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UPDATE: check out How to get your cancellation fees back from DirecTV to see how I got my money back in the end. Good luck!
So you order DirecTV and are told you have to stick with them two years if you lease a DVR – otherwise you’ll be charged cancellation fees. You agree. Within that two years, the cheaply made DVR breaks down and you call them. They offer to replace it. No one ever mentions that replacing it causes your contract to be extended another two years. You agree to it being replaced. Then you decide to cancel your service, say, a year and a half later and what happens? You’re told you’ll have to pay cancellation fees of several hundred dollars. It’s all over the internet and in the media: here, here and even in this article about an FCC hearing on the policy.
Note how people keep saying “It was in the fine print when you signed up.” That’s what DirecTV reps are trained to tell you, too. But I am such a nerd that I actually always read my agreements when I agree to them, or at least skim them. I was pretty sure I’d never read anything remotely like “activating any new or additional receivers will begin a new contract/extend your existing contract” in any agreement with DirecTV, so I double-checked their claim that it’s in the fine print. Guess what? It’s not. It’s not in any agreement you have with DirecTV. Nor does it appear on BestBuy receipts, as they claim it must have been, if you bought a DVR there.
My situation
My own situation was a little unique, in that I had four DVRs break down in about as many months, got disgusted and phoned them up to cancel service. In an attempt to keep me as a customer, they convinced me to go to Best Buy, pick out a different model of DVR, and they would reimburse me. I spoke to two different agents to confirm various details – among them, that this would not extend my contract. I asked this question clearly. They clearly assured me it would not extend the contract. End of story, right?
Until I canceled service recently and was told that the purchase of that DVR in July 2008 had extended my contract to July 2010, so I owed them $220 in cancellation fees. I told them two agents had assured me it wouldn’t. They said it didn’t matter what their agents said, because it was in the fine print in my agreements with DirecTV (available online) and also on my BestBuy receipt. Fortunately, I still had my BestBuy receipt.
Yeah? Where in the fine print, exactly?
My BestBuy receipt said only that my equipment lease was governed by the document at http://directv.com/legal, which actually redirects to another page. Go have a look at that document, if you have time – two DirecTV reps I spoke to found nothing. I had to point out to them that while it says absolutely nothing about equipment leasing extending contracts, it refers you to an “Equipment Lease Addendum” which you can only find by typing that term into the search box. A little sneaky, but legal enough. I directed the reps to that addendum and two of them still couldn’t find where it said anything about equipment leases affecting contract terms. Finally, a supervisor pointed to this paragraph (and please note: all misspellings and incorrect capitalizations in mid-sentence are theirs not mine – maybe they should get a high school junior with As in English to go over what their legal team produces):
PROGRAMMING TERM.
For a new DIRECTV customer, The programming package(s) must be maintained for a period of not less than twenty-four (24) consecutive months. For a current DIRECTV customer, the programming package(s) must be maintained for a period of not less than (a) twelve (12) consecutive months for accounts with only standard receiver(s), or (b) twenty-four (24) consecutive months for accounts with advanced product(s)/receiver(s) (DVR, HD, or HD DVR, including additional DIRECTV receiver(s)). After you have fulfilled the agreement to the required programming package(s), you are not obliged to continue your subscription to DIRECTV programming for any specific duration. Current DIRECTV customers may activate additional receivers with thier existing DIRECTV programming package. THIS AGREEMENT TO MAINTAIN PROGRAMMING IS SEPARATE AND DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER PROGRAMMING COMMITMENT YOU MAY HAVE MADE WITH DIRECTV AND IS FULLY ENFORCEABLE UNDER THESE TERMS.
Being the huge nerd I am, at the time I purchased the new DVR, I actually read this stupid addendum and asked the two reps I talked to about this vague, ambiguous paragraph specifically. The second sentence seems to be a repeat of the first, in a way that suggests they’re trying to imply something different, but maybe they’re just making sure both new and existing customers understand this applies to them. Both reps I asked for clarification at the time assured me that because I’d already been with DirecTV over two years, and clearly the DVR breakdowns were not my fault, my contract would not be extended by buying the new DVR. Last week, a DirecTV supervisor I spoke to said she could understand why the reps had misinterpreted the clause back then, and that I had a “strong case” for disputing the cancellation fee (which you have to do in writing via a letter).
Yeah. Ya think?
Here, I’ll show you exactly what is missing from the above clause (bold below is my addition):
…For a current DIRECTV customer, the programming package(s) must be maintained for a period of not less than (a) twelve (12) consecutive months for accounts with only standard receiver(s), or (b) twenty-four (24) consecutive months from the time of activation of any new or additional receiver(s)…
See? That’s still legalese, but straightforward enough. But without my bolded addition, that sentence is just a head-scratcher. And if two of their own reps didn’t understand the clause, then it’s totally unreasonable for DirecTV to contend that customers should.
So why isn’t the clause written more clearly? Better yet, why doesn’t DirecTV do what every other contracted utility I deal with do, and train their reps to inform you whenever a request you’re making is going to extend your contract? For example, I once asked my ISP for a faster modem, and was told they’d be happy to send one, but it would restart my one-year commitment. It feels to me like DirecTV is trying to sneak this (very lucrative) policy past subscribers. If they really think this policy is so perfectly reasonable, why not be a little more up front with it?
The hamster wheel – from crap DVR to crap DVR
What seems most unfair about this is that the DVRs are shoddily made (see here, here and here) and don’t seem to outlast many people’s initial contract periods. To finish the contract, you need a new DVR. Accepting rental of a new one extends the contract another year or two, during which time the crappy DVR breaks again.
Additionally, there’s no loophole for escaping the contract if you move to a new home where you can’t get DirecTV or aren’t allowed to by your landlord or local neighborhood regulations. With every other contracted utility I know of, they don’t expect you to pay for canceling a service that’s no longer available to you. It’s ridiculous.
Get out of autopay now
I also had set up Autopay to pay my DirecTV bill for me each month. Interestingly, signing up for it is something you can do instantly online, but:
- Online, there is no way to cancel it. You must do this by phone.
- It takes up to one month for the cancellation to go through. That’s plenty of time for DirecTV to grab your cancellation fees off your credit card before you can dispute the charge.
I felt like I needed to shower after dealing with this company. It’s one thing for companies to openly charge ludicrous fees. It’s quite another when they work so hard at sneaking it past you, and then claim it was all right there in black and white but their own reps can’t even point out the correct “fine print.” After all, they have no qualms about clearly announcing the initial two-year contract period when you sign up and making sure you understand it – that led me to think I could trust them. I was so very mistaken.
And you can’t go by what their reps say
During this whole mess, I spoke to a number of different reps and kept getting contradictory information. My contract was to April of 2010. No, the rep who told me that was wrong – it was July. No, April. No, wait – yep, July. I was told I should have ignored the silly reps who told me buying a new DVR wouldn’t extend my contract (but I shouldn’t ignore the rep I was talking to now?). I was also told there was no way they would have reimbursed me for a DVR, and I had to be wrong about that – until somebody looked at the records and realized, oh, yeah, I was telling the truth. A particularly rude and hostile supervisor named Joshua told me no way had I had four DVR replacements (in a tone that implied I was just lying outright) until I asked him to tell me the dates of the replacement, and he looked at the records and found four dates. D’oh!
DirecTV completely wrecked all credibility with me right there. Furthermore, “Joshua” told me he had the authority to waive my cancellation fees but refused to. Then another rep told me he had no such authority, but had in fact gone ahead and put the cancellation fee on my account, which he also had no authority to do, which she then took off. At one point, there was even a credit for the cancellation fee on my account. I was also told they will not send me an itemized breakdown of the cancellation fee and refund for a partial month of service, but they would send me the whole accounting ledger for my account. (I’ve yet to receive it.)
Does any of this sound sane to you?
If you’re subscribing to DirecTV currently and are considering canceling them for any reason, I would suggest calling a rep today to get a firm answer about where you’re at on your contract, and when you can next cancel without penalty. Not that I’m sure you can trust anything they say, so get it in writing. They’ll tell you they can’t do that, but you tell them they can’t have it both ways: they can’t hide behind “Ignore what we say, it’s what’s written that counts” without being willing to document everything they tell you, right? You may not be able to escape cancellation fees, but the more you know, the better chance you have.
*clings to landlords who offer me cable for free*
Seriously, I am SO SPOILED right now with all the things I do not have to worry about. No gas bill, no electric bill, no cable/satellite/whathaveyou bill, no internet bill. Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled.
And, wow, am I happy to be such a brat in this particular instance.
The number one rule of any mega-huge business seems to be finding sneaky ways to jack over every single customer, and they count on the majority of people not kicking up a fuss or even paying attention.
That’s a very sweet deal you have there!
I chose DTV because it was much less expensive than cable for about the same channel choices. Ironic, huh?
Unbelievable..or so I would say if the same thing wasn’t happening to myself! (sort of) We signed up 3 years ago with a two year contract. Last November our (leased) DVR stopped working properly. After about 3 or 4 phone calls to dtv, they finally sent a new receiver. (the first couple of phone calls, the rep just told us that this was happening to everyone and there was not a thing they could do about it..HA!) So, we got our replacement box and everything was fine. Well, recently we’ve decided to look into other options because DirecTV is just getting too expensive. After reading a ton of stuff online, I called to see if we were still under contract. I’m under contract until November 2010 because THEIR equipment quit working last year and they had to replace my box. It’s crazy! I asked the rep if I signed an extension when I got my new box and he said I signed the technician’s work order which states I am extending my contract for two years. I cannot find this anywhere. I asked the rep if he could send me a copy of this work order I signed for my records since I don’t remember signing any such thing and dont have it, and he said the only way I could get a copy is if I can track down the technician that came to my house. Is that not completely nuts? Why would I sign another two year contract with these people when I wasn’t happy with their crappy service in the first place! So now I have to stick with them until Nov 2010 or I can pay 20/month for each month left in my BOGUS contract!
So did you end up out any money for the early termination fee?
Oh, and when I was looking stuff up on this I found that there is a Class Action Lawsuit against DirecTV right now for this very reason.
Oh, yeah, I’m out $220. I am disputing it with DirecTV, but not holding my breath for a good result there.
That is absolutely completely nuts, what they’re telling you about the technician being the only way to get hold of a copy of the contract. They have to have a copy for themselves, or else they’d have no defense at all if you canceled, got charged fees, and sued for them.
Got any details on the class action suit? I figured there would be one soon if there wasn’t already. Unfortunately, it seems like the customers rarely recover a dime under those things. It all just goes to the lawyers. But who knows – the fact that it’s going on might make them more responsive to my dispute!
Haven’t found any updates, just stumbled upon the suit when I was doing some research about all this crap. All I know is that it all got started last year and the judge gave them the green light in june or july of this year. I also looked at the website of the better business bureau of my area, and there have been more than 32,000 complaints on directv in the past 2 or 3 years. It’s insane that SOOO MANY people are having the same issue with them and NOTHING has been done. I’ve probably read over 1000 posts on the internet and maybe, MAYBE, a handful have actually got their cancellation fee waived.
I thought about canceling and just not paying the fee, since they have no proof to turn over to a collections agency. Then I realized they do have my bank information, and I just don’t wanna go through all that mess. Guess I’m gonna stick it out another year! All I know is I will NEVER give them my business again (that is, if I can ever get out of this bogus contract..-hoping my receiver does not quit working again-) and I will tell everyone I know what is happening.
Sorry you got ripped off too! Let me know any new news!
I had to fight with these clowns a couple of years ago. When I went to law school they could not provide service so I put my account on hold. A year later when I reinstated the account they had all kinds of backcharges and other issues and that was the first headache. They also had outdated a receiver I had purchased. When I called them about it the rep offered to send me a new one provided I would send them my outdated one. This piqued my interest and I was told they would refurbish it and use it again. So I agreed to the swap. A few months later I decided to cancel my service and they said I would have to send back the reciever. I immediately said no and asked what they were talking about. They proceeded to tell me that now all equipment that you paid for was merely leased. I told them that was not the case here because one of their reps told me this was a swap in which I sent them a receiver that I paid for in the past that was indeed my property. Not wanting to agree with me I offered another solution. Send back the receiver that I sent you and I will send you this receiver. That really did not go over too well. Apparently what is good for the goose is not good for the gander.
I proceeded to place my account on suspension and months later called and talked to different people. Eventually I emailed them and told them I would take them to court over this matter. They forwarded this to their legal counsel and I had to deal with that matter as well. Sad to say but their legal counsel is about as smart as their reps which is saying very little. I eventually received a statement from them saying that they were canceling my account.
Just 2 months ago they contacted me and wanted to bring me back. I asked them all kinds of questions knowing what had happened in the past and how unscrupulous they are. The rep proceeded to lie to me about DISH and acted as though he knew far more about their policies and procedures because as a Directv moron he looks at their stuff on the internet all the time. Luckily, this rep is as smart as their legal dept and knew next to nothing.
I highly recommend avoiding this company to all of my friends and would suggest that no matter who you deal with make sure you ask several questions and even repeat those questions because these people are trained to lie.
With Dish I made sure there was a record of the deal and even had my own comments placed on record. I have been much more satisfied with Dish than I ever was with Directv.
I also recommend that you keep an eye out on your cell phones. I recently dropped my provider because my phone was dying and I would have to enter into a 2 yr contract with them. So I bought a Virgin phone and it is cheaper and has no durational contract. It was a pain to get up and running but at least I don’t have to pay twice as much for calling and am not stuck in a long term relationship with them.
Right now it is unfortunate that the government which is supposedly elected by the people is actually owned by corporate america and is allowing corporate service providers to abuse consumers by forcing durational obligations on these consumers. Also, the technology they claim is so expensive is really not worth the obligations and so I am willing to do what more of us need to do; shop around and forego those industries that choose to gouge us.
I’m having the same problem regarding early termination fees. Due to a temporary move that will last 9-12 months, I couldn’t suspend my service and had to cancel. I’ve been a customer since November of 2004, and thought I had no problem. However, they charged my credit card $220 for an early cancellation fee, and when I questioned it, they told me I’d get a refund by check. They initially told me the problem was because they incorrectly terminated my service a week before I wanted it to end, and then began a “new” contract when the service was reconnected for a week.
In early July, they told me I’d get a check in 4-6 weeks. I called in early September, and they said the refund was approved, but not yet processed, and I’d get a check in 4-6 weeks. I just called back today, and they said I’m not getting a refund because I replaced a DVR in 2008 which re-started the term of my contract. When I asked to speak to a supervisor, the call was terminated (or I was put on “infinite hold”).
I wrote a letter to John Malone, who is Chairman of DirecTV in El Segundo, California, explaining my “frustration.” I have no idea what he’ll do, but I explained that I will do everything I can to make people aware of this ridiculous business practice. I also read about the class action lawsuit in California, and emailed the lead attorney to get some more information. If he writes me back, I’ll post here.
Doug, please do. I’d love to get in on that suit, as I’m in California, too. The suit alleges exactly what I’m saying here: their terms most certainly do NOT make it clear that everytime THEY fail to provide a DVR that actually lasts throughout your contract, your contract is renewed.
Interesting you got exactly the same number I got.
SnappyLiving – I just got a response from my email to the attorney in charge of the class action lawsuit in California. He forwarded my email to another firm in Minnesota (?!?), and I received a response from a paralegal there. Apparently, the litigation is ongoing, and there are also class action suits pending in Florida, Georgia, and Washington as well as California. They said they are considering filing suit in several other states, but not Virginia where I live. In any case, the name and email address where I sent my initial email is below. It’s certainly worth contacting him. I also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and sent an email to the National Consumer Advocate Association.
Here’s the name and email for the attorney in California: Todd Schneider
tschneider@schneiderwallace.com
You might also want to cc the paralegal in Minnesota who responded to my email: Jacqueline Olson jolson@sprengerlang.com
Good luck (see if you can get more damages for pain and suffering)
Yay, thanks!
my family is moving and I have only been a Directv customer for 5 months and am on my 4th DVR box because they keep breaking. I called to cancel in Nov because where we are moving to I need a bundle of internet, cable and phone and since I am so displeased with DTv I wanted to cancel and they told me there would be like a $315 charge! I said no it needs to be waived. The kid on the phone acted like he was doing something and said that he couldn’t override the cancellation fee. I’d have to write a letter to billing dispute. So I talked to his manager and he told me the same thing. And he told me I can’t even write the letter until my acct is terminated! So I asked for the phone number to their headquarters and he told me there wasn’t one. What the crap! My tech is supposed to come todya or tomorrow to install my new DVR box and I’m going to find out what hte heck is going on before he does anything.
There’s not a phone number for their headquarters? Gimme a break. That’s a sure sign you’re dealing with a company that knows it’s doing wrong and is just trying to hide.
yea they also told me theres no number for the legal department..really? I have the same situation as almost everyone.. canceled Directv due to economic reasons plus we need internet and all the outside companies they work with werent available in our area.. 300 bucks, early termination fee. Ive been reading about the class action suit.. Any word about new jersey jumping on the suit??
In response to my letter to the chairman of DirecTV discussed above, I got a phone call last Saturday from some customer service rep. They said they still believe the charge is valid because they reconnected my service on May 23, 2009 (which was disconnected due to THEIR error) and then had to disconnect it a week later per our original request. So, I just wrote another letter correcting their “misunderstanding”, but I don’t really expect anything from that. I’ve also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, which I should receive a response to by the end of this week. If that doesn’t work, I will file a request through binding arbitration (per your agreement, you can’t sue them; you need to use arbitration). I found a fair amount of good information on this in the internet – this is really a huge scam and it’s all over the internet.
Jay – the headquarters for DirecTV is located in El Segundo, California, and the phone number I have there is 310-964-5000. I haven’t yet tried to call that number, but I might when/if I get to the point of filing the request for arbitration. I’m sure there is someone there who has authority to waive your fee, but you might be on hold for several hours.
Joy – just found another number for DirecTV’s headquarters in El Segundo: 800-531-5000 Much better to use an 800 number since you’ll probably be on hold for a while.
Hate to tell you thi, Doug, but that 800 number is just their CA call center. It’s the only number I was ever given for customer service.
But the 310 area code is local to me. I might just give them a call and see if it goes anywhere different.
Their billing dispute address is in CO, which makes me think these guys are hiding themselves pretty well, with offices all over the place.
I got my form letter refusing to refund my cancellation fees the other day, so I’ll be contacting the CA lawyer you suggest here and writing more about this soon.
Yeah, I realized later that the 800 number is the same one that appears on the bill. That’s the number they left for me to call if I had any questions in response to their phone message denying my request for refund. Worthless.
Looking forward to hearing what you learn after talking to the attorneys.
This is all great info. Thanks to all of you. I have been fighting w/ DTV for about a month now. They are trying to charge me $260 for early termination of a contract I never signed and they can’t produce. I filed w/ BBB and don’t really expect much from them, just a paper trail. I’ll be filing w/ the NJ Attorney Generals office soon. Keep up with the numbers and e-mails, the closer we can get to HQ, the better the results should be. Anyone know if NJ will be included in the class action?
I emailed the lawyers recommended in this thread Friday and have yet to hear back. You might want to try doing the same – even if they can’t help you, they might know of another suit covering your region. I believe there’s more than one class-action suit, but am not sure.
Here’s the latest from my end:
As noted above, I responded to the phone call I received from DirecTV saying they would not refund my cancellation fee with another letter to the Chairman, John Malone in California, and a similar letter to their billing/customer service location in Colorado.
On Sunday, 11/1, we got an email saying that the service charge is being refunded to our account. We logged on to the DirecTV account, and sure enough, there it was. Of course, that doesn’t do me much good to have a credit in an account I never intend to use again, so I sent an email to DirecTV requesting that the credit be refunded to my credit card. In response, I got an email stating they would send a check in 6-8 weeks (same story I was told back in June). Yesterday, though, I received an email from DirecTV via the BBB related to my complaint. Here it is:
“We regret to hear of any unpleasant experiences you may have encountered. Upon review of the complaint, we have made a business decision to reverse the Early Cancellation Fee. This decision was made to amicably resolve your complaint. We have applied a credit to the account in the amount of $235.40. There are a number of steps involved for any company before a refund is processed. DIRECTV refunds typically take six to eight weeks from the date of the last transaction on an account. To expedite the resolution of your complaint, the credit card on file will be refunded within 10 business days. Sincerely, DIRECTV Office of the President”
So, they have apparently decided to refund my $220 early cancellation fee, plus about $15 in related taxes. Not sure if I wore them down with my letters and complaint, or if the complaint would have been enough. I’m also not sure if I’m actually gonna see the money, because they’ve told me before that I would be getting a refund, and then just strung me along probably hoping I’d let it drop. I’ll post again to let you know if I actually get the refund.
Is there any way you could post a copy of the letter/email you sent them? I’m not the best writer and don’t want to sound like a complete moron when I send them one.
Well, my request was turned down VERY quickly, with a form letter that addressed absolutely nothing I had said. I don’t even think they read mine, so I don’t know what you did, Doug. It might be they’re treating it differently according to whether or not you’re in a state that’s got a class action suit pending.
Not that I can get the lawyers who responded to you to write me back either. I don’t know what’s the deal with that.
I have just started my process, DTV is freakin’ crazy. I called to suspend my service almost 2 months ago. Today, I checked my bank account and they had withdrawn $417.14 from my bank account! This is all the money I had almost, I’m a single mother, living paycheck to paycheck. I called and spoke to 6 different people after I kept getting “accidentally disconnected” Finally they told me that they had no record of my call to suspend that that I have not paid the bill and my service was canceled and my account had a balance of $1000! This was for cancellation fees and charges for the receivers and some other stuff. I was on the phone for 2 hours with these people. Finally I said that I wanted to do what I had planned on, in the first place just to suspend service. At least this way I can get the money refunded back to my bank account and then just close the account and leave them, screw it and pay the bill later. Finally the woman I was talking to said this would be no problem, then she had to transfer me to another department, this guy said that he credited my DTV account, I then asked about my bank account and he said that he also took care of that. Then he had to transfer me again, and again, my call was dropped. So I called back, asked to be transfered to the right person. This woman told me that a refund was not possible to my bank account today, that she would have to put in a request for my DTV account, I would have to call back in three days and they would put another credit on my DTV account and then after another call they would be able to credit my bank account for the money they took. Then it would take 7 to 10 days for me to see the money.
I need that money to pay rent and childcare! Please help, what can I do!
Well, the refund was credited to our visa card today, so my personal ordeal is over.
I’m not really sure why they still refuse to refund your charge, SnappyLiving. The first letter I sent laid out the facts, and basically had a tone of disappointment. In fact, I didn’t even directly request a refund, assuming that they would understand that was my desire. For the second letter, though, I changed my tone quite a bit in view of their response to my first letter, and my language was more direct. Here it is:
This letter is further to my letter of October 15, 2009 sent to Mr. John Malone of DirecTV. This letter is also in response to a telephone message I received on Saturday, October 24, 2009 regarding that letter.
I am disputing an improper early cancellation fee I was assessed in June of 2009. In the phone message I received from a representative of DirecTV, the representative stated that the cancellation fee I was charged was allegedly correct in view of my re-connection to service on May 23, 2009 and subsequent “early” cancellation. Therefore, I was informed that I will not be receiving a refund. Unfortunately, it seems that my earlier letter must have therefore been somewhat unclear, and so I will attempt to clarify the situation.
I had been a loyal and satisfied DirecTV customer since November of 2004. In early May, 2009, I contacted DirecTV to inquire about suspending my service, effective June 1, 2009. This was necessary because my wife and I would be living for a period of about 9 months in a location where we would have no southern exposure, and could therefore not receive a satellite signal. I was told that due to the length of suspension, I would have to cancel my service. I therefore requested that my service be terminated on June 1, 2009, and this date was confirmed by the representative I was speaking with.
Several weeks later on the morning of Saturday, May 23, 2009, I was surprised to find I no longer had a satellite signal. My wife and I felt it was important to have some form of access to news and entertainment for the remaining week while we packed before our move, and so I contacted DirecTV to find out why our signal was cut off a week early. I was told that our service was mistakenly cut off (on May 23, 2009, a week before our requested cut-off date), but that our service would be restored. During a particularly busy time when I should have been packing and planning our move, I was on the phone for over an hour with representatives of DirecTV trying to determine why our service was cut off prematurely, and trying to get our service restored for the remaining week. The customer representative was well aware that we expected our service to terminate on June 1 as we had initially requested, but I was never informed that this 1 week restoration of service would be considered a “new” contract and would therefore result in an “early” cancellation with a fee of $220. I never verbally agreed to any extension of my service contract; I never agreed in writing to any extension of my contract; I never verbally agreed to any fee that would result – directly or indirectly – from the re-connection of my service; I never agreed in writing to any fee that would result – directly or indirectly – from the re-connection of my service. I merely wanted DirecTV to correct their error and restore my service until it was properly disconnected on June 1, 2009 as I had initially requested.
The interruption of our satellite service was a significant and completely unnecessary inconvenience at a particularly busy and stressful time for us. However, we understood that mistakes happen, and (after a wait of over an hour) we were happy to simply have our service for the remaining week.
To find out now that we are being charged for DirecTV’s error is shocking and, frankly, beyond belief. Imagine traveling by air, and being in a hurry to reach a meeting at your destination. When your flight arrives, you find that the airline has misplaced your luggage, and it takes over an hour to finally locate your bags. Although clearly upset and inconvenienced, you’re nonetheless appreciative that your bags were located. The entire incident is forgotten until you receive a search fee of $220 from the airline for locating the luggage that they lost. This is the unconscionable business model that DirecTV is employing.
Regrettably, it appears that DirecTV is not willing to acknowledge this mistake and refund this clearly improper charge. Therefore, as an initial step in recovering my money, I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau seeking a refund. If that effort is unsuccessful, I will proceed to initiate an action through Binding Arbitration, as per the terms of the agreement, and/or take other action as may be necessary. I will also continue to publicize DirecTV’s cancellation fee policy in every possible way so that I can prevent others from being subjected to this ridiculous policy.
Well, Doug and Lee, yesterday I called the number Doug found for DTV headquarters – 310-964-5000 – and it was like talking to an entirely different company. The person I spoke to was courteous, listened to my story patiently, then took about two minutes to look into my account, and then promised me a refund. It could take up to 10 business days to show up on my card, so I’m waiting for that to happen (or not) and then I’ll post about another article about it.
Lee, I would suggest calling that number. It may be long distance for you, but if you have a cell phone that may not cost extra. Even if you don’t, the whole call was maybe 10 minutes at most. I think more like 6.
Good luck!
Oh, and I finally got a response from the lawyers about the class action suit – apparently the case might be getting shifted to a Multi-District court or something, so they were holding off on responding until they knew what was going on. Good to know they weren’t just ignoring me! She said she’s keeping record of each contact so they can contact individuals for their stories later. I would suggest getting in on that, any of you who haven’t been able to get your situation resolved with DTV.
It *might* also be in the interests of justice to get in touch with the lawyers even IF you got your refund back. I’m not concerned about getting more money than what DTV unfairly took from me, but I think this case needs to win, bigtime, so that it won’t keep happening to people – especially people like Lee who are really feeling the pinch.
That’s great news, SnappyLiving. I’m glad to hear you were successful, too. Hopefully, DirecTV will soon drop this policy. In the meantime, I’m gonna keep warning as many people as possible so they don’t have to waste time trying to recover their money after the fact.
Thank you SnappyLiving for your suggestions, I may do that. However, I just found out what a great bank I have. Yesterday when the charge showed up they automatically flagged my card and put it on fraud alert so it couldn’t be used anymore. So when I called the bank, they cancelled the card. Today the authorization charge is gone. The girl at the bank said cancelling the card may have done it. She said that there should not be another authorization but just in case to withdrawl the money from the account and if the charge goes through again my money won’t be tied up while I am going through the dispute process. This is some good news, so we’ll see.
Thanks for your help!
Just an update – I still have not received my refund. The 10 business days she said it might take will be up on Wednesday, assuming they take Veterans’ Day off, which many businesses do not. I think I’m most likely just getting jerked around some more.
I finally got an e-mail from bbb today, DirecTV apologized for the inconvenience and has reversed the cancellation charge. Guess it does help to write letters. I sent one to the Interm Pres, Chairman of the board, and the VP of Customer Relations. Don’t give up. I might have also thrown in there that I was actice military and didn’t like the way they treat the men and women who defend our country. : )
Jeremy what did you write to them?
BTW Thanks for your service!!!!
That’s great news, Jeremy. I really do think that DirecTV expects most people to just accept the charge and stop fighting after a while. Anything new, SnappyLiving?
Nevermind SnappyLiving – I just read the story you linked (I should read before I leap). Thanks for the kudos.
I have been a customer since 2003, they gave me a “great deal” 6 months ago: free movie channels and NFL ticket for the remainder of the season for basically nothing. Then when the season is up, the started charging me (last month) the $59.99 a month NFL Ticket charge. I called, then had to fax/mail a complaint to the billing dispute office in Colorado saying I WILL BE ending my service if they dont credit my account for the $59.99, well they went ahead and canceled my service and posted a $476.30 early termination fee. After several emails to their cust serv. i am now writing a letter to MR. JOHN MALONE at Directv saying I will give them the benefit of the doubt: return me to the service I was paying ($75 a month) or I will go to the BBB and FTC. I will also file a small claims court case in my local district. Lets see: $476.30 or remain a customer and pay appx $900 a year?????? Hmmm, seems like a no brainer to me.
Thanks for all your info.
I am a 10 year customer at Directv. I am sincerely frustrated with their cancellation policy and lack of common sense customer service. I have always looked at customer service as an important way to maintain customers. Please be careful when signing up with this company!!!!!
I “suspended” my service back in late August of 09. I then forgot to call in after the six months were up (Busy running a company in a new location). I then received an invoice 2 months later informing me that I owe for $318.00. I called to hopefully get this resolved and was told different things from different people. At the end I was told I needed to pay the entire $318.44 (two months worth of service I didn’t use). Not only that, but I am being asked to pay for 2009 (not 2010) NFL package first payment even though I was in my “suspension” period starting mid August which was before NFL season even started. When I asked to talk to a supervisor I ended up speaking a guy who clearly had no power or care about my plight. I spent over an hour going back and forth with little success. I will say he was professional and good at saying he thinks my argument makes sense, but he clearly doesn’t have the latitude or customer service to make a decision. When I asked to speak to someone who has the latitude to make a decision, he told me that no one was available. He said that “Jose” would call me back. He would not give me “Jose’s ID#. So, now I am left to wait for “Jose” to call me back. In the meantime, I am paying a fee everyday for my service (that I am not using). I also need to pay an additional $240.00 to “cancel” my service as I have a year left because a purchased a whole new set up at BEST BUY a year ago and didn’t realize that extended my contract that I signed 10 years ago. So, to sum it up I now need to pay over $500 for service that I didn’t use. I am clearly being held hostage to either pay the $318.00, otherwise my fees will continue to go up every day. I will reluctantly pay the cancellation fee, but the 2 months worth of additional service is completely ridiculous. But, unfortunately I don’t know what options I have. I feel abused by DirectV and will never use their service again and will go out of my way to tell everyone about my bad experience and their horrible customer service policies!!!!!
Hi Joe here and as a DISH Network employee, I can say that DISH Network doesnt have the cancel fee hidden. On every service agreement it is stated there weather there is going to be a 24 month commitment or not. DISH just doesnt put you in a contract then when you call find out your stuck in a contract. Direct TV has a “F” rating from the BBB due to poor customer service. You can find out more at http://www.bbb.org/us/post/los-angeles-bbb-pounces-on-directtv-for-poor-csustomer-service-1131
Hello,
I can’t believe this, I am having this same problem!!! Direct TV just charged us almost $600 in early cancelation charges!!! We’ve been customers of theirs for over 7 years!!! And this is all after when I called two weeks ago and told them they were not authorized to charge my credit card anymore (they also charged us $117 after we canceled that was on automatic payment, which they still have not refunded that either!!!) I just had to cancel my credit card to prevent anymore unauthorized charges!! I can’t believe how unethical this company is! Makes me sick that I stayed with them for all those years!!! I will be fighting this tooth and nail! Anyone have any other suggestions? Is there a class action suit? I am in NJ also. Thanks & good luck!!!!!!!
A list of steps that work flawlessly is at monopolyindustry.com
I have been a direct tv customer for two and a half years. My husband and I just bought a house and I have been transfering things over to the new house. Yesterday, I called DTV to get the transfer AND I wanted to ask about an internet bundle with it, since our current provider doesnt go out there.
I was told that normally transfer of service was $300 (HUH?) BUT since I was a valued customer since May, they would give me a discount and only charge me $99. MY response was I have not been a customer since May, I have been a customer for two and a hlaf years. We signed a new contract in May when we UPGRADED to a DVR. Well apparently the sneaky sales guy. CANCELLED my account and gave me a NEW customer account because he did this, I am not a preferred enough customer to get the “free” move.
The manager tells me “well you are saving 300 this year already.. you shouldnt mind paying 99.
Well I am calling on the day we move and cancelling the service. They used deceptive practices to get me to sign a new contract. They wont be able to charge my card they have on file because that account is also being closed as I have had some major issues with it. They can send me a BILL in the mail.
please send me any updates on the clasaction lawsuits, i’m in colorado. my problem is the picture stopping and breaking up also we were lied to about what our hd dvr would do with one dvr and three other hd recievers as to recording and watching tv on the other sets. tryng to get out of the service without the cancelation fee. tech’s have been out 3 times to no avail.
i just foundout that direct tv went to my bank and took 302.dollars not even ask for nothing back they just put me in overdraft now i have to pay 603 plus what they charge at my bank and who know what more i have to pay becouse what they did didnt even give me a chance to get my serivce start up agin now i dont want their service not after what they did to me and my family.
This is great info. As a Time Warner employee, I try to explain the negative side of direct tv to potential customers. Dish also sticks people in contracts but I’ve never heard horror stories anything near as bad as direct