A Completely Dissatisfied Direct TV Customer

by Shelly
(Edmond, Ok)

They claim to be rated number one in customer satisfaction, but I'm wondering where they obtain these ratings from?

As it is clear to anyone with any type of issue (big or small) that they are the ultimate in the never ending run around.

I have been in a constant nightmare with this company. We have been loyal customers with Direct TV for the past 10 years-we started out as Primestar customers which were bought out by Direct TV.

We recently purchased a new home that had cable installed in every room. I called to cancel our Direct TV service before the move and they informed me I was under a contract with them.

When I asked them the details of the commitment they said it was because I had one of their leased receivers and canceling would result in an early cancellation charge of $360.

It turns out the Direct TV receiver they were claiming was theirs; which actually was an old Tivo unit (bought at Best Buy many years ago)

I given it to my son on his birthday and is owned by us. After they discovered this information they transferred my call on to another representative who came up with us being under commitment because we had the receiver installed.

I actually had called prior to the installation to confirm that in no way would we be obligated to them for a commitment if we paid the $100 just to have this receiver installed and added.

I was assured that they could not provide a commitment if it was not their equipment. I would not have hooked up the unit then-knowing we were moving soon - especially if it would bind us to them.

The next month there was a $360 charge on my credit card bill and I had to call and dispute it all over again.

Finally, I was told it was resolved and I would receive a credit on my credit card. They asked me to send the one receiver that I had that was leased back to them and I did so immediately.

Wanting to get this deal over with. After three very long attempts and many hours on the phone I thought this issue was finally resolved..

Today, I received a notice that I was past due on $37.93. No explanation what the charges were, just that I owed them. I have three statements in front of me from the past couple months with a $0 balance and no indication of past due charges or any type of balance.

I called to find out what this new charge was and they are telling me I owe from over a year ago on 3 pay-per-view movies/events.

I have no way of verifying this charge considering they have disabled my access to my online account information.

Finding my paper records from over a year ago could be quite a huge challenge. I just wanted to pass this information along to anyone considering signing up for Direct TV or those currently experiencing the same unfortunate issues to let you know you're not alone.

Please keep in mind they are very difficult to get a hold of and they have a very poor unaccommodating customer service department.