Fed-up DirecTV subscribers turn up the volume on hidden fees

[cfb]

Did you sign a piece of paper when you had your system installed? On the back is the lease agreement. Did you buy your system at best buy? You signed the electronic pad which displayed the lease agreement.

You know that EULA you clicked "I agree" to a couple of weeks ago and installed the software without reading all 27 pages?

Good news! due to your implicit agreement, we get to place your entire family into indentured servitude! Your 10 year term begins tomorrow. Pack up! Its off to Antarctica to mine ice!

A $480 fee being conveniently placed where 99% of the population doesnt bother to read it is inappropriate. If you want to levy that sort of money, either a voice recording of the directv rep telling you about the fee and you saying "I agree!", or a big piece of paper with the fee amounts in 24 point safety orange with your signature on it would be more appropriate.

Being charged $480 for canceling service after a month if the service is inadequate and directv doesnt make it right for you is a ridiculous amount of money.

As an aside, most cell phone contract cancellation feels is $200 if you cancel up front, Dish networks appears to be $320 if you cancel the first month.

Directv is THE LEADER in high cancellation fees!!!

 

[riffjim4069]

Did you sign a piece of paper when you had your system installed? On the back is the lease agreement. Did you buy your system at best buy? You signed the electronic pad which displayed the lease agreement.

As far as the 2 year commitment getting restarted when you replace a receiver, who knows. I haven't run into that problem. Is it happening every time? who knows, we only know that it's happened to a handful of people who post on an internet message board. Again, 5-10 people on an internet message board, or even 20,000 people who have filed complaints with the BBB are not a representative sample of 18+ million subscribers. Take a statistics class.

Yikes! You do realize that only a very small fraction of jilted customers ever file a complaint with the BBB don't you? Apparently you are completely unaware of this fact. Those 20,000 "whiners" can easily represent a group of 1 or 2 million irate customers.

Again, the statistics regarding this issue are well-document so please stop defending bad behavior and poor business practices. Moreover, you probably don't realize the uproar it takes to get a a State or Commonwealth Attorney General involved in a consumer issue.

 

[MikeinBaja]

Just to level the playing field here, if you go to the BBB web site neither one's complaint numbers are great at the corporate level (roll-up) - and DN is not accredited by the BBB at all, so no rating to be up/down graded.

If you do the ratio of complaints per subscriber base - aw hell, do your own math.

Neither one wears a halo in this comparison.

 

[MikeinBaja]

DN trolls are beating the drum again - business that bad fellas?

 

[Claude Greiner]

Hey I talk to Directv customers everyday who want to switch to Dish, and the hidden contract extensions are deffinitly a problem.

We see it most when we convert Directv customers over to Dish and the next thing we know is that we got the customer calling back to cancel their installation because Directv says they are still under contract. A few customers will argue it out and try to get out of it, but alot of other people just ask for the date their contract is over and put everything on hold till then.

The fact of the matter is that most people can't remember what and when they signed a contract, even if they signed one at all, and they just take Directvs word for it when they call to cancel because they don't want to pay the penalty or for it to tarnish their good credit.

Its sad to say, this actually works. Besides handing out programming credits left and right to prevent people from cancelling, how else do you think they can keep their churn low?

 

[cfb]

Yep, I love this management strategy: when the carrot gets too short, lengthen the stick.

 

[MikeinBaja]

Hey I talk to Directv customers everyday who want to switch to Dish, and the hidden contract extensions are deffinitly a problem.

We see it most when we convert Directv customers over to Dish and the next thing we know is that we got the customer calling back to cancel their installation because Directv says they are still under contract. A few customers will argue it out and try to get out of it, but alot of other people just ask for the date their contract is over and put everything on hold till then.

The fact of the matter is that most people can't remember what and when they signed a contract, even if they signed one at all, and they just take Directvs word for it when they call to cancel because they don't want to pay the penalty or for it to tarnish their good credit.

Its sad to say, this actually works. Besides handing out programming credits left and right to prevent people from cancelling, how else do you think they can keep their churn low?

Um, if you look at the BBB numbers that started this discussion (which should be in the war zone anyway) they both have the same issue.

One's raw numbers are bigger due to larger subscriber base.

I do installs for both, and neither one's skirts are completely clean.

 

[cfb]

The BBB isnt a very good barometer anyhow. Unless the company wants to play nice with them, they have no power at all. Plus they're more interested in having the businesses sign up as a subscribed BBB member than fixing some individuals issues, thats how they make money.

So some folks like me figure out that they're mostly wasting their time filing a complaint with the BBB unless the business is a BBB member.

 

[SupaFresh208]

This was not some rinky dinky newspaper reporting the problems on DirecTV, this was the new York Post.

That is not a credible newspaper, I was with you up until you semi-praised the NEW YORK POST. They will post on anything with or without facts. They are like FOX news they show one color and it damn sure aint mine.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Whoops my bad... the article is from NY Daily News, not the NY Post.

 

[Islandguy43]

Dish Network does NOT require a two year contract extension when you replace a receiver that has a warranty on it, even if it is the DHPP warranty. They only require a contract when you upgrade a receiver. I have heard about this problem with Directv for quite a while. Dish Network has its own issues though. Every company has their advantages and disadvantages.

Is it a case of Directv only extending the contract when the reciever is out of warranty or extended warranty? I could understand that they extend the contract if they replaced or upgraded a receiver out of warranty; but if they are just extending contract for anytime a receiver is replaced or service call is made, even if that sub pays for DHPP; then I would have a problem.

 

[iceturkee]

The problem here is not Scott... the problem is DirecTV.

If it was only Scott it would be one thing... over 20,000 people have filed complaints about this. This is NOT a scott issue, its a DIRECTV issue.

Shut your moth and open your eyes and take a look whats going on.

DirecTV is not bad... hell I sold 70 DirecTV systems this weekend. It is still some of the best television service out there, the issue here is on the customer service side of things and they need fixing...

I just don't think so.. neither does 20,000 other American's and neither does the BBB or the New York Post. There are real problems here.

This was not some rinky dinky newspaper reporting the problems on DirecTV, this was the new York Post.

my 2 cents....the ny post is not in the same league with a paper like the ny times. my opinion for what its worth.

and i have checked numerous times and never had a contract extended for a defective receiver.

i am hardly on dtv's side, as i will probably cancel after the first of the year.

 

[Hemi 6.1]

I know of 4 people who filed a complaint against D* within the last 2 weeks.
You can bet this list of 20,000 is just the start.

 

[Rey]

Whoops my bad... the article is from NY Daily News, not the NY Post.

GET IT TOGETHER SCOTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :rant:

 

[Hemi 6.1]

On a good note.
Another friend of mine called D* because he lost his job and couldn't afford to pay his balance of $200 that was racked up. His service had been cutoff for the past 20 days. So he called yesterday to see about dropping his service before he went further into debt.
D* then took the $200 balance wrote it off and made it disappear. Then Offered him Total Choice Select for $39.99 per month. ( a Package I had no Idea excisited) with $10 off for 12 months to help them in their time of need. I was really impressed by this. I can honestly say that D* went out on a limb to help them out. There was no mention of a contract extention.

 

[vurbano]

I'm just glad Scott G has started the thread on this. Anyone else would be getting pounded with "troll" comments and smarta@@ comments from fanboys. THAT is the problem with these forums. And the utter rudeness and attacks are allowed by the moderators. Yet let Scott post it and the worst comment is "business that bad?" I don't get it?

 

[ramcm7]

People come to these boards seeking help with their sat system or wanting to share their experience. To come to the front page of this web site to see headlines like this is a real turn-off. I have not been here that often recently and see no need to return for a while.

Please, start a service rants forum for the various providers and confine your discussion of this nature there.

This isn't a traditional media outlet, but your viewers/listeners/followers are switching stations. Sponsors and other supporters don't like that.

 

[stogie5150]

People come to these boards seeking help with their sat system or wanting to share their experience. To come to the front page of this web site to see headlines like this is a real turn-off. I have not been here that often recently and see no need to return for a while.

Please, start a service rants forum for the various providers and confine your discussion of this nature there.

This isn't a traditional media outlet, but your viewers/listeners/followers are switching stations. Sponsors and other supporters don't like that.

Says the guy that has been a 'member' since 2004 and only has 179 posts.

I pay to be here, don't always agree with Scott or his rantings, but dammit he says what's on his mind. Anyone that has a problem with it, DBS talk is over there, if you want a tightly controlled, Directv loving experience.

I am sick to death of ALL the companies contract BS, cell phones, Sat companies, ALL of them. But, alas, I cannot endorse legal action, because what they are doing is legal, just not very forthcoming. They could do better, but they do the bare minimum, because, let's face it, we, as Americans, gotta have our Sunday Ticket, so we take it.

I just resigned with D* because I wanted Center Ice. Held my nose and did it. I HATE myself for it, but dammit, if I want hockey in HD, its the only game in town. :rant:

 

[longshot]

DirecTV has been very good to my family in the 6 years I have had their service but I have had more than one run in with the automatic contract extension as well as other issues. I have the Protection Plan and 3 times they have tried to extend me my contract for having a defective receiver replaced. Twice they tried to say that receivers that were in warranty that I owned were now leased because they replaced them under the Protection Plan.

I have made a personal policy to record all calls I have with customer service reps and make sure they document all offers, deals, and details on my account to make sure there is no GREY area for me to get screwed. Anytime I do something on the account I ask the question "Does this extend my contract?" and make sure they answer the question for the recording as well at the end state their name and rep#.

With all of that said it seems a tad extreme but I have used this information (recordings and account notes) to resolve every single issue and screw up on DirecTV's part, I am always polite and stand my ground on what I know is correct as I have the proof to prove it. I remain a happy DirecTV customer but their business practices in the last 12 months has been questionable at best and something needs to be done because 98% of the population is not as detailed as I am to ensure I don't get screwed by call center's than have huge turnover and poor training programs i place to ensure this doesn't happen to all it's valued customers.

 

[longshot]

I have a lot less posts than that and a member for almost as long I just don't have a lot to say or complain about but visit frequently. Please don't lump stupidity with post count and length of membership.

Says the guy that has been a 'member' since 2004 and only has 179 posts.