getting directv using another family member name?

[nic08]

ok, i know it's not right and probably immoral and somewhat illegal but here's the situation: I was a directv customer in 1999 when i was transferred to another state. i called directv to cancel my subscription on a particular date and thought that it had in fact been cancelled. There was no yearly contract at that time. Several months later i received a letter from directv stating that i owed them X number of dollars for montly payments that had not been paid. i immediately contacted customer service and informed them that i called and was told that my service would be disconnected on the date i requested but they insisted that no call took place and demanded the money that they claimed i owed. Well, i refused to pay the bill and never did. I have heard nothing from them within the past year or so and i am no back in the city i was in when i had the service but at a different address and phone#.

I called directv just recently in regards to getting service again and they informed me that since i was a previous customer that i was not able to get the free promotion.

Here is a scenario: since i cannot get the free equipment in my name, can i use my daughter's name to get the equipment shipped and also for the programming? she has given me permission to do just that. the one problem with this approach, is that she does not have a major credit card and does not live at this address or this state. Can i use my credit card for the programming activation without the possibility of directv tracing back to my old records? When i had the service in 1999, no credit card was used.

I have spoken with a customer service rep at DTV just recently, without giving my name, and he stated that i could order the equipment using her name and my credit card and that she did not necessarily need a credit card to activate the programming.

when the installer arrives to install the system, she obiviously will not be here, so how do i go about getting the installation performed without her presence?

i expect to get flamed for this but any suggestions or tips would be appreciated.

 

[ckudrna]

Hey bud, I have done this in three locations (put the service in a different name)

No reason not to, they are a member of your family and they have every right to sign up for service if they want.

I would not think that any installer is going to sit and drill you on where your daughter is, I think they get paid the same either way??

That is obnoxious they never canceled your service, what ever happened to that?

I think you should be set to go, no need to have her around. If the installer wants to make a scene out of it let him know that he can put the thing up and get paid or he can drive back to his office or whatever and get nothing, it's his call.

 

[nic08]

tks for the reply. my main concern is that by using my credit card info when ordering the system and when activating the account, that dtv could trace back to my old records using the credit card info and somehow charge me for the previous service that i never paid for because i called to have it disconnected and they never did.

Also, not so worried about the installer giving me the run-around. i brought this up because i have read somewhere that the person who's name is on the order, has to be available to sign some form of paperwork for the installation.

 

[ckudrna]

I bought another HTL HD today and had to sign that form committing to a year. I think it is the same form as new customers sign.

Since this was for a location here that is in a different name (brothers) and he happened to be in town and with me, i filled the whole thing in, used my CC#, and he signed it with his name.

The guy at ABT could not have cared less. Form what i could tell it looked like it was normal practice.

You do not have to have a CC on file, their is a spot for SS# and D/L number if you do not want to or do not have a major CC.

I am in the financial industry and I would be surprised if they could use your CC number to find past debts on any account. I have never really heard of this happening. They cannot look up your CC number in any attempt to collect a past debt, they do not have the authority to do that.

Maybe an installer can chime in and let us know if they require the subscriber to sign something, or if a substitute will work??

 

[nic08]

IMaybe an installer can chime in and let us know if they require the subscriber to sign something, or if a substitute will work??

that would be most helpful, to hear from an installer.

 

[ckudrna]

Bump this guy up so an Installer can give the final word

 

[justsatellites]

When we go out to install a system, as long as it is a family member we do not ask questions (waiting for holier than thou installers to flame). We get paid to install systems, not play detective. If we got the install order, unless there is some technicial (line of sight etc.) reason it cannot be installed, YOU are going to be watching TV. If someone gives you the run around, drop me an email, we WILL get you installed (depending upon where you are at). Anything to keep you from having to subscribe to cable

 

[ckudrna]

We get paid to install systems, not play detective

I think you will have no problem putting it in your daughters name. Hell, put it in your dogs name, they like to watch TV too!

 

[directvrep]

Activation problems.

Sorry, I've been gone for a little while. I did feel compelled to chime in here though.... I don't work installations, but I do work with activations. There are a few steps that you are going to have to watch out for.
1) when calling for the equip... if you like... say that you are her husband... NEVER SAY THAT YOU ARE HER FATHER and more importantly NEVER GIVE YOUR REAL FIRST NAME! ( if you had the account under your name, in the same state, and zip... as long as that account exists and is past due... you'll have to go through a LOT of work to get equipment and service under a new account in your name).
2) When activating, it is required to either a) have a credit check ran, which may require a prepayment ( or ) b) do not allow a credit check, use a credit card to make a $50 prepayment toward the 1st month service, and use the same credit card to automatically pay for each monthly bill for the 1st year.

To tell you the truth... it may be easier just to call up the number on any of the collections notices or credit reporting agency that holds the debt and dispute it.... the collections agencies have been wiping a lot of debt away lately. I've seen balances up-wards of $900.00 disputed and cleared lately.

Anything I can help with, let me know.

Your Friendly DTV Res Spec
white_knight_2010@yahoo.com

 

[nic08]

directvrep, i have sent you a pm.
thanks.

 

[Snipr4x4]

Maybe try using your Middle name ? Or maybe your Mothers maiden name ?

 

[fredfa]

directvrep is totally correct about clearing up that old D* charge.
It could haunt you forever -- well, seven years.
Write D* and see what will happen, and if they don't satisfy you, write all three credit bureaus and dispute the claim.

 

[Doctor Bob]

when the installer arrives to install the system, she obiviously will not be here, so how do i go about getting the installation performed without her presence?

i expect to get flamed for this but any suggestions or tips would be appreciated.

I will probably be the one that gets a "Flame" job out of this, but we have been dealing with these kind of issues since 1996. Here are a few steps, that will prevent these kinds of problems in the future.

1. Always write out and send your cancellations to what ever company you are dealing with. This way you have proof of what you have communicated.

2. Write a letter to the VP of Marketing, for those after the fact situations, and ask for some help, so that you can get back on track with the company that you are dealing with.

3. Don't try to circumvent anybody's system, just to keep from straightening out the mess. Take the time to do it right, so that you can get on with your life, instead of having to hide from the problem.

We have specific instructions, for all of our Techs, that if the Customer cannot produce, positive identification, then they are to abort the installation. We are not willing to jeopardize our reputation or dealership, just because someone is not honest enough to tell the truth. There isn't enough money, in the installation, to begin with, why would we lower our ethics or credibility, for someone who doesn't care anyway...

Last but certainly not least, life is too short to help someone cheat!!! If you have an installer that is willing to cheat someone else, do you trust them in your home??? Do you really want someone in or around your home, that you can't trust???

 

[ckudrna]

It is worth your while to get any credit issues cleared up.

I had some B.S. credit item that said I owed like $500 for bottled water in Utah, a state I have certainly never lived in or have been to more than couple times.

I simply wrote a letter to the ho dunk credit agency and disputed it, never heard about it before, and my credit is stronger than ever.

I still think you will be OK with getting service in a family members name. Maybe the best bet will be to pre pay the $50 rather than have them run credit check on you??

 

[Doctor Bob]

It's always better to resolve the problem, in writing, so that you eliminate future problems... Your credibility is worth a whole lot more than a lousy $...