Sunday Ticket RIPOFF

[pjbrien]

Heads up to any Sunday Ticket subscribers....I cancelled mine 4 months ago due to a pending move and they decided to bill me anyway. I called today and the rep. tells me they can't remove it and I need to speak to a "special" representative. They promptly disconnected me and then put me through the entire process again. 45 minutes spent to correct a mistake that was their's to begin with. :mad::mad:

I realize companies are struggling with revenue goals but ticking off customers with bogus billing practices and call handling are slimy tactics. As a 15 year customer I've usually been impressed with DTV but my radar is definitely up after this.

[RACJ2]

That's one thing I hate is waiting on hold, especially if they hang up and you start over. If it happens again, just say retention or cancel to bypass the front line CSR's. They definitely make it harder to cancel something, then it is at add anything. They want you to talk to a retention CSR, so they can try to talk you out of it. Others have tried to cancel, only to find it still on their bill. So you aren't alone.

[Justin23]

I think "mistake" would be a better word for this situation than "ripoff"... :wave:

J

[mobandit]

I think "mistake" would be a better word for this situation than "ripoff"... :wave:

J

When it's someone else's money, it's a mistake...when it's your money...

Although I tend to agree, unless something is proven to be false...give the benefit of the doubt...

[TBlazer07]

It definately CAN be removed as long as the "official" season hasn't started. The csr is clueless.

Heads up to any Sunday Ticket subscribers....I cancelled mine 4 months ago due to a pending move and they decided to bill me anyway. I called today and the rep. tells me they can't remove it and I need to speak to a "special" representative. They promptly disconnected me and then put me through the entire process again. 45 minutes spent to correct a mistake that was their's to begin with. :mad::mad:

I realize companies are struggling with revenue goals but ticking off customers with bogus billing practices and call handling are slimy tactics. As a 15 year customer I've usually been impressed with DTV but my radar is definitely up after this.

[pjbrien]

I think "mistake" would be a better word for this situation than "ripoff"... :wave:

J

I think you're naive....:D:D

[pjbrien]

That's one thing I hate is waiting on hold, especially if they hang up and you start over. If it happens again, just say retention or cancel to bypass the front line CSR's. They definitely make it harder to cancel something, then it is at add anything. They want you to talk to a retention CSR, so they can try to talk you out of it. Others have tried to cancel, only to find it still on their bill. So you aren't alone.

Having been around DTV for a lot of years I've definitely felt a shift. When I eventually spoke to a rep. who was able to cancel it he hardly protested at all....it was is if he knew they were caught.

The question I always ask is ...if they truly made a "mistake" why don't "mistakes" happen where suddenly I have Sunday Ticket or HBO and I'm not being charged. It reminds me of Whole Foods where my wife and I shop...after being overcharged a couple of times we now check our receipt religiously before we leave the store and wouldn't you know we have found overcharge "mistakes" 6-8 times but haven't been undercharged at all...:nono2::nono2:

[Garyunc]

I think you're naive....:D:D

My experience with companies like Direct TV is that they truly are incompetent and not malicious. I may be naive but they pay these csr's next to nothing so why should they care and go out of their way to cheat customers.

There is a ton of incompetence in this country.

[RACJ2]

My experience with companies like Direct TV is that they truly are incompetent and not malicious. I may be naive but they pay these csr's next to nothing so why should they care and go out of their way to cheat customers.

There is a ton of incompetence in this country.Its possible that its just someone that didn't cancel it properly or may have been to lazy to do bother.

I'm not familiar with how the D* CSR's are rated, but a company I worked for kept a lot of statistics on our call center. So it makes me wonder if they are rated on sales vs cancellations. If a cancellation goes against them, do they tell you its canceled just to make you happy. Knowing that when you realize the mistake, the next CSR will take the hit?

[JLucPicard]

Having been around DTV for a lot of years I've definitely felt a shift. When I eventually spoke to a rep. who was able to cancel it he hardly protested at all....it was is if he knew they were caught.
Not to add to your misery, but it may be worth calling again in a day or two and confirm that the 'auto-renew' is also cancelled (or request to have the auto-renew cancelled if it isn't) so you don't have to go through this again next year. I haven't experienced it myself, but from reading about it here, I think it's possible for the CSR to cancel the season subscription without cancelling the auto-renewal. If that doesn't get cancelled - same situation next season.

[WestDC]

My experience with companies like Direct TV is that they truly are incompetent and not malicious. I may be naive but they pay these csr's next to nothing so why should they care and go out of their way to cheat customers.

There is a ton of incompetence in this country.

With that marketing they can over bill a lot at least 17% increase in the second quarter.

Cheating is cheating intended or NOT.

[Kheldar]

It definately CAN be removed as long as the "official" season hasn't started. The csr is clueless.

It can be removed, yes. But that CSR cannot remove it. All NFLST removal requests are handled by a specific group, which you have to be transferred to.

[gregjones]

I think you're naive....:D:D

Because obviously a large publicly traded company has decided to embark on an underhanded plot to fleece you specifically for hundreds of dollars. Nobody has ever disconnected a customer in error: it is always a nefarious attempt to retain revenue.

If they refused to correct it repeatedly, that's a problem. If they botched a transfer to the right department, that's just an unfortunate inconvenience.

[pjbrien]

Because obviously a large publicly traded company has decided to embark on an underhanded plot to fleece you specifically for hundreds of dollars. Nobody has ever disconnected a customer in error: it is always a nefarious attempt to retain revenue.

If they refused to correct it repeatedly, that's a problem. If they botched a transfer to the right department, that's just an unfortunate inconvenience.


Waiting 45 minutes to correct a "mistake" of DTV is an inconvenience.

Setting up policies that encourage retention of customers against their wishes is not an inconvenience it is a deliberate attempt to retain revenues that would otherwise diminish. And just to make it really clear for you I don't believe that this was somehow staged as "an underhanded plot to fleece me specifically for hundreds of dollars". FYI, policies and processes are created for many and not just one.

You keep on in your Pollyanna world and I'll tune in on September 13th and see if DTV "mistakenly" connects me to Sunday Ticket.

[sigma1914]

You keep on in your Pollyanna world and I'll tune in on September 13th and see if DTV "mistakenly" connects me to Sunday Ticket.

It'll be on for you and everyone with Directv. Week 1 is a free preview.

[bidger]

It'll be on for you and everyone with Directv. Week 1 is a free preview.

There's no free preview with ST.

[Justin23]

Why do you think "retention" groups for companies were created in the first place? To try and keep the customer with that company. It sounds like what happened was a mistake. Do they happen? Yes....along with many other companies. You never hear the good stories of "hey D* activated my Sunday Ticket correctly! Yay!". We just hear when stuff goes wrong.

J

[t_h]

The way I look at it is that occasional errors are to be expected, and where I measure a company is how they handle these exception errors.

If they handle them poorly, or the exceptions seem to happen a little bit too often, then thats a problem the company needs to work on.

Directv has specifically prohibited users from removing the sunday ticket via the web site, or for requesting removal by email. Thats a conscious choice to inhibit subscriber loss and give them a chance to talk you out of it or offer you a deal to keep you as a customer.

All fine stuff. But if you're going to take on that burden, you need to service it in a timely and effective manner. The problem is exacerbated by charging way too much for the product, then providing variable discounts to some customers who ask for one.

That creates a "buying a used car" atmosphere that most customers wont enjoy. However it does allow the vendor to squeak out every last dollar from the deal. That particular deal anyhow.

For the most part, adding and removing services has worked out okay for me. I've had three "exception" problems and none of the three were handled particularly well. It really shouldnt be rocket science to add or remove a service and have the change be effective and persistent. When it seems like the service 'adds' are ~100% effective, but the service subtractions arent quite so straightforward, it creates an air of mistrust in the customer. Which is perfectly reasonable.

Anyone ever call directv to add or upgrade a service and find soon after the call that it didnt happen? Me neither.

Granted this is a small sample size of anecdotal evidence and the stuff reported on web sites like this one are just the problems and not the successes.

But that takes me back to my original comment. If it doesnt happen very often, you should be able to take action to resolve the exception. If its happening so much that your call queue is backed up 45 minutes, maybe its time to re-measure the revenue retention vs customer satisfaction metrics.

[joshjr]

There's no free preview with ST.

Yes there is. There was last year to. SuperFan and Sunday Ticket both.

[BAHitman]

Anyone ever call directv to add or upgrade a service and find soon after the call that it didnt happen?

um... Yes. granted it was along time ago, but it does happen. I upgraded to the premier package, and after a coule of days it wasn't upgraded so i had to call again... there was no record of my previous call...

again, this was a while back... about 9 months after directv took over USSB...

[t_h]

again, this was a while back... about 9 months after directv took over USSB...

Wasnt that a fun time to be a subscriber? Really getting in on the ground floor. I started up with them about 7 months before they combined. I think I was paying ~$20 to each of them.

That having been said, I'm quite confident that comparing directv's customer service success/failure ratio's and models of service between 1995 and 2009 might not be very productive.

Between 1995 and ~2002/2003 I found directv's customer service to be exemplary and I rarely experienced problems. When I did, it seemed it was resolved promptly and in excess of my expectations. Since then...I dont get that impression.

[Stanley Kritzik]

I try to stay calm when anyone trys to charge me for something I didn't order, cancelled, etc., and I've charged it to a credit card. I simply dispute the charge, which comes off the credit card bill instantly, and I let the vendor know what I've done and why. A letter or an e-mail often helps, as there are "interpretations" put into call records by the other party.

Yes, it's fun to rant, occasionally, but one has to pick one's fighting territory.

Stan

[t_h]

I could be wrong because I've never had first hand experience with the situation involving directv, but the anecdotal reports are that when you refuse a charge to directv, they turn the amount over to collections and ding your credit report if you dont pay. Some credit card companies wont reverse what appears to be a valid charge. If directv shows the bank that your subscriber agreement says you need to cancel the service before a certain date to avoid charges and there is no evidence that you canceled it, then you may be on the hook.

A lot of customers (like me) also made the mistake of associating a bank account with their directv account. In this case, if you deny the credit card payment they'll simply eft it from your bank account.

As far as I know, there isnt any way to get directv to delete either your credit card or bank account information from your directv account. Even if you tell them that the accounts are no longer valid.

Closing out the credit card is also often ineffective. A credit card processor may reserve the right to accept a charge from a vendor to an account that a customer has closed if they feel its a valid charge.

All that having been said, I'd still prefer that the service provider get it right the first time, and if its not done right, gives the customer the benefit of the doubt and their money back.

[raoul5788]

um... Yes. granted it was along time ago, but it does happen. I upgraded to the premier package, and after a coule of days it wasn't upgraded so i had to call again... there was no record of my previous call...

again, this was a while back... about 9 months after directv took over USSB...

Directv has had the Premier Package for ten years?

[Kheldar]

Directv has had the Premier Package for ten years?

Premier, Platinum, Total Choice Platinum, Total Choice Premier, S.S.D.D..

[raoul5788]

Premier, Platinum, Total Choice Platinum, Total Choice Premier, S.S.D.D..

Maybe I am a bit dense. Are you saying that Directv has had all of those packages since 1999?

[ladannen]

This is why all requests for any changes to programming should be done by email or by using the "contact us" option from the Directv website.
When you call and speak to a CSR, it is kind of like the cologne in the movie Anchorman:
60% of the time, it works every time.

[xmetalx]

Heads up to any Sunday Ticket subscribers....I cancelled mine 4 months ago due to a pending move and they decided to bill me anyway. I called today and the rep. tells me they can't remove it and I need to speak to a "special" representative. They promptly disconnected me and then put me through the entire process again. 45 minutes spent to correct a mistake that was their's to begin with. :mad::mad:

I realize companies are struggling with revenue goals but ticking off customers with bogus billing practices and call handling are slimy tactics. As a 15 year customer I've usually been impressed with DTV but my radar is definitely up after this.


So, just to clarify, the call was disconnected, either due to an error or a bad transfer, at which point you called back and it took you a total of 45 minutes to remove a package? I'd be very interested to hear what took so long.

Also, there is a flag that can be set to "Not Autorenew" your NFL ST subscription. If you decide to call them again, please ask them about it and have them add it on there :)

[morphy]

I often have the opposite problem with Sunday Ticket. Usually I'll crank it up on Week 1 (or Week 2 if they are doing a free preview) and find that it fell off my account somehow.