Rant On

Long story short, I ordered service in August of 09 through some promotional package they offered. It had NFL Sunday Ticket included at no charge. I never signed anything with these guys, just the work order from the installer when he came and installed the service last year. I asked him at that time (and also asked the rep on the phone when I ordered the service initially) if there was any contract / commitment, can I cancel at any time with no penalty? I was told yes by both.

Fast forward to today. I get my bill and it has NFL Sunday ticket on it for $50. I called and said I never ordered this, it was included in their promo package. They told me it autorenews and there is nothing they can do. I said fine, cancel everything, I am going to comcast. AFter going back and forth with them and eventually talking to a Supervisor, they told me I made a "verbal" commitment for 2 years and because I am only 1 year into it, I am being charged a $240 cancellation fee. Luckily, I didn't have this set up for automatic charge or debit, I just paid the bill when I got the invoice in the mail. So, we go back and forth and she tells me I'm stuck with it. I tell her to show me the contract I signed, She said it was verbal. I told her that's BS because I confirmed twice that there was no contract. She says sorry.

So, I have filed a complaint with the BBB, FTC and the AG for Consumer Protection. I drafted a letter to the CEO and EVP of Operations and will be sending it out tomorrow, referencing all the case #s from the aforementioned agencies and every employee I talked to with their employee #s. This is a bunch of sh*t. How can I be held to something I never signed, how the hell can a "verbal contract" that I never committed to, be enforced? In speaking with the BBB, they said that they have over 39,000 complaints already about this. I just want to warn you guys to think twice about doing business with them if you are considering switching. We'll see what happens with the complaints I filed and the letter I am sending them which will be registered. Buyer beware.

Rant Off

 

I'm waiting for my 2nd year to be up. I'm tired of the constant rate hikes, and I only get a few channels that I'd actually watch, so f'it

 

Ask them for a recording of you verbally agreeing to the 2 year contract. If they can't produce it, tell 'em to go pound sand and sue you.

 

get netflix, its the shiz!

 

I did that. Of course they can't produce it. This company is as bad as Vonage is with their cancellation policies. I can tell them to pound sand all I want, it's not going to stop them from billing me. Just glad I didn't set up automatic payment with a Debit or Credit Card. Going to have to play hardball. I just don't want to see anyone else get scammed by these clowns.

 

HBO Sunday nights is the main reason. I am addicted to True Blood and Entourage.

 

I didn't do Direct, because everyone I talked to gave bad reviews. I went with Dish and couldn't be more displeased. When I signed up I was given a guaranteed price fro a year. That lasted 6 months then they decided to bump the price up about $15 (the exact amount I was saving over cable). So now I pay the same price for Dish as I was paying for cable and get worse service, have to fix anything that breaks, and I don't receive service in as many rooms as I had with cable. When I called to complain I was told that Dish was cheaper than cable. I pointed out that I am pay the exact same for service and I pay for repairs with Dish and I lose service when it rains (as it often does here). The cost to cancel before my contract is up is $17.50 per month. I will stay with them until the discounts run out. At that point it will cost more for Dish than it does for cable. I will cancel the service and pay the early cancellation fees. I will save the fee within 6 months because of the lowered payments.

 

This is why I don't pay for TV anymore.

Between Hulu, Netflix, and the various network sites I find that I don't miss it much anyway.

 

That's why I went with DishNetwork. Too many people that had Direct, was given bad reviews. And I also use NetFlix. I don't have any of the movie channels with Dish.

 

One of my employees had some big problems with DirectTV. Evenutally, he got it worked out, but it took sometime.

I guess many of their installers are sub contractors who don't know what the heck they are doing. In addition to doing poor installs, it sounds like the field guys are making promises they can't keep, probably because Direct TV gives them a small commission for field sales.

 

There is always a catch with promotional offers. 39,000 complaints shows a tendency, on the part of DirectTV, of deceptive business practice.

 

Weather it be Direct, Dish, Sirius, or whoever they all try these auto renewal tactics, best thing to do is have your card have the number changed (I lost my card or my card is broke) just before it auto renews, works for me.

PS: Had Dish, the installer sucked, dumped them after 30 days, fortunate enoguh to get a great installer (the owner of a local home theater shop) for direct tv and enjoy their service too.

 

The cable companies also use contract installers. I had trouble with one of those contract installers when I got cable internet and telephone (no TV). I finally got p.o.ed and told the cable company to send their own people out. They did and the problem was fixed in 5 minutes although they stuck around another 15 to make sure all stayed fixed and trying to figure out how the contactor could screw things up so badly (it was a settings issue).

 

I've never had a problem with Directv.

 

Have had DirecTV since 95, with few if any problems. As far as a 1-2 year contract, there are no companies out that do not require them. So whoever you go with you will have a cancellation fee for early termination.