On April 6, Direct TV made an unauthorized (fraudulent) charge to our checking account in the amount of $114.13, overdrawing our bank account. When we contacted Direct TV's offices at 800-531-5000, we were told that it was an early cancellation fee. They claimed that our contract was for 18 months. As clearly stated in the contract I, personally, signed, our contract was only for a period of 12 months for the standard receiver we had, terminating one year from February 29. We requested our money back and were told that we had to fax a copy of our contract to their Billing Disputes office at 877-580-2148. We promptly complied.
The next day (April 10) we called them back at their Customer Service number and were told that once they reviewed the account, it would be 14-21 days before they would decide their response to our complaint. My problem is that, whether or not the early cancellation fee is valid, I believe that fraudulent charges are required to be resolved in a timely manner according to federal regulations. We contacted our bank about the fraudulent charge and were told VISA (the entity that issues the debit cards) requires that we attempt to resolve the issue with Direct TV... the very entity that defrauded us! Help... we have been robbed!
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