I enrolled with Direct TV and was quoted a price that involved rebates over a two year period. I was quoted a price that was supposed to be locked in using the rebates if I signed a two year agreement. I accepted the offer and agreed to a two year term. I was sent an email to confirm my rebate. I clicked on the tab, and received a message that there were no rebates available. One minute letter exactly, I received another e-mail asking me to confirm my rebate offer. I clicked on the tab again, and I was directed to my online account page with no further instructions on what to do next. I assumed that the rebate had registered, but it had not. After 90 days had expired, my rate started to exceed what I was told it would be. I called and complained and was told that I did not apply for my rebate, which is incorrect. They said I needed a conformation number. I explained when I followed the tab in the e-mail there were no instructions saying that I needed a confirmation number, and that the tab did not direct me to any such item, it only placed me on my online account page. Their system malfunctioned and misdirected me, and they are trying to claim that I did not apply, when I did. I save both rebate confirmation e-mails, and I still have them saved in my e-mail folder. I called, spoke to a person who put through a number of credits in February that I though would fix the problem. They told me that they would get the rebate applied. As it turnes out they did not. My March bill was still too high and incorrect. I called back, and started getting the "you didn't apply within 90 days" song and dance. I was passed from person to person a couple of times, but got nowhere. On Friday 3-9-12, after speaking to a couple of people, I was placed with a lady who must have been in a call center phone bank pit. There was so much background noise, I could hear multiple conversations going on that were drowning out her voice. One conversation was some man talking with someone about going over someones house to smoke weed? I guess this must be some new style way to run a business call center for customer service? Needless to say, I was passed on to someone else. They gave me the same 90 day song and dance, and said they didn't have the authority to fix the problem. This person was supposedly a floor supervisor. I asked to speak to his superior and I was told that his superior did not take phone calls, and that if I wanted to pay what I was suppoesed to be paying, I would have to reduce my service, which was not what I had agreed to in the first place. Everytime they went to the notes on my account in the computer, there were certain items such as the man in February who said he would apply my rebates missing. This last supervisor said there was nothing in the notes about that, and that he had nothing written that said this other rep was going to apply my rebates. Round and round and round this all went until I had to hang up. Dish TV companies should be required to provide written transcripts of all customer service calls to the people they speak to via e-mail, fax, letter or something so that customers can make sure all of their discussions have been properly noted on their accounts. Dish Tv companies should also be required to provide written quotations in advance of enrollment to again verify that a customer is going to pay exactly what they thought they were going to pay. Dish TV companies should also apply immediately all rebates that they offer instead of making people jum through hoops via e-mail confirmations and other tactics. It's as if they know that some people will forget or do something wrong, or their computer system will mysteriously forget to apply a rebate wihtout giving any indication of a malfunction. The topper on all this is when I try to log into my rebate section, it gives me a message that my zip code is an invalid zip code, therefore preventing any rebates to be applied to my account. No wonder my rebates didn't go through. Ironically, the same "invalid" zip code is right there on my bill which magically allows their bill to get to me allright, and it doesn't reroute to outer space or something. I am sick and tired of getting ripped off by cable, phone, internet and dish companies. The rates are ridiculous to begin with, and they have their own little exclusive territories with limited competition. They should be forced to open up everywhere to everyone the same as cell phone companies which is another fiasco in itself. People are getting scammed 5,10 20,30 40 dollatrs at a time multiplied by thousands of people every day. Sounds pretty profitable to me, and they know they are screwing people royally while they do it to them.
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