I live in the Harrisburg, PA area – “Comcast Country” so I shouldn’t have to explain my decision to subscribe to DirecTV. As part of my DirecTV service I also subscribe to the NHL Center Ice package so I can watch the Philadelphia Flyers games. I was happy with my service and my TV provider choices until about a week ago…
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Qwest Sells Woman "Cheaper" Package That Costs More, Has Unmentioned 2-Year Commitment, And Requires New Modem
By 4.7.08
Matt’s mom, a longtime Qwest customer, called up the company to switch her long distance over from AT&T. The CSR suggested she switch over to a bundled package that would save her $11 a month and offer faster Internet connection speeds. What the CSR didn’t mention was that the new package required a 2-year commitment, that it wouldn’t work with her current DSL modem, and that it actually came out to about $3 more per month.
DirecTV Contractor Demands Tip Before Starting Work, Storms Out When Faced With A Table
By 4.5.08
William writes to tell us about an asinine DirecTV contractor who demanded a tip before starting work. The contractor was dispatched by Halstead Communications, DirecTV’s unfortunate installer of choice in New York. After being denied an entrance tip, the contractor noticed an easily movable table blocking his way and declared to his partner, “I can’t work like this, let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Comcast To Baseball Fans: Sorry You Woke Up At 6AM To Watch Nothing, Here's $2
By 3.25.08
On a normal day, losing some cable channels for a couple of hours would be an inconvenience. On a day like today, some might use words unfit for publishing. You see, today was the first game of the Red Sox and A’s seasons, played in Japan. The game started at 6AM EST, and plenty of die hard baseball fans rose early to watch… nothing. Comcast gave me a $2 credit for my troubles. There’s nothing like a $2 credit to make me feel valued as a customer.
DirecTV Secretly Extends Your Contract And Won't Refund Your Money
By 3.20.08
Here is a story that first came to our attention a few months ago, but that we haven’t posted because it just keeps getting worse. Reader Chuck emailed us in January to let us know that his Executive Email Carpet Bomb failed to penetrate the mustachioed walls of DirecTV’s headquarters. Which is surprising, considering DirecTV let Chuck’s dog escape, signed him up for a service agreement without telling him, refused to provide proof of the agreement to Chuck or his credit card company, and billed Chuck for the amount he recovered after a chargeback. Full story, and an opportunity to leave mustache jokes in the comments, inside.
DirecTV Thinks You Need Protection Plan, Won't Take "No" For Answer
By 2.28.08
Brooks is a DirecTV customer, and he wrote in to warn other DirecTV customers to watch out for a shady “Protection Plan” the company signed him up for against his permission:
- I was not told anything about a “standard policy” to sign me up for the protection plan upon having warranty work done.
- I specifically declined to sign up when pitched on the idea.
- I was signed up anyways.
- I received the letter stating that there would be no charge.
- They attempted to charge a cancellation fee for canceling a plan I never agreed to.
- I had to waste time and energy to haggle to get the charges off, when it really should have been a simple fix.
Read Brooks’ full DirecTV encounter after the jump.
Unplugging Your DirecTV Box Could Cost You $79.95
By 2.2.08
A DirecTV CSR claimed that reader Mark changed his installation by following troubleshooting instructions to unplug and reconnect his box, and now owed $79.95. Mark, who paid $6 per month for DirecTV’s protection plan, refused to pay the fee and asked to cancel to his service.
DirecTV Refuses To Budge On $480 Cancellation Fee For Swapping Receivers
By 2.1.08
We do hate it when our advice turns out to be crappy. Daniel, the guy who switched his receiver only to find that he was stuck with a new 2 year contract, was told by the CEO’s office that he was, as they say, sh*t out of luck.
DirecTV: New 2-Year Contract With $480 Cancellation Fee For Switching DVRs
By 1.29.08
I’ve had DirecTV for 8 years and was happy until 2 weeks ago. I purchased a new HD receiver at Best Buy on a whim to upgrade my sturdy old DirecTivo. I got home and called DirecTV to tell them of the switch. The Rep (Mone ID#413435) took the numbers on the new box and TV and told me that my new HD receiver should start working in a few minutes. That’s all she said.
DirecTV Raises Rates, Warns Customers Not To Switch To Cable
By 1.28.08
DirecTV is jacking up rates by 4% as of February 27 and is reminding newly disgruntled customers that DirecTV still ranks higher than cable according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Most customers can expect a $3-$5 increase, but don’t count on award-winning customer service.
Best Internet, TV, Phone Service Providers
By 1.23.08
Lots of companies are pushing deals for their bundled internet, tv and phone plans, but which are best? Consumer Reports surveyed its readers and here’s how they ranked the service providers:
DirecTV Installer Crashes Through Your Ceiling, Won't Repair The Damage
By 1.16.08
In April of 2006, Deborah replaced her daughter’s DirecTV receiver. When the technician was installing the line to her daughter’s bedroom, he accidentally shoved his foot through the Deborah’s ceiling.
DirecTV Contractor: No, We Won't Fix Our Botched Installation
By 12.30.07
DirecTV’s installation contractor, Ironwood Communications, insists on mounting Archie’s three receivers directly to his wood shake roof, even though the subcontractor they retained claims that an under-eave attachment is necessary to avoid damage.
DirecTV Just As Incompetent As Comcast
By 12.22.07
“I was one of the majority when it came to being fed up with Comcast. However, unlike most, I never had any of the customer service nightmares so often reported on consumer sites. My dissatisfaction with Comcast was purely based on what I felt was unfair pricing.
DirecTV Screws Reader Six Ways From Sunday Night Football
By 12.10.07
About six months ago I moved into my apartment in Chicago to learn that the only service available was with DirecTV. Not only that, but we were forced to use MDU communications, a DirecTV reseller. With no options for television, I reluctantly purchased my own HD receiver off eBay (The HR-20) to avoid entering into a contract with them for two years. When I received my unit, I called MDU to sign up and the CSR at MDU told me that since I had my own receiver, I could sign directly up with DirecTV. Awesome I thought, I can cut out the middle man. The CSR at MDU even transferred me to DirecTV account set up line himself.
Resilient Customer Gets DirecTV To Drop Price Of HD Box From $299 To $0
By 12.8.07
A DirecTV customer service representative offered Justin a free upgrade to a better HD box as part of DirecTV’s legacy program. Justin, a 2-year customer, was disconnected before he could accept the upgrade. When he called back, he reached a CSR who demanded $299 for the same box.
Californians Hoping Raiders Game Stays Blacked Out So They Can Watch Colts And Pats
By 11.1.07
Here’s an odd situation. There are only two markets that will not be able to see the much-anticipated Colts/Pats game on Sunday, Houston and Cleveland—unless the Raiders manage to sell out their game and lift the NFL blackout. If they do, San Francisco will have to watch the Raiders. And they’re not real happy about it.
