DirecTV Scam

[Jhon69]

I see you live in California..

And?.

 

[fsds]

Better Business Bureau has worked twice for me not with Direc, but with Sprint and a no show magazine. With Sprint I received a call direct from their Corporate people.

 

[teknophyle]

DirecTv Numbers

Thanks. Do you have the number of the DirecTV retention line.

Try this number it's the only one I use. When the promt answers just press 1
this is the number the contractor that did my movers connection gave me when I moved from FL to NC. Voice promt will say "thanks for calling DTV to select your programming" just press 1 on your phone. Then ask to be transfered to retention. That easy. Good Luck

866-678-9471

 

[tinydoughboy]

In my opinion this is crazy......sure you were told incorrectly by the rep on the phone, not everyone is perfect....that is why Direc, Dish, and pretty much everyone that you deal with concerning a contract has you sign something saying tha you agree. If you don't read it that is not the fault of the company. Maybe some discount or something for the wrong info from the rep but c'mon you actually think Directv tells there reps to lie to the customer to scam them. . WHATEVER!!!!! Get a life if you think that.....

good luck with your outcome though.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

yes. buy you implied that those who had activated ANY DTV equipment, they'd be subject to a programming commitment.

They Are Bud! Anytime you activate a receiver ,thats not under the protection plan comes with a programming commitment.

 

[dishcomm]

They Are Bud! Anytime you activate a receiver ,thats not under the protection plan comes with a programming commitment.

Bud?...Please.....look, you have no clue..I know people that activate their equipment during football season for the ST and then disco in January..No commitment.
Due to the fact that you have taken this poersonally I will be inclined to terminate my participation in this discussion...Have a nice life.

 

[meStevo]

Bud?...Please.....look, you have no clue..I know people that activate their equipment during football season for the ST and then disco in January..No commitment.
Due to the fact that you have taken this poersonally I will be inclined to terminate my participation in this discussion...Have a nice life.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Yea really! Who took this personal?

 

[reallyniceguy]

O lord.. lol thats the classic response!

the bbc or the fcc... lol


Demand a copy of the paperwork.. if theres nothing to back it up they should reverse it.

 

[dzmlsience]

Another DirecTV scam

I've been a loyal DirecTV subscriber for about 6 years. Always the premium package, HD DVR, etc. Never a complaint (other than the fact that it took the techs about 4 trips to get me setup properly). I started subscribing to DirecTV when it seemed that the local cable monopoly started rapidly declining with respect to customer service.

Several years into my patronage (2005) I decided to try the NFL package. It was OK but, by the end of the year, I wasn't really watching it that much so when DirecTV called to try to sign me up again I declined. Fast forward to 2008, we've been looking for ways to cut a few household expenses. As I went through the old bank statements (we have auto-pay for just about all bills) I noticed that my DirecTV bills had gotten as high as $200 / mo. I knew that the premium package cost around 100 bucks. I know there are a bunch of taxes and surcharges, etc but I figured there was no way those fees could be as much as the service itself.

I get on the line with a customer service person to try to figure out whey the bill is so high. He's going through the charges and the last one he mentions is the NFL package. I tell him I don't get the NFL package and he reiterates that I do. I ask him what channel it is on - when I go to that channel there is a message with a number of where to call to subscribe. The guy tells me that I signed up in 2005 (true) and that in 2006 they sent me something saying if I do NOT want to subscribe again in 2006 that I must check a box. They proceeded to charge me for all of 2006, 2007 and 2008! Furthermore, he had the onions to tell me that DirecTV had a "policy" of not refunding NFL package subscribers who had been duped. I, of course, informed him of MY POLICY of not letting anyone steal my money. And MY POLICY is the only one that matters. Several more calls, several more supervisors (some of whom were idiots and some of whom were appauled by the story but who claimed to be powerless to do anything).

First, and most obvious, you don't sell a service by telling someone that they have to say "no" to avoid it. You can GIVE me whatever service you want - but you only have the right to get paid for the ones that I ask for.

Second, I had trusted DirecTV enough to put them on my auto-pay list. No paper bills, save the environment, etc etc. It just goes to my bank account and I hit "pay" each month for all of my bills. So DirecTV can pull this shenanigans on just about anybody that uses modern banking and doesn't keep a close eye on the bill from month to month.

After demanding my money back (almost $800!!!) I stopped paying them my monthly bills. Everytime someone called my house about payment I wouldn't let them get their scriped questions out - I just asked them about the status of my refund. They always get off the phone perplexed.

Well, they just shut off the service. So I've talked to my best friend who is an attorney and he said this will be a no-brainer lawsuit. He said that, if I am lucky, they will also report me to the credit bureaus (which will appear malicious to a judge) and will make my suit too large for small claims court. So, a little longer to wait but more hassle and money for DirecTV to pay.

It just stuns me that this company would take a long-time, loyal, premium customer and treat them this way. Not only have they lost my revenue stream forever, there are going to pay legal bills (theirs and mine) and have me bad-mouthing that company forever. By the time this is all said and done I'll bet this little stunt costs them $75,000 of undiscounted cashflow. Maybe a drop in the ocean to them but so stupid. So stupid.

In the meantime, I have offered DirecTV to be part of my prayer of the month club. With the economy being down I figured some companies might like people to say a prayer on their behalf. The price is a little steep ($10,000 subscription per year) but if they feel they don't need the service they can always write me a letter telling me that they explicitly DO NOT WANT to subscribe. Until I get that communication from them I can only assume that they want to join the prayer network. My policy is to enforce all debts on firms that do not affirmatively decline membership. That seems fair, right? At least THEY think so...

 

[chadzx11]

Quick question. I was considering buying one of sadouns closeout tivos. My hard drive crashed last year and I never got around to fixing it. My plan was to take the hdd out of the new one and replace the POS one in my old tivo. I could also use a weaknees unit, but this only makes since if it avoids a bloody commitment.

So, if I repair and reactivate my old Tivo, are they gonna make me commit? I understand that I could call D*, but they are incompetent morons, and I don't trust no stinking salesperson.

 

[Bob Nielsen]

The commitment should only apply to the initial activation, however if you buy the closeout unit, there may be a requirement to activate that, along with a commitment (ask before buying), so buying a drive from weaknees may be a better route.

Make a backup CD using MFSTools and you can replace the drive without having these kinds of issues.

 

[iwc5893]

I've been a loyal DirecTV subscriber for about 6 years. Always the premium package, HD DVR, etc. Never a complaint (other than the fact that it took the techs about 4 trips to get me setup properly). I started subscribing to DirecTV when it seemed that the local cable monopoly started rapidly declining with respect to customer service.

Several years into my patronage (2005) I decided to try the NFL package. It was OK but, by the end of the year, I wasn't really watching it that much so when DirecTV called to try to sign me up again I declined. Fast forward to 2008, we've been looking for ways to cut a few household expenses. As I went through the old bank statements (we have auto-pay for just about all bills) I noticed that my DirecTV bills had gotten as high as $200 / mo. I knew that the premium package cost around 100 bucks. I know there are a bunch of taxes and surcharges, etc but I figured there was no way those fees could be as much as the service itself.

I get on the line with a customer service person to try to figure out whey the bill is so high. He's going through the charges and the last one he mentions is the NFL package. I tell him I don't get the NFL package and he reiterates that I do. I ask him what channel it is on - when I go to that channel there is a message with a number of where to call to subscribe. The guy tells me that I signed up in 2005 (true) and that in 2006 they sent me something saying if I do NOT want to subscribe again in 2006 that I must check a box. They proceeded to charge me for all of 2006, 2007 and 2008! Furthermore, he had the onions to tell me that DirecTV had a "policy" of not refunding NFL package subscribers who had been duped. I, of course, informed him of MY POLICY of not letting anyone steal my money. And MY POLICY is the only one that matters. Several more calls, several more supervisors (some of whom were idiots and some of whom were appauled by the story but who claimed to be powerless to do anything).

First, and most obvious, you don't sell a service by telling someone that they have to say "no" to avoid it. You can GIVE me whatever service you want - but you only have the right to get paid for the ones that I ask for.

Second, I had trusted DirecTV enough to put them on my auto-pay list. No paper bills, save the environment, etc etc. It just goes to my bank account and I hit "pay" each month for all of my bills. So DirecTV can pull this shenanigans on just about anybody that uses modern banking and doesn't keep a close eye on the bill from month to month.

After demanding my money back (almost $800!!!) I stopped paying them my monthly bills. Everytime someone called my house about payment I wouldn't let them get their scriped questions out - I just asked them about the status of my refund. They always get off the phone perplexed.

Well, they just shut off the service. So I've talked to my best friend who is an attorney and he said this will be a no-brainer lawsuit. He said that, if I am lucky, they will also report me to the credit bureaus (which will appear malicious to a judge) and will make my suit too large for small claims court. So, a little longer to wait but more hassle and money for DirecTV to pay.

It just stuns me that this company would take a long-time, loyal, premium customer and treat them this way. Not only have they lost my revenue stream forever, there are going to pay legal bills (theirs and mine) and have me bad-mouthing that company forever. By the time this is all said and done I'll bet this little stunt costs them $75,000 of undiscounted cashflow. Maybe a drop in the ocean to them but so stupid. So stupid.

In the meantime, I have offered DirecTV to be part of my prayer of the month club. With the economy being down I figured some companies might like people to say a prayer on their behalf. The price is a little steep ($10,000 subscription per year) but if they feel they don't need the service they can always write me a letter telling me that they explicitly DO NOT WANT to subscribe. Until I get that communication from them I can only assume that they want to join the prayer network. My policy is to enforce all debts on firms that do not affirmatively decline membership. That seems fair, right? At least THEY think so...

So you don't review your bills, you just pay them...and this is DirecTV's fault
So you signed up for an additional programming package, and didn't cancel it correctly...and this is DirecTV's fault
So you let this matter slide for several years, and expect DirecTV to issue you a refund for something that you can't prove that you didn't use during those years...and this is DirecTV's fault.
So you stopped paying your bill because you weren't issued a refund...and this is DirecTV's fault
So DirecTV is reporting your failure to pay your bill to the credit rating system...and this is DirecTV's fault

But you've got a best friend who's a lawyer that says this is a "no-brainer" for you...and yet DirecTV has an entire legal department that specializes in contract law.

Best of luck to you...I'm serious, you're going to need it.

 

[wolfman]

So you don't review your bills, you just pay them...and this is DirecTV's fault
So you signed up for an additional programming package, and didn't cancel it correctly...and this is DirecTV's fault
So you let this matter slide for several years, and expect DirecTV to issue you a refund for something that you can't prove that you didn't use during those years...and this is DirecTV's fault.
So you stopped paying your bill because you weren't issued a refund...and this is DirecTV's fault
So DirecTV is reporting your failure to pay your bill to the credit rating system...and this is DirecTV's fault

But you've got a best friend who's a lawyer that says this is a "no-brainer" for you...and yet DirecTV has an entire legal department that specializes in contract law.

Best of luck to you...I'm serious, you're going to need it.

I would just love to hear what a Judge would have to say about this.

 

[Zynergi]

Wow.. this is almost as funny as the kid. I mean guy.. I mean Wife.. or whoever he was that day that wanted to know how to change his SS # because he used the wrong one or Used his Dads' or His wifes.. he didnt know.

Officer I swear to God I didnt know that X was a crime... do I really have to go to jail?

Seriously read what your getting into.. its explained by the sales people, its explained in the Print ad, its in the techs hand for you to sign... its on D*'s website its on Retailers Websites... the only one that seems to be blind is you.

Facts..

Non-HD
18 Month Commitment on a New Install
18 Month Programming Commitment on a Reactivation or Addition of a Owned Unit
18 Month Commitment if you add a Leased Receiver Later
18 Month Commitment if a receiver breaks after 90 Days if you do not have a Protection Plan

HD/DVR
24 Month Commitment on a New Install
24 Month Programming Commitment on a Reactivation or Addition of a Owned Unit
24 Month Commitment if you add a Leased Receiver Later
24 Month Commitment if a receiver breaks after 90 Days if you do not have a Protection Plan

Misc.
You can Suspend your Account for 6 Months but your commitment gets suspended to.
It can Cost $10 to lower your package
It will cost $10 to change programming within 30 days of a previous change
Protection Plans are a 1 year commitment
Protection Plans are $5.99/$9.99 a Month
Service Call is $79
Techs do have stuff they can charge for
A fee of $4.99 a month will be added to each box owned or leased after the 1st

They offer FREE Equipment and FREE Basic installs on a commitment because YOU didnt want to pay $300+ to have someone come out and install the system. But there are situations that are outside of a FREE BAsic Install and will require additional payment. Did you know that 90% of the techs out there do go beyond the FREE Basic Install and do not charge extra? HD Stuff costs money because it costs them money. To me you are the one that complains that you have been an Alltel Customer for 90 years and now you want to upgrade your Startac to a new Blacberry Storm because your boss has one and they are cool, but throw a fit that its $299 and a 2 year commitment and they shoudnt charge you. If your not happy with D*'s policies then get out, do what you got to do and go get pissed at the next guy. It will be a never ending frustration with you.

Anyways nothing any of us say is going to get through your pig headed skull so go for the embarrassment of filing false claims, complaints and grievances. It's your time feel free to waste it with no commitment

 

[dishcomm]

I've been a loyal DirecTV subscriber for about 6 years. Always the premium package, HD DVR, etc. Never a complaint (other than the fact that it took the techs about 4 trips to get me setup properly). I started subscribing to DirecTV when it seemed that the local cable monopoly started rapidly declining with respect to customer service.

Several years into my patronage (2005) I decided to try the NFL package. It was OK but, by the end of the year, I wasn't really watching it that much so when DirecTV called to try to sign me up again I declined. Fast forward to 2008, we've been looking for ways to cut a few household expenses. As I went through the old bank statements (we have auto-pay for just about all bills) I noticed that my DirecTV bills had gotten as high as $200 / mo. I knew that the premium package cost around 100 bucks. I know there are a bunch of taxes and surcharges, etc but I figured there was no way those fees could be as much as the service itself.

I get on the line with a customer service person to try to figure out whey the bill is so high. He's going through the charges and the last one he mentions is the NFL package. I tell him I don't get the NFL package and he reiterates that I do. I ask him what channel it is on - when I go to that channel there is a message with a number of where to call to subscribe. The guy tells me that I signed up in 2005 (true) and that in 2006 they sent me something saying if I do NOT want to subscribe again in 2006 that I must check a box. They proceeded to charge me for all of 2006, 2007 and 2008! Furthermore, he had the onions to tell me that DirecTV had a "policy" of not refunding NFL package subscribers who had been duped. I, of course, informed him of MY POLICY of not letting anyone steal my money. And MY POLICY is the only one that matters. Several more calls, several more supervisors (some of whom were idiots and some of whom were appauled by the story but who claimed to be powerless to do anything).

First, and most obvious, you don't sell a service by telling someone that they have to say "no" to avoid it. You can GIVE me whatever service you want - but you only have the right to get paid for the ones that I ask for.

Second, I had trusted DirecTV enough to put them on my auto-pay list. No paper bills, save the environment, etc etc. It just goes to my bank account and I hit "pay" each month for all of my bills. So DirecTV can pull this shenanigans on just about anybody that uses modern banking and doesn't keep a close eye on the bill from month to month.

After demanding my money back (almost $800!!!) I stopped paying them my monthly bills. Everytime someone called my house about payment I wouldn't let them get their scriped questions out - I just asked them about the status of my refund. They always get off the phone perplexed.

Well, they just shut off the service. So I've talked to my best friend who is an attorney and he said this will be a no-brainer lawsuit. He said that, if I am lucky, they will also report me to the credit bureaus (which will appear malicious to a judge) and will make my suit too large for small claims court. So, a little longer to wait but more hassle and money for DirecTV to pay.

It just stuns me that this company would take a long-time, loyal, premium customer and treat them this way. Not only have they lost my revenue stream forever, there are going to pay legal bills (theirs and mine) and have me bad-mouthing that company forever. By the time this is all said and done I'll bet this little stunt costs them $75,000 of undiscounted cashflow. Maybe a drop in the ocean to them but so stupid. So stupid.

In the meantime, I have offered DirecTV to be part of my prayer of the month club. With the economy being down I figured some companies might like people to say a prayer on their behalf. The price is a little steep ($10,000 subscription per year) but if they feel they don't need the service they can always write me a letter telling me that they explicitly DO NOT WANT to subscribe. Until I get that communication from them I can only assume that they want to join the prayer network. My policy is to enforce all debts on firms that do not affirmatively decline membership. That seems fair, right? At least THEY think so...

First, and most obvious, you don't sell a service by telling someone that they have to say "no" to avoid it.
You may not realize it but this practice of "negative response" is quite common. Companies do this all the time. It is a way of them allowing the "free service" to expire and then commense billing at the the end of the proomotiuon. Many consuimers will either forget about the additional charges or like the service enough to keep it.
I am getting feedback from customers on Dish's free HBO/Starz promo. The first question they ask is " Do I have to call them to cancel once the promotion ends?" The answer is yes. They then tell me to change their programming and decline the free movies

 

[paulman182]

There is fine print all over the place stating that sports subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled.

 

[sonydude1966]

I've been a loyal DirecTV subscriber for about 6 years. Always the premium package, HD DVR, etc. Never a complaint (other than the fact that it took the techs about 4 trips to get me setup properly). I started subscribing to DirecTV when it seemed that the local cable monopoly started rapidly declining with respect to customer service.

Several years into my patronage (2005) I decided to try the NFL package. It was OK but, by the end of the year, I wasn't really watching it that much so when DirecTV called to try to sign me up again I declined. Fast forward to 2008, we've been looking for ways to cut a few household expenses. As I went through the old bank statements (we have auto-pay for just about all bills) I noticed that my DirecTV bills had gotten as high as $200 / mo. I knew that the premium package cost around 100 bucks. I know there are a bunch of taxes and surcharges, etc but I figured there was no way those fees could be as much as the service itself.

I get on the line with a customer service person to try to figure out whey the bill is so high. He's going through the charges and the last one he mentions is the NFL package. I tell him I don't get the NFL package and he reiterates that I do. I ask him what channel it is on - when I go to that channel there is a message with a number of where to call to subscribe. The guy tells me that I signed up in 2005 (true) and that in 2006 they sent me something saying if I do NOT want to subscribe again in 2006 that I must check a box. They proceeded to charge me for all of 2006, 2007 and 2008! Furthermore, he had the onions to tell me that DirecTV had a "policy" of not refunding NFL package subscribers who had been duped. I, of course, informed him of MY POLICY of not letting anyone steal my money. And MY POLICY is the only one that matters. Several more calls, several more supervisors (some of whom were idiots and some of whom were appauled by the story but who claimed to be powerless to do anything).

First, and most obvious, you don't sell a service by telling someone that they have to say "no" to avoid it. You can GIVE me whatever service you want - but you only have the right to get paid for the ones that I ask for.

Second, I had trusted DirecTV enough to put them on my auto-pay list. No paper bills, save the environment, etc etc. It just goes to my bank account and I hit "pay" each month for all of my bills. So DirecTV can pull this shenanigans on just about anybody that uses modern banking and doesn't keep a close eye on the bill from month to month.

After demanding my money back (almost $800!!!) I stopped paying them my monthly bills. Everytime someone called my house about payment I wouldn't let them get their scriped questions out - I just asked them about the status of my refund. They always get off the phone perplexed.

Well, they just shut off the service. So I've talked to my best friend who is an attorney and he said this will be a no-brainer lawsuit. He said that, if I am lucky, they will also report me to the credit bureaus (which will appear malicious to a judge) and will make my suit too large for small claims court. So, a little longer to wait but more hassle and money for DirecTV to pay.

It just stuns me that this company would take a long-time, loyal, premium customer and treat them this way. Not only have they lost my revenue stream forever, there are going to pay legal bills (theirs and mine) and have me bad-mouthing that company forever. By the time this is all said and done I'll bet this little stunt costs them $75,000 of undiscounted cashflow. Maybe a drop in the ocean to them but so stupid. So stupid.

In the meantime, I have offered DirecTV to be part of my prayer of the month club. With the economy being down I figured some companies might like people to say a prayer on their behalf. The price is a little steep ($10,000 subscription per year) but if they feel they don't need the service they can always write me a letter telling me that they explicitly DO NOT WANT to subscribe. Until I get that communication from them I can only assume that they want to join the prayer network. My policy is to enforce all debts on firms that do not affirmatively decline membership. That seems fair, right? At least THEY think so...

I hear your frustration. I had a 10 cents per call charge that I didn't authorize on a pre-paid cell phone a couple of years back. Something about accessing a service that I wasn't using. It took more than a few months for me to notice. The rep was of no use, and simply said I agreed to it somewhere when I didn't, and refused to credit me. In hindsight, I should have paid closer attention to my charges. I filed a BBB complaint that went unanswered by the company. Shortly thereafter, I got a regular cell service, and sent them packing.

I don't see how you could be being billed for it when you got the subscribe info when accessing the channel? Perhaps it was not removed in the bill, but was in the service? That may have been something to look in to.

As to your friend the lawyer, I believe you are getting incorrect advice. It would not be a "no brainer" lawsuit. I believe all Directv would have to do is show the judge your monthly bills and say, "here, we told him he was being billed." As for the credit report, that is probably common practice and would not be seen as "malicious."

Again, I do actually understand your grief, but your friend the lawyer is incorrect. Maybe you can still check into how you were being billed for something that wasn't available to you. That may be your only out. I am not a lawyer, but have an ok amount of common sense, and can assure you that this would not be a "no brainer" lawsuit.

 

[charper1]

I would just love to hear what a Judge would have to say about this.

BIG FAT DITTO! This is a hugely simple case of a user not reading (or caring) what they were getting into per the details and then not following said rules and methods to cancel. THEN compounded all this by breaking some of the most basic no-nos to "fight / dispute" like NOT PAYING THE BILL. Major no-no.


This is NO SCAM; and as almost always the case an angry user simply wanting to trash a company's name to anyone and everyone thinking they are "making them pay" while trying to make themselves look and feel better. User do this type of thing with virtually every company that has ever existed.