PPV billing error

[desnillum]

My bill had a PPV charge from a telephone order that I did not place. Customer Service says their records show the PPV was sent to one of my receivers listed on my account. Based on that, I'm held responsible. There are two charges for the same PPV and one credit adjustment for one of the charges. Any ideas of how the PPV could be billed to me but never received?
PS: My bill shows the receiver number the PPV was sent to.

 

[raoul5788]

My bill had a PPV charge from a telephone order that I did not place. Customer Service says their records show the PPV was sent to one of my receivers listed on my account. Based on that, I'm held responsible. There are two charges for the same PPV and one credit adjustment for one of the charges. Any ideas of how the PPV could be billed to me but never received?
PS: My bill shows the receiver number the PPV was sent to.

It could happen several different ways. Do you have a wife, kid, roommate, or parent living with you? Any of them could have placed the order. Do you sleepwalk?

 

[charper1]

What was the PPV title?

 

[desnillum]

De La Hoya/Pacquiano fight Dec 6, 2008 at 9:00 PM Pacific Time. Three people live here - no one watches boxing. No one sleep walks. Can someone order PPV by phone and confirm the program is playing?l

 

[raoul5788]

De La Hoya/Pacquiano fight Dec 6, 2008 at 9:00 PM Pacific Time. Three people live here - no one watches boxing. No one sleep walks. Can someone order PPV by phone and confirm the program is playing?l

I was kidding about the sleepwalking, but seriously, phones don't dial themselves. It sounds like someone isn't telling you the whole story.

 

[skyviewmark]

Having been a dealer for more years than I care to count, I have heard every excuse from customers about PPV not being ordered. And in every case so far, I have found that the PPV was valid. Someone ordered it. I have been screamed at by a customer about porn being charged to them, only to find that their perfectly adjusted, never gets in trouble, 14 year old ordered it. The attitude of many that their child would NEVER do this just gets me boiled.. I was a child once too, and I know that if I thought I could get away with it, I would have done it.. Now that being said, is it possible for a mistake to be made by DirecTV or Dish.. Sure. But it is highly unlikely.. In all probability, someone ordered it.. You just need to find out who.

 

[jcrandall]

One thing about the boxing fight I remember is calling customer service a week or so before the match the automated system prompted it first:

To order (name) fight, press 5. To order (something else), press 6.
After 15 seconds or so, it went to the standard options.

Perhaps you or someone called trying to get customer service or a question of some sort, and hit the wrong button?

If that happened maybe they could do something for you, but in general, PPVs are hardly ever refunded.

If it was ordered via phone, it would most likely be something like that if it wasn't intentional.

 

[sonydude1966]

One thing about the boxing fight I remember is calling customer service a week or so before the match the automated system prompted it first:

To order (name) fight, press 5. To order (something else), press 6.
After 15 seconds or so, it went to the standard options.

Perhaps you or someone called trying to get customer service or a question of some sort, and hit the wrong button?

If that happened maybe they could do something for you, but in general, PPVs are hardly ever refunded.

If it was ordered via phone, it would most likely be something like that if it wasn't intentional.

I did the mistakenly pressed the wrong button thing many years ago for a $50 fight. I had a heck of a time convincing the rep, then supervisor of the accident. It does happen, it happened to me. I am extremely more careful on the phone now. With the touch of a button, your account can get a substantial bill attached to it.

 

[desnillum]

There are three household members - my wife and I are mid 60's and never order or watch PPV and an 87-year old mother who can't navigate a telephone ordering process - no, she doesn't have dementia. Someone is always home, so no one sneaked in to prank us with a bogus PPV order. The company says the phone order operator confirms with the caller/customer that the program is playing on the set connected to the receiver that gets the signal. This means the PPV order was placed at the time the program aired and a human being said it was coming through. All three household members were home at the time the event played and the TV set that "got the program" was not on. So, who could have been in my home, talking on the phone, and confirming with the company that the program was actually playing?
I can understand that any rational person would be skeptical about my dispute. The circumstances have been outlined. We are not deadbeats or stupid people. My question is, "How COULD a billing and service error of this type occurr within a sophisticated computerized syatem?"

 

[jcrandall]

The company says the phone order operator confirms with the caller/customer that the program is playing on the set connected to the receiver that gets the signal. This means the PPV order was placed at the time the program aired and a human being said it was coming through.

I do not believe this is the case. The order system bills immediately. There is nothing that communicates back if you actually watched it. A phone line connected to the receiver will report if you order via the remote, but that's it - as far as I know.

 

[desnillum]

There are three ways to order a PPV. Internet, by your remote, and by telephone order. I do not have any receiver attached to a phone line. The CSR stated that my charge was a phone order and her process is to inquire of the customer if the PPV is seen on the TV. Now, having never ordered a PPV by any method, I can't say that this information is correct.

Many subscriber have billing and "human" interaction problems with the company. Visit http://www.consumeraffairs.com/cable_tv/directv_bill.html and read the problems customers have with the company with PPV. Read
Jessica of Sparks NV (01/13/09), Neetal of Charlotte NC (10/14/08), Lori of Platte City MO (08/03/08), Senta of Hayward CA (03/08/08), and Ryan of Menifee, CA (04/18/06) for their stories. Are we all liars? Is the company always correct?
A billed PPV is a situation for the customer to prove themselves innocent, but the comopany contols the evidence. The customer always loses.