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Open Letter to Direct TV – Warning to Consumers

December 3, 2007 3:53 pm View Comments

1st off, I work a lot. My wife takes care of all our bills and unless something is seriously different than what it was last week, she just pays and goes about being a mom.

I am not making any excuses for my not knowing some of this. Maybe if I were not so trusting, I would know some of it. Either way, it’s ridiculous.

That said, here is my problem with DirectTV.

Update: I sent a letter to the CEO of Direct TV and got a call from someone from his office. What I learned is at the bottom of the story…

Back in late 2005, I chose to give Direct TV a whirl against the advice of others. I had heard about the issues that are inherent to satellite. Well, I answered an ad that offered a TiVo receiver and 3 additional rooms and installation free. This went down fine. I was pleased with the service and didn?t really have any of the issues that friends told me about. I was aware that I was locking in to a 2 year contract. More than a year of happy service goes by and I bought a big HD TV so I decided to give Direct TV HD a try.

November 2006, I answered another ad in a circular that offered ?Free HD Receiver? with installation. I don?t remember if this was to ?bump? my contract to a new 2 year deal, but since have learned that it had. No biggie, I got a free receiver, so I accept that a contract is in order. Still, I am almost 100% happy at this point. We have started seeing some nasty signals sometimes with wind and definitely with rain. I keep trying to get around to finding out how to get someone out to readjust the dish since that is most likely what the problem is.

October 2007, I decide I want a DVR for HD. ( the receivers were out of stock when I got HD in 2006 or I would have ?PAID? for the receiver then) I went down to Circuit City and plopped down $299 of my own dollars to get an HD DVR. I take it home and install it. Called to activate it. Now my kids are happy to record hours and hours of crap, even better, I can record what I want to watch. J Everything seemed fine.

Last month, I received a box from Direct TV. I didn?t order anything so I called and asked what the heck this was. ?It?s an empty box to return the receiver?, I was told. HUH? The free receiver I got when I signed up for HD? ?Yes?. What the heck? How can I be asked to return something I was led to believe I OWNED. Anyhow, I am quite busy and didn?t get around to sending it back against my belief that it is my receiver.

Fast forward to last week. I mentioned that my wife only questions bills when they are different. Well, this one went from $100 to $337.80. That threw me off the deep end. I said, give it here and I will see what?s up. The cost was $240.00 for this HD Receiver I was supposed to own. That bothers me terribly, but that was only bomb #1. Bomb #2 was the fact that I had been charged $4.99/mo to lease this receiver that the ad told me was free. Hmmm? Fishy.

I call the 1-800 number, find out that I was misled and asked to have my service canceled. I was more than willing to a) pay a year of cancellation (11 months) and sell my HD DVR that I purchased for $299 at circuit city on ebay to recover the difference. I was going to mail the HD receiver I thought I owned back and go with Comcast or Charter. Well, a couple more bombs hit me even harder than the 1st two.

The 3rd bomb was that a new 2 year contract was slapped onto my account when ?I? purchased my own receiver. Re read that? when I PURCHASED MY OWN RECEVIER. WHAT THE HELL?

Oh, don?t laugh, it gets better. I figure, ok? I can take my receiver and pay the $275 early contract termination fee with whatever I can get on ebay for a 2 month old HD DVR. That?s when bomb #4 hits. Sir, you don?t own that receiver. Huh? The receiver I dropped $299 for at Circuit City. I don?t own it? Nope. I don?t. You paid for the right to lease the receiver to use on Direct TV. That?s kind of funny. I go buy myself a Nokia N95 (an unlocked GSM Cellphone) to use on Cingular/AT&T network, they don?t up my contract and tell me that they own my phone do they?

So, to sum it up. I owe $337 to Direct TV. I can reduce this by $240 for sending a $99 market value HD Receiver than I BELIEVE I own based on the ad I accepted to get HD service. No Problem. I guess I can send this thing back againt my will. (not that I am using it anyway) Then, I cancel my account and pay them $275. Instead of recovering some of the cost of this fee by selling the HD DVR I paid for outright, I will have to send that receiver to them too. Yes, send the receiver I paid $299 cash for to DIRECT TV. No refund for my $299, no nothing.

What a load of crap. Who governs this companies tariffed rates? The PSC, FCC, who? Think it?s the FCC?

Update: The guy that called me a few hours after my letter was sent to the CEO was very thorough in explaining how I was screwed. Here are the bullet points.

  • The “Free” with install HD Receiver apparently came with small print about leasing that I didn’t read. So I have agreed to return the HD receiver. (not like I was using it anyhow, it’s got a dust wrapper already.
  • MY HD DVR isn’t mine. Once again, I didn’t read. Before I explain, let me just ask. How many of you would expect to pay $299 for this thing and expect it not to be yours without reading the “box”. I expected it to be like any other piece of A/V equipment I have bought. I am going to be severely pissed if Onkyo comes back asking for their $900 receiver if I stop using it. Anyhow, the $299 is a subsidized price. Similar to buying an AT&T Tilt for $299 instead of $600. Only you know this walking into the AT&T store.

I am going to let them come out and fix my reception issues and give them another chance. I might as well since I would have to pay $275 to quit since I was screwed into another 2 year contract when I bought a $299 subsidized receiver. What crap. Anyhow, since it’s subsidized, I can’t even sell the damn thing to recover the $299.

Yes, I am happy for a great explanation, but I am still unhappy that companies can get away with screwing consumers over with contracts. The FCC needs to step in and throw some regulation on this.  Subsidized or not, I am adding over $12 a month to their pocket by getting this DVR before they rope me in with an extra 11 months from when my contract was to expire.

Moral of the Story… READ THE FREAKING BOX (or paperwork) My advice, stay away from companies that take advantage of those that don’t read the FREAKING BOX.

I will not enter into any other contract with this company. I don’t care if they give me a 52″ LCD, no go! (not to mention, they would give it to me, then charge a lease fee and ask for it back if I don’t use it for 2 years.)

Thanks for explaining this Chris, but I have to agree to disagree on the business ethics of these moves. (my lack of reading or not)

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  • cindybaxter99@yahoo.com
    direct tv doesn't care about loyal costomers. Wehhave had it since they first started in our area. we bought the equipment and from time to time they try to charge rental on it. we haven't swithed packages in years but the bill keeps going up every month. If i was a new member i could get it for half price. kind of afraid to swith because of all the horror stories.
  • samanthakennedy_2000
    Amen to that. And you can have commen sense and still get screwed. A year ago I choose Directtv verses Dish because it had nothing whatsowever in the set up process about a contract. Dish did which is why I went with Direct. Upon telling the "great" customer service reps this, I was told that it was a verbal agreement and there wasn't a little box to check saying I agreed to it. I just had to know that by signing up I was going to be put into a contract. So yeah I commen sense and have read the fine print. Nothing about a contract whatsoever.
  • sammyjod
    Direct TV is conning elderly people by telling them they are offering free specials on movie channels then they throw in NFL or NHL or whatever ball is played at the time then charging them $60 a month for 5 months without telling them. When they go to disconnect the trial offer, they are told they can't disconnect it because they still have 2 to 3 more months they have to pay on these ball programs! It's sad when an elderly woman who raised four sons is roped into this kind of predatory sales practices then it takes a daughter-in-law calling a half a dozen to a dozen calls (all with supervisors hanging up on me) to find out what the heck happened and demanding to get it taken off even under threat of the class action lawsuit that's going on now. The supervisors don't care about the class-action lawsuits. They claim the customers knew then they argue the point of, "Well, were YOU on the PHONE when the customer agreed to the terms?" I asked her if SHE was on the phone when the offer was pawned off on the customer...' this pissed her off to the point where she hung up on me.

    It finally took a kind service rep to remove the charges on the bill to get it back to where it was before. It is difficult to believe I ended up with countless robots then countless a$$holes only to finally get to the likely ONLY decent person with the company to get this straightened out. All I can think of now is that I hope this poor guy doesn't get into any trouble for his taking these services off the bill.

    I did have them add a "do not call with special offers" on the account. If they do call, I will make an appointment with my state's Attorney General to discuss this problem over tea, coffee, or a couple of stiff drinks to find out how we can stop practices like this because in the end, it ruins all companies, not just Direct TV. It makes everyone suspect of a business whether that business is on the up and up or down and dirty as Direct TV has become. That's sad...
  • Casey
    Hi, I am having problems with dish network. I have had them now for 9 months and if not every month then every other month I have had to call and go round and round with this co. I think I have everyone's ID# that works at dish network. In the nine months I have not received a bill with the same amount on it and on almost every bill has an ID# on it that belongs to someone who tells me they work for dish network, I also have not paid the amount that the bill reflected either, so go figure. When I first signed on with dish network someone contacted me and said they were from dish network and I have to pay $50 for a processing fee I thought it was a little fishy but they made it sound pretty good at the time. Well when i was contacted for the install, I asked about the $50 and they said they don't charge a fee and I had been contacted by a third party co. for dish network. They said to call the third party co. and request they return my money, well that didn't happen. I also had to pay $168 for the install. Anyway the third party told me when I first signed on with dish network that my bill would be $32.99 for the first 6 months and that included some premium stations free for 3 months. After the 6 months it was to go up to $62.95 per month. That never happen and I have been fighting with dish network every since. On 11/15/09 I called because as you can guess my bill was wrong still, I talked to ID# 56w first and then to Noah ID#KD6 and after going round and round for about what seemed longer then 30 min's he finally gave me an reasonable offer of $44.99 until 3/2010, I said to him now my bill will reflect this amount on my next bill right, he said with confidence yes it will I am entering it into the computer as we speak. Well, as you can guess by now that didn't happen either, the following month my bill reflects still another amount lower then then I was told and I paid it. then comes Jan.2010 bill and it was much more then I was told And whats worse Noah ID#KD6 was not entering in the computer what he said he was entering. My bill this month reflected 80 something dollars last week and this week it is $76.86 I think, no matter it's a far cry from $44.99. Here we go again, I called and talked to a Jean ID#V2G she said my bill was 76 something and I told her about Noah and that the info should be in the computer but it wasn't. I also told her I was recording our conversation she was ok with that, I told her that I would pay the 44.99 and if that was a problem she needed to take it up with Noah, so she switched me to the corp. office so she said, I talked to Aliene we went round I also told her she was being recorded she wasn't happy about that and it was not ok. with her. By the time we finished I said I wanted to cancel my service and she came back at me saying I would have to pay $225 fee to cancel, but when I first signed on I was told it would be $150 to cancel. I told her that's just another lie I've been told by dish network. I truly do not understand why the FCC or whoever governs these co.'s why they do not do something about this type of business. What are we to do now, are we to just sit back and submit to the bad business ethics of these co.'s who not only lie to us but who feel that they are well with in there rights to take any amount they see fit out of your bank account and or out of your pocket. So please stay clear of dish network too they are just as bad as direct tv just different names that's all. I think it's time we started fighting back.
  • madashell
    I hear you Direct tv SUCKS with a capitol F'n all they do is screw people over. I have been a customer for over three years and they offer nothing other than to take my money. I tell you I called talk to three different guys and they were all rude and were no help at all. If you call and have a few questions I seems to be a bother for them. Well excuse me for making them work while they are at work. All I wish is that they would remember that without us they don't have a check. Why not make some good offers to customers like us who have been loyal and pay our bill on time. What I see is that they make great offers to get people to switch over and once they have then they don't care afer that your money is theirs at least for two years and like you said even if you try to get out of it early they will take as much as they can before you switch to someone else.
  • jj
    1. Written by j. Jones, on 23-12-2009 13:06

    :cry I just got off the phone with these people who were no help at all!I moved in to a place for 3 months and had direct tv,was supposed to get a 100 $ visa card i never got and was charged 200$ of the bat for installation. All that was ok but now I paid my account up to date and wanted to cancel and they would not let me the women told me to suspend the account and not to send in the receivers.I did not want to do this but I did because she talked me into freezing my account.Anyway here it is 2 days before Christmas and they took $346.00 out of my account which put me $86 in the negative.(They Have no Heart at All)CLARKHOWARD.COM please is there anything we can do? this is the corperate phone# (310)964-500(310)535-5000 at least call and bug them.They wanted to know how I got the phone #
  • jj
    1. Written by j. Jones, on 23-12-2009 13:06

    :cry I just got off the phone with these people who were no help at all!I moved in to a place for 3 months and had direct tv,was supposed to get a 100 $ visa card i never got and was charged 200$ of the bat for installation. All that was ok but now I paid my account up to date and wanted to cancel and they would not let me the women told me to suspend the account and not to send in the receivers.I did not want to do this but I did because she talked me into freezing my account.Anyway here it is 2 days before Christmas and they took $346.00 out of my account which put me $86 in the negative.(They Have no Heart at All)CLARKHOWARD.COM please is there anything we can do? this is the corperate phone# (310)964-500(310)535-5000 at least call and bug them.They wanted to know how I got the phone #
  • namejohnsmith
    Direct TV stinks. Every once in a while they charge me for two months instead of one. This happened twice. I'm switching to FIOS.
  • Robert
    Interesting, I am/was considering directv but this is one of many stories of unethical business practices (yes unethical fine print or not) ... Its similar to the fine print in credit card contracts that hit you when you try to leave or they adjust their rates/policies ... seems business people don't get it that word spreads and reputations matter. For Direct TV Inc folks ... go back to your business professors and ask them about ethics and reputations over the long term. If customers suspect your unethical (even if you think your not) we won't be inclined to take any deal. No we can't all be bought give us and the Internet word of mouth some credit.

    As a guy from Detroit I know how much corporate reputations and quality count .. believe me everyone in Michigan gets it. Sorry that Direct TV doesn't get it, guess I'm glad they aren't in Michigan too.

    I also think you missed Circut City's responsiblity here ... oh that's right they went out of business and had lots of customer reputation issues.

    Thanks for you note online here, you can count me in as taking your advice and ignoring this customer and telling my friends. That just cost them more than your lease costs.
  • ray
    direct tv has got me too. I've been with them since 1995 and have had same pkg. now their taking channels from me and still charging me the same price. was told "Direct tv reserves the right to change or do what they like with our programing pkgs" and customer relation dept. started their email reply with JUST SO YOU KNOW. I will be switch to either dish network or fios if it ever comes to town
  • ElSegundo
    No, You read the contract.
  • wayneruple
    I was screwed by Direct TV when they pulled several hundred dollars from my bank account after telling me the number would only be used to check my credit. They then claimed my 1 year contract was really for two years. In the end they won and I lost money but what the FCC needs to check on is how Direct TV's independent retailers can install you a dish and give you a receiver and then will actually give you local channels outside your local area. They told me if I would give them a false address where the dish was located then they could give me the local channels I wanted. I know a lot of other people they were able to do as well. Wonder if this is really legal? I think Dish Network got into problems doing this? So how can Direct get away with it? My dish was on my house in one county but the "location" address they showed up to the main office was in another county so I was able to get different local channels than all my neighbors!!!!! I'll never have cable or dish except Free To Air satellite or the old fashioned antenna.
  • Jack
    Let us know when you get your money! Of all the tech stuff, we always by the warranty extention, Dish and others charge 50 bucks or more to just show up at your house. They all are pretty much the same over the long run, you migh get a better deal for a year, but then you will be paying the premium price without the ability to go back to the other as a 'new user'. We are now in the 'information era' not the 'manufacturing era', we will all be paying big dollars for this stuff. I'm sure many have not had this explained like they should have, but I know of none that don't give you at least 24 hours to cancel, which is plenty of time to read what you are getting. On top of that, Directv even sent me, on my statement, that I only had so long to register to get my benifit, which they didn't have to do. Face it, learn to read and don't trust anyone you have to sign a contract with without reading and understanding it. Sorry to all who's had these problems, but High Tech also means high dollar. I don't remember who it was, but they paid like 10 billion for access to NFL! That's a lot of 20 fixes! Best of luck, let us know what you win.
  • Did you read my post? When I paid hundreds for something, it doesn't feel much like renting. At no point was I told by circuit city that the eqpt I purchased entered me into a new contract. When I called to activate it, I said I have my "own" equipment now. I was not corrected nor told my contract was extended by this purchase and activation.
  • Jack
    Did you READ your contract? This equipment costs millions to develop. If you believe you get anything for free, what planet do you come from, I'd like to live there! Did who you purchased it from not tell you? It is really up to them to inform you that you were renting the box. And, yes I have got a phone that I didn't know wasn't mine from some cell providers. READ the contract, it would really help if they wrote it in English, but it is a contract. There would have been the possibility that you could have drawn a line through the 2 year extension, but buying the box was totally up to you and that's why DirecTV is out of them! You paid the company that sold you that box, you should be partially PO'd at them for that anyway, I hope you don't do business with them anymore either.. Better luck on your next High tech device, chances are it will be just like all the satellite dealers because of the billions of dollars they have to invest to get this stuff up, can't just run up a hill and stick up a satellite, not to mention sending someone to fix it! You won't get any Hi Tech devices that use equipment that cost billions to put into service for cheap or free! Try some common sense next time!
  • Kjirstin
    I'm with James. I can NOT believe how arrogant and slimy these creeps continue to be as they suck in their minions with out-and-out lies!
    Forget about contacting their CEO or corporate office. It took me forever to find it, (none of their employees even knew his NAME!) and then once I did, sending a registered letter, I was called by a secretary who basically told me they aren't responsible for what their employees promise customers. (In the state of Utah, this is NOT TRUE, and they KNOW it!!!) A collection agency is now calling me EVERY DAY for a bill I do not owe, and REFUSE to pay. I guess it is fortunate my bank account is empty, so they can't drain it.
  • James
    It's time to start taking Directv to small claims court for overdraft fees and breach of contract. They are not providing a service they are contracted to provide. After having to pay up because they won't show in court it might make them wake up and take notice. I was just informed that I will have to pay 20 bucks to replace a refurbished DVR that is out of warranty. This is going to be fun. I love it when companies tell me no.
  • umoja spaulding
    I need to know how to get in contact with the coporate office. if anyone can tellme please send the info to my email.
  • cathysti1958
    Bank acct just got drained by dtv for early cancellation My Ex ordered upgrade now they say I had 2 yr contract cost 400 dollars plus boxes 400 for gran total of 800.00 which they took 700.00 in one day.Anyone can go to yur acct long as they give yur phone and add can make changes,Just want jump ff bridge now no bill money for anything.GO TO HELL DTV
  • NameJim
    Direct TV has canceled or lost their contract with Versus. I had taken the package that included Versus as I watch numerous programs there. I cancled with Direct TV as they no longer provied the the service I contracted for. This was a bundled package through Qwest.
    I got a bill showing $0.00 balance from Direct TV. But they billed west for $440 for early termination. When I called Direct TV they advised it was not their problem.
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