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  • Report:  #1082407

Complaint Review: DirecTV

DirecTV Ripped off for $200 due to a contract we did not know about or agree to. USA California

  • Reported By:
    Adam — Placerville California
  • Submitted:
    Sat, September 07, 2013
  • Updated:
    Fri, September 13, 2013
*Consumer Suggestion: Solution Option

Basically, I was entered into a two-year contract without my knowledge - until a year later, when my wife and I are moving again as planned, and they inform us that we had a contract and must pay $220 cancellation fees. There is no possibility of getting DirecTV where we're going - an apartment building in Canada - and they will not waive the fee despite the fact that they have no signed contract, or vocal agreement (phone recording) from us.

They have also informed us that as part of our agreement, they will help themselves to our bank account for the $220 twenty days after the final bill is posted, if we have not paid. Further ridiculousness - I can understand agreeing to pay outstanding fees at the end, in an initial contract, but when the fees are practically fictitious and brought up in a dishonest manner... Well, I guess I always knew one of those contracts would bite me one day.

Here are the last two e-mails that were sent, which clearly outline the problem we have. They gave me a phone call a few hours after I sent my last reply, and they explained that I had the information available, and that upon signing the original contract two 1/2 years ago (or added on to the contract since, which of course you agree to when you sign the original contract) I supposedly agreed that I would enter into a new two-year contract by accepting any HD DVR hardware from them. She was sorry that I feel that I wasn't informed, but she can't waive the cancellation fee. 

Their e-mail to me:"

Dear Mr. ********,

Thank you for writing. I understand your concern about your service agreement.

Because we significantly discount the price of the equipment and installation we ask that our customers accept a 24 month programming agreement. I see that you activated equipment on 8/2/2012 which gives you a current service agreement that will end on 8/2/14.

Please understand that we take great measures to ensure that the terms and conditions of our service, including programming agreements and early cancellation fees, are disclosed to each customer. Details about programming agreements and early cancellation fees are included in our advertising and point-of-sale materials as well as transferring the customer to our third party verification team to confirm the customer understands the agreement.

This information is also available in the confirmation email that is sent after you place an order for equipment and in the DIRECTV Equipment Lease Addendum.

We appreciate your time and understanding.

Sincerely,

Liezel R. 100200714
DIRECTV Customer Service

"

 

and my reply:"

It has already been explained to me that you "take great measures to ensure that the terms and conditions of our service, including programming agreements and early cancellation fees, are disclosed to each customer" - but what about us, who did not have that information disclosed to us? We ordered the service over the phone and were not informed then. We had an installation technician come and he did not inform us. We have not received e-mails from you on our regular hotmail address in a long time (and did not know there was a problem until today, when I logged on to directv.com - as I always do - and was asked to enter a new e-mail address) and we also missed your phone calls that supposedly were to "inform" us that we were entering a contract.

 
We were told that "reasonable attempts were made to contact us" which meant two attempted phone calls, with no message left. You must admit that it's not right to force your customers into a two-year contract with the only actual attempts to inform them of it, is two phone calls. Normally, shouldn't you have the customer sign something agreeing to enter into a contract with you?
 
When we ordered the service and moved here, we knew we would only be here for a year, and then leaving the country - we did not agree to, or sign, or even become informed of a new two year contract upon receiving an HD receiver - we could never have fathomed it on our own, either. We would have happily ordered a non-HD receiver, just like we always had before - but no one told us we were entering a 2 year contract. In fact, we were already in a contract until April 2013 - which was fine, since we weren't leaving until late 2013...
 
I'd like to point out how disappointed we are in various aspects of your customer relations - we had our service terminated on Monday, since you won't send out boxes for us to send back the equipment until we actually terminate the service - but today is Friday and we still don't have boxes. When we called in today, we were told to mail in the equipment, but the lady was extremely rude, and was giving us information sideways. My wife told me "this lady is telling me B for Apple and I don't understand what she's trying to tell me" so I spoke to the representative to obtain the address, and she also told me "B for Apple" etc - and she told us to only send back one receiver! Last time, when we moved, we were told we shouldn't send back any of the receivers; that they were ours and DirecTV didn't want them back, but then months later we were asked to return the equipment, which we couldn't since we had disposed of it as instructed.
 
When we moved, we were being charged for having six receivers, which might have had something to do with that. We have also been signed up for services we didn't want, without being informed that they would renew the next year for hefty fees - for example, the NFL season pass - we were apparently given one for free a year ago, and were signed up without our knowledge so that this year we had a huge bill out of the blue, to pay for an NFL season pass - but none of us even watch sports!
 
Surely you can verify ALL of this in your records - so can you truly be surprised, or honestly keep denying, that we were signed up for this two year contract without our knowledge? Can we really be held responsible for a contract that we were neither told about, or agreed to?
 
As I've stated before, DirecTV has ALWAYS rectified the mistakes that were made toward us, once we called and complained. It's really a shame that so many mistakes are made toward customers, and that we did have to call in so many times over two and a half years with your company, but all that doesn't even begin to compare to being robbed for $200 over a contract that was sneaked in without our knowledge.
 
I am tired of fighting with DirecTV, and really hope that the mistreatment can end here. Please waive our cancellation fee for the two year contract. Keep in mind also that we are moving to Canada, to an apartment building where we have confirmed DirecTV is unavailable; we are unable to keep the service and were forced to cancel.
 
Thanks for your time and consideration,
 
Adam ******** and Janel ********"

1 Updates & Rebuttals

EyeDunno

Nowhere,
Arkansas,

Solution Option

#2Consumer Suggestion

Fri, September 13, 2013

All you have to do, at this point, is schedule your Mover's Installation. When a technician comes out 2 things could happen. You might have been misinformed or misled, as to your right to have DirecTV in your new apartment. In this case, they would get you installed, not extension on the contract assuming you don't upgrade. The second possiblity, you really cannot have it installed in the new apartment. In this case, the installer will have to call it in as no line of site (due to landlord restrictions). You would then have to be released from the contract without penalty. Sometimes, they require a supervisor 2nd opinion, which in this case, they probably already know the apartment restrictions, themselves, and will send in the confirmation. Super simple, problem solved.

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