tiffanic
10-09-2007, 10:56 AM
I am hoping someone will have the magic phrase or other advice to help me work through this Direct TV thing. I am tired of talking to people on the phone there who say they will look into things then drop the ball. I know this is gonna be a long post, but I will try to just include the most necessary details.
Background:In late august we bought a new TV and HD direct tv box at circuit city and brought it home, called direct tv to let them know we wanted to upgrade our current service (of five plus years) to include the HD component. Six service calls later we have worked through a variety of problems including bad access cards and other signal problems when finally the direct tv person of teh day says "well did you get a new satellite installed?" When we bought the TV at circuit city no one ever mentioned this was necessary, but, apparently it is. We then went ahead and had an installer come out (after three cancellations) to put up a new HD dish. He arrived, looked through his little device at the sky and informed us that since the regular satellite and the HD one are different, we would not be able to access the HD one due to its location. We apparently have a clear shot to the regular satellite, though. We asked him what we should/could do, and he replied that unless we cut down the neighbors tree (not possible) we would not get an HD signal. He suggested that cable was our only option for getting HD. This was suprising since he represents the dish company not the cable company---I would think he wouldn't suggest that but he did. Anyway, we have now switched to cable and though that has its issues too, we are getting signals at least.
Now we see on our direct tv statement that we are being charged a $285 cancellation fee because we cancelled the service before two years had passed. What??? We had been customers for much longer than that, how can that be possible. In effect, they are saying that even though when we bought the new equipment and then found we could not get a signal, we still must continue the service for two years, without an HD dish, getting no HD channels???? And when we bought the box at circuit city we signed no contract or received any info indicating any of this, just paid for the transaction like normal.
We have called and told the tale to several representatives who all say variations on the same theme of that should be easy to rectify, "we will put it through to the _______ department and they will issue you a letter within 7-10 days clearing up the whole situation. Then no letter ever arrives and we start at square one telling the tale of woe to ANOTHER representative. I think my husband will have a stroke if he has to tell the story to another uninterested representative on the phone again.
What should we do? Are there any secret Customer service numbers to call? Any other ideas?
Thanks so much!
Tiffani
Background:In late august we bought a new TV and HD direct tv box at circuit city and brought it home, called direct tv to let them know we wanted to upgrade our current service (of five plus years) to include the HD component. Six service calls later we have worked through a variety of problems including bad access cards and other signal problems when finally the direct tv person of teh day says "well did you get a new satellite installed?" When we bought the TV at circuit city no one ever mentioned this was necessary, but, apparently it is. We then went ahead and had an installer come out (after three cancellations) to put up a new HD dish. He arrived, looked through his little device at the sky and informed us that since the regular satellite and the HD one are different, we would not be able to access the HD one due to its location. We apparently have a clear shot to the regular satellite, though. We asked him what we should/could do, and he replied that unless we cut down the neighbors tree (not possible) we would not get an HD signal. He suggested that cable was our only option for getting HD. This was suprising since he represents the dish company not the cable company---I would think he wouldn't suggest that but he did. Anyway, we have now switched to cable and though that has its issues too, we are getting signals at least.
Now we see on our direct tv statement that we are being charged a $285 cancellation fee because we cancelled the service before two years had passed. What??? We had been customers for much longer than that, how can that be possible. In effect, they are saying that even though when we bought the new equipment and then found we could not get a signal, we still must continue the service for two years, without an HD dish, getting no HD channels???? And when we bought the box at circuit city we signed no contract or received any info indicating any of this, just paid for the transaction like normal.
We have called and told the tale to several representatives who all say variations on the same theme of that should be easy to rectify, "we will put it through to the _______ department and they will issue you a letter within 7-10 days clearing up the whole situation. Then no letter ever arrives and we start at square one telling the tale of woe to ANOTHER representative. I think my husband will have a stroke if he has to tell the story to another uninterested representative on the phone again.
What should we do? Are there any secret Customer service numbers to call? Any other ideas?
Thanks so much!
Tiffani