Ok, this all started in July of '06. DIRECTV has a really nice introductory package for new users: The NFL Sunday Ticket, a DVR, a portable DVD player and all of their channels for 6 months with the option to reduce it to another package should you not want the full amount of services/channels. Wow, great, I can do that for a year.
Talk to the DTV sales person, he sets up the install, everything is peachy-keen.
Oh, but wait...... didn't I know that by agreeing to accept the DVR (or if I wanted and HD-receiver, which I didn't) I REALLY agreed to a 2 year deal. How did I do that? Well, apparently on a separate portion of their website, distinct from what is spelled out in their introductory package, they had constructed an agreement concerning this. Did the salesman point this out? Oh, no. Did the installer indicate as such? Why should he?
Ok, so I try to negotiate this with them and to no avail. Obviously, this has quickly become a "let the buyer beware" company on my mental list. Interestingly, though, when I attempt to call back with a PIN number to try to negotiate this, I get an automated operator which allows me to suspend my account for up to 6 months! Hmmm.... I get more satisfaction out of an automated portion of their service than from an actual human being. Spock would be proud! And this couldn't come at a better time as DTV doesn't carry the channel of my local baseball team. So know I can reorder my local cable co. service. Very nice.
So we skip ahead to Dec. of '07. I'm in the process of relocating south. I call the DTV people to transfer the service as indicated on their website. I take my existing equipment to my new location. Shucks, I'm even enrolled in their mover's transfer contest where I could get an entire year mortgage or rent paid for! What a deal! The installer shows up as promised. Everything is all hooked up and ready to rock and roll....and then the paperwork comes out. Suspiciously, he has me sign an installation completed service as if I am getting an entire new service. I point this out to him, to which he responds that they just don't have those types of forms and that this is what the DTV office gives them. Now, since DTV is now on my certain list, I distinctly ask the installer if this is going to add any time to my existing contract which is up in mid-Aug of '08. He assures me that it absolutely will not. He leaves and I immediately contact a DTV service representative to ask him the same question. He ALSO assures me that my service contract is as it was.... Aug. '08 completion date.
Well, the move didn't work out. Turns out we'll be staying back at our original location and I'm thinking the wonderful people at DTV will help facilitate putting the service back to my home and we'll just continue on our merry way to meet the Aug. '08 agreed upon contract date. Oh, but wait...... latest Mr. service operator indicates that since I had my service transfered in Dec. '07, I have now agreed to an ADDITIONAL TWO YEARS, putting my new termination date at Dec. of 2009! EXCUSE ME? And on top of this there is a $50 transfer fee since I am requesting two transfers within a 6 month period. Fine. Please show me in the list of fees anywhere on the web site where this is the case. Quickly seeing that I will be getting no where with Mr. service operator, I ask for a manager. Mr. manager calmly apologizes for any inconvenience I may be having. Great. Fine. Interestingly, though, my transfer fee as he derived from his "information" is actually $99, not $50! Now, being the diligent consumer that I am, I make sure that I am on DTV's website while we are discussing this. I fervently ask Mr. manager where on the website it indicates a $99 fee. He cannot do this. (Most likely because, it does not exist. I'm pretty sure this is a physics thing....maybe philosphy, I'm not sure.). He asks if I again could be put on hold to see what he can do. I wait....patiently. Mr. manager returns with this magnanomous deal! DTV will give me $10 off my bill per month for 12 months, PLUS an additional $80 lump sum credited to my account and my contract will actually now end in Dec. of '08, not '09. He furthe explains this will offset the $199 transfer fee. Yes, $199! I asked him when this grew from $99 to $199. He laid some DTV terminology on me which he could not explain, nor justify, nor point me in any direction on the website to spell out what each fee meant!
I had pretty much had enough at this point. I told him I wanted my account to close as of this date (3/17). I think my best line of the conversation followed, when I summarized all the practices that DTV had engaged in, stating "It seems that Direct TV isn't exactly all that direct!"
Mr. manager agreed and informed me that my early termination fee would be $180, not exactly spelling out how that was derived, but that that would be charged to my credit card on file. He also gave me a "billing dispute" address where I could write and explain the situation.
Punchline #1: The credit card that I had on file with them was defunct because the number was hijacked about a week and half ago by some Dominican company. I hadn't given DTV my new card as it hadn't arrived as of yet!
Punchline #2: Upon calling my credit card company to assure that they would make no payments, just in case DTV would attempt to contact them, the operator responded, when I told her which company, "oh, yeah....we've been getting a lot of those calls lately!"
I don't care how many offers or packages DTV ever offers again. I don't even care if they enhance their HD channels to the point that a real pair of boobs will come through your TV screen......I'll never deal with them again.
Bottom line: when you deal with DirecTV....don't expect them to be direct!
Talk to the DTV sales person, he sets up the install, everything is peachy-keen.
Oh, but wait...... didn't I know that by agreeing to accept the DVR (or if I wanted and HD-receiver, which I didn't) I REALLY agreed to a 2 year deal. How did I do that? Well, apparently on a separate portion of their website, distinct from what is spelled out in their introductory package, they had constructed an agreement concerning this. Did the salesman point this out? Oh, no. Did the installer indicate as such? Why should he?
Ok, so I try to negotiate this with them and to no avail. Obviously, this has quickly become a "let the buyer beware" company on my mental list. Interestingly, though, when I attempt to call back with a PIN number to try to negotiate this, I get an automated operator which allows me to suspend my account for up to 6 months! Hmmm.... I get more satisfaction out of an automated portion of their service than from an actual human being. Spock would be proud! And this couldn't come at a better time as DTV doesn't carry the channel of my local baseball team. So know I can reorder my local cable co. service. Very nice.
So we skip ahead to Dec. of '07. I'm in the process of relocating south. I call the DTV people to transfer the service as indicated on their website. I take my existing equipment to my new location. Shucks, I'm even enrolled in their mover's transfer contest where I could get an entire year mortgage or rent paid for! What a deal! The installer shows up as promised. Everything is all hooked up and ready to rock and roll....and then the paperwork comes out. Suspiciously, he has me sign an installation completed service as if I am getting an entire new service. I point this out to him, to which he responds that they just don't have those types of forms and that this is what the DTV office gives them. Now, since DTV is now on my certain list, I distinctly ask the installer if this is going to add any time to my existing contract which is up in mid-Aug of '08. He assures me that it absolutely will not. He leaves and I immediately contact a DTV service representative to ask him the same question. He ALSO assures me that my service contract is as it was.... Aug. '08 completion date.
Well, the move didn't work out. Turns out we'll be staying back at our original location and I'm thinking the wonderful people at DTV will help facilitate putting the service back to my home and we'll just continue on our merry way to meet the Aug. '08 agreed upon contract date. Oh, but wait...... latest Mr. service operator indicates that since I had my service transfered in Dec. '07, I have now agreed to an ADDITIONAL TWO YEARS, putting my new termination date at Dec. of 2009! EXCUSE ME? And on top of this there is a $50 transfer fee since I am requesting two transfers within a 6 month period. Fine. Please show me in the list of fees anywhere on the web site where this is the case. Quickly seeing that I will be getting no where with Mr. service operator, I ask for a manager. Mr. manager calmly apologizes for any inconvenience I may be having. Great. Fine. Interestingly, though, my transfer fee as he derived from his "information" is actually $99, not $50! Now, being the diligent consumer that I am, I make sure that I am on DTV's website while we are discussing this. I fervently ask Mr. manager where on the website it indicates a $99 fee. He cannot do this. (Most likely because, it does not exist. I'm pretty sure this is a physics thing....maybe philosphy, I'm not sure.). He asks if I again could be put on hold to see what he can do. I wait....patiently. Mr. manager returns with this magnanomous deal! DTV will give me $10 off my bill per month for 12 months, PLUS an additional $80 lump sum credited to my account and my contract will actually now end in Dec. of '08, not '09. He furthe explains this will offset the $199 transfer fee. Yes, $199! I asked him when this grew from $99 to $199. He laid some DTV terminology on me which he could not explain, nor justify, nor point me in any direction on the website to spell out what each fee meant!
I had pretty much had enough at this point. I told him I wanted my account to close as of this date (3/17). I think my best line of the conversation followed, when I summarized all the practices that DTV had engaged in, stating "It seems that Direct TV isn't exactly all that direct!"
Mr. manager agreed and informed me that my early termination fee would be $180, not exactly spelling out how that was derived, but that that would be charged to my credit card on file. He also gave me a "billing dispute" address where I could write and explain the situation.
Punchline #1: The credit card that I had on file with them was defunct because the number was hijacked about a week and half ago by some Dominican company. I hadn't given DTV my new card as it hadn't arrived as of yet!
Punchline #2: Upon calling my credit card company to assure that they would make no payments, just in case DTV would attempt to contact them, the operator responded, when I told her which company, "oh, yeah....we've been getting a lot of those calls lately!"
I don't care how many offers or packages DTV ever offers again. I don't even care if they enhance their HD channels to the point that a real pair of boobs will come through your TV screen......I'll never deal with them again.
Bottom line: when you deal with DirecTV....don't expect them to be direct!
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