Directv
First bill $35 higher than agreed price and rebate not registered

I just received my first bill from directv and was unfortunately not surprised to see that the bill ($90.72) was about $35.00 more than was the monthly price I agreed to when I ordered the service. We received a coupon through my wife's employer stating that we could pay as little as $24.99 a month (the Choice Package regularly $55.99/mo.). The coupon offered no equipment to buy, free HD DVR upgrade, Free professional installation (up to 4 rooms) and Free Showtime and Starz for 3 months. When I ordered the service I wanted everything that the coupon offered which included 1 HD DVR and 2 standard receivers. After ordering I was told that the total monthly price would be $59.99 that included a $5.00 monthly charge for the "FREE HD DVR upgrade Hmmm! I was baffled by the price difference and after about 10 min. of wasting my time listening to double talk, I figured oh well that's still cheaper than my current cable bill ($87.00 mo.) so I agreed to that price. I was informed that I needed to apply for a rebate online before the technician came to install the dish and activate the service, this was necessary for me to receive the promotional price on my initial bill.

I went online and clicked on to my rebates which opened up the window that said something to the effect (You Are One Click Away) and required me to enter my account ID info. And my order ID info. I did that and was led to believe that was the process of applying for the rebate, not so I would later find out. I called Directv today 2 times today because the first time I was put on hold for 20 min. After asking to speak with a supervisor then hung up on. I called a second time (with less patience) and was informed that no record of my initial rebate request existed but was guaranteed that I would still receive 12 months of the promotional offer. Out of curiosity I asked the Rep. what my monthly bill would be after the rebate was applied if I kept Showtime after the 3 mo. promo. She advised me that I would be paying $77.21 which means that if Showtime is $12.99 a month my next 3 bills should be $64.22 What happened to $59.99? (we'll see).

Oh I forgot to mention that after taking off work on Sat. Feb. 20, (overtime pay) I waited all day for the install only to get a phone call from the technician at around 3:30 PM that there was no way he would be able to make it and that I would have to call to reschedule. I was able to negotiate an extra DVR box because of the lost wages. All in all I compare my initial experience with Directv less than positive considering I cannot cancel for 24 months and with hookup fees from the cable company and lost wages this attempt to acquire a better service at a better price has turned into a lesson in futility and will eventually cost me more money.

Company: Directv
Country: USA
State: California
City: El Segundo
Address: 2230 East Imperial Hwy
Site: directv.com

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