Letter to Directv explains it all:
Dear Fixer for Satan’s Corporate Enterprise:
I am writing you today regarding an unresolved and on-going billing dispute concerning the above-entitled DIRECTV account. This letter is my formal request to initiate DIRECTV’s dispute resolution process.
It is blatantly obvious that DIRECTV’s corporate policy is to uphold and advance predatory, malicious, fraudulent and outright criminal business practices. This is the inescapable conclusion dictated by logic one reaches after considering the repeated actions and inactions of your company representatives. These intentional and negligent actions or the lack thereof taken by DIRECTV constitute a material breach of the “service contract”. Because DIRECTV’s breach forced me to terminate my service I dispute any cancellation fees that will be assessed and any other baseless charges that may be applied to my account. Below is a detailed description of the actions taken by DIRECTV that constitute a breach of contract and the basis for my complaint.
The nightmare that DIRECTV calls customer service began in June. My primary concern when I was choosing a company for television service was whether a contract was required. Due to the probability that I will be relocating in the near future I did not want to be locked into a service contract and subject to cancelation fees if I were unable to continue with the service in a new location. Prior to signing any agreement with DIRECTV I explicitly asked if there was a service contract. I was informed by a DIRECTV customer service representative that there was NO contract involved. I was assured that the only requirement was an agreement to pay the rental cost of the equipment for the next two years. Based solely on this representation I agreed to service from DIRECTV. However, DIRECTV’s representations regarding the contract were misleading at best. When I agreed to “rent” the equipment I apparently without my knowledge agreed to maintain a service package with DIRECTV for the next two years and if I wanted to terminate the service I would be subject to cancelation fees. You can call it anything you want but a contract called by any other is still a CONTRACT.
Now I overlooked this misrepresentation. I accepted that I did in fact sign a contract and I should have more carefully reviewed the papers I signed instead of relying on what I was told. I set-up a day and time to have DIRECTV come to my home for installation of the service. Because the only time the installation could be done was during the hours that I work I had to arrange to have someone wait at my home for the technician. Someone waited for the tech for eleven plus hours and no one showed. I received a call from the tech on my cell phone telling me he could not find my apartment and needed directions. I called back within minutes but my call and all subsequent calls went straight to voicemail. When I called DIRECTV I was assured that this was an isolated incident and would not happen again. That was true to the extent that I would not experience any more issues with installation but I would experience more troubling and repeated issues once I got my first bill.
The services I contracted for and the credits I was to be given are as follows: Services:
1. Choice Ultimately Monthly service package: $68.99
2. Showtime and Starz monthly: $24
3. DIRECTV protection plan (after 30 days of service): $5.99
4. DIRECTV DVR service monthly: $7.00
Fees:
1. Leased Receiver: $5.00
2. Primary Leased Receiver: $5.00
Credits:
1. Refer a friend: -$10
2.3 months free Showtime and Starz: -$24
3.12 month rebate: -$24
4. Online Redemption: -$5
5. Primary Leased Receiver: -$5
I have attached all my bills from DIRECTV for your review. They confirm that the above are the appropriate services and credits that should have been applied to my account.
For the first month of service I was not credited the 12 month rebate of $24. I did not contest it at the time due to the fact that the contract and customer services representatives represented that it may take up to six weeks for that credit to apply.
The second month of service the 12-month rebate was credited to the account thus I thought that everything was in order.
In the third month of service the real problems began.in the third month DIRECTV attempted to charge the credit card associated with the account for services received and the card was denied. At the time of installation I was told by customer service that a card was required to verify identity and establish the account. I only authorized use of the card for these purposes. I never signed up for autopay and did not at anytime authorize any charges be made to the card.in fact the card was cancelled due to an unrelated identity theft. As I never signed on for autopay I did not update the card information.
Additionally, the 12-month rebate was not applied on the third bill as it had been on the second bill.
At this point I began my odyssey into the hell that you call DIRECTV customer service. I contacted DIRECTV on August 16th regarding the unauthorized attempt to charge the card and the lack of a rebate. I was told by a customer service representative that I was confusing the 12-month rebate with the credit for 3 months free of Showtime and Starz. I was told that I failed to correctly sign-up online for the 12-month rebate and therefore the rebate would not be applied.
In regards to the credit card I was informed that I had initially signed up for HD service and that service requires autopay and the credit card was charged appropriately. I asked to see confirmation that this was true and have yet to receive any.
I told the customer service representative that these stated reasons made no sense and were completely inaccurate. The 12-month rebate was applied on the previous bill. So evidently I did sign up for that rebate. Furthermore, I received a confirmation number confirming the 12-month rebate at the time I signed up for service.
As for the credit card, I informed them that I did initially request HD service. However, when the tech finally arrived to install it, he informed me that he could not get a signal for HD and would be unable to provide that service.in response we started over and changed to non-HD service. The autopay never should have been in place as HD was never a part of the service contract nor did I ever authorize autopay at any other time.
At the end of the conversation with customer service I was told that the autopay would be taken off the account. She offered no solution for not crediting the rebate and essentially said it was my fault and therefore not fixable.
Not satisfied with the reasons given for neither the problems nor the solutions I called customer service again on August 16th. This time I spoke with a gentleman named June. He informed me the rebate was not applied because of a system error on DIRECTV’s part and not because of anything I did. He assured me that the problem was fixed and the rebate would be applied. I told June that I had paid the balance due on the account minus the $24 that should have been credited. It appeared we had a solution.
On August 27th I received a letter from DIRECTV dated August 22nd stating that my account had a past due balance of $24 and if I did not pay immediately my service would be disconnected. Also, in that billing statement I saw that there was another attempt to charge the card made on August 20th. I find this appalling and disturbing.
After receiving the letter I immediately called customer service yet again. I was assured yet again that my balance was zero and that my complaints had been resolved. With the representative’s permission I put her on speaker phone and she repeated to witnesses that the account was zero and the problems were resolved.
Before this time I had already spent hours on the phone with DIRECTV in an attempt to resolve things. I talked to numerous customer service representatives the later ones never having any idea what the former ones said despite the fact that I had been assured each time I talked to a representative that they had made notations on my account. When I asked to speak to a manager I was told there were none or I was put on hold more than a hour only to be disconnected.
After the August 27th conversation I began receiving six to eight phone calls a day from DIRECTV. When I called back the number given customer service representatives repeated themselves by telling me I owed $24 immediately or my service would be disconnected. When asked to look into the matter further, each customer service representative informed me that my account balance was $0 and that my complaints had been resolved. I was also told that the calls were due to my number being placed in an automated call system. I was assured that my number would be taken out of the system.
On September 3rd I received eight phone calls from DIRECTV. This time when I contacted consumer service I was informed the call was a result of the credit card being denied. I hung up on them.
The following day I submitted an on-line complaint in an attempt to reach anyone remotely competent enough to handle the seemingly intricate and complicated computer system that is DIRECTV. Before I got any response from the e-mail, I received five more automated calls. That evening I did receive a phone call from customer service representative Amber. With her permission I placed the call on speaker in the presence of my attorney. Amber asserted, like everyone before her, that the autopay was due to the initial request for HD and had been removed, my account balance was $0, the rebate would be applied from then on, and my number would be removed from the automated system and calls would stop in 3 business days. I was also told that the credit card could not be removed from the “system” without a replacement card being put on file. Additionally, I was told that I could not cut service and pay the rental fee for the equipment. The contract required a minimum service package from DIRECTV and any termination of that service would result in fees.
One week later I was still receiving automated phone calls up to eight times a day. I also received yet another letter claiming the account was past due in the amount of $24 and if payment was not received immediately the service would be disconnected.
In response I again submitted a complaint online and contacted customer service. I waited to speak with a manager. The manager I spoke with informed me she was unable to assist me with any of my concerns, but I could however, write billing disputes. However, before the issue was resolved my credit card would be billed and there was a possibility it would go into collections.
I received a message in response to my e-mail dated September 12th from Lisa with customer service. When I called back I was given to customer service representative Theresa. I informed Theresa that I wished to cancel my service because of the on-going problems. She called me back after reviewing my account and informed me that she determined all problems with the account had been resolved weeks before. I was also told that the account balance had never been $0 in the previous weeks and that I never correctly applied for the 12-month rebate despite the fact that I provided my confirmation number. Theresa finally stated she saw no reason to let me out of the contract.
The cherry on top is that I was informed my Showtime and Starz package had been canceled. I never authorized the cancelation much less even inquired into it. It appears that the customer service representative who transferred me to a manager on the morning of September 12th deleted my package arbitrarily.
It is self-evident that my complaints have not been resolved despite the numerous assurances from DIRECTV that they had been. To argue anything else would fly in the face of reason. It is almost indisputable, given my experience alone, that it is DIRECTV’s policy to outright deny people even minimal customer service and complaint resolution. Attempts by customers to contact anyone beyond lower-level customer service representatives are futile. This cannot be anything other than intentional. DIRECTV charges credit cards whether authorized or not and when a complaint arises customers are put through the unending loop of customer service until so frustrated they give up. And even if they terminate the contract the card is charged cancellation fees. This is nothing more than malicious actions intended solely for profit.
I would like to think my case is an isolated and random occurrence that resulted only from glitches in a computer system. However, that is patently false. There have been numerous complaints identical to mine made nationwide. DIRECTV has been reported numerous times to the Better Business Bureau and Consumer Protection. A federal lawsuit was filed against DIRECTV in 2008. More than one US State Attorney has sided against DIRECTV. The complaints are so numerous that a DIRECTV representative issued a media statement confirming the company’s dedication to customer service and a promise to resolve various billing issues.
Based on the above I have asked that my service be terminated on September 17th. I maintain that I am being forced to break my service agreement because of the actions of DIRECTV. Those actions amounted to denying me the rebates that are a part of my service contract and the actions taken by DIRECTV concerning the credit card are nothing less than fraud. Moreover, these actions were intentional. No court in the country would uphold a contract based on intentional misrepresentations and outright lies resulting in purposeful fraudulent conduct. Furthermore, no court would uphold a cancelation fee when the cancelation was a direct result of DIRECTV’s incompetent and negligent behavior. Therefore, I dispute the cancelation fee and will not pay anything until that dispute is resolved. If DIRECTV sends this disputed debt to a collection agency or reports it to the credit bureau I will bring suit against DIRECTV and ask for damages for DIRECTV’s malicious and intentional attempt to damage my credit.
After reviewing this letter please contact me immediately to resolve this dispute. Thank you.
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