I had been a Direct TV customer for a year and a half and never had any issues and always paid my bill in full and on time. I recently moved and scheduled an appointment for an installation at my new address on July 21st 2011. Prior to the installation date I informed Direct TV that the technician would need to contact my Landlord so he was informed of the installation requirements, they stated that was ok and would note the account. The Landlord wanted to make sure the technician was fully aware of the maximum height and satellite placement that would be allowed for the installation.
The Technician arrived around 8:00 am on July 21st 2011. When I asked if he spoke to my Landlord as noted on my account he stated he didn’t know anything about it. I then proceeded to inform him that the Landlord was ok with the installation of the Direct TV service but there were requirements needed for it to be approved by management. Requirements dealt with no drilling on the property and the placement of the satellite on the balcony. The technician stated he did not need to attempt to install the satellite dish, based on what I told him he knew the installation could not be successfully completed. The technician never evaluated my balcony or spoke to my Landlord; he stated that it was not necessary. He then stated that he would call his manager and inform him that my cancellation fee was to be waived due to the inability to install my service.
The following day I decided to contact Direct TV to make sure every thing was communicated correctly. The customer service rep stated that they would not waive the cancellation fee based on the notes posted by the technician. The technician apparently wrote that “the customer’s landlord would not permit the installation of service”. I found this appalling, that the technician would tell a completely different story in his notes. The only conclusion that I can come to is that he did not want to perform an installation that could possibly be unsuccessful. Due to restrictions on the placement of the satellite or the satellite not receiving a strong enough signal. The call was ended with the conclusion that my cancellation fee would not be waived.
I decided to attempt to resolve my issue with a different customer service representative. I called later that day and informed the representative about my installation appointment, and the technician. She stated that due to the fact that the technician was allowed to proceed with the installation but decided not to due so, I would not be charged a cancellation fee. She further stated that I was not at fault for the unsuccessful installation, that it was the technician’s decision not to install my service that was the problem. The representative also stated she would add notes to the account supporting this statement. The representative also stated that my balance due should be waived by the time I received my final statement.
On July 30th, I decided to call Direct TV after receiving my final statement. I also checked online and noticed I still had a balance due of $143.20. I spoke to a customer serviced representative who stated I didn’t have any notes on my account supporting any waived cancellation fee. I’m not sure if this is a tactic used to continue to charge the customer. After an unsuccessful 20minutes I was asked to be transferred to someone else that could better assist me. I was transferred to the retention department where another representative was of some assistance. He was able to find the notes supporting the waived cancellation fee. He added that some representatives are too lazy to look for them but all have access to view notes of different departments. He did offer to send out another technician due to the bad technician that was sent out and decided not to do the work. I informed him that this was a week and a half ago and I have since then had cable service installed. The representative seemed to be in agreement with me, that my cancellation fee should be waived. The problem is that the technician stated in his notes that my landlord would not permit the installation period. This technicality is what posses a problem for them to waive my cancellation fee. It’s the technician’s false report on what occurred that is keeping the cancellation fee in place. The representative stated that if I wanted to file a formal complaint I could due so via the Direct TV website.
I have decided to file this formal complaint not just with Direct TV but also with the District Attorney’s office, the BBB and with Consumer Affairs. I will also be disputing any credit card charges that are imposed by Direct TV without my prior consent. I also find it disturbing that this is how a company would treat a good paying customer. After being told several times that my cancellation fee would be waived I hoped Direct TV would keep their word. Now I am being told different in order to be squeezed for more cash. I really hope someone at Direct TV will finally due what is right and waive my cancellation fee so I can move on.
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