DirecTV
reviews and complaints

They advertise that if you view certain movies on or before cut off date you get a credit of $4.99 to your bill. The truth is >
> For reference, we'll automatically send a Movie Money certificate in the mail
6 - 8 weeks after the DIRECTV Cinema offer period ends to be eligible
This will be sent separately from your bill statement.
> Once you receive the Movie Money certificate, follow these steps to redeem
your rebate:
> 1. Complete all the information requested on the certificate.
> - Customer's name
> - Account number
> - Phone number
> - Signature
> 2. Mail completed certificate, along with remittance slip and bill payment.
> - Certificates should be redeemed by expiration date printed on
certificate.
> Note: Customers with paperless/Auto Bill Pay or who pay online must fill out
the certificate and mail it to:
> DIRECTV, Inc.
> P.O. Box 78626
> Phoenix, AZ [protected]
> A $4.99 credit appears on the account within approximately 2 billing cycles.

My company transferred me from Chicago to Connecticut recently. I was a comcast customer for the last 3 years and I couldn't transfer my connection. After coming to CT, I thought of going for a bundle package with direct tv. I talked to their representative and agreed to a package consists of TV and internet. She quoted the price and terms of agreement and I was fine with that. She created a new account, then created my order for the TV portion of the bundle and transfered me to internet group. Then started the "fun", they dont provide the same service for the price the earlier representative agreed. Either I have to pay $10/month more or have to go with a service which is 5 times slower that what was agreed on. Then I said, I would cancel the call. They game a number to call. This was around 7.00pm EST. Then they started transferring my call from one person to another and I explained my issue to each of these person. This carried out till 9.16pm (2 hours 16 minutes) and by this time I talked to 11 representatives. Then I talked to a 12th repensentative and asked her to transfer the call to her manager. Then I was on hold for 23 minutes... and the time was 9.39pm. Then I cut the call and called again. Another (13th) representative took the call. I had her transfer the call to her manager (a 14th person). She asked all the question from the begining and said she would transfer my call to internet guys back!. I insisted that I wanted to cancel my order. Then she transfered it to another guy (15th person). When I talked to him, he said he wasnt the right person and transferred the call again. Now I am wiht the 16th person. She started begging "please dont cancel our service. dont take the internet go with the tv". This continued for the next 25 minutes. By the time I got my service called, it was 10.23pm EST (3 hours 23 minutes)!. The worst service I have ever experienced in my life... These guys have to learn a lot about customer serivce from Apple and Comcast. Apple has the best customer serivce I have seen till now. Comcast - if they made a mistake in price quote, they will bear the cost and make customer happy. Direct TV guys are pathetic.

I am so tired of finding big messes on my bill. It seems if you dial direct tv accidentally you get a charge (not quite that bad but almost) They screwed up so they offered me free HBO for a short while. I do not watch this much but accepted the offer in good faith. This was bad, as showed up as a charge on my bill. I called back, and they explained some song and dance about was just a charge in case I kept it. I said to get it off there as I did not authorize the charge and not explained. They then put a charge on for early cancellation next time. I decided to order a movie and so time comsuming gonna miss movie, so I called. No mention anywhere of extra charge for this, and I do not have time to read all that trash that comes in my monthly statement. Bill showed almost $11 for that . They really racked up, overcharged for the movie, then charged $5 for the phone call. Rep tried to explain how to avoid these costs. I advised will avoid by renting red box at $1 from now on. Why do these companies realize they price themselves out of business with their sneakiness. I will get cable if much more of this. Then I read on here where they are doing this underhanded stuff and taking the money out of accounts. Maybe attorney General could solve.

We live in sw oklahoma and receive local directv chanels from oklahoma city (Okc).In late nov 2010, I noticed that I was no longer receiving my local okc chennels in hd. I had "bought" 3 of directv's hd boxes, including dvr, and upgraded all of my tvs just so I could watch football games on the local channels and etc.In hd.

After lodging complaints with them, they sent me emails that directv has deccided not to carry hd channel to any rual oklahoma customers. If I try to cancel service, they don't care and will cost me large termination fees.

Dish network does carry local okc in hd.

I chose Direct TV as part of a "bundle package" with AT&T. Our first month's bill arrived, one day after the payment due date (our check had been mailed, but not yet received) our service was disconnected. I paid the bill on the phone with AT&T to get service restored. It was restored then disconnected. After being placed on hold for 43 minutes, transferred several times, and disconnected once only to sit on hold a second time for 37 minutes; our connection was restored. Then...after 3 hours, disconnected. At this point, there was no one available to take my call, it was 8:00p.m. EST.
The next day our service was restored and interrupted at total of 4 times, requiring lengthy phone calls and hold times each time. The customer service people at AT&T were nice, helpful and tried to get Direct TV to understand that the bill was current and service could be restored. Direct TV somehow couldn't get the message.
Finally, the situation was resolved. The next month came and I received a bill directly from Direct TV. When I contacted them, they said that the service had been unbundled. BUT, I WOULD NOT LOSE MY DISCOUNT FOR "BUNDLED SERVICE". For the next 4 months, the blls came from Direct TV and were paid. On time. Every month.
Now it's January 4, 2011. And, I am preparing to have a party this evening for the Sugar Bowl. Ohio State. Go Bucks! I turn my tv on this afternoon, and, my Direct TV has been disconnected.
I call. I am told that my bill is now 415.o0. And, my monthly service has gone from 68.99 a month to 115.00 a month. The 415.00 due is because once my account was "unbundled" from AT&T, I lost my discount there. And, they are charging me retroactively for ALL of the months of service (5) that I had been paying the 69 dollar bill. After arguing, circularly, with the customer service agent. I ask to speak to her supervisor. I am on hold for a good 45 minutes. The rude, belligerent, and downright mean supervisor all but accused me of being a deadbeat as he explained that they review accounts quarterly and this is the way it is. He doesn't have the authority to make any changes. When asked who does, he says that "the bill will stand as it is and until it's paid in full there will be no service."
I am so frustrated and upset that I politely end the conversation. Because of my impending party, I call back after I have calmed some to make a check payment over the phone and restore service until I figure out how best to fight this. I have the money in my account to cover this payment, but they will not take a check by phone because my account is in "review status". What does that mean? It means they are reviewing it as part of the quarterly review they conduct. I say, "Fine, but you have already determined this amount is due and I would like to pay it to restore my service."
In a nutshell, after over an hour of discussion and transfers to various departments, I am not able to make a payment that won't be held for 5 days. After 5 days, my service would be reconnected assuming no problem with the payment.
At this point, I did slam the phone down.
I would strongly recommend no one use Direct TV, they are clueless and they don't have one single person at the lower or middle management levels who know what is going on. Further, they will change their accounts on a whim to make extra money.
STAY AWAY FROM DIRECT TV
(as a footnote, the service sucks because clouds, wind and rain all screw with your reception and it's not worth it when you could have cable and always have reception)

I have had it with Direct TV. For starters, their billing tactics. We had billing set up on one account and after the first 3 billing cycles being screwed up (they actually charged 2 different bank accounts). The one I used for the "initial set up" they said they were only charging$25 (which was just to make sure you had credit). I set it up so our joint household account would be billed and after much headache, emotional distress and telephone calls with them, they finally got it right - actually the President of Direct TVs secretary got it fixed 3 months later and my numerous calls to Direct TV - I have spent maybe 12 hours of my time on the phone with billing alone problem, now I spent another hour today! I'm not entering 2011 with these types of problems. I will use our judicial system and let my taxes that I pay every year cover the problems I encounter.
NOW - after we have had service only since 8/3/2010, we are told that in order to order movies (that we have done in the past) we have to have a landline phone hooked up to our HD-DVR box! BULL! The only way we can order any paid movies is to call or go to the internet to order? BULL! Why have we done it previously... so I called today and they want ME to spend yet another hour, or two or three on their "technical support line"... I told them to call technical support and they can call me back when its fixed.. he said "I'm sorry we are not equiped"... hello -- this is YOUR company and YOU are not equipped to contact your own department tell them the problem that I just spent 45 minutes explaining to you? I want this service out of our home, I want our contract voided by the President of Direct TV so we are not billed any further and... if they do not do this, I want to establish their business tactics in a Class Action Law Suit that I will find an attorney to take on for us. ANYBODY WITH ME? You can email me at [protected]@yahoo.com and use the subject: My DirectTV Service

We have been customers since the days of Prime Star (now Direct TV) and had no problems with this company. We upgraded this year (2010) because we wanted to get our local stations. Upon our request to Direct TV through their telephone service we were told that our system was to old to provide the local channels in our area so we would have to upgrade. The customer service representative stated we could have a new dish and components upgrade for free and even get a HD receiver for the upgrade. I also stated I would like to have HD DVR and a standard receiver for the the kid's bedroom. He said that I would be able to keep the receivers that I had originally purchase (not leased) from Radio Shack. We were waiting on the HD receiver that was promise in our upgrade only to find out later it was not part of the deal. When they installed the HD DVR they took of with our original receiver stating that it was an exchange. From there the junk kept coming. Be aware of all the charges before doing business with this company. You will not find a sympathizing individual who can do anything for you. We do not want our credit damaged so we will suffer for two years and then switch. We are a people of our word and will cancel. I just don't know what else we can do to get this taken care of. My recommendation is not to use this company. The billing came and besides the $311.00 that they charged us for the standard and HD Dvr receivers the bill added up to $ 133.00. A far cry from the $ 59.00 we originally had monthly.

I was a customer with them for about seven years. we started having finacial problems got behind on our bill wasn"t able to pay the bill right away. so they sent it to a collection agency I was going to call them and set up payment arrangements. Then my husband got looking at his bank acct. they had took out over three hundred dollars in his acct. I called them up and ask them why they took it out without letting us know and the one I was talking to said they were aloud to because when you sign up for satellite it says specifacally on the contract if we owe any back bill they are aloud to take it out. I told her I had received a letter on the remaining balance that we owed from a collection agency and was going to set up some payment arrangements. she said they didn't send it to the collection agency. I told her I had the letter right there in my hands. She kept saying it wasnt sent to a collection agency but it was cause I had the letter. They could of had the courtesy to send us a letter letting us know they were going to take it out of his bank acct.

At the time I had Direct TV installed, I was not told that about 95% of the programming is on Eastern Standard Time. This mean that most programs here are three hours earlier than listed in our TV Guide. I repeat, I was not told this at the time of installation, nor does it appear anywhere in your advertisments. I cannot understand why this is; when we had Dish Network all the programming was as listed. Surely Direct TV is a large enough company to have satellite connections on the West Coast! I would cancel my contract, but Direct TV would undoubtedly charge me an arm and a leg to do so

Letter I sent to Directv:

I recently moved and wanted to transfer my Directv account with me. Unfortunately, two of your technicians were unable to find signal at my new home. So, I called immediately to cancel my service with you, as directed by one of the technicians.

I just checked my bank account and found that your company had taken out my final bill of $125.66 which led me to have a $25.00 overdraft fee. I am furious over this. It's 2 days after Christmas! I was NOT told that my final bill would be automatically withdrawn from my account-even as I was cancelling it over the phone with your customer service rep. I was planning on sending a check to you today, as I just got paid. This is nothing short of legalized robbery. There was no warning or date of withdrawl. What if you did not have my account information on file from previous payments? This never would have happened.

I understand I owe you the final bill. But the $25.00 you caused me to have in overdraft fee's is unacceptable, and I want a refund. I am a struggling single parent and it is a lot of money for me.

I have been a happy customer up until this point. But I feel that you need to make this right with me. Word of mouth can be very powerful. Thank you for your time and quick response to this matter.

Well, needless to say, they called and said I was SOL and that they basically don not care. I should have read the "fine print" when I signed up for their service. I will bad mouth them for a very long time.

This past september (2010) after relocating to idaho we were having issues regarding our direct tv service, specifically the ability go wireless. After a few calls the same direct tv service technician came to our house and said with hughes internet service that the wireless aspect would not work. He was honest and trust worthy (We even tried to tip him $40 upon install and he refused to take it saying it was against corporate policy).

A few weeks later I was in our bedroom with my spouse being "intimate" when my dogs started barking. I jumped out bed naked and looked out my bedroom door without leaving the room when I noticed a gentleman standing on the right side of our porch peering in at me. When I threw pants on I asked him what the hell he was doing and he said he was a "direct tv supervisor" and was following up on the service call. He kept peering around my shoulder through-out this conversation and I told him to leave immediately.

Immediately after he left I call direct tv corporate and lodged a complaint with the boise office. The lady I talked to told be that this behavior would not be tolerated and that she would look into it. Almost a month later I still had not heard anything from them and I called back to find out and to cancel my service. I was informed that there was "no record" of my complaint and that I would be charged for "early disconnection. " obviously I was pissed and threatened to go to our local sheriff's office to file formal complaints.

It was obviously that they have no concerns about what there employees do or what their phone representatives say or do. I call about every two weeks and keep getting told I have no right to cancel my service as I "signed a contract, " yet when I discuss why there has been no follow-up or complaint I am told "you have no right to be part of the investigative process. " what in the hell? All victims are part of the investigative process!

Bottom line is this; direct tv has a "corporate ethics" policy yet if it means it interferes with income it suddenly ignores it. When are we going to start holding this corporation accountable? Why is it ok for them to hire and then hide sexual predators as employees and refuse to be accountable for their (The corporations) actions?

Directv has announced that it may no longer carry my local chanel wtoc-tv in savannah, ga starting january 1st. Even thought I live in south carolina, I am from savannah and like to keep up with the local happenings. The local channels are a part of my package. I have been a directv customer for over 10 years. Please direct management to do whatever is necessary to continue having wtoc-tv as part of my package.
Thanks.
Sally murphy

I sign up for a "promotional" offer for $35/month for DirectTV. They charge $75/month - after 15+ phone calls (HOURS on the phone with "customer service" only offering to "upgrade my package"). Then they disconnect the service after 60 days - despite having sent payment. My payment returns 10 days after it was sent saying my account didn't exist. (I had to send a check because I needed to reset my password for their website and - according to customer service - they can't help with that either. They eventually transferred me to another department in which I was promptly disconnected.) WTF?!?! I try yet again to call back - all I want is basic service! Now, on Christmas Eve, I see that they charged my primary checking account without any prior notice or authorization for $786. I can't call them or my bank until after the holidays to get everything sorted out. How could they debit my account when they returned a check that had the EXACT SAME INFORMATION ON IT?!?!

I can't imagine the poor saps they do this to that wouldn't have the money to cover such [censored]. We'll see how the Better Business Bureau and my lawyer would like to resolve this. I've heard horror stories of people having issues with satellite TV, but this is WAY BEYOND anything I ever imagined feasibly possible.

Directv required us to return a dvr purchased for $100 at best buy when we canceled directv service two months ago. My daughter sarah purchased this unit as something to own, but directv insisted that it was a leased receiver and that the $100 was a one time service charge. No contract was signed and sarah was not advised that it was a lease. She purchased this at the register like any other item receiving a receipt at the register. The sales clerk indicated that it was on sale to own. She could have bought a competing tivo unit for a few dollars more which she would still have. This was she's out $100.
Directv should not be allowed to uses these deceptive billing practices, and all money taken illegally should be returned.

Called directv at 12.05pm, spoke to two "customer service" reps - antoinette, employee id#[protected] (philippines), lesley (manager?, employee id#[protected], also philippines), ms. chelsea employee id #[protected] (georgia) and ashley employee id#529686 (texas). I signed up with centurylink for their bundled services, was offered $29.99 for the directv choice xtra, no additional charges mentioned. I received an invoice from directv for a monthly charge of $109.99 with additional discounts which brought the invoice to $51.99 plus tax, totals $59.50. if you do the calculations online for this particular package, the monthly charges are $36.99 plus tax which are not higher than $7.51. $36.99 and $7.51 totals $44.50 and not $59.50. the difference is $15.00 and they didn't want to understand or didn't want to get any of this. the last two representatives from the us hung up the phone while going through their invoicing/billing calculations. these kinds of tactics are highly unprofessional, extremely rude and probably very much illegal. if one can't explain why a bill varies from an offered $29.99 package to now $109.99 and why certain discounts were not applied, why work at all or trust this business? are we in the mercy of those kinds of people, that are simply advertising and selling things under completely false pretenses and claims? directv better invest in educating employees then in false ads and false claims.

Direct TV Rebate Gift cards sucks! I got a $100 Gift card and can't use it and by the time I got to myprepaid.info / Young America Corp they said card expired and I lost all the money in the card. No body could tell who got the money that was unspent: DirectTV, Meta Bank, Young America Inc.

Stupid thing is I can't use the card when I have the money and by the time I got through to them to get the card fix so I can use it, they said the card expired so I lost all the money they gave. I guess it's scam with these gift cards so that GIVE you something then use thier partners to scam you and take the money back.

12-16-10 we had snow today that ended at 12 noon. I get home from work at about 4:30 and have no Direct tv signal. I do all the typical routine to get the signal back and cannot get it back! So I call once and only get to a computer and they lead me through the steps I have already tried. So i call back after I get the kids fed, etc. I talk to a lady who tells me the cable from the dish is unplugged somewhere. I go to all three receivers and nothing is unplugged. The TV worked when I went to work and nobody was home all day. It started to lightly rain about 12 noon to 3pm. When I got home the temperature was 38-39 degrees. So the rain was not freezing. After listening with the computer I went up to the dish and cleared it of any snow/ice. I call back and talk to a lady who didn't help so I asked that a service technician come out to fix the issue. She said she could not do that because of the weather. I told her it didn't matter what day, i'll take the appointment next week. Finally I asked her for her supervisor and she put me through to a guy named Brandon who identified himself (i have his employee # if anyone wants to see it). He told me if the problem was from noon on why was I just calling at 6:30 or so? I told him I called earlier when I got home from work and what did it matter what time I called? He said that it was reading 31 degrees and that the rain is freezing so I informed him that at 4:30 it was above freezing so the freezing rain does not hold water in this case (and I cleaned off the dish!). I asked him if I could schedule a technician (not today, in the next couple of weeks) and he told me no that they reserve technician visits for customers who have real issues! so I ask for his supervisor and he rattles off like 10 different names (Ralston, Chris, Ulysses, etc., etc.) but would not connect me to any of them! Amazingly the minute I hung up the phone with this jerk the Direct tv signal comes back. Coincidence? Don't think so... AWFUL customer service and the supervisor was 10x worse than the initial agent.

In September of 2008 I called Direct TV for service. They told me on the phone that there was no two-year contract. They said all I had to do was to sign for the equipment that was brought to my house. After a little over a year, I wanted to discontinue thier service because they kept adding fees and more and more money to my bill. I had to call them every month to fix my bill. After a year, they up my bill $40 dollars on top of what I was already paying and said that my contract was only good for a year. They charged me over $200 for discontinueing the service and they took it out of my bank account without my permission. I want my money back and all the fees that they charged me over a year.
Linda Jenkins