Ordered direct TV on Wednesday and was told installation would occur on Saturday. Surprised by such a quick installation I asked them not to tell that they would be here and waste my day make it easy on yourself I told them but do not tell me anything they could not do.

They did not show up!!! They did not call!!! For a 12-4 installation they called at 1930 and said there weren't coming due to an emergency. They begged for a new installation date the next day SUNDAY. I finally agreed after warning them several times that I wasted one day on them and was not going to waste another.

You guessed it they did not show Sunday either. They did call and lied to me about a technical problem with my equipment. After waiting to speak to a supervisor for 13.45 minutes they hung up on me. I called back and they said all supers were in the field. I said tell me what the technical problem was: Her response was "WE ARE LOCKED OUT OF OUR WAREHOUSE AND CANNOT GET THE SUPPLIES". I said a problem with the door or the installer does not have a key. She said the installers do not have keys. So they don't trust him in their warehouse but want to send him to my house.

Called DISH NETWORK...

July 25, 2008

Letter send to Directv


To Whom It May Concern:

DIRECTV issues since beginning of mid May 2008.

I spoke to DIRECTV because my HD 20 box located in my family room starting locking up; the only way to start it was to reset it. After numerous calls, and hours of resetting the box, and moving cables, Direct finally sent me a replacement HD 20 receiver. That was the week of the May 19th. Before it was even received I ordered an HD DVR. My work order was to have the technician come out and move the new HD 20 box to my master bedroom and put the new DVR in the family room.

The new HD 20 came and after one day it to started to lock up. When the technician came out on the 24th it did the same thing for him. He worked in the basement awhile and said he found a cable with a staple in it and that is why the box was locking up. He moved the hd20 and installed my new HD DVR, fixed the wire and left.

Two days later the same issue. I called back and was told a Supervisor was coming to my house on Tuesday June the 3rd. I took a day of vacation and waited. When he came he had no idea why he was there. So I went through the entire explanation again. He went downstairs said I needed a new multi switch and said he would be back on Saturday. I was upset he wasn’t going to do anything while he was there but he promised he would be back on Saturday to handle the problem. Again like I stated above this was after giving up a day of my vacation to do nothing.

Saturday June the 7th rolls around and a new tech comes, no supervisor, with a new multi switch. When I tell him that I was promised that everything needed rewired he was visibly upset. He didn’t even know what to do. Said it really needed a supervisor to handle something this big. He also proceeded to tell me that he needed to hurry up because they got paid by the job and this was cutting into his pay. Said they got paid by the job and he had two others to do. After him trying numerous times to get a hold of his boss he finally changed the switch and left. By morning the HD 20 was still locking up.

I called DIRECTV again and they promised me they would get this fixed once and for all. Another tech shows up on Sunday the 15th. Brings in a new, NOT refurbished HD 20, he says he has never seen anything like this before, but insists it’s the HD 20 that is causing it changes to an HD 21 100 and leaves.







Two days later I turn the box on and the new receiver is also locked up. It doesn’t matter where it is located so obviously the signal or the dish must be having an impact on what is happening with the box.

I called Halstead communications directly and they had another tech come out and he also went through all types of things. It doesn’t matter where it is located so obviously the signal or the dish must be having an impact on what is happening with the box. He was a nice young man but he said he was brand new.
The last tech that came out a few weeks back was a little more thorough. He thought it was a line of site issue and said he couldn’t do anything for me. But in the mean time he was going to bring me a new regular receiver to replace my HD box so that I could at least watch TV in my master bedroom until the leaves left the trees.

It’s been 3 weeks and I haven’t seen anyone.

Today July the 25th I called and after explaining my issue to a regular representative who didn’t know what to do I spoke to one of DIRECTV’s supervisors? He was extremely rude. He never looked at the notes, just immediately blamed the issue on my electrical in the house. Forget the fact that I a brand new house, and have four other receivers including an HD DVR that are working fine, and the fact that this receiver did the same thing in multiple locations. He said if I wanted another receiver it would be at my cost. When I asked why and said I was promised another one at no cost. Basically I was told to bad. For a supervisor he was absolutely horrific. I finally hung up on him.

I’ve lost my personal time, vacation time, I’ve spent a ton of money on new receivers and all I have received is a small 30+ dollar credit and still no service in my bedroom.

If it wasn’t for the fact that I have so much invested in the system I’d drop everything today. I’ve been a customer for over 7 years. This isn’t how someone who is loyal to you should be treated.

I’d like to have someone resolve this one way or another or I am going to call Better Business Bureau. All I have asked through all of this is a good explanation of the issue, and what we can do to rectify it. If it means that I need something else to make this work, like a downgrade to the HD box to a regular unit than to please do that. I’d also like to see DIRECTV do some type of credit to my account that will more than make up for my time and money lost.

I can be reached at 518-461-3947 which is my cell. I’m also going to send a copy of this to Halstead communications. I hope to hear from someone in the next few weeks.

Sincerely
Elaine Hale

My receiver crashed and they wanted to charge me for a new one. I said no let me cancel my service since my contract had expired. The customer retention person told me that she could send me a receiver with out charge and no new agreement. She also said I could bundle with Embarq. When I called later to bundle they said they don't do it with embarq so I said cancel my service. They then told me I will have to pay an early termination fee. I said for what. They said my extended agreement when I got the replacement box. They are the best cons in the satellite business. The reps are super rude. They are excellent in the business of being rude to customers and not giving you vital info and lying about everything.

July 19, 2008

Mr. Chase Carey, CEO
DirecTV
Office of the President
PO Box 6550
Greenwood Village, CO 80155

Mr. Carey,

I am writing to you today to make you aware of my recent experience with DirecTV and Direc TECH Holding. I feel compelled to bring this matter to your attention, as the response from your customer service department was wholly unsatisfying, and I believe you should be aware of your employees’ actions.

I have been a loyal DirecTV customer since March 2001; my account number is XXXXXXXX. I have consistently maintained an extensive subscription, and on average, pay approximately $150 per month for my service. During my service period, I have moved twice. Both times, I have moved my service using your “Way-U-Move” option, which has resulted in a 2-year contract extension.

My most recent move, in May 2007 was an absolute disaster. The technician that was dispatched to my home on May 3, 2007 arrived with the wrong equipment and was unable to install my high definition service. A second technician was dispatched several weeks later, and while he was able to install the high definition dish, the installation was sloppy and unprofessional, with cables snaking loosely down the front of my home, creating an unappealing look. While we were deeply unhappy with this installation, we accepted it because we had spent so much time arguing with DirecTV Customer Service, who wished to charge us for the installation, because they considered this a “service upgrade”. (Evidently, they had some difficulty understanding that we were not upgrading to high definition service; your technician just failed to install the proper equipment on the original installation date.)

In May 2008, we decided to put new siding on our home. Our contractor advised us that the siding could not be installed with the DirecTV cables running down the front of our home. We called DirecTV and were told by Customer Service that the cables could be rerouted free of charge as part of our DirecTV Protection Plan. We scheduled a service appointment for June 19, 2008, and my husband took a vacation day from work so that he could be home to explain to the technician exactly how we would like the cables installed.

Your technician, Jorge did arrive on the appointed day during our appointment window. My husband explained to him what we would like done, and in fact, had our contractor come to our home to discuss the installation with Jorge. Jorge made several phone calls to his supervisor and advised us that he did not have the proper work order to complete the job. My husband called DirecTV Customer Service and confirmed that the proper paperwork was provided to Direc Tech. At that point, Direc TECH advised us that Jorge could not complete the job, as they did not have the proper paperwork, and Jorge would not be paid if he did the installation without a valid work order. The appointment was rescheduled for the following day (June 20, 2008) and Jorge personally assured us that he would be at our home no later than noon.

I canceled an appointment so that I could be home on June 20th to wait for Jorge. At approximately 10:30 am, I received a telephone call from a gentleman that did not speak English. I assumed that it was a wrong number, until he started shouting “DirecTV” into the phone. I asked him who he was and why he was calling and he told me that his name was Rafael and he was from DirecTV. He stated that he was on his way to my home, but had been delayed by a flat tire. I asked him about Jorge, but he said he did not know who Jorge was. He simply stated that he was from NY and that he had a flat tire. Rafael’s English was extremely limited, and I had great difficulty understanding what he was saying. I told him that I was waiting for Jorge, and that I did not want him to come to my home.

Approximately one hour later, I received a second phone call from Rafael, who stated that he could not find my home (17 XXX Lane) so he went to my neighbor’s home (20 XXX Lane) but “[I} did not answer the door”. Ignoring the fact that this course of action makes absolutely no sense, I opened the door to see a scruffy, middle-aged man with no identification, in a beat up van, also with no identification standing across the street from my home, on my neighbor’s lawn. He did not have even a passing command of the English language, and apparently, he expected me to let him into my home. Obviously, I did not let him in and again stated that I was waiting for Jorge. I called my husband, who took the afternoon off from work to come home and try to sort out this mess.

At approximately 3:00 pm, I received a telephone call from Marlena at Direc TECH who indicated that Jorge was not dispatched to my home because she did not have a valid work order from DirecTV. My husband again called DirecTV Customer Service and was, again, assured that DirecTV had provided Direc TECH with the proper paperwork. Marlena called a second time, at approximately 4:00 pm to tell me that she did not have the proper paperwork, and so had to assign Jorge another job, and that he would not be coming to my home. (Interestingly, Marlena had no knowledge of Rafael; she did not know who sent him, what office he came from, or why he came to my home.)

The end result is that I canceled an appointment and my husband took a half-day off from work to wait for a DirecTV technician that failed to show up. At this point, my husband called DirecTV Customer Service and was told that he needed to pay $105.93 by credit card prior to the technician being dispatched; apparently, we were having “custom work” done, which is not part of our DirecTV Protection Plan. Shortly thereafter, Marlena called our home again, and advised me that Jorge would be coming to our home the following day (June 21, 2008). Marlena assured me that we would be Jorge’s first job and that we should expect him by 8:30 am. She gave me her direct number in the event that there was a problem.

Not surprisingly, Jorge did not arrive at 8:30 am as promised. At approximately 10:00 am I called the number Marlena provided to me. A woman with a thick Spanish accent answered the phone. I asked for Marlena, and she said something to me in Spanish and hung up on me. I assumed that I had misdialed, so I waited a few moments and then called the number again. The same woman answered the phone, and again, I asked for Marlena. She asked me to hold on and I heard her put down the phone and start banging on a (presumably closed) door, while shouting “Marlena, Marlena, get up.” She came back a few moments later and told me that Marlena was asleep. I explained that Marlena was supposed to have dispatched a technician to my home and that I needed to speak to her immediately. Again, the phone was put down and there was more banging and more “Marlena, Marlena, get up.” Eventually, Marlena picked up the phone and I advised her that Jorge had not arrived as promised. She stated that Jorge was unable to come because she still did not have a valid work order, but that she had spent the “entire morning trying to straighten out the paperwork.”

My husband called DirecTV Customer Service yet again, and yet again, he was assured that the paperwork was in place and that DirecTV could not help us as the problem was clearly with Direc TECH. At approximately 11:00 am, Marlena called again and indicated that Jorge was on his way and should arrive within twenty minutes.

Jorge did not arrive until 3:30 pm. He did complete the installation, however, the work was only marginally better than the initial installation. The cables are still poorly installed and unsightly. Again, we accepted this sub-par work because we really just wanted the job completed. At this point, we had already wasted three full days waiting for a technician to show up, and we had made countless phone calls to both DirecTV and Direc TECH. Both my husband and I were thoroughly disgusted with the entire process, but we were relieved that the job was done and that the situation was resolved. Unfortunately we were wrong!

As Jorge was packing up his truck, he asked my husband for $200 in cash for the “custom work” that he had done. My husband explained that he paid for the work over the phone via credit card, and in fact, pointed out that the work order provided to us clearly states “THIS TECHNICIAN DOES NOT ACCEPT CASH!” Despite this, Jorge said that he had gone above and beyond what was required of him and that he felt he should be paid for this service. My husband again refused to pay him. Jorge then called his “manager, ” spoke to him briefly and then asked my husband to speak with him. This “manager” who did not give his name asked my husband to give Jorge $200. My husband refused. The “manager” then said, “why don’t you just give him $100 then?” Again, my husband refused and eventually Jorge left. My husband and I were absolutely amazed! First the technician fails to show up for three days, then he comes – several hours later than he was supposed to – does a sub-par job on the installation, and attempts to extort money from us? Is this the type of behavior DirecTV tolerates from its technicians?

Believe it or not, this was not the end of my problems. At approximately 6:00 pm I received a call from Direct TECH. The woman that called asked to speak to Jorge and stated that he had not closed out the job and she needed to know approximately when he would be done. I told her that Jorge had left my home over an hour ago. She seemed confused and hung up. At approximately 7:30 pm a gentleman from Direc TECH called and asked me the same question. He stated that Jorge was still listed as being “on the job” at our home and he needed to know when Jorge would be finished. I told him that Jorge had left at about 5:00 pm, after requesting $200 in cash from my husband. He stated that this was completely inappropriate and that he would escalate this to the highest level, and that I should expect a call from a supervisor within one hour. One month later, I have still not received a telephone call from anyone at DirecTV or Direct TECH.

As I stated earlier, I am brining this to your attention so that you are aware of the actions of your technicians and your Customer Service representatives. This entire experience was a nightmare, and the behavior of your employees’ is an absolute disgrace. Verizon is currently in the process of installing fiber optic lines in my neighborhood, and I assure you that as soon as FIOS becomes available, I will be canceling my DirecTV service. Quite frankly, I am tired of your organization using the two-year commitment, contract extensions, and exorbitant cancellation fees to insulate you from providing even passable customer service. Shame on you, Mr. Carey!

Regards,

Danielle T. Abramson

Cc: Direc TECH Holding Co., Inc.

Today, July 16Th, I paid a $89 DirecTV for service from June 9-July16. On June 9 I paid the account in full in order to suspend service (suspend confirmation # 17FEC8EZ) while I am traveling outside the U.S.A. If I had not paid that amount to suspend the service today it would have continued to transmit until labeled past due and terminated for nonpayment. That date for disconnect would have been August 29, 2008 bringing the amount due to over $200. Then then $200 plus would have been taken without authorization from my credit card account, as they have that capability. I explained that I was making payment under duress to the customer service supervisor. He realizing my position explained to me (while I recorded the conversation with his approval) that the automated system is not a 100% problem free system. That I should not trust the automated system and the only guarantee of a suspend being completed was a confirmation email; something that is not automatic but requires a request from the customer. I am asking other recipients of extortion and theft by misrepresentation to join a class action law suit. Additionally I am asking for help in finding an attorney to represent us. The location of my DirecTV service is Texas.