My complaint with Directv is described in the following letter I wrote to them recently.

To summarize their incompetence, here are the stats on my case:

• Number of phone conversations: 18
• Number of minutes on phone: ~780 (or 13 hours)
• Number of CSRs spoken to: 27
• Length ~1 month

Its long, but the detail from every call is there. By the end, you will easily understand why this was the worst customer service experience I have experienced.

I switched to DIRECTV in early October 2006 from Charter Communications (Cable) to enable my wife to watch her team’s NFL games on Sunday Ticket. I began my DIRECTV service with the 4-month Sunday Ticket promotion. I was told that at the end of the 4-month period I should choose a package to switch to. I chose to switch to Choice, and one month before the end of the 4-month period I called DIRECTV to schedule this change of package in advance. I was told by the CSR that this was possible, and he scheduled this change, which was to occur in early February 2007.

A couple of days after the scheduled change, I noticed I was still on the Premier package, and had been billed for that. I called DIRECTV, and asked why I had not been switched to Choice as scheduled. The CSR could not tell me why, however corrected the problem by switching me to the correct package.

I am an avid ice hockey and Atlanta Thrashers fan. The next evening I tuned in to watch the Atlanta Thrashers game on Sports South as I had done for the previous 4 months of the season on DIRECTV. To my surprise the game was blacked out. This seemed unusual considering no game had ever been blacked out before on Sports South for me. Coincidently, the same hockey game was being shown on two other channels as well, to which I was a subscriber; Center Ice and HDNET. I checked these channels, and as expected the game was blacked out there because it was showing on my local sports channel Sports South. But the game was being blacked out on Sports South also.

At this point I began, with DIRECTV, what was by far the worst customer service I have experienced. I have encountered various customer related problems throughout my time as a consumer, but nothing has come close to this experience in terms of length, frustration, cost, incompetence and time. I have also read many other problems customers have had with DIRECTV, and they do not compare, in terms of customer service.

I kept a written call log during the resolution of the issue. I am leaving the log unrevised, so please forgive the shorthand, rushed appearance.

Before I list the call log, I want to summarize the resolution of the problem in a set of statistics. These figures only relate to my contact with DIRECTV, and do not include time spent in contact with the NHL or Sports South.

• Number of phone conversations: 18
• Number of minutes on phone: ~780 (or 13 hours)
• Number of CSRs spoken to: 27

I would not normally write such a long letter, however I am including the call log here, as it inherently reveals my complaint with DIRECTV. The log of the experience is fairly long, but please read it fully. I cannot summarize the events without losing the full impact of what I went through.

I must also point out that the level of detail of the log increased as time went on. Obviously the longer the experience progressed, the more I wanted to preserve the details. Hence some employee IDs and names may be missing from some calls (sic), and the earlier call durations are estimated.

BEGINNING OF CALL LOG:

2/8/2007

• After changing to the Choice package (from Premier), the Thrashers game tonight blacks out. It is also blacked out on Center Ice and HDNet.
• I ring DIRECTV.
• Talked to 1st level support – no resolution.
• Was told that Thrashers games on 631 are subject to blackout.
• Transferred to supervisor.
• Talked to supervisor, no answer for what was happening.
• Supervisor admitted that I should be seeing the games.
• I was told DIRECTV had recently made a change to their Choice package (that week in fact) so that may be why it was being blacked out inadvertently (I believe it was formerly called Total Choice).
• I was put on Premier package for 24 hours so I wouldn’t miss a game (I did that night anyway while talking to DIRECTV). She said after the 24 hours, I would go back to Choice, and the problem should be solved by then.

Length of call: 2 hours


2/9/2007

• I noticed tonight, that the Atlanta Hawks game on Sports South got blacked out.
• Called DIRECTV.
• Talked to 1st level support, then a supervisor. I was told many times games are just blacked out for me and that I would have to accept it. I didn’t want to accept that answer without an explanation as to why I get blacked out for Atlanta Thrashers/Hawks games when I live 30 miles from greater Atlanta.
• Also asked why I have to be on Premier for games not to be blacked out.
• Transferred to a supervisor.
• CSR (name was Jason I think), finally admitted the problem and escalated problem to program manager.
• CSR said to expect a call back in 3 business days.

Length of call: 2 hours


2/10/2007 – 11:00pm

• The Thrashers game is again blacked out tonight.
• Called DIRECTV.
• Started off at 1st level support.
• Was told that DIRECTV is not in control of blackouts.
• I asked why Center Ice is blacking out the game, and SportsSouth at the same time. If Sports South is not my local channel (which it is) why isn’t it showing on Center Ice?
• Eventually transferred to supervisor.
• Greg
• Was given direct tech support line - 1800 695 9251 prompt PIN - ****. Priority for 1 week.
• After initially not believing that I should be getting Thrashers games, Greg found that 631 is available with the Choice package, and available in all Georgia ZIP codes.
• Stated I should get all Thrashers (and Atlanta Hawks) games.
• Although he admitted the problem, he suggested I just upgrade to the Premier package to fix the problem.
• Proposed 6 month $20/month discount for premier.
• I stated that the customer should not be responsible for working around DIRECTV’s problems, especially when it involves paying more money.
• The CSR admitted there was a big problem as to why I was being blacked out.
• He was very apologetic, and said he was bypassing his supervisor, and sending an email direct to the program manager.
• I was to expect a call back within 2-3 business days.

Length of call: 1.5 hours

2/13/2007

• I retrospectively found out from DIRECTV that they called today and left a message.
• My phone was on all day.
• I received no missed calls and no voice mail messages.
• I received no other call attempts that week (Mon-Fri).

2/16/2007

• It is now the end of the week (5 business days since my last call) and I have not received a call from DIRECTV.

2/19/2007 – 2:05pm

• Calling DIRECTV again.
• CSR’s name is Prisha
• She said there were no Thrashers games scheduled on Sports South, despite it showing on atlantathrashers.com and on all TV guides.
• We spent about 15 mins discussing whether Atlanta Thrashers games are ever shown on SportsSouth. She refused to believe that they were, although I had been watching games on the channel all season, and Thrashers web site clearly shows all games scheduled to be broadcast on SportsSouth.
• Transferred to next level of support.
• While waiting the line gets disconnected.
• Called again, transferred to a manager.
• Her name is Betty.
• Betty was very patient, and began to walk me through exactly what package I wanted. It appeared that she wanted to switch me to my desired package, although there was no evidence the problem was fixed.
• I went along with it. At this stage we also decided that Plus HD was the optimal package for me.
• She changed my account to Plus HD.
• We discussed prices.
• She insisted I accept the Sports pack add-on to my package. She said that is the only way to get 631.
• I stated that is not true. All documentation points to 631 being a standard channel in Georgia with all packages (I also confirmed this with Sports South and had already confirmed this with several DIRECTV CSRs).
• She was very insistent that I take Sports pack. I go along with it for now.
• She offered a discount on the Sports package: $12 normally, but offering $10 discount for 6 months.
• She then decided to try leaving Sports pack off, so I could verify that Sports South was still viewable on my TV.
• She took off Sports pack after finding out 631 is still on with Plus HD and no Sports pack.
• Back to the problem, and she could not give me an explanation of the blackouts.
• I asked for the phone number for Sports South: 404-885-****. (Later called this number and it is incorrect.) Found out the real phone number off a Thrashers forum.
• I asked for the phone number for NHL Center Ice, but none was available. (Later found this online).

Length of call: 2 hours

2/20/2007 – 7:00pm

• Thrashers game blacked out on Center Ice and 631 again.
• Calling DIRECTV.
• First CSR was very unhelpful.
• Transferred to manager.
• Manager said I needed to talk to technical support.
• Transferred again to tech support.
• 1st level tech support couldn’t explain the blackout problem to me.
• Transferred to supervisor.
• So far, have been on hold for 30mins.
• Currently missing 3rd Thrashers game due to this problem.
• Then, the line was disconnected!!! I heard the phone pick up, people talking, then dial tone.
• Called tech support again..waiting..will I be on hold for another 30 mins?
• At this point, I am getting quite furious.
• 8:00pm
• CSR answers the phone…
• Name & ID: Tresca – Polite
• Explained problem, and I’m getting transferred again.
• Says I’m going on hold for 2-3 mins.
• Talking to male supervisor: Jerry
• Says his computer responding too slowly, moving to another computer.
• 8:13pm, on hold.
• Admits only channel showing current game is 631, so shouldn’t be blacked out.
• After a while, he tells me that I need a phone line attached to my receiver to get Sports South games.
• Says I will need phone line for every receiver in my house to watch Thrashers games (I have 3 receivers)
• This is the first time I have heard that I needed an active phone line to watch Atlanta Thrashers games.
• I partly accepted his explanation, because it was the first time someone confidently told me what the problem was. However, it still did not explain why I could see games when I was on Premier.
• I asked to be transferred to someone suitable to lodge a complaint about the phone line limitation.
• Given customer retention line: 800 824 9081 “direct line” (later found out its not direct without a PIN)
• Transferred, and speaking to Derrick
• Says phone line not issue and the previous guy I just talked to was wrong!
• Says Sports South is part of my RSN.
• Says I SHOULD be getting all Thrashers games.
• 9:09pm – still working with Derrick.
• He is trying to fix the problem.
• I’m missing another Thrashers game while he does because they can only test the problem while Thrashers are playing.
• Says specific programming has not been added to packages below Premier.
• 9:16pm
• Is forwarding a form to his supervisor, who then has to submit to Programming Manager.
• Again I am to expect a call in 2-3 business days. However, I request a call tomorrow, as I have already been waiting a long time for this call.
• Is giving me total of $50 off premier for this month. (down to $49)
• Requesting PIN: ****
• Call ended 9:25pm

Length of call: 2.5 hours

2/21/07 – 12:40pm

• Called Richelle with Sports South on 404-230-****.
• Says Thrashers games shouldn’t be blacked out in ANY part of Georgia.
• States that its wrong that DIRECTV is doing this.
• Will refer to her boss, who is returning this Monday.
• I requested he call me.

2/21/07 – 4:30pm

• Calling DIRECTV.
• Dora answered
• I state I am calling because I haven’t received a call back from DIRECTV today like I was promised.
• 1st level CSR says she can’t do anything about it.
• Transferring to supervisor.
• On hold for 10mins.
• Connected to supervisor: Jesenia (or Yesenia?)
• After I explained the situation, she told me Thrashers games were subject to blackout in my area!!!!
• I told her I didn’t want to discuss the problem, I wanted a call back as promised.
• I told her what DIRECTV is doing is not right, and asked why I hadn’t received a phone call.
• Now on hold again to check status of my issue.
• 5 mins on hold
• When she returned to the phone, the first thing she said was “Thrashers games are subject to blackout”.
• By this time I’m irate. She has apparent disregard for everything I have been through to this point.
• I explained the problem again…
• I told her the games get blacked out on all packages but Premier. Why not premier?
• This got her thinking.
• 5:06pm
• She’s investigating, so I’m on hold again!
• Told me she is going to ping her higher ups again, and request that this issue is resolved.
• She left me her voice mail number in case I want to call back and get a status. 956 784 7087
• 5:20pm call ended.

Length of call: 50 mins

2/21/07 – 5:45pm

• Received a call from Aracely
• (Incoming phone number ID – 956 784 ****)
• She states she was referred to this problem by Yesenia, and she has investigated and found that I am being blacked out of these games, end of story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• In disbelief, I tell her the same things I have told the 15+ DIRECTV employees I have already talked to.
• I tell her that I called Sports South, and they are in agreement that it’s a DIRECTV problem.
• I ask her for a reason why there are black outs for me – she didn’t give me one, and seemed to imply that black outs are an “unknown and unexplainable entity”.
• I ask her why I have to be on Premier to get games – no reason given.
• She says also that I should be able to get the game on Center Ice!!!! (that of course is blacked out too).
• She says she is going to call me back shortly, after doing some more investigation.
• Call ended 5:55pm

Length of call: 10 mins

2/21/07 – 6:10pm

• Received a call from Aracely
• She said she talked to some people, and someone from the dept is going to call me back tonight.
• However, she stated that “there is nothing DIRECTV can do about black outs. It is totally out of our control”.
• I asked her to explain then why there are different rules for black outs on different DIRECTV packages – no answer.
• She said I need to get NHL Center Ice to watch all the games.
• I told her I already have it, and Thrashers games are always blacked out on Center Ice because I get SportsSouth which is my local sports channel!!
• She told me to expect a call tonight from someone. She said she doesn’t know when or who would be calling me.

Length of call: 5mins

All today:

• Posted to DIRECTV forum
• Emailed Atlanta Thrashers
• Phoned Sports South

2/22/07 – 10:30am

• I sent an email to DIRECTV online comments and suggestions form.
• I stated in this email, that the avenues I have pursued so far are getting me nowhere, and I would like to pursue other options outside of the call center.

2/22/07 – 4:30pm

• Called Jesenia’s voice mail, and left a message.

2/22/07 – 4:32pm

• Calling express line to ask for status.
• The hold music is a song that has the lyrics: “Call on me, and I’ll be there for you and you’ll be there for me… I’ll be whatever you want me to be…” (I do have a sense of humor, and this lightened my mood)
• As I’m on hold, I get a call on my cell phone from DIRECTV!

2/2207 – 4:34pm

• Receiving call from Amanda relating to my email to DIRECTV.com
• At first, she asked what the problem was, and then began to investigate.
• I told her more than 15 people have done exactly what she is about to do, and I’d rather have the Program Manager call me like they were supposed to. It is now 12 days since my initial report, and I have not had a call back.
• We switch topics, and she asks if I want an address to write my complaint to.
• I get the addresses of the Office of the President and Customer Service.
• She told me she will talk to her manager and call me back within 1.5 hours.

Length of call: 10mins

2/22/07 – 4:50pm

• Receiving call from Amanda.
• She talked to her manager, and he has heard of several other people with similar problems, caused by the new DIRECTV packages. She said the new packages (everything other than Premier) had not been configured correctly, and therefore I was incorrectly being blacked out of games.
• This is the first acknowledgement I’ve had, and the first time I’ve heard that other people are having issues also. I had also spent time researching on the Internet for other people with the same problem.
• She says that receivers aren’t getting the correct information from DIRECTV for these new packages.
• She said she will call back tomorrow or Monday when she has a resolution for the problem.

Length of call: 5 mins

2/23/07

• Received replies from an email I sent to Atlanta Thrashers. My request was also sent to Center Ice for investigation.
• A representative for NHL Center Ice states that she will get in touch with her DIRECTV contact.

2/23/07 – 4:55pm

• Receiving call from Amanda
• Her manager still looking into the problem.
• No resolution yet, she just wanted to keep in contact.
• She said she would call again Monday.

Length of call: 2 mins

3/2/07

• Have not received any calls this week, despite being promised a call on Monday 5 days ago.
• I wrote another email to DIRECTV.com as the resolution of the problem has again stalled.

3/4/07 - 1:10am

• Called DIRECTV
• Asked why I haven’t got a call back for 4 weeks (the only person who called me back was from the web complaints team). No reason given.
• CSR stated he could create a new escalation request.
• I stated that I had been through this many times, and I am trying to find a way to get this problem resolved. I have continually hit a brick wall after supervisors escalate the problem.
• He said the next step would be to write to the President.

Length of call: 15mins

3/5/07 - 4:50pm

• Received call from Megan @ DIRECTV in place of Amanda.
• She said the problem should now be resolved.
She said the problem was caused by a glitch at DIRECTV that was not registering my zip code as a Georgia zip code. Because of this my games were blacked out.
• I stated that I would only like to switch to the correct package (Plus HD) during a game to be sure that the problem is fixed as this is the only way of proving its fixed.
• She is scheduling a call for tomorrow night at 7pm during the Thrashers game.

Length of call: 10 mins

3/6/07

Received this email reply from DIRECTV.com:

Subject Expected calls not received Discussion Thread Response (Aaron) 03/06/2007 10:29 AM Dear Mr. *******,

Thank you for writing. I'm sorry to hear that you have had an ongoing problem with your DIRECTV service. Upon reviewing your account, I found that you have spoken with our representatives several times regarding the blackout of an NHL game on the NHL CENTER ICE package. As the provider of the most comprehensive sports programming lineup in the digital home entertainment industry, it's challenging to describe the blackout rules for many different locations and sports briefly. Please visit our web site at DIRECTV.com/blackouts for our general blackout FAQ, and click on the specific sports package you're interested in for more detailed information.

We realize blackouts can be confusing and disappointing to our customers. However, to honor our agreements with the leagues and other owners of broadcast rights, we must pay close attention to the restrictions that we are required to follow.

Thanks again for writing and stay tuned to DIRECTV.com for the latest news and information about our service.

Sincerely,

Aaron ID *********
DIRECTV Customer Service

[There is probably not a more condescending and insulting email I could have received at this point in time. In my initial email, I had stated that DIRECTV has acknowledged the error on their part. I gave Aaron all the information on my case, and he still refused to acknowledge the facts I had given him. He even misstated my problem as being with Center Ice, not Sports South.

I can’t help but feeling that when any issue relating to black outs arises, DIRECTV employees feel that due to the complexity of the system, they can always give the customer a template answer such as the one above. This was certainly my experience throughout the past month. It is extremely frustrating to talk to so many CSRs who, for the most part, have been trained to assume no fault on DIRECTV’s part, and to supply the customer with the most “appropriate” textbook answer to the problem. When there is a real problem, how does the customer get anywhere?]


3/6/07 – 7:15pm

• Call received from Megan
• We are about to test switching to Plus HD while a Thrashers game is on.
• Thrashers game is not blacked out, so the problem is fixed!
• I received a discount for this month’s DIRECTV service.
• HBO, Showtime discounts for 6 & 3 months respectively.

Length of call: 35 mins

3/7/07 – 5:20pm

• DIRECTV called to try and resolve my problem (relating to an email I sent).
• Before I could explain to him the situation, he stated that because I don’t have a phone line in my receiver, it could be causing the problem!!
• I let him know that the problem was fixed now, and the reason why (DIRECTV ZIP code glitch).
• He seemed unfazed by this, and continued to assert that I could have blackout problems without having a phone line attached to the receiver.

Length of call: 5 mins

3/10/07

• Today I went to record a program on the DVR, and the receiver said “DVR is not activated on this account”
• Rang DIRECTV to fix – the DVR wasn’t added to my account after the last change on 3/6/07.

Length of call: 20mins

END OF CALL LOG

Please refer back to the first call I made on 2/8/07. The CSR had stated the possibility that the new packages were incorrectly causing black outs. This turned out to be the problem, although of course we couldn’t have known for sure straight away. However, the resolution certainly did not progress well from this point.

I never did receive a call from the people that the problem was escalated to at the call center (the program managers?). This is despite being promised a call back several times. The only calls I received were in response to my DIRECTV.com email.

In the early calls, several CSRs disputed the fact that Sports South is part of all packages in my state (Georgia). This is despite the evidence I had directly from the DIRECTV web site – the DIRECTV channel line up. I believe that this was caused by their systems not being up-to-date with the new packages.

Every time I called up and spoke to a new CSR, they wanted to know the full story (which I can understand). However, after I told them the story, they disputed facts that I had spent hours establishing with other CSRs (such as Sports South being a local channel for me and the fact that I was not in a black out area for Atlanta Thrashers games). In this case, I can generalize as it happened nearly every time. As a result, I wasted around an hour each call convincing the CSR of all the facts of my case. Most of the CSRs that disputed my statements, were not willing to believe anything I said, and amazingly, anything their own colleagues had already told me. Remember, I recorded most of the CSR’s employee numbers. I was able to quote the DIRECTV employees directly with reference, and yet that was not enough to move on past established facts.

Much of the time spent on the phone was on hold waiting in the queue to be answered. My wait times varied between 5 and 40 minutes, and averaged around 20 minutes.

May I also suggest that copies of this letter are sent to the individual employees that I dealt with. Each of my conversations with a DIRECTV employee was isolated. They usually did not know what I had been through before a call, nor that my statements were truly based on all the events up until that point in time. I believe that if they are able to read of my entire experience it may help them with future situations with other customers. I was often made to feel that my statements were fallacious, and that any investigation I had done on my own was either not helpful to resolving the situation, or wrong.

I apologize for the length, but look forward to receiving your response to this letter.

Sincerely,

When I moved, I called DirecTV for a mover's package. I was told that it would be over three weeks before my service could be transferred. When I inquired as to why so long, I was told they were too busy with "new customer installations." I didn't think existing customers should have to wait three weeks, so I sent them a certified letter requesting the cancellation of my service. Under the initial agreement, if I returned the equipment within 14 days of termination, the early cancellation fee should be waived. In my letter, I also requested an address to where I could return the equipment. I never heard back from DirecTV until I received a letter from a collection agency. After numerous phone calls, I finally obtained an address for the equipment return. Even after returning the receivers, I keep getting calls from the collections people threatening to "destroy my credit." I've lost track of the follow up telephone calls I've made, in addition to several certified letters. Forget talking to these people on the phone, as they either can't (or won't) help you. I hate Cable, but at least they know how to treat their customers...BAD MISTAKE on my part...

To all American and FCC,

If you are relying of paper statement with DirectTV. Beware to sign-up in their website but if you did never click view statement because this will sign you up automatic (even you like it or not) to a paperless statement without your knowledge. You may wonder why you never receive anymore a paper statement. And if you don't watch you bill with this company. They will cut-off their service without informing you in mail or email.

So very careful with DirectTV website.

Scam victim from New York

I signed up with Direct tv on December 18, 2006. I looked over the packages on the internet prior to calling. I signed up for the total choice plus with free starz movie channel for 1 year for 49.99 and a $10 off a month after sending in a form (a type of rebate.

I also received a Greek channel for $14.99. they were also giving me a DVR for $107 with a rebate for $100. When the service representatives came I was not home my husband was. He called me at work (I am a teacher) to ask what plan I ordered because the service representatives did not know. I left school early. I came home a bit upset that they did not know what my order contained. they had put on the basic receivers not the DVR. I told them to forget about it. I had to call and get a reimbursement because the service men did not take care of it as they said they would. they only reenbursed me $100 not $107. I had to call about that. I had also called 3 to 4 times about getting DVR service free for 12 months. I did not know if the DVR box would work without the DVR service. 2 representatives said yes it would. One told me it would not. they would send me another one. Another one told me it would not work and they would send me a basic one if available and would be charged $49 or $59. Nobody semes to know the same information. the last representative told me that I would be locked in for 2 years with the DVR box, something none of the others told me. Finally for the hasel I was given Show Time movie channel for free for 6 months. wait theres more.

When the bill came the charges were different. They had given me a lower program the total choice programing for 44.99, the starz for $12.00, and the Mega Greek channel for 14.99. This added up to more money than what I was suppose to pay and less channels. I called and talked to a representative for over 4 hours.

She told me that she will upgrade me to the total choice plus for 49.99 but can't give me the promotion because it is past 24 hours of the activation. Instead she issued a credit for the starz for 6 months ( $10 a month and $25). She told me that I was to call back after 6 months to reimburse me for the next 6 months. The mistake was Direct Tv's. I shouldn't have to call back. They should of fixed my bill correctly especially after being on the phone for about 3 hours at this point. I asked for a supervisor. I waited for about 30 minutes and the representative checked how long it would take the supervisor to talk to me. She said I was the 12th person in line. 1 and 1/2 hours later I'm Still waiting. I spoke to the representative about canceling my contract. She said I would be charged over $100 for cancellation of the agreement. I can't see why, they did not honor their agreement to me why should I honor my agreement to them.

Signed up for service and no one showed up or called. Contact customer service no help. I will stay with the cable company (Comcast), at lest they will show up and call.