can't cancel service?

[yorktown]

OH YES they can ....
It may not be the right thing to do, but if they send out a tech and truck, thats generally $ 150. per trip to send a guy out.
I'm not saying that they would charge you $ 150, thats the cost of rolling the truck.

WE have a Trip charge of about $ 80, then again, usually we won't charge it if you just say, "hey we decided to cancel, or that we called and canceled", but if the company wanted to, they COULD charge the trip charge to everyone they roll a truck to.

OH NO they can't .....
If a customer ordered DIRECTV then cancelled the next day the local joe blow install company can't charge the customer a trip charge due to DIRECTV not telling the install company the customer cancelled. They can go ahead and mail the customer a bill for the trip charge if they felt like but I don't think they'd have a leg to stand on in small claims court.

 

[wildbill129]

OH YES they can ....
It may not be the right thing to do, but if they send out a tech and truck, thats generally $ 150. per trip to send a guy out.
I'm not saying that they would charge you $ 150, thats the cost of rolling the truck.

WE have a Trip charge of about $ 80, then again, usually we won't charge it if you just say, "hey we decided to cancel, or that we called and canceled", but if the company wanted to, they COULD charge the trip charge to everyone they roll a truck to.

Jimbo.....if I canceled service and you showed up at my door due to an error with D* or AT&T, or whoever, and you demanded a trip charge, you would hear an earful from me, as would your boss, and D*/AT&T. There is no way you can charge a customer for a trip. If I received a bill, I would file a claim with consumer affairs. If I got another one, I would sue.

Maybe in your state, but here in California, that would NEVER happen.

GO DUCKS!!!!

 

[grydlok]

She just needs to call back and insist on the cancel.
Directv doesn't like to cancel install because it falls on them. They rather the tech goes out and the customer might change their mind, if not it falls on the tech and the installation company who Directv can blame for losing the sale.

 

[stonecold]

Unless she trying to cancel via ATT aka SBC

 

[Jimbo]

OH NO they can't .....
If a customer ordered DIRECTV then cancelled the next day the local joe blow install company can't charge the customer a trip charge due to DIRECTV not telling the install company the customer cancelled. They can go ahead and mail the customer a bill for the trip charge if they felt like but I don't think they'd have a leg to stand on in small claims court.

Jimbo.....if I canceled service and you showed up at my door due to an error with D* or AT&T, or whoever, and you demanded a trip charge, you would hear an earful from me, as would your boss, and D*/AT&T. There is no way you can charge a customer for a trip. If I received a bill, I would file a claim with consumer affairs. If I got another one, I would sue.

Maybe in your state, but here in California, that would NEVER happen.

GO DUCKS!!!!

Actually, they CAN bill you, just like the Gas company does and like the Electric company does.

That said, all you would need to do is call in and they would remove it and write it up as being the communication was cross between the sub asking and the tech getting sent.

I would NEVER bill someone for that, but they CAN.

What happens when you have a 10-12 am commitment and the sub is not home, your spending $ 160 for me to drive to the subs house, your not home and you expect to NOT be billed ?

Here again, it's up to the discression of the company and usually would be removed, but many companies will charge a Trip charge.

 

[yorktown]

What happens when you have a 10-12 am commitment and the sub is not home, your spending $ 160 for me to drive to the subs house, your not home and you expect to NOT be billed ?

What happens when a customer has a 10-12 am commitment, the customer takes the morning off of work or the entire day off of work to wait for an installer to show up and the installer never shows up ? Does the install company pay the customer $160 ?

 

[Jimbo]

What happens when a customer has a 10-12 am commitment, the customer takes the morning off of work or the entire day off of work to wait for an installer to show up and the installer never shows up ? Does the install company pay the customer $160 ?

Actually, D* does have a deal regarding that, at least they did, they missed me on a Friday that I had to take off (morning appt.) and missed Friday as well as missing Saturday and finally installed it on Sunday around 4 pm.

They gave me $ 100 for a missed commitment, I don't know if they still do that or not.
Unfortunately I make 2 1/2 times that in an 8 hour day at work.

 

[wildbill129]

Actually, they CAN bill you, just like the Gas company does and like the Electric company does.

That said, all you would need to do is call in and they would remove it and write it up as being the communication was cross between the sub asking and the tech getting sent.

I would NEVER bill someone for that, but they CAN.

What happens when you have a 10-12 am commitment and the sub is not home, your spending $ 160 for me to drive to the subs house, your not home and you expect to NOT be billed ?

Here again, it's up to the discression of the company and usually would be removed, but many companies will charge a Trip charge.

We will have to agree to disagree on this one.....

 

[chgocolt]

I know this is old issue, but here's a link to the federal trade commission site that shows you your rights under federal law. Some states have more stringent laws.

The Cooling-Off Rule: When and How to Cancel a Sale

The exemption that they could use from the Federal 3-day cooling off period is that you did the entire transaction by phone.

I know here in Illinois they also have a state 3-business day cancellation law. I signed up at Costco and was informed of the 3-day law and asked to sign a statement acknowledging that I was informed of my right to cancel within 3 business days.

 

[catman60]

i just found out from my daughter that she was able to cancel. my wife got it from my grandaughter that she wasn't able to cancel.it was all a big misunderstanding! sorry

 

[Claude Greiner]

Everybody here is making this out to be a BIGGER deal than it really is.

Simply call then back and tell them you changed your mind, since it's before the install date there should be no problem, no need to put holds on CC's or change cards and such.

If the installer does get out to the house before the cancel gets to him, which happens, simply tell them you changed your mind.
However, IF they send a installer out to your house, they CAN charge you a TRIP charge, if they decide to.
MOST installers will NOT charge the Trip Charge, and just move on.
But the company CAN charge you because they sent out a vehicle.

I agree, but I have had times where trying to cancel something is more headach than its worth.

I tried to cancel Directv and it was an hour on the phone with Winback, I did the same thing with Vonage and it took me 2 hours before they finally transfered me to the right department.

Sometimes its easier not to pay these companies and wait for a final bill, then to deal with the crap.

As far as charging a "Trip" charge, I run into this all the time I will tell you its impossible to charge a customer a "Trip" charge because they simply will not pay it, and its not worth collecting.

The only way you can enforce the collection of a trip charge is next time your back out at the customers home. In the case of a new connect, its impossible to collect because they will simply place a new order through someone else.

You can usually collect on a trouble call by refusing to service the customer if they do not pay for the trip charge from last time, but you need to clearly document that you went out the customers home. You need to be at the customers home within the schedule period, put a door hanger on their door, attempt to call the customer, and then wait about 10-15 minutes infront of their home.

 

[wildbill129]

i just found out from my daughter that she was able to cancel. my wife got it from my grandaughter that she wasn't able to cancel.it was all a big misunderstanding! sorry

oh jeez.......glad it worked out!

 

[ranmic]

just don't answer the door when they show up.:up

just kidding.

 

[tsbarker13]

With any contract, as I understand it, you have a 72-hour "cooling off" period, where a contract, even if signed can be declared null. You just have to write the company and so state you are exercising your right to cancel a contract withing the 72-hour period.

 

[yorktown]

With any contract, as I understand it, you have a 72-hour "cooling off" period, where a contract, even if signed can be declared null. You just have to write the company and so state you are exercising your right to cancel a contract withing the 72-hour period.

About 2 days ago catman60 typed up a reply that said his daughter was actually able to cancel. It was all just a misunderstanding.