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I've had it with DirecTV!

7K views 88 replies 34 participants last post by  mopardude01 
#1 ·
Had a scheduled upgrade to 4K today. No-show, no-call from the technician. I call DirecTV and get some lame excuse with barely an apology. No offers of discounts for the inconvenience.

I put in a request for disconnection next week. The operator made no attempt to dissuade me.
Prices have gone up, while service has plummeted. The issues have been piling up for a while now, but I've always turned the other cheek. And they wonder why they are losing subscribers and money by the boatload.

Been a customer since 2007 and this is how I get treated?
 
#20 ·
well come to the new AT&T. Cellular now the same. Left DIRECTV 2019, Internet in 2016 (1993) and cellular 2019 (1988).
I'm certainly not an AT&T fanboy, that's for sure. I don't consider DirecTV to be AT&T although I guess most do. I had AT&T for cell service and was getting HUGELY ripped off. $90/mo for VERY limited minutes, texts and NO DATA. Switched to T-Mobile and got unlimited talk & text + 2GB (I'm on wifi most of the time) for $26/mo. That's a huge diff.

Also had AT&T POTS many years ago $40/mo+ (although that isn't T's fault, that's regulated) and I couldn't even call my parents who live 20 miles away without getting hit by tolls. Switched to Cox digital and basically get it for free ($9) with my Gig service.

T internet is a joke here. 100Mbps for $50/mo. I pay $115 for 1Gbps + nationwide phone on Cox. 10x the speed for double the cost. Cox has weird pricing / promos. Was looking at dropping down to 300Mbps and it actually costs MORE then 1Gbps. I'd have to drop down to a measly 150Mbps to cut my bill and it would be quite a bit more then the $50/mo that T wanted.

Cox is basically FORCING people to do the 1Gbps + phone.
 
#13 ·
Ever hear the phrase "Sh*t Happens"? We don't live in a perfect world. When was your service call scheduled (morning or afternoon)? How far into your appointment window did you wait before contacting DIRECTV? I'm willing to bet the tech assigned you was on a service call that took longer than expected to complete. No service provider is going to wipe your nose and powder your hiney with offers of discounts over a missed appointment. Get real! I've been a DIRECTV customer for twenty five years. During that time I too experienced a missed service call. Was I disappointed? Yes, but I didn't go jumping through my ass whining about it on a website. I rescheduled. Has customer service worsened since AT&T took over DIRECTV? Yes! Same can be said for my Internet Service Provider SPECTRUM since they took over Time Warner. You had two choices, reschedule or disconnect your DIRECTV service. You chose the later and created this thread, But it really didn't change anything, did it?
 
#14 ·
LOL, another fanboy on here looking for a cookie from DirecTV. Unlike you, I don't have blind loyalty to corporations and will only put up with so much.

And if you must know, I called AFTER the appointment window had passed. I never got an exact reason why the tech never showed.
They least they could have done was call to let me know rather than no call at all. What do you (and others here) not understand about that?
That's basic customer service 101.
 
#16 ·
It absolutely kills me how much people on this forum attack anyone that says something remotely negative about Directv. Instantly once anyone airs disappointmoint or complaint they are jumped on. I mean, c'mon it's common knowledge this company is declining in pretty much every ascpect daily.

I swear there are more fanboy attacks now than when Directv was something to brag about. This forum sure isn't what it used to be.
 
#21 ·
If someone has a legit complaint, no, we don't. If someone makes a ridiculous complaint, then yeah. Cancelling your service and going into a rant on an internet message board because a guy missed an appointment?

Umm... hello... do you really think some little boy is kneeling on his couch right now staring out his big picture window at the DirecTV installer across the street dreaming of growing up and becoming a big, strong DirecTV installer? Probably not. People become DirecTV installers because they probably can't hold down regular jobs because they're -- you guessed it -- flakey.

If somebody really wants to get into the trades, they sure as hell aren't going to be a DirecTV installer when you can be a plumber or electrician or carpenter or any sort of other stuff, but all those require getting a license, etc. DirecTV, on the other hand, you just show up to the interview without a crack pipe and you're hired.
 
#19 ·
When I go to the Cheesecake Factory and order the hamburger and it arrives not hot do I swear that I will never go back to the restaurant? No, I inform the server that the food is not hot and they cook me one that is hot and sometimes the manager comes by and apologizes and gives me a free piece of cheesecake. But sometimes the manager does not come by and sometimes they don't offer the free cheesecake, I still come back to the restaurant. Why - because in this world I accept a level of incompetence and screwups. If I didn't I would be limiting myself to a smaller set of vendors. If the problems continue to occur I may stop patronizing the vendor.

In your case you have decided to terminate a relationship that has lasted for at least 12-13 years based on your signature ID. You may have had other reasons to terminate that has no relationship to the missed appointment. You may have cancelled them in a fit of anger. But if you were willing to have the 4K setup you likely were aware of the additional 2 year commitment if you had to upgrade your receiver and were still willing to go forward.

So I would humbly suggest that with a clearer head you reconsider calling back and getting your account reauthorized. If not then there are other material factors that you have not cited which led you to terminate. But it would be inconsistent with your willingness to upgrade to 4K.

And no I am not a fanboy of D* just a customer.
 
#22 ·
But it would be inconsistent with your willingness to upgrade to 4K.
Not to mention that you need to like Sports, Nature Documentaries and a few other specials since that's all there is for 4K other then PPV. If you don't like sports or nature, there isn't any point in even bothering with 4K. You can get the 4K PPV movies cheaper in countless other ways.
 
#55 ·
I do actually remember one guy now... but he was a technical guy who helped a lot of folks. RVD made it sound like there are paid people on here to chase off haters. If you hang out on yahoo finance boards, people say that there all the time. If someone is bullish, they're a paid pumper. If they're bearish they're a paid short lol.
No, that's not what I said or implied. You've misinterpreted almost everything starting with your first response.
I've been on this board long enough (though not active within the last several years) to remember when a few folks here mentioned being hired by DirecTV.
I think a lot of folks here have a fantasy of working for DirecTV (on a corporate level, not as a tecnician) and it clearly shows with their responses.
 
#56 ·
I do feel I should provide an update:

A technician came by today ON TIME and was very helpful in getting 4K set up at my home.
Very knowledgeable and professional guy.

I did have to drop the planned disconnection (for now) in order to activate the 4K. It would not activate otherwise.
I will follow up with DirecTV very soon and express some of my displeasure with another CSR who will hopefully be more helpful than the person I encountered over the weekend.
One of those displeasures BTW was DirecTV (I forgot to mention this previously) mysteriously upgrading my protection plan to the Premier plan without my consent.
I only found out by looking at my account online, which I do not do regularly but probably should now.
 
#58 ·
Aside from the Protection Plan issue I'm glad they finally got everything up and running. TBH I actually agree with your OP about wanting to disconnect originally. After a similar experience with Suddenlink for my mom and grandma (trying to upgrade their archaic DVRs to the TiVo WH-DVRs in 2014 then being told off by a CSR when I called into ask a simple question one year later) I switched my mom and grandma to DirecTV in 2015. If there was another ISP/VOIP provider in the area I would have disconnected the entire account. Now the Suddenlink CSRs are sweet as pie to me when I have to call in on behalf of my mom and grandma for their Internet & Phone.
 
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#57 ·
"The best rule is not to talk about people ..."

I hope you enjoy your continued service.
 
#62 ·
Some companies (including the non-DBS company I work for) do not allow employees to represent their company unless the communication is cleared through some level of management. People can lose their jobs for speaking for their employer without permission. And while a disclaimer is "nice" it doesn't protect employees who violate policies.

When are you representing the company you work for? Whenever you are speaking to someone who knows you work for that company and especially when discussing the company or their field of operation. Perhaps the representation is not intentional. But people who want to keep their jobs should keep in mind how their activities affect their employers.
 
#63 ·
Nowadays, anybody who posts anything on the internet using an account that is identifiable runs the risk of getting fired. Countless articles about random people posting dumb tweets (i.e. racist, offensive, etc.) and them going viral and the person ends up fired. Had nothing to do with the company at all, but companies don't want heat. Waaayyyy too PC these days borderline ridiculous.
 
#65 ·
Back to the original post. AT&T is the personification of a corporation that couldn't care less about their customers. They don't care if you stay; they don't care if you leave.

They've apparently laid off all their well-trained call center reps. They have failed to provide training to the new reps. Etc, etc.

I've been with DirecTV since 1997, but I'm gone the minute they lose NFL Sunday Ticket.
 
#75 ·
"The NFL and DirecTV have an agreement through the 2022 season"
Forbes

This fits with the eight year extension signed in 2014. So three more years of Sunday Ticket.
It appears this also aligns with the expiration of other carriage contracts. Changes to the season and post season are also under consideration.
 
#79 ·
"The NFL and DirecTV have an agreement through the 2022 season"
Forbes

This fits with the eight year extension signed in 2014. So three more years of Sunday Ticket.
It appears this also aligns with the expiration of other carriage contracts. Changes to the season and post season are also under consideration.
So at this point, it'll definitely be on DTV for three more seasons. But does that contract with DTV preclude the NFL from selling separate streaming rights for NFLST to Google or Amazon (or even AT&T)? Based on numerous articles over the past several months, it sounded as though the NFL wanted to make NFLST available via streaming sooner rather than later. They were talking to both Amazon and Google. Are they going to wait until 2023 now to make that move? Or can they sell streaming rights while DTV continues to hold traditional TV rights?
 
#76 ·
You said you called yesterday ? That would have been a Saturday ? You only get overseas people answering the phones on Saturday. Call them on Monday thru Friday between 8am and 4:30 pm and ask for Customer Loyalty department. You should get someone in the USA to talk to you then.

Note: 4k does not cost any extra, just the equipment to get it.
Do they still have people in the USA answering calls? I've called at various times both off hours and during regular hours and I always get someone from offshore (sounds like eastern European but might be something different).

I know people have been picking on the OP, but even though we've all had issues in the past with DirecTV (heck, I had someone punch a hole through my attic floor during the initial installation around 15 or more years ago), I always felt that they didn't want to lose me as a customer. From unsolicited free stuff over the years, to the old "loyalty upgrade" program, to them being receptive to even folks here, I always felt that they were trying hard to give us the best system out there. Since AT&T took over, I have always felt that their goal was more about getting me as a mobile customer each time I called than actually helping me. I just don't "feel the love" anymore. I'm still sticking with them until something better comes along (for my purposes, I haven't found that yet), but if something does come along that gives me what I need, I'd leave in a heartbeat. Never said that before, and in fact, when HD became popular, I called my cable provider and they came in a little cheaper, but decided to stick with DirecTV because their CS was much better.
 
#80 ·
At this point I believe DIRECTV has the exclusive rights to NFLST - but the catch is that they have the rights as a satellite service. They can't extend their rights to UVERSE or AT&T TV without modifying their contract. It basically places the streaming rights in limbo. The NFL cannot offer a streaming NFLST any easier than they could offer NFLST via a cable system. (The deal allows DIRECTV to offer a streamed version of NFLST on a limited basis.) Limbo until the end of 2022.
 
#81 ·
Wasn't there a streaming version with PlayStation a couple of years ago?

Assuming DirecTV has exclusive rights nationally for all distribution, does AT&T have a proven streaming distribution platform? DirecTV/AT&T Now isn't quite the what's needed, and the HBO Max platform hasn't been trialed/released. Fox Sports Go, ESPN+, or NBCSN are examples of proven sports platforms.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#82 ·
I plan to see what Verizon offers in the tv realm. Just the day before the Superbowl my dish started getting a communication error. Luckily, I went to friend's house and watched the game. I didn't have to pull my hair out of my head. Yesterday - It came back. If I see a package I like - So long DIRECTV. I'll come back and see how you guys are holding up and expect some: You are not even a customer anymore and all that Jazz!
 
#83 ·
Had a scheduled upgrade to 4K today. No-show, no-call from the technician. I call DirecTV and get some lame excuse with barely an apology. No offers of discounts for the inconvenience.
I had the opposite experience when upgrading to 4k. I scheduled it online. First available slot? July 4th, a national holiday!!! First or second install window. Chose first window. The guy showed up! He did grab the wrong STB (a 44 instead of the 54 requested)... went back to shop to get it... upgraded my equipment and everything went great. He suggested for my setup, to put the HR54 in our office (non-4K TV) and just have the C61K in our HT console connected to a 4K TV. One less STB - that didn't even cross my mind. Plus, since I used an AM21 (now a LCC) and didn't need the second line coming into the office for sat service anymore, he spliced my antenna line in the crawlspace (from the greatroom) into that second line for me. He was willing to do it but gave him some cash anyways. He did me a huge favor.

Though, of course, this upgrade came with a 2-yr agreement, we had no immediate plans to leave/switch providers anyways. We'll see what happens in the summer of 2021. We're satisfied with our decision...
 
#84 ·
I just found this forum since I've been so frustrated since the AT&T takeover. Service looks for every possible reason to put the problem on the customers shoulders instead of looking for a solution to a problem. Calling technical "help" results in a call to India which I simply can not understand, and has never resulted in any "help" whatsoever. I call about my dish and they said that it isn't their dish, and they wouldn't touch it. DirecTV used to assume responsibility, even offered to clear it of snow. Now the price of service goes up regularly, and the service continues to deteriorate. I will be looking for streaming alternatives only due to the horrendous treatment that I think AT&T has imposed on its customers. It is a shame because the basic product is good when some semblance of support is available.
 
#88 ·
Left Directv a couple of years ago now. Was tired of the stupid fees (HD, Whole Home, RSN, etc.). Was tired of "packages" and renting boxes and pretty much all of it. Started out with Sling and loved it. Had Blue and the 4 extra pack for about 50$ a month and it worked perfectly. Sling didn't have my locals though so as soon as YouTube TV became available in my area I jumped on it It's works perfectly and is only 54$ a month. I don't miss DirectTV at all.
 
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