1 post and the OP never came back. Guess he didn't like being told to pay his debts instead of begging for sympathy for being irrepressible. 6 years to pay off and yo still owe them????
Parents: Beware, Your Under Legal Age Children Will Be Held Responsible For Your Account
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Hello All, I've been busy, and haven't had a chance to reply. My whole point of the post was that a child should not be penalized for something that they had no responsibility for. The reason why my bill wasn't paid shouldn't even be an issue as to whether a 14-year-old should be accountable for their parents' bill, but so you can understand the whole picture --The only reason that I even had a balance due was because I had trouble with my service & cancelled because they couldn't provide me the service that I continually was charged for. We had a television that the cable had gone out on constantly. We called them, and they would repair the line, and the service would work for a month or so, and then the cable would go down again in that same room. So we would call & they would come out & make the repair again. This was done over and over and over again. As a matter of fact, there were two repairmen who had actually even been to our home twice, and that doesn't include all of the other repairmen that were there. By the time I cancelled the service, that cable in that room was down a heck of a lot more than it was up. The fact is I would have loved to have kept the service, but they couldn't get it working on any type of continual basis. I did pay extra for insurance so when it would go down, I only had to pay a portion of the appearance fee for the technician, but I still was charged a fee every time I turned around. There were at least two occasions when they said that they would not charge me since it was less than 30 days since the previous visit. But the last few times it went down, we were so disgusted, we would sort of "sit on it", contemplating what to do. Again, this just wasn't something where I only had trouble a couple of times with the cable line in that room, it was over & over & over. They supposedly replaced all of the cable & wiring from outside to the inside, but I find that hard to believe because it would still go down continuously. So that is why I cancelled. And because I cancelled early, they hit me with an "Early Termination Fee".
The whole point to the post though, for those of you who seem to only want to focus on me & my unpaid bill, a child should not be held responsible for a parent's bill. If you can actually sit there & tell me you don't have an outstanding bill out there somewhere, well, good for you. I admire that! Not only have you paid any & every outstanding bill you have, but your parents don't have any either? Well, how wonderful that you have lived such a "charmed" life. I, like everyone else in the world, pay my bills. That's not what this is about. It's not an instance of skipping out on a bill. This was a service that I continually paid for & didn't receive. What's so ironic about the whole thing is the room where the television cable kept going down was my daughter's room. She is the one who was stuck hooking up the DVD player all of the time because the cable service to HER room would go down.
For those who made comments like "apple doesn't fall far from the tree," are you a mirror image of your parents? Have you done exactly the same thing in your life as your parents? I try to follow my parents guidance in life, but "Am I my brother's keeper" -- "Am I my parents' keeper"? I have lead my own life, separate from my parents. Should a child suffer from the sins of the mother or the father anyway? Should a young teen be held accountable for any of this? Do you want your children to HAVE to answer for you?
I expected some to question me about why the bill hasn't been taken care of -- I should have stated right from the start the reason why my final balance wasn't paid. But even if it was something that I should have taken care of, why would a 14-year-old be accountable for it? Would you have wanted to be held accountable for your parents? Hey, if you really think it's okay that your children should be held accountable for your bills, best wishes to you & them. Life is already tough enough. They already have so many obstacles when they first start out. To think that they, too, have to carry your financial burdens just makes it tougher on them
The whole point to the post though, for those of you who seem to only want to focus on me & my unpaid bill, a child should not be held responsible for a parent's bill. If you can actually sit there & tell me you don't have an outstanding bill out there somewhere, well, good for you. I admire that! Not only have you paid any & every outstanding bill you have, but your parents don't have any either? Well, how wonderful that you have lived such a "charmed" life. I, like everyone else in the world, pay my bills. That's not what this is about. It's not an instance of skipping out on a bill. This was a service that I continually paid for & didn't receive. What's so ironic about the whole thing is the room where the television cable kept going down was my daughter's room. She is the one who was stuck hooking up the DVD player all of the time because the cable service to HER room would go down.
For those who made comments like "apple doesn't fall far from the tree," are you a mirror image of your parents? Have you done exactly the same thing in your life as your parents? I try to follow my parents guidance in life, but "Am I my brother's keeper" -- "Am I my parents' keeper"? I have lead my own life, separate from my parents. Should a child suffer from the sins of the mother or the father anyway? Should a young teen be held accountable for any of this? Do you want your children to HAVE to answer for you?
I expected some to question me about why the bill hasn't been taken care of -- I should have stated right from the start the reason why my final balance wasn't paid. But even if it was something that I should have taken care of, why would a 14-year-old be accountable for it? Would you have wanted to be held accountable for your parents? Hey, if you really think it's okay that your children should be held accountable for your bills, best wishes to you & them. Life is already tough enough. They already have so many obstacles when they first start out. To think that they, too, have to carry your financial burdens just makes it tougher on them
Oh, and one more thing-- yes, I did think it was important for others to know what has happened & the implications that you can bring down on your children (As a parent, this is something I would want to be aware of from the start.) But I was hoping maybe someone could provide me with a number or agency that I could inquire about this issue . There are Public Utility Commissions out there who aid others in improper treatment or activity by a utility company, and I don't know if the satellite company can legally hold a 14-year-old responsible. I know that the government does do some monitoring of these satellite companies, but I'm not sure if this is something that they can help me out with. Any suggestions?
Maybe you and your daughter both have the same name? That can cause problems like this, especially if she used your address as her previous address when signing up.
Really though, not to be mean or anything, but your first post stated that your daughter was 14 in 2005 and just moved out a month or so ago and had this problem. So she's 23 now? That's like nine years that you didn't pay the bill. In all fairness, I would think that you should be able to see why you've gotten some of the responses that you have.
I myself personally don't let any bills get overdue but I understand that everybody's financial situations are different and with a bill like this it could be very tempting to just let it go if other bills are more pressing, but, situations like what's happening with your daughter is what comes from doing that.
I and my son both have the same name and things get mixed up once in a while, but usually a phone call straightens it out. Probably the best and easiest way to straighten out your problem would be to pay the bill and then call them for service. They'll probably want a deposit up front, which, if I was you, I would pay myself, rather than making my daughter pay, as she didn't cause the problem.
I know you didn't have the best first posts, but....Welcome to SatelliteGuys!
Really though, not to be mean or anything, but your first post stated that your daughter was 14 in 2005 and just moved out a month or so ago and had this problem. So she's 23 now? That's like nine years that you didn't pay the bill. In all fairness, I would think that you should be able to see why you've gotten some of the responses that you have.
I myself personally don't let any bills get overdue but I understand that everybody's financial situations are different and with a bill like this it could be very tempting to just let it go if other bills are more pressing, but, situations like what's happening with your daughter is what comes from doing that.
I and my son both have the same name and things get mixed up once in a while, but usually a phone call straightens it out. Probably the best and easiest way to straighten out your problem would be to pay the bill and then call them for service. They'll probably want a deposit up front, which, if I was you, I would pay myself, rather than making my daughter pay, as she didn't cause the problem.
I know you didn't have the best first posts, but....Welcome to SatelliteGuys!
In general public commissions (government as the op said) are not too concerned over satellite television individual subscribers. They are more for ensuring people have power, water, etc, and that shutoffs of critical utilities are regulated for safety of the public.
Also, just to point out, DirecTV is making a business decision not to sell service to your daughter based on your previous account. They are not holding her responsible for your account.
Satellite TV is not a critical utility. If you want to continue with the thought of public commissions, I'd recommend your state's attorney general. That said, I don't believe there is much of a case against DirecTV in this situation, they just made a business decision not to open an account for your daughter.
Also, just to point out, DirecTV is making a business decision not to sell service to your daughter based on your previous account. They are not holding her responsible for your account.
Satellite TV is not a critical utility. If you want to continue with the thought of public commissions, I'd recommend your state's attorney general. That said, I don't believe there is much of a case against DirecTV in this situation, they just made a business decision not to open an account for your daughter.
This happened to me when my dad owed them money from 2004 when I wanted service in 2010. He eventually paid it. I live across an entire state and I am NOT him.
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Is the daughter 14, or 23 ?
If she's 14, theres no way they would be expected to open an account in her name .... did the OP do this when she was young to get service turned on again ?
If she's 14, theres no way they would be expected to open an account in her name .... did the OP do this when she was young to get service turned on again ?
If it is anything like what happened in my case then the fact that his daughter was at the address of the old account at the time it went unpaid is enough to block her from getting service in the future. The name never needed to be on the account. DirecTV has done this for years. They will hold your family against you even if you had nothing to do with the account.
I can see why they would do it though. They don't know if the relationship is husband/wife, parent/child, etc. Even someone just using a different first name.
If the credit report shows the same last name and same address I can see why they wouldn't want to take the risk when there is a balance owed.
Even if it is a "previous address".
If the credit report shows the same last name and same address I can see why they wouldn't want to take the risk when there is a balance owed.
Even if it is a "previous address".
Here's my two cents on the matter. Any company can refuse business to anyone for any reason. If all of the truth is being told here, and I highly doubt it is, then chalk it up to a parent's irresponsibility coming back on the child. At some point that debt would need to be repaid anyways. When the parent dies, kid's gotta pay for any outstanding debts. Also, and more importantly, this isn't a case of racism, sexism, or even ageism. I'd have to go back and read, because I don't completely recall whether or not it was mentioned, but as a prior retailer, I know that DirecTV very very rarely outright refuses service to anyone, and if the truth were told, I'd imagine that the sales rep asked for a deposit and that's when feathers got ruffled.
And finally, this entire story has holes in it everywhere and I wouldn't doubt this to just be baseless trolling, or some kind of fantasy story that got started by someone who feels over-entitled and wants to get noticed.
And finally, this entire story has holes in it everywhere and I wouldn't doubt this to just be baseless trolling, or some kind of fantasy story that got started by someone who feels over-entitled and wants to get noticed.
Jam3s, Your last paragraph is most likely true, and people can learn a lesson from this. I had Directv back in 97 and continued through the years with them until 2005. A couple years prior to that I decided to upgrade to HD and leased a receiver from an online retailer. I was told the receiver was leased (had only purchased receivers before)but what I didn't realized is that when I activated it, it started a 2 year contract. I had been out of contract since 99. When I moved and found out Directv wasn't available, I returned the receiver and then was presented a bill for the remaining 2 years on the contract.
The moral is shame on me for not reading the terms and conditions with the receiver, however I wasn't about to let that bill go. I wrote and called DirectV and they decided in the end that having a future repeat customer was worth waiving the early termination fee. Maybe others can learn something from this guy's plight even if it is made up or one sided.
The moral is shame on me for not reading the terms and conditions with the receiver, however I wasn't about to let that bill go. I wrote and called DirectV and they decided in the end that having a future repeat customer was worth waiving the early termination fee. Maybe others can learn something from this guy's plight even if it is made up or one sided.
I gotta tell ya....Something just does not make sense here.
Oh, pay your outstanding balance. Just sayin'.
And/or using daddy's credit card. Typical of college students to have their parent's credit card for 'expenses'....
It happened to me on an install.
I went to the house on a retail deal.
I roll up and remembered installing the existing system about a year prior.
I got the thing done in 30 minutes, download and all.
I call to activate. I'm told that the address is not allowed because the previous resident had an outstanding balance.
I was installing for the new homeowner. As it happened, the CSR suggested the old homeowner be contacted then attest to no longer owning the home. Only then would the new property owner be cleared.
Took about an hour but the custy tracked down the previous homeowner who called Dish to release the address.
I then realized that with Dish there is ZERO trust of the customer who has an outstanding balance on their bill.
In a perfect world, you'd be spot on.
However, do you not think it possible that D* has heard every imaginable excuse, reason, etc and formed policy based on that?
The world is an imperfect place.
Except for perfect people like me
But no, you're completely right, I get upgrades all the time where the people haven't paid their bill up and I go to activate the new boxes and in turn they fail to close on the work order and shuts all the other boxes off until the bill is paid in full. It's a shame over the whole situation but I understand their logic behind it
As a retailer, I ran in to this a few times, and not just with directv (had it happen to a few of my customers when I was working for AT&T). Sometimes the backend systems will throw someone on a contract for no reason. If you truly do buy your receivers, they shouldn't go on as a lease, and usually you can present proof of purchase and get out of any contracts that you get stuck on. Moral of that story is to just keep your documentation.
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