Complaint Review: DIRECTV - Internet

Wow, where do I even start? I have been with Directv for 10 yrs now.  The first time things really got bad was when one of their receivers just crapped out and stopped working after about 5 yrs.  I called and was told that I would have to pay for a new one.  I was very upset about this because I have been with the company for so long and it was their equipment that failed, so why should I have to pay to replace it?  I was then told that I needed to sign up for their insurance program which was likst $5.99/mo in order to avoid having to pay for equipment that fails.  Again, I refused.  I eventually spoke with a supervisor who agreed that I should not have to pay for a new receiver.  She said that she would ship a new one to me if I paid for the shipping costs.  She instructed me to "throw the broken receiver in the trash because it was so old that Directv doesn't even use them anymore."  I questioned her about this but she assured me that it could be thrown in the trash. 

Conveniently, about a month or two later, I noticed that we were being billed for that broken receiver as well as the new receiver that replaced it.  I made multiple phone calls and was repeatedly told that I would continue to be charged until I sent in the broken receiver.  Of course there was no notation in their computer that I was instructed to throw it out.  So I eventually gave up that battle.   A year later - it all went to hell.  Last year we moved into a new house and decided that their "movers special" sounded like a good deal.  It included a free upgrade to an HD DVR, the NFL Sunday ticket program for one year, On Demand service and three months of free premium channels with HBO/Showtime.  They came and installed everything but I quickly noticed on the next bill that we were not receiving the free DVR/HD service that we were promised and we were being billed for the HD DVR itself.  We were also being billed for the movie channels and we did not ever gain access to the NFL ticket channel nor has the On Demand feature ever worked.  I made multiple calls and spent hours on the phone but nothing was resolved.  I was told that I would have to pay to have a technician come to my home to look at the On Demand feature if I wanted it to work.  They would give little credits here and there and got some of the issues addressed.  However for the rest of the year I continued to receive monthly bills that were $150-$250.  Every time I tried to speak with someone about it I was always given the same story of how they "credit your account if your service is interrupted."  It got to a point that I would pay my bill and it would have a zero balance, then if I refreshed the internet page it would have a new balance.  There were several times when I attempted to reach someone in the billing dept and Directv's automated phone service blocked me from speaking to any live human being until I made a payment. 

Again, been using Directv for 10 yrs, never had billing problems until now.  I could not believe this was how they treated their customers.  So I finally broke down and continued to pay the insanely high bills each month.  In May, I had had enough.  My husband and I separated and I could no longer afford to pay the outrageous bills.  I called and spent almost two hours on the phone with a customer service rep who told me that if I paid $113.26 before May 20th then I would be back to a zero balance.  I paid $115 on 5/16 and I also downgraded my service to the cheapest package possible.  Today I came home and there were three messages on my machine from Directv.  I checked my account online and there was a balance of $249!! I immediately called and the first kid I spoke with lectured me on how to be responsible and make my payments on time.  I had to ask for a supervisor for 30 minutes before he transferred me.  That supervisor almost hung up on me when I told her I just wanted to cancel my account.  I was then transferred to someone in the retention department. I went through everything with her.  She was shocked that my On Demand feature didn't work and did offer to send a technician out free of charge.  She told me that if I chose to cancel my account I would be charged $260 termination fee.  Really? I told her that I was told last year when we entered in to the contract that it was $275.  She said, "no, it was $480 when you agreed to the contract."  I pointed out that they have not honored the terms of the contract as the features they promised do not work.  She stated that they never promised or guaranteed the On Demand feature and that it is not part of my contract.  I pointed out that the HD DVR device IS a part of the contract as is the programming and both of those include the On Demand service.  She told me that I would still be charged the termination fee.  She also stated that the customer service rep I spoke with in May, "misspoke" when he told me that I would have a zero balance if I paid the $113 in May.  SHe stated that many of the employees do not understand the billing and how it works.  I asked her why they would continue to use such complicated and confusing billing practices when even their own employees don't understand them which then leads to giving their customers incorrect information.  SHe didn't have an answer.  In the end she said that all she can offer is a free technician visit.  I still owe $200 (she at least FINALLY took off the recurring charge for the broken receiver that we had thrown out).  I pointed out that I had downgraded my service to the basic package yet she had all sorts of fees, etc to explain how my 64.99 went up to $249 (before she removed charges for the broken receiver). 

So nothing got resolved and I'm stuck paying $200 which supposedly will put me at a zero balance (where have I heard that before?).  But we all know that come July, I will have another $200 bill.  I am shocked that no one has successfully sued these monsters!!! They don't seem to care how many years you spend paying them for their crappy service.  You can be a customer for 10 yrs or two weeks and they will treat you the same.  I really hope someone can do something so the rest of us can see some justice!!