D* Customer Service/Tech Support Stinks

[spaceghostinME]

Hello-

I love the programming and even the equipment that DirecTV provides, but I have had numerous bad experiences with their tech/customer support. I find it truly amazing that D* wins the Customer Service award for Cable/DBS providers year in and year out. If their service is the best, I'd hate to think what the other companies are offering for support. Either that, or maybe I'm just unlucky. This latest incident was actually not as bad as some of the others. Anyway, here's the e-mail I sent to D* yesterday. It actually doesn't even touch on what was possibly the worst part of the visit, which is that the tech made a borderline racist comment, despite the fact that there were dozens of pictures on the wall (one two feet away from him) of my daughter, who is African-American.

To whom it may concern-

I am writing this to complain about the horrible level of customer/technical support that I have continually received from DirecTV. There have been many unbelievable problems over the years, but this e-mail is spurred by the most recent problem that I am experiencing now.

My 3 month old HR-20 100 receiver stopped working last Saturday morning (over a week ago), so after troubleshooting it myself, I called technical support. All troubleshooting indicated that the problem was with the receiver as it would not even boot up and send a signal to the screen. However, the rep insisted that he had to send a tech to the site to troubleshoot because it could be a wiring or dish issue (which again, made no sense because the receiver would not even post...it just kept rebooting).

However, I relented and agreed to this (as opposed to him just sending me a new receiver) despite the fact that the earliest I could get an appointment was the following Saturday (today...over a week away). I figured that this was what the policy was, so I would wait, but I made a point of telling the tech that he needed to make sure that the installer/repairperson had a new receiver with them as that was probably the problem. He agreed and stated that he would make sure to note that was needed.

So, today came and the installer arrived...without a replacement receiver. After a quick check, he verified what I already had a week ago and indicated that the receiver needed to be replaced. I was pretty much livid at that point. He made some excuses about having to sleep in the install van last night because it was so late when he got done and he wasn't going to have time to go home and that their website for getting the job info for the day was down this morning anyway, so he wouldn't have known to stock the receiver on the truck.

After conferring with his dispatch, it was decided that the best course of action was for him to call DirecTV support and have them send me a receiver as they would not be able to come back out again until the 10th (today is the 1st). So, nearly an hour later after he was disconnected twice, he finally got a rep in the retention department who was able to send me a replacement receiver.

I have been comped $10 a month for 6 months, and given a few channels free for a few months, but it really doesn't cover the ongoing frustrations I have with your customer and technical support. Rest assured that if cable was an alternative in my area, I would switch. You should be glad that Dish Network's customer service is pretty much on par with yours, or I would be leaving for them as well.

I am hopeful that my replacement receiver will truly be arriving by Tuesday or Wednesday. If it does not, I will become even more irate at this situation. DirecTV's continually incompetent support is truly horrendous. This latest incident is only one of 3 or 4 I've had over the past few years and my patience is wearing thin. What use is the service or the $300 receiver if I can use it? You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Respectfully,

John Brown

[Inches]

I would have either asked for a supervisor or hung up and called back.

[PoitNarf]

It's a crapshoot, plain and simple. This isn't just a D* problem, you'll find stories such as yours with basically any service provider whether it be TV, Internet, or phone. I don't like it either.

[oudabashian]

I could understand your frustration. I only deal with DirecTV via email, and the responses I get are always ready made answers that have nothing to do with my questions. They do not even bother to completely read my emails. It is horrible. However, the level of service has not been bad enough to lose the amount of money I have invested in multiple receivers.

[RobertE]

Here's a story that I'll add.

Went to a customers house to upgrade his older Samsung SIR units to the H20s & the slimline dish. No problem, in & out in no time. Wrong.

1st problem. Each line going to the various rooms had OTA diplexed. Ok, will need to run new lines for the sats and use the old lines for OTA. (Why couldn't we have SWMs yet :( )

2nd problem. The OTA was diplexed at the top of the roof at the chimney. Wonderful. :mad:

3rd problem. All brick house, no "neat" way to run the lines.

After several hours & 400 ft of cable later (big, big house), the new sat lines are run.

Update the H20s to the latest software release.

Activate the receivers.

4th problem. No OTA on one of the local stations. Not really a biggie, it's know to be picky at times.

5th problem, and here is where the real fun begins. The CSR couldn't figure out how to add the local channels to a legacy package. So after confirming with the customer, we switch to one of the current packages with locals.

6th problem. CSR manages not only to not get the locals in, but we lose the current HD pack channels. This is not progress. After 30 minutes of her trying to "fix" the issue, I get shipped off to "tech support". Customer is getting frustrated by not being able to watch the US Open.

7th problem. Tech support CSR has no idea what the 1st CSR did. She does manage to get the HD pack channels back. Unable to get the locals in either HD or SD. Here is the best part. She had me try all sorts of things that were not ever going to get the channels in, but it was part of her script. Reboot (many times), re-run sat setup, etc. She wouldn't take my advice and remove then re-add the services. After 25 minutes of humoring her, she says, "We need to set the customer up with a service call".

This is where it took every bit of restraint from me saying all the words that you can't say on TV to the CSR. I told her, your joking right? She said, "thats what my script says". I told her that was absolutely retarded. I'm the tech, and we can't fix it now, how is having the customer wait a week for ME to come back out and call you again going to fix it???? All she could say is "but that is what my script says". I swear, if I could have choked her through the phone I would have. I mean really, I know they have scripts and all, but come on. To tell a tech that a service call will need to be set up for an authorization issue when I'm there is just STUPID. Think for yourself for just once. :mad:

Finally, after playing enough of her games, off to ISS. Two minutes later we had all the channels. What did the ISS CSR do you ask? Removed and re-instated services. :mad: :mad: :mad:

[996911]

I find it truly amazing that D* wins the Customer Service award for Cable/DBS providers year in and year out.
I think the operative way to think of it is "the best of the worst". They ALL blow hard. The news (national) recently reported on the growing divide b/t customer service and customers. The 2 big things they highlighted were companies refusing to do business with customers anymore b/c they complain to much or they return to many items, etc..

The second was the 2 worst customer service industries were identified as cell phone and TV programming.......SO as you can see, when everybody in your industry (cable, sat, etc) all BLOW HARD, it's not hard to be the best of the failures if you try not to suck as back as the others.

[RAD]

I could understand your frustration. I only deal with DirecTV via email, and the responses I get are always ready made answers that have nothing to do with my questions. They do not even bother to completely read my emails. It is horrible. However, the level of service has not been bad enough to lose the amount of money I have invested in multiple receivers.

Totally agree! Yesterday I noticed on the D* web site TV LISTING section it shows a local channel that I don't receive on D*. It's one we used to get but they switched it from the Austin DMA to San Antonio, so put that info into the e-mail that I sent them so they could get their web site updated. I get a response back that yes I'm not supposed to receive the channel and do you have your BBC's connected. Nothing about the web site being incorrect. It usually takes 3 or 4 e-mails going back or forth before they actually start to get the point.

[rirwin1983]

Here's a story that I'll add.

Went to a customers house to upgrade his older Samsung SIR units to the H20s & the slimline dish. No problem, in & out in no time. Wrong.

1st problem. Each line going to the various rooms had OTA diplexed. Ok, will need to run new lines for the sats and use the old lines for OTA. (Why couldn't we have SWMs yet :( )

2nd problem. The OTA was diplexed at the top of the roof at the chimney. Wonderful. :mad:

3rd problem. All brick house, no "neat" way to run the lines.

After several hours & 400 ft of cable later (big, big house), the new sat lines are run.



Update the H20s to the latest software release.

Activate the receivers.

4th problem. No OTA on one of the local stations. Not really a biggie, it's know to be picky at times.

5th problem, and here is where the real fun begins. The CSR couldn't figure out how to add the local channels to a legacy package. So after confirming with the customer, we switch to one of the current packages with locals.

6th problem. CSR manages not only to not get the locals in, but we lose the current HD pack channels. This is not progress. After 30 minutes of her trying to "fix" the issue, I get shipped off to "tech support". Customer is getting frustrated by not being able to watch the US Open.

7th problem. Tech support CSR has no idea what the 1st CSR did. She does manage to get the HD pack channels back. Unable to get the locals in either HD or SD. Here is the best part. She had me try all sorts of things that were not ever going to get the channels in, but it was part of her script. Reboot (many times), re-run sat setup, etc. She wouldn't take my advice and remove then re-add the services. After 25 minutes of humoring her, she says, "We need to set the customer up with a service call".

This is where it took every bit of restraint from me saying all the words that you can't say on TV to the CSR. I told her, your joking right? She said, "thats what my script says". I told her that was absolutely retarded. I'm the tech, and we can't fix it now, how is having the customer wait a week for ME to come back out and call you again going to fix it???? All she could say is "but that is what my script says". I swear, if I could have choked her through the phone I would have. I mean really, I know they have scripts and all, but come on. To tell a tech that a service call will need to be set up for an authorization issue when I'm there is just STUPID. Think for yourself for just once. :mad:

Finally, after playing enough of her games, off to ISS. Two minutes later we had all the channels. What did the ISS CSR do you ask? Removed and re-instated services. :mad: :mad: :mad:
I got you beat bro on some of that.

Am install, New Cust, I precall, customer informs that shes suposed to be pm, can i come back at 3:30, i said im booked but will make no promices. Advies dispatch of such, am told to roll on it and door tag it, and do such. Get to a pm early and finish my route at around 4, get called by my sup, that the customer is bitching i said i would be back at 3:30, and that she has to have tv today! i grumble and say ok i'll roll back on it at 630pm. Get there its almost dark before i finish mounting the dish. Go inside to un-cluster**** their DIY cables and run my 2nd line for the dvr. Get all that working, then call into IVR to activate, for some reason get transferd to a CSR t activate (a tech's nightmare!) After being on hold for 30 minutes, i get one on the phone.Customer while on hold advises me that she also wants wildblue and that when she placed the order D* told her that i'd needed to set up the workorder for it something about me giving them the wo number i was there on now and something (it dident make alot of sense to me) And here is where the install takes a turn. After that csr tries to figure out WTF she needs to do, and tells the customer and me (i allways have the phone on speaker) that that promotion has expired, she tells the CSR to just get the info from me to get her activated and she'll call back to figure out the wildblue. So first, the csr asked for the informaion backwards ( what room, model, access card, sn, rid) when its suposed to be rid, and 90% the rest (sn, access) autopopulates. Anyways i have the R15 tuned to 202, so that i can watch to make shure it activated, going thought the various messages of 726.722,721,711, Aquiring Guide Dada....ect... And she askes for the next one, i ask her, have you activated the r15? no she says. i ask why, i still need to find out about wildblue and how i do that. I procede to tell here that has nothing to do with the job im here to work on, the customer told u they would call back to work that out. The CSR copps and attitude, and i tell her to get her supervisor on the phone now! I get put on hold, and when someone picks up, its spanish support. So i hang up and try calling again. All the while the customer cant belive im going through alll this. I get another csr, explain whats has happened and what im trying to get done, and we procede to read off the info, she cops an attidue, saying slow down im not even ready yet, even though she said go ahead with the first one. i say dont even start to give me attitude, ur speacking to a tech, not a customer, When i get this line: I love when i get one of you like this, there was a storm in VA and everyone is calling in, your a tech you should know that and be more pacient. I respond im in ohio and that has nothing to do with this call (fyi its almost 1030 at this point), my customer grabs my phone and tells the csr, that he (ME!) has been very pacient and that all he is trying to do is get us activated, hes been up since 7am this morning and is tired and just wants to get us done and go home. i finish getting them up and going, and head off home.

If you ever get a CSR named april, thats her!

[SledDog]

Every company has both good and bad CSRs. D* seems to have more then the normal amount of "I'm trying to think, but nothing happens" CSRs

[Ken S]

Just figure every time you need something from DirecTV customer service it's going to take three calls, 20 minutes on hold and at least two transfers and a disconnection. Set aside a couple of hours for anything to get done.

Getting upset isn't worth it.