Comments on: It Might Be Legal, but It Sure Isn’t Ethical! http://beingfrugal.net/2009/02/18/directv-bad-customer-service/ Saving money and getting out of debt from a Christian SAHM perspective Fri, 12 Mar 2010 01:50:48 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: David http://beingfrugal.net/2009/02/18/directv-bad-customer-service/comment-page-2/#comment-23016 David Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:54:43 +0000 http://beingfrugal.net/?p=1740#comment-23016 http://www.petition.fm/petitions/open/ sign the petition http://www.petition.fm/petitions/open/ sign the petition

]]> By: Sam http://beingfrugal.net/2009/02/18/directv-bad-customer-service/comment-page-2/#comment-23013 Sam Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:04:21 +0000 http://beingfrugal.net/?p=1740#comment-23013 Don't know if it'd help but I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to file a complaint with your State's atty general or whomever takes bad businesses complaints? The Better Business Bureau won't do anything unless the company is the member - so it'd need to the govt office that takes & possibly consumer complaints. For me it'd be the atty general. That way if Direct TV tries to take any action against you, you'd have something of a paper trail to show that they were in the wrong to begin with and that'd you'd already taken action against them? Just an idea - don't know if it's a good one or not.... my son's Dad used to get mixed up with places like that a lot & I just kinda adapted a "nip it in the bud" perspective so that if it got ugly they'd drop it & go away. Don’t know if it’d help but I’m wondering if it might be a good idea to file a complaint with your State’s atty general or whomever takes bad businesses complaints?
The Better Business Bureau won’t do anything unless the company is the member – so it’d need to the govt office that takes & possibly consumer complaints. For me it’d be the atty general.

That way if Direct TV tries to take any action against you, you’d have something of a paper trail to show that they were in the wrong to begin with and that’d you’d already taken action against them?

Just an idea – don’t know if it’s a good one or not…. my son’s Dad used to get mixed up with places like that a lot & I just kinda adapted a “nip it in the bud” perspective so that if it got ugly they’d drop it & go away.

]]> By: Leslie http://beingfrugal.net/2009/02/18/directv-bad-customer-service/comment-page-2/#comment-23012 Leslie Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:55:36 +0000 http://beingfrugal.net/?p=1740#comment-23012 I am so sorry that I did not see these posts before I signed up for Direct TV for our business... I called the 800# and spoke to a friendly representative and told them that we were moving our business and that the new place did not have cable reception so we were investigating our satellite options. He said great! and went on to give the sales pitch of his life. I signed up for the $24.99 package and scheduled an install date AT OUR STORE and the tech came and installed the dish AT OUR STORE. One week later I get a nasty call from the "fraud department" from a nasty, uneducated girl named Brittnay - telephone number 310-964-2886 if you want to harrass her - telling me that I was committing a fraud by having a residential acct at a business... I said EXCUSE ME?!? FRAUD?! I gave the name of my business, I gave the address of my business, I told the guy it was a business and a tech came to my business to set up the service by drilling a HOLE in the side of my building - How did I commit a fraud?! DirectTV is commiting a fraud by selling me a on lost cost package and then once everything is installed switching on me to a "business package" which is nearly 3x the price .. I said to her -- who do I CALL about a fraud perpetrated against me?! And she of course - with her high school education continued to read from her script... refused to transfer me to anyone and told me if I did not call the Commercial Accts dept my service would be suspended...The person at the commercial dept was very understanding but said that yes, I would need to switch to a business acct for $69.99 a month ... and I said no - that unless they figured something out they would have to send a tech to my BUSINESS and take their equipment back -- and since THEY were changing the terms of the contract I would not pay anything... We'll see... I am cancelling my credit card today so they cannot start charging me for things like happened to the people on this site ... at least I read your notes in time for that! I'll keep you posted as to how things progress... I am so sorry that I did not see these posts before I signed up for Direct TV for our business… I called the 800# and spoke to a friendly representative and told them that we were moving our business and that the new place did not have cable reception so we were investigating our satellite options. He said great! and went on to give the sales pitch of his life. I signed up for the $24.99 package and scheduled an install date AT OUR STORE and the tech came and installed the dish AT OUR STORE. One week later I get a nasty call from the “fraud department” from a nasty, uneducated girl named Brittnay – telephone number 310-964-2886 if you want to harrass her – telling me that I was committing a fraud by having a residential acct at a business… I said EXCUSE ME?!? FRAUD?! I gave the name of my business, I gave the address of my business, I told the guy it was a business and a tech came to my business to set up the service by drilling a HOLE in the side of my building – How did I commit a fraud?! DirectTV is commiting a fraud by selling me a on lost cost package and then once everything is installed switching on me to a “business package” which is nearly 3x the price .. I said to her — who do I CALL about a fraud perpetrated against me?! And she of course – with her high school education continued to read from her script… refused to transfer me to anyone and told me if I did not call the Commercial Accts dept my service would be suspended…The person at the commercial dept was very understanding but said that yes, I would need to switch to a business acct for $69.99 a month … and I said no – that unless they figured something out they would have to send a tech to my BUSINESS and take their equipment back — and since THEY were changing the terms of the contract I would not pay anything… We’ll see… I am cancelling my credit card today so they cannot start charging me for things like happened to the people on this site … at least I read your notes in time for that! I’ll keep you posted as to how things progress…

]]> By: Ramon Ortega http://beingfrugal.net/2009/02/18/directv-bad-customer-service/comment-page-2/#comment-22938 Ramon Ortega Sat, 06 Mar 2010 04:44:34 +0000 http://beingfrugal.net/?p=1740#comment-22938 I need to talk to a REAL person about changing my package, now! I have the "NFL Sunday Ticket.....I have the option to change it , now. I can't get into your system to get you all my account number and change it to: Choice Ultimate, please help me make this NOW. I've called the 1-800-531-5000 and ge nowhere with this system. It tells to go to this web site and this is the first time I can put something in writing, but what will I get?? I talked to a REAL persom at the on set, but now, nothing!! I need your help, pronto, please?!?! I need to talk to a REAL person about changing my package, now!
I have the “NFL Sunday Ticket…..I have the option to change it , now. I can’t get into your system to get you all my account number
and change it to: Choice Ultimate, please help me make this NOW.
I’ve called the 1-800-531-5000 and ge nowhere with this system.
It tells to go to this web site and this is the first time I can put something in writing, but what will I get?? I talked to a REAL persom at the on set, but now, nothing!! I need your help, pronto, please?!?!

]]> By: David http://beingfrugal.net/2009/02/18/directv-bad-customer-service/comment-page-2/#comment-22825 David Mon, 01 Mar 2010 03:23:48 +0000 http://beingfrugal.net/?p=1740#comment-22825 David Evans http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/getNFLback Would you reward a kid for stealing from your purse? Of course you wouldn't.Then why is the NFL rewarding Directv with exclussive rights? They lie , cheat , and steal.They charge you to lease their equipment , then charge you upto $5.99 to protect it against repairs.T...hey will also make unauthorized charges to your credit/debit card.This is 100% accurate , google directv complainsts , it will blow your mind , they had over 20,000 complaints in 3 years , thats a BBB record.They have 3 lawsuits pending , in California , Washington , and Oregon.This does not include the silent suits.My goal is to get congress to open the NFL Sunday Ticket to cable companies , And all Satellite companies , At the top there is a Petition , my goal is to get 10,000 signatures then I'm sending the petition to congress.America needs competition , what if there was only 1 electrc company , gas company , Or auto maker?You Get the point , Thanks for your support! David Evans http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/getNFLback Would you reward a kid for stealing from your purse? Of course you wouldn’t.Then why is the NFL rewarding Directv with exclussive rights? They lie , cheat , and steal.They charge you to lease their equipment , then charge you upto $5.99 to protect it against repairs.T…hey will also make unauthorized charges to your credit/debit card.This is 100% accurate , google directv complainsts , it will blow your mind , they had over 20,000 complaints in 3 years , thats a BBB record.They have 3 lawsuits pending , in California , Washington , and Oregon.This does not include the silent suits.My goal is to get congress to open the NFL Sunday Ticket to cable companies , And all Satellite companies , At the top there is a Petition , my goal is to get 10,000 signatures then I’m sending the petition to congress.America needs competition , what if there was only 1 electrc company , gas company , Or auto maker?You Get the point , Thanks for your support!

]]> By: k croft http://beingfrugal.net/2009/02/18/directv-bad-customer-service/comment-page-2/#comment-22811 k croft Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:55:44 +0000 http://beingfrugal.net/?p=1740#comment-22811 Direct TV...$100.00 visa pre-paid card be careful.... We have been with dish 25 years and then decided to move to Direct TV partially due to the $100.00 rebate...well after 3 months I still had not received it... I contacted Direct and of course they said I did not agree to have auto pay...which I was not told that... I also ask to speak to a manager and was told there was not anyone higher than her and that it just the way it is... BAD BUSINESS...when asked about canceling my account she said for $400.00 I could do that..what about customer service.... Direct TV…$100.00 visa pre-paid card be careful…. We have been with dish 25 years and then decided to move to Direct TV partially due to the $100.00 rebate…well after 3 months I still had not received it… I contacted Direct and of course they said I did not agree to have auto pay…which I was not told that… I also ask to speak to a manager and was told there was not anyone higher than her and that it just the way it is… BAD BUSINESS…when asked about canceling my account she said for $400.00 I could do that..what about customer service….

]]> By: David http://beingfrugal.net/2009/02/18/directv-bad-customer-service/comment-page-2/#comment-22806 David Sat, 27 Feb 2010 03:20:14 +0000 http://beingfrugal.net/?p=1740#comment-22806 How directv is still in business is beyond me.I've had them for 7+ years , and besides them leasing their equipment then charging an addintional 5.99 to protect it most of them were good until 2 years ago.Well the final whammy all happened in the past 3-4 months.I lost a job i've been at for 10 years , due to the economic times , in November work slowed down so bad it was pay my diretv bill or feed my family.Well I called directv to cancel and explained my situation.The CSR seemed so nice , gave me credits so my bill was far less.Well the end of the year work shut it's doors , I got a new job working for a condo building , part of package I have to live on site , well they dont allow satellite , so I called directv to cancel , the CSR says ok , I said send me a final bill and I'll pay it in 2 payments.She said no problem sir , well less then a week later directv used my debit card (without permission) to take out an outragous amount forcing me to go overdrawn.I called and emailed directv , noone helped me , So I filed a complaint with the BBB , and atty' general's office , and of course disputed it with my bank.All the directv CSR say is , we dont need to give you a notice , or paper bill it's in our service agreement. How directv is still in business is beyond me.I’ve had them for 7+ years , and besides them leasing their equipment then charging an addintional 5.99 to protect it most of them were good until 2 years ago.Well the final whammy all happened in the past 3-4 months.I lost a job i’ve been at for 10 years , due to the economic times , in November work slowed down so bad it was pay my diretv bill or feed my family.Well I called directv to cancel and explained my situation.The CSR seemed so nice , gave me credits so my bill was far less.Well the end of the year work shut it’s doors , I got a new job working for a condo building , part of package I have to live on site , well they dont allow satellite , so I called directv to cancel , the CSR says ok , I said send me a final bill and I’ll pay it in 2 payments.She said no problem sir , well less then a week later directv used my debit card (without permission) to take out an outragous amount forcing me to go overdrawn.I called and emailed directv , noone helped me , So I filed a complaint with the BBB , and atty’ general’s office , and of course disputed it with my bank.All the directv CSR say is , we dont need to give you a notice , or paper bill it’s in our service agreement.

]]> By: Kim http://beingfrugal.net/2009/02/18/directv-bad-customer-service/comment-page-2/#comment-21902 Kim Fri, 22 Jan 2010 20:26:17 +0000 http://beingfrugal.net/?p=1740#comment-21902 We remarkably are having issues trying to become direct tv customers again. You would think that they would be thrilled to have another sucker come back and over charge us. Not the case, they say one thing and when you agree to it and pay the money they change everything around and want even more money than what you already have paid. So we are now out what we originally paid them and still have no resolution. 19 customer service reps. and every dept. in the place and we are still out 100 dollars and they want more. Lovely guys!! Nice of you to hit people while they are down. We remarkably are having issues trying to become direct tv customers again. You would think that they would be thrilled to have another sucker come back and over charge us. Not the case, they say one thing and when you agree to it and pay the money they change everything around and want even more money than what you already have paid. So we are now out what we originally paid them and still have no resolution. 19 customer service reps. and every dept. in the place and we are still out 100 dollars and they want more. Lovely guys!! Nice of you to hit people while they are down.

]]> By: Suleman Sobani http://beingfrugal.net/2009/02/18/directv-bad-customer-service/comment-page-2/#comment-21472 Suleman Sobani Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:16:03 +0000 http://beingfrugal.net/?p=1740#comment-21472 I have received extremely poor service from your Direct TV. The sales team assured us that service during windy/rainy conditions was uninterrupted except during extreme conditions. Our experience is that even during mild wind and rain the service is problematic. The initial installation was so poorly done that the dish had to be realigned within a week and the entire installation had to be redone within two months. Incidentally, the company has no record of a technician coming to our house the first time. That is Scary. While I was deployed, my wife had a hard time getting proper service and had to get help from our neighbors in getting a service tech to come out and fix the issue. The result was weeks with out proper service. Finally, my wife gave up trying to get the problems fixed and waited for me to return from my deployment. Direct TV took this as a sign the service was trouble free. I was also overcharged for movie channels I had not ordered and had to argue over a long distance call from the Middle East to get the charges corrected. I called customer service and spoke to a Ms. Raychel (Employee # 100363549) who said a supervisor would call me within 72 hours. There was no call back. I called customer service and asked to speak to a supervisor. I was transferred to a Ms. Jennifer (Employee # X3136) who claimed to be a supervisor. She gave her supervisor’s name as Ms. Lashonda but that she was not available then transferred me to a Mr. Sergion (Employee # 210221). Mr. Sergion was unable to give me a job title and claimed to be the highest level supervisor at Direct TV. Mr. Sergion told me that customer service was not answerable to customers and rather that the customer was to act according to what customer service directed. SO THAT'S WHAT THE DIRECT IN DIRECT TV STANDS FOR. WELL SLAP MY BUTT AND CALL ME CHARLIE. Direct TV has not kept the promise of good service. We have suffered through faulty installations, bad service, and rude service representatives. Don't ever deal with these clowns. EVER. I have received extremely poor service from your Direct TV. The sales team assured us that service during windy/rainy conditions was uninterrupted except during extreme conditions. Our experience is that even during mild wind and rain the service is problematic. The initial installation was so poorly done that the dish had to be realigned within a week and the entire installation had to be redone within two months. Incidentally, the company has no record of a technician coming to our house the first time. That is Scary. While I was deployed, my wife had a hard time getting proper service and had to get help from our neighbors in getting a service tech to come out and fix the issue. The result was weeks with out proper service. Finally, my wife gave up trying to get the problems fixed and waited for me to return from my deployment. Direct TV took this as a sign the service was trouble free. I was also overcharged for movie channels I had not ordered and had to argue over a long distance call from the Middle East to get the charges corrected. I called customer service and spoke to a Ms. Raychel (Employee # 100363549) who said a supervisor would call me within 72 hours. There was no call back. I called customer service and asked to speak to a supervisor. I was transferred to a Ms. Jennifer (Employee # X3136) who claimed to be a supervisor. She gave her supervisor’s name as Ms. Lashonda but that she was not available then transferred me to a Mr. Sergion (Employee # 210221). Mr. Sergion was unable to give me a job title and claimed to be the highest level supervisor at Direct TV. Mr. Sergion told me that customer service was not answerable to customers and rather that the customer was to act according to what customer service directed. SO THAT’S WHAT THE DIRECT IN DIRECT TV STANDS FOR. WELL SLAP MY BUTT AND CALL ME CHARLIE. Direct TV has not kept the promise of good service. We have suffered through faulty installations, bad service, and rude service representatives. Don’t ever deal with these clowns. EVER.

]]> By: Stephanie Burden http://beingfrugal.net/2009/02/18/directv-bad-customer-service/comment-page-2/#comment-21192 Stephanie Burden Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:43:07 +0000 http://beingfrugal.net/?p=1740#comment-21192 I have to agree with you that Qwest & Direct TV are a nightmere. We have had nothing but service issues with Qwest that they can not resolve and have stopped coming out to fix. Direct TV has charged me fees for things they gave us free to make up for destroying our sprinkler system when installing their dish at our home. When we moved they said we would get three months free of HBO and Starz and I called for three months in a row asking where the channels were with no fix. We finally gave up. So we are at the end of our contract in July 2010 and I will dump both companies and try to find someone who lives up to their claims. I get so angry everytime I see Direct TV's commercial for great customer service and problem solving. IT IS A LIE! They do not do what they say so beware if you are considering going into a contract with Direct TV or Qwest both company's get an F for being honest! I have to agree with you that Qwest & Direct TV are a nightmere. We have had nothing but service issues with Qwest that they can not resolve and have stopped coming out to fix. Direct TV has charged me fees for things they gave us free to make up for destroying our sprinkler system when installing their dish at our home. When we moved they said we would get three months free of HBO and Starz and I called for three months in a row asking where the channels were with no fix. We finally gave up. So we are at the end of our contract in July 2010 and I will dump both companies and try to find someone who lives up to their claims. I get so angry everytime I see Direct TV’s commercial for great customer service and problem solving. IT IS A LIE! They do not do what they say so beware if you are considering going into a contract with Direct TV or Qwest both company’s get an F for being honest!

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