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After my cable service monthly bill went sky high, I decided to switch to Direct TV. I signed up online and got basic package which I was told it was going to be $49.99 plus tax per month. They promised me a free gift as a new customer. I got my first bill and it was $84.75. I called and talked to one of the employees. Apparently I was not told about half of the charges they raked up. He kept saying how sorry he was for the mix up, but there was nothing he can do about it.

I finally had enough of his sorrys and went right to the manager. He was a little more understanding and discounted all the "mistakes" when they were finished my bill was $24. I wasn't sure how he got to that figure, but wasn't going to question it. For the next year my bills fluctuated from $65- $79. Every time I called and questioned it, they gave me some line like " It's because of different quarterly taxes". I wasn't sure what exactly that meant, but let it go.

I got HDTV and decided to get a HD reciver from Direct TV. To my surprise I was told that if I wanted it I had to pay $199 for regular reciver and $299 if I wanted a DVR HD reciver plus $9.95 monthly fee. Hmmm.. and I thought they wanted me as a customer. Finally my year contract ended. After all this I decided to return to my cable company. I called Direct TV and told them that I want to cancel my service. They asked me why and I told them the whole story. To my surprise they offered the HD DVR to me, free HBO for 6 month, all kinds of discounts. I guess all I needed to do is tell them I wanted to disconnect a long time ago and I would have had all this!!!! I stuck to my guns and told them that I still wanted to cancel. They checked my account, told me they were sorry to loose me as a GREAT customer, and all of a sudden there was a "Oh by the way, you have a DVR receiver." Ok, what does that mean? Apparently when you get the DVR you sign up for a 2 year contract. "They should have told you that when they installed your service, the girl said". Because of this if I was to cancel I have to pay a cancellation fee up to $300 for the DVR. Now, I'm no gineous, but why would you sell a service for 1 year, and DVR receiver for 2 years???? What do I need a DVR for with no service??? I was a little confused by the news, and decided to find my contract to see where it states that and when did i sign this. I couldn't find it and when I questioned the lady on the phone, again to my surprise her answer was " Oh, we do not ask for customers signatures, its a oral agreement." So for it to be a oral agreement, I need it to be told about it, and if I was not told about it, then there was no agreement, right? So you think. Well according to Direct TV, I was told about it, and it also states in my contract, which they DID NOT have me sign because they do not ask for a signature. Still after about 2 hours of arguing and going back and forth, they put me on the phone with a dispute specialist, who told me the same thing as the lady I spend 2 hours arguing with before her. It almost sounded like they where reading off the same list word for word. There is nothing they can do and if I want I can Email claims department to see what they say, it could take anywhere from 24-48 hours for them to respond. I emailed them, once again explaining myself to them. 2 hours later I get a response stating " we're sorry to hear about your situation, unfortunatly there is nothing we can do and have to charge you the cancellation fee up to $300." By the way I never got my free IPod for the activation gift!

I will fight them, and I'm not intending to pay for this fee. If you have any stories similar to this please let me know cause I know there a few people out there being screwed by Direct TV.

Email me at diesel2039@***.com

Location: Wallingford, Connecticut

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Guest

same old story, i fell for the lies the young lady told me after she knocked on my door, i didn't sign a contract as they claim the agreement to the contract is when you give them your pay information, which in my case was one dollar, stayed pending on bank account for a day or two then jumped up some. i explained to her i was a disabled vet with serious ptsd issues and legally blind, i'm in the class of the sighted blind, confusing but more of us than sightless, told her i didn't need to be converged on by crews *** me off, assured me direct tv would come next morning and att fiberoptics the next morning, almost before daylight both arrived at the same time, one working in the back and one working in the front, the direct tv dish was set on edge of my roof at eaves, pointing directly into a large tree that shades my bedroom window, he claimed no knowledge of the package he was installing, the young guy in back refused to listen to me when i told him since we had overhead lines with poles in alley he needed to follow the power lines, the old cable lines, and the phone lines down the middle of the two houses and come across the back of my house, to save about 5ft of cable he chose to drop his line from pole across my back yard at an angle, drooping almost low enough to touch it, hane it over an old purlin where i was attempting to build a wall across back porch, if you don't know the purlin is made of steel, then brought it through a wall beside a sliding glass door that we are slowly replacing , the wall, sheetrock, is rotting and crumbling, then up against a door frame, across the frame, down the other side, and put all the fiber optics boxes on the wall beside my dining room table, his excuse was in one instance, saving cable, the other reason was he needed the equipment as close as possible to the router/modem.

he also told me he didn't know what he was installing, but he knew for sure something was wrong because they did not have the thousand mgbt i purchased in the package. now this is a running problem since feb, each person i discuss it with convinces me its easier to change the bundle than to try and quit them, what i didn't snap to was that each time i let them try to change and get me to what i was promised, i changed the date that the 2 years promotion ended.

so now i have a *** internet service, slow and buffers on streaming, and no direct tv it only worked a week or so off and on, i even cut the tree almost completely down and still nothing. im not sure why some attorney doesn't put a class action suit against these *** and lump the city council of san antonio in with them, they have the power to allow them here or not.

Guest

As long as they don't have access to your account, you can tell them go fly a kite. They are all liars and thieves at that company.

Guest

I also was duke into signing up for a suppose 50 a month service. My first bull came and it was nearly 70.

We don't have tax in oregon so I called them up and they fixed it by putting me on a lower package. Then they call me offered a free for 3 month discount to add extra channels and promised my bull wouldn't change if I canceled in time. I called to put bak my services the I got my bill stating that it was the last month. Now that they want to charge me 75 to $85 a month because the deal has ended and my 30 days have passed so I can't go back to the deals that I had.

Talk about a scam and now I'm stuck in a two-year contract. I want out!

Guest

yes, my bill is never the same. I call them about every month.

I should have them on speed deal by now. I am sure they look forward to my monthly calls. Your bills keep *** up with hopes that you will no notice until it is sky high.

The only way to prevent this, is to call every single month!!! True story ___ Marie

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-1173554

I've been going through the same issue but far worse, after 2 years of almost monthly calls I've finally canceled, I had to pay for install plus I've paid a month in advance since the start of my contract, I asked for the payment to be taken out on the 16 of each month so prorated I paid a month and a half when I first signed up, I canceled all premium channels before my next bill would be due so I was given half months credit on the upcoming bill, the very next bill they charged me a pass due balance, Huh??? I have autopay, I've paid my bill so they tell me no ma'am you still owe for that because you pay on the 16, well yeah I know when I pay and I pay a month in advance and was prorated to do so, they still try to convince me I owe, I got so mad I handed the phone to my husband.

My husband asked for the exact date our premium was cut off and the lady told him to stop being hostile.

DONE and I'm filing a lawsuit against them. 2 years of over charge, disrespect, lies and harassment.

Guest

These people must be hired and trained to lie. Their customer service sucks .

They are only after your money and **** you !

After my first 3 months were up and I canceled my "3 months free Movie Channels" so went channels I did have . After calling I was told that I did not have package these channels were in, but I could upgrade to higher package or they could add additional channels for an extra $2.00 - $3.00 each.

And guess what, there is an increase of $5.00 a month starting January 2016 , and they try to keep prices down.(RIGHT) When your on a fixed income and fighting cancer, there's not a lot of money left a month for them to take !!!!! After my contract (THEY CLAIM YOU SIGN) is up - I WILL CANCEL and **** Them.

Guest

your story is the same as mine, they told me just because i up graded to the nice Dvr box, my contract renewed.i never signed a contract.they also told me when i transferred my service to my new residence the contract renewed. once again i never signed any contract they came up with this verbal contract scam, which no one can really tell you how this works.this is a big scam theses people are pulling over on consumers.i hope that at&t know what they are doing by bring theses crooks aboard.....

Guest

I'm organizing a lawsuit for harassment and credit card fraud. Don't take there ***!

Guest

Screw your terms of service. Direct TV has equipment that can be destroyed!

Guest

when we decided to leave direct tv, we were told only to send the equipment back, there would be no final fee after what we had already paid since we were not in a contract yet three years later I find on my husband's credit report that he may still owe 318.00

for a disconnect fee. Too Bad They Didn't disconnect the junk

from my house and take it with them instead of me paying shipping fees to give it back...... I would rather do without than to ever invite them back in my home!

Guest

I was told the same thing my bill started off with payment of 70.00 month then 85.00 cause they claim that in my area where I lived everyone was getting extra sports channel so I had to receive it also I quests them about it but it didn't matter they act like they were paying my bills. Then after that they upgraded my bill and added neck Sunday ticket program to it and my bill went up to 126.00 putting me up to 290.00 and I made payment of 85.45 for August which should have been for July payment then they cut my service off and my bill not due until 16 of August rip off and money hunger direct tv

Guest

Do not switch they just got me today they suck. I will pay ten or so dollars more with charter then jump through hoops an be lied to ever other sentence. Do not sign up with them no matter what they offer you free one of the worst decisions I ever made will be switching back to Charter ASAP all this stuff these people are saying is true

Guest

There are always all these *** fees and taxes... Just the way it.

The option is Time Warner, who has the all time WORST customer service and is a rip off too, but no contract! Always a hitch.......

Guest

They all give you a good deal for a year and then ke up the price. And yes, that cancellation fee is based on how much time you have left in your contract.

DISH plays the same game basically. And until you are at the end of the two years they don't help you much with the price, but when you say your re going with the other omapny now they offer you the moon to keep you.

I got a $100 visa card last time.... But it's always too little too late....

Guest

Having similar issues with DTV. Agreed to 2 year contract at $49.

Now they tell me that was a promotion for 1 year not 2. The bill is now $74. Also got a call from them in September informing me that because I was such a good customer that they were giving me 3 months of HBO & CINEMAX for free. That was also a lie.

When the bill turned up it was over $100. When I wanted to cancel my DTV altogether they told me it would be over $200 plus another $79 for something else. This is a disgrace and not a company that I would recommend to anyone.

They lie to the customer then basically steal from them. I feel that something has to be done about this company.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-913928

I am in the same exactly situation. They called me and offer me 3 months free of movie channels but guess what? Not even 3 days and I already got charged for!!

Guest

I lost my home. Called these guys to find out where to return their equipment.

I was told that I still had to pay for their service for a year and about this fee and 2 year contract. they pulled the same mess on me as they did with diesel on the monthly bill.

$24.99 cost me $79.99, plus I

was supposed to get a $100.00 gift card, never happened. WHAT A SCAM!

Guest

I too am having a direct tv horror story they scammed me with the nfl ticket. I moved and my apartment doesn't get a line of site unless the dish hangs off the rail. The apartment lease says this is not allowed they say it's my fault and I have to pay 280$ to cancel

Guest

Can someone help. I am looking at cancelling my direct tv and want to know how to do it so I don't make the same mistakes. I got a new HD DVR last August, which they stated would extend my contract for two years but I never signed anything. We have two other receivers as well but one is standard receiver and other one is hd receiver. So getting the hd dvr receiver does not extend the contracts on the other receivers right? We get the

CHOICE XTRA CLASSIC

210+ digital channels

So can anyone give me the estimated amount its going to cost and if there are any ways to get around it.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-689597

You will not make a mistake. Whatever you do, they will try and RIP YOU OFF.

The most important thing to do is, if they are withdrawing money from a credit card, close out that card and have the bank re-issue a new card under a different number. You will be without the card for 7-10 days, but Direct will lose access to your money. THEN close your account with them. I just did so.

I've sent them a certified letter stating I've removed their service for nonperformance under their contract [proof of dispute for collection agencies so they will have to leave you alone].

Just remember, don't agree to anything they say. They lie a lot both by phone and email and record in hopes of getting you to screw up.

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