[aliG]

I just wanted to share this with you all which has got so crazy its now funny!
OK, heres the deal. I have been a subscriber for six years, own my own equipment, no locked in service agreement for equipment.

It all started when I lost my bank card and the bank re-issued a new one. I failed to notice this was the card which paid my bill and as such I suddenly found I was two months behind. Not a problem, logged into my account, paid my bill and changed my credit card details. While there I decided to drop one of my premium channels. All was good

Two months later I was leaving the country for an extended stay and called up to put my account on hold. I discovered that for some reason I was still being charged for my canceled channel which the nice lady promptly refunded. I told the nice lady that I did no know when I would be back and that when I returned I would call and reactivate my service. All was good.

I returned a few months later and discovered D had charged my account $180 and cancelled my account! I could not log into my billing as my account was now terminated and could not find out why I had been charged and rather than spend hours on the phone being passed up and down, I decide to email.......

I emailed asking for an explanation and for my money to be refunded and was met by the usual stone wall, blah blah, service agreement, blah blah but I persisted until they finally, after many emails, they admitted I was telling the truth!

"Thanks for writing us back about the problems with your DIRECTV billing statement. I tried to call you today at around 2:30 PM EST to assist you, but I was unable to reach you. Upon researching your account the only reference on the suspension is March 21, 2007 and with no information about for how long.

When you're going away, or won't be able to use your DIRECTV service for any period between 30 days and six months you can suspend your service and avoid programming charges. All we needed was the beginning and ending date of the suspension. I don't see any information about this, especially for how long the suspension is for. I understand in your email that you said you were going to call us back to reactivate, but unfortunately we have to have an ending date for the suspension to process correctly. I need you to write back with more specific information about the dates involved so we can research this better.

So there it was, finally an admission. I would like to point out that six months had not elapsed at the time) so I wrote back.....

"I see no reason to discuss this matter further, your email has confirmed what I have said. You have confirmed that I placed a call to suspend my account on March 21st 2007 with no reactivation date and therefore should not have been charged for service for whatever dates after March 21st. It may be that you require a reactivation date but this is an internal matter regarding your own procedures and not my responsibility.
As you have admitted the error is with DirecTV and not with me and as I have acted in good faith and have been charged for services not requested or provided, I expect a full refund immediately. Might I also point out that to debit my card in this matter is fraudulent and quite simply theft, your email admitting your failure in handling my account will testify to that. Should these charges not be immediately refunded I will complain to the issuing bank for my credit card and allow them to intervene and reclaim these funds directly. I will also file a complaint with DirecTV and the BBB about the conduct of DirecTV.
I was a DirecTV customer for six years and until the beginning of the year my account was always in good standing. During my problems with my account during that time it became apparent that customer service, once second to none, had drastically slipped and this matter further confirms my decision to leave DirecTV was sadly, the correct one."

Then came the backtrack!

"Thank you for taking the time to write regarding the charges applied to your account. I'm very sorry to see you're no longer with DIRECTV and I would like to address your concerns without involving a third party such as the Better Business Bureau.

Your account was suspended on March 21st as a service to you so you wouldn't be charged for a programming you were not viewing. However, our records indicate it was only suspended until May 1st and unfortunately, you are held responsible for any charges incurred since that date. DIRECTV accounts are not eligible to be suspended indefinitely and suspension has always ended automatically, wherein the charges become valid again.

I understand you don't wish to discuss the matter over the phone, however, I tried calling around 5:30 p.m. to talk about further measures we could take should you decide to reactivate your DIRECTV account. We'd really appreciate a call to our customer service at (800) 531-5000 to discuss the matter further.

If you would rather have someone call you, please respond to this email with a phone number and a good time to reach you. We’ll ask a specialist to contact you as soon as possible.

We appreciate your continued patience and thanks again for writing."

So here we are, they took the money for the account being reactivated in May despite not having any record of the request or instruction (so why it was reactivated in May is anyones guess? ) and now they think I might decide to become a customer again! Is this a cult or something?

Anyway, I'm not angry or bitter in fact I find it quite amusing as I hope you have too! But wouldn't admitting their error and refunding my money be the right thing to do?

 

[John T Smith]

I have NEVER, EVER set up automatic payments with any company (not by credit card... not by checking withdrawal... not by anything!) for just the reasons you mention

It is far too easy for them to make a billing mistake... and once they have your money, good luck ever getting it back

 

[dtremain]

Personally, I think that you should call them as they requested and attempt to rectify the situation.

The fact that you have not is going to do you no good if the matter ever comes to any type of litigation.

I used to work in customer support for a large corporation. Customers who quickly "copped an attitude" and assumed that the company was ill intended when that was clearly not the case did not get much respect from us.

Try to be a little more reasonable and stop calling theives when, quite clearly, no one is attemtping to steal from you.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

They are not thieves, nor did they "steal" your money. See the other "D* stole my money" thread.

There may be some kind of misunderstanding , but it seems that D* are trying to contact you as best they can to rectify the situation. They are perfectly within their rights to recoup monies owed to them and I'll bet the CSR placed the May date on the account because s/he THOUGHT that's what you wanted - a simple misunderstanding, not theft!

It seems to me that there is a trend to calling large corporations thieves without due consideration to the situation.

 

[RS4]

They certainly are thieves and you did the right thing. They admitted in the email that an account can be suspended for 6 months, so they should have used that date instead of the 3 month date if they absolutely had to have one. They should send you the money back immediately!!

 

[Dr_Diablo]

Not to mention "interest" earned on funds they take illegally

 

[wolflord11]

They certainly are thieves and you did the right thing. They admitted in the email that an account can be suspended for 6 months, so they should have used that date instead of the 3 month date if they absolutely had to have one. They should send you the money back immediately!!

Which also takes us back to this thread:

Directv stole my Money

6 Months. Notice that. The Op in the other Thread had their account suspended January 2007. It is now September 2007. That is well over the 6 Months. You should read a little better. You are defending an Op in the other Thread, while in this one you yourself say 6 Months as in the email.

 

[wolflord11]

To this OP,

Why not contact Directv by phone and talk to them. They have emailed you to recitify the problem. They have told you to contact them by phone. Directv are doing all they can to help you, and yet you call them Thieves?

A Thief takes the Money and runs. They do not try to recitify the problem. It is simple a Mistake. Yes maybe its Directv's mistake, but you also changed your CC and forgot to tell them.

Mistakes on both sides. Pick up the phone and call, get the issue resolved and move on.

 

[RS4]

Which also takes us back to this thread:

Directv stole my Money

6 Months. Notice that. The Op in the other Thread had their account suspended January 2007. It is now September 2007. That is well over the 6 Months. You should read a little better. You are defending an Op in the other Thread, while in this one you yourself say 6 Months as in the email.

The same principal applies here as in the other thread. DirecTV should have called the OP at the start of the 6th month instead of just automatically reactivating the account - especially because they had no end date. The are taking his money. They didn't need to re-activate either one of these accounts without first notifying the client.

They should be refunding the money straight out. What's to talk about? They admitted they were in error, now rectify the situation with a refund and interest. That's what customer service is about. Instead, they steal money because of poor procedures.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

The same principal applies here as in the other thread. DirecTV should have called the OP at the start of the 6th month instead of just automatically reactivating the account - especially because they had no end date. The are taking his money. They didn't need to re-activate either one of these accounts without first notifying the client.

They should be refunding the money straight out. What's to talk about? They admitted they were in error, now rectify the situation with a refund and interest. That's what customer service is about. Instead, they steal money because of poor procedures.

The way I read the OP, that's exactly what they're doing! I would guess they want to sort out some details on the phone, but I don't see anything in the OP that suggests they are not going to rectify the situation. They probably want to see what they can do to keep a customer and whether the refund needs to be a check in the mail or programming credits (with some free HBO thrown in or something) , which is more than fair.

The actions of a company that has made a mistake, not the MO of a gang of thieves!

 

[restart88]

It may be that you require a reactivation date but this is an internal matter regarding your own procedures and not my responsibility.

I ran into this same thing many years ago when I had cable. I either had to do a $5 a month seasonal suspension with an end date or else terminate outright and pay reconnect costs when I returned. So cheaper to just switch providers and I've been with D* ever since.

I'm tempted to say if it was in the TOS then it's their right to require an end date and not merely an internal matter. Then again at times the TOS can be a heck of a mess, especially when long time subscribers like me have certain consumer beneficial parts granfathered in and when you make certain changes to your account the CSRs presume you're under the new terms. Probably doesn't apply so much here to this issue but I think I can see why they wanted to speak to you on the phone to clear this all up, and I myself detest having to speak to a live person to explain a semi complicated matter when an email could just be directed to someone with the experience to resolve it instead of playing CSR roulette.

This all kinda reminds me of when I wanted to swap a card from an unsubscribed receiver or else get a new card for a receiver I bought as a spare at a thrift and I emailed that I'd like to subscribe it if they'd waive the $20 fee but not if they wouldn't, and they kept telling me I had to call in to get a card (wouldn't let me transfer the card, which I later found out they would do if the previous receiver were broken). So if I'd made it plain that I would not be willing to pay for the card why did they still keep insisting I had to call? Short answer is the people with that authority don't take emails. But what did it matter if they still wouldn't be willing to waive the $20 fee????

Now you would think that with all the competition out there all these types of issues would be more hassle free to resolve rather than nitpicking over obscure contract technicalities. On a similar note I still can't get over some fine print in a Verizon DSL 2 year commitment that said that even if they terminated your account you could STILL be charged an early termination fee, when in another market AT&T had the same service, same price with no such committment at all.

 

[aliG]

The way I read the OP, that's exactly what they're doing! I would guess they want to sort out some details on the phone, but I don't see anything in the OP that suggests they are not going to rectify the situation. They probably want to see what they can do to keep a customer and whether the refund needs to be a check in the mail or programming credits (with some free HBO thrown in or something) , which is more than fair.

The actions of a company that has made a mistake, not the MO of a gang of thieves!

Sort out details on the phone? What details? I am no longer a customer, my account was apparently terminated three months ago so no, they cannot keep me as a customer!
Now for the refund. Check in the mail or programming credits? Eh..... just refund the money on the credit card, standard procedure and easiest all round, programming credits irrelevant, I am not a customer.
You mention fair, they admitted they made a mistake, they took my money, isn't the fair thing to do just give me back my damn money???

Sometimes I think D could shoot laser beams from their sat and kill babies and there would still be people here who would defend them!

To the D defenders..... break is over, go back and pick up the phone, you have D customers waiting.....

 

[cowboys2002]

WoW!!

This is the reason I like to schedule my own payments and not auto-pay things.

To the OP, mistakes happen. Why not give them the opportunity to get it right? You have to admit that you are wound-up (and rightfully so) about the situation. Try to maintain your calm when calling in. Yes you might have to repeat yourself a few times and move up the chain. But in the end this is your best recourse.

Your bank/card issuer may be able to help you but remember there are time limits (30-90 days), or distance limits (xx miles from your house or in the same state).

I HOPE you paid using a credit card and not a debit card. A credit card offers more fraudulent billing protections.

I have had very few billing issues with DTV over the years. I like them more than the local cable company, but YMMV.

Good Luck.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

ali - no need to fire insults at me or anyone else!

I happen to agree that D* is not the perfect and wonderful company that some believe it to be. I just appreciate that people make mistakes, have a bad day and otherwise foul up. It happens in small companies too - believe me, I know!

I'm NOT defending D*. If they owe you money, then they should pay you - no question, but I would be more shocked if they didn't at least try to make you a customer again. Yes, it may be a lost cause, but I still expect them to try - not saying this is right, but it's the way of things.

I have had many more disputes with D* and I know that they are more than willing to do what they can to rectify the situation when they can, so I'm sure if both partie are reasonable, it will get resolved without the need for lawyers, threats, name calling or anything else!

 

[eboydog]

Directv is changing.... The quality of their customer support and willingness to make things right is getting smaller and smaller in the last few months. The very simple fact is that Directv will now attempt to collect due amounts regardless if you have automaitic payment set up or not. As long they have a card number to try, they will attempt to get any fund they feel they are entitled to.

They make it further complicated by a making it more difficult than ever to dispute those charges should there be a disagreement. Decent companies with good customer support is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

I'm in the middle of major disagreement with "Efax" which offered a no commitment trial which I fell for, after using it a couple time during the trial last year, I thought, neat but not worth it so I logged into my "Efax" account and canceled. now, a year later I'm being hit with a $50 charge for annuel service as per their sign up agreement, I had to verify my personal information which had a disclaimer stating "Your card will not be charged" but suddenly after 12 months I get charged. I was put on hold for an hour in attempt to talk to a supervisor which never happened and I had to hang up up in disgust.

Sometime you really have to stop and think if the Amish have it all figured out better than the rest of us!! No electricity would prevent a lot of problems! (granted it would make for warm beer however!)

 

[juliana541]

granted it would make for warm beer however!

That is what Ice cold rivers are for

 

[wolflord11]

The way I read the OP, that's exactly what they're doing! I would guess they want to sort out some details on the phone, but I don't see anything in the OP that suggests they are not going to rectify the situation. They probably want to see what they can do to keep a customer and whether the refund needs to be a check in the mail or programming credits (with some free HBO thrown in or something) , which is more than fair.

The actions of a company that has made a mistake, not the MO of a gang of thieves!

Ok so aliG, why do you not stop and think for a moment. Directv offered to talk to you about how to resolve the issue right? Ideas are Return the Money by Check, refunded to the Card, if you had stayed on with them i bet you would of had HBO for atleast 6 Months Free.

But, what if they had sent the check out, and you wanted it put back on the card? What if you no longer had that card, but a New One?

Really, if a Company is going to refund you Money back, they first want to make sure they are paying it back the right way and to the right person? Or does that make no sense to you at all?

Sometimes I think D could shoot laser beams from their sat and kill babies and there would still be people here who would defend them!

Wasnt that something old Raegan was going on about, before he lost his mind? Thats right... the Star Wars thing Hey why not defend something that could add to National Security?

granted it would make for warm beer however!

Nothing wrong with a Warm Beer after a long hot Day in the field. Hell after working in the Hot Fileds around here recently, even a cup of Hot water would go down well.

 

[aliG]

Ok so aliG, why do you not stop and think for a moment. Directv offered to talk to you about how to resolve the issue right? Ideas are Return the Money by Check, refunded to the Card, if you had stayed on with them i bet you would of had HBO for atleast 6 Months Free.

But, what if they had sent the check out, and you wanted it put back on the card? What if you no longer had that card, but a New One?

OK wolf, why don't you stop and think for a moment. What is there to talk about? They mistakenly charged me for service I did not ask for and they have admitted that, what is there to talk about? When you return an item to a store do they talk to you about it or do they smile and refund your money?

I have explicitly requested the money be refunded to my credit card (which by law they cannot issue a check for a credit refund - it has to go on the card) so this odd scenario of perhaps they are confused and don't know what to do is just stupid.

You talk about D as though they were children who need patience and understanding, they are not, they are a business, a corporation.

I too used to think the sun shone from 110 degrees but that was back when D was a great SERVICE. I cannot for the life of me understand why people seem so dedicated to defending them

Perhaps too many people wear D colored spectacles.....

 

[wolflord11]

Oh well hope it all works out for you and you get your Money back then. But you do know how much work is needed to refund your Money to your Credit Card? It is not just a hit a button and its all done thing. This happens all the time and the usual wait is 3 - 14 Days.

As you say, Directv is a large Corporation, with hundreds of transactions each Day. So why do we not just forget everything else, and attend to your needs and yours alone? Does that seem fair to you.

My Sun shines from 101, 110, 119 and 72.5 Degrees, so I must be special

And you do seem angry and bitter, as opposed to what you said at the start of the topic.

Anyways, hope all is resolved. I assume you have gone to Cable? Enjoy your TV Viewing and have a nice Day.

 

[aliG]

How much work is involved dosn't matter, all I ask is they take responsibility and do the right thing, I don't care how long it takes, that is not the point.
Not only does it seem fair to me that they should rectify their mistake as soon as it is brought to their attention, I EXPECT them to as I would expect that level of service from ANY company. And yes, it is an easy process to make a refund on a credit card.
I did not choose cable over D, I chose not to waste half my life sitting in front of the TV trying to catch up on shows on my TiVo I currently only have HD OTA which suites me fine at this moment for what little TV I watch so this is not a D v's cable as is usually the case.
I am not angry nor bitter, I don't really care about the money, I can thankfully write that off but I do care about people being ripped off with little recourse and being bullied (perhaps I should change the title to DirecTV stole my lunch money!) but I do admit I get ticked off by people who leave no stone unturned to defend D's conduct
It is wrong, they have admitted they are wrong, they should do the right thing, does that seem fair to you?