In April I answered a web ad for Directstartv offering a 12 month special at $39.99 for the specific programming I wanted, which included their upgrade equipment. Nothing was said on the web page (including the small print) about having to sign up for a 2 year contract, nor was I told that over the phone.
On April 12 they came and installed the dish, but I left while the installer was working. When I returned, they had installed the wrong satellite dish and programming, as my (grown) daughter was told I had not chosen a program (which of course I had) and she chose the wrong one. Apparently the correct information was relayed from Directstartv to the mother company, DirecTV. After many phone calls, they came back on the 15th with the right satellite and programming, only this time it didn't include the free (3 mo.) HBO, Showtime, etc. There were more phone calls, and even more phone calls (each lasting from 30 minutes to an hour!), as they then wanted to charge me more than the advertised price, claiming it was a rebate. As I pointed out to them, their ad did not indicate this.
Finally I thought I had it all taken care of when the first bill came in. Not only did it have the wrong charges, but on top of that it mentioned that I was in for a 2 year contract with them! That was news to me, so I promptly called and was told this was their agreement for the type of advanced equipment I had. I explained that neither their ad nor the person on the phone explained this to me. I called back asking for a Spanish speaking person, as the original order was made in Spanish for a Spanish package, thinking maybe they had a different deal going on. I explained the situation, but when they made the same claim, I asked to stop services. To my horror, the young man I spoke to used a profanity when I asked to cancel the service!
This happened on April 19th, four days after the correct programming and satellite had been installed. I returned their equipment when I received their boxes with the prepaid labels. They keep sending me bills charging me $283.14 for having "broken their agreement." Numerous calls and emails have not convinced them that I am not paying for an agreement that I did not agree to in the first place. Moreover, they are billing me for a whole month of service, and I will not pay for more than what I used. I told them about the statement on one of their flyers about not owing if I returned the equipment, but they say that is just for the cost of the equipment and not for their (one sided) 2 year "agreement."
Had they dealt with me honestly and without so many problems, I would not have had to cancel in the first place. I just filed a report with the Federal Trade Commission. They basically replied that my complaint will go in their files and that if they get a lot of similar complaints, they may check into the situation.
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