I initially purchased a Direct TV account through AT&T, mistake number one. During the placement of my order I informed my sales person CARL DAVIS of my current services which included an HD Receiver for my family room and basic cable for two of my childrens rooms. I specifically stated that I wanted the at a minium the same setup from DIRECT TV, which was an HD Receiver and basic service from from their company. Assuming that the rep had sold/setup HD Service before upon leaving the store I felt confident that my order had been placed successfully.installation day came and problem number one was, a piece of the techs equipment was not functioning so I had to assist him with manually getting the desired values on each satellite. That was a pain and took approximately 45 min. Once all was done and we went through a few features on the system and the tech was about to depart when one of my children stated that their television was not working. The tech then went into the attic and once he emerged the service was restored in both of my children's rooms. Planning ahead I left my old cable service up and running in case of any issues with Direct TV. Two days later when I went to terminate my cable service the service in my two children rooms is also terminated. Once I become aware of this I call Direct TV an inform them of the dilemma. They asked me if I had receivers installed in those two rooms. (Be mindful that I never had receivers prior to the installation with my old providers and have never had a Direct TV account before this). I told him I never had any receivers. The customer service representative now tells me that it will be $154.00 to have STANDARD receivers installed, in which I turned down. I was told that the only way I could have it resolved was to return to AT&T. I did as instructed the following day. At the store I took up my case with the person who initiated my order. He, at that time apologized for the inconvenience and states he would call Direct TV. Later that day he called to let me know that the only resolution was what I had previously been told. I stated to him that during my initial purchase I informed him of services I had in place and at a minimum I wanted the end state of my Direct TV order to be the same. He again apologized, and state for me to contact Direct TV. I immediately asked what the cancellation fee would be. He stated he was unsure but would research it and contact me. Upon contacting me again Mr. Davis stated the fee could be up to $400.00. I told him that this was crazy. I let him know that I was going contact Direct TV about cancellation. Due to my heavy work schedule this correspondence took place over approximately a week. On 20 Oct the same day I asked the AT&T rep about cancellation I contacted Direct TV's cancellation department. The representative I spoke with explained she was sorry to hear of all of the trouble I received from AT&T and Direct TV and stated she would do her best to resolve the issue. After being on hold for a few minutes she returned and stated the two necessary receivers would be installed free of charge but the only way she could do it was to charge my credit card then immediately credit the money back to my card. I stated this would be a reasonable solution. She stated that the transaction would be completed while I was on the phone with her. Once she stated it was successful I waited approximately an hour then checked my account. My account showed the charge but not the credit. I immediately called Direct TV again. I let the customer service rep know what had taken place and he informed me the credit would be placed on my upcoming bill. I, at this time, am furious. I instantly asked to speak to his manager, Brandon. Brandon apologized for the error and stated he would put in a request for my credit card to be credited but it would take up to 30 days. What kind of cockamamie businesses are Direct TV and AT&T running. This is hands down the worst customer service transaction I have ever experienced in my life. Aside from the one person who made a failed attempt at correcting the issued they all should be reprimand and/or re-schooled in their companies services and how they are provided to the customer. Truthfully speaking even thought I like some of the features on Direct TV, if it wasn't for a $400.00 cancellation fee, I would return to my old provider without question. The sad part is, even if a representative from Direct TV or AT&T were to contact me if reference to compensation I would be extremely reserved about the credibility of their offers.
Disappointedly, Lawson A. Garnett
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