question

[mdram]

was looking at my bill, saw that the last auto debit was over $180, its normally $78

called direct.
they said there were unbilled pay per views on the smartcard of a reciever i returned.

does the smartcard store this info?

update: they occured after i returned the reciever

 

[Joe Diamond]

was looking at my bill, saw that the last auto debit was over $180, its normally $78

called direct.
they said there were unbilled pay per views on the smartcard of a reciever i returned.

does the smartcard store this info?

update: they occured after i returned the reciever

There are no stupid questions around here....only stupid answers.

The way it is supposed to work = you order a movie and it is picked up to your bill each month. This is done through the landline phone system that is connected to your receiver. Should you not have a landline connected the charges are stored for awhile. OR there were charges on it from a previous user in the case of a refurbished box.

Can you account for the chargers? Do you ever buy pay per view movies........were they ever billed?

Hang on...there are Directv folks on here who can sort this better than I can.

Joe

 

[mdram]

i have never ordered ppv, never billed for one
this was also the bedroom unit, rarely used. 19" vs 52" in living room

as my update said they were all dated after i returned the box

 

[Hutch1814]

i have never ordered ppv, never billed for one
this was also the bedroom unit, rarely used. 19" vs 52" in living room

as my update said they were all dated after i returned the box

If you or anybody in your house has ordered a movie EVER on the receiver you sent back you'll be billed. I actually sent a receiver back last year (Over 6 years old) and received a charge from a fight I ordered. You may not have ordered it but somebody did. The access card is the first thing they check for any unpaid programming.

 

[mdram]

UPDATE: verified with dtv they were ordered after i returned the unit. i was credited, and they are investigating

 

[mdram]

If you or anybody in your house has ordered a movie EVER on the receiver you sent back you'll be billed. I actually sent a receiver back last year (Over 6 years old) and received a charge from a fight I ordered. You may not have ordered it but somebody did. The access card is the first thing they check for any unpaid programming.

agreed, but its just me and the wife, and we didnt have the reciever/card when the charges occured

 

[Mr Tony]

UPDATE: verified with dtv they were ordered after i returned the unit. i was credited, and they are investigating

yeah that seems weird that you'd be billed for it after the unit was returned

 

[Lanarian]

Glad you got it sorted out!
But, to answer your original question, in case anyone else is curious or doesn't know...
If any pay-per-view(s) is/are ordered with the remote and the receiver is not connected to a phone line or internet, then the access card will store the info (There's a limit to how many it can store, and an error code if it gets full). If the receiver is connected to phone or internet later, or returned, then the access card will report the pay-per-view(s) and the customer will be billed for it/them at that time.
When the receiver is activated, the CSR or tech is supposed to ask if the receiver is connected to phone or internet, and if the answer is no, they're supposed to disable the ability to order pay-per-view with the remote. Unfortunately, mistakes happen... that's when the above procedure kicks in.

 

[Joe Diamond]

Glad you got it sorted out!
But, to answer your original question, in case anyone else is curious or doesn't know...
If any pay-per-view(s) is/are ordered with the remote and the receiver is not connected to a phone line or internet, then the access card will store the info (There's a limit to how many it can store, and an error code if it gets full). If the receiver is connected to phone or internet later, or returned, then the access card will report the pay-per-view(s) and the customer will be billed for it/them at that time.
When the receiver is activated, the CSR or tech is supposed to ask if the receiver is connected to phone or internet, and if the answer is no, they're supposed to disable the ability to order pay-per-view with the remote. Unfortunately, mistakes happen... that's when the above procedure kicks in.

That is how I understood it!
ONE time in ten years of installing Directv I encountered an access card in a refurb SD box that had not been cleared and reported itself still in service elsewhere. The cure was sending the customer another card because I didn't have another receiver with me that day.
Interesting but rare!

Joe

 

[mdram]

got my paper bill
shows all ppv ordered after unit was returned for certain
starts 4 days after my upgrade. runs for about 3-4 weeks
maybe it was still tied to my account and they gave it to another person?

 

[Joe Diamond]

got my paper bill
shows all ppv ordered after unit was returned for certain
starts 4 days after my upgrade. runs for about 3-4 weeks
maybe it was still tied to my account and they gave it to another person?

That looks like what happened.............somebody has got some 'splain to do...not you! The boxes belong to Directv even though you pay for them up front as part of the lease. The AC (Access Card) is their way of communicating and keeping accounts correct. Your case is pretty rare...report how it ends...don't pay 'em!

joe

 

[Hutch1814]

got my paper bill
shows all ppv ordered after unit was returned for certain
starts 4 days after my upgrade. runs for about 3-4 weeks
maybe it was still tied to my account and they gave it to another person?

Or maybe the installer that did the upgrade is just an idiot and used it!

 

[Joe Diamond]

Or maybe the installer that did the upgrade is just an idiot and used it!

THAT is an unconsidered possibility !

There was a time when employees arrived an a point of employment and expected the employer to just follow employment laws. Now that everybody is a subcontractor the expectations have changed. I can see where some short sighted mutt would run movies for awhile and assume nobody would notice.

Could be!

Joe

 

[mdram]

Or maybe the installer that did the upgrade is just an idiot and used it!

there were 3 installers, 1 was a trainee, and one was a supervisor

 

[Hutch1814]

there were 3 installers, 1 was a trainee, and one was a supervisor

The installer that had that job is responsible for getting your receiver back to Directv, nobody else. He more than likely returned it to the warehouse and finished his commitment dealing with your receiver. More than likely a mishap on directv's side

 

[dishcomm]

The easy explanation is somebody took the damned thing home and used it. Then finally returned it to their warehouse.
The question I have is why was the smart card in the outgoing receiver not deactivated the moment the replacement upgrade receiver was activated....

 

[Joe Diamond]

The easy explanation is somebody took the damned thing home and used it. Then finally returned it to their warehouse.
The question I have is why was the smart card in the outgoing receiver not deactivated the moment the replacement upgrade receiver was activated....

That too is part of the process. Usually the card is downloaded at the house in the presence of the customer. At a minimum the card and receiver are deactivated in the absence of a landline or internet connection.

Pretty rare!

Joe

 

[Jimbo]

Glad you got it sorted out!
But, to answer your original question, in case anyone else is curious or doesn't know...
If any pay-per-view(s) is/are ordered with the remote and the receiver is not connected to a phone line or internet, then the access card will store the info (There's a limit to how many it can store, and an error code if it gets full). If the receiver is connected to phone or internet later, or returned, then the access card will report the pay-per-view(s) and the customer will be billed for it/them at that time.
When the receiver is activated, the CSR or tech is supposed to ask if the receiver is connected to phone or internet, and if the answer is no, they're supposed to disable the ability to order pay-per-view with the remote. Unfortunately, mistakes happen... that's when the above procedure kicks in.

Thats all fine and dandy, but if the Purchases happened AFTER they returned the box (they would have to verify the actual date purchased) that is the ODD part here.

 

[Jimbo]

Or maybe the installer that did the upgrade is just an idiot and used it!

Thats what I was thinking ....

 

[Jimbo]

The easy explanation is somebody took the damned thing home and used it. Then finally returned it to their warehouse.
The question I have is why was the smart card in the outgoing receiver not deactivated the moment the replacement upgrade receiver was activated....

Maybe he activated the new and didn't write the returned one up as returned till he returned it and used it for awhile first, keeping that card active ... basically making it look like the sub was just Adding a recvr.