Here is a recent letter I sent to both Verizon and DirecTv.
Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen, I just had a conversation with John (ID# U1481) from the Office of the President of DirecTv. The conclusion of that conversation was basically John repeating the exact words I hear from DirecTv's first line Customer Service Representatives, which is that the charge for an early disconnection fee is valid. Up to this point I have not included Verizon in this dispute, because Verizon released themselves of responsibility by NOT charging any type of penalty when I cancelled their service within 30 days. This Sales point, is in fact which got my wife and I into the current situation. During my phone conversation with John, I reiterated what I have always told the CS reps at DirecTv, which is that the Verizon Sales personnel not only sold us the service on the premise that we could cancel within 30 days, but that the only contract which was mentioned would be a contract with Verizon for 1 year if we decided to keep the service. John's rebuttal to that was since he wasn't in on the phone call that my statement was heresay.in other words, your representatives are calling me a liar. When we originally were asking questions of the Verizon Sales rep we asked them several times about contracts because we wanted to be able to get FIOS as soon as it was available. We expressed that was why we did not want any long term contract. Now I have talked to DirecTv several times and read numerous complaints regarding this exact situation. So either every customer out there is a bold faced liar, or there are sales agents who neglect to mention DirecTv's terms and conditions because they know the mention of a 2 year contract negates any advertising of being able to cancel within 30 days.in fact, it is outright false advertising to say you can cancel the 3-in-1 bundle services within 30 days. I have also talked to several sales people at Verizon who state that there have been several memos passed down to your Sales personnel reiterating the need to disclose DirecTv's terms and conditions. These memos would not be necessary if in fact there hadn't been numerous complaints of this deceptive behaviour. So in reality it is Verizons fault for selling me a service that they were aware they could never fulfill. (The DSL speed sold to me could never be reached according to the field tech because of the distance I was from the signal). I acknolwedge mistakes made by Verizon, but they released themselves by allowing me to cancel their service without a penalty. But that's when I first became aware that I had a seperate contract with DirecTv. Here is where some efficiencies can be made by both companies. If after I ordered the service with Verizon, a DirecTv sales person called and made me aware that I would be signing a contract at the time of installation, this would be proper disclosure. If the subcontractor hired by DirecTv advised us BEFORE installation that we would be signing a contract (which you call a work order form), that would be proper disclosure. Having a customer sign a work order form which has a contract on the back, is NOT proper disclosure. Disclsoures are made BEFORE the actual service. I work in the loan industry and if I had a customer sign a contract which I called by another name, after I funded the loan, I would be fined for violation of RESPA. I ask you to take the perspective of a customer who thinks they have made an agreement with one company (Verizon). Do you think that customer is expecting a seperate contract? Especially when they are being billed by one company? Furthermore, do you actually think your customers are going to read a work order form when it is handed to them at the end of the installation when the field tech is leaving? Do you think a customer thinks that a work order form is being used as a contract, especially when they have already listened to all the terms and conditions disclosed by the Verizon sales rep? Say you go buy a new car with a great GPS service and that car turns out to be a lemon. Well when you took the car back, what if the Sales man told you that he would take the car back with no penalty, but you have to call the GPS service to cancel with them. Oh and by the way the GPS service has a 24 month contract, and by the way you signed that contract when they installed your GPS when the mechanic handed you the work order form. Would you be happy with this level of service? This is exactly what you have done to me and my wife. My wife is especially upset because we have been diligently trying to keep her credit perfect so we can purchase a home in a year. Your company has now made it that much more difficult. Not to mention that my wife never authorized DirecTv to access her Social Security Number. So now I am involving Verizon because it was their Sales team who got me here. Both companies need to take responsibility for this and rectify the misleading advertising and deceptive practices. I was able to speak with a Verizon sales personnel who confirmed that you don't keep the recorded phone conversations of the Sales pitch, and that it might have never been recorded. I may not be able to subpeona recorded phone conversations but I will have no problem bringing ex-verizon sales personnel to perform as a witness for these practices. I urge you to do the right thing, and waive these charges and correct the deragotory credit reporting you have attributed to my wifes credit. If this is not done in a timely fashion, not only will I be filing an action, but I will make sure that every consumer complaint department and internet site, be alerted to each and every one of your emails and business phone numbers. If I can not achieve the result that you and I know is right, my only recourse will be to feel justified in recouping my lost funds by taking up all of your valued time. And it won't just be me, but the thousands of other customers I pass this information to. The simple solution is to do what was promised to me in the first place, which was to let me cancel within 30 days without penalty. I am attaching the original dispute letter I sent to DirecTv, which I still have yet to receive a written response for.
David B.
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