I am furious. For eight years I have been a DirecTV customer. Recently I learned I could bundle my cable service with my Qwest phone service. When I called to arrange it, I was told the offer was for new customers only. After all those years of loyalty I felt unappreciated, so I told the representative I would cancel my DirecTV account. I was passed to another representative, who said that since I was a loyal customer and they wished to keep me, DirectTV would give me a free DVR upgrade if I stayed. I accepted.
The technician with the new DVR only arrived after three rescheduled visits, and once he had installed it, it did not work. He claimed my satellite dish was too old and said he would come back with a new one. He never did. I reconnected my old DVR, which worked again. I phoned to complain, and another technician visit was scheduled. After brooding on how DirectTV had handled everything, I was unhappy enough to call and cancel. The representative told me an early cancellation fee applied because my service contract had been extended by 24 months. I asked in disbelief when I had agreed to another 24 months, and she answered that the paper I signed before the technician left after installing the DVR was that contract. The technician had described it as an equipment receipt rather than a service contract, and nobody told me beforehand that my contract was being extended. This is plain consumer fraud. I will never be a DirecTV customer again, and I intend to fight the early cancellation fee they want from me.
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