On 01/08/2011 I had a UNAUTHORIZED AND TOTALLY UNKNOWN debit of $729.35 from Direct Tv from my debit card! I do not have direct tv service and have never had direct tv service so this huge debit was a total surprise! I contacted the direct tv customer service department who told me to contact the fraud department, I called the fraud department... they told me they dont handle unauthorized debits and that i have to contact my bank!!??? This makes no sense, so i recalled customer service who gave me a fax number to the finance department and told me to fax my bank account statement to them and i will hear something back in 14 days!!! And he could not provide me with an phone number to the finance department!!! I mean Direct TV takes money from me without my knowledge and this is what i have to go through to get a refund??? Im also contacting the better business bureau since there are widespread reports and complaints of this same problem.

I'm an independant contractor; if I'm not working, I don't get paid. I set up an appointment with direct tv to have their service installed. we agreed on a time, between 8 am & noon, and they never showed. at 12:30 pm, I called them and was told that the equipment needed for my installation was on back order. I asked couldn't they have called, and they said they did. As an independent contractor, my phone is my livelihood. I'm never far away from it. They did not call. They wanted to know when a good time tomorrow would be for them to show up would be, and I said no thanks, forget the whole thing, I'm no longer interested unless they were willing to adjust my bill to compensate me for my time, you know, say, three months free(which doesn't nearly cover my losing a days work, but just a token would be nice). After a lengthy hold I was told no can do. So then, neither could I. If this is the kind of service I could expect before they have any of my money, how bad is it going to be after they have it?

Our local Fox provider and Direct TV have failed to agree on a renewal agreement to broadcast Fox. So, the customers still pay fees and we can not watch FOX on Direct TV. After waiting on hold for almost an hour we were basically told by Direct TV too bad, so sad. When we asked if our bill will be offset or if we can discontinue service so we can go to a cable provider we were told that our agreement says programming can change at any time so we will still be charged all the appropriate cancellation feels. I have been a Direct TV customer since I went and bought all the equipment and installed ourselves and this is the customer service we get?

Direct TV acts like they don't have to provide customer service and we should be happy they exist and we get what we get. I am ready to buy an antenna and I get what I get. It would be less frustrating!

First: call to Direct TV during the transfer was disconnected.
SECOND call: Called back only to be on hold...transferred AGAIN with SAME results to "Clayton" id # AQ1527 with a very poor attitude who told us that "he was having trouble with his computer and the call may disconnect" I gave him two separate numbers to call back if this happened. He hung up and did not call back.
THIRD call: to Jim id #442348 (after being on hold for 12 minutes) his attitude was "I can't do that all I do is billing, I'll transfer you" I had to wait, again...by now I have been forced to be on the phone with Direct TV for One hour and 38 minutes!...
FOURTH person...Now the poorest, most pitiful excuse for a customer service representative...Jodi Id# 392742 . She answered rudely and would wait to answer a question and when we would ask "Jodi, are you there?" She would reply "YES, I am busy trying to get this right on the computer" with exasperation in her voice. After 1hr 48 min., still with no results, I should be the one with frustration in my voice! She stated that she could not get her computer straight and that she would have to transfer me! Can you "hear" the frustration in this text???
FIFTH person: Raymond id# 300303101 (aaah, Raymond) You could hear the smile on his face. He answered questions and was very professional in his speech. Frustration levels declined. He never said, "I can't" Finally the problem was corrected. All of this frustration was because the channel said to "call for free upgrade to HD to receive this channel after January 26th..." You would think it would have not taken 2 hours to complete this minor task...

I joined Direct TV in August 2010 after many years of back and forth contemplation. I wanted Direct TV so I could watch my Ravens play every Sunday, so I naturally signed up for Sunday Ticket.
On every flyer that I received during the summer of 2010 up to fall 2010, Direct TV advertised their Sunday ticket along with their one year rebated service. No where on any of the flyers were there distinctions made between signing up for Sunday Ticket versus signing up for the one year rebated service. In no place did it say that a customer can only sign up for one service or the other. So I called in and agreed to make Direct TV my new service under the impression that after my Sunday Ticket was up, I could then downgrade to say $35.99 for my remaining 7 months of my first year of service. And during my conversations with Direct TV's customer service and with my in-home service technician, I was not advised of anything different.
Fast forward to yesterday 1/16/11, when I called to inquire about changing my service due to Sunday Ticket ending and starting up with the Choice Extra at $35.99. The service rep advised me that there was no service available for $35.99, but I could get service for $58.99 or more. I told the rep that I was a first year customer and that the first year is advertised as rebated and then second year is full price. The rep told me that because I signed up for the Sunday Ticket, that things were different for me. That I got the Sunday ticket discounted and that I could not get the other rebates. I told the rep that no where in Direct TVs advertising did it say that one was separate from the other. I also told her that the in-home service rep never stated anything different either. So I hung up dissastisfied.
Then this morning 1/17/11, I called again and asked to speak with a supervisor as soon as I got a rep on the phone. The rep placed me on hold for a long time (15-20 mins), checking back every once in a while to advise that he was waiting for the supervisor to finish another call. The third time the rep checked back to advise me that he was still waiting for the supervisor to become available, I finally told the rep about what I was waiting to tell the supervisor. And as with the day before, the rep advised me the same thing that I was not eligible for the $35.99 rebate. I told the rep that this was deceptive advertising and bait & swich tactics by Direct TV that makes customers think that Sunday Ticket and the 12 month rebated program go hand in hand. And I told them rep that if someone had been up front with me at the beginning, that I would not have signed up for Direct TV. I raised my voice to the rep about being SCREWED by Direct TV. The rep then placed me back on hold while he continued to reach his supervisor.
At this point in my waiting, my wife came into the room and asked to have the phone so she could speak. Shortly after she got on, the supervisor Frank came on. My wife, having prior experience of being on Frank's end, knew what to ask for. In simple terms, my wife asked Frank where on the website or on the paperwork does it say that Sunday Ticket and the 12 month rebated programming are separate. Frank could only apologize for our inconvenience and repeat the current deals. My wife asked two more times and like a broken record Frank again apologized for our inconvience and repeated the current deals. My wife stated that he was NO HELP and she disconnected the call.

Essentially Direct TV signed me up for a two year contract before NOT PROVIDING A FULL DISCLOSURE of what products and services would be excluded after my 5 month Sunday Ticket expired. Direct TV never provided any information about separation of Sunday Ticket and the 12 month rebated program. Direct TV will continue to advertise both together to lure more customers like myself with false beliefs that the rebated program (for the remaining 7 months) picks up after the Sunday Ticket expires.