DirecTV Double Bills 75-Year-Old Widow, Won't Fix It, Then Debits Huge Cancellation Fee
Here's a lovely story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A unnamed 75-year-old widow says AT&T called her to offer their new U-Verse service with bundled TV, Internet and phone. She signed up, only to receive a phone call letting her know that the TV service wasn't available in her area yet, but would she like to sign up with DirecTV instead? She agreed, but DirecTV started doublebilling her as soon as her service started. After a few months of the runaround from DirecTV she called to cancel.
She signed up with Chater Communications — and then found out that she had a 2 year contract with DirecTV and would be charged a cancellation fee — despite the fact that she'd only canceled because they were overcharging her and wouldn't stop.
The woman's granddaughter told the paper:
"She's truly on a fixed income - nothing but Social Security," [the granddaughter] said. "She always had set aside $100 for (cable and phone) bills, and now that was more like $200."
DirecTV helped her out by debiting $469 from her checking account. Soon after, she started getting calls from her bank informing her that her checks were bouncing.
Robert Mercer, a spokesman for DirecTV, said the company is careful to warn customers that they must be a customer for 24 months to avoid a penalty fee.
Maybe that's fair, but shouldn't the company make an exception for the widow of Belleville? After all, she canceled because she was being overcharged and DirecTV wouldn't correct the error. Mercer said he'd look into it.
We hope she gets the fee reversed, although if she does, that'll be the first time we've heard of it happening with DirecTV.
DirecTV double bills elderly customer, then hits her with cancellation fee [Post-Dispatch] (Thanks, everyone!)
(Photo:TimmyGUNZ)
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Comments:
If it were me, I wouldn't "Look into it" I'd be lighting fires under the necessary asses to get this fixed ASAP to avoid a PR disaster then I would take any and all steps necessary to ensure it never happens again.
Then again, if the people at these companies had common sense and decency then Consumerist wouldn't exist.
What does age have to do with it? If she was overbilled and tried to work with them to straighten it out but they are incompetent, she should be allowed out of the contract without penalty. The spokesman doesn't seem to get it -- maybe he's 85 and stupid
More advice: never EVER give checking account info to any company. Especially not DirecTV.
@Hoss:
Age has everything to do with it, It's called elderly abuse; and it's punishable by law.
It's a shame that this sort of thing happens to the elderly, but we all know it's not limited to just them. When I signed up for Direct TV, I was told many things by the Sales Person that later turned out to be "not true". It took me almost 4 months to get my bill squared away. I took accurate notes along the way, jotting down who, what , where, when, how, why, etc.. Once they saw that I had things organized on my end they whistled a different tune.
Unfortunately, these huge corporations prey on the "normal, fat and lazy americans" who won't lift a finger to do things that are necessary. It's rare that someone gets over on me, for I document everything........
I hopw things work out for Grandma...
I know I'm not going to be loved for this one, but I think that clearly this woman shouldn't have been going at it alone. Where was her family?
She accepted an offer with DirecTV even though she didn't want it and she signed papers without reading them (and making assumptions about what they were).
To me, AT&T offered three pieces to a bundle. By not being able to offer one third of the pie and passing it off to DirecTV, the old woman was no longer receiving a bundle. Therefore, AT&T was charging $127 for phone and internet, and DirecTV was charging her for TV service.
I don't get any indication that DirecTV was supposed to replace U-Verse TV in the bundle.
Why didn't she get help from any of her family members? Shouldn't someone have gone "hey, wait a minute..."
Shouldn't someone be looking into the bait-and-switch scam AT&T appears to be running?
They just happened to discover that fiber-optic service wasn't available in this woman's area after they convinced her to sign up for it -- so they gave her a worse service for more money instead. It would be interesting to know how many other people are being fooled by this con.
@Skaperen: You clearly don't understand how DirecTV works. I'm pretty sure cancellation fees are how they make money.
@TedSez: Verizon does this all the time (sort of). They blanket advertise FiOS in the area, regardless of whether your particular nook of the area has fiber optic capability or not. My parents were getting ads for FiOS even though there wasn't fiber optic access in their area.
What went through my mind is the story sounds fishy. Not the part about Charter and DirecTV screwing up. That's expected!
The part about the bank calling her up and telling her that checks were bouncing is fishy. That doesn't sound like the banks we hear about. Can we find out the bank she deals with and hold them up as a good example of customer service?
@Skaperen: Hmm...if I took your advice, I wouldn't be able to pay my electric or phone bill...as they only accept checks or direct debit...both of which would be providing my checking account info.
@pecan 3.14159265: I've gotten those ads too, but when I contacted Verizon they told me I can't get FIOS yet. They didn't sign me up for it and then tell me.
DirecTV is the shadiest organization I've ever dealt with. I ordered it via phone and they told me nothing about any kind of contract or early termination fee. My roommate signed the form when I was at work and didn't find out about any fee until months later when I tried to cancel due to terrible service (it would take a week + to get a service call in a major city, Columbus). Even though my roommate signed the "contract," they still wouldn't waive the ETF. Luckily, in California and my state (Ohio), DirecTV has class action lawsuits in court right now over their shady ETF practices. I eagerly await seeing them get burned, and receiving whatever share of the settlement the class gets.
@pecan 3.14159265: How do we know she's not a 75 year old judge or professor? The article in envoking the emotions of "widow" and "elderly" which is distracting from the fact that the customer service people are the ones that can't think straight
a question, i'm 25 so excuse my ignorance but... is there some age where you are completely absolved about learning things / keeping up with the times or worse..are forced to stop learning?
usage: i'm (age). i don't know how to work a dang-gun remote control.
like i really hope there isn't because even in my 70s i still want to be able to be self sufficient
@Skaperen:
No, no, no! This isn't a case to judge DirectTV by!
You don't judge a company by doing what is right when the media is paying attention. You judge based on what a company is doing when nobody is watching.
If you work for DirectTV:
I am currently on my knees thanking my God that I read the above piece today. Football season starts this weekend. I need a package so that I can watch the games that I want to see. I have $$$ to spend . But they will be chunking snowballs at one another in hell before I will sign up with such a sack assed , brain dead organization as Direct TV. I was actually mildly interested in one of the reams of direct mail ads that plopped down in my mailbox today,but that thing is going in the shredder. I hope you stupid bastards spent that cancellation fee wisely. This is one customer that you will never see.
Direct TV breached the sales agreement when they double billed for their service. The contract is null and void and Direct TV has no legal standing to collect the early termination fee.
This is a good example of why not to use a debit card or direct-debit for paying bills. If there is a dispute or a mistaken charge you are without the funds until the issue is sorted out. With a credit card you also may get some assistance from the bank by disputing the charges.
Don't ever give a third party the keys to draw funds from your bank account.
@Hoss: Just because you're a judge or a professor doesn't mean you are absolved from reading contracts, saying "no" to companies, or having family members do it for you.
age has nothing to do with it.
fast talking sales retention or customer service people can confuse people of any age.
paper, pen, pauses.
those will help you in any situation.
write it down when talking to csr and pause to think about what you've been told.
don't feel pressured to give a yes or no to make to conversation comfortable to the other party.
@Smashville_makes his own comments at home: Not entirely true. With a check you are in control of when and how much is paid. With direct-debit you are giving control to a third party. Better to retain control yourself and pay by check if these are your only two choices.
@slim150: I'm not sure if it's before or after you learn not to be a raving d-bag. For you, there may not be any hope!
As you get older, learning new things does actually get harder due to cognitive declines and normal aging. God help you if you live past 40. You'll really be screwed then.
@pecan 3.14159265: Ok, so the "Where was her family?" question was retorical and you believe the customer service people properly represented the costs and if they did not, it's to old lady's fault for not reading the fine print. Got it
@edrebber: I have every confidence that DirecTV's lawyers wrote an agreement more in their favor than that. There's probably some hidden, arcanely-worded clause allowing them 6 months to correct any billing errors before you have an out. Please note that this is just a cynical assumption on my part, I don't believe I have ever seen a DirecTV contract.
@Snarkysnake:
That football package is so ridiculously expensive that you're better off going to your local sports bar / restaurant to watch the games. I spend my Sundays at Fox & Hound.
@Hoss: Actually, I was asking both questions. Why didn't she receive any help on this? Did the company tell her the costs?
I said nothing about the costs being right, I was trying to sort out the origins of the problem, and by the way, she made a few bad choices - so how come the family wasn't helpful until after she got billed? No one looked over the situation with a skeptical eye?
@GearheadGeek: Don't think they have actual contracts... more like, making it up as they go along to reap the most benefits while simultaneously pounding the consumer in the ....
Nevermind.
@mrsultana:
I have to disagree. There are too many companies won't even bother to make things right even when nationwide medias are watching.
@Smashville_makes his own comments at home: No, although signing a contract not knowing what it was saying might be a bit closer. There's also indications that she was blaming the wrong person - it may be ATTs fault.
@coren: Though the indication is that she signed the contract because she assumed it was something else. There's no indication that she didn't understand what contracts were, only that she made assumptions about the paperwork and just signed it without reading it.
@pecan 3.14159265: U-verse tv IS direct tv. Just that AT&T is the one billing you for it on one "convenient" bill.
I think the worst part about this entire story is how the company advertised a particular package in an area that wasn't completely serviceable. This causes much confusion between the CSR's and consumer, not to include the time lost manhandling all these calls just to tell them "Oh sorry, we don't offer that in your particular area." It's one thing to advertise on TV or online, but another thing when you receive an advertisement at your home address. It gives you the false sense that you are eligible... none of this would of conspired without that. Bad, AT&T. Very Bad.
As for Directv, THEY OVERCHARGED HER THEN TOOK A CANCELLATION FEE. Technically, not only do they owe her the cancellation fee, they still need to pay her back ALL THOSE MONTHS of being overcharged.
If not? Then she has an excellent chance in small claims court.
DO THE RIGHT THING, DIRECTV.
@Skaperen: Absolutely agree. I still write checks and get proof of payment from my bank in the form of copies of endorsed checks.
A similar thing happened to me with AT&T. After several months of them charging me for services I did not sign up for and even billing me for other people's accounts, I asked them to just cancel my service. I got hit with a $200 ETF because I was tired of having to call them every single month to get erroneous (nay, even fradulent) charges removed. Boo, Direct TV. Boo, AT&T.
@Oranges w/ Cheese in rainy Central FL: Ohhh... wait, so this isn't like how Verizon offers FiOS TV and DirecTV?
It's NOT the first time Consumerist heard it happening. I sent my story, and the letter that prompted their reversal of the charge, to Consumerist many months ago. I have also posted it in the comments on a few occasions where it applied. Here it is again. After sending this letter by US Mail, I got a refund check from them.
Billing Disputes
DirecTV
PO Box 6550
Greenwood Village, CO 80155
Dear sir or madam:
I am writing to express dispute with an early cancellation fee charged to my account. The fee in question was in regards to a 2 year service commitment for discounts when upgrading from standard DirecTV service to high definition.
I upgraded my service in April 2006. From that day, until the following April, I have called in over 25 times with problems with the HD service. DirecTV sent a technician out to my house 3 times in that time period, but was never able to provide a watchable HD service. Issues I encountered over those months include:
• Periodic blackouts of the picture multiple times per hour, lasting for several seconds
• Pixilation of the picture every couple of minutes, lasting 5-10 seconds.
• Sound issues where a rasping, metallic noise would disrupt programming, lasting a second and occurring a dozen times during a 60 minute program.
• Frequent loss of HD satellite signal.
All of these issues only occurred on the HD channels. In fact, I was a happy and satisfied customer for nearly 2 years before upgrading to HD.
However, the HD service I ordered was never adequately provided. The issues were continuous. I was never provided HD programming that was watchable.
I provided more than ample opportunity for DirecTV to resolve my issues. Eight months worth of support calls, 3 technician appointments (including one 'supervisor technician'), and the replacement of my HD receiver all failed to provide me with the promised service.
I canceled my DirecTV in April 2007, and have been charged with an early cancellation fee. This fee is unreasonable. You have not upheld your end of the agreement to provide adequate service, and I have returned the equipment involved.
I have escalated this issue as high as they will allow me through the customer support line. This letter is to serve as notice that I dispute your assessment of a cancellation fee. Should you wish to discuss this issue with me, please do so by mail.
Should this issue move to collection or affect my credit rating in any manner, I will proceed by exercising my rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Sincerely,
Murph1908
@Murph1908:
Of course, it's easier to tell them you are not going to pay, than try to get money they have already taken from you.
@Smashville_makes his own comments at home:
What he meant was, don't authorize companies to take money from your account at their discretion. If your electric and phone bill only accept those 2 forms, send a check.
AT&T seems to be engaging in Bait-and-Switch tactics. recently my bro moved and signed up for U-Verse. He was told the same thing, TV was not yet offered in his area and they would be happy to sign him up for DirecTV (to which my brother said "EFF NO")
@pecan 3.14159265: I don't think that was Hoss's point. He read:
' Why didn't she get help from any of her family members? Shouldn't someone have gone "hey, wait a minute..." '
and asked you: why should her family be involved? It is her business and there is no reason to assume that person would not be able to read a contract and understand it.
My Grandparents, until they finally gave PoA to their daughters, refused to let anyone mess with their finances.
It took my Grandfather being hospitalized and my Grandmother not being able to find the checkbook to trigger the crisis. He would have been 82 or 83 at that point and still sharp mentally. His body just gave out.
I will forgive that he gave the 1966 Fury III (with the 383 quad 4-barrels) that year to my cousin because he was ALWAYS mixing us up. We looked like twins.
@Smashville_makes his own comments at home:
You use credit when possible. DirecTV most likely accepts credit. Time Warner Cable accepts credit for their cable and internet. I doubt DirectTV doesn't accept it.
For anything that requires checking, don't ever set up automatic payments. Take the time to log on once a month and pay the bill by only specifically authorizing each payment.
This woman was probably set up to use automatic payments by the phone operator.
@Snowblind: You've summarized well. But there comes a time when everyone expects a company to represent the facts correctly. If anyone misunderstood something, I'm thinking it was more likely the customer service rep than the customer.
My mother is in her 80's. No one feeds her with a straw or worries that she doesn't understand what people tell her. But I don't think she reads complex contracts any more than I do. It would be very time consuming to buy insurance, take on a loan, or do other simple transactions if we needed to read and comprehend legal ease.
With a newspaper reporter watching, there's a greater chance DirecTV will do the right thing. Too bad it will be for the wrong reason.
Mistakes can happen. Judge a company on how well they correct everything and make people whole ... or not.