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DirecTV review: directv sucks 820

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9:19 am EDT
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I had DirecTv at my last rental property. I had the service from June 2007 till I put the account on hold for 6 months, in October of 2009, with a $68 credit on my account. Even tho I spent big $$$$ on the 3 boxes I had at the house, one a DVR, I was told I had to send them all back or get charged for them upon cancelation. (thought I was already charged for them?) So March I called to cancel the account (making constant reminders so I wouldnt forget, cause they didnt call)

So I was on Vacation at the time and didnt get home for a couple of weeks. Called and asked if that was ok to wait to send the boxes and it was, according to the lady I talked to. They sent me return boxes, and when I got home, there was only a return box for one box. So I called. They said now I only owed one box, the DVR. (yay, small victory) So I sent the box when I got home.

In the meantime they charged me for a month of service at a house that I dont live at anymore. They also charged me $175 for the box I "never" returned. With FedEx tracking number in tow, I called, they finially reversed the fee for the extra month, and said that eventually the charge for the box would get removed. HA.

So then, I think because I had that pesky little credit on my account, they charged me $60 for an early cancelation fee. But I have had my account for 2+years you say?, even over and above the 6 month suspension? But that loyalty does not count. Cause in June 2008 I purchased another box and paid for another room and I canceled the account in October 2009, 2 months shy of the December contract which aparently got renewed with the new box. Now they NEVER told me I had a new contract, cause I had planned my move out date accordinly not to have these charges, with any of my uitilities. So after 3 years with DirecTv, they still wouldnt help me out.

"Well it is now our policy to inform our customers of that." said the lady.
"Well what about people who you did not tell?" Says I
"Well we should have told you." says the lady.
"Huh? So you should have?" says I.
"Yes Mamn." Says she.
"but you didnt?" Says me.
"No Mamn."
"So I still have to pay the fee.
"Yes mamn."

"Best in Customer Satisfaction" my rear end! So you pay if you do and you pay if you dont. Please look elsewhere for TV service. I know that DTV has all the good chanels, but you pay dearly. THey have sooooooo many fees, it is rediculous. Better yet, buy some books! Or some movies! Or a good internet connection so you dont need those greedy ### at all!

Update by Becky hates DirecTv
Mar 31, 2010 9:20 am EDT

PS: I was paying $120 a month for service. Which was not the best, if a bird flew buy or hevens to betsy it rained, NO service!

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

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820 comments
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George
, US
Jun 09, 2010 9:50 am EDT

Some form of Major Problem occurred over night from 6/7/10 - 6/8/10. All remotes stopped working on all DVR Receivers today.

Major difficulty getting through to technical support. It took over two hours just to get into the phone queue then on hold for over 45 minutes just to find out "there is a problem, and they are working on it."

Someone did something over night that disabled all the remote control devices from connecting with their respective receivers. Can't change channel, can't see any programs previously recorded and can't record anything new!

Totally unacceptable and extremely frustrating.

Little to no response from technical support.

Waiting for a supervisor for over 20 minutes and counting...

Why should anyone continue to do business with DirecTV?

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soccerman13
Riverton, US
Apr 22, 2014 11:43 am EDT

Directv is the worst company I have dealt with in my 43 years. They have over billed me twice and didn't even refund my money (basically stole from me) until six months later. The DVR I have stopped working about 2 months ago and it was supposed to be replaced the next day but of course it never arrived. My HD service freezes up all the time. So I am getting over billed for a product that isn't even working. I was promised by a supervisor to have free movie channels to make up for the over billing. Guess what? They never showed up as an option. Directv is the most incompetent, disorganized, fraudulant, poor quality, and worst customer service in the entire world. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE I implore you to NEVER NEVER NEVER sign up with Directv. They will sucker you in with a two year agreement and you will feel like you have been digitally incarcerated during that time period.

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usmcvet55
Senatobia, US
Jun 05, 2013 1:18 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

First it started out with raising rates and removing channels. Then it went to new contracts. Even if you reject the new contract they will access a persons bank account and continue to take money and charge a early termination fee. And even charge more than quoted.
When I requested a final bill or expiation of charges I was told they do not need to give one. They can charge whatever they want. And are not required to issue a final bill or explanation. Also if one rejects there new/change contract you still have to pay for services to original contract term without getting services.
Stay away from DRECTV. They will rod your bank account every chance they get.

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Paratore
, US
May 27, 2010 5:42 pm EDT

I am a past customer of DirecTV . I had the worst service from this company with absolutely no customer service that ever corrected the situation. I keep getting mail from them (once a week)even though I have requested that I be taken off of their mailing list. I would NOT use this company even if they offord me lifetime free TV. I think it is a crime that a company like this allowed to operate in our country. I was lied to by several people that said they would resolve the problem (I still have their ID numbers)and charged for services that I never received.

Valerie
Valerie
, US
Jun 20, 2008 4:47 am EDT

Direct TV what a joke their customer service and their morals suck. I signed up at the beginning for auto payment and they said I didn't and my service was cancelled. They said I couldn't sign up at my first initial

contact with them, to have auto withdraw. They said I had to call after the service was installing. What a joke!

Then they charge me an initial start up fee. I have had nothing but problems with direct from the start. They are very good at stealing legally. I even referred a neighbour when I first got direct. Then I called direct to complain about my bill, because I was not receiving my referral discount. They said that my 5 month discount had ended. I told them that I had only had their service for 3 month, so how could my $50.00 be gone. Because they pay it at $10.00 a month. Direct representative had no excuse, but reinstated my discount for one year. I believe it when I see it. If you have direct TV watch every monthly billing transaction, they are the best at bad corporate America. If their even an American own company.

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complaints complaints
Silver Springs, US
May 18, 2011 8:05 am EDT

Contacted by Directv to reconnect, quit Sept. 2010 due to faulty equip & no customer service. After 3 hour call w/salesman, agreed to come back only w/2 stipulations, to record 4 programs at once & that we had 2 TB of shows on separate hard drives from Dish Network we needed to play back. Was put on hold & then confirmed that the DVR's from directv have a USB connector in the back & we could connect & play back. No email confirmation rec'd & upon repeated calls could not get one, nor access acct on line. Confirmed a 2nd time that we would be able to play back our recordings. 5/17 installer came, put him on hold for 2 hours as 1st they didn't send correct equip.& order had to be changed. Installer knew nothing about hard drive playback. He dialed directv & we confirmed w/a woman who put us on hold & said if for some reason it didn't work w/USB, I would be able to connect to my computer & access as I had the ethernet cable run. Installer left, I attempted to connect. It would not. Called tech support, told that anything recorded on Dish Network could not be played back through Directv. Spoke to 5 people during a 3+ hour span, 1st getting rude responses, then confirming we couldn't do what we were promised, & supervisor. Responses were rude, uncaring, not listening. They did confirm that they did have record of the promises to us & would deal w/ those people, but still charge us $21.37 for shipping of wrong equip. 1 day of prorated service, but we called within 1/2 hour & installer had removed Dish Network outside equip.& cut connection cord. We told him we still had Dish connected. Now we had to call Dish & pay a service call to reconnect the damage done by Directv, The verbal contract was broken by lying to us, then invading our privacy & our property by damaging our equip.We had wanted Directv from now on, prefer the channels & formats, but lack of caring leads us to disconnect, fight the fraud, Dish will also fight it, all because we would not be made whole.

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Tramdey
, US
Jun 24, 2010 6:41 am EDT

I used to think I had it bad with time warner. Well directv has gone far past that. I have been with them a year now and I can't recall one month where my bill has been the same. We don't order movies or do anything on demand. Their customer service is horrible. I'm on hold with them right now waiting for a manager and it's already been 10 minutes. I have never in my entire life dealt with such incompetent people. They are liars and will say anything. I am so upset that I can't get out of this contract. DON'T EVER USE DIRECT TV.

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Carlos A Domingues
Saratoga Springs, US
May 01, 2013 1:11 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

A year ago I moved from DishNetwork to DirecTV because they were offering two Brazilian Channels that I was looking for. Just few months after I moved to DirecTV they removed those two channels (BandNews and Bandeirantes) from my plan. I explained that I had no interest in keeping DirectTV without those two channels, they told me that if I left that time I had to pay a huge penalty.
The interesting and annoying is that they can change the agreement any time they want but the customer can't. Since they broke the agreement I thought I'll be free to leave and contract other service provider... but I was wrong. So next time you enter in an agreement with DirecTV make sure that you'll not be in the same "boat" that I am. They are nice until you sign the agreement after you signed you are just a "payer". They didn't help me at all. They are just looking for the money, customer satisfaction is not a thing that you can expect from DirecTV.

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JerryKricket
Kilgore, US
Oct 07, 2011 4:59 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Had Directv for 2yrs. Started off with we didn't get our 100 for signin up. We had to move and it took them a month to get to the new place and they couldn't even service us at the new place. They told us we would get a 150 credit to our account. It took them 2 more months to send the boxes to ship the equipment after they tried to charge us for them. We paid the last bill. 3 months later we get a bill from them charging us for movies and equipment. We didn't have a phone line connect so avery movie we ordered had to be bought with credit card. can't get a strait answer from them. And now every month it goes up 20 for no reason and I call them every month and its the same thing over and over. I need a lawyer anyone Help!

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Janie Jefferson
Wynne, US
Jun 20, 2013 10:43 am EDT

On 6/19/13 @11:18 my phone alert me from my credit card account that someone took $61.81 to DTV*DIRE CTV Service my card ends in 6813 So I would like to know whats the account it went and the name of the person so I can report to the police. Isn't that fraud. Thank you very much and God bless you.

Ps please send me your text message numbers please so can send a copy of the withdraw from my account.

Valerie
Valerie
, US
May 02, 2008 2:07 pm EDT

I have been a customer of Direct TV for the last 3 months and I've had such a bad experience so far. They got me a deal for 39.99 and they always send me a bill for 60.00. I am soo sick and tired to calling them up every time I receive the bill, the person assures me that he/she would make a note on their system and make sure the right bill will be issued in future but that doesn’t seem to happen. Their customer support people lack the ability to resolve a minor issue like this.

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Lexivore13
Milwaukee, US
Jan 23, 2013 11:39 pm EST

I have been a DirecTV subscriber since June of 2012.
I have had problems with service from both the satellite and their employees from the beginning. Shortly after I signed on with them I found that I needed additional equipment for another TV in my house. I received an additional box after a week which I self installed only to find that it was defective and I had to order another one for 200.00 out of pocket. I found that I was unable to watch DVR'd programs on any of my other TV's if someone in the house was already watching a DRV'd program. In order to do this I would need an additional DVR and I would have to sign a new 2 year contract. I decided to leave it as it was. It still bugs me but, whatever.
A few months ago we lost service to the DVR and it had to be reset losing all recording including some family appearances. Sad to see those go but hard drives do that sometimes. I called customer service and they offered no recompense not even a credit for the outage.
Customer service was continually rude and at times I felt that they egged me on and were trying to make me more angry so they could have an excuse to hang up on me.
I decided I needed to reduce my bill because the service isn't worth $100+ especially if it doesn't work as I expected. After several hours of rude customer service and hard sell I was finally able to get my bill down to about $80.
The final straw came last week when I decided to drop down to bare minimum because I don't want to pay them a penny more than I have to. After canceling my last 2 premium channels I found that my previously DVR'd programs were all erased again even though when I cancelled my other premium channels those programs had remained on the DVR. After speaking to 3 different CSR's the message was essentially "too bad, so sad" and I asked to have a supervisor contact me and was told I would be contacted within 72 hours. Still nothing from these deadbeats.
I still have 16 months on my contract but as soon as my taxes come in I will be happy to buy out my contract and I will never do business with these creeps again. DO NOT USE DIRECTV!~

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patsy webb
New Church, US
Jul 18, 2010 12:02 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

i had a room mate at this address in may i moved out of VA and now the direct TV company is calling my phone number 10 times a day looking to talk to someone about the TV bill i guess it was not my bill or in my name i just let my room mate use my phone now he has also moved out too and i guess did not pay the bill they will not stop calling me. i want to be left alone the number they should be calling is [protected] if it still works. i have no clue i have not talked to this man in months i would like this matter taken care of. it was never my bill to pay and i don't like being bothered about it. i hope this matter will be taken care of asap. thank you.

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JoTodd
, US
Jun 04, 2010 2:11 pm EDT

I was a loyal customer of DirecTV for over two years. About halfway through my contract, I upgraded a standard reciever to an HD one. I was not told that this would reset my contract.

I decided to switch to AT&T U-Verse due to better cost and functionality. When I called to cancel my DirecTV account, I was finally notified that I still had 14 months on my "new" contract, thus would be charged $280 for early termination.

To make things worse, I was treated very disrespectfully by a customer service supervisor. His name was Mark and he basically wouldn't shut up long enough to let me explain my side of the story. It will be very difficult to return to this company for service.

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MADASSHELLMOM
Rome, US
Mar 28, 2013 5:22 pm EDT

Directv took my money from my disabled son's ba with authorization.. I dnt have an account with them, i have done and sent in what they asked of me . Their robbing innocent disabled kids, I have been patient and calm in this matter.. Now im pissed off and mad ### hell with Directv, the name sickens me to my core... Giving me the run around about my disabled son's money for his care and daily living. This is a company that makes millions of dollars and yet taking monies that dont belong too or authorized to them from a disabled child... The few hundred dollars Directv took from my son isnt much to them but takes of my son's basic needs, im so pissed with this company.. Something has to give, My disable son suffers from this damn foolishness.., not because of something he did or I did. BECAUSE OF THIS FREAKING WACK ### DIRECTV, WE ARE BEHIND AND OWE MORE THAN TOOK!... I have taught my children not to hate, I HATE DIRECTV FOR THE GRAVE ERROR THEY HAVE MADE ... My family is now in hardship behind this mess... WHY? why didnt or couldnt they have just refunded my son's money!* ###...

BEYOND ANGRY, PISSED OFF, MAD, MOM.

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Barselle
, US
Jun 25, 2010 11:08 am EDT

Here the problem directv is charging a fee for monthly service..., but they give partners first choice on how to saturate your programming with flash advertisng from the station icon at times these flash ads come every few munites disrupting viewer atttention of the programming and it get better than that, they pick the most important part of the programming and flash across your bottom and ad to go to their website or to sell you dvds or ads to promote the next show which will do the same, i'm paying for programming not advertising and worst they are placing those ads during the programming plus 12 munites per half hour of programming is ads which means for every hour you watch a tv show you get 25 munites of ads shoved at the public.., and if you call them nobodies know anything about are they trying to say that rogue operations are doing this because if so then our air waves are not safe and not under federal control which i know will not happen. the channels that are doing this are abusing our trust and money. and the only way to get them is to send a letter to the fcc and have them place it in the networks history so when they try to renew the broadcasting license and it will cause them real problem if they try renew that license. you can stop the flash ads on your tv screen by just placing the tv guide over it everytime you see them do it when programming is activite or everytime they flash the ads from the channel icon just shut the box off for a few seconds this will send them a clear message that i do not like it and stop it. ANd i can not get astriaght answer what i'm real paying for at directv they refuse to tell me what plan i have that their plant to keep the public from knowing the truth.

Valerie
Valerie
, US
May 05, 2008 8:13 am EDT

Direct TV installation was scheduled for May 4 at 8 am. Technician showed up on time. After discussing dish location, the technician started complaining that my house was difficult. He proceeded to mount the dish and run cables with very little attempt to conceal them. The worst is how they ran them up the side of the house after promising they would hide them under vinyl siding. He tracked mud on to my carpet in two locations, left a pile of sheetrock dust in one.

The signal to one receiver failed due to loose connections within an hour. Calls to the customer service number took forever with long periods of being on hold. One person asked if the work was under warranty. Since it was hours old I would hope so.

Direct offers 200 channels. 50 are in Spanish and may are HD duplicates. Finally everything is extra. As mentioned by others it is bait and switch and then don't deliver company.

Valerie
Valerie
, US
Apr 30, 2008 2:23 am EDT

I was invited back to Direct TV with a special offer- lots of channels and free movies for $39.99 per month for a year. All I had to do was download the 'form' mail it in and I'd be all set.

I spent 3 months making phone calls and sending Emails and no one at Direct TV was able to materialize the form. They even promised to send me one; that never happened. They promised 'credits', but it would take 6-8 weeks minimum to activate them. They are trying to charge me $59.99 per month, and after lots of arguing, I discontinued service. They told me they can raise the price any time they want, and that they're going to bill me for the early disconnect ($3-400). I don't know how hard they'll fight for it, but I'm not planning on being too easy to get along with.

I was lucky, and got signed up without giving them a credit card number, or I'd be out $190 plus when it should have been about $120 for the first 3 months. STAY AWAY from these liars!

Valerie
Valerie
, US
Apr 24, 2008 3:11 am EDT

Direct TV lied, they promised, ("You get $50.They get $50.") they lied! Instead they wanted to credit my account and my friends account, my friend doesn't have Direct so they told me I would get both $50. amounts .My bill would be $19.99 for 10 months $29.99 for 2 months and then $46.99 for 6 months, my first bill was instead of 19.99 was 46.99 we called and found that we were not getting the extra 50 credit so we cancelled the service and changed our credit card account before they charged the account.

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Hossne
, US
Jul 02, 2010 8:29 am EDT

Ordered Direct TV last week. I was told by sales girl that even though my local stations were not available that I would get affiliates for ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and CW absolutely free. "Just tell the installer. He'll set you up with stations out of NY or LA." She also told me that I would be able to call in at the end of my first year and get them to renegotiate the terms as the program she was selling me would cost me more thru the second year. After thinking about it I called back a few days later and asked to speak to a supervisor. Guess what? I would have to pay $2.99 for EACH of the affiliates that I chose to carry and there would be no negotiating on the cost of my second years bill...I canceled the order! I only wish I'd found this website before I wasted 2 hrs of my time with them...

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Ralph M
Newport, US
Aug 09, 2010 10:24 pm EDT

I had a receiver die and had to have it replaced, they charged me the $19.95 for that which I was not too happy about since I was under the impression that the receivers belonged to them and that they should then fix them. I eventually agreed to a DVR upgrade because it cost the same, they sent out a contracted technician who didn't seem to know what he was doing, then he tried to charge me $50 for the second cable line. I had to speak to customer service and his company before I got that straightened out. Now I've had this DVR for nearly two months and the sound on it is awful! I've gone back and forth with Directv about it and threatened to leave them. They want to charge me an early termination fee because the DVR came with a 2 year renewal of my membership. I wouldn't have an issue if they would just fix the volume, I can barely hear the tv anymore, it's ridiculous! I have been with them since 2004 and this is the way they treat customers, no answer for the problem, no pledge to fix it, no sending a tech to see about the problem, nothing! This company is terrible and I would tell anyone, especially my friends, to go with someone else!

Valerie
Valerie
, US
Oct 04, 2007 12:00 am EDT

When I ordered the service I was told that I could cancel within the first month and not be liable for early termination. I canceled in the first week. They now claim that the cancellation must happen within the first 3 days of service. I was never told this. The email confirmation for the new service doesn't state that either. When I asked about cancelling in the first month they only said yes. What they should have said is "yes, but within the first 3 days". They use deceptive tactics to hide this policy. I have requested to dispute this charge but I never got a call to have the opportunity to dispute. They are now threatening collection and reporting to credit bureaus.

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Heyllome
, US
Jun 30, 2010 6:09 pm EDT

They are promising a HD Service that is not even close to what they advertise! They are advertizing one thing and delivering another. After losing service again I call to cancel my subscription and are told it will cost me $380.

By the way, if you call for technical help call me. I can tell you to press the red reset on your receiver and wait five to ten minutes for your receiver to reset.

Or, if you like, unplug the power supply for 15 seconds and wait for 5 to ten minutes for the satellite to "find" the signal!

Valerie
Valerie
, US
May 02, 2008 1:38 pm EDT

I was reading another complaint about this company with similar problems. Never ever do business with direct TV. They stole $475.00 from me. They hired allied interstate to collect the money. I had to call these guys month after month to fix my billing. Nothing ever got done, so I finally stopped payment and ended my business with them. I will continue my mission to destroy the name of direct TV and allied interstate. Anyone that I know, whoever is thinking of doing business with these guys better think twice? And as far as you guys thinking this is just another guy not paying a bill, because that is the attitude that interstate has, I have never missed a payment on anything and never been late. I work 2 full time jobs and 1 part time. Owned property for 15 years. Just a word for the wise be very careful when dealing with these companies.

Valerie
Valerie
, US
Jun 04, 2008 12:16 pm EDT

DirecTV Customer service and billing needs more customer skills. They do not contact you about your bill, instead they just shut your service off and then you have to pay a reconnect fee before they restore your services. If you have already paid the bill and they disconnect your services, they expect you to still have to pay a reconnect fee. They do not care about the customers and if it were not for the customers they would not continue to be in business. They do not try to work with their customers and the economy is in a slump. We need another satellite company to beat them out, then that is when DirecTV will act like they care. We need to do something about this company.

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Grendenburg
, US
Jun 03, 2010 6:35 am EDT

Called Direct TV in Jan of 2010, they lied at every step... told me they would bundle my current phone and internet with their service and told me the price, told me I could sign up for HD at an extra $10.00 a month and then cancel if I did not want HD... all lies, now I am told I can pay them hundreds of dollars to cancel if i do not like that they are charging me more money than they quoted over the phone... or they can "sell" me a different receiver so that I am not charged for HD... again a lie, they tell you that they "sell" you there devices yet it is a lease... I have contacted the WA State Atty Gen who are well aware of these illegall practices, Direct had a class action against them in CA, actually more than one, and lost... lets get together and shut these lieing robbers down... Add to this that they took many attempts to even get the 2nd TV to work, did not call and set up repair service as promised, and I will have paid close to $500.00 for ONE month of crappy signal, and resetting receiver... NEVER again would I do business with a Co that cares only to get you on contract, they welcome you to "the family"... run, cuz they mean "the family" like the movies about the mafia... once they got ya it is gonna cost ya... thiefs!

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michelle00
edinburg, US
Aug 04, 2013 1:53 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Customer representative give false information. I called to reconnect service n stated that service had already been connected since the 1st but before they told me that i needed to be current with account... I have had many problems n some customer representative will give u a package but dont explain correctly wut u are really getting, cant wait till contract ends to disconnect

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Oneme
, US
Jun 02, 2010 12:35 pm EDT

I'm at least happy to see that I am not alone with my dissatisfaction with DirecT Rip you off TV. I too never received my $100 Visa gift, nor did the person who referred me, who also never got their portable DVD player. I too purchased the HD receiver at Best Buy, did not like the quality, did not realize the price increase, did not realize that locked me into two years of contract from that date - I now have been added on an additional year from moving as well. I am paying them $100 cancellation fee to just get rid of this horrible contract, at least they won't be getting $500 extra dollars out of me. I've called my bank and flagged the company as unauthorized to make any charges to my account, I will track the equipment shipment to ensure it is received and I will get that in writing too. I am done with ALL TV cable/satellite providers. I'm going back to my VCR recordings, DVDs, and getting a converter box that I OWN.

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Datsone
, US
Jun 24, 2010 7:49 am EDT

We never liked Direct TV. Felt the navigation was archaic and the time required to delete a listing unreasonably long. Now we not only hate the product, we hate the company.

Last winter we lost our business of 25 years when our commercial lender pulled our long-standing line of credit. With that we lost our income - not to mention insurance and retirement. With no income, we lost our home. When we cancelled with Direct TV we were charged a $180 "early cancellation" fee. We explained that we were cancelling because of foreclosure, that we were moving into our car, and that we had no way to continue to receive their product. If we had been moving to a house where we could get Direct TV they would have waived the fee. Because we're homeless the fee could not be waived and was deducted from the credit we would have been receiving. We could have used that money for gas or food. Instead we gave it to Direct TV as our punishment for not continuing to send them monthly $$$$$$.

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Ted T
, US
Oct 18, 2010 2:20 pm EDT

DirecTV and Best Buy have not issued my giftcard rebate although I fulfilled all the conditions of the promotion.

After listening to the DirecTV representative's pitch at Best Buy, I signed up for DirecTV. I had just moved to the area and had already signed up to have Time Warner cable come out the following week. But due to DirecTV's promotions, I decided to cancel the Time Warner install and go with DirecTV instead...BIG MISTAKE!

So what were the great deals that made me make the change from Time Warner to Best Buy? A $50 Best Buy giftcard upon installation and a $300 Best Buy giftcard once I received my first DirecTV bill AND I purchased a $499 or higher priced LCD TV. (I picked up a $749 Sony 40" LCD that I didn't really need, but figured I was getting for half price once I figured in the 2 giftcards.)

I received the $50 Best Buy giftcard in less than 3 weeks. Yet over 3 months later, I haven't received the $300 Best Buy giftcard. I've spent 6 hours on the phone, an hour at Best Buy, and 2 hours resubmitting my paperwork to a "special" consumer complaints department at Best Buy because DirecTV has no history of the $300 promotion (yet DirecTV sent me a postcard denying my claim with the correct promotion number saying the TV wasn't purchased at Best Buy, but from Smart Circle...the local satellite company that Best Buy and DirecTV uses to provide the satellite receivers and install the satellite dishes). DirecTV phone reps were not helpful...no one could speak English well enough to understand the situation. Thankfully, Best Buy consumer complaints listened to my "plight" and began working with a special department at DirecTV. Via email, the Best Buy consumer complaints department "congratulated" me on 31 Aug 2010 saying it was an error and that I would receive my giftcard within 14 - 21 days. 6 weeks later, I'm still waiting for the giftcard.

I have no recourse except to keep emailing the rep at Best Buy's special complaints department. 2 emails and 1 phone message have not been returned this past week.

My question is...how many people are patient and persistence enough to fight these corporations for what is rightfully theirs? They want to keep me running in circles between the two companies until I give up. Does anyone else see anything morally and ethically wrong with this situation? The time and gas I've spent trying to correct this injustice is worth more than the $300 giftcard I was supposed to receive free and clear. Doesn't seem fair.

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Brahmester
, US
Jul 02, 2010 6:43 am EDT

I ordered a package with a special price for 12 months. After 2 months and 6 days I called to find out why they were charging the regular price, I was told I needed to fill a rebate. I went in the internet to fill out rebate and it says it expired within 60 days. I was never told I had to fill out a rebate or that it had an expiration date. Now I am stock paying the entire bill because the cancellation fee is $420.00. Be very carefull with this company. as soon as I am done with the contract I will go back to Cable.

Valerie
Valerie
, US
Jun 05, 2008 1:17 am EDT

I had relocated to Ga and in the process I ordered direct TV . Well I only authorized 19.99 to be charged to my debit card for shipping of the equipment they said we were approved and that is all we had to pay to get started. THAT WAS B.S. when I cancelled the service even before they were supposed to hook it up because they couldn’t find a confirmation number. when I gave them what I was given I said cancel the order do not send me anything and do not charge my credit card the rep assured me they wouldn’t the next day my debit card is charged 347.28 cents . WHICH I NEVER AGREED TO > they are scandalous it made my bank account negative ( we just moved ) and screwed me up thank god I had bank of America and disputed the charges and finally they gave the money back . Horrible horrible horrible!

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sue
,
May 19, 2008 9:37 pm EDT

I, too, fell for one of their "perks" - free DVD player. My service was installed 12.12.07 & my salesman told me that I would be receiving the Redemption Form for the DVD player. After making 3 calls, I finally received the form 1/19/08 & noticed that the form had to be "postmarked by 12/31/07". Wrote note on it that service was not installed until 12/12/07 & mailed in necessary paperwork. After many calls about not receiving the free DVD player, DirecTV is saying that my promotion package expired 10/31/07 & I am not eligible for the free DVD player! Why wasn't I told this everytime I called for the form? What lying rip-off artists they are! But, I am not done with them. I am living up to my end of the agreement and they should too. If I was to cancel my agreement with them, I would be penalized. I have filed a complaint with the BBB and the Attorney General's Office. I warned DirecTV that I would post a message on this website & also will post one on "[redacted]s". I want my DVD player and I WILL GET IT!

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jp
,
Sep 28, 2008 8:29 pm EDT

I am sick and tired of Directv having exclusivity for the NFL package!

It was bad enough that I had to mess with this company to begin with, but now I am having to pay for a monthly service fee for programming that I will never watch!

I would love to have the NFL sell the package to multiple cable companies instead of getting in bed with these yahoos!

the customer service sucks, and you never get resolution when you have a problem. I have had two moves with their "relocation" department and in both cases I have had the service disconnected and multiple fines on my account. After several 4o minute phone calls, they credit my account, but this time they are making me buy their monthly service in order to get the NFL.

Directv sucks, and the NFl should definitely get away from this company. I don't know if I will be able to get the NFL without a long-term agreement next season, but if they do, I am out! I have season tickets to the Broncos and it will be too expensive to pay 12 months per year to watch NFL Package for 8 games!

Valerie
Valerie
, US
Jun 09, 2008 6:29 am EDT

I cannot order pay per view movies through my TV, and when I buy through the internet it tells me I have not purchased this movie and cannot watch it. Every time I call their "Customer Service" (Which is in a whole different country) I repeat the same story five times and receive the same rehearsed answer. To them some how my pay per view just magically stopped working. I would much rather them tell me the truth, that they are clueless and their product ***, or at least speak to someone who listens and understands my complaint.

Fast forwarding and rewinding is a chore in itself, and the excitement of wondering whether my show will be recorded or not is always an adventure.

Needless to say I will be satisfied once I cancel my subscription and would not recommend using this company. This company has the worst customer service I have ever experienced, and no my problem has not been resolved Direct TV.

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Cimler
, US
Jul 02, 2010 6:23 am EDT

I had direct tv service for nearly 5 years without a late payment or issue. I enjoyed the service for the most part...that is until i cancelled my service. I called, cancelled and was told to pay my bill in full online. I did this and soon recieved a call from a representative giving me an exit questionaire. then guess what! i received another bill...when i called about it they had no record of my cancellation and wouldnt budge or treat me with any curtosey that i had shown for years prior. even though my boxes were removed and other service had been activated at the same address already for the month i supposedly still had service. they refused to hear me out and a rep actually hung up on me! unbeleivable. what a goodbye slap in the face.

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Samanchins
, US
Jun 21, 2010 7:41 am EDT

I recently terminated my DTV service due to the fact I have been told several times that I would not be charged for a replacement HD/DVR Receiver due to the May 01 Flooding that occured in Millington, TN. I suspended my account till I was ready to move into a new home. I called 21 May 2010 to reconfirm my Installation date of 22 MAY 2010 I was told that I would have to pay for a replacement receiver and that the Natural Disaster Policy only waived the non-return of your old receiver. I thought i was being taken cared of but today I was not. I have been displaced from my home for 3wks, have a family of 4 which includes a newborn; I thought this was going to be the least of my worries. I was assured initially by Tim, work ID # U4246, that I would not have to pay anything. Then recently, Joe work ID# [protected], was going to put a credit to my acct for the receiver. Although DTV offers great satelite service; I feel that they didn't do all they could to keep a customer. So I terminated my service today.

Valerie
Valerie
, US
Jun 19, 2008 3:55 am EDT

We were promised Yes network with upgraded mlb package and then found out that we did not get to see Yankee games the day we moved in when we were assured that we would see the games with the YES network. We signed up for a Verizon bundle package and Verizon has a 60 day cancellations policy and Direct TV has 24 hours... needless to say they charged us $450 cancellation fee. We tried to talk to some and returned our equipment and paid $230 for installation with no refund...We are now getting collection notices for cancelling for service we were promised and did not receive. I want to know who thinks that is FAIR PRACTICE. I think Verizon should be just as responsible but they said take it up with DirecTV but the bundle ordered was with Verizon.

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The trusting fool
Sacramento, US
Mar 29, 2011 5:07 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Do you Complaints Board.com allow any retailers to advertise on your customer's bulletins? If so why? You do realize that every time those retailers advertise on the customer's bulletins that your website sends out messages to all those customers who had made a complaint on that bulletin and tells us to check this website for new complaints and then we end up seeing advertising about products we don't want to see or hear about which wastes our time. This has been happening to everybody on the DirecTV complains board three times in the last week! If this website continues to allow these advertisers to post their products without being deleted from the complaint boards then I will stop responding to any so-called new complaints on complaints Board.com! Please remove their advertisements from your website and block them from further access, if possible.

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Bakkes
, US
Jun 17, 2010 7:48 am EDT

On 4/23 I cancelled my service with Direct Tv. At that time they were authiorized to take the current balance out of my checking acct. They did not and sent me a paper bill with a late charge. I was not happy but sent in a check. They then took the balance with the late charge out of my checking acct and now owe me. They told me it would take 6-8 weeks to get my money back. Anyone ever considering direct tv should stay clear. They said they cared about me coming back to them someday but after phone cals and more calls with no resolve I am done with them. I am also tired of calling someone in a foreign country. Bring our jobs back to the USA.