Directv
Refund of $200 Deposit Denied After Cancelling Service

I signed up with Directv in June/July. I was informed that I was required to make a deposit of $200.00 because of my credit score. I simply asked the customer service rep if I complete the service contract of one year, will I get the deposit back. She then informed me that there is a $5.00 credit each month from that deposit that will be credited to my statement each month. So I asked again whether, whatever is left of that amount when my contract is up, I am entitled to it. She told me yes.

Around mid-August I called again, telling the customer service rep that I could not afford this service and asking if they could offer me something less. I was told that I would be paying around $115 a month for basic cable. I proceeded to ask about the deposit I put down, and whether I could still get it back if I canceled. I was informed that after the last payment is received and the equipment is returned, it would take 6 to 8 weeks to get my money. I was okay with that.

On December 1st, I canceled my account. I asked the question again just to make sure they would not change anything from what I was told earlier. The rep said the same thing: once the payment comes out of my checking account and the equipment is returned, I can get my deposit back. I asked if I could use the money that was there to cover part of the last payment. I was told no. They have to take it out of my checking account, then the equipment has to be returned, and then the refund process starts. So I did what I was told. They took the money out and the equipment was returned.

I received a final bill stating that I do not owe anything. So I sent an email to Directv saying I had canceled the service in November or December, that they took the last payment out, and asking when my deposit refund would be sent. This is what they wrote back to me: "Thanks for writing. Let me inform you that under the terms of the DIRECTV Customer Agreement, when your DIRECTV service is cancelled all outstanding charges are billed to the method of payment we currently have on file. The Customer Agreement is available online at directv.com/agreements. Please see the Payment Upon Cancellation section for more information. Please be note that with the payment of $154.52 on 12/07/08, you are account balance is now at $0. Thank you for your patience, and for giving us the chance to respond to your concerns." They then quoted the Payment Upon Cancellation section, which says: "You acknowledge that you have provided your credit or debit card account information to us. You understand that you will incur fees and charges as a result of your receipt and use of Service and/or Receiving Equipment, and may incur early cancellation fees and/or equipment non-return fees (as specified in any lease, programming or other service agreement you entered into in connection with obtaining Receiving Equipment). By giving us your credit or debit card account information, you authorize us to apply this method of payment, in accordance with applicable law, to satisfy any and all amounts due upon cancellation. You further acknowledge that you are required to maintain current credit or debit card information with us and agree to notify us whenever there is a change in such information, such as a change in the card number or the expiration date." This has nothing to do with the amount I am asking about. They are stealing money and making it legal.

After I read the email I called Directv to ask about my refund. The customer service rep told me that I do not have a refund coming, that the amount I paid was a non-refundable fee, and that there is a credit still on my account that pays $5.00 a month until the money is gone.

So now I felt like I was going crazy. To make sure I was not, I asked the rep, "Let me get this right, I am paying you guys $5.00 a month for nothing?" The rep agreed. I was amazed, so I just hung up. I called back a couple of minutes later to speak to a supervisor. The rep who got on the phone advised me that I still could not get the money back, that talking to a supervisor would not change anything, and that I was charged a fee, not a deposit. So I told the rep that I would like to speak to someone in charge, and they put me on hold to find one. She came back and told me that the supervisor was on the phone with someone else and would call me back when she was done.

I waited until I got home to call back. This time I was upset. I wanted to talk to a supervisor, so I called back, and the rep asked if I was calling about the deposit. I said yes. He told me there was nothing they or the supervisor could do and I was not getting it back. I asked the rep where it states that in my contract, and he told me it is a policy that has been the company's from the beginning. I told him I wanted something in writing that justifies this policy, and he said there was nothing in writing that they could give me. So I asked for a supervisor. It seemed as if the rep did not want to put a supervisor on the phone, and he came back with the same story from earlier, that she was on the phone with another client and could not do anything. I told the rep that when I called last time they told me the same thing, and that I did not need him telling her what I want, because I would like to tell her myself. When she got on the phone, she told me she could not do anything and that if I have a problem I should write to the payment dispute department. I asked if there was anything in the contract, the policy, or anything in writing that I would be aware of that states that I cannot get my money back. She said no, there is nothing, but what there is, is me accepting this over the phone when I paid the deposit.

I need to find a way to get this resolved, because if they are doing this to me, who else are they doing this to? They have a legal document in invisible ink that they say will stand in court. If you can please help me, because it's just not right.

Company: Directv
Country: USA
State: Colorado
City: Greenwood Village
Site: directv.com

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