I have a problem with Direct TV. I was a customer for 8 years and then my DVR wasn't working right. I wanted new equipment. Direct TV told me that I would have to sign a 2 year commitment contract to get new equipment. I told them NO THANKS. The very next day a DVR arrived on my door step via Fed EX. I called them to make sure that I would not be agreeing to a 2 year commitment if I used the DVR. They said no problem, no commitment!
I continued to have problems with the new equipment and called several time. I was never informed that I was under a new commitment agreement and they did not offer to do anything to fix my problems, so I went with another company. After installation of new equipment from a new company.I called Direct TV to cancel. Now they tell me that I am under a commitment agreement and will have to pay extra to cancel. What should I do next? I never agreed to the commitment.

The "installation specialist" came to install our new HD DVR service with Direct TV. We were so excited. The "specialist" took about 3 hours to install our satellite on the roof and the receivers. When he finished, he informed us that he didn't have any HD DVR receivers and that he installed a regular HD receiver until next week when someone would come switch them out. That is when the nightmare began.

The following week a different "specialist" came to finish up the job. When asked if he had our new HD DVR receiver, he said that we would have to purchase the one that had been installed last week before he could switch it out with the DVR. As he observed the work that had been done the previous week, he asked if Direct TV had done the work and just shook his head. He said the wrong wiring had been used and nothing had been grounded.

During that week, our brand new $3000 TV had developed a small green dot on the screen. Put the two together?? After exhausted and numerous attempts to rectify the situation with Direct TV, we canceled our service. Two months later, our credit card was billed $1283 from Direct TV.

I called the credit card company and told them an unauthorized charge was made to my account. They told me to call Direct TV first. Of course I dreaded this conversation because I knew what a horrible company I was dealing with. Long story, short, they charged me a cancellation fee because we canceled our contract before two years. It didn't matter that we never received our HD DVR or for the service that they had been charging us for a DVR.

I am still in dispute with Direct TV but I advice against using them when there are so many other good providers.

In Feb, 2008, I decided to get a AT&T bundle discount for DirectTV. I live in a duplex and the other tenants already had DirectTV, so the Tech just connected to their dish which was fine with me. In August, while walking around the back of the duplex I noticed the junction box covers (2) were on the ground exposing the cable connections. I tried to snap the covers back on and they would not close due cables between the two boxes were routed not behind the boxes but on the top side. As such, you cannot secure the covers because of two cables.

I call DirectTV and describe the problem. The young lady ask me if I could just nail a box of the two junction boxes??? I said NO and told her their tech had wired it and I wanted it fixed. She stated the 30 day warranty was up. She should work for Ford.

This experience has been going on from August till September and i'm not sure that it is done. First thing read the entire contract, small print and ALL. I say this because when you cancel even after your contract is done, you will have authorized them to charge the final bill to any credit or debit card you have on file with them. When you call to cancel they will tell you that they will prorate you bill and send you a bill for the final amount. I never got a bill and wasnt given the opportunity to pay the bill myself with the card of my choice. They take it upon themselves to chose which card you have on file to pay their final bill. They talk out of both sides of their mouths.

About a month before I'd cancel one of my 3 receivers. The told me they would send a box within 3 days for the return of the receiver. That box didnt come until I told them that they never sent it on the day I canceled. They said they would then send boxes for that one and the other 2 that I had now canceled. The box for the 2 came no problem and sent them on to them. Day later a box came for the single one. The model and all info was wrong. Knowing that they will charge you if they claim they dont get the receiver. I called and they said they would send the proper labling info. 3 days later fedex brings a second box for a receiver when the appropriate lable would have done. I boxed the receiver up and before I could get it sent back by Fedex they sent another box and lable for the same receiver. I sent the receiver in the 2nd box. Month later they send me a bill for the receiver claiming they never got it. I know that Fedex picked up the box. After over an hour on the phone with a customer service rep whose computer continuously shut down. She finally found the receiver and sounded as if it were my fault because their were so many boxes sent for the receiver. Thats why they claim they couldnt find it at first. Pretty damned sloppy huh? Thats not the end. Today September 12 I got a collections bill for the receiver amount. Can you believe that afster the rep told me that they were going to escalate the finding of the box that they sent the bill to an outside collection agency. I cant believe that they didnt charge the card again which would have sent the account into the red and caused an additional fee. Directv is very sloppy in their account closing practices. I was told that this would not show up on the credit report. I am going to wait 30 days to see if they are lying about that. If so, I plan to see about filing suit against them for fraud or something. The programming is excellent but closing the account is Hell. READ THE ENTIRE CONTRACT AND MAKE NOTE OF ALL CORRESPONDENCE.

We have been a long term customer of Direct TV. Every time you call in, no less than a 15 minute wait to speak to a LIVE, BREATHING person. On at least 4 different occassions this summer, (summer of 2008), we have called in, complained about the DVR system having problems with recorded shows, such as freezing up, skipping, hitting fast forward button and it goes back to beginning of show, etc, etc. Every time, we have done their "trouble shooting", and, it acts up every time. On Aug. 28, 2008, we called in again, done a complete system reset, AGAIN, and, the representative said the next time you call in, it will be replaced, no questions asked, no more trouble shooting. Called in on 9/7/2008, and, don't you know it, on hold forever, and, we need to do more trouble shooting. DIRECT TV could CARE LESS whether or not they were about to lose a long term customer because of THEIR faulty equiptment, they just wanted to hassle you even more for more trouble shooting on the same faulty equiptment as before. After lengthy trouble shooting, they finally agreed to replace the equiptment, but, no credit for our time of putting up with the customer NO SERVICE. If you have your choice of service, GO ELSEWHERE, DIRECT TV DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS, PERIOD, END OF STORY!!! P.S. I forgot to mention, that somehow, conveniently, the calls prior to 8/28/08 were not recorded.