While we are all watching our pocket books, it is a very good time to review all of your statements for hidden fees, hidden rules....and hidden contracts that you, apparently legally, do not have to sign for or be told about!
Here is my DTV story, in hopes that it helps you not have to go through this fiasco I am currently battling. If you are suffering over this kind of situation, I hope you stay strong and don't fall for their game and pay them what you do not owe....because it only encourages their wrongful acts of greed.
ATT Uverse offered me a sweet deal. We'd been with DTV for ages, with two old receivers on life support, occassionally working, occasionally not workin. I called to cancel service in order to switch over to ATT.
DTV offered to match the Uverse deal, provide HD, 2 HD receivers and a DVR and match the pricing. Groovy so far.
Very unfortunately, what actually ensued was only a partial installation by DTV, and damage to my house in installing the sattelite dish, which DTV later paid me for.
As far as matching Uverse as promised? Nope, never happened. What I got was 1 HD receiver, which I was charged $100.00 for, no 2nd receiver and no DVR. Even when i shipped them back the HD receiver, I never received any credit off the $100 I paid them to purchase the receiver ATT provides for free.
I spent months arguing trying to get them to complete the installation. If I paid to get my car worked on and the idiot did half the job, or damaged my car in the process, I would not expect to pay for half arsed shoddy workmanship.
But in this case, DTV will not budge and expects me to pay for my unused months they say I owe them contractually for. It is not enough I continued to pay full price for months of partial service.
The other bone of contention is their discrimination against women. I ordered the service and yet they somehow have my husband's information, perhaps from years ago, which they have continued to refuse to correct.
After about 6 months of this crud, I called to cancel service. (hmmmm, can I legally cancel someone else' service?) DTV, after months of telling us they could not help us with a 2nd HD reciever and DVR, suddenly was very agreeable, telling me they could and would match the Uverse offer. it reminded me of this awful relationship years back I got myself out of....where he was only good if I was threatening to leave. I explained that Uverse had just been installed a few moments ago, in fact the ATT rep was right here in my living room. I explaind how after paying in full on time for years, and how after 6 months of arguing to get my new service fully installed, I no longer trusted them to do what they promise. Then they told me then I was under contract. I retorted I'd not signed anything for this new and only partially installed service and that, as it was only partially installed, I did not consider that I legally had any valid contract at all. In fact, matching ATT as they promised meant that I had no further contract terms because by promising to match, they agreed to no contract term.
DTV, without my authorization, charged my Discover card the $300 bucks for the months they claim I owe them for my term. I sent the $100.00 receiver back to them and never got a refund for it. After months of disputing with Discover and arguing with DTV, they finally removed the charge stating they would issue credit.
Now they've sent my husband to a collection agency, even though, again, it was me who ordered the service and me who cancelled it! Michael had nothing to do with it but be frustrated along with me.
I am, out of principle, refusing to pay and my husband agrees but is absolutely not at all happy this is on his credit report when he had nothing to do with this mess.
ATT Uverse, meanwhile, provided us with 2 HD receivers, a DVR and HD service as they promised to, on the day of the installation. Unlike the 6 months I spent arguing with DTV, I have been able to actually fully use and enjoy the service. We do have a strange thing going on with our remote but I will never ever go back to DTV. I'd rather watch snow.
It is refreshing to do business with a company that actually does what they say they will do, but what is even better...is I am under NO FREAKING CONTRACT AT ALL!!!!! It is business as it should be, I can cancel at any time, for any reason. Oh, and those receivers and DVR? No charge!
There are some greedy companies who are acting crazy these days. Watch out, know your rights and don't let yourself be bullied into paying unfair charges.
I work for a utility company. While we do have contracts, we spell out the terms and if someone cancels due to poor service or an incompleted installation, we waive the contract term fees, it is just common sense and good business.
The bottom line is that many of us "little people" feel helpless in front of a big company. The truth is that, collectively, we are so powerful it is scary. With each purchase made, we are voting, with our cash, voting a bad business off the island or back on. The choice is all yours whom you choose to pay and conitnue to spend your cash with.
If you are unhappy and feeling "stuck" make sure you do not have any credit cards or bank accounts set up for auto drafts. If you do, cancel and change your cards/accounts prior to cancelling your bad service with the bad company. This will prevent them from invalid debits against your account, it is quite the little nightmare to fight.
Lastly, if the company has zero common sense and continues to go after you for money you do not owe them (poor service is a breach of contract) then assure you have documented calls, letters of complaint etc showing you tried to work things out. You can use this as dispute fodder when they go after your credit report.
Pay everything else you owe scrupulously. But to my mind, no body should EVER get away with bullying and threatening your credit ruin to gets any kind of bucks out of you that you truly do not owe.
The greedy will eventually perish....just be patient.
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