AS A CUSTOMER WITH DIRECT TV FOR FIVE YEARS, EVERY TIME I CALLED I GOT A DIFFERENT STORY, SO WHEN WE WERE READY TO MOVE NOV, 2010 I CONSIDERED GOING WITH DISH (FOUND THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THEM SO CALLED DIRECT TV) TOLD THEM I WAS CONSIDERING SWITCHING TO DISH BECAUSE THEY WERE OFFERING 'HD FOR LIFE FREE'. THE "SUPERVISOR" SAID "I CAN DO THAT" WE PROCEEDED WITH ALL OF THE SERVICES AND COSTS AND REVIEWED THEM THREE TIMES BEFORE WE ENDED THE CONVERSATION. THEY HAVE NO WAY OF CONFIRMING IN WRITING WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO GET UNTIL AFTER YOU GET YOUR FIRST BILL A MONTH LATER. I FIND I AM ONLY GOING TO GET IT FOR 12 MONTHS FREE!!! I APPEALED ALL THE WAY TO THE "OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT" AND AM TOLD "WE HAVE NO WAY OF OFFERING THAT TO YOU". ANOTHER LIE, BECAUSE THE PREVIOUS PERSON I TALKED WITH SAID IT IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO " NEW CUSTOMERS".

Just so everyone knows...Direct Tv stores your debit of credit card information. If you give them this information when you sign up or ever make a one time payment online or over the phone, now they have it. My advice would be to cancel your debit card and have a new one re-issued so they can't charge your card anymore. When you make the payment there is some fine print on the bottom that states that you are authorizing direct tv to charge the card again if necessary. If you try to dispute the charge afterwards the bank won't help you because you agreed to there terms. Kinda shady, I know. This is just some helpful information.

Direct TV said we owed them $300.00 for breaking a contract. We had their service for 5 days and the first bill we received from them was a lot more than we agreed on so we canceled with them over the phone. Long story short they said we broke the contract and we should pay them 300.00 for 5 days of service. We feel they lied to us about our monthly payment but we gave in and paid the bill!! We paid it in full 8/8/10 but it is still showing on our credit report!! Can you help us clear our credit from these lying people!! Thank you!! We have our proof where we paid them!

I chose Direct TV as part of a "bundle package" with AT&T. Our first month's bill arrived, one day after the payment due date (our check had been mailed, but not yet received) our service was disconnected. I paid the bill on the phone with AT&T to get service restored. It was restored then disconnected. After being placed on hold for 43 minutes, transferred several times, and disconnected once only to sit on hold a second time for 37 minutes; our connection was restored. Then...after 3 hours, disconnected. At this point, there was no one available to take my call, it was 8:00p.m. EST.
The next day our service was restored and interrupted at total of 4 times, requiring lengthy phone calls and hold times each time. The customer service people at AT&T were nice, helpful and tried to get Direct TV to understand that the bill was current and service could be restored. Direct TV somehow couldn't get the message.
Finally, the situation was resolved. The next month came and I received a bill directly from Direct TV. When I contacted them, they said that the service had been unbundled. BUT, I WOULD NOT LOSE MY DISCOUNT FOR "BUNDLED SERVICE". For the next 4 months, the blls came from Direct TV and were paid. On time. Every month.
Now it's January 4, 2011. And, I am preparing to have a party this evening for the Sugar Bowl. Ohio State. Go Bucks! I turn my tv on this afternoon, and, my Direct TV has been disconnected.
I call. I am told that my bill is now 415.o0. And, my monthly service has gone from 68.99 a month to 115.00 a month. The 415.00 due is because once my account was "unbundled" from AT&T, I lost my discount there. And, they are charging me retroactively for ALL of the months of service (5) that I had been paying the 69 dollar bill. After arguing, circularly, with the customer service agent. I ask to speak to her supervisor. I am on hold for a good 45 minutes. The rude, belligerent, and downright mean supervisor all but accused me of being a deadbeat as he explained that they review accounts quarterly and this is the way it is. He doesn't have the authority to make any changes. When asked who does, he says that "the bill will stand as it is and until it's paid in full there will be no service."
I am so frustrated and upset that I politely end the conversation. Because of my impending party, I call back after I have calmed some to make a check payment over the phone and restore service until I figure out how best to fight this. I have the money in my account to cover this payment, but they will not take a check by phone because my account is in "review status". What does that mean? It means they are reviewing it as part of the quarterly review they conduct. I say, "Fine, but you have already determined this amount is due and I would like to pay it to restore my service."
In a nutshell, after over an hour of discussion and transfers to various departments, I am not able to make a payment that won't be held for 5 days. After 5 days, my service would be reconnected assuming no problem with the payment.
At this point, I did slam the phone down.
I would strongly recommend no one use Direct TV, they are clueless and they don't have one single person at the lower or middle management levels who know what is going on. Further, they will change their accounts on a whim to make extra money.
STAY AWAY FROM DIRECT TV
(as a footnote, the service sucks because clouds, wind and rain all screw with your reception and it's not worth it when you could have cable and always have reception)

I have had it with Direct TV. For starters, their billing tactics. We had billing set up on one account and after the first 3 billing cycles being screwed up (they actually charged 2 different bank accounts). The one I used for the "initial set up" they said they were only charging$25 (which was just to make sure you had credit). I set it up so our joint household account would be billed and after much headache, emotional distress and telephone calls with them, they finally got it right - actually the President of Direct TVs secretary got it fixed 3 months later and my numerous calls to Direct TV - I have spent maybe 12 hours of my time on the phone with billing alone problem, now I spent another hour today! I'm not entering 2011 with these types of problems. I will use our judicial system and let my taxes that I pay every year cover the problems I encounter.
NOW - after we have had service only since 8/3/2010, we are told that in order to order movies (that we have done in the past) we have to have a landline phone hooked up to our HD-DVR box! BULL!!! The only way we can order any paid movies is to call or go to the internet to order??? BULL!! Why have we done it previously... so I called today and they want ME to spend yet another hour, or two or three on their "technical support line"... I told them to call technical support and they can call me back when its fixed.. he said "I'm sorry we are not equiped"... hello -- this is YOUR company and YOU are not equipped to contact your own department tell them the problem that I just spent 45 minutes explaining to you??? I want this service out of our home, I want our contract voided by the President of Direct TV so we are not billed any further and... if they do not do this, I want to establish their business tactics in a Class Action Law Suit that I will find an attorney to take on for us. ANYBODY WITH ME??? You can email me at [email protected] and use the subject: My DirectTV Service