There are sloppy cable installation jobs and there are sloppy cable installation jobs, but the job done by this DirecTV installer represents a new level of laziness, made worse by the company’s attempts to shrug it off. [More]
directv
DirecTV Bills Elderly Couple $198 For Porn They Didn’t Rent 5 Years Ago
By 8.9.13
Cable customers frequently complain that they are being charged for porn they didn’t order — and cable companies often shrug and insist that someone must have ordered the erotic flicks. But a couple of married septuagenarians in California say DirecTV recently tried to charge them for 18 porn titles rented in a single day — in 2008. [More]
DirecTV To Customer Whose House Burned Down: Bummer, Now Give Us $400
By 6.14.13
For those not paying attention to the awful news out of Colorado right now, fires are ravaging the state, destroying hundreds of homes and causing millions in damage. One man who lost his home this week was left with little but ashes, and as he pulled himself together enough to start canceling his utilities and other things the former house no longer requires, DirecTV tells him it’s going to charge $400 for that destroyed equipment. [More]
How An EECB To DirecTV Gave Me A Glimpse Into An Alternate Reality
By 6.12.13
Eric was living in two different realities simultaneously. In one, he was a frustrated DirecTV customer who was trying to get new and modern equipment by using the regular customer service channels, and no one would help him. In the other timeline, he was a Consumerist reader who had fired off an Executive E-mail Carpet Bomb when DirecTV couldn’t get it together and had an installer right there in his house within only a few hours. [More]
Comcast, Time Warner Cable Bring Up Rear In Cable Customer Satisfaction
By 5.21.13
Comcast and Time Warner Cable may be two of the largest cable and Internet providers in the country, but they’re also the two worst, according to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index. [More]
If You’re Not Married, Your DirecTV DVRs Can’t Be, Either
By 4.4.13
It’s a beautiful thing when two people decide to move in together and combine their lives into a single household. This also means consolidating accounts, which is why Rob and his girlfriend wanted to add her DVR to his DirecTV account, discontinuing her account and forging ahead into the future as one TV-watching entity. Rob tells us that DirecTV informed him that this wasn’t possible, but would be if they were getting married instead of moving in together. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 2: Comcast Vs. DirecTV
April 2, 2013
If these two competitors were running this WCIA slap-fight, they would charge you to watch it on pay-per-view, then screw up the bill and cancel your service in the middle of the bout. [More]
Meet Your Worst Company In America Not-So-Sweet 16!
March 27, 2013
Last week, 32 terrible titans of industry stepped on to the blood-stained mat of WCIA Death-and-Dismemberment Arena, but only 16 remain in this bestial battle royale to take home the treasured Golden Poo. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 1: Dish Vs. DirecTV
March 19, 2013
To close out this first day of WCIA 2013 carnage, we bring you this longstanding feud, broadcasting live from the Satellite of Hate. [More]
When Cable Installer Accidentally Kills Your Pet Lizard, Can Anything Make Up For The Loss?
By 2.26.13
Over the years, we’ve heard complaints about cable techs and installers kicking holes in walls and leaving behind messes, but it’s incredibly rare — and genuinely heartbreaking — when the actions of an installer lead to the demise of a family pet. [More]
How Phantom Fees Finally Drove Me Away From DirecTV
By 2.11.13
Think you don’t need to check over your bills because they’re on auto-pay or you’ve had the accounts for years? Think again! Looking at his DirecTV bill, Warren found two phantom charges that he knew shouldn’t have been there. He had a $10 fee for the high definition signal waived long ago, but it reappeared on his bill. He also had a charge for the privilege of having digital video recorders, on top of the rental charges for the DVRs themselves. He concluded that fighting the fees wasn’t a good use of his time, but finding a new cable provider certainly would be. [More]
DirecTV To Raise Rates By 4.5% Starting In February
By 12.27.12
You are all familiar with the now-common vitriolic disputes between cable/satellite providers and broadcasters every time a contract comes up for renewal. Most of these fights end with both sides shaking hands and smiling — because it’s the consumer who gets screwed in the end. [More]
Moving My DirecTV Service Costs $230, Canceling It Costs $500
By 11.27.12
Some satellite TV customers decide to end their relationship with their company of choice when they move, but that’s not what Brad and his wife want to do. They’re moving to be closer to family during a medical crisis. The problem is that they’re still under contract: they just signed up this August. They also like their service and want to keep it. The problem is that DirecTV offers them two options: a $200 fee to move the service, or a [More]
My DirecTV Tivo Has Been Resetting For 12 Days And No One Seems To Care
By 11.20.12
UPDATE: DirecTV tells Consumerist it will credit affected customers’ accounts when the issue is resolved.
—–
Since the first week of November, DirecTV customers with Tivo Series 2 DVRs have been smashing their head against the wall (not literally, we hope) trying to get people to do something about their DVRs resetting randomly and frequently throughout the day. [More]
DirecTV’s Technicians Are Great, Their Scheduling System Is Not So Great
By 11.19.12
Karen thinks that the technicians who come to service her DirecTV system are competent, professional, and just great. She has no complaints. Her problem is with the system that schedules them and gets them to her house. Well, the system is supposed to get them to her house. In practice, it just tells her that they’re supposed to come to her house, and she sort of crosses her fingers and hopes that they show up. [More]
Kevin Garnett Earns Award For Most Bizarre DirecTV Endorsement Of The Year
By 11.8.12
Professional athletes don’t get paid for their prowess at making analogies, but when they have to speak to the press after each and every game, they come up with some creative ways of expressing their opinions. [More]
It Should Go Without Saying: Do Not Install Satellite TV Dishes Near Beehives
By 11.1.12
We are big advocates for safety here at Consumerist, and that goes not only for the everyday consumer, but also the workers on the job providing services for others. And while one might not think this warning needs to be voiced, we’ll say it anyway: Do not install satellite TV equipment (or really, anything) near a beehive without first making sure it’s empty. You never know when you’re going to anger the little buggers. [More]
DirecTV Misled My Parents About Free NFL Sunday Ticket, Made Them Sad
By 10.15.12 — Updated: 10.16.12
Greg recommended DirecTV to his parents, and the company also had a pretty sweet deal going on at the time for new customers. They got NFL Sunday Ticket free for their first year! That sounds like a great deal to any rational person. Unfortunately, even though multiple sources told Greg’s parents that they would get the free football, nobody mentioned that the plan they were signing up for didn’t actually qualify them for the free NFL Sunday Ticket. Minor details, certainly. [More]
