How can DirecTV get away with this???

[raoul5788]

The cable companies have been black listing addresses for YEARS!

Certain addresses have a history of bad debt, and the cable companies will literally put a block on the address and either force the new customer who wants service to pay the back balance or jump through hoops to prove they are not associated with the previous account holder.

Comcast does this all day long. Charter/Time Warner does this in extreme cases, but usually they make the new customer pay the first bill and install fees in advance.

I am not aware of Directv/AT&T doing this same practice, I will however say that they do run a background check on all new customers and if they find bad debt before you get installed they will cancel your install without warning.

Based on this situation, there is nothing a retailer can do to fix this.

There are 1 of 2 possible explanations for this original posters situation.

1) Directv is associating bad addresses, which could be a new policy.

2) Something is linking this customer besides the address to the other customer. Perhaps family member, credit card, email address.

There is usually an exception process for the new customer to prove they are not associated with the previous account holder.

I will say from experience when I run into this situation, and the provider is requiring payment of the old debt in full there usually is a legit reason why.

People think Huspsnd, wife, kid, brother, sister is considered a new account but in reality the entire household gets associated with the debt from someone else in the household.

It's at the point where when I do a Comcast order, and we run into an issue with a previous debt, I don't even waste my time doing a research ticket and instead refer the customer to the service center or 800-Comcast.

9 out of 10 tickets we submit to research due to a bad debt for an address, or for a customer because the system saying the customer owes a bill.

We usually find the following

A) Finds more money the customer owes on older accounts.

B) we find the customer let someone else use their name.

C) we find the address became blocked due to another family member running up a bill.

D) identity theft, but the customer won't file a police report because they likely know the person.

It's not a new policy, Directv has been doing this for years.

 

[AZ.]

I dont understand why Direct would put a lean on the property and eventually when the property sold the title company would find the unpaid debt and get it squared away before closing?.....If its a rental property its a bit stickier, but what a shame for these people, and just a stupid business practice IMHO!

 

[texasbrit]

The phone companies do this also, based on the phone number. A couple of years ago I moved into a newly-built home, and it took me two years to get internet from the phone company, because there was still an outstanding balance on the phone number from the previous user.

 

[ncted]

TimeWarnerCable was famous (infamous?) for doing this. Perhaps it will get better with Charter? It can be nightmare. Many people would just give up and pay the balance, so they can get their cable and internet service. Not sure how they never got sued over it.

 

[camo]

Black listing properties is one thing (Don't agree with it) but leaving the new customer hanging with no notification is another. A simple courtesy call, we aren't coming because should of been made.

 

[mudrunner81]

So, the plot thickens. My husband texted me from work this morning telling me that there is a charge on our credit card from DirecTV for $150!!! I am about to go through the roof. We had to give our credit card number at the time of signing up, but it said that the total due at the time of signing up was ZERO and then they ended up canceling our install and now they have charged our Visa card for $150???? I pity the person who is about to get me on the phone at DirecTV!!!! I am also calling the AG's office!!!

 

[ncted]

So, the plot thickens. My husband texted me from work this morning telling me that there is a charge on our credit card from DirecTV for $150!!! I am about to go through the roof. We had to give our credit card number at the time of signing up, but it said that the total due at the time of signing up was ZERO and then they ended up canceling our install and now they have charged our Visa card for $150???? I pity the person who is about to get me on the phone at DirecTV!!!! I am also calling the AG's office!!!

You should definitely call, but I have two questions:

1. It is a charge, or a credit authorization. They are two different things, and the credit authorization does not necessarily mean you will end up with a charge for that amount, if at all.

2. How much was your monthly bill going to be? Is it some multiple of the amount billed to your credit card?

Either way, you deserve an explanation. This is not typical of the experiences I have had with AT&T or DirecTV over the years. Hopefully it does not portend a change in customer service. FWIW: I always go directly to an corporate AT&T store for help, and that seems to work out well for me.

 

[mudrunner81]

We have no idea what it is. Our monthly bill was estimated to be approximately $110 a month for the first year. When we ordered the service, it said that $0.00 was due at the time of placing the order. We read all of the fine print and it said nothing about a credit authorization. It makes no sense that it would be charged to our card an entire week after our install/order was canceled!

 

[navychop]

Go get 'em tiger!

This should become costly to them- the only way they'll learn.

 

[mudrunner81]

Well, I have been on their "customer service" chat for the past 20 minutes and am now waiting for a supervisor. I also have filed a BBB complaint as well as an online complaint with the Attorney General for our state! I honestly don't remember the last time I was this mad!!! This is blatant theft!!! They had NO right to charge our Visa card for one single penny!

 

[mudrunner81]

Now they are telling me it could take up to a MONTH to refund our money!!!! And, if they decide to refund it, it will be via a Visa gift card!! BS!!!!!!!! THEY were the ones who chose to deny us service and cancel our order, so they have NO right to hold our money hostage like this! I am calling the Attorney General's office right now! This is just WAY too much!!! UNREAL!!!

 

[osu1991]

Call one of the local tv stations too, if they have a consumer help segment.

 

[lparsons21]

Now they are telling me it could take up to a MONTH to refund our money!!!! And, if they decide to refund it, it will be via a Visa gift card!! BS!!!!!!!! THEY were the ones who chose to deny us service and cancel our order, so they have NO right to hold our money hostage like this! I am calling the Attorney General's office right now! This is just WAY too much!!! UNREAL!!!

Contact your credit card company and dispute the charge. Simple and usually dead easy to get done quickly. But also contact the AG's office to at least rattle some cages.


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[mudrunner81]

I found the email address for the CEO of DirecTV, so I just sent a nice little email giving him until the end of the day today to resolve this.

 

[Juan]

I found the email address for the CEO of DirecTV, so I just sent a nice little email giving him until the end of the day today to resolve this.

What's his name?

Sent from my SM-G950U using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[mudrunner81]

What's his name?

Sent from my SM-G950U using the SatelliteGuys app!

Michael White

 

[Juan]

Michael White

Might have better luck with this

https://www.att.com/gen/investor-relations?pid=9816

Sent from my SM-G950U using the SatelliteGuys app!

 

[DWS44]

Contact your credit card company and dispute the charge. Simple and usually dead easy to get done quickly.

Exactly! Under all these circumstances, I would have done that even before I called DirecTV back!

 

[bmetelsky]

Calm thinking can prevail and also avoid headache. Mistakes are sometimes made and they can be corrected. Not sure why many think that the AG, BBB, or president of the company will resolve the issue quicker than a phone call or 2 to customer service.

 

[lparsons21]

Calm thinking can prevail and also avoid headache. Mistakes are sometimes made and they can be corrected. Not sure why many think that the AG, BBB, or president of the company will resolve the issue quicker than a phone call or 2 to customer service.

Of course one could do that, buy why put up with it at all? Either a quick call, chat or email to your credit card company and D* can go punt.

Calling D* could very well be the worst choice as the OP is already beyond ticked off at them and the conversation could go south very quickly.

Contact CC company, stop payment of that charge is the simplest and easiest. No tempers need be involved.


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