Complaint Review: AT&T/Direct TV

I recently returned to the the United States after living abroad for the past 25 years. I bought my first home and while moving in I saw an avertisement of the tv for AT&T Uverse and internet bundle service.

 I contacted them to order the package and they informed me that the Uverse was not available in my area however,they could supply me with direct tv.( as of February 2009 AT&T and Direct TV have come together) I agreed to take the diirect tv service   which as far as I was concerned, it was a connection direct to my tv. I ordered the service and the internet.

Direct TV came and installed the dierct tv a week later, I was in the house while they were installing outside and had no idea a dish would be going up on my house. I did not know about the dish until my cousin mentioned it to me the next day because she knew I was ordering Uverse. After the service was installed I signed what I thought was a work order saying the item had been installed. I asked about my internet and they did know anything about it.

I called AT&T and they informed me that the internet service had not been ordered but would send out the self installation internet box immediately. A few days later it arrived and I had the Computor Geek come to set it up for me only to find out after he arrived and tried to installed did he find out I also needed a telephone line.

I called AT& again to order a phone line. They came and hooked up the line, I called the computor geek again to come and install and found out the phone line was not working. I again called AT&T , a technician came out and said the proble was not inside or outside my home but was in thier lines down road.

After almost three weeks of waiting for this telephone line to be fixed I had my cousin call AT&t and after fourty five minutes on the phone the service was cancelled because they could not provide what they said.

Since that time I have gone with another company and I have the service I want, tv and internet and receiving bills from AT&T and Direct TV for services they did not supply. A letter had been sent to AT&T Customer Service on Aug. 12th stating that cancellation had been done over the phone and that the bills should stop.

On the 31st of August Direct TV debited my checking account for $504.31 emptying my account and putting me into an overdraft situation. I had to close my debit card account and am having a new one sent to me, AT&T and Direct TV have been contacted and only AT&T has now actually cancelled there billing with me, Direct TV has charged me a $440 cancellation fee. I did not give my bank details to Direct TV nor authorised any bills to be paid out of my account.

I am almost in my 70s and not in the best of health. This stressful situation has raised my Blood Pressure and I am constanly worrying as I know that this will probably affect my credit rating before all is sorted out. What I thought was a new chapter in my life after buying my first home is starting out to be a NIGHTMARE.