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2.0 2186 Reviews

DirecTV Complaints Summary

537 Resolved
1648 Unresolved
Our verdict: When using services from DirecTV with a poor resolution rate, be vigilant. Understand the common pitfalls other customers have faced. Prepare thoroughly for any interactions with their customer service, and consider alternative solutions if your issues are not addressed satisfactorily.
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M
11:35 am EDT

DirecTV early cancellation fees!

They stole almost $500 from me. Here is all of Direct TVs corporate headquarters contact information from the Forbes website...

DIRECTV Group, Inc. The
2230 East Imperial Highway
El Segundo, CA 90245
Phone: [protected]
Fax: [protected]
Web Site: www.directv.com

And here is the contact information for the Better Business Bureau for their region...

BBB of the Southland
(Colton, CA)
315 N. La Cadena
Colton, CA [protected]
Phone: [protected]
Fax: [protected]
Email: [protected]@labbb.org
Web: http://www.labbb.org

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6:56 am EDT
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DirecTV fraudulently starts service without permission and then demands payment for it

I called in to cancel our DirecTV service in March 2007. The account rep told me I should place the account on suspension instead of canceling it, and she told me that I would have to call in to start the service up again if I desired. We have never called in to start service up again and, in fact, this family has been completely without television (from DirecTV or anyone else) from April 2007 through today. We have no intention of ever starting television service again, and we have been holding the modem in its original box waiting for DirecTV to tell us what to do with it. Nevertheless, service was re-started without our permission or knowledge in January 2008 and DirecTV now expects payment for three months of service. They terminated our service in mid-March because we hadn't paid the bill. (Although I told them on March 2, 2008, by telephone and letter to terminate the service, they refused to do so until they realized I wasn't going to pay.) The current balance is a little over $200.

I have been advised by Margaret and Sheldon at the customer service center that, if I agreed to stay with DirecTV, they would waive half of the balance owing, but they would not close my account and zero the balance. This alternative is completely unsatisfactory. DirecTV has and is committing fraud against our family by putting our account on suspension under false pretenses and starting service again without permission.

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Scott
,
Aug 07, 2008 9:50 pm EDT

My account was cancelled in October of 2007 when I moved from Kentucky to Indiana. Recently I noticed an unauthorized charge drafted against my bank account. 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 live at. I did not recieve 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 recieve 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 buisness 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.

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Will
,
Jul 30, 2008 11:22 am EDT

There was no fradulent start. A suspenison only lasts 6 months at a time whereupon you must call back and resuspend your account. i had to suspend mine for over a year and had no issues like this. People are so quick to blame shadowy companies and the like.,

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V
5:52 am EDT
Resolved
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DirecTV being harassed by direct tv

My parents are having to deal with Direct TV because they switched to Dish TV. They were with Direct for around 9 yrs, and this year after a big storm, lightning ran in thru the receiver, and fried the box and the TV. Direct couldn't or wouldn't help them to get this problem fixed. They wouldn't get anyone out to fix the receiver going on 2 weeks, my parents decided to change companies and did, and went to Dish, who came out just a couple days after they called them, after Direct found out they were switching, then all of a sudden they would be able to send someone out immediately, to fix the problem, plus give them all kinds of perks, my parents said no and stayed with Dish anyway. My parents tried repeatedly to call Direct TV and find out how to send their equipment back to them, each time they were told something different on how this was done, so my parents sent it back by UPS, after talking to the driver, who was a big help and very kind to them in every way. After sending the receiver back, they were still receiving phone calls from Direct, again telling them how to send their receiver back to them, their customer service has absolutely no communication amongst themselves, or they just don't care about service, not sure which it is, but they truly have a problem.When my parents received the first bill from Direct, after the storm, it said the owed nothing, which would have been right, as they always paid their bill on time, then just the other day they received a new bill from Direct, stating they owed $332.60, this bill has no explanation for the money owed, just that they owe it. So this morning my dad gets a call from Direct TV, they are now telling him he owes this money for an early disconnect, ok, again they have been with Direct TV for around 9yrs, does this make any sense? The customer services rep he talked to argued with him and was very rude, my dad is old and in poor health as is my mother, this is upsetting to both my parents, and is extremely hard on them physically and emotionally, when they did everything they could to send back any equipment and pay their bill like they were suppose to do, now they are being harasses by Direct TV for money they do not owe.

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Julie
,
Sep 19, 2008 11:53 pm EDT

I cant believe this Company! What are they thinking? I am going thru a similar situation with an "Early Cancellation Fee". I only had the service for 3 months, paid in full each month, but because of Medical Problems, I was in and out of the hospital for the next 3 months. Ive had diabetes for 40 years and I am trying to handle some "complications" from the diabetes (6 way heart by-pass and now, my right partial foot and my left leg below my knee have been amputated. This of course forced me to move home to my Moms house so she can help me get around. Anyways I tried explaining to the 4 or 5 customer service reps that I talked to about what was going on and if they could direct me to whoever could help me and they had to be the rudest people I have ever talked to! I wrote 2 letters explaining my predicament, pleading that they please remove the early cancellation fee from my account. I have never heard from them since! 2 or 3 months later, I get a call from an attorney ( And a Rude one at that!) that I needed to get a pmt. to him by Friday! I told him what I thought and I was going to contact Direct TV and I hung up. Today I get a bill for the 300.00 PLUS a fee so far of 98.00! I really dont know what to do. Any suggestions ?

ComplaintsBoard
M
1:43 pm EDT

DirecTV billing dispute

For any billing problems/early cancelation charges call the directv home office in el segundo, ca. The phone # is [protected]. Ask for bobby vernon. He works in the office of the president as the cusomer care manager for directv.

He has the authority to correct all the billing mistakes and you do not get the run around from the customer service call center and being placed on hold for what seems like for ever.

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SummertimeMartin
, US
May 28, 2019 10:09 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

My advice is to never use auto pay or give a credit/debit card, to these people...I agree that the office
personnel are crooks and need to be in a class action against their false policies and promises.

Pay with a check...if they try to get more money from the routing number, acc't number,
file a dispute with your bank. I don't believe they can debit a checking account w/o autopay
set up.

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Tiny House Greenville Sc
, US
Feb 01, 2019 10:01 pm EST

DON'T EVER TRY TO BUNDLE: BAIT AND SWITCH!

I had AT&T and Direct TV representative come to my house in Nov 2018 offering a bundled package for TV and Internet, along with a $100 gift card at sign up. All installation was to be waived and bill was to be a "Bundled Package". The offer was $130.00 for the first month and thereafter to be $105 per month.

When I received the bill, internet and Tv was not bundled and also did not reflect the agreed to pricing. Further, the internet was not installed the same day and I had to call to have it scheduled, even though it was supposed to be done the same day. Not only had I confirmed a "bundled Package" via phone prior to installation, but called immediately to rectify the matter. Even after the internet installation date; it took them 2 more weeks to come out and bury the line they had running from the backyard to the front yard posing a safety hazard
on multiple occasions for myself and my tenant. Ultimately, on 12/30/18, they came back out and threw the line towards my neighbor's property over the fence instead of burying it as they had agreed.

Subsequently I have received bills for the amounts of $217.55l, $250.00, $209.92.
I have talked to Shakira in combined billing who told me I must pay the outstanding amount before they will bundle my package. Since that amount was exorbitantly higher than the bundle package agreed to, I refused, stating that would be agreeing to the new contract that I did not sign up for nor agreed to. Why would I pay for a bill I do not owe. During this process I have talked to Brandi, Remi, Niya, Karoni, Shakira and multiple others multiple days and both departments of At&T and Direct Tv.

Each corporate entity tells me I must talk to the other one first to resolve this matter, and states ultimately they can do nothing until the original bill is paid. I have made multiple calls in Nov, Dec and Jan to resolve this matter. I have given the correct phone number at the original sign up and each time I call, the old phone number is still in the system. On each of those calls, I have been transferred from Direct TV to At@T and back to Direct Tv again, only to be told to pay an erroneous bill before I can have the items bundled. However, it's a long learning curve for your customer service reps to understand what happened after explaining to each one. They cannot make sense of their own online information listed on their computers.

Since At&T and Direct TV have refused to honor the original bundled contract, I had no confidence they would do the same once I paid any "alledged" outstanding amount. This is clearly a bait and switch. I am terminating my service and do not care to do business with at@T and Direct TV any longer. The amount of time spent on the phone to resolve this matter has been a hardship and unreasonable that these companies do this and then expect you owe them. I only want what I signed up for. Shame on you both.

Regards, Susan Scott

Direct TV installed Nov 17
At@T completed installed 12/30

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Joe Sentz
, US
Mar 19, 2018 1:56 pm EDT

Broke my two year contract in 2017 been on it one year was told I could come back as long as I finish it. Well come to find out when I cancelled today they put me in a new two year contract without my knowing. So they say I owe 280 dollars wow liars so done with them forever. United States baby

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Guadalupe L
, US
Oct 24, 2017 4:16 pm EDT

I AM VERY ANGRY AND SLEEPLESS NIGHTS HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY GOING BACK ON A SIGNED CONTRACT.
IN JAN 2016 I CALLED AND SPOKE TO ONE OF YOUR AGENTS. I WAS ASSURED A TWO YEAR PLAN FOR $29.99. YOU BEGAN OVERCHARGING. THUS I CALLED AND CLARIFIED OVER CHARGES BUT THEY CONTTINUED. THEN AFTER ONE YER DIRECT TV BEGAN NOT ABIDING BY THE SIGNED 2 YEAR CONTRACT AND BEGAN CHARGING $50.81.
REITERATING, MANY TIMES I HAVE ATTEMPTED TO CLEAR MANY ERRORS.
SERVICES HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED SINCE ALL OF MY ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN TO NO AVAIL.
PLEASE COME & TAKE YOUR DISH, BOX, CONTROLS AND CABLES.
IF I HAD KNOWN YOUR CO. BELONGED TO AT&T I WOULD HAD NEVER CALLED NOR REFERRED A FRIEND. BY THE WAY YOU WERE SUBTRACTING $100 FOR REFERRING A FRIEND. YOU ALSO AT FIRST PROMISSED A $100 VISA WHICH WAS NEVER SENT.
I EXPECT A LETTER ITHAT I OWE NOTHING AND THAT MY ACCOUNT POSITIVELY CLEARED AND CLOSED WITH 0 BALANCE

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Salvador Arzola
, US
Sep 03, 2017 5:10 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Salvador Arzola Acct. [protected] On Aug. 12/17 I had service installed @ 933 East 23rd. Street #A My contact is [protected] I was told that I would not have to pay nothing. At the the time of Install The direct TV Tech : Jose Morataya said there would be a special install charge of $80.00 at that time I phoned the Sales Rep that signed me up for service. Named Kyle Buckett [protected] in our conversation Kyle said He would get my $80.00 refunded. Since then I've made many attempts to communicate with Kyle. At this point Kyle said he has send my information to His Boss. Now Kyle said it's out of His hand. This is VERY unprofessional and I do not do business like this. I had Charter and if this was going to be a problem I would have cancelled the install being that Charter was still connected. I am enjoying DIRECT TV very much, BUT it's not the was I do business I Understand the Kyle needed to make the Sale but He does not need to mislead new Customer. I do not want to cancel my Direct TV service BUT, I don't appreciate feeling that I'm getting messed with. See attached copy for $80.00 cashed by Tech that did the Installed.

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Lnelly
, US
Jul 24, 2017 3:49 pm EDT

anna lanaute paid her bill thur driect tv my account#[protected] TODAY AS OF JULY 24, 2017 BETWEEN 1:30 I PAID 53.35 PLUS 5.00 TOTAL OF 58.35 WAS PAY ON A DEBT CARD AND MY SERVICE IS STILL OFF. I CALL NUMERALS AGENTS AND THEY TOOK ME THAT I HAVE TO FILE DISPUTE TO BE CUT BY ON TODAY. I WONDER HOW LONG IT WILL BE BEFORE MY SERVICE COME BACK ON.

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Witch12
, US
Jun 15, 2017 3:57 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I received an email let's make it right for you, son I called to clear up a problem with my bill and it turned into a bad situation. Costumer service rep and I got into an argument.. I have been a direct tv costumer for over 10 years. I love direct tv but it got so bad I canceled my service and sent back my equipment. I received an email from direct tv saying let us help you and i called. It turned out they didn't want to help me they said nope can't help you but you owe us we want our money. I told him I didn't have a problem paying my bill but the email said let us make it right. But he didn't even offer to make it right. he said just pay your bill.. Very angry!

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Nodirectv4me
, US
May 21, 2017 3:47 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Total thieves. They charged us an early termination fee... AFTER being with them for 4 years... Why because we made a programming change. We added additional channels 3.5 years later, then sold our home 5 months after programming change. If you make any program change even years after initial contract is expired they steal money from your bank. Beyond thievery. For $21.00 they lost a customer that over our 4 year period spent approximately 6k... Never would refer them to anyone. Auto pay... Therefore never late... Building a new home... Guess who we WILL NOT BE USING..

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Mike/Lucas32262
, US
May 03, 2017 8:01 pm EDT

I have got no help at all from direct tv& ATT. Someone has used my credit card to pay their AT&T bill & Direct TV bill. As of right now payments are pending & Both company's will not put a stop payment of any sort, will not even investigte, flag accounts as suspicious payments. They are going to take my money first (stolen credit card, fruadulent payment) & then said I can file a dispute. I had the credit card company on the phone ( 3 way calling) & they would not even look @ it. All the other Companies stop the shipping, or flag accounts as fraudulent. It feels like they are working with the scammers & helping the thieves not the victims! Very much bad Companies!

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Davita Hopkins
, US
Apr 09, 2017 3:42 pm EDT

My name is Davita Hopkins I was once a customer of DirecTV okay. I am no longer a DirecTV customer and they turn and Bill my card 437. I am disputing this because I am no longer a customer of DirecTV when I ask for my money back and why am I being billed they're telling me that is impossible due to the fact they erased my card information that was on file I want my money back immediately and I think that this action is fraudulent activity on their behalf someone please help me in this manner

ComplaintsBoard
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3:50 am EDT
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DirecTV very upset at directv billing

I had DirecTV for 5 years. DirecTV was unwilling to work with me on getting my bill down to affordable levels. No where online or on my receiver did it say that after I ordered ppv sports packages I couldn't get at least a credit for the unwatched portions of those packages. Apparently you are supposed to go to the website and find this out before you order them over the receiver I guess.

Anyways I am left with an 1100 DirecTV bill I refuse to pay. I told them they can stick their service where the sun doesn't shine and I will never deal with them again. I now have dish network and like it except for they don't have as nice equipment or as many sports/hd channels. The sad thing was I was willing to pay them $700 to pay off my account and they told me I owed them $900 and wouldn't back down.

I figured a company would take the $700 and be happy but I guess DirecTV doesn't think that way for some reason.

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2:15 am EDT
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DirecTV horrible customer service

3 days ago we got a message on our tv stating that our HD Directv receiver was looking for satellite signal. We thought that it was due to the weather, even though it was a nice day. After 2 days and several attempts on fixing the problems we decide to pay for the protection plan, wich has a monthly fee, so we can be covered in the future. Today, we were waiting for the technician we scheduled two days ago, Directv asked us to be home from 4pm to 8pm, and we were. We are teachers and we work far from home, so we had to ask for a substitute teacher to cover the last class of the day so we could make it home on time. After 3 hours of waiting (little bit before 7) we received a call from Directv's dispatcher, stating that they couldn't find the technician and that we should wait until 8 to see if they could find him. We called back, since I didn't think it was fair to waste a whole afternoon for the lack of service from DirecTV. When I simply was told that I should re-schedule for SATURDAY! I thought it was a joke, since we were home, waiting and waiting for a service we scheduled and we are paying (it's not cheap either). I still can't believe that we were asked to be home AGAIN! from 8am to noon on Saturday. I truly value my time, since we are always working and super busy. I don't appreciate having to ask for a substitute teacher so I can go home and wait to see if DirecTV decides to fulfill its part of the agreement when I signed up for its service. Of course I am not happy with the "let's make another appointment", because that is NOT CUSTOMER SERVICE. When I said that I was considering canceling the service, they only said "call before you cancel". Just like this! What is a shame is that I have to watch an incredible amount of commercials assuring that they were awarded for customer service! I don't know if it's a joke, but I would say that the information on those commercials is far from true and misleads the consumers. I am more than disappointed with Directv's service and I wanted to warn people considering signing a two year contract with them, about their lack of responsibility with their customers.

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laidback
Amory, US
Aug 20, 2010 9:19 am EDT

look anywhere you work you have those people that do not show up to work on time that is not directv's fault that the tech decided to skip out on you and if you don't like getting a sub teacher to cover for you why didn't you set it up for sat in the first place i'm sure a teacher would know that there are other days avalible than that one they give you they just always give you the first day they can because most customers want that.

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HolyCow
Rapid City, US
Apr 22, 2009 7:14 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I agree that having to take time off work for this stuff is aggravating when the technicians don't show. But you people don't realize what a technician has to do. He may have 4 appointments scheduled in a day and the issues he deals with at each one vary. He pay have a short appointment for the first one but the other two appointments in his day may be difficult. Technology is not easy to predict, no matter how knowledgeable the person may be. Not only that he has to deal with the frustrated customers face to face. Also take into account that they usually have to go into places a customer wouldn't dream of. Like a crawl space or under a trailer house.

And as for waiting for an appointment? It's tv. Go outside. Get some exercise. Enjoy the good weather that should be coming. Spend time with your family but NOT in front of the tv. And in addition to that, the appointments are set up on a first come, first serve basis. What makes you so important? People really need to start taking into account what is important. And the next time you get screamed at while just trying to do YOUR job...think of the poor person you ranted at just because you couldn't watch American Idol.

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Ricardo Mendez
,
Jul 31, 2008 5:12 pm EDT

I just scheduled a sixth appointment for a basic HD DVR installation. The first two times I had the exact same thing happen to me that happened to you, after the allotted four hour window had expired (and I sat here for nothing) they called to reschedule. The third appoinment they kept, but only installed one tuner, so I can't record a program while watching another. For the fourth appointment a young man showed up and said he could only do "service" calls, and mine was an "installation" call, so he scheduled a fifth appointment for two days later. No one showed up for that one, and this time no one even called to say they weren't coming. Today I scheduled the sixth and hopefully last appointment.

To add insult to injury, today I get a letter welcoming to the Directv Protection Plan, for which I had never signed up. I did get them to take it off my bill with no charge, but managed to waste yet more time on the phone.

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J
8:45 am EDT

DirecTV lies, questionable billing, no customer service

Consumer beware!
Direct TV at no point in the painful 6 months I had an account with them, ever delivered on any of the promotional rebates or promises. I paid the higher pricepoint of $59.99 instead of the agreed to $29.99 post receipt of a mailed rebate that was to arrive in my monthly billing statements. I NEVER RECEIVED ONE MONTHLY BILL TO MY HOME--with no explanation except that Direct TV could not control the US Mail service! Seems very strange-- All my other bills arrived each and every month without fail! So I paid each month a higher bill--post calling Direct TV to state my dissatisfaction and ask why this was still not resloved. I was assured it was noted in my account. I then moved to a home that I knew would not have line of sight, so I had to cancel my contract, I called the resolution department to receive the final bill amount with the penalty fee--I was told it would be $12.50 per month plus my final bill--The penalty was $150 and my final bill that was $7.01--I authorized a debit from my account for that amount. I then received notice of a problem and found that they had debited $351.69 causing $136 in o/d charges. I called them immeadiately and was told that all my statements were indeed true, they verified it all . The statements concerning the various issues were in my record for sure, I was told an incorrect amount by their authorized company rep in the resolution department, and it was then my problem. There would be no refunds or reversals, they could charge me, and every other Direct TV customer-- any amount they wanted with the banking infomation on file! SInce this is required from all customers. I could write a letter to their billing dispute office in Colorado. period. Now what are the chances that that department being any more competent than every other aspect of this scam of a company? I have filed with all the various agencies in an attempt to resolve this, and warn others to be very careful, and from what I have found online, this is certainly not an isolated incident, with any of the problems, and company practices.

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J. Perez
Oakland, US
May 30, 2008 11:46 am EDT

Direct TV is full of crooks that try to take a couple hundred dollars from their customers, overlooking the fact that everyone they rip off will never want Direct TV again. This is a horrible business. By not charging people, when they probably shouldn't be charging them in the first place, so many more people would not hate them!

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9:22 am EDT

DirecTV cheatings from direct tv

When i called the DirectTV sales guy, he told me that I am into $19.99 plan + International Channel for $14.99. For this plan, I will be getting HBO/Starz/Showtime free for 3 months, A Rebate of $13.00 per month and no handling charges.

Before confirming my order, i did confirm with the sales guy that my monthly payable would be $21.00 for first three months and later on it would increase when i add HBO/Startz/Showtime.

But the first month bill shows that i am into $32.99 plan and the total bill was $47.98 (Rebate will come later), which is $13.00 more that what was committed to me. Also they did not inform me about the 18 months commitment and the penalty upto $480 if i break the committment. These things were not told to me during the sales call and they have taken me for a ride.

When i called up their customer support [protected]), they said that's how it works and did not offer any help.

Since they have recorded these calls, I want them to go thru the conversation and give me a justise in this regard. If they cannot honor the committment, let them take back their receiver and i cannot pay the penalty.

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LuSOfrustrated
Carteret, US
Oct 13, 2010 1:53 pm EDT

I too am having a problem with Direct TV. I called and canceled the service back in March and rec'd a confirmation letter. I was told I owned the equip since I had it for 5 years and I didnt need to return it just in case I change my mind. They Re-activated the service in June without my authorization - I already had another cable company. I rec'd a bill in August for service from end of June - July - & Aug, I called and told them it should have been canceled, they said it was "suspended" not canceled and said I have 7 das to pay the bill and return the equip. Its took them 3 weeks to send me the boxes for me to return the equipment. BUT...in the meatime, one day as I was doing online banking, I noticed they deducted using my debit card that they kept on file, without my authorization the fee for 2.5 months service, total was $228. I called up Direct TV screaming, they told me I have to "take it up with the bank since the transaction was already done there is nothing they can do". Then I sent the equip back, and during the "mailing period" I noticed AGAIN, they automatically charged my debit card for the equip fees WITHOUT MY AUTHORIZATION. They kept on file and went through OLD online payments to find my debit card info! The best part is >>>> I had the service through a bundle package with verizon, so I always paid the bill online through Verizon website, never through Direct TV - and I never had auto draft payments set up so they should have never had my card info. Total they deducted from me $512.22 - I filed a claim against it with the bank and they are investigating it for me!

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the dawson family
,
Aug 13, 2008 4:16 pm EDT

Pandu-the next time you call ask for the employee name and i.d numberwrite down time and date you called. Before you cancel-which I highly recommend you do{I just did this past saturday-after seven years}get in touch with your credit card company and bank to let them know the problem you are having with this company let them know they do not have authorization to your accounts.They do not come get their recievers they make you send them back-you have seven days they pre-date the box/s they drop off by 2 days / then their under express saver so they won't get the equipment by the 7 days they will charge up to 470.00 a box. On top of a cancellation fee{their trying to charge me a fee of 274.00 on a contract i never signed.}They are are a underhanded, sneaky company who knows nothing about customer service or fixing their mistakes.I have had their techs leave holes in my walls, bite the end of my cable wire, never correct the same on going problem I've had for over ayear.They don't finish jobs they can't show up for appointments or keep track of their appointments.Their reps are rude, disrespctful, and bullies. Get rid of this company as soon as possible but protect yourself first and call the 800 line because it is recorded.

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7:50 am EDT

DirecTV promise things then don't keep the promises

We moved our service to our brand new home, well this a nightmare sort of like cableman movie.First i had time for direct tv to come out they didn't show up, this happen for weeks then finally they show up, my daughter lets him in he had muddy feet track mud in on the steps, froyer and living room cost me 109.00 to get carpet clean, then all he did was grip what a big house too much work i should have set this up for the am guess he couldn't work in the pm lol then messed up my sheet rock tore dowm 6 rows of inst. In the basement, had to call direct tv while he was in my home he was here in my home 21/2 hours and did not do anything he wouldn't even get on the phone so i said i was going to call the police, he left it took another week to get the cable, i was promise a 200.00 credit which i only got 92.00 credit and got the cable turn off, we can get a home worth 269, 900 but direct tv will not turn our cable back on till 79.00 is paid cost me 54.00 to fix the sheet rock then 109.00 to have have the carpet shampoo sodirect is a lying company that doesn't care half of the employee's you can't understand what they are saying, so i 'm on a mission, don't get direct tv they will lie to you tear your home up and cut you off

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barbara carson7
ariel, US
Mar 31, 2010 12:10 pm EDT

I Had a faulty receiver and called Direct tv. they came out and said my receiver was very old and needed to be upgraded at no cost to me. I was shocked when I received my first bill not only did they lie about no extra charges, but they also locked me into another 2year contract. When I decided I had had enough Of their bad business and canceled their service they said it would cost me 425.00 .

ComplaintsBoard
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5:38 am EDT

DirecTV billing, false contract, raising monthly rate when signed a two yr. contract

I made the mistake of ordering Direct TV online. First they give you a caculator that gives you the exact amount (supposedly) on the site. Direct TV charged me above and beyond $30.00 more per month (the leasing of receivers, DVR, and taxes, etc.). Then I find out the contract on line was for two years. I thought anytime you get cable or Direct TV, etc. its month to month unless you get a special deal. I did this all in Sept. 2007. Then in March, 2008 Direct TV by way of "stuffing your billing statement" raised my monthly rate once again.

I want to terminate my contract with Direct TV due to fraudulent practices on billing, and intial contract stipulations. If there is anyone that has had this same problem please contact me via email. Maybe if enough people get together, someone in the consumer protection office will look into this and it will be corrected.

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Customer1234567
, US
Jun 14, 2013 4:57 pm EDT

I have had problem after problem with my three TV boxes (one is a DVR). I "reset" the boxes at least three times per week to keep them functional. My family has sat down to watch a movie or recorded show only to have to spend and hour or more on the phone with technical support to fix a problem (or by now I have had to do this so often I am able to fix it myself but it still takes 30-40 minutes of my off work family time to do this). I have had numerous technical people come up with numerous ways to fix our problems and yet we continue to have issues. At this point, planning to watch a recorded movie is stressful. You would think a company would reach out to a customer who had this many calls and offer to send out a technician (for free) but I was told at one point that there may be a charge associated if something is plugged in wrong or it's determined to be my problem (even though a Direct TV person did the original set up and all further adjustments were made to the best of my ability via instructions from Direct TV). I just canceled service and am paying the cancellation fee for the sake of my not having to deal with this anymore. GOOD RIDDANCE!

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JENNIFER JEANNETTE
Lakeland, US
Feb 23, 2012 2:37 am EST

poor, poor, poor, unknowledgable customer service. All freakin Indians from a call center. Thank God I refused to sign a 2 year contract today. DIRECT TV should be called ''DIRECT FROM INDIA''' HI JESSICA! YOU SUCK!'

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FedUpInABQ
Albuquerque, US
Sep 30, 2011 2:56 pm EDT

Everything you've all said is true. The service (both equipment and people) are horrible, and when we pulled out (after 3 weeks and multiple efforts to fix things), they charged is $465. Qwest, with whom the Direct TV service was packaged, was no help either - shame on them - which earned them a replacement as well.

This is not the end of my fight with them, but others should know. Avoid Direct TV!

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Stebbie
, US
Jul 10, 2011 4:30 am EDT

Direct TV is horrible! They lied to me over the phone as well about a special offer. Then, when I called to complain to upper management, this guy yelled at me and told me I was a liar...can you believe that? The guy who was supposed to come over and install our equipment never showed, then they sent someone else who drilled holes all in our ceiling and made a complete mess - what a nightmare! We then got in contact with Dish Network, they came over and set everything up in less than an hour and we have been happy with them ever since. Stay away from Direct TV - don't waste your time with these fools!

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ltate
Raleigh, US
Jun 19, 2011 6:18 pm EDT

They do suck. I called to negotiate keeping my current rate due to my personal economic issues after my bill doubled on my one year anniversary. I was approached by a competitor that was offering me a much lower rate than my interdictory rate. I decided to stay with Direct TV based on the agreement that they would keep me at my current rate. I was promised for 6 months. I was a fool for not switching! Every month after I have received a bill at the doubled rate and spend hours on the phone to have them remember and rectify my bill based on the promised rate. This is ridiculous customer service and I am feed up! I was even told that the better rates are given to new customers. What is up with that? What about your existing customers? Are they just there to screw over? It sure feels like it.

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jj31
, US
Jan 25, 2011 4:53 am EST

They suck big time! signed a 2 year contract for 39.99/mo...first months bill was 49.99...they tell me it's a new rule and they now charge $10/mo access fee! where did that come from you crooks! And they won't let me cancel without penalty. Can we file a joint complaint?

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jdmack
coal township, US
Jun 09, 2010 11:59 pm EDT
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I just dumped DirecctTV last week for charging me TWICE of what we agreed to.

I went back to DISH. They have always been a good service. I had them in California and was very happy. When I dropped DirectTV
and called DISH, They came the next day and hooked me up. I live in PA. now.

Thanks DISH.

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Shirleylu
Jasper, US
Mar 10, 2010 3:59 pm EST

What a sorry Cable company, they lie to you about everything. We were told we would have local news service. Again we get no local news. I'm just waiting for my contract to be up. If you are planning to buy this service, THINK. Then say no thanks.

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bercar
, US
Dec 01, 2009 12:41 pm EST

THEY SUCK SUCK SUCK SUCK!1

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bercar
, US
Dec 01, 2009 12:40 pm EST

NEVER CHOOSE DIRECT TV! I WISH THERE WERE SAME WAY TO GET THE "RECORDED PHONE CONVERSATIONS" TO PROVE I'VE BEEN CHARGED FOR THINGS I NEVER ASKED FOR!Theese people are out of control and should be stopped for stealing peoples money literally!

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2:54 pm EDT

DirecTV charge for aboxing fight from may 5, 2007

On me bill statement dated 05-16-08. I have been charge for a boxing fight, that I nor my husband order. If we had ordered this fight I have know problem paying. But we did not. We have been good customers for many years, we pay our bill when it due. And I do not understand your billings policy to bill a customer a entire year later. To the broad as god as our witness we did not order this fight on 5-5-2007. Please review. Mr. And mrs brewton

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9:31 pm EDT

DirecTV misleading phone sales

I looked on the Dish Network website to change my programming. The number listed was [protected]. I accidentally dialed [protected]. The phone was answered "Fun Dish." Thinking it was some kind of subcontractor, I provided all the information. Never once do I remember hearing "DirecTV" during the sales pitch. So the next day, I got a call to confirm my order. The lady said "DirecTV" and I said "hang on a minute, I don't want to change companies." She transferred me to another operator for cancellation. Yeah, I expected a new sales pitch. What I didn't expect, though, was the literal argument I got from the operator. I informed her I had friends who had bad experiences with DirecTV, and just wanted to cancel the order. I explained to her how I obtained the phone number "Yeah, we appreciate Dish Network putting our phone number on their website" was her sarcastic response, then she obliquely reminded me I would not be getting the $50 fee back-- "How do you like losing fifty bucks?" I told her that it didn't seem like I had much of a choice since she was unlikely to refund it. More arguments. Finally, I told her just to cancel the service and hung up.

Okay, I accept the mis-dial. But you can't tell me that DirecTV having the exact same 7 digits as Dish Network is just coincidence. What a scam. For a company that claims to have a better product and better service, they seem like a bunch of scam artists and loophole worms to me.

And as to the $50? Well, they checked the validity of my credit card to two "pending charges" of $25 each, so that shows up on my credit card statement as well as the $50. What a joke.

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itsalright4me
, US
Apr 05, 2010 8:31 pm EDT

it was your fault you didn't pay attention to what number you were dialing! it was also your fault for giving up any personal information before you found out WHO you were giving it to! and it was also your fault you didn't take the time listen to what the person on the other end of the line said. there is nothing illegal about this number - and good for dish 1-up/fun dish. the did what it took to fight calm and get the sale!

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jrubero
Philadelphia, US
Nov 06, 2008 6:21 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Same thing happen to me. I have Dish Network and wanted to upgrade my package and dial [protected] instead of [protected] and I got Fun Dish which never said they were Direct TV. After I called Dish Network I was told that they had no records of an upgrade and I should call the 1-800 number and find out what's going on. I found it funny that I received a Dish delivered by UPS that had on it Direct TV that's when I knew something was not right. I called Fun Dish and explained that I was mislead by the phone number and they were not nice. I canceled and was told that I would lose my 29.99 for shipping and handling but I don't care they can keep it. The people at Dish Network are nicer and offered my an upgrade for about the same money but no DVR. So, what. I staying with Dish Network. When I got home all the channels I wanted were already active. Something should be done about that phone number when two companies and the same number but one is 1-888 and the other 1-800. This doesn't smell right.

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Susan W. Finlayson
,
Aug 29, 2008 7:10 pm EDT

The problem here is not Direct TV. It is FUN DISH. They claimed they were an agent for Direct TV, sold me a package exactly like the current Dish TV promotion and charged me $49.99 for equipment and installation. When the installation didn't take place as planned, I called Direct TV only to find that they had no such transaction in their records.

Apparently some retailers represent a number of satellite services. When I called to arrange a repair with my supplier, Dish Net, I was told that I would be better off to switch to Direct TV than to pay for Dish Net's repair. However, I was NOT signed to Direct TV. I was scammed off to Fun Dish.

After about 8 hours on the phone, I think I have it resolved. Eight hours for that $49.99...and my self-respect.

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4:26 am EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV fraud charges!

I purchased my Direct TV equipment through Circuit City while buying a TV. When the installer came out he asked what I paid for the equipment at Circuit City. He said he had a better deal and instructed me to call the company and cancel the original order and re-order through his company, Direct Star. He said they would refund the original equipment cost. The end result is that I have paid $400 for equipment purchased from Direct TV through Circuit City and paid another $300 for the same equipment from Direct Star.

I have called them and sent emails requesting a refund. They have ignored it. Then I called VISA. During that process Direct TV and Direct Star acknowledge the double payment but refuse to remedy the problem. VISA will not do anything now because this happened more than 60 days ago.

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gayle griffith
Albuquerque, US
May 12, 2010 9:18 pm EDT
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Jake Moore and Bridget were going through my neighborhood to talk about Satellite TV.
They wore shirts with a Dish Logos. The car for installation of new dish network equipment had the name "dish" on it. I commented "Oh your with dish network". Great, I really like Dish Network and have enjoyed it for years.

They started talking about "how they can save me money." I called Dish Network the next day to thank them for reducing my monthly fee. Dish Network stated "No one from our office solicited through neighborhoods. I spoke with a gentlement in the Denver Cooporate Offices and found out that these individuals were employees of DishOn Satellite and signing customers up to Direct TV. I called DishOne and they say I have to talk to Direct TV, Direct TV refuses to cancel without charging me a fee of $400.00 and that I have a 2 year contract. Direct TV told me to talk with DishOne.

THIS IS A SCAM, COMMITTING FRAUD, AND EVERYONE IN AMERICA NEEDS TO KNOW.

When I tried to call Direct TV Cooperate Office, they want you to sign up to pay a Managed Long Distance fee to talk to their cooporate office.

ANOTHER SCAM BY DIRECT TV - MANAGED LONG DISTANCE

DIRECT TV, ANDREW EMPLOYEE #428666 refused to give me his supervisors name and Jay Employee #[protected], and Justin in Alabame refused to cancel unless I paid $400.00.
I am going to contact the FCC, My in NM State and in Washington DC senators, the NM Attorney General's Office, and the Fraud Division of the Albuquerque Police Department, and I going to sue DishOne and Direct TV for Fradulent business practices. gayle griffith

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8:28 pm EDT

DirecTV contracual issues

Here’s my directv nightmare…

I signed up in february 2008 through directech, an mdu (Multi-dwelling unit) installer/reseller for directv. Since we live in a condominium complex, we needed to go through the mdu people. Directv and cincinnati bell work together to combat the cable companies, and offered me an extra $6/month off my directv bill, provided you’re a cincinnati bell customer too. So, when I received my first directv bill, I called cincinnati bell and gave them my directv account number.

The first problem was that I was not receiving the free hbo, cinemax, starz, encore, and showtime I was promised for the first 3 months of service. I didn’t notice it at first, since we don’t watch many movies, but I had to call to have that turned on when I noticed it.

Within the first week or so, I noticed the picture & ldquo;flickering” on most channels, especially during commercials. This & ldquo;flickering” was occurring when the picture changes (When you watch tv, the picture is always changing). Sometimes, it was white/opaque vertical lines, and other times these lines would resemble the image that was just on the tv screen.in either case, it would just be visible for a fraction of a second. Nonetheless, it was enough to be annoying.

So, I called directech and had a technician come out. He installed some boosters on the lines. That did not work. Same problem. I was watching family guy the night before and it was really flickering during that show, so I threw a tape in the vcr so I could show the technician the next day. I played it for him and he acknowledged there was a problem, but he said, & ldquo;…I really don’t see much of a problem…” as far as I was concerned, it was blatantly obvious, but he just shrugged it off as nothing he was really interested in.

Right around this time, I realized I still had not seen my $6 credit for being a cincinnati bell customer. I just received my third bill from directv, but no $6 cincinnati bell discount. Hmmm. Back on the phone! I did a 3-way call with directv and cincinnati bell. They both reported that it takes up to 3 billing cycles for the discount to show up. Ridiculous!

Back to the flickering problem… frustrated, I took one of my receivers to a friend’s house and hooked it up to their directv dish and television. The flickering problem happened there, too! I wanted to rule out my televisions, coaxial cable lines in our condominium building, the mdu dishes, and even electrical interference in our electrical lines (Including power strips and surge protectors). Consider all that stuff ruled out!

I even left the receivers on all the time to see if that might make a difference. Nope, flickering still happened!

At my wit’s end, I called directech again to request new receivers. They sent out a technician again and he installed new receivers. It was the same guy as before (The guy I played the family guy tape for). Again, completely uninterested in the problem, he just hooked up 2 new receivers, called to get them activated, and left. He didn’t even take the old receivers. I asked him as he was on his way out the door if he wanted the old receivers, and he said directv would send a prepaid fedex box to me if they wanted them back.

Unfortunately, the new receivers were doing exactly the same thing. Talk about being disappointed!

Since the new receivers were doing the exact same thing, I decided that I couldn’t handle this; i’m canceling my service. That’s when the real fun started…

I called directv to cancel the service and spent 45 minutes on the phone with 2 people arguing over & ldquo;breaching the agreement. & rdquo; I explained to them that I had a signed agreement that says I can return the equipment within 14 days of downgrading or disconnecting my programming in lieu of any charges.

Here is exactly what my signed agreement says:

Consequences of your failure to maintain agreement: if you fail to maintain your programming commitment, you agree that directv may charge you a prorated fee of up to one hundred fifty u. S. Dollars ($150) for standard receivers and up to three hundred u. S. Dollars ($300) for advanced receivers. Within 14 days of downgrading or disconnecting your programming, you have an option to send all of your directv system equipment (Receiver [s] and remote control [s]) to directv in lieu of this payment. The equipment, including the access card inserted into each directv system receiver unit, must be returned to directv in good working order, normal wear and tear excepted. Visit directv.com or call 1-800-directv for details.

Now, what does that mean? If you ask directv, it means I can cancel my service within 14 days of being installed. If you read it, it means I can cancel my service and I have 14 days to return the equipment without being charged.

Like I said, I spent 45 minutes on the phone arguing over this signed contract. Even though I was holding it in my hand and reading it to them, they denied its existence by saying, & ldquo;we don’t have people sign anything; we have verbal agreements. & rdquo; I said, & ldquo;but I am hold it in my hand, it has your logo on it. & rdquo; he replied, & ldquo;the installers sometimes put our logo on their paperwork. & rdquo; whose fault is this? Well, this was 45 minutes of wasted time; all they would say is if I got billed an early termination fee, I could write a letter to the billing disputes department. I was offered another service call and/or $10/month off for the next 6 months.

I didn’t want to terminate my service, send the equipment back, abide by the agreement that I signed, and possibly get a bill in the mail for canceling early. So I kept the service on and slept on it.

Next day, I decided that I really did like the channel selection directv offers, so I thought I might try one of my parent’s old directv receivers, as theirs never presented any problems. Problem is, you need a new access card. So, I called the access card department, explained the whole situation, and that I was attempting to fix a problem directv or directech couldn’t fix. He was willing to send me out an access card at no charge, but he needed the receiver id. I asked him if I could do a 3-way call with my mom and she could just read off the information from the receiver. Unfortunately, she was not home. So, the guy I was talking to said he would document all this (Including offering me a free access card), and he would put it in the & ldquo;top notes” so they would see it right away for when I called back with the used receiver information.

Next day, I called mom and asked her to read me the receiver information and mail the receiver to me. I called directv right after that and was told that there was no way I could ever have an access card for no charge. Then I asked why I was told just the day before that I could, she said she didn’t know why I was told that but access cards are $20, and that was not negotiable. Before coughing up $20 to fix directv’s mistake, I said that I would take that $10/month off for the next 6 months that I was offered a couple of days ago.

Now are you ready for a good laugh?

Her response to me was, & ldquo;that was a time-sensitive offer, only good during the conversation with that person at that time. & rdquo;

After this whole thing blows over and is just a memory (More like a nightmare), one thing is for sure: directv has lost a customer forever.

doug
Cincinnati, ohio

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2:22 pm EDT

DirecTV deceptive practices and poor service

I have been a premium customer of directv for over 4 years.In that time, I have never been late on a bill. Last october I began using their hd equipment. Immediately I started having reception problems that prevented me from watching most programs; problems such as loss of sound, frozen pictures, broken-up pictures, lines across the screen, etc. Their local maintenance team, aerosat, came to my house on several occasions, which cost me a lot of time, money and aggravation. Most of the time they were either late or did not show up at all. Their crews were rude and inexperienced. Some of the guys had only been on the job a few weeks and had no prior experience at all. Needless to say, they were not able to resolve my issues. I ended up being given some credits to my account by a couple of customer service representatives at directv who felt sorry for me that I was having so many ongoing problems. Then, out of the blue, about a month ago, I received an unsigned letter with no name or phone number on it from p. O. Box 6550, greenwood village, colorado, 80155, demanding that I provide a written explanation for the credits that were given by their people. I was stunned but did as they asked and sent them a letter explaining the situation. I have a copy of that letter. Then, last week, I received via fedex an unsigned letter with no name, phone number or account number listed on it, stating that due to my failure to respond to their last letter, my service is being terminated on april 25th! How can they do this I wonder? I was told verbally that I would have to pay a large penalty if I tried to leave directv before two years was up, even though I never signed a contract or received a contract. Yet they are able to terminate a longtime customer like me at will with no penalty? First year contracts law explains how lopsided and unfair that behavior is. I have done nothing wrong at all and have spent several thousand dollars over the years with them, and now they are cutting me off so they don't have to give me my credit or provide me with any more service calls. They are also telling me that I won't get any of my credit back; that it's not mine to keep. This is an outrage in every sense of the word. I tried many times to reach someone in charge at directv to no avail. Not one executive or their immediate staff will take a call from a customer. All calls get routed to a customer service office in another state where no one is ready, willing or able to assist. I even sent a certified letter to them. Somebody, and I hope it is you, needs to hold their feet to the fire.In 2008 america no company should be allowed to walk all over customers like this. I know from reading hundreds of similar complaints that I am not alone in my plight. This would be a great story to run. There is also a secondary issue; and that is, that many customers who signed up for hd equipment and were forced to verbally agree to a 2 year contract were told that there would be over 100 hd channels on directv by the end of 2007. All of directv's national advertising promised over 100 hd channels by 2008. As of april 26, 2008 there are only 85 hd channels available; yet all the tens of thousands of customers who signed up last year are still bound to this one-sided, unwritten 2 year contract. Many people who have tried to leave directv have been hit with huge penalties, which are immediately sent to collection agencies if they are disputed. They are putting out cheap, inferior quality hd receivers made in china and mexico, which they make everyone pay $10 a month to lease, knowing that if the customer tries to leave they will be penalized.

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sara
,
Jul 19, 2008 1:36 pm EDT

I have been a directv cust for 14 years as well, I just got hd and its great. Frankly I am sick and tired of seeiong all of these complaints on directv. Do any of you work for a business? Are all of your customers happy? I am a manager for a fast food restraunt and I can tell you we get complaints everyday, but I can also assure you that %99 of my customers are happy. Every company is going to have the short falls or technical issues. If you are going to base your opinion to got to a company based on the complaints then you probably shouls stay home and lock your doors and disconnect any services you are currently paying for because I can garentee that company has nore complaints then compliments, its human nature. If we are gettting geat service we are quite but as soon as one thing goes wrong we are screeming and telling everyone. did you know that Diretv has the jd powers assosiate award for the outstanding service multiple years in a row. If you are going to do your research, you might as well complete it. If you are going to Directv becasue you want the best service you can get that is a great choice, remember that directv does not garentee to be the cheapest
Sara

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8:49 pm EDT

DirecTV horrible

I called Direct TV and asked about their promotions. After a long conversation I thanked the sales rep and told her I was not interested in making a change. She offered a 4 month promotion that included introductory pricing and the NFL Ticket for free.

When I turned her down her offer went to nine months. I couldn't refuse at this point and I agreed to become a customer. Other than taking 30 seconds to change some channels and haveing problems in the snow, it was fine for 4 months. Than my promotion ran out. It turns out the sales rep flat out lied to me.

I called and explained the situation to a customer service rep. Than another and another and another and another manager and another manager, etc, etc, etc. After 10 calls and Direct TV failing to live up to their original offer I have given up.

Recently I noticed a $399.95 charge on my credit card. I called again multiple times to explain they were never given permission to bill my credit card. I just filled out an affadavit accusing Direct TV of theft and had to cancel the card to prevent further charges. They say I'm under a contract I never signed. I refused to sign after installation because the installer never heard of a nine month promo.

Today I received an $800 bill from Direct TV. They won't see a dime. This is the biggest joke of a company I have ever seen. DON'T DO BUSINESS WITH THEM.

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Corinne Gossom
Mansfield, US
Jul 23, 2013 6:25 pm EDT
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Direct TV has no credibility. The internet and satellite TV bundle package that I was solicited for was quoted at a rate of $61.00 per month for 10 months, and $71.00 per month for the remaining 14 months of my contract. Although there would be no installation charge, I was required to pay $120.30 for a Direct TV credit check and $25.00 for a Century Link credit check. This process took less than 2 minutes and was taken directly from my checking account. Direct TV denied any knowledge that I wanted the internet service; however, they charged me separately for it. Since May 11, 2013, total charges are $435.00. The $61.00 quoted has developed into $175.00 per month. They have refused to rectify the billing; however, I have numerous saved emails from customer service and cell phone records which indicate my repeated attempts to resolve the issue. I have substantial documentation and will be pressing charges for theft by deception.

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chickees40
Beaver Dam, US
Jul 22, 2013 8:34 pm EDT
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CALLED BECAUSE OF EQUIPMENT FAILER WAS TOLD I HAD TO WAIT A WEEK FOR SERVICE. FIRST SPOKE WITH SOME ONE FROM GEORGIA, THEN SPOKE WITH SOMEONE FROM IDAHO. I LIVE IN WISCONSIN! CAN'T GET ANY SERVICE ON THEIR FAULTY EQUIPMENT! POOR SERVICE!

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DaveG73
Dunellen, US
Jun 19, 2013 12:46 pm EDT

Very deceptive company! There are so many hidden fees that they bind you to unknowingly! I suggest you read everything online first. all the fine print! All of it! Once you sign anything you are stuck for two years! It is a nightmare! You might see a 39.99 a month deal or a 44.99 a month deal and will wind up paying $80 a month after all those hidden fees. If you try to do anything, they fee you for it all. They even try to scam you with a equipment protection fee. It's if anything happens to the equipment, they'll fee you more! It's a scam! You think your cable company is a scam...Wait till you sign a contract with DIRECT TV! It's a nightmare! Know what you are getting into before you sign anything. DO it online, not over the phone! READ ALL SMALL PRINT...CLICK ON ALL LINKS TO FIND EVEN MORE SMALL PRINT!

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Jean
,
Sep 04, 2008 4:13 pm EDT

I just had a run in with Direct TV. I had been a loyal customer for 51/2 years. About 6 months ago I added an additional Tivo for my son's room. Time Warner approached me with a bundle package. Without knowing I was under contract I cancelled my Direct. I was surprised when I received a bill for 400.00 dollar. I was told that when I ordered the new Tivo that this enrolled me into a new 2 year contract. I was shocked. Nobody had told me this little bit of information. Not when I ordered the box, not when the box was installed. Direct said that they emailed me this information but somehow the word hotmail was spelled wrong, and of course they blamed this on me, and I never got the email. They also said that on the bill after the new equipment was installed that there was a little something saying that when you add equipment this enrolls you into a new contract.

I have made several attempts to get this this handled but they will not budge. In my eyes Direct TV has an unethical practice of decieving the consumer. This is how they can make extra money.

I won't be quiet about this. I only hope that enough people have been burned by their practices of being less than honest so that a class action lawsuit could someday be filed against Direct TV...

ComplaintsBoard
L
4:46 pm EDT

DirecTV bad advertising and practices

To chase carey president direct tv
Due to the high cost of your service in comparison to the quantity of viewing channels I receive, I am having my service disconnected. As a result of my experience using and trying to disconnect this service I will not recommend any one use your service because of this experience. Your advertisements and rebates are deceptive resulting in higher monthly payments. I have no problem paying the disconnect fee or last months bill, this will be recouped in a few months from the lower cable bill which gives me more viewing options for less money. I do have a problem with any one making unauthorized charges on any of my bank or charge accounts automatically. You have no signature from me or my wife on file on any agreement or installation contract. Send me a final proratred bill and I will promptly pay it. Attach my credit card with an unauthorized charge as your customer service agent implied and I will contest it and delay payment.

Another dissatisfied customer
Lonnie t. Walton

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Sylvia Treadwell
,
Jul 19, 2008 5:45 am EDT

I to have had a bad experience with Direct TV. I was there customer for 18 months and one of the DVR's quit working, I called them, because I had purchased a repair/replacement insurance they sent me a new DVR, I called the company to hook up the unit they walked me through it and hooked up new DVR, well this DVR did not work either, I called and complained. They told me they would send out a repairman to check my lines but this did not happen, after several calls. Due to the frustration and the terrible service I canceled the cable. They are charging me $200.00 for disconnecting the first bad dvr and $200.00 for disconnecting the other bad DVR, I have refused to pay as it seem crazy, as neither one worked in the first place. They are now tring to charge me a cancelation fee as apparently when they sent out the new DVR, the other one that did not work, I was charged 2 more years of contract, which I did not know about or agree to. This has been a nighmare with collection calls and they will not even try and talk to me and explain these terrible charges.

frustrated!

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Susan Shultz
,
Jun 25, 2008 6:24 pm EDT

I to have been deceived by this company since the first of the year. I not only have given them the code to the package I ordered and their confirmation. They still have not given me a good reason for why my account is charged randomly for what ever service they want to add of take off without our permission. I actually stopped a neighbor from installing their service for this reason. The tech was not happy when she asked him to go!

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bbbhelpme
, US
Jun 02, 2008 11:42 am EDT

DirecTV completely scammed me. In early 07 I called
to cancel my subscription. The rep I talked to in the
retention department told me that I could instead put
my account on hold until the next football season
started. I asked him if I at that time I would get a
phone call to ask me if I wanted to restart my
service as I was unsure I even wanted to restart service. He told me I would.

1 year later I notice many DirecTV charges on my
credit card for 5 months worth of charges. I wondered
what had happened not remembering the restart because
I was relying on DirecTV to call and ask me before
starting.

I can understand a retention rep wanting to keep
someone from canceling, that is their job, but that
doesn't mean that person can say things that are not
true, or make promises DirecTV does not follow through
on. DirecTV had a responsibility to right any wrong
their broken promises have caused and they have not
done that.

I contacted DirecTV and was met with indifference,
given the runaround, dealing with people that either
have no authority or no inclination to do the right
thing, mostly robotic-like "customer service" reps
towing the company line.

The "great" customer service that their commericials
advertise are a joke. They should take the millions
of dollars they spend on those commericials and use it
to revamp their customer service department to
actually try and do right by their customers.

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Ron Whit
, US
Jun 02, 2008 11:28 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

My Direct TV has not come in clearly from day 1. It is always searching for satelite. Because the cost for service is so high, I have waited till now to finally call for service. The service tech verifyed that the dish is improperly installed, that is why my service is so bad. Your people will not give credit for my past poor service. WHY?

ComplaintsBoard
L
3:17 pm EDT

DirecTV lies and bad service

year ago i moved to palmdale, ca i tried to swtich my service to the new address and i call the company to change it and to have a new plan new chanels but at that time i was told if i get the dvr they will give a prize they never give nothing then i called to cancel the service but i found that i was i a contract and i never was imformed about it, then 2 months later a called to change the chanels to add more but i was charged more than i expected.moth ago the dvr broke down it just show a black square on the tv, i called they told me they will change it with no cost at all they never mencioned shipping or handling;now they charging me that amount and 2 more recivers because the thecnician never diconnect the old dvr, i called back again and the only thing they keep telling is everyboy has to pay shipping but iwas never tlod that.so as you can see they give only certain information ;only what the costumer want to hear from them, and they lie about the service and the prices they never gave.i like to cancel this account but gues i have to pay fee.and please do somthing thank you. lidia

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R
3:23 pm EDT

DirecTV unfair business practice

Where to begin...?

I had direct tv several years ago. They were ok, but I had to cancel service for reasons not related to direct tv.

Then, I got high def, and direct tv called me in 2006 and offered a deal: the new hr20 hd dvr system at a reduced price of $250 (Half price from the $500 purchase price). Ok, I signed up.

Problems began almost immediately. Color of picture would go green, system would freeze while recording or playback, etc., etc. Had to reset system every time. Direct tv replaced, three times, by mail.

This last time, they told me: you own the system, so you either have to pay a $79 fee for a technician to come to your home, or buy the extended protection plan. So I bought, technician came to my home, and dropped off a unit I had to plug in myself. Ok, it is working fine.

But, here is the problem. Now direct tv contends that if I cancel, I have to send this box back as it is a "rental". So, think twice before going with direct tv. According to them, the $250 price I paid was for the "privelege of renting; everyone pays it" (So it is now unclear why it was a special deal). When I called to inquire, I too was placed on hold so they could "research". I waited 36 minutes the first time, and 25 minutes the second time, before hanging up and going with email.

According to direct tv, the $250 "purchase" price was really a rental fee, so I am renting, but, I am also responsible if the box fails or is otherwise defective, and I have to pay for a new box, or repairs, if the box starts acting up. Go elsewhere, its not worth it.

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chuck hayes
,
Jul 28, 2008 10:50 am EDT

I was told I could operate my DVR from another room, same as dishnetwork. That was a lie by direct tv. 3 days later I found this out and called to cancel which of course they would not allow me to. That is when I had found out I had a two year contract. I was told it was a one year contract. They are just a rip off. Dish network is so much better.

ComplaintsBoard
V
3:49 am EDT
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

DirecTV I am so sick of them

DirecTV is a joke. I have been with DirecTV since January of 2008 and we have had nothing but bad reception the whole time. My son's box in his room causing problems for his TV and so I called for a tec to come out. When the tech called they wanted to try and have my troubleshoot over the phone because if the problem was my fault they are going to charge me. I asked the guy how would you know if it is my fault if you do not come out. He replied nothing. I am so sick of DirecTV that after my contract is up I will be cancelling and go back to Comcast. I would not suggest anyone use DirecTV.

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DirecTV In-depth Review

Pricing and Packages: DirecTV offers a range of pricing options and packages to suit different budgets and preferences. Their pricing structure is transparent, with clear information on the costs associated with each package. Customers can choose from various package options, including basic, mid-tier, and premium packages, each offering different channels and features. The value for money offered by DirecTV's pricing is generally considered to be good, with competitive prices compared to other providers in the market.

Channel Selection: DirecTV provides a comprehensive list of channels, catering to a wide range of interests and preferences. Their channel lineup includes a diverse selection of entertainment, news, sports, and lifestyle channels. Additionally, DirecTV offers premium channels and sports packages, allowing customers to access exclusive content and live sporting events. The variety and diversity of channels offered by DirecTV are highly regarded by customers.

Equipment and Installation: DirecTV's equipment is known for its quality and reliability. Customers have reported positive experiences with the performance of DirecTV's receivers and remotes. The installation process is generally smooth and efficient, with professional technicians handling the setup. DirecTV also provides customer support throughout the installation process, ensuring any issues or questions are addressed promptly. While there may be additional fees or charges related to equipment and installation, they are clearly communicated to customers upfront.

Customer Service: DirecTV's customer service is responsive and effective, with representatives available to assist customers with their inquiries and concerns. Customers have access to various support channels, including phone, email, and online chat. The helpfulness of customer support agents is generally praised by customers. Based on feedback and reviews, customer satisfaction levels with DirecTV's customer service are generally high.

Reliability and Signal Strength: DirecTV's signal is known for its reliability and consistency. Customers have reported minimal disruptions or outages in their service. The signal strength may vary slightly depending on the location and weather conditions, but overall, DirecTV provides a strong and stable signal. Any reported issues or outages are promptly addressed by DirecTV's technical support team.

On-Demand and Streaming Options: DirecTV offers an extensive on-demand library and streaming capabilities. Customers have access to a wide range of movies, TV shows, and other on-demand content. The user interface is user-friendly, making it easy to navigate and access on-demand content. While DirecTV's on-demand library may not be as extensive as some other streaming services, it still offers a satisfactory selection of content. The quality of streaming is generally good, with minimal buffering or playback issues.

Contract Terms and Cancellation Policy: DirecTV's contract terms include a specified length, typically ranging from 12 to 24 months. Early termination fees may apply if customers cancel their contract before the agreed-upon period. The cancellation policy is transparent, with clear information on any associated charges. While some customers may find the contract terms restrictive, others appreciate the stability and benefits offered by longer-term contracts. Overall, DirecTV's contract terms are considered fair and flexible.

Overall User Experience: The overall user experience with DirecTV's services is generally positive. Customers appreciate the wide range of channels and packages available, as well as the reliability of the signal. The quality of customer service and support is highly regarded, with prompt and helpful assistance provided. While there may be some limitations in terms of on-demand content and contract terms, DirecTV is still considered a reputable and reliable service provider in the industry.

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