To all the people who have Time Warner or Cox cable and want to move to another provider, plz plz plz dont' go for Directv. Choose Dishtv or stay with the cable companies. But don't get fooled by the flyers you get in mails showing various offers from Directv. I was one of them and after reading my story you'll understand why I'm so pissed off at this company right now. Read on..I am a new customer to Directv and I got this offer in mail which said $44.99 per month for 12 months. This includes 185 channels including locals and you also get a free widescreen portable dvd player. This I was told was an offer only for new customers, the regular offer being $54.99. When i let the customer service rep know that i'm transfering from Time Warner and when i asked whether there is any other additional offer i can get, the lady told me that she would give me additional $10 rebate for 10 months making it $34.99 for 10 months. I confirmed this many times first month and second month and i was told that my third month's bill would be $34.99.
And now i get my 3rd month bill as $44.99, something I never expected. When i call up the customer service, the lady tells me that there was never any rebate, but there was a cash back offer for 10 months, which supposedly i'm not eligible now. I was like " Are you kidding me ?? " This was the first time they had mentioned to me about cash back offer. And when asked why i wasnt told this before, she just said she was sorry about that and couldnt help me further. I thought may be there's a misunderstanding here and may be this customer rep didnt know shit. So then I asked why wasnt i eligible for the offer which i never heard of and she told that i had contacted a third party and didnt go through their company for the service. Now this totally threw me off, because the mail i got was from Directv and never mentioned anything about third party. I completely lost my temper, which I don't usually, and started yelling at her. Felt like making the customer rep stand before me and smashing her to pulp. But then, what would she do...its the company right ?? Everything looked to be like a big scam and they just robbed $100 from me.
The flyer clearly read in bold letters " CALL NOW 1-888-866-2922 or visit directv.com ". Now do you expect this number to be that of directv or of a third party ?? Well I guess I wasnt that smart to think that this was NOT a directv number, rather of some unknown third party. If you think about it, its a very easy game for them. Advertise lot of good things, give lot of goodies, and make you call a third party ( which u think is directv number ) which would then give you additional rebates and finally when you sign up and don't get your rebate, let you know that it wasnt them who told there's a rebate, but rather direct you to that unknown company which you have no idea about..making it look like they are not guilty at all. All in all a f*#@ed up situation. I seriously wish i had stayed with Time warner or Dish TV and not moved to Directv. Now I cannot even come out of it as I'm in a 1 yr contract.
But this hasnt deterred me. I managed to get through ranks of customer service department and get an escalation of the case. They've given me 1 weeks time to see if they can get me the so called cash back offer. Also I have lodged a complaint at bbb.org website against Directv. I cannot wait till I win this war. I'm trying to spread awareness among everyone I talk to regarding this issue. And I'm making sure nobody signs up for Directv. I no more feel like using their free portable dvd player. I would rather sell it on ebay or craigslist. I sometimes sit and wonder, why I'm taking this way too serious. Its just after all $10 a month extra. But no...it aint about the money. Its about a promise, and a word given, which when not executed, becomes cheating. And thats not what one expects from big companies which lure customers. There aren't that many cable or satellite dish companies out there. And one certainly doesnt need to be this cheap to be ahead of the game. Such bastards !!
17 comments:
Totally agree! I had similar problems with DirectTV regarding going through a third party. Now I have no choice but to stay on their contract. Should have stayed with Time Warner without a contract. I agree it is a little more expensive but its worth the peace of mind.
Yeah man...that was totally unprofessional. Atleast for Time Warner, I know they have offices where we can go and complaint, if we have any. But i'm not sure if there are any offices for Directv. And even if I complaint I think they would ask me to talk to the unknown third party company. I still havnt heard from BBB yet.
hmmm .. i had the same experience with dish network too .. they had a 10 buck off a month plan ... for which i sent in the rebate form ... but they didnt accept it .. becoz it didnt reach them within the deadline ... and there's no rebuking them for forgetting to put that information anywhere on their website .. not even in Small print ...
that strikes out dishtv too...so we are left with only time warner and cox...hmmmm...i hope they have a somewat clean record...btw good to c u in blog priya...didnt know u were here and that too from jan 2005 :)
this one is nice too..such things happened to me too and it takes a while to forget about these and get some sleep :)
ARRRRGGH!
I sent my DVD player rebate forms in back in May. Today I tried several times to get through their phone menus to find some kind of status, but the system kept cutting me off, I then pressed for new service and got a rep immediatly. The rep said that they had not received the forms, big suprise there, and that I had to send new forms in. I'm so tired of this company, the picture is jerky on about half the channels and the PVR's sound like hoover vacs at night when they are off.
dude I won't be surprised if they later tell you that you've passed the rebate deadline. They are capable of doing that shit. I think you should also report to http://www.bbb.org/. I can't wait to see them getting ripped off in news somehow.
I here your comments loud and clear! I am a DIRECTV dealer. My suggestions for all of You is to find a good,honest,dependable, LOCAL DIRECTV
dealer in your area to give you honest details about the current
offers. We also work very hard to make every Customer happy. To anyone
out there now considering DIRECTV service I would Highly recommend a Local dealer you count on. We are here in your neighborhood. There is a Local DIRECTV dealer near you. Please don't think 1-800- ????
will get you a better deal because if you need someone later you will
have to call the same number for help. I think you will be better
served calling BRIAN!
I used to work for Directv Tech support, and let me tell you, no one in this world bitches like a Directv customer.
If you can get cable, GET CABLE. I tell customers often that Directv isn't for everybody--especially old people (not user-friendly, weather-dependent, etc).
If you live in a remote area where satellite TV is your only option, suck it up and quit bitching...
But...the last thing I will tell you to do is to call and scream at an agent on the phone--Directv policy states we can disconnect customers at any time for abuse.
Many times I have hung up on an irate and irrational customer, though I was kind enough to give them warning first.
A lot of my co-workers, however, were not so courteous. It was their pleasure to hang up on the customer knowing they would spend 10-15 through the automated menus to get another agent on the line.
Directv explained to us that they do not want abusive, high-maintenance customers. So do yourselves a favor and remember that you "catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."
DIRECTV
P.O. Box 6550
Greenwood Village, CO 80155-6550
July 8, 2008
RE: Order #53173816, Account #809281183
Dear DIRECTV,
In mid June I received an email solicitation from your company offering an introductory package for $29.99 per month for 12 months I have been a Comcast customer for many years but was interested in reducing my bill (Comcast was $120) so I called the number listed. I explained my situation, that I have 4 TV’s and wanted 1 DVR. The female representative – oh good Lord don’t I wish I had her name and contact info now - that I spoke to said that would all be included at the $29.99 per month fee. At my request she also added a 3 month free trial of the premium package including HBO, and explained that after the 3 months my total package would increase to $52 but I could cancel the Premium at that time. She told me a technician would come to my house and install everything for free.
I reviewed all of the information above with her: 3 standard receivers, 1 enhanced receiver; Choice package; free install; 3 month Premium trial = $29.99 per month for 12 months if I committed to 12 months. She confirmed this was accurate.
I placed Order #53173816 and reconfirmed: 3 standard receivers, 1 enhanced receiver; Choice package; free install; 3 month Premium trial = $29.99 per month for 12 months if I committed to 12 months. She confirmed this was accurate.
Problem #1:
Installation occurred July 1. The installer said that if he had to get in the attic where the cables ran it would cost me $75. I was home, I didn’t want to pay $75 and I didn’t want to argue with the guy that I was told it would be free, so I climbed in the attic and spent 4 hours running cable in my 100 degree attic. Drilling, cutting holes with my saws-all, filthy dirty, wasp nest up there. Great, whatever, saved $75, all done.
Problem #2:
The system was not programmed for the premium package with HBO. I had to call and get that turned on. Whatever, all done.
Problem #3:
Got my first bill yesterday - $75.12! What? That doesn’t sound like $29.99! So I called in and learned that I never filled out my rebate…. Rebate? She never mentioned a rebate. I repeat, never, never, never did the word “rebate” come out of the lady’s mouth when I placed Order #53173816. But the guy on the phone said he would fill it out for me. How much is the rebate? $23.00. But $75.12 minus $23 equals $52.12, and my deal was for $29.99? That is without the receivers, he says. The receivers were supposed to be included – I reconfirmed the terms of the deal twice. Well, they aren’t, blah blah blah. (Turns out the actual terms of the deal were on the piece of paper I signed when the installer was done watching me climb around my attic. I should have read it better, stupid mistake, trusting DIRECTV to be honorable – turns out you are actually dirty thieves.) So I told him: “Listen, either you give me the terms of the deal I agreed to or send someone out to disconnect me”. In fact I encouraged him “Please, please, please just give me what I was told I would get so I can move on and we can all go about our busy lives! I really just want to stick with you guys and be done with it!” No can do. He put me on hold while I was connected to the disconnect people.
Problem #4:
Disconnect lady says I am supposed to pay a $20 per month cancellation since I am not fulfilling the terms of the contract. To avoid this I had to cancel within 24 hours. Who cancels within 24 hours? The thing worked, I saw no discrepancy until I received my bill, why would I cancel? (In fact you know hardly anybody is gonna cancel within 24 hours, don’t you, you sneaky little scumbags – you trick people and force them to stay or steal their money even though you didn’t provide a service. Well I cancelled that card this morning – and what a fuckin’ headache that is going to be for me! But that’s all right, you’ll never get a penny from me.) I told her, “Look I really don’t want to deal with this. Please, please, please just honor the deal you offered me so we can move on!” No can do. So I cancelled the whole deal.
Problem #5
I have to ship the frickin things back!
It looks like Comcast will be around $70 per month, staying with DIRECTV would have saved me about $20 per month. But I can’t stay with you because I think you are liars, and I won’t tolerate that dishonesty. The whole thing seems like a big sleazy scam which assumes most people won’t go through all this hassle and then cancel.
Maybe you think I am scamming you to save $22per month (that would be the $52 you want me to pay minus the $29.99 I was told I would pay). Really, I love saving money but I’m not that poor or bored and I have better things to do. So now you don’t get my $22 per month, but you do get a guy who hates DIRECTV. A guy who will take any opportunity to bad mouth you. I will never ever buy anything from you again. I’ve already told about 15 people how much you suck.
Seems like a shitty business decision, but what do I know. I’m an honorable guy. I should send you a bill for the install work I did.
Assholes.
Mike McDaniel
I think mike needs to get a better attitude and grow up. His language is about probably as low as his IQ.
1. Did he get the id of the person who sold him this contract?
name id number ect? Everyone has an Id, if they say they don't, ask to talk to their supervisor. If you can't get this, don't deal with this telemarketer.
2. Does he have a hard copy of the original agreement? You can request them and they can be downloaded, faxed, or mailed. If you can't get them, don't deal with this telemarketer.
3. When it was installed did he have the price of install confirmed with the install tech, if does not match with what you were told don't do it.
There are extra charges, standard installs do not include crawling through attics, crawl spaces, fishing wires through walls, mounting wall plates and boxes, trenching wire, digging a hole and putting in a pole, ect.. If you know anything about standard and custom building/installation, standard does not include custom work. Basic standard installation is mount the dish, (either on the house or a pre-existing pole), and a direct line to each receiver. If you need to go through walls, attics, ceilings, crawl spaces or mount boxes or do anything extra, there is an extra charge.
Remember, when you talk to anyone on the phone involved in telemarketing, you are talking to someone who may have little to no technical knowledge on what they are selling. They are telemarketers. Telemarketers are not hired because they are experts on what they are selling, they are hired and payed because they can sell over the phone. They probably do not even work for the company they are selling for, they probably work for a company that contracts to the company they are selling for. Telemarketers are more interested in making a sell than in what they are selling and will say what they can to make a sell and hopefully stay within the strict guidlines set up by the company they are selling for. If they fall out side of the guide lines, they do get fired. Unfortunately for situations like this, til this is documented and it could take days, sometimes weeks, until this person is found doing wrong and then terminated. In the meantime there are people like you who are harmed. This is not an excuse, it is a fact.
This seems like a situation where you blame everyone else but yourself and you are willing to cut off your nose to spite your face. You can't identify who you dealt with over the phone, no contact id, no hard copy of agreement and did not confirm price of installation. Inspite of all of this, you still saved mony over your previous provider. But you are willing to bad mouth Directv who, inpite of your failure to do your job, still saved you money.
Grow up, wise up, do your job when you order something over the phone. Would you expect that you could blindfold yourself, walk into any store buy a pair of pants, take it home, wear it, then take it back to that store for any reason with no proof of purchase and considering the fact that it was already worn, and expect them to refund your money? Why would you expect it in this case. Where is your proof of purchase?
They stink! I am a 4-year customer and have been without DVR service for 2 weeks with no resolution. They told me they could not give me a credit for the lack of DVR service until the problem was resolved, but they cannot resolve the problem. Incredible. Then they said I need a new DVR unit but won't send one unless I sign a 2-year programming agreement. Extortion!
This company is horrible. Stay away from them.
As a DirecTV installer, I'll be the first to admit, they're not perfect, but... seriously... who is?
If you think you're going to do any better with Dish Net... guess again... pretty much the same price for outdated equipment and they actually charge you yet another $5 a month per reciever not hooked to a phone line.
And cable? C'mon... are you serious? Probably the one advantage being that, no, you don't generally have to sign a service contract... but I would hope not, especially if you happen to like things like TRUE digital picture, decent amount of HD channels, or sports packages.
As far as that 2 year contract... I agree with the DTV service rep... directv may not be perfect... but NOBODY bitchs like a DirecTV customer. Have you ever stopped to take into account the good faith DirecTV puts in YOU when they agree to provide you serive? That "free standard install"... believe me, it's anything BUT free... I'm low man on the totem pole, and I make over $100 on a basic 4 room install... that's after the thirdparty contractor I work for gets their cut, which you know is alot more then 100. Who do you suppose pays for that install? Directv's shelling out around $350-$400 on YOUR behalf right there.
And that "custom labor" some people have to pay... that's not coming from Directv, that charge comes from US! That's why DTV doesn't mention it on the phone.
As far as that charge goes, read my lips... "free STANDARD professional install"... there's nothing "standard" about crawling around your nasty fiberglass filled attic smashing my head and back on rafters and roofing nails... or crawling through the mud and cobwebs under your house... or having the dubious duty of trying to drill down eight feet through the inside of your wall to fish a new line, knowing full good and well if I screw up and pop out the drywall in the wrong spot, or, God forbid, tangle in an electric line... I will be the one held liable for the damage by my company.
So, yeah... you're DAMN right we charge extra for the crap... for whatever it's worth, WE don't get most of that money, you make the check out to the contractor company, they cash it, keep half, and, if we're LUCKY, we might (MIGHT) get the other half 6 months later... if they don't "forget".
To get back to my prior point... also take into account the equipment DirecTV is furnishing you. Yes, it's considered a "lease", but assuming all goes well and you remain a customer until that contract expires, generally speaking, Directv won't require you to return any of those recievers. Got an HD/DVR? That's about $900 worth of IRD right there (hence the "lease fee" you paid on it... which still leaves DTV holding the bag on most of it's cost).
Now let's say you move. DTV will set you up for free at your new place... you bring the recievers, they pay us AGAIN for a whole new install, including another dish.
Bottom line, that 2 year contract? It's generally right around the same time that expires before DirecTV even starts really making any kind of a profit from your account, which is, in the end, the only reason they (or any other business) exist, right?
I can go on for days if you want me to... trust me, like I said, DirecTV is not perfect, nobody is, but, all in all, they honestly do try hard to make people happy. Trust me, it's a BIG priority for them... I don't even want to THINK about the HOURS of "customer service training" videos" we've had to sit through... over and over and over again.
And believe it or not, for the most part, they succeed, without exageration, in 2 1/2 years on the job, I would say the better part of 90% of my customers were perfectly happy with DTV, and the majority of the ones who weren't were more angry about US being late or reschedualling, which again, isn't DTV's fault. It's unfortunately all too common practice for stupid 3rd party contractors trying to maximise profit by keeping us overbooked and undermanned.
Outside of that, which is most unfortunate, the rest of the problems I've seen tended to be more on the part of customers themselves who, quite frankly, were too impatiant and, well... bitchy, lol.
Word of advice, the majority of your satisfaction is going to depend on the installers work, if your losing signal every time it gets cloudy without even raining, most likely, he did a piss-poor job aligning your dish, if he just flung your cables accross the roof and did a halfass job routing them, or if he half assed the rest of the install... one of two things happened, 1) he's just a sh*&y tech, and you should report it, or, more likely 2) YOU did something to cause him to be in a rush.
My attitude is the same as most of my fellow techs, if you're halfway cool with me (and preferably stay the hell outta my way and let me do what I do)... then I'm going to go OUT of my way to try and make you happy and do an exceptional install... if you're going to start with a bad attitude the second I show up at your door and be hanging over my shoulder the entire time giving me the "stink eye"... then of course I'm just going to do whatever I gotta do to to hurry up and get outta there! Why wouldn't I? I don't get paid to put up with that crap.
I guess alot of this is just me... "venting"... like I said, I get along great with the VAST majority of my customers, and MOST of them truly are perfectly happy with their service... but, there ARE those select few... and YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE... that are just self-absorbed douche-bags and expect EVERYTHING to ALWAYS go their way, always want something for nothing, and instead of trying to be helpful, would rather just piss and moan like spoiled 4 year olds. It's to them... and only to them, that I say, "PISS OFF!!! Read a book, then." After all, in the end... can we please try and remember that above and beyond all else... IT'S ONLY TV!!!!!!!!!!!
Ah, This is great! Dispells
some contradictions I've read
I've had directv service for like 7+ years , I only got them since they are the only ones to have the NFL Sunday ticket.Most of the years were good until , I moved from Chicago to Central Illinois 2 years Ago.I had massive problems with the install company (BlueGrass).The tech did not inform me nor install the dish that provides local Channel's.It took directv 2 months to fix , they really offered no help , told me it's between me and Bluegrass.Well i've always had a problem Directv charging you to lease the equipmen , then charging 5.99 to protect it , otherwise hit you with costley repair bills.(Almost sounds like a sleazy used car salesman).Anyway November of 2009 , my job was having heavy impacts from the economic times and all of our hours were cut.It was so bad I had to decide feed my family or pay directv.Well I called directv to cancel and the customer service rep was great she gave me credits to put my bill down to almost nothing.Well end of the year my work closed the doors , so beginning of the year I found a new job , but part of the deal was I had to live onsite , and the building doesn't allow satellite.So I called directv to cancel , the CRS lady said ok , I requested a final bill and would pay in 2 payments.She said OK no problem , well less then a week later directv charged my debit card (without permission) for a crazy ammount.It forced my bank account to be overdrawn , Well after failed attemts with directv they told me they can do that for whatever amount they feel I owe.Well I contacted the BBB , Atty. general's office , local congress , even tried the white house.And of course disputed charge with my bank we'll see.Earl Evans Champaign Illinois
Well, the issue with DirecTV contracts is that they had built in automatic renewal clauses for practically anything you did. That's why they just settled a huge lawsuit from all 50 states and the District of Columbia because they were taking abusing their customers. I know this is an old posting but if anyone out there is still with DirecTV I recommend you check out DISH Network. I've been with DISH Network for quite some time now and now I work for them. The value proposition can't be beat - DISH beats DirecTV hands down when it comes to value, customer satisfaction and loyalty. Check it out, you won't be disappointed!
Did you know that the BBB has currently received almost 40,000 complaints about DirecTV? This is the reason that Direct has received an F from them, the lowest score possible! I am happy to say that I work for a reputable company, DISH Network. Seeing as DISH beats DirecTV in Customer Service, it is no wonder people switch everyday!
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