DIRECTV took me to the bank. I called the company to report a problem with my HD receiver, which had actually frozen. This was one of many service calls I had to make. I have been a customer for over three years. I have had continuous problems with their equipment, and someone always had to come out after I waited several days each time without service.
This time, when I had problems with my service once again, a tech came out and again saw the problem. I told him it was the receiver because it would not turn off or even play, so he changed out the receiver. When he called to activate the new receiver, the woman on the line would not activate it until I made a payment over the phone first, because my bill was now past due. I still had about a week to make the payment, but she said she could not activate it.
She didn't, and while I was talking to her, I told her that since I was not going to have any service and I was fed up with their service or lack of it, I was cancelling service at that time, which was May 19th. With that, the tech left and he took the sheet with him, which I refused to sign because of still not having any service. After he left, someone called from the company to see how the service was, and I again explained why I was cancelling my service.
At that time she informed me that I would have to pay an early termination fee. We hung up, and after a few minutes I called back to have the company explain this early termination fee. She looked up my account and found that I should not have to pay, because I had been paying $7.99 monthly for a DIRECTV Protection Plan Advanced Product fee for three years, and she didn't see where I should owe.
Then I asked her when this early termination fee applied, since I didn't understand it: I had gone beyond my original contract of over two years. She informed me my contract was renewed on May 19th, the day the equipment was being serviced, and the service tech should have told me that. I then asked how that could be, since my service was never activated and I had cancelled. The tech didn't tell me, she said, because he knew my service was not activated, and I didn't sign the service sheet they have showing the work was done and completed.
After this she again stated that someone else would be contacting me about the situation. After several more calls, each time someone else looked up the account, I was told I was protected under the plan. So I left it at that, thinking it was resolved. But little did I know that they had waited until July, over a month, and yes, they had taken me to the bank! I called the bank to dispute these charges of $460.00, which were not authorized to come out of my account.
When you pay your bill over the phone, they have access to your account information. I didn't know that until my bank informed me. The bank also told me I should have cancelled my card and requested a new card and number so they could not have gotten into my account. It is too late for me, but if anyone is reading this and they have not yet taken out the money, do it before it is too late.
My bank also told me to call DIRECTV again, which I did. When they looked up my account, I was told that they should not have charged me for that because of the protection plan, and that I would be hearing from someone within 5 days. This was July 3rd, and I have heard nothing as yet. I don't really expect to, because I was told this in May. But I am disputing these charges with my bank, and I am going to fight this to the end. They will not get away with this.
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