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]
satellite of love
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]
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]
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]
Dish Keeps Making Up New Reasons Why They Want My Boyfriend's Money
By 5.10.12
Why does Dish Network keep charging Amy’s boyfriend for his old account? It could be because he made a few payments on a deadbeat roommate’s account, and then that roommate never turned the equipment back in. But he did. It could be because the account was canceled before the contract was up, and it was his name on the contract. But it wasn’t. Dish just keeps making up reasons, and are determined to get his money one way or another. [More]
Can ViaSat Make Satellite Broadband Worthwhile?
By 1.10.12
Since the days of dial-up, the few companies that have offered internet access via satellite connection have delivered slug-like download speeds for a king’s ransom, especially to people for whom cable internet or DSL was not a viable option. But ViaSat, the company Dish Network has just partnered with to offer broadband access, says it’s trying to bring high-speed access for reasonable prices. [More]
DirecTV DVR Makes Me Watch Ads… But Only For DirecTV
By 9.29.11
We always knew that the cable companies that rent us our DVRs would eventually find a way to let customers time-shift, but still us all to watch commercials. DirecTV subscriber Dan wonders whether he’s alone in being unable to use his 30-second skip button only on his satellite provider’s in-house ads. [More]
SiriusXM 'Everything' Plan Does Not, In Fact, Include Everything
By 9.21.11
If you were signing up for a plan called the “Sirius Everything Plan,” don’t you think that it would include…well, everything? At least, all of the programming that new car owners get to sample with their trial subscription. When Chris renewed his SiriusXM subscription for his new car, nothing on the paperwork led him to believe that he wasn’t selecting a different subscription from what he already had. Yet he did. Because at Sirius, “everything” isn’t everything. [More]
DirecTV Sees Your Father's Death As Sales Opportunity
By 8.22.11
Carl’s father had DirecTV service at the time that he passed away, and Carl called them up to cancel the account while settling the estate. The satellite provider chose to see his father’s death as a retention opportunity, using emotional appeals to try to get Carl to take over his father’s service at his own home. Carl was not pleased. [More]
Your New Part-Time Job: Waiting For Dish Network
By 6.1.11
Matt doesn’t want anything unreasonable from Dish Network, his television provider. He just wants someone to come fix his high-definition channels in a timely manner. In theory, he doesn’t have a problem with waiting for technicians to show up, but he’s being asked to take entire afternoons off to wait for technicians who show up late or not at all. [More]
Dish Network Doesn't Want Hospitalized Customer Back
By 4.27.11
E.’s dad has been in the hospital since February recovering from complications from heart surgery. The family didn’t expect him to be hospitalized this long, and his bills are in a bit of disarray. The only company not willing to work something out? Dish Network, which canceled his past-due account, which was still in his ex-wife’s name. [More]
Make Sure You Really Want Dish Network Before Signing A Contract
By 3.16.11
If you order Dish Network, make sure that you really, really want Dish Network. Or you could end up like Tony, who signed up for the service, realized it wasn’t for him, and now has to pay a $450 early termination fee, in addition to subscription fees and shipping the boxes back. [More]
Dish Network Doesn't Want Equipment Back, Would Prefer To Bill You For Service
By 3.9.11
Susie switched from Dish Network to DirecTV recently, but still must face Dish in order to get her service disconnected. Unfortunately, the company doesn’t seem to want their equipment back, and is making her pay for the month during which she still had their equipment, but wasn’t using the service. [More]
DirecTV Installer: Oh, Most People Don't Notice Our Stealth Warranty
By 1.19.11
Was it an error, or a sneaky upsell tactic? When Brandon’s grandfather moved, taking his DirecTV service along with him, he declined an extended warranty. The final paperwork for the installation included the unwanted warranty, however. When Brandon pointed this out, the installer noted that most people don’t notice this stealth warranty. Oh, yeah? Brandon declined again–so, of course, the warranty showed up on the next bill. [More]
XM Radio: Useful Service, Useless Customer Service
By 12.29.10
Bruin likes XM satellite radio. Well, the service. Not the customer service. The confusion and incompetence that he encountered while trying to simply get the account permissions stream radio programs online was stunning. He lost his service, was charged an erroneous $480, and put him on endless holds. Until that one magical representative showed up who fixed everything and helped XM keep Bruin as a customer. [More]
DirecTV Settles Complaints About Hidden Fees & Other Deceptive Practices
By 12.15.10
The nation’s largest satellite TV provider DirecTV has reached a settlement with all 50 states and the District of Columbia regarding allegations that the company misled consumers about its pricing and policies. [More]
