I had a contract with DirecTV but then had to move from a house I owned to a rental apartment. DirecTV gouged me for $225 because I couldn't move the service to the apartment, just to get out of the contract. When I said I couldn't pay it all at once because I was unemployed, they said I could pay $25 a month, but then reported me to the credit bureaus anyway! Bastards... they suck. Avoid using this service, and if you do, read the fine print very carefully!

I have been a Qwest and DIRECTV customer since October 2008. I just received my bill for December and to my suprise it was $100 more than it usually is. When I checked out why it was so much higher, (I have phone, internet, and TV bundled), I found that DIRECTV had billed me for two months at once! For the 14 months that I have had DIRECTV, I have received a monthly bill through Qwest from them for every month, and paid it. I have always paid my bill in full every month, although I do usually pay it about 5 days late, but I don't have a balance forward on my bill. I get paid on the 1st and the bill is usually due around the 26th to 28th. And as an added bonus for the holiday season, the bill is due December 24th. Merry Frickin Christmas!

When I called Qwest to find out what was going on, they called DIRECTV and verified that the charges were valid. Apparently DIRECTV had been behind in their billing before and now they are catching up. No advance letter. No sorry about the problem. Just, we were behind. However, Qwest did say they might be able to offer payment arrangements. I live on a fixed income. Again - Merry Frickin Christmas!

Yes, to all of you out there who know your utility law, if I refuse to pay my TV portion they supposedly can't disconnect my phone. However, in the real world, even if you notify them ahead of time that you will be doing that, the disconnect notice will get automatically generated. Then, even if you call to straighten the mess out, someone along the way will drop the ball and your account will never get unflagged from the disconnection list. Then you will have to pay the disconnect fee, reconnect fee, and what ever else kind of fee that they can come up with for every service that you have with them. It's no wonder the whole world needs Prozac! Alas, I'm afraid I will just need to take this one up the butt, it is easier.

PS: In August, DIRECTV bills me for the deluxe football package out of the blue. I didn't order it, I didn't even push the button on my remote to order it - They just billed me for it. I complained the day I received the bill, but I had to pay the charges for two months before the credit got through on my bill, just so I wouldn't have my phone disconnected. The Qwest representative recommended that I pay all the charges to avoid disconnection, because any balance forward would trigger a disconnection before the next billing cycle. Then, on top of that, when they credited my account for the services I didn't ask for, they raised my normal charges by $15.00 a month. No this wasn't a discount that disappeared, this was the regular charges.

As an update to this, DIRECTV is now blaming Qwest for being behind on their billing and causing the problem. Plus I just found out I got signed up for a 24 month contract not the 12 month contract that I thought I signed up for, which would have been over with in October 09. So now even if I cancel my service with them I have to pay a cancelation fee of $480. They would prorate it, however, for the nine months that they say I have left on the contract. I didn't even know that I had a cancellation fee on my TV service until I started reading these complaints on the internet and found out about the California Lawsuit. I'm too scared to ask about the fee that they will charge me after I cancel my service and until they receive my receiver back.

DirecTV has a great channel lineup and awesome sports packages. That's the good news. More good news, if you have no problem sticking with a long term contract and paying your bill each month, you will most likely be satisfied. The problems come when you change your mind before your service even starts or if you try to cancel before contract expiration. I went through a tedious battle with the company when I tried to cancel a contract. I understood and was willing to pay the cancellation fee because even with that I was still going to save $200 over the balance of the contract by switching to cable. The company then offered a retention deal that essentially wiped out any savings I would realize and I decided to simply ride out the contract and re-evaluate at the end. My decision was to switch and DTV then tried to charge back all credits given to me because I didn't stick with them for a year from the date the retention offer was accepted. When I explained to them in writing and in recorded calls that I never agreed to those conditions of the retention and that the conditions were never disclosed, they responded by apologizing that I was not informed yet insisted that they made the offer with the belief and expectation that I would honor the "undisclosed conditions." No one I spoke to seemed to care that they were holding me to terms they never disclosed and that I never accepted. I called in and cancelled the card DTV had on file to insure they would not charge me money I did not owe. Then, I diligently called and wrote to them over the next two weeks. I filed a BBB complaint, made a demand for arbitration (per DTV's contract) and wrote directly to its legal dept. (P.O. Box 915, El Segundo, CA 90248). DTV resolved the dispute in the most cowardly way possible. After I paid the amount I believed was due (the last month's bill), DTV responded to the BBB admitting that they had no record of the conditions ever being disclosed and agreeing to cancel all remaining charges. This company is used to bullying people and because the dispute usually involves the customer trying to get a refund, they get away with these tactics. My advice is that once you decide you no longer want the service, cancel the credit so no charges will apply and/or immediately dispute with the credit card company any charges that have already posted. That reverses the table. If you make clear to DTV that they are going to have spend money to get money (which in my case was four times the amount in dispute), they will check their own records to verify they can prove their claim and necessarily be more reasonable. This company is notoriously bad at documenting. After the initial contract, it never sends anything in writing and verbal statements/promises vary from person to person. It will never be able prove any verbal contract but as long as you are the one trying to get money back rather than fighting the legitimacy of a due and payable bill, the company will take a sanctimonious attitude and bully you despite being in the wrong. I hope this helps give people guidance.

So far Directv has not only LIED to me, they are like talking to a bunch of trained circus clowns to drive you crazy ON PURPOSE! I have spent more than 8 hours already with these people and my 39.99 bill has gone to over $79. and they are denying everything! Liars! They are a bunch of FRAUDS! You cannot get a hold of ANYONE but their damn CSR's that talk to you like you are a CHILD! Their offers are BULL and their LOCAL channels are CRAP! The banners say a TOTALLY different program than the depict! These guys are ROTTEN LIARS and SCAM ARTISTS! I am filing a LAWSUIT and DEMANDING my phone records, because SALES LIED LIED LIED! and customer service just backs them up...It's a bunch of free BULL that's ALL! THEY SUCK!

I have already filed a Class Action against Directv, and paid the fees. I invite all of you to join with me as Plaintiffs. email me at [email protected]. Put Directv in the subject line.