for it. Not sure what to do; I may just contact them again and threaten them with an FTC complaint. I'll repost when I hear anything new...

K
K
kblonigen
Burnsville, US
Jun 14, 2009 9:09 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I just had the same issue today with one of my receivers. I called customer service and was told that they know that it is a problem and that it would be replaced at no cost because I have the protection plan. I was shocked that I would have been paying for a replacement if I wasn't on the plan.

I work in the telecom industry and am responsible for making sure customers get kits for DSL. If customers call in about faulty modems, we replace them without any cost to the customer because it is OUR faulty equipment. When I ordered Direct TV, I was told that the plan only covered the satelite outside, which makes a little more sense.
This isn't the first issue I've had with Direct TV. It took them about 3 missed appointments (they never showed up) before they were finally able to get a contractor to come install it. I will be looking for another provider when my contract is up. Not very impressed with them.

P
P
pandora2000
Crowley, US
Jun 06, 2009 4:11 pm EDT

Hey there! I am having issues with my equipment too. About weeks ago my first receiver went out and on the day I got the one to replace that one, my second went out. I don't have the protection plan and I paid $20 for the shipping for the first one and I'll either have to pay another $20 for SHIPPING or I'll have to buy the protection plan. Sigh. Damn the man...

ComplaintsBoard
T
11:24 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV hidden charges

Subscriber beware: Direct TV has hidden charges that are not disclosed at the time of sign up. I asked the person at the call center "Please tell me about any charges that I my incur during set up and installation." She said there were none. The satellite dish was free. The DVR was free. The set-up and installation are free. I even got lucky and got HBO, Starrs and Showtime for three months for free. Lucky me! After giving her all my info, scheduling an appoitment, she asked for my credit card. "Why" I asked. She needed to charge me $19.99 for shipping and handling of the satellite dish and DVR. I said "I asked you if there were any additional charges and you assured me there were not. Now you're asking for my credit card number." I got a major song and dance but I figured (as I assume they hoped I and every other fool will) that I had spent all this time getting signed up, so what was $19.99? So I gave her my card number. Today the installers showed up and the first things out of their mouths were that because I have a flat roof on my house there would be a $65.00 custom installation charge. I hit the roof (no pun intended). I called Direct TV and they said they can't predict when a home will need a custom installation. I told them I wasn't even told about the possibility of a custom installation charge. They referred me to the fine, fine, fine print at the bottom of the flyer. I said "But I asked the sales associate if there would be any additional charges and she said "No." Why wasn't I told at that time about the $19.99 s&h fee and the possibility of the $65.00 custom installation fee"? Oh, we're sorry...so I'm SOL. And so are you if you have a flat or tiled roof. In my book, omission is the same as lying. What a way to build customer loyalty!

Read full review of DirecTV and 8 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
8 comments
Add a comment
B
B
bsmhaze
Raeford, US
Sep 09, 2014 12:28 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I know that this post is somewhat dated, but DTV just tried to hand me the $19.99 BS. I moved and they told me that everything for the move was free. Then she tried to fleece me for the money. I asked what it was for and received the same reply as above. I then proceeded to tell her that in fact wasn't free. I even looked over the move offer details...nothing listed for delivery cost and tech visit. I asked for a credit on my bill if she was still going to charge me the fee. She proceeded to argue with me...that's when I asked to speak with a supervisor. She put me on hold for about a minute, came back and told me that the fee would be waived as a one time courtesy because I was a loyal customer...BS...but I didn't get fleeced!

C
C
CORKYw
, US
Nov 30, 2013 7:25 pm EST

I THINK YOU ARE ALL BEING HARD ON EACH OTHER. i JUST ORDERED DIRECT TV. tHE 19.99 CHARGE DID COME LATE IN THE PHONE ORDERING WHICH IS LAME BUT THEY DID TELL ME THERE COULD BE A CUSTOM INSTALL CHARGE IF MY SITUATION IS DIFFERANT. KEEP IN MIND WE ARE THE MERCY OF UTILITIES AND WE JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE SCAM PORTIONS OF IT. iTS JUST SIMPLE BUSINESS GREED.

F
F
from Yakima
, US
Nov 24, 2010 12:33 pm EST

I ordered and installed Direct Tv about 5 months ago. At the time, I had the opprotunity to install up to 4 rooms. I did only 2 rooms. I called to get a 3rd room installed and was told I would be charge as a "new customer" and the extra install would cost over $100.00 and add extra on to my bill every month. At the time of my initial installation, I had told them that if my son where to move / come home, I would put service in his bedroom. They said nothing about extra charges at a later time. Well he will be home from college over the holidays and I wanted his bedroom to be as inviting as possible. However, not now, I can't afford the extra fees to put a receiver in his room. I should have been told this at the time that I ordered my initial hook up. I would have just done it then, FOR FREE. What a rip off!

H
H
HATErudepeople!
noneya, US
Nov 02, 2012 10:24 am EDT

I too had a technitian come to my door today on day of install and tell me that theres a $75 custom install fee cause he cant put it on my roof.. which is BS. I called Direct tv and the lady that answered the phone wasnt willing to answer ANY of my questions about this hidden charge, and was rude when I told her she could not have my name and address to continue processing me as a new customer. Im sorry but if you have a problem with answering your clients questions, you SHOULD NOT be a customer service rep. Thats their job is to SATISFY the customer so they DONT LOSE them. Luckily since my husband is military, the tech waved the fee. THAT is good customer service Mr. Technition!

C
C
ComplainWhenNecessary
Brighton, US
Oct 21, 2012 11:54 am EDT

You are unrealistic and the poster (realist) was, in fact, much more REAL than your attitude. They could have said it differently. But it sounds like you want everything for nothing. Let me guess- Obama supporter maybe? :)

F
F
fltxag
St Petersburg, US
Sep 09, 2010 12:06 pm EDT

It answered my questions about upfront hidden fees for Direct TV. Go suck on a tailpipe Realist.

A
A
Abbo__
Worcester, US
Jun 18, 2009 1:49 pm EDT

MESSAGE TO ALL REALIST IS A LOSER, SADISTIC ###, THAT HAS NOTHING BETTER TO DO THEN TO TRY TO DISCREDIT PEOPLE BY TALKING ### ABOUT EVERYBODY. CLICK HER NAME AND CHECK HER COMMENTS TO PEOPLE. SHE IS RUDE, HAS NO VALUE POINTS AND I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE WASTES HER TIME. BUT SHE DOES. WHICH ONLY MAKES ME COME TO ONE CONCLUSION THAT SHE MAKES UP EVERY MORNING AND LOOKS IN THE MIRROR AND REALIZES SHE CAN'T STAND HERSELF AND HATES THE WORLD. GO GET A LIFE YOU F'EN LOSER...
SORRY TO EVERYBODY ELSE, I AM NOT LIKE THIS UNTIL I GET ATTACKED PERSONALLY FROM SOMEBODY THAT HAS NO IDEA WHO I AM OR KNOWS YOU. KEEP POSTING YOUR COMPLAINTS, IF ANYTHING ELSE IT ALLOWS OTHERS TO WATCH OUT FOR WHEN DEALING WITH COMPANY'S.

R
R
realist
Meridian, US
May 24, 2009 10:56 pm EDT

oh, you poor poor victum. lets all feel sorry for the person who didnt read the whole flyer, there was no way that the poor lady/gentlemen helping you with your order could know that you would need customer work done. get a life, serriously. and yeah you are right what did happen to customer LOYALTY, because what your dumb ### is complaining about was CUSTOMER SERVICE. There you are, someone give you the pitty party you wanted, oh not what you were expecting, then heres and idea GET OVER IT

ComplaintsBoard
M
9:53 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

Direct TV decided after being told to terminate service instead to place it into their "suspended" category. They have since then charged me for 3 months of service I never received. I had to call my credit card company and not only object to the charge but terminate the current credit card number and get a new one issued. After speaking with two Direct...

Read full review of DirecTV and 45 comments
ComplaintsBoard
A
4:25 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV incorrect billing, horrible customer service, flat out disrespect and lies

From start to end this was by far the worst experience I have ever had with a company. Long story short, every bill was incorrect and we had to call in and hassle with them for hours to get it fixed. Our equipment was faulty and it took nearly a month and 5-6 tries to get the correct (And original) equipment model we had. We were hung up on multiple times. We were told even though their equipment gave out, if we wanted that same model (Or even one equivalent) that we would just have to go purchase one from somewhere like best buy. We filed complaints with the bbb, the ag in denver (Their headquarters) , and my wife did with some other business agency. Overall, I would say we probably spent roughly 24-30 hours on the phone with these people. They either have no sense of business, or are complete ###s. Even the supervisors basically had the "well that's just tough luck attitude". The final straw was when they missed a scheduled move of equipment date (As we bought a new house) and "could not get a hold of their contractors to see where they were because they didn't have their telephone number, only their e-mail address". They then told us we would have to wait for the next available install date, which was 2 weeks out, and we would still have to pay for service because until the equipment was transferred, we still had service at our old residence (Which we no longer had access to as it was sold). We then canceled our service because we had finally had enough. They charged us the cancellation fee without notification (We knew we would have to pay one, but didn't know when) and caused our books to be off and go negative. We now are getting a lawyer involved just to show them how much of a pain they were to us. This company is the worst experience I ever had in the business world. Do not use this service, consider yourself warned.

Read full review of DirecTV and 2 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
2 comments
Add a comment
R
R
Rakesh
West Chester, US
Jun 01, 2009 3:51 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I called the technician to fix the antenna from the Deck to the roof.
First they kept on giving me ideas that what if the roof starts leaking. I said it will be Direct TV who will repair the roof.

Our community does not allow antennas on the deck because of the view of the community. These people (Trust me horrible people) dont want to go on the roof to fix the same.

Technician parked his Direct TV Van on the driveway (right in the middle of the driveway) I had to go out for some work and i asked him to get his car on the driveway. rather than putting it perpendicular to the driveway. The stupid person started asking me why do I need to remove the car. how much time will i need to get the car out of the driveway. I lost my temper and asked him to get out of my property.

At last he agreed to do the same and still had issues saying what if i pull down the ladder and scratches my car. All sorts of issues that person had in life and would never do things the first time right. Totally unprofessional guys and dont know how to talk.

Ultimately he put two big antennas on our Bumped out roof and our sky visiion is blocked from the kitchen. To TOP it off, the antennas are now blocking the view from out master bedroom!

Totally unprofessional guys and dont use common sense. I was much happy with the Cable network.

They dont want to go to the top of the roof for whatever reason. Asks 100 dollars every visit. Asks me to pay 5 dollars per month for taking insurance!
God such insane people who cant have minimum expectations fulfilled

R
R
robert babajtis
Derry, US
May 20, 2009 6:37 pm EDT

Hi I just got off the phone with direcr tv .I to have same problem the bill varies month to month calls go on deaf ears .I call fortroubled with hd (when ever its cloudy or raining theres no picture) when i explain it to them they just say if i want a tech there will be a 50 dollar chage, I respond that i've been calling since the install .They reply well it will be 50 dollars or i could by insurance for 5.95 a month. Then they have the nerve to say what else can I help you with..People dont get involved with direct tv its a mightmre.

ComplaintsBoard
M
12:51 am EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV charge account even after 7 days cancellation

my husband cancelled directv after 7 days because on the back of the bills said you could cancelled by 7 days without unathorized charges but guess what they charge my husband debit card $454.00 to which overdraft on his account.
so never believe on DIRECTV they are suck. From greed customer representatives.
i already told this to my friends never go to DIRECTV. never...

Read full review of DirecTV and 2 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
2 comments
Add a comment
A
A
Abbo__
Worcester, US
Jun 18, 2009 1:48 pm EDT

MESSAGE TO ALL REALIST IS A LOSER, SADISTIC ###, THAT HAS NOTHING BETTER TO DO THEN TO TRY TO DISCREDIT PEOPLE BY TALKING ### ABOUT EVERYBODY. CLICK HER NAME AND CHECK HER COMMENTS TO PEOPLE. SHE IS RUDE, HAS NO VALUE POINTS AND I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE WASTES HER TIME. BUT SHE DOES. WHICH ONLY MAKES ME COME TO ONE CONCLUSION THAT SHE MAKES UP EVERY MORNING AND LOOKS IN THE MIRROR AND REALIZES SHE CAN'T STAND HERSELF AND HATES THE WORLD. GO GET A LIFE YOU F'EN LOSER...
SORRY TO EVERYBODY ELSE, I AM NOT LIKE THIS UNTIL I GET ATTACKED PERSONALLY FROM SOMEBODY THAT HAS NO IDEA WHO I AM OR KNOWS YOU. KEEP POSTING YOUR COMPLAINTS, IF ANYTHING ELSE IT ALLOWS OTHERS TO WATCH OUT FOR WHEN DEALING WITH COMPANY'S.

R
R
realist
Meridian, US
Jun 11, 2009 12:57 am EDT

No company leagally has to give you a trial period. They are not greedy they are just holding you to the commitment you agreed to by having their services installed. Directv payed out a lot of money to start you as a customer (anywhere from $1, 500 to $3, 000 depending on installations and equipment) So you are pretty much pathetic to complain when you broke the contract not them

ComplaintsBoard
C
3:55 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV illegal contract/ripoff

On february 25, 2009 I placed an order for at&t u-verse triple package installation. The at&t sales representative called me and I received a confirmation number along with a date of march 16, 2009. On march 16, a directv tech came to my house. I asked him why he was at my door and he said, directv is doing contracting work for at&t cable service. I let him in thinking he was placing at&t cable and on top of that, he didn't complete any installation for phone and the internet service. So I began to make calls to at&t and direct tv to resolve the problem. At&t finally sent a tech out to install u-verse.In the meantime, a representative from at&t called direct tv along with me on the phone and explained what happened. I don't know if she typed any information into my account. Well, I have been calling directv to cancel my account. I was informed that I would have to pay for a contract I agreed to which is for a year and a half. How can I agree to anything when I never even mentioned directv while placing the order. The supervisor says, that they sent me a confirmation letter that I never seen or signed. How can I be held accountable for something I didn't request or confirm. I have been working with at&t to resolve this problem but I am so appauled that I have to take some form of action as soon as possible. If you can help me in any kind of way, I would appreciate it. Also the supervisor wouldn't give me the number to their headquarters nor her last name. She wouldn't even give me the name of the sales lady, just her i. D. I'm not sure if that's even correct. We all work too hard for our money for someone to take advantage of a situation. This is downright disrespectful, abusive, and it should be illegal.

Read full review of DirecTV and 2 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
2 comments
Add a comment
A
A
Another burned AT&T/DirecTV customer
Gulfport, US
Jun 04, 2009 7:09 pm EDT

Complaints about "bait and switch" and "trojan horse" scams by At&T/DirecTV are rampant. Some federal group really needs to look into this.

R
R
realist
Meridian, US
May 18, 2009 7:06 pm EDT

sorry to hear what you went through
BUT...
Call centers are buckling down and a lot of them (not all of them) but a lot of them are not allowed to release any form of their last name, just employee numbers. Also a lot of them cant even tell you what city they live in, some cant even release the state they are in. This is due to rising crime from phsyco customers against call center reps. At a call center here in the U.S. a customer got mad because a call center rep would not give him a credit (for something that was his fault, no fault of the company at all). He asked for her last name, the state she worked in and the city. He found this call center and sent flowers to the representative (from a secret admirer.) Well she gave them to her buddy because she did not want her husband to get mad. When her friend walked out with the flowers to go home, she was shot down and killed by that man. He waited for the person holding the flowers that he had bought to exit the building, that way he could kill the person who made him mad for not giving him a credit that he did not desearve. And this is just one example of why.
So next time someone wont give you the last name, only a number, is because thats all they can give you! And for damn good reason, we have a lot of phsycopaths out there. But keep in mind this can work the other way, dont be rude to the person who is looking at the address in which you and your family live, your social security number, and your credit card at the least, if not more information. They could ruin your life serriously. This country needs to WAKE UP and BE NICE! You dont get anything you want from being a jerk or throwing a fit, come on now, we teach our two year olds that.

ComplaintsBoard
B
9:53 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV deceptive business practices

DirecTV was unequivocally the worst experience that I have ever had with any product or service. It’s hard to believe that such a company can legally operate while employing the deceptive business practices that I encountered throughout the 17 month term of service that I had with them. Once they have you, there is no way out. If you request to cancel service due to their deceptive billing practices, failure to honor agreements/promises or evasive customer service and unresolved problems, they will threaten you with a huge termination fee for canceling early.

I cannot believe how many hours (probably days if you add them all up during my 17 months of service) that I spent on the phone & emails in good faith trying to give DirecTV the opportunity to honor the promises & agreements they made. However, despite all this effort, I was met time and time again with extremely evasive customer service that will drag out an issue (no matter what it might be) for as long as they can in what appears to be a tactic to wear you down into just giving up.

A perfect example of this the $50 Visa gift card that was promised at the beginning of service for enrolling in auto bill pay. They initially told me it would take 4-6 weeks to arrive. After a couple of months I called to check on the status of it and was told that it wouldn’t be sent until after three billing cycles had passed. A couple of months later I was then told that they never had any Visa Gift card offer. In future phone calls I spoke with managers and representatives who said each time that the issue was being sent to a special “escalation department”. However there was never any type of response or resolution.

I requested several times to just credit my account for $50 in lieu of the Visa Gift Card and they said they couldn’t do that. Finally after 10 months and countless phone calls I said that I was going to cancel my account. They immediately threatened me with a $250 early termination fee if I did so. Then they put me on hold and said they would credit my account for $50 (even though they said this couldn’t be done in the countless phone calls over the previous 10 months).

When I signed up for DirecTV, I specifically indicated that it would be for RV use. At the recommendation of the DirecTV rep, I ordered a mobile tripod for an additional $50 that could be used for this purpose. I was told that the local channels would be available wherever I went. That, however, was not the case. I was later told that I needed to pay a significant additional fee to receive local channels. When I said I wanted to cancel because I couldn't get the local channels that they promised and I was paying for, Directv again threatened to charge me with a huge early termination fee.

I finally had enough and told Directv at the end of 2008 that I was going to cancel my account regardless of any termination fees. They transferred me to the “retention department” and offered me a price of $34.99/mo that was locked in for the remaining 12 months. Wanting to avoid the termination fee I agreed and thought the problems were over. I asked the representative to put notes on my account regarding the offer in order to avoid any issues in the future. The next month they debited my checking account for $42.99. I called DirecTV and referred them to the previous offer and account notes. They said they saw the offer and put in a request to correct it but it would take 7-14 days. Then the next bill came and it was for $62.99. I called again and they still hadn’t corrected the first error and were about to debit my checking account for $62.99. They said they would send a request to the now mythical “escalation department” but it would take another 7-14 days. When I called to follow up they said that $62.99 was correct and they didn’t see any offer of $34.99 from the retention department. After several more weeks and many hours on the phone & email and they still refused to acknowledge the offer that was made even though the first representative confirmed the notes were in my account.

I decided at this point I needed to handle all future correspondence in writing. So I sent an email to customer service and said that I was cancelling my service and would file a complaint with the BBB. In subsequent replies they first said they would charge $42.99, then $37.99 and then $39.99. It was different with each representative and each reply. They still refused to acknowledge the first offer of $34.99 notated on my account and even refused to acknowledge the $37.99 that I now had in writing. I finally had to cancel auto bill pay to prevent them from arbitrarily debiting my account for unauthorized overcharges.

For anybody that hasn’t gone through this process and is wondering why not just cancel service and then refuse to pay the early termination fee? The answer is Directv has your debit/credit card on file. Within days of cancelling service, they will charge your card for the termination fee without any type of bill, authorization or notification. In my case this was a debit card linked to my checking account. Poof…$139 in cash was gone without my knowledge. Fortunately I had enough cash to cover the charge. But this could easily have resulted in some hefty overdraft and returned check charges.

When I requested that they refund the charge, they referred me to the customer agreement that says they have the right to charge your card without notice for termination fees. Apparently, DIRECTV believes that it is acceptable business practice to actively evade any promises/agreements made with the customer, but fully expects the customer to keep paying for their “service” or suffer the consequence of a huge early termination fee.

Please do yourself a favor and stay clear of this company. No matter what “special offer” they have at the time and no matter how good it may seem, they will do everything within their power not to honor it. You will end up spending many frustrating hours on the phone, usually with no resolution. And if a resolution ever does come, it will often take months of continuous follow-up in order to make them honor their agreements.

Read full review of DirecTV and 2 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
2 comments
Add a comment
A
A
Abbo__
Worcester, US
Jun 18, 2009 1:49 pm EDT

MESSAGE TO ALL REALIST IS A LOSER, SADISTIC ###, THAT HAS NOTHING BETTER TO DO THEN TO TRY TO DISCREDIT PEOPLE BY TALKING ### ABOUT EVERYBODY. CLICK HER NAME AND CHECK HER COMMENTS TO PEOPLE. SHE IS RUDE, HAS NO VALUE POINTS AND I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE WASTES HER TIME. BUT SHE DOES. WHICH ONLY MAKES ME COME TO ONE CONCLUSION THAT SHE MAKES UP EVERY MORNING AND LOOKS IN THE MIRROR AND REALIZES SHE CAN'T STAND HERSELF AND HATES THE WORLD. GO GET A LIFE YOU F'EN LOSER...
SORRY TO EVERYBODY ELSE, I AM NOT LIKE THIS UNTIL I GET ATTACKED PERSONALLY FROM SOMEBODY THAT HAS NO IDEA WHO I AM OR KNOWS YOU. KEEP POSTING YOUR COMPLAINTS, IF ANYTHING ELSE IT ALLOWS OTHERS TO WATCH OUT FOR WHEN DEALING WITH COMPANY'S.

R
R
realist
Meridian, US
May 25, 2009 11:42 pm EDT

First of all they gave you the credit, so get over the $50 gift card, and get a life. Second of all IT IS ILLEAGLE FOR ANY COMPANY TO GIVE YOU LOCAL CHANNELS IF YOU ARE NOT WITH IN THAT CERTIN LOCAL CHANNEL RANGE! That is of course with the exception of some companies being able to provide what is known as distant network services, if a company is able to provide those there is a process of which the CUSTOMER has to go through, this usually consits of a waiver (permission slip for lack of a better term) sent out to your local broadcasters asking for the okay for these distant network services, which most of the time is denied. If its not denied it will cost you a pretty penny to have them. AND if you do get them, everytime you move to a different location, the waiver process has to be fallowed yet again. THIS IS A FEDERAL REQUIREMENT! This is not any 'cable companies' rules, this is on a federal level, and if the rules are not fallowed, YOU will be sued up to $5000 for EACH network that you are ILLEAGLLY getting, wow directv are really some jerks for not putting you in danger for that law suit huh?
It sounds that you had some difficulties with the packages that is fusterating I am sure, but before you go bashing a company on everything, get your facts straight and let go of the petty ###, ie the gift card that you ended up getting a credit for anyway.

ComplaintsBoard
G
4:13 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

Directvs bbb initial response: Company's initial response - posted 05/12/2009 We regret to hear of any misunderstanding. When I contacted you by phone on may 10, 2009, you were unable to speak with me. I have not received a return call nor was I able to reach you when I called back on may 12, 2009. On july 5, 2006, you sent us an e-mail requesting one of...

Read full review of DirecTV and 1 comment
ComplaintsBoard
J
2:41 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV non compliance of agreement

These people are brain dead i got nothing as promised, my installer could't speak english, he was a pig, never got the equipment as promised, didn't wire all the rooms as promised made a mess in every room, phone service wasn't even in my area as promised. No hd boxes no second dvr for another room. Had the services less than aweek after i got no where with direct tv. But they were quick to send me a bill for $460.00 for early cancellation fee. These people should be locked up for embezzelment.

Read full review of DirecTV and 1 comment
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
1 comment
Add a comment
R
R
realist
Meridian, US
May 15, 2009 12:51 am EDT

Directv does not have phone services at all. Did you order the services from verizon, quest, or another such company? Becasuse if you did they may have given you the misinformation there. Directv only gives ONE advanced receiver, sounds like you got one DVR, that was your free advanced receiver, there would be no second FREE dvr for another room or any FREE hd receivers. Its a lot easier to order for your self from companies websites, like directv, that way you know what you are getting and you know what to expect. There is no differance between the offers if you call in. You may even end up spending less without someone working on a comission trying to help you get this and that

ComplaintsBoard
M
10:55 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

DirecTV catch offers / installation issues

Catch
Watch out the latest direct tv offer. The current catch is that you will be locked into 2 year contract where as the advertised rates are only valid for 12 months. The direct tv reps will not tell you this and you will be stuck with either paying more or forced to cancel hdtv service, return the dvr and down grading your channel line up to keep the costs the same. Also do not pay the 21 dollar fee that every new customer needs to pay, you don't have to, just tell them there is no deal unless that fee is waived. The guy who signed me up was "shady".

Now to the installation. If you live in north-west austin, tx or probably anywhere else do not order direct tv directly from direct tv, you will have to deal with the worst installation team in the business. Instead go thru reseller, they use their own installers which hopefully are better.

Precaution
Well, first of all, the installers do not speak english, they will not show up on time, they are not trained properly and you will have this "manager" calling you several times to check on how to installation is going. Why isn't the manager talking to the installer directly? I have to tell you the managers don't speak good english either or have hard to understand accent. The 2 managers i dealt with were both absolute ###ed folks just reading a script to me. The language they used was totally incompetent and somewhat rude. For example, the manager called twice about 10 minutes apart to ask if i have a local line phone line... This person didn't even know that he already called me and asked the same question.

First installation
I get a call from some one at 9am, i can barely hear words "direct tv". This was the installer, i spent about 5 minutes on the phone asking him to say "yes" or "no" when i repeat back to him what i think i heard him to say. Finally i figure out that he will be at my house at 10.30am... Well soon after i get another call from a person who introduces himself as the installation manager. This person speaks with a heavy indian accent is hard to understand as well (But better, yeah!). He called to tell me that he will be supervising the installation and that i can call him if anything goes wrong. He was reading a script for me... Odd i thought, managers usually don't read scripts and you wouldn't hire a manager that cannot communicate properly.

Around 11.15am the manager calls me again asking if the installer had arrived... I am annoyed by him, don't you know where your installer is? Why do you call me? I told him he has not arrived and that the time is running out... And i need him to show up now! He tells me to call back if the installer hasn't arrived by 1pm... I tell him the installation needs to be done by 1pm at the latest, i need to go to work! Hi tells me he will check where the installer is... He never calls back.

Well time goes by the installation time line is from 8am to 12pm... I hit the lunch after 12 thinking the installer didn't make it. While i am eating the installer calls me at 12.35pm that he will at the house in 5 min... Well, i told him he is late and it is not 10.30am as he told me when he called me in the morning and that i have to go to work now and i have wasted entire morning waiting on him for no reason. He asked to call back when i have checked my calendar to reschedule... I told him i am not calling you back, i am calling your manager... (I was thinking that will do something... So was i wrong!)

At 7pm after i get home i call the manager, he answers the phone just by saying "hello"... I can hear other people on the back ground "hanging out". There is bad noise on the line so i tell him i will call him again, may be we will get a better line. The second time i call he answers with his name and adds direct tv at the end of his greeting. I complain to him that his installer was late and i need to reschedule. I wait several minutes on the phone while he boots up a computer and gets online.. He tells me my installation has been rescheduled on the next day. I tell him that will not work for me... He tells me he cannot reschedule it and instructs me to call the 1800 number...

Reschedule with the corporate
Professional people (Finally), bad english is gone and i get my re-installation rescheduled in no time. I complain about my experience and dealing with the incompetent local installers and about this completely clueless guy "acting" as a installation manager. I still don't know what his role is suppose to be? It cannot be just to call the customers to annoy them... Well i requested an installer that speaks english so that we can coordinate on the installation time a bit better. The reps notes my account with this.

Second installation
I get a call early at 8am, the installer tells me that he will be at my house in 3o minutes. The installer arrives on time this time. This installer speaks even worse english than the first one and i am struggling to follow him..

After a few minutes the installer tells me that he needs to install 3 wires that go thru the attic each costing $50. I am thinking there goes the "free installation" (My house is as standard as typical cookie cutter home in the suburb, absolutely nothing special in this house). I couldn't understand what the reason for extra charge exactly is - i didn't care - i knew i am canceling the installation now. I told the installer i don't want to proceed with the install and that the fee was ridiculous.

The installer leaves but calls me an hour later and tells me that he only needs to install one wire and that is going to free, but i have to schedule a third installation... I tell him that will never happen...

Second call to the corporate
Again once i get back home from work i call direct tv and complain about the second installation ending in a worse disaster than the first one. I also complain about the totally incompetent installers, problem of communicating with the installer and the manager, the catch in the offer, $150 wire install fee which an hour later is no longer necessary and free, i need to schedule 3rd installation, the fact i've taken full day off from work and installation is still not done along other things... I got offered another extra $10 dollars off a month... I was so exhausted from the experience and just wanted to cancel the whole deal. I couldn't take another hours dealing with the installers.

Summary
The direct tv corporate installers are the biggest joke i have come across with any company this far in my life! It is apparent that direct tv is out sourcing the installation to some totally incompetent local company which again uses probably illegal immigrants for the job. Non of the people are trained properly, have serious problems communicating in english and i guaranteed that you will be disappointed dealing with them. Warning, if direct tv is managing the installers on their own, this could be a country wide phenomenon! And i can only guess what kind damage can be done to your house if you let these folks to do the installation that involves letting these people to the attic to drill holes and route cables.

Recommendations
Before even calling direct tv, check your local cable provider, you will probably get no contract no hidden fee deal that you can cancel at any time. Time warner (My local provider) doesn't match the hd channel line up and is pricier. I am going out with u-verse from at&t as soon as it becomes available in my area.

Read full review of DirecTV and 1 comment
Hide full review
1 comment
Add a comment
M
M
mouser
Huntington, US
May 23, 2009 12:14 am EDT

Just wanted to let you know I understand your anger, I know Directv has some bad installers/technicians in some areas. Many of them may drive vans with the Directv logo on it but they are a hired third party contractor used to cover regions where Directv does not have their own company owned installation groups.

As for the 12 month valid pricing, if you read the fine print on any of the adds you will see that it states these prices are new customer offers with rebate redemption required...it's still longer than Dish Network's new customer which is only a 6 month offer.

Finally just a warning to be careful going through AT&T, they now have a corporate partnership with Directv.
In some areas their reps are leading people to believe that they are signing up for Uverse when instead they are getting Directv. On top of that they have been known to transfer many people who are uverse customers to directv customer care for assistance instead of to their proper internal departments.

ComplaintsBoard
E
9:42 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV billing of unauthorized charges, poor customer service

I had Direct TV for almost 9 years and decided to choose another provider due to cost. When I called today to cancel my service with Direct TV they gave me a hard time to cancel and then told me I would have a $250.00 cancellation fee. They state I am under contract for 18 months. Funny been with them for almost 9 years and I am still under contract. So now they (stated by phone) are charging my bank card I have on file and couldn't supply me with the exact amount for charges. I looked at my account today and noticed that I have over $500.oo of charges pending on my checking account. Who has the right to authorize that much money from my bank account with out my permission. I called Direct TV's customer service 2 more times for an explanation. The second phone call I was put on hold for a long period of time and hung up on. The third time I was told someone else would have to help me and call me back (They still has yet to call back.) So now I emailed them through their contact site. Now it even upsets me more as now they are telling me the cancellation fee is $260.00, ten dollars more than when I originally cancelled this morning. I asked why I still have not received an email as promised showing my cancellation and charges. They couldn't give me a reason. I doubt I will get the email as they still don't seem concerned. But now I am givin a reason why I am getting cancellation fees after being a loyal customer for almost 9 years. They state in December when my old receiver I paid for not leased went out started my new contract for 18 months. The lady I spoke to to order a new receiver that cost around $70.00 stated that since my were old she would send me receivers to replace my old ones. I only needed one receiver but she sent two. I wasn't charged the $70.00 for each receiver but only around $25.00. I thought she was being nice since I was a long time customer. But I was wrong, this is where I was being ripped off and I didn't realize it. Since she did not charge me I was put on contract for 18 months. Funny how I didn't know until I went to cancel. So I could have paid $70.00 for one receiver that I needed at the time or now pay $250.00 which a few hours later increased to $260.00 to cancel my long time service. She should have explained this to me and the fact that I was going to be put on contract again. I had already planned at the time to cancel in April when my internet expired with another company. I wanted to bundle my services to make them cheaper but I am finding out that you have to pay to cancel even after being with the company for almost 9 years. I am still waiting for a response to find out how much more my charges will be after I seen that pending charge over $500.00 on my bank account. Funny as I am not even behind on my payment to them and my bill is around $75.00 a month. What else can they be charging me? As for their customer service, it sucks! I was put on hold and disconnected and another time told someone else would call me back. Only time I could get some answers were when I emailed. Guess they can't handle customers on the phone. I guess they assume I wouldn't come back as a customer so they need to get all the money out of me now while have a chance! Sad as now after treating me this way, I will never go back to them!

Read full review of DirecTV and 3 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
3 comments
Add a comment
U
U
unsatisfied0802
, US
Oct 22, 2010 5:39 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I am actually not even the account holder and they are drafting out of my account because the account holder used my card to pay a bill at one time. I am choosing to go with a consumer watch national program through CNN because of the numerous complaints the better business bureau has received on this same issue.

D
D
Directvisajoke
Halifax, US
Jun 06, 2010 10:31 am EDT

realist are you a Direct TV advocate? Perhaps you signed an agreement such as what is stated above, but I never did, nor can Direct TV provide me with a copy of said signed contract. I cancelled my service in April 2010. Direct TV had actually come out to my house to repair my service and the repairman told us we really should cancel directtv as we were going to have the same recurring problems due to neighborhood buildup. I promptly contacted another provider to set up service. Then called Direct TV to cancel. They told me they would send me a recovery kit in the next couple of weeks to return my boxes. I never received the recovery kits and all of a sudden what do you know same thing as above a $500 charge against my bank account. I called and they claim they fed-exed me one in April. I never received such a kit, nor can they provide me with a tracking #. Note that I would have been more then happy to return the equipment to them myself in my own packaging, but they offered to send the kit. I can understand Direct TV charging people's accounts if they have not paid a bill, or it has been months and months and the person has not returned equipment. It is in my opinon that they hit your bank account right away as they know they most likely aren't going to be able to do anything with the used equipment as the technology is most likely out of date. I can't speak for other states, but in my state is illegal to charge someone's bank account, and or debit card unless and electronic agreement has been signed. I never signed such and agreement, nor would I sign an agreement like that. Direct TV knows they have done something shady because I rejected the first $500 charge they put through and the next day they sent another payment through for $501, and what do you know the recovery kit finally showed up the very next day after they made the debit to my account. A professional business would send a bill and make sure the consumer was aware of what final charges they would be debiting. When I cancelled they couldn't tell me what my final amount owed was and then a few weeks later blindly charged me the $500 bucks. The only reason they have my debit card on file is that I often paid my bill this way. They didn't ask for any bank, or credit card information when I joined, just my name, social and address. Not sure why you had to sign something as you have indicated you did, but get your head out of your butt and realize all states have different laws that pertain to such types of practices and not everyone might have had the same agreements that you were stupid enough to sign. The customer service at Direct tv is horrible and you sound just like one of the ignoramous people they might be using to mann the phones.

R
R
realist
Meridian, US
May 13, 2009 12:37 am EDT

Using your aparent favorite phrase "FUNNY" you didnt look at the access card that said by activating this you agree to the terms of the directv service (that means the commitment and directv customer agreement). "FUNNY" because you got a order conframation of the two receivers letting you know that they were LEASED with a commitment. "FUNNY" because directv sends all of their customers copies of the directv customer agreements, in this agreement it states that ah ### I will just go to the website and get it word for word for you this is straight from the directv customer agreement in section 5 the cancellation policy,
e) Payment Upon Cancellation. You acknowledge that you have provided your credit or debit card account information to us. You understand that you will incur fees and charges as a result of your receipt and use of Service and/or Receiving Equipment, and may incur early cancellation fees and/or equipment non-return fees (as specified in any lease, programming or other service commitment agreement you entered into in connection with obtaining Receiving Equipment). By giving us your credit or debit card account information, you authorize us to apply this method of payment, in accordance with applicable law, to satisfy any and all amounts due upon cancellation. You further acknowledge that you are required to maintain current credit or debit card information with us and agree to notify us whenever there is a change in such information, such as a change in the card number or the expiration date.
AND I think that it was really nice of them to get you two new receivers, instead of just one, because your other one was probably on the verge of going out too, since we all know how fast things like that can get outdated.
But I know, I understand who wants to take personal accountabilty for not paying attention to anything they get in writting. It is so much eaiser to blame someone else, just like we did when we were in kindergarden. GROW UP. You need to educate yourself and read stuff that companies send you, read everything, or you only have yourself to blame, remember when you point your finger you have three pointing back at you

ComplaintsBoard
P
6:09 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV game lounge

Dirctv first asks you to tune to their game lounge channel for a free game and then put that on your bill monthly without any warning. Just another $5.99 a month charge that they charge you that you did not sign up for.
I caught them after two months of this on the second day of the second month they were charging me and they told me that they could not credit me for any used time which is the next 30 days of this month that I am getting charged for. What a rip off!

Read full review of DirecTV and 10 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
10 comments
Add a comment
T
T
tabi
Fort Wayne, US
Jul 08, 2011 7:39 pm EDT

I am paying extra to be able to play the games on game lounge with Directv. Specifically for the game SkipBo.
But the problem I am having is the fact that the other "players" (really Directv computer) don't play the game right. The other "players" always lay down a card the next "player" needs and that player is able to get rid of "his" discard pile within 2-3 turns.
I have no problem loosing a game when it is played right but when I loose almost each and every time for the past 2 weeks there is a problem!
Also the leaderboard seems to have the same winners each month. And I have sent email after email to the game lounge but not one person has replied back to me.
I am not pay the extra money to loose all the time. The computer needs to be fixed and I need to be given a chance to win!
Also I had about 40, 000 tokens but because when I signed in a couple weeks ago I had 20, 000 points! That is not right and it is not how you run a business. I want someone ...A LIVE PERSON to contact me I am sick of not getting any answers!

R
R
rfuller2900
Edwardsville, US
Dec 30, 2011 2:06 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Been having trouble with my game louge game mahjang since october. Have called numerous times. Can not get problem resolved. Very dissatisfied with service. Will be canceling if not resolved. Recent incident was 12/28/2011 game freezes and reboots my entire system. It will not let me pass level 16. If you look at my account you can see the numerous times i have called. Service ends Jan 12th. I will be canceling my service if not corrected. Would appreciate someone letting me know if it can be resolved. My name is Richard L. Fuller Sr. I live at 2900 sand road in edwardsville Il 62025

B
B
bobbie polk
Houston, US
Jul 30, 2011 2:04 am EDT

ON GAME LOUNGE I HAVE BEEN PLAYING SKIP BO FOR 3MONTHS
AND I STILL HAVE NOT WON A GAME. I THINK THIS IS VERY UNFAIR TO PLAYER ONE. AFTER ALL I AM PLAYING AGAINST COMPUTERS AND PAYING FOR THE SERVICES AND STILL CANT NEVER WIN . I THINK THE SERVICES ON THE GAME LOUNGE IS VERY POOR AND UNFAIR

R
R
roland simino
middleton, US
Mar 21, 2011 8:59 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

we had to reboot the reciever box in the middle of a game. when we got back on we had lost over 20, 000 tokens and went from level 16 to 13...where did our tokens go? i know that you know how long it takes to build up tokens and levels...a quick response would be very nice. we do not want to have game lounge shut off for someones carelessness... our user name on the lounge is painters03887 pin# is 1234

R
R
roland simino
middleton, US
Mar 21, 2011 8:53 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

we had to reboot the reciver for directv and when we did we lost over 20, 000 tokens and got set back 3 levels..this should not be happening...our e-mail adress is painters03887@netzero.com our username for game lounge is painters03887 the pin # is 1234 we would like to find out whats happening very soon or we might have to cancel game lounge forever...YOU know how long it takes to get aBIG pile of tokens and to get to bigger levels on game lounge...thank you

T
T
TIN PIN BOWLING
Detroit, US
Oct 19, 2010 3:06 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

WHAT A RIPOFF...I ORDERED GAME LOUNGE. TODAY, WE TRIED TO PLAY TEN PIN BOWLING TWICE...THE FIRST TIME WE WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE GAME AND RECIEVE OUR END SCORES...THE SECOND TIME, THE GAME ENDED BEFORE WE WERE FINISHED...NO END SCORES...AND LAST NIGHT WE PLAYED ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE GAMES AND ONLY TWO GAMES GAVE US OUR FINAL SCORES BEFORE THE PROBLEMS STARTED..I CALLED TECNICAL SUPPORT AND THEY HAD US RESET THE DIRECT T.V. BOX, TO NO AVAIL...THEY DID NOT KNOW WHY THIS WAS HAPPINING AND SUGGESTED I EMAIL DIRECT T.V. WITH THIS PROBLEM...TODAY I CALLED AND THEY JUST ASKED ME IF I WANTED TO CANCEL. I GUESS I WILL CANCEL IF I CAN'T GET ANY ANSWERS AND REMEDIES FOR THIS PROBLEM...WE REALLY ENJOY THE GAME WHEN IT'S WORKING, BUT IF THIS PROBLEM CAN'T BE SOLVED, I GUESS WE'LL HAVE TO CANCEL AND SAVE OUR MONEY...TEN PIN BOWLING IS THE ONLY GAME WE PLAY BUT IT REVERTS BACK TO THE GAME LOUNGE BEFORE WE CAN FINISH AND GET OUR END SCORES

FHTM - Scam
FHTM - Scam
Lexington, US
Jun 21, 2010 8:59 am EDT

Whistleblower fights back after frivolous suit by FHTM for exposing their ILLEGAL Pyramid Scheme

Lexington, Kentucky - June 16, 2010 - In light of all of the recent investments scams including the infamous Bernie Maddoff, whistleblowers and those with morals fear that the frauds they expose will result in unjust lawsuits filed against them by the companies they complain about. One such situation was that of the lawsuit filed by Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing against Fortune Social LLC and Joseph Isaacs in May 2010.

Joseph Isaacs and Fortune Social, LLC (collectively “Isaacs”) deny each and every claim brought by Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing, Inc. (“FHTM”) in a filing made today with the American Arbitration Association, who is overseeing this case. In addition, Isaacs fights back and asserts his own counterclaim for relief against FHTM, Paul C. Orberson (individually and in his capacity as President of FHTM), Jeff Orberson (individually and in his capacity as Chief Operating Officer of FHTM), and Thomas A. Mills (individually and in his capacity as Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer of FHTM) (collectively “FHTM”). Isaacs counterclaim claim Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Breach of Contract, Common Law Fraud, Unfair & Deceptive Business Practices, Failure to Register Securities, Fraudulent Practices Regarding the Sale of Securities, Civil Racketeering Conspiracy (violation of the Federal RICO statutes) and Defamation.

FHTM operates an unlawful product-based endless recruiting pyramid scheme that relies on untrue and misleading representations and unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices. While FHTM purports to be in the business of selling name-brand services like wireless, satellite television, home security, vitamins, nutritional products and travel services, its true business is using consumers to generate fee income for representing non-existent partnerships, major sports figures, and prominent businessmen. To entice consumers to participate, FHTM makes untrue or misleading claims regarding its relationship with Fortune 100 companies like Verizon Wireless, GE Security, Dish Networks and Travelocity to create the illusion that consumers can become millionaires in three to five years.

FHTM’s growth exploded when it began to lure consumers disenchanted with traditional jobs and the recession that began in 2007 to inspirational and high-pressure business opportunity seminars touting an innovative business model that promises huge financial rewards through multi-level network marketing. FHTM erring presenters claim to have proprietary tools, special relationships, and other support that allow consumers to grow their own business by partnering with FHTM’s “companies”.

It would not be long before Isaacs (and the world) made several troubling discoveries about FHTM’s business plan and practices that doused his enthusiasm: (1) Paul Orberson had not made any special arrangements with the companies mentioned at the business opportunity/presentation seminar or in the company produced videos; (2) the only way to earn a significant income and be promoted up the ranks was to recruit additional IRs; (3) FHTM had not received regulatory approval for its pyramiding scheme in every state; (4) only a handful of IRs had earned anywhere near the residuals projected; (5) the prominent businessmen, politicians, former attorney generals and sports figures to whom FHTM constantly alluded were in fact IRs actively promoting their own FHTM business; and (6) a growing number of state attorneys general had already begun investigating FHTM in response to numerous complaints.

It turns out that FHTM’s ‘innovative’ marketing plan is nothing more than a face lift to an age-old scheme. According to the FTC’s Consumer Protection Bureau:

Pyramid schemes now come in so many forms that they may be difficult to recognize immediately. However, they all share one overriding characteristic. They promise consumers or investors large profits based primarily on recruiting others to join their program, not based on profits from any real investment or real sale of goods to the public. Some schemes may purport to sell a product, but they often simply use the product to hide their pyramid structure. There are two tell-tale signs that a product is simply being used to disguise a pyramid scheme: inventory loading and a lack of retail sales. Inventory loading occurs when a company's incentive program forces recruits to buy more products than they could ever sell, often at inflated prices. If this occurs throughout the company's distribution system, the people at the top of the pyramid reap substantial profits, even though little or no product moves to market. The people at the bottom make excessive payments for inventory that simply accumulates in their basements. A lack of retail sales is also a red flag that a pyramid exists. Many pyramid schemes will claim that their product is selling like hot cakes. However, on closer examination, the sales occur only between people inside the pyramid structure or to new recruits joining the structure, not to consumers out in the general public.

Nonetheless, the truth is catching up with FHTM. On December 10, 2009, The North Dakota Attorney General's Office filed a Cease and Desist Order for violation of the Consumer Fraud Law, the Transient Merchant Law, the Home Solicitation Sales Law, and the North Dakota Pyramid Schemes Act. On January 19, 2010, FHTM entered into a Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with the North Dakota Attorney General's Office. On March 16, 2010, the Montana State Auditor's Office filed a Temporary Cease and Desist Order against FHTM, Paul C. Orberson, Thomas A. Mills, and Dianne Graber (a Montana IR). According to the Montana State Auditor's Office, FHTM has engaged in acts or practices constituting violations of the Securities Act of Montana, Montana Code ANN.[protected] et seq. On April 22, 2010, FHTM agreed to pay nearly $1 million and to change its business practices to resolve the charge that it is operating a pyramid promotional scheme.

With each passing day, more states are jumping on FHTM’s bandwagon. The alarming rise in consumer complaints and governmental sanctions has prompted the Better Business Bureau of Central and Eastern Kentucky to downgrade FHTM’s rating from “B-” to “F”. At the same time, a proliferation of online bulletin boards and blogs, such as www.complaintsboard.com and www.scams.com criticize FHTM’s pyramid scheme confirms that Isaacs’ experience is not unique. Will those operations be the next target of Fortune’s high price legal team?

S
S
sweet willy
Henderson, US
Apr 29, 2010 11:59 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

game lounge sign in code gl7

S
S
sweet willy
Henderson, US
Apr 29, 2010 11:55 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

would like tp o start game lounge account no phoneline connect code gl7 email address billycas1@gmail.com

L
L
ladybug_dish
Mohave Valley, US
Jan 10, 2010 3:55 pm EST

I, ladybug_dish, 3474 am very unhappy with the token score I just got after logging back on. When I log off this morning my score at the 40 level 2nd bar was 372, 147. I just log back on @ 2:15 pm and I lost a bar and my score is @ 368, 677. What happened. This is not the first time this has happened.

ComplaintsBoard
J
4:00 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV billing after disconnect

A couple of years ago, I was disgusted by poor reception on diierctv, poor customer service and their failure to carry a local network channel, even though they charged me for it. Every time I would call and try to cancel, would switch the call over to someone who would try to re-sell and upsell me. Last time, they tried to do that, I just said to disconnect me and I switched to mediacom.

They tried to send a bill for service I didn't want or receive after the switch. I called and told one of the phone drones off. I thought that ended it, but now (2 years later) , i'm getting letters from a collection agency. I know better than to deal with bottom feeding collection agencies.

Calling directv, all I get is phone drones, supposedly in executive customer service. They don't give intelligent answers, which is pretty much all you can expect from smug and smartassed kids and they tell me that I cannot reach anyone higher.

If I mention the possibility of suing directv, they say that they have to disconnect the call for mentioning potential litigation and they will not transfer the call to a person with any real responsibility. Let's face it, real executives do not answer the phone with their first name, or work for an hourly wage. These kids are no better than the ones selling fast food with paper hats and name tags, also with their first name only.

Emails to the supposedly top execs (Pres and v. P. ) get routed back to the same kids as before. It would seem that the v. P. For customer service doesn't actually deal with customer service. I would think that investors would love to know that people are drawing big paychecks while avoiding doing anything job related and probably causing lawsuits which could have been easily avoided with a couple of minutes of intelligent discussion.

I have found page after page of complaints about directv incompetence and arrogance, but I have yet to find anyone with a solution. Does anyone have one, or should I file a lawsuit against them? If I file a lawsuit, , would anyone like to join me in it? If not join me in the litgation, how about filing separately and then negotiating with them together for a stronger position in settlement talks?

I'm open to any and all intelligent suggestions

Read full review of DirecTV and 1 comment
Update by JOKER
May 14, 2009 5:41 pm EDT

DirecTv will say anything to end an adverse conversation, but actions (if any) are rarely the same as promised. In short, they are liars. I would personally be delighted to join as a plaintiff, or witness, in any well conceived litigation against DirecTv.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
1 comment
Add a comment
G
G
George F Griepp
Hot Springs, US
May 14, 2009 5:59 pm EDT

I am waiting to see what their response will be.

ComplaintsBoard
K
12:53 pm EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV scam charges

I called to request 2 additional receivers before 3 weeks' of new service elapsed. 4 separate agents passed me around for 30 minutes to justify charging $340 extra for a $4.99 per month, advertised fee! When I complained they said that "was their policy". End result was they immediately shut off service and threatened collection if I refused to pay for early termination / deactivation fee of another $300. Following that, they had the audacity to insist I return their equipment promptly OR ELSE, PAY FOR IT TOO. NO customer service... NONE. NADA.

Past experience years ago, they denied proof of return of equipment, charged for it. If they could, they will ruin your credit for 7 years of false collection attempts. Cable alternatives for 1.5 years is now less than ONE MONTH of their EXTORTION.

DO NOT EVEN THINK OF SUBSCRIBING TO THIS POOR, PITIFUL, PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR SERVICE.

THEY DESERVE TO BE SUED and their "Customer Agreement" imposing Arbitration and waived right to trial in dispute, challenged and penalized against them, restitution to all past and present subscribers.

Count me in on that.

Read full review of DirecTV and 9 comments
Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

Hide full review
9 comments
Add a comment
Valerie
Valerie
, US
Aug 08, 2008 1:27 am EDT

My account was canceled in October of 2007 when I moved from Kentucky to Indiana. I specifically requested a they close my account (not suspend) since I was moving out of the state. I was not under any contract and my balance was paid in full. Recently (August 2008) I noticed an unauthorized charge drafted against my bank account on 8-1-08. I then checked my (closed) DirecTV account online to discover that billing resumed six months after I moved away for service to a residence that I no longer even lived at. I did not receive any service and the $137.93 charge drafted from my bank account was illegal an unauthorized. They even had the boldness to charge a $15 disconnect fee. I informed them that unless I receive a credit back to my account or a refund check immediately - I am going to contact the local media fraud hotlines to publicly settle this matter. I really do find it hard to believe that this is the way they do business and you can be assured I will NEVER be a DirecTV customer again as well as tell everyone I come in contact with they are a corrupt company.

Valerie
Valerie
, US
Sep 29, 2008 5:56 am EDT

DirecTV submitted a $646.12 charge to my bank account without authorization to collect on my daughter's account because I had made a payment on her account to help her out several months prior. I did not sign a contract with DirecTV, nor was my banking information given to them to use on the account when it was started a year ago. I had used my debit card to make a payment for my daughter when she got behind and was not aware by doing this, they would keep my information on file and use it for this type of action.

I called and talked with 9 different people and got 9 different answers from we will refund you your money to we can't do anything to help you because we had a new policy to be put in place 4 months prior that anyone who uses the debit card to make a payment on an account is giving permission for DirecTV to use thi card information for collecting past due bills.

My last conversation talking with someone in the Office of the President, I was told they would refund $203.50 for the return of the cable box but that was all I would get and that would be processed immediately. One week later I am still waiting for my $203.50

This action by DirecTV has caused me to not be able to pay my rent, therefore, eviction notice can be served on me at any time. My husband has been out of work for 4 months due to serious health condition and may never be able to go back to work so this action by DirecTV has put severe hardship on us financially.

Our bank was contacted immediately regarding this fraudulent activity and tried to help by faxing over the bank information to DirecTV showing the debit transaction on our account not my daughter's. Now the bank is telling us their is nothing they can do because of the DirecTV policy. We are not finished with the bank yet either!

DirecTV should not be allowed to just take money out of people's bank account, especially when there are not contracts signed and authorization was not given. This type of activity by big companies like DirecTV need to stop!

D
D
Daniel
, US
Jan 07, 2009 5:30 am EST

I called up DirectTV to cancel the service. I explained that somebody broke in to my place and stole my TV. I have not watched TV for a month and I had no intention to buy another TV set.

She said I had EIGHTEEN month commitment that I do not remember if they told me about and I would be with them for 4 month at the end of January. I agreed on them charging me $280 which is 14 months X $20 early termination fee.

Now, I remember, even during the installation, the contractor came in and charged $70 for the tripod which you can buy at $14 from online stores.

So, it seems that DirectTV strives on ripping people off. I would stick to bigger name companies from now on. Not really related to DirectTV but one of the reasons, I believe, that my unit was attacked out of hundreds is I had the outstanding satellite dish on my deck.

M
M
Murdock
, US
Apr 07, 2009 10:15 am EDT

In March of 2008, my wife informed Directv that we had sold our house in Arkansas and were moving to Montana. Directv told us to leave the dish, a dish that I had paid for and installed myself years ago. Directv told us they would put our account on hold for 6 months. After 6 months they started billing us and I wrote on the bills that we had not moved into our new house and had no satellite dish so stop the bills. The bills continued, and we never paid them because we were not receiving their service.

When I was threatened/blackmailed by Directv's collection agency, AlliedInterstate, I paid $58.73 to keep my credit rating from being ruined by their threats. I called a lady in Directv's retention department and she proudly announced that only she could remove all charges if we would now start up service. She hung up on me when I told her that I was a long time customer, I did not like being treated this way, and no way was I going to remain with them as a customer.

I filled a complaint with the Better Business Bureau asking for the return of $58.73, the cost of a new dish, and a letter of apology from the president. Directv refused and eventually sent me a check for $15.90 which I voided and returned. After looking at the bills I discovered that they were billing us for service at the Arkansas address knowing we had moved to Montana where they sent the bill.

Bottom line, Directv thinks customers should pay for service not received. Just because somebody activated an account, they feel I must pay. Obviously, Directv must have some in house rule that makes employees pay the customer out of their own pocket if they make mistakes. These guys will never admit making a mistake. Solid business ethics...?

M
M
maeann
, US
Mar 27, 2010 1:45 pm EDT

write to the better business bereau..directv needs to be stopped...they are scamming all customers

A
A
Adam M
Trollville, US
Feb 26, 2010 7:30 pm EST

write their disputes department and demand a refund of your early termination fee. If they don't agree, go to arbitration. It will cost them around $800 for arbitration so they will probably return your fee.

H
H
heidi009
Little Elm, US
Sep 20, 2009 2:45 pm EDT

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!

D
D
David Sampley
,
Nov 20, 2008 8:50 am EST

I got DirecTV and it was a nightmare. I had to call every month to get my bill. I never got my bill and my service was cut off one time and they would send a past due notice with the bill after I had to call and ask for it. I ended my service and paid in full but after sending in my receiver I started getting bills that continued to increase every statement until it reached $392.00. I was told this was for movies I had watched the year before. If you read the manual it say's you must have a land line phone hooked to the TV to get PPV movies. I never did but was told these were stored in the receiver after it was returned and that was how the company knew they were watched. This is crazy, if I had never ended my service could I have watched free movies forever? Where is this receiver and how can a consumer prove they lied? I have heard this same problem from other people who just paid the bill because they felt they could not prove that the company was a ripping them off. They even charged my credit card for this $392.00 which I had removed and they have threatened to turn me over to several collection agencies. This company needs to be shut down. STAY AWAY FROM DIRECTV>

B
B
beatrice reid
,
Oct 28, 2008 12:32 pm EDT

you think that is bad-We won a HD reciever from directv last year when we moved. We were supposed to get 1 year free programming. We immediately started seeing charges on our bill. After calling numerous times and getting the run around we told directv we were going to cancell service. A customer service manager informed us that they would remove the charges on the next bill and grant our 1 year free HD. I just called to cancel Directv due to hidden charges in our bill and was informed we would have to pay a 100.00 dollars in fees becaused we cancelled before the 2 years contract on HD service was up and would have to return the HD reciever. How did we win anything? The rep said we only got the programming for free not the reciever and by accepting the free gift we started a new 2 year contract! What a scam!NEVER ACCEPT ANYTHING FOR FREE OR AS BEING ADVERTISED AS WON BY DIRTECTV! I WISH THEY HAD NEVER CALLED US TO TELL US WE WON THIS!Never enter the moving sweepstakes!

About DirecTV

DirecTV is a digital satellite TV service provider offering a variety of channels and packages. Customers can access live television, on-demand content, and DVR capabilities. The service includes options for sports, movies, and premium networks, catering to diverse viewing preferences. DirecTV also offers bundled packages with internet and phone services for a comprehensive home entertainment and connectivity solution.

DirecTV Customer Reviews Overview

DirecTV is a digital satellite TV service provider offering a variety of channels and packages to customers across the United States. Their services include live television, on-demand content, and digital video recording capabilities. Subscribers can choose from different tiers, which provide access to sports, movies, and premium networks, depending on the selected plan. DirecTV also offers streaming options through its app, enabling viewers to watch content on different devices. The company caters to a diverse audience seeking customizable entertainment solutions for their homes.
How to file a complaint about DirecTV?

**Guide on Filing a Complaint Against DirecTV on ComplaintsBoard.com:**

1. Log in or Create an Account:
- If you already have an account, log in to ComplaintsBoard.com. If not, create a new account to proceed.

2. Navigating to the Complaint Form:
- Locate and click on the 'File a Complaint' button at the top right corner of the ComplaintsBoard.com website.

3. Writing the Title:
- Summarize the main issue with DirecTV in the 'Complaint Title' briefly and clearly.

4. Detailing the Experience:
- Mention key areas such as transactions, nature of the issue, steps taken to resolve, personal impact, etc.
- Provide relevant information to support your complaint effectively.

5. Attaching Supporting Documents:
- Attach any additional supporting documents that can strengthen your complaint. Avoid including sensitive personal data.

6. Filling Optional Fields:
- Use the 'Claimed Loss' field to state any financial losses and the 'Desired Outcome' field to specify the resolution you seek.

7. Review Before Submission:
- Review your complaint for clarity, accuracy, and completeness before submitting it to ensure it effectively conveys your concerns.

8. Submission Process:
- Click the 'Submit' button to submit your complaint to ComplaintsBoard.com for review.

9. Post-Submission Actions:
- Regularly check for responses or updates related to your complaint on ComplaintsBoard.com to stay informed about the progress.

Ensure each step is clearly defined to guide you effectively through the process of filing a complaint against DirecTV on ComplaintsBoard.com.

Ratings on other sites
Trustpilot
Trustpilot
1.2
2661 reviews

Overview of DirecTV complaint handling

DirecTV reviews first appeared on Complaints Board on Jul 20, 2006. The latest review DirecTV - A Disappointing Experience was posted on Mar 29, 2024. The latest complaint Closed captioning issues with hln hd channel 204 was resolved on Jun 16, 2021. DirecTV has an average consumer rating of 2 stars from 2197 reviews. DirecTV has resolved 537 complaints.
Trust badge
Collect Your Trust Badge
Be recognized for outstanding customer service
  1. DirecTV contacts

  2. DirecTV phone numbers
    +1 (800) 531-5000
    +1 (800) 531-5000
    Click up if you have successfully reached DirecTV by calling +1 (800) 531-5000 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached DirecTV by calling +1 (800) 531-5000 phone number Click up if you have UNsuccessfully reached DirecTV by calling +1 (800) 531-5000 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached DirecTV by calling +1 (800) 531-5000 phone number
    Customer Service
    +1 (855) 838-4388
    +1 (855) 838-4388
    Click up if you have successfully reached DirecTV by calling +1 (855) 838-4388 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached DirecTV by calling +1 (855) 838-4388 phone number Click up if you have UNsuccessfully reached DirecTV by calling +1 (855) 838-4388 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached DirecTV by calling +1 (855) 838-4388 phone number
    Sales
    +1 (855) 796-1459
    +1 (855) 796-1459
    Click up if you have successfully reached DirecTV by calling +1 (855) 796-1459 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached DirecTV by calling +1 (855) 796-1459 phone number Click up if you have UNsuccessfully reached DirecTV by calling +1 (855) 796-1459 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached DirecTV by calling +1 (855) 796-1459 phone number
    8449663657
    8449663657
    Click up if you have successfully reached DirecTV by calling 8449663657 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached DirecTV by calling 8449663657 phone number Click up if you have UNsuccessfully reached DirecTV by calling 8449663657 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached DirecTV by calling 8449663657 phone number
    More phone numbers
  3. DirecTV emails
  4. DirecTV headquarters
    2230 E Imperial Hwy, El Segundo, California, 90245, United States
  5. DirecTV social media
DirecTV Category
DirecTV is related to the Satellite and Cable TV category.

Our Commitment

We stand for unbiased reviews

We make sure all complaints and reviews are from real people sharing genuine experiences.

We help resolving issues

We offer easy tools for businesses and reviewers to solve issues together. Learn how it works.

We advocate freedom of speech

We support and promote the right for reviewers to express their opinions and ideas freely without censorship or restrictions, as long as it's respectful and within our Terms and Conditions, of course ;)

We ensure transparent and fair ratings

Our rating system is open and honest, ensuring unbiased evaluations for all businesses on the platform. Learn more.

We care about your privacy

Personal details of reviewers are strictly confidential and hidden from everyone.

We are easy, free and open to everyone

Our website is designed to be user-friendly, accessible, and absolutely free for everyone to use.

Is ComplaintsBoard.com associated with DirecTV?

ComplaintsBoard.com is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with DirecTV Customer Service. Initial DirecTV complaints should be directed to their team directly. You can find contact details for DirecTV above.

ComplaintsBoard.com is an independent complaint resolution platform that has been successfully voicing consumer concerns since 2004. We are doing work that matters - connecting customers with businesses around the world and help them resolve issues and be heard.