I signed up with DirecTV's services in May. It was installed promptly and I started having problems right after I stopped paying for their equipment protection package. I was still within 90 days so the install was covered under warranty, but the service never worked correctly. I documented the problems and had five different technicians come to the house to fix the problem and none of them had any success. I talked to DirecTV and they told me they were not going to charge me a disconnect fee due to not being able to provide service to my home. I also paid for four months of service that never worked properly. The services were disconnected 10/16 and I was charged the disconnection fee of $440 tax directly to my debit card without notice. I was sent a bill after the actual charge; I received the bill 10/24/08. On 10/21/08 I called DirecTV to straighten out the matter and they agreed they were in the wrong, but refused to credit back my card.instead they told me they would send the "refund" in the form of a check in 6 to 8 weeks. I never gave them permission to charge my card the $440, but there is nothing I can do about it through my bank because they ran it through as a "debit" and not a "credit card charge."
The contract was broken when DirecTV could not provide service to my house so the charge was an unlawful charge. I feel they have taken advantage of my charity when I allowed them to auto charge my debit card for monthly service fees. I was told by more than one agent that they would not charge me a disconnection fee and they did anyway. Also I was lied to by their representatives, I feel, in an attempt to simply "get me off the phone". When I called 10/21/08 to talk about the disconnection fee I told them 6-8 weeks was not acceptable. I was "escalated" several times until I had an agent tell me they would debit back my card in 8 business days. I felt good about this arrangement and went on with my life. This brings me to 10/24/08. I received the bill in the mail concerning the disconnect fee so I called to make sure this was printed before I called and straightened things out and I was informed that my refund would be mailed and I should be receiving it in 6-8 business weeks. I was then told the fastest they could get the money back to my account was 30 business days. I asked for a supervisor because it was clear to me I was lied to. I held for another 5 minutes until a supervisor came on the phone. She informed me that the agent was mistaken and that my request had already been escalated to her finance team and it would take 8-10 business days for them to approve the transaction and then another 5-7 business days for the transaction to take place. So it turns out I was not "lied to" I just was only told half of the equation.in what world should it take up to 17 business days to get someone's money back when you illegally charged their card?
I have been calling in consistently for updates on this refund and it is now 11/6/08 and I am being told that the finance team is still looking things over. Their participation in the refund process was only supposed to take 8-10 business days. It has been 12 business days and no response from them as of yet. I grow increasingly frustrated with all of the lies and delays. I have also found the only way to get an honest answer is to call the 800 number until I am speaking to someone inside US borders. The Pilipino customer service reps really truly seem not to care at all.in today's economy we need every penny we can get and to loose 44,100 pennies for an indefinite amount of time has proven very costly to me financially. I have been patient to an extent and my patience is wearing very thin.
This company broke their contract with me when they could not provide service to my home. Then they were no longer authorized to debit my card. They illegally charged my card and I want people to know how they treat customers when they can't provide service to their home.
To make matters worse I have an update on this account. As of 11/15 DirecTV refunded $102.00 to my debit card. I called the company to ask what the refund was for and they said, This was the refund approved by corporate. They also informed me there was nothing else they, the little people could do for me and I would have to go above them to get the rest of the money they charged me. So I am currently trying to contact their legal department, more specifically the Offices of General Council at 2230 E. Imperial Hwy in El Segundo, CA 90245 in order to verify this is the address I have served to show up in small claims court. I will not go quietly for a small refund of the actual money they owe me I will press on with this company until I see every penny I paid for the cancellation fee and any court costs associated with it.
Justin xxxxxx
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
U.S.A.
0 comments