DirecTV Complaint
What DirecTV did:
I was offered to bundle all of my ATT/Direc********accounts to save money under a business bundling representation. It was made this offer by a lady names Antoinette, over the telephone, on or about Dec 27th, 2022. My recollection is that ***** was ********t of “Loyalty” perso********t sure if ***** was under AT&T or DirectTV. You never know because they transfer you around so much that you never really know who you are talking to ie: business, ********-***-****&T, Direc********etc.)
Antoinette made verbal representations that my Direc********would be converted to Business but that nothing about my service, channel line up, no installation fees, would change at all. The channel lineup would remain the same and that all features of my service would be identical to my current residential service. I have notes that ***** offered my rate as $97.99 plus taxes and such. My notes indicate I wrote down $104.99, possibly the estimated total including all taxes and fees. ***** stated that after a 12 month period my monthly rate would rise to $134.99/mt******** would be sometime after Dec. 2023 or Jan 2024. ***** said my internet rate would be $50.00/month but gave no indications it would change after 12 months. I was given a new account number for my Business internet, ********. The other old account, ******** was discontinued. ***** ***** me that my old Direc********account, #36997981would be discontinued. ***** ***** me that ***** would have to call me back with a new Business account number at a later date. I can’t remember when I received the new account number, but it seems like it was a couple of weeks before I was given the acct # ********, under Order #DSI76758261.
The changeover from residential to business was made on ***** 10th 2023, when both an AT&T Tech and Direc********Techs arrived at my house to install********nternet modem (AT&T) and a new Direc*************. I was never ***** that I would be getting new equipment but if I was ***** anything it was to start afresh with new “Business” equipment.
The Direc************* was installed by a contract technician, *****’***** Technology LLC, Tim ***** ***-***-****. He installed the new ***** at my home. I can’t remember if he brought it with him or if it ***** been shipped previously to my house. He was nice and cordial but gave me no explanation why I neede********w equipment, nor if there was any differences in the old ***** vs. the new *****. I assumed it was an upgrade since I was starting a new business servic******@*****.******** back to the local UPS store on 1/13/2023 and ***** it shipped back to DirectTV. These were the instruction given to me by DirectTV. The receipt I have says that it was shipped from “The UPS Store #5601, Edmond, OK 73003-4685”, Date of Return – 1/13/2023, Return Ref. #B5601P20230113120047, Accessories Incl. – Yes, Device 1, Serial Number, D33HG5HQ311660 HR44-500. This was the device that I ***** before the business conversion and it was returned on 1/13/2023.
About a week or two after this installation, my wife ***** me that ***** ***** noticed that ***** was not able to record shows as ***** ***** been able to do so in the past. I sat down and also noticed that I was unable to set the recordings as ***** ***** with our old *****.
I called Direc********and spent several hours on the phone with approx, 3 Direc********Technicians. My guess is that they were all from overseas, based on their accents. During this time with the technicians they performed several tests on the *****. After much time working on the problem the technician decided that I ***** a faulty receiver *****. They ***** me that they would send me a new *****. The new ***** was received a few days later and and the other, “Faulty Receiver” was taken to UPS, as instructed by DirectTV, and returned.
This old ***** was taken by me to Edmond Parcels Plus on Feb. 6, 2023. I have no information on the receiver, like serial number of model number, as my only instruction was to provide my account number to Edmond Parcels Plus for shipping. I am not sure waht account number I gave them but it was either #20259036 (new Business) or #36997981 (old Residential) I was unsure at this point which number to give them. However, which ever number I gave them, it worked for shipping purposes. The tracking number for the receiver was #9202493148732300730018.
The new receiver was shipped to my house and was installed by a Direc********Technician on Feb. 2nd, 2023. The technician noted that the *****, that he was there to install was not a ***** normally installed under Business, but that since this is what was sent to replace the faulty receiver, he would install the *****. He also ***** me that I might get charged a service call for this installation. I ***** him that my agreement with, and the representations made by Antoinette, stated that all install fees were to be paid for or absorbed by DirectTV. I ***** him if he was going to charge me an install fee that he could take the ***** and leave, that I was not paying any install fees under my agreement with Antoinette. The Tech went ahead and installed the ***** and I********k the faulty ***** to UPS, as described above.
I want to mention at this point that I was later billed for an install fee of $99. Once I was made aware of the charge I called Direc********and disputed the charge with a girl named Janice. ***** transferred me to Loyalty where my notes indicate that I talked to Jamilla on 2/27/2023. Jamilla reversed the charge based on the representations that were made by Antoinette, an authorized Direc********Sales/Loyalty Rep.
All seemed to be going fine at this point. I ***** set up an Auto-Pay on the Business Account #******** under a monthly payments schedule using a bank debit card on my business account. On 1/12/2023 Direc********debited this account for $97.99. One Feb. 13, 2023 they debited this account for $101.33 and on Mar. 13, 2023 Direc********debited my account for $101.33. All seemed to be working fine. The payments were being made, the service was as promised.
On Mar. 20th, 2023 I received a notice via email from Direc********(the AT&T logo at the top) that I was in arrears on Account ending in #7981 for a total of $217.39. The notice was dated 3/20/2023. I immediately called Direct TV on 3/20/2023 began the long journey of finding out why account ending #7981 ***** not been closed. I started with Emerald at around 9:00 AM (no idea if ***** was Business or Residential) ***** transferred me to Mae, in Business. Mae was unable to help resolve why ***** couldn’t close the account. I was then transferred to Brittany, who said ***** was NOT in the Business unit and was trying to close out the old account.
Brittany ***** me ***** was working on the problem and would call me back in 30-45 minutes. I waited over an hour and no call back from Brittany. I called again and talked to an unknown customer service rep. who was working on the matter. I kept demanding to speak with Brittany who was supposed to call me back. I was on the line with other unknown gentleman when I received another phone call that I ***** to take. He promised that he would call me back in a few minutes. No call back from the unknown male customer service rep. I decided to give up for the day as I ***** exhausted close to 8 hours with Direc********and no resolution and no call back ***** been made with them.
On 3/21/2023, I began another attempt to close out this old account starting at around 11:45AM. It started with Ryan who ***** me the acct #7981 was still showing as open. ***** him to close it. He transferred me to Erica in Loyalty, who then transferred me to Carla. ***** said that ***** couldn’t close the account since there was no equipment returned. I then provided her both her both records of ***** being returned. I asked that ***** escalate this to her supervisor. My noted indicate the call dropped or I was hung up on. I called back to 1-888-388-4249, Direc********Business. Put on hold about 15 minutes. I was then connected to Maria. ***** began to explain there was a screw up in the ***** return. None of this made any sense so ***** transferred me to Loyalty Department again telling me they would have to explain the problem.
Here I was transferred to, and encountered, Richard. He informed me he was out of Denver and that he ***** connections higher up. He said that there was a case number on my problem, Case #22376306 on the Business side and Case #*****21-264005177929. He tried to explain that they ***** closed the Business account #********, on 3/15/2023, because equipment ***** been returned on it. I ***** him what I knew of the equipment returns. I ***** him that I never closed, nor did I ever authorize, the closing of the account. As far as I knew, I was receiving service under the Business account. He ***** me that I was now under the old Residential account and the old rate back from Dec. 2022. Richard also ***** a girl named Holly on the phone who was coercing and compelling me to either choose the higher rate Residential service or if I decided to stay with the Business Service I would have less features but at the $101.33 rate. ***** ***** me that ***** could give me a rate of $139.99 that would end in Dec. 2022. Richard was making the case that the ***** that I now ***** in my possession was a Residential ***** with certain recording capabilities and and that he could not transfer that equipment to the Residential side.
I ***** him time after time that I ***** an agreement with an authorized Direc********employee, Antoinette, to receive the same service that I ***** received under Residential as I would receive under Business. He ***** me none of this was possible. I ***** him, and others, that I was beginning to feel as if a fraud was being perpetrated on me and that what was going on was similar to a “Bait and Switch” as commonly known with certain illegal business practices.
Richard ***** me to file a complaint with Direc********at commercialcustsat@att.com.
You will find that I did send such a complaint Email yesterday to the address above. As of the writhing of this narrative, I have received no reply from Direc********(1:30PM, 3/23/2023).
Richard basically ***** me that I ***** to chose from either the Business account (that I ***** been ***** was already closed) for $101.33/mth with no recording features or I could go with a Residential plan for $139.99/month. By this time he ***** transferred me to Josh/Residential, DirectTV. Josh confirmed that they would waive any reconnect fees but that I needed to make my mind up in 21 days and return the receiver if I ***** decided to cancel my DirectTV. Josh ***** me my new rate was $223.64/month. NOT EVEN WHAT HOLLY ***** ***** ME!
I was extremely upset at this whole matter. I felt as if I ***** been lied to, defrauded and then coerced to accept a higher rate package. I ***** Josh several times that I wanted the rate promised to me by Antoinette back on Dec. 27, 2022. He said there was NO WAY he could keep the representations that were made by DirectTV’***** representatives.
I then called back and talked to Elmer to again see what rate they were going to give me under Residential. I don’t recall the amount, I just have noted that he transferred me to Cyrel (Business). I demanded to talk to Richard, who ***** me that I would be able to call back in and give that case # and the could Email Richard who could call me back. I wanted to discuss with him the lies (two different Residential rates) that ***** now been quoted to me. I asked about Business account being closed. He responded that it was still open as of 5:45PM, 3/23/2023. Cyrel then transferred me to his supervisor, Bic. I was on the phone with Bic for about 2-3 hours, who explained, how through a series of mistakes, DirectTV, over the past three months, ***** wrongfully sent the wrong equipment that was not meant for my “Business” account and that through a “Back Room Audit”, they ***** found they ***** mistakenly sent a Business, equipment meant for a residential account. I explained to her that Direc********and its contractors, employees and representatives facilitated and were complicit in the the mistakes that were made over and over, and that I as a innocent third party customer who ***** NO CONTROL over the bungling mistakes made by DirectTV. I ***** her time after time that I expected Direc********to make good on the representations of their representative, Antoinette. I didn’t care what or how their policies were, I wanted them to fulfill their verbal contractual obligations and supply me with Direc********services, under a bundled packed, that included the same services that I ***** received under my residential plan. ***** refused time after time. Bic did verbally tell me that Direc************* mad mistakes and that Antoinette ***** inadvertently made representations that couldn’t be fulfilled. I asked her to placed these words into an Email. ***** apparently typed out an Email. However, I asked her to read it back. What ***** read back was nowhere close to the words ***** ***** previously spoken to me over the phone. Once again, covering up a fraud perpetrated on a customer.
Seeing as Bic was useless to deal with I was transferred to a guy named Chad/Residential, DirectTV.
In order to keep TV service going to my house I was coerced into making a decision that I did not believe was correct. I ***** him multiple time that I wanted the deal I ***** with Antoinette. He refused, multiple times. I ***** him that under duress, and to keep TV supplied to my dwelling that I would in protest pay $139.11 per month. Of course the made me go back and pay back charges of $147.39 (they ***** me they were giving me a whole $70 credit for the three month hassle! What a JOKE! They said this rate would expire on 12/25/2023.
On 3/22/2023, at around 9-10 o’clock, I received a phone call identified as DirectTV. I was not able to answer. At 4:46PM I received another call identified as DirectTV. Hoping this might be a response to my email to corporate, I answered my phone. I was a salesman names Kenneth Norman. He asked if he could help me with my Direc********account. I ***** him immediately that I wanted my rate returned to the agreed upon price of $101.33/month. He ***** me he couldn’t do such a thing. He transferred me to Loyalty where is disconnected. I called back to Loyalty and talked to Kevin. He transferred me to Sarah in Loyalty. I old her what I wanted and ***** said ***** could not give me the rate of $101.33 as promised by Antoinette and billed by Direc********for tree months. At this point I was enraged by what I saw as continued harassment by DirectTV. They were the one’***** now calling me and offering to somehow make thing right. When I ***** them what it would take, they declined the representation made by Antoinette.
I literally screamed at this woman for several minutes explaining for the “enth” time how Direc************* perpetrated a fraud and that the only resolution was going to be giving me the rate and service bargained for on Dec 27th, 2022!!!!!!!!
I am now waiting on the return/refund of the $300.65 that they owed me for payments taken from my Business bank account to pay the Business Direc********billing of *****, Feb. and Mar. I believe they ***** me that it may take up to 2 months for me to receive that refund!
I ask you? Does any of this seem as if it is worthy of a lawsuit or arbitration? I am furious with this company for the fraud, lying, deception, coercion and just plain indecent business practices!!!
You may contact me at (405) 401-7640, hlandserv@gmail.com or write to me at 2408 Santa Fe Ter., Edmond, OK 73012
Submitted by: Anonymous in Oklahoma | Read more DirecTV complaints