I ordered DirecTV in March as a result of receiving numerous advertisements in the mail. One of the free offers was a portable DVD player worth $129.00. Since I had always wanted a portable DVD player, I decided to order the satellite TV. I was fed up with Comcast cable TV. I followed all instructions as required and received everything I was supposed to except the portable DVD player. When I contacted DirecTV, I was told I was not eligible for the portable DVD offer and was given no explanation as to why.
I sent a letter of complaint to DirecTV in October and received a phone call indicating that my complaint was being sent to a resolution specialist. After that, nothing at all. However, I did receive in the mail a "consolation gift" of a standard DVD player, which could not have been worth more than $20.00. I contacted the attorney general's office in my state, Maryland, and submitted a written complaint to the consumer division. The responses I received from DirecTV were ridiculous. I was told that since I did not call the phone number listed in the ad, I was not eligible for the GWA (gift with activation).
I had called the well-known number 1-800-DIRECTV. In fact, each of the two advertisements I kept from that period had a different phone number but showed the exact same free gifts, one of which was the PORTABLE DVD player. There is nothing in the ads that says you must call that particular phone number. I would never have guessed that a phone number is used as the criterion for being eligible for a gift when activating a service. I was never told otherwise, from the first time I called to order the service until I received the letters through the AG's office in MD.
I guess my next step is to write a letter directly to the President of DirecTV expressing my dismay. I will gladly return the standard DVD player and would like a rebate of $129.00, a credit on my bill, or the actual portable DVD player, which I feel I should have received in the beginning. I wonder if anyone else has had this same problem. I have not seen any of the same complaints after surfing the net about it. I appreciate any help someone can give me. Thanks.
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