I Need Help/Advice Re: Possible DirecTV Scam

[SpencerCat]

Hopefully someone here can help me re: an apparent scam that DirecTV is running.

In December 2018, I received a letter from DirecTV offering me a $200 Visa Reward Card if I signed up for service from DirecTV. So I called, arranged for service, and was told that I would be sent a letter with redemption requirements, and that a reward card would be delivered within 3-4 weeks after redemption. In February 2019 I realized that I had not received the letter with redemption requirements, so I called DirecTV and was told that I would receive my reward card within 3-5 business days.

Today, July 24, still not having received my reward card, I called DirecTV, was bounced around from person to person for more than an hour, only to be told by a supervisor in the Reward Center that they could not give me my $200 because too much time had elapsed, even though on two occasions, I had been told by DirecTV personnel that I would receive a $200 reward card.

The supervisor in the Reward Center suggested that perhaps both the reward card and the redemption letter had been ‘lost in the mail’. I smell fraud, a way to increase AT&T/DirecTV’s profits, by scamming customers and hoping that they will forget about the reward card.

My wife and I live on a monthly social security check and a teacher’s pension check, but AT&T/DirecTV, a multi-billion-dollar company, cheats us out of $200?

 

[raoul5788]

Have you tried calling the loyalty department? Sorry, I don't have a number for you.

 

[Jimbo]

Call in and ask for the Retention/Loyalty dept, see if they can help ... he CSR's won't be able to help.

Personally, I doubt it is a scam ...
Could it be from another vendor , 3rd party for D*, sure.

 

[primestar31]

Maybe it was sent in one of those blank envelopes that look like junk mail, and you threw it away without knowing?

 

[SpencerCat]

Maybe it was sent in one of those blank envelopes that look like junk mail, and you threw it away without knowing?

Both times? Highly unlikely. And besides, I look at all of our junk mail.

 

[longhorn23]

I had the same problem when I signed up for directv. I was promised a 200 dollar gift card. Never got it. They kept giving me the runaround when I called. And eventually they said it was too late after 6 months for them to do anything. Really sh!tty customer service.

 

[Radioguy41]

File a complaint, either thru the mail or on-line, with your state attorney general's office. They will get a resolution for you. I have used that avenue 4 times with positive results in my favor every time: Dish, Ford, a local fuel oil provider, and Fedex.

 

[Claude Greiner]

The reward card was real around the time you mention. The issue was the redemption process was not clear with everyone.

Used to be when a customer got a gift card it got sent out automatically. Now you got to wait for the letter and do something to get it mailed to you.

Complain enough, you will get it

 

[Claude Greiner]

File a complaint, either thru the mail or on-line, with your state attorney general's office. They will get a resolution for you. I have used that avenue 4 times with positive results in my favor every time: Dish, Ford, a local fuel oil provider, and Fedex.

That usually works. Dish has had so many issues with the attorney general they usually bend over to resolve it

 

[SpencerCat]

Maybe it was sent in one of those blank envelopes that look like junk mail, and you threw it away without knowing?

See the post by longhorn23, above. This looks more and more like the business plan of AT&T/DirecTV: fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud.

 

[SpencerCat]

The reward card was real around the time you mention. The issue was the redemption process was not clear with everyone.

Used to be when a customer got a gift card it got sent out automatically. Now you got to wait for the letter and do something to get it mailed to you.

Complain enough, you will get it

I waited for the letter, and when it never arrived, I contacted DTV; they said they would send me the Reward Card, but they didn't. Longhorn23 said he had the same problem, so, as I wrote in another post: This looks more and more like the business plan of AT&T/DirecTV: fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud.

I've contacted my congressman, the state attorney general, and the FCC. We'll see what happens.

 

[Claude Greiner]

I waited for the letter, and when it never arrived, I contacted DTV; they said they would send me the Reward Card, but they didn't. Longhorn23 said he had the same problem, so, as I wrote in another post: This looks more and more like the business plan of AT&T/DirecTV: fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud.

I've contacted my congressman, the state attorney general, and the FCC. We'll see what happens.

It’s called breakage.

I used to do a $125 rebate when I sold dish network service to satelliteguys members.

I started doing a no bull crap rebate. Meaning I would write the check within a week or so of installation.

Since it was gift with purchase Dish told me I had to use their vendor and they did the classic send a letter, fill out the form, pay a processing fee, and wait 2 months for the gift card.

I had so many complaints, I said screw dish policy and went back to just writing checks instead of sending the order to the fulfillment company.

 

[cinsu]

Same as any other major corporation redemption scheme you need to be persistent, follow a redemption process and not wait 7 months. If you can’t get a successful result on directv.com/redeem you’ll likely need to go thru retention.