DirecTV review: very poor service and unacceptable contract 1397

GLoria,

As a guy that aggregates class action lawsuits and investigations, I know Direct TV well. It is the subject of lots of class actions, many with fact patterns similar to yours. My site is www.classadvocate.com. Click on the defendant box then scroll down to DirectTV. One of those law firms may be able to help. Good luck.

I agree! We canceled our Direct TV 2 weeks ago. I was told we would receive a bill, then I could pay it off. INSTEAD Last night I checked my bank account and found out they used my debit card, with out my permmission, to get their money. I called this Morning and was lied to. The customer service rep. told me they took out a much smaller amount than they actucally took out. Now I am stuck wondering how I can pay my house payment, which is due NOW!

I am so mad at Direct TV.

Cheryl

realist, although I agree with you that the letter lays everything out, I can completely see how the normal customer wouldn't be able to grasp all that and could find it confusing.

i love this rep though. I wish i dealt with someone this thorough whenever i had to deal with customer service.

That letter makes complete sense. They were explaining to you that you are getting the discounts. They also explained to you that the rebate takes 6-8 weeks, that is normal with any company sometimes rebates can take 12 months! A REBATE DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL GET THE DISCOUNT/MONEY RIGHT AWAY, IT JUST MEANS YOU WILL GET THE DISCOUNT OR MONEY (IN THIS CASE THE DISCOUNT WILL BE FOR 12 MONTHS ONLY, NOT THE LENGTH OF YOUR COMMITMENT) With directv, your new customer price, or discounts, are only for ONE YEAR regardless if you got a advanced receiver that put you into a TWO year commitment. HELLO what are you thinking. They are also telling you how to get online and view your statement. Are you serrious with this complaint, really? Even kids going out on their own understand the rebate process. Cell phone companies for example, may offer you a $100 MAIL IN rebate on a phone (this is like the one free advanced receiver with Directv) but in order to get the rebate you must MAIL IT IN, and it can take 4-12 weeks to get it. The you are usually in a commitment for 2-3 years, but only get the new customer price for one year. Are you really new to this process, I dont think so. You are making yourself look like and idiot, and then the end comment you made you are making yourself look pretty imature

If your tired of getting the run around and lies of Direct TV here is a number you really need it is the number for the president of Direct TV [protected] every disgruntled customer needs to call it, give it to your friends family and even strangers

DO NOT GET DIRECT TV...I am imploring anyone considering getting it...NOT TO. Dont get fooled by there cheap advertisement, thats how they got me. I went from a 34.99 per month 1 yr agreement to NOW $51.31. Yeah there are taxes but they dont tell you that to get the 34.99 you have to have a Direct withdraw from your checking account. They tell you that for 3 months you get HBO, Starz, etc for free. But if you dont cancel (instead of them canceling you for not signing up), they charge you 12.99 or 13.99 for each...OUCH. And if you try to leave them early... before your contact expires... they charge you 150.00 or 300.00 depending on if you have HDTV Receiver. Oh yeah, you want HDTV? That is an additional 9.99 per month plus any rental on the receiving unit. Just simply DONT GET THEM... the future is internet Television...so dont get caught on a contract with them...it isnt worth it. ( www.hulu.com or www.fancast.com, etc).
Good Luck! (Dont get DIRECT-TV).

wow I cant imagine why someone would hang up on you, since you sound like a complete ###! If you want good customer services be NICE to the people who are looking at the address in which you and your PRECIOUS DAUGTER sleep. They also have you social sercurity number (if you had to give one to open your account) Your credit card number, oh and not the mention the tv in which I am sure you find so damn important because hell who else is going to babysit your child other then the boob tube. Dont you, or anyone out there who abuses customer service reps in a call center have any idea how bad they could ruin your life if they really wanted? How do you know that you are not talking to some phsyco who is going to flip out because you treated them so rude, fly to your town get play by play directions on how to get to your house and slaugher your whole family ( I mean thats the worst that they can do for sure) But there is always damaging your credit beyond repair. And all because you felt the need to be an ### over the phone, so lets treat the people a little nicer over the phone, they are doing thier job, and you have no clue of what is going on personally with them, why do you have to make things worse by being an ###? Really you get more flies with honey then you do vinager, if you want them to REALLY help you, help yourself and treat them with kindness. They talk on the phone all day, they can HEAR the attitude in your voice, they are no as stupid as you treat them.

I had 3 month free trial of hbo, starz and showtime, they didnt tell me they were going to bill me if i didnt cancel it. so now my bill is $40 more than it should be. YAY! I would firgure that direct tv would be consisant billing nope I have paid $80 one month, $70, $50, $30 $119 and $133.

I currently have POA for my 75 year old mother who is mentally unstable. Due to the barage of advertising regarding "digital" television, my Mother was convinced her TV would not work unless she switched to Direct TV. I found out later she had received several sales-pitch calls from Direct TV. I told my Mother she did not need it and do not sign up for it. She did so anyway in Aug of 2008. In Dec 08, she ended up in a nursing home and I had to cancel the service. I explained the situation and next thing I know, the company deducts $235 out of her bank account. I might add that she is living at poverty level as it is. I have been trying for 3 months to get her money back and they tell me it is "in process." They had no authorization to deduct the $. My Mother cannot be held legally liable for signing a contract because she is mentally unstable and anyone who speaks with her for more than 1 minute would realize that. They used high-pressure tactics to get her to sign a contract and then stole from her bank account without permission. I am planning to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office, the BBB, both Ombudsmen in Ohio and Colorado and file a piece with our local news channel who does segments on this type of thing. This company should be put out of business immediately. The prey on seniors who are vulnerable and helpless and steal from their limited income. If you know anyone who is considering getting Direct TV, please caution them that their business practices are criminal and getting any kind of customer service is nonexistent. I am hoping there are enough complaints to file a class action lawsuit and put this company under.

You are not being very informative on what you mean. You have no facts supporting what you are saying. Making it impossible for anyone to understand the why. If you are just upset that you got into something that you didnt understand, then dont slander a company

I am having trouble with Direct TV. They took $254.40 out of my account without my permission. I was told it was going to be $70.00 and I argued that because my contract was up in Dec. of 08.
Hoping to get a class action law suit against them for the constant changing of information.
One hand does not know what the other is doing!
HELP! my mortgage check is going to bounce :(

I hate to tell you this but you are wrong! The end of your statement at least. The NEW CUSTOMER discounts are only for ONE YEAR, However if you get and advanced receiver i.e a dvr, an hd or and hd dvr you are entering into a two year commitment. When the installer installed your services you had a chance to review this. No that does not mean they are required to read it to you. And you signed the installers work order meaning this infomation was provided to you. ALSO you can always read any of the terms and agreements online. HOW IS IT DIRECTVS FAULT THAT YOU AGREED TO THIS WITHOUT KNOWING IT BECAUSE YOU FAILED TO EDUCATE YOURSELF? AND HOW IS IT THIER FAULT THAT YOU DECIDED TO MOVE SOMEWHERE THAT DOES NOT ALLOW DIRECTV? I can tell you for a fact that when I move I make sure that I am allowed to have directv. Not because of any commitment I may be in, because I frankly dont care about the commitments they are a great company and I am not going anywhere, but because I dont want to be without directv. Cable suck and Dish has crappy channels

I have suspended my services with directv as well, and by the way they let you know when you suspend your services that they will auto reinstate on a certin date. NOT TO MENTION they send you out a letter a couple weeks before the account un suspends, HOW IS IT THIER FAULT THAT YOU DID NOT CALL THEM AND TELL THEM YOU HAD A NEW ADDRESS any ### knows SUSPEND does not mean DISCONNECT and that you still have an account, for lack of a better term, is still active.

I would not work for directv because I could not deal with jerks like YOU all day long, I would probably put customers in their place and that most likely is not what Directv really wants.
I am just a simple customer who makes sure I am educated on everything before I make a decison. That includes knowing that receivers BOUGHT AT BEST BUY ARE STILL LEASED and IF YOU ACCEPT ANY CREDITS OR DISCOUNTS ARE PROBABLY GOING TO PUT YOU IN A NEW CONTRACT. SO it sounds as if you had a receiver that you must have "bought" as a leased receiver from directv or bestbuy (or another company like costco or what ever) and you failed to return it, thus the reason you got charged for it. Or you could have possibly bought it from a person who just happened to be selling it, and did not bother informing you that it was leased, because we all know how honest people really arent. MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE READ THE BACK OF THE ACCESS CARD IN THE RECEIVER BEFORE ACTIVATING IT, because it says right on this that you are agreeing to directvs terms and agreements.
By the way to actually out right own the dvr it is $399. You did not pay enough at all to own it, plus its another $99 for the installer to install this for you.
Again I am not a employee for directv I am just tired of customers who fail to inform themselves and then turn around and bash the company with slanderous remarks because YOU FAILED TO PROPERALLY INFORM YOURSELF

direct tv no cable picture will not pay any warranty fee for service

Hi, my name is Jacqueline Miller I, ve been a consumer for years. This is my first bad experience with direct tv. My complaint isthat on Jan 28th.2009 I did a payment on the automative phone payment the amount was $135.00 dollars taking out of my checking account. The money was withdrawn from the Police and Fire credit union. I spoke to someone about this matter and no one seems like they cannot help me with this matter. I spoke to a supervisor about this and she ask me to get the credit union to fax over proof that it was taking out of my account .My credit union did fax the information to the billing dept and this matter is still not resolve to this day. I had to get this information fax twice to the billing dept of direct tv . I have to pay for these faxes.I once again try to clear up this matter and no luck. I spoke to a Mr.David F thats the name he gave me he did not spell out his last name all I know is that he works in the billing dept. He gave me this number [protected] and he also gave me this fax number [protected].I also mailed the information that the supervisor wanted at the address on the back of the bill. The Police and Fire Federal Credit Union is where my checking account is you can speak to a ms Barbara Wiseley she is the resarch representative 215/931-0300 or 215/931-201. I really would like to get this resolve as quickly as possible because my service is off and I refuse to pay until this matter is cleared up. Iwould totally appreicate if someone would contact me or you can look into this matter

I got sumn' for the "realist". I purchased a DVR receiver outright, not a lease. Never ordered from direct tv ! I had to shut off my service with them due to Official military orders removing me from the continental U.S. Now they're charging me for a DVR ! Yeah the one I payed well over 200.00 dollars for. So how long have you worked for direct tv... ### ! I guess since they couldn't get me on the contract(member for over 5 years) they decided to charge me for the receiver that had already purchased.

here it is you are an idiot and dont bother informing yourself as a consumer. Hopefully your new husband has more brains than you. On the access card that is inside your receiver it says by activating this you agree to abide to all of the terms and conditions of the service. THEN on the directv customer agreement in the cancellation part that is section 5 row e here it is word for word
(e) Payment Upon Cancellation. You acknowledge that you have provided your credit or debit card account information to us. You understand that you will incur fees and charges as a result of your receipt and use of Service and/or Receiving Equipment, and may incur early cancellation fees and/or equipment non-return fees (as specified in any lease, programming or other service commitment agreement you entered into in connection with obtaining Receiving Equipment). By giving us your credit or debit card account information, you authorize us to apply this method of payment, in accordance with applicable law, to satisfy any and all amounts due upon cancellation. You further acknowledge that you are required to maintain current credit or debit card information with us and agree to notify us whenever there is a change in such information, such as a change in the card number or the expiration date.
they even send you one of these right after you start service with them, they send you a new one every year and they have it online so its not like it hidden from you. They are not theives or liers nor are they breaking any law for EXPECTING YOU TO FALLOW THE LAW, YOU ACTIVATED THE RECEIVER, I.E STANDARD 18 MONTH COMMITMENT DVR, HD OR HD DVR ARE ADVANCED WITH A 24 MONTH COMMITMENNT THE DISCOUNTS ARE ONLY FOR ONE YEAR, THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOUR COMMITMENT IS JUST ONE YEAR. All of this is viewable online at directvs website how is it thier fault you are a ###

DTV SUCKS

dtv suks

Directv Is a wonderful company its not their fault u dont read the agreement u get..It makes u look stupid talking all this ### when they send u a paper..grow up!I have had Directv for 9 yrs and I have never talked to a rude person there ever..and I have a great ch lineup I get everything.and I never have a problem.So save the Drama read the agreement u can find it on their web page.

I HATE DirectTv-- I have to call them every month to get my bill straightened out. They like to charge me for the NFL sunday package that I do not get and have told them I do not want. So when I call them they say they will credit my account they then shut my cable of and charge me partial month fees and reconnect fees.

I had to call three times today- twice i called the 1800 number on the bill-- I was hung up on both times and one of the reps refused to spell his name or give his id.

Then I looked online and called [protected] I asked the operator for Chase (Chase Carey is the CEO). I got patched through to someone named Wayne. Wayne gave me a lousy $10/mnth credit to my acct for the next year (my contract is up Oct 16th). I told him 2 reps hung up on me and he acted like he could care less, so I called him out on it. I told him how lousy the company is and that I wish I researched them before signing up. He said they are actually noted as having one of the best customer service departments-- so I asked him why he didn't even care to ask for the ID #'s for the reps that hung up on me... he had no answer other than oh, yea I am going to get that from you as well.

DIRECT TV is the worst company ever I cant wait until Oct 16th

Direct TV is a fleece and a con. A similar thing is happening to my parents. They signed a contract for a $34.99 package and are being billed for much more. And $64 something for "programming" when the contract says it was free.

they stole 450 dollars from my chewcking just because i was a month behind and it got turned off and are giving me different amounts they will refund back and yesterday was told they would refund back 250 and today had no knowledge of this and said will refund back 172 instead these people are crooks i intend to notify all my friends maybe the ftc or the attorney general can help, any ideas?

They falsely took $200 from my checking account, because they thought I moved, instead I had cancelled my service! They overdrew my account, and I have been calling and trying to deal with it since 4 months ago. Recently I JUST got them to admit that i DIDNT move at all... after all that, I STILL have received a refund, that was to be given 8 WEEKS later...yeah right! Not a penny... I am not rich and this was so unfair, I wish there was something that I could do against this seemingly unstopping conglomerate. AND the customer service sucked and they were so rude and clueless, I wanted to slap them. Any ideas how to get my "credit of $146.03" that shows up on my account, but will not ever turn into a real check? p.s. when i called to check on the status of my refund, they told me there was a $10.99 charge from a PPV movie I had rented that DAY! Can you believe it?
Shannon Hudson, Lake Helen, Florida

It does stink that they cant get a tech out to your home for 17 days! If it really does take 17 days I would call Directv and ask that they prorate your bill for the month since it's their fault you can't use the service.

I too, got the 2 year extended contract scam. After dealing with DVR reboots over and over, they sent a refurbished DVR and I still had the same problem. I called, cancelled the service, sent the DVR back, cancelled my credit card, went to Time Warner for cable and internet and canceled my home phone. Direct TV can't collect what they can't find.

No offense, but all of the complaints stating that Directv "Stole" money out of your account, or that it wasn't authorized are WRONG. When you initially sign up with Directv you give them a credit card file whether or not you are paying for something at the time, this does 2 things verifies that the info you have given them is correct, and puts a credit card in your file, so that in the event that a customer's agreement/contract is terminated the company will still receive the money that you basically promised them when you signed the agreement. Anything and everything I read on this particular complaint is covered in the Directv agreement that was signed the day of installation. How is any of this Directv's fault when they handed you the information (in the form of an Agreement) and you chose to disregard it, and now everyone is playing the victim and Big Bad Directv is out to take all of your money.

One thing that I do want to clear up is that a CSR in no way benefits when you account is hit with a termination fee, so for no reason other than mistake would they provide you with false information or make a mistake on your account. Every conversation is made note of in Directv's internal system, so if false information is provided or a mistake is made the correct person is liable for their actions, help me to understand why they would intentionally get themselves in trouble.

Now for the comment above mine *Susan* She is the only complaint that I read that has reason.

Early termination just Got me as well. At no time when signing up for the direct TV service was I told that I was signing a 2 year commitment. When I decided to cancel my service they hit me with the early termination fee. I called them up and asked them where they got the authorization to charge my account. They said I agreed to the 2 year commitment when I excepted the DVR installation. I said nobody had either mentioned nor implied a commitment when ordering the service and I never verbally or written agreed to those terms. I also asked them to furnish my written signature or a verbal recorded commitment where they clearly notified me of the 2 year term and I accepted. They said it's not there responsibility to prove it. I then notified them that it is there responsibility to prove that there credit charge is valid and that if they can't prove it to me they won't be able to prove it to the credit card company and they will be forced to refund the charges. They said that the installer has you sign a sheet. I said then you can provide me with a signed copy. They informed me that the sheet signed was from a 3rd party company and if I wanted a copy of it I would have to go after them. I informed them that they would need to get it to prove the charges validity anyway when I dispute the charges. There response was complete indifference.

Sounds like others have disputed the charges and got there money back from the credit card company, however they where still hit with collections, bad credit marks on there credit report or lawsuits that obligate them to pay the collection company services. I can't believe that this craps can happen, but who has the money and time to fight this criminal. Our law enforcement spends all there time chasing criminals that steal candy bars from convenience stores, however Direct TV can steal hundreds of Millions of dollars from honest consumers and nobody comes down on them. That is ridiculous! I'm all for a class action lawsuit, but you need an angry rich person to get it started. They no that they could beat 99% of there disputers into submission long before it ever goes to court.

Cindy, I truly hope that my email to you helps. Like I said if you have any other questions please feel free to email me back.

Oh listen to this one. I recently broke up with my boyfriend 5 months ago he had a direct tv account in his name. When I was with him I used my debit card one time to pay the bill for him. Well 5 months later i had a debit on my card for 432.00 I called them and told them it was my card they debited not his card that it was his account. I did all they told me to do faxing wait three days to prove it was mycard 15 days later nothing . I called them back and they told me I would not receive a refund. So I called to the corparte office of the CEO Mr. Chase Carey310-964-5000 and talked with one of his officers and they gave me the same story. They also told me they could not get intouch with the finace office and could not help me, can you belive it the CEO's personal office could not help. What lies I am so upset. I have my bank fighting for me now. I am so fustrated. This makes me sick...

We have had Direct TV for just about 4 years now. I hae never had any trouble with them at all. That being said, I will keep my eyes open for sure and not use a Debit Card at all.

I agree with you whole heartedly. I was a Direct TV consumer for 5 years. When I started out with them, my bill ran about $87. As of this month..which is the last month I'll be with Direct TV..my bill now stands at $147.00. This is with no extra subscriptions..no billing for pay per view..just the bill for my package that I've had since the beginning. When I asked they how they justify the 60 dollar raise over 4 years and 10 months..all I heard was silence.
Then all I heard was a bunch of "deals" come out of the customer service persons mouth to try and keep my business. Within the next 15 minutes..She had reduced my bill down to $110.00 for the next year. This is why I think they are crooks. To be able to just deduct 30 dollars just like that...makes me very suspicious.
Anyway, I'm done with Direct Tv...I know I'll miss some good sporting events they only have on Direct TV..but I can always watch them through pay per view.

Good luck with Direct Tv...your gonna need it.

Unclereeky

Happened to me, now they want to send me to collections.

This is a scam that Direct Tv does to everyone who upgrades to a different receiver like a DVR. They don't tell anyone that they need to cancel service to the receiver that they are replacing. When you catch the mistake they say you can only get credit for the pass 90 days. I didn't catch it over 2 years and when I called back to cancel my service because they had ripped me off it was only then they gave me one year of credit. This is surely happening to millions of people, and it is dishonest as hell.

I just spent way too much time being bounced around from service representative to service reprecsentative. After getting ###, I was finally told that their rebate website is not working right, has not been working right, and they are not sure when it would work right. They would apply the rebate, but it would take 8 - 10 weeks. Yeah, guess we have to pay the higher price until they can figure out their mess.

Should have gone with Dish network.

I am on your side regarding the complaint you have on Direct TV but I do not agree with you when you complained about the "squeeky females on the phone who speak in broken english." You see, I am a Filipina ( a female from the Philippines - by the way this is how you spell the name of the country), I have lived here in the United States for the past 20 years. When I first arrived here, I had a very thick accent but I never spoke broken English ( you need to capitalize the "E"), it sounded like broken English because of the accent but you know if you give those Filipinas the chance to write an essay, you will see that their grammar is better than yours. TRUE, they may have an accent but I know that the companies that hire these females only hire college graduates who are very well versed in the English language.

Dish network is just as bad. I had a dvr less than 3 months. Wouldn't work. the company that dishnetwork contracted with in ADA Oklahoma said that I would have to pay to get it fixed even though I didn't own the equiptment. Have kept all emails. Everyone should email company's instead of calling. Every time I talked to Dish it was always a different story. Had to move but kept going around and around with the comapany they contract with in ADA. Company would not retrun my calls. I had to go on to BBB to find the address to the company. Drove one hundred miles to take equipment back. They did not want to accept. Then they did not want to give me a receipt saying that I had returned it. Finally I get manager to give me a receipt (wasn't leaving without one) Asked about the early termination fee. Told not to worry that they would not charge. six months later my checking account bounces. The company in ADA had ran Charges of 400.00 through some other company they were affiliated with two months in a row. What a mess. Had to deny charges at bank cancel atm/check card etc. On top of all that Dish network also charged 180.00-200.00 early termination fee. THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR CONTRACTORS AND IT IS ALL CONTRACTORS. DIDN'T MATTER HOW LONG I HAD GONE AROUND AND AROUND WITH THIS COMPANY AND HAD THE EMAILS FORWARDED TO DISH. SO I WAS THINKING ABOUT DIRECT TV. hA HA

The first thing to do is change your bank account number, then change the number on any Credit/Debit cards so they have no correct number to charge anything.
Direct TV is a scam, I gave them 7 months to make my service work correctly, many service calls, change equipment, and equipment failure, and finally told them I quit, they say their cancellation fee is legitimate, and I must pay them, I said when you M...F...s send me a cancelment of all charges I'll return the boxes, they say NO WAY. I got the boxes, they got no money, I win. Go to court? I got video tape proof of the signal failures, the signal to noise reception was terrible. Constant interuption of reception as it went in to Screen Saver mode, over and over. I hope no one ever subscribes to Direct TV, if you even think about it DO NOT subscribe to Direct TV. I have put this on my website and other sites to warn people. It's companies like this that you see in the news, Irate customer shoots everyone in the company. Oh if only it were legal to do so. Direct TV and everyone in the company deserves this action.
They give American business a bad name.
Just search for Don Cordell on Google, you will know I mean business when you pick the first google result.
I will give you consumer protection to end this problem in America.

Direct tv will take your credit card info and store it without your knowledge if you complain they tell you to look at the terms of service, that is not a fixed thing and it changes it is not written in stone and you cannot be held to it the only legal document is the one you physically sign for service, if you have a problem you local attorney General can be a big help when it comes to Direct tv, they will back right down when you get the AG involved. If Direct tv has taken your debit of credit card info without your permission, you need to report them to the Federal Identity theft division, what they are doing is illegal and it needs to be stopped. A class action law suit might get their attention.
if you have been harmed by Direct TV either taking money out of your checking account or credit card charges you need to contact class action attorney . Their contract says that you agree to arbitration but the minute they do not follow the contract such as charging you account before you are late they effectively break their contract with you so the arbitration clause would be something for a class action judge to determine.