That would be good !
You could always give your HOME number out, we won't tell anyone !
I working out something where pub members can have a number to reach me at.
I cancelled after 10 years and they still want disconnection fees.
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I working out something where pub members can have a number to reach me at.
Its a 4% difference. Yes, thats petty.
I did the same thing. I went up to where I put in my credit card and there was a "submit your order" button. I never had to click through anything that presented me with a contract. But if somewhere after I've gone through the whole process of selecting my system and entering all my info and my payment is where directv thinks the right place to tell me about my commitment, then I'd still suggest thats the wrong place to do it.
Sounds like a good effort, but still plenty of room for human error and not enough proof kept long enough. We're not talking about a $20 fee here. It also sounds like a humongous waste of resources to screen that many calls. Wouldnt it be a lot easier to train the people better and give them a more foolproof system to use?
I'm sure directv wants to get this right. Its just that the evidence in plain sight is that the contract information is insufficiently available/explained as part of the sales process. There are hundreds of thousands of complaints by people who say they never got the info. I can back that up, because I wasnt given the info to examine before the equipment was installed.
So it has very little to do with what I believe, and once again constructive criticism is met by defensiveness.
The bottom line is that Directv should not be charging me a big up front fee for a box AND putting me on a contract. If they are, I should have to sign something to agree to that at retail POS or have my agreement recorded and kept for the term of the contract. An existing customer who has been with the company since before the contract/lease situation existed or who has already passed the 24 month term shouldnt be hit with another contract extension just because they upgrade or add a receiver.
Directv is double and triple dipping and putting the onus on the customer to realize what they're getting into. Thats fine, but its going to result in a lot of angry customers. And thats what you're getting.
It'd be way better to just figure out what sort of problems the customer is having that makes them want to disconnect the service prematurely and fix those problems.
CFB ,
I am not here to tell you that DTV way is the right way. But at the same time it beyond my control. I am here to help which means I help work inside the system . I will explain the system and what can be done. Its not the best system but it works for the company. Best thing I can state people who are not happy well express it via your pocket book.
I am not here to tell you that DTV way is the right way. But at the same time it beyond my control. I am here to help which means I help work inside the system . I will explain the system and what can be done. Its not the best system but it works for the company. Best thing I can state people who are not happy well express it via your pocket book.
I dont think it does. I think it was more important to find and point out small things than to address the primary issues.
But I guess when you see something thats $99 you dont think "so, its about a hundred"?
Stonecold, I understand your perspective and you're here to tell us the company line and you have to adhere to it. But this is a discussion forum. We discuss. We share different points of view, talk about them, maybe come away with some different ideas and perspectives.
My perspective is that directv had a problem and fixed it the wrong way, in a manner that will produce a large number of angry and dissatisfied customers. The benefits directv garners - a few ETF's from some twitchy customers who wanted to try something else out - are in my opinion well outweighed by the detriments - lots of people who didnt understand the implications of the contract and ended up out of pocket in a situation where they may not have had a lot of choice.
Your perspective is that its fine if it works 98% of the time and all y'all are trying real hard to eliminate the 2%. I get it. I just hope it doesnt come back to bite directv in the ass when people decide they'd rather buy something without a contract (which seems to be a trend) and existing customers avoid upgrades to the newer and better products in an effort to avoid being locked in.
Its telling when you google "directv early termination complaints and get 74,000 hits.
Its also telling when the companies BBB rating is an "F", with the BBB's explanation:
"Complainants generally allege problems relating to contract terms, billing disputes, descrepencies concerning pre-paid programming. Many of the complaints relate that the company's promotional offers fail to include all of the limitations, conditions and penalties that may apply. In almost all cases, the advertised promotional pricing is dependent on conditions that are not readily apparent from the advertising. Complainants consider the advertising to be deceptive. Some complain the company fails to send statements in a timely fashion resulting in late fees, or that unauthorized amounts of money are charged or debited to customer accounts. Others complain of inadequate customer service and the inability to contact the company to change programming or resolve billing issues. The company responds to most complaints by relying on the terms of the contract. In some cases, they apply necessary credits, adjust programming, or otherwise resolve the problems. In many cases, the company disputes the complainants allegations, and refuses adjustments."
Yeah, I know: stupid customers.
All I can say is it not Stonecoldtv but directv.
there are plenty of other people to have a discussion with other then me. No we dont do everything perfect but they are not listening either. Like I said people complain that management does not listen well customers are just not making a statement.
Thats all I am saying. If I was not working for the company I be much more vocal then I am .
there are plenty of other people to have a discussion with other then me. No we dont do everything perfect but they are not listening either. Like I said people complain that management does not listen well customers are just not making a statement.
Thats all I am saying. If I was not working for the company I be much more vocal then I am .
When I signed up for DirecTV nearly two years ago, over the phone, at no point was I informed of a two year commitment. I was not informed of an early termination fee. I was informed that the equipment was leased, not owned, and if I canceled service I would have to return the equipment. The installer came, did the install, did not check to make sure all the boxes were working, did not ask us to sign any paperwork, and left. No where on my monthly bill/statement, nor in my account information online, is there any mention of a two-year commitment or an anniversary date of the span any such commitment.
And this is the consumer's fault for not being "well-informed"?
Seems like DTV is expressly not disclosing the two year agreement and ETF to not harm sales.
My cell phone bill has my contract start date on it, as does my account information online. When I got new equipment, there is a sheet with BIG RED LETTERS informing me that I have 30 days to try the service, after which if I cancel there is an early termination fee.
Also, wireless phone providers are, if I am not mistaken, required to "pro-rate" their ETFs, are they not? If you cancel in your 23rd month, they cannot charge you the full ETF, only 1/24th of the fee. Why are cell phone providers feet held to the fire on this issue, but DirecTV gets a pass?
And this is the consumer's fault for not being "well-informed"?
Seems like DTV is expressly not disclosing the two year agreement and ETF to not harm sales.
My cell phone bill has my contract start date on it, as does my account information online. When I got new equipment, there is a sheet with BIG RED LETTERS informing me that I have 30 days to try the service, after which if I cancel there is an early termination fee.
Also, wireless phone providers are, if I am not mistaken, required to "pro-rate" their ETFs, are they not? If you cancel in your 23rd month, they cannot charge you the full ETF, only 1/24th of the fee. Why are cell phone providers feet held to the fire on this issue, but DirecTV gets a pass?
Interesting, huh? You have to call them up and ask them what it is.
Thats my contention.
Directv used to give you 30 days, but not any more. I guess if theres something thats a deal breaker that you werent aware of before the installation, you get to eat it.
Because enough people complained about the cell phone thing that we ended up with legislation to force the cell companies to do the right thing. Directv's in hot water with consumer agencies like the BBB over it and I know at least one state has pending legislation against them to make this more transparent.
In stead of complaing so much about D* and their practices, why don't you cancel your service and go to cable? Is it the ETF you are worried about? Sounds like it may be better to pay that than to stay and deal with D*, right?
Well I have been with DirecTV since 1996 and just this past two weeks added a additonal HD receiver to a guest bedroom. On the phone when I called the CSR stated very clearly it comes with a two year agreement and when the installed came out a few days letter there were big letters on the form I signed that stated I signed back up for two years. I realize others may not have been told by the CSR reps but it is clearly on the install from you sign after they hook it up.
That's really not an indication of a problem, Consider:
Google:
Verizon ETF Complaints 49,300
T-Mobile ETF Complaints 175,000
AT&T Wireless ETF Complaints 77,400
Ford Motor Co. Complaints 7,920,000
Sears Complaints 1,120,000
Denon Complaints 1,700,000
HP Complaints 2,930,000 (I thought everyone loves HP Printers)
Apple Complaints 4,990,000 (I thought everyone loves Apple)
I even Googled my place of employment and came up with 2,100. (really?!)
Everyone loves to complain, I guarantee that any business has more complaints than compliments filed anywhere.
How many positive threads about either sat provider are there on this forum? In comparison, How many threads with complaints?
Is Directv perfect? No, far from it. I've been with them since 1997 and have no complaints. Do I go out of my way and file a compliment with the BBB? Nope. Should I? You can't, if you look at the BBB website there is no link to file a compliment. Only one to file a complaint.
I'm not been an smart pants my friend, but you were under contract regards of how many years you were a good customer.
The "F" grade is certainly an indication of a problem since its how the BBB feels that directv handles the complaints. The number of complaints isnt really relevant. But there were certainly plenty of those as well.
Consider that Comcast has a "C" rating and Dish network has a "B-" rating, the "F" really sticks out.
Heres what the BBB takes into consideration in determining the grade, as you'll see the number of complaints is only one of more than a dozen characteristics:
BBB | What are BBB Ratings?
Specifically:
"BBB assigns grades from A to F with pluses and minuses. A+ is the highest grade and F is the lowest. The grade represents BBB’s degree of confidence that the business is operating in a trustworthy manner and will make a good faith effort to resolve any customer concerns filled with BBB."
So in issuing the grade of "F", the BBB feels that the business is not operating in a trustworthy manner, nor do they make a good faith effort to resolve customer concerns.
By way of comparison, while directv has about 28-30% more subscribers than dish, dish has only about 1/3 of the number of complaints to the BBB than directv and the vast majority of those were marked by the BBB as successfully resolved.
Speaking of cell phone provider ETFs, I recently discovered this one.
Verizon offers the LG Accolade phone for $20 with 2 year contract and ETF of $175. Activation fee of $35.
However I found the exact same phone at Walmart for $20 as a prepaid. No contract. With $10 of free airtime and no activation fee.
So Verizon is really giving you no discount on the phone, charging an extra $35 to activate, and then sticking you with a 2 year contract with $175 ETF. Wow, what a deal!
By comparison, D* seems customer-friendly.
Verizon offers the LG Accolade phone for $20 with 2 year contract and ETF of $175. Activation fee of $35.
However I found the exact same phone at Walmart for $20 as a prepaid. No contract. With $10 of free airtime and no activation fee.
So Verizon is really giving you no discount on the phone, charging an extra $35 to activate, and then sticking you with a 2 year contract with $175 ETF. Wow, what a deal!
By comparison, D* seems customer-friendly.
Yeah some of the cell phone providers are jacking up their ETF's. Guess they're going to make the same mistake of making the stick longer rather than fixing the bad customer service or weaker features vs competitive offerings.
You're figuring out why people are moving to the prepaid cell phones en masse.
You're figuring out why people are moving to the prepaid cell phones en masse.
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