Deceptive and predatory AT&T - DirecTV billing practices

This is a customer to customer forum no one from DTV/AT&T will call you.  We have no access to any accounts so you will have to check your bills to see what happened to increase it.   You are in the new billing cycle doesn't matter if it is one day or 1 second.

@shannon02  it almost seems like his promotions ran out therefore increasing his bill

The unethical issue is that even if the bill is sent by email, it is generated and sent after the billing cycle has started and there is no opportunity to avoid the increase.  This policy cheats an entire class of their customers into paying at least one increased bill.  This is a predatory practice and I believe and hope courts will view it as such.

Of course it is generated at the end of the billing cycle, that is when the new billing cycle starts.

The date you where installed is the start of the billing cycle, the next day the bill is generated and sent.

Monthly discounts show on the bill counting down. So if you had looked over your bills there would have been no surprise and could have adjusted your service or canceled before that happened. The small rate increase (up to $10 depending what you have) had notification in December 2018, with new rates going into effect in January 2019. The updated terms about Cancellations go through at end of cycle regardless of when you call (even if it is day 1 of the cycle), also went into effect in January 2019 with notification November 2018.

Here are those 2 notices for reference.

Please read this if you receive DIRECTV and/or AT&T Fixed Wireless service(s). We want to remind you that you’re billed in advance for recurring service(s) and/or programming charges and applicable fees based on the terms of your current service agreement(s) with us. Starting January 14, 2019, subject to applicable laws, we’re updating your agreement(s) to include your recurring service(s)/programming charges and fees won’t be prorated if you cancel the above service(s) on any day other than the last day of your billing cycle. Your service(s) will continue until the end of your billing cycle but you won’t get a refund (prorated credits) for any remaining days left in your billing cycle. For products not listed above, refer to their terms of service for more information. 

Questions about this change? Go to att.com/ProrationPolicy for more information and to see the revised section of your service agreement(s).

Load of crap!!! I  had service a total of four months and each bill went up significantly. I just got a $1700 bill in the mail from this crazy company. Charging me $400 a month for DIRECTV and Internet service. I’ve turned it over to the FDC As well as contacted corporate officers. Customer Service is laughable at best

@Summer1976 

Bill should never go up every month unless changes are being made or in the rare case discounts lined up to end each of those months. If you only had service for 4 months, something was wrong with your account if no changes were made. Premiums like HBO are free for the 1st 3 months so bill 4 would be higher if you didn't remove the premiums before their free trial ended. And a $1700 bill is shocking to say the least as I cannot even fathom past due getting that high.

Unless you were setting up a unusually large account, then something is very wrong based on the amounts you mentioned (especially reaching $1,700). I would be curious to see what portion of that is from DirecTV itself and exactly what it is for.

Just madness is the only way to describe DirectTV and I am determined to get an itemized paper bill so that I can share this fraud and contract  discrepancies with the FCC, BBB, and any other organization I can think of.  Eventually after treating enough customers like this, it will start  affecting their profits. It may take a very long time but this company will be its own demise...

Strange, the bill should already be itemized. Log into your account which should be www.att.com since you have only been with DirecTV 4 months (older accounts go to www.directv.com if they haven't been migrated into the new system yet).

If you choose to share the bills here, make sure not to include sensitive personal info (name, address, phone number, etc.) as this is a public forum. Just the line items of the charges and credits (and payments made to see how it all lines up) is what is looked for. Sometimes those of us who have had DirecTV for a long time can help make sense of things and give some guidance.

Summer,

You mentioned "I’ve turned it over to the FDC As well as contacted corporate officers". What is the FDC, did you mean the FCC, i.e. Federal Communications Commission?  I want to insure I touch all bases for complaining.  I also like your idea of complaining to the BBB.

As long as that unpaid balance remains on my account, I will continue pursuing complaints that DirecTV is forced to address and spending many times that unpaid balance in personnel costs. I just discovered the Consumer Fraud Legal Services web site that may help.

I just discovered another avenue to remedy this egregious and unfair AT&T billing policy.  Complain directly to your states Attorney Generals office.  They will followup and demand a response from AT&T.  They will also consider taking legal action.  My  states (www.ncdoj.gov) office informed me that the current top complaint is about AT&T/DirecTV.

They have also added years to your contract.  So good luck changing.  You'll have to pay the PREDATORS.  They don't ask, they just skip it into the paperwork.  But I saw it.  So now I have toll tomorrow to either change or stay.  And they're a loathesome, greedy, predatory company.  And a monopoly.  They were broken up once for this but now they are back.

Complaint to state DOJ regarding possible denial of "Rights to Cancel" rights.

I was shocked when I received my DirecTV bill on February 25th 2019 and it increased from a monthly charge of $9 to $153.34, more than a 1,700 per cent increase.  I called DirecTV on receiving that bill and explained I am on a fixed income and I cannot afford that service and requested cancellation of the service.  The agent explained that I was already paid up through the 21st of the following month of March and the service would be terminated on March 21st. What the agent did not explain and what I learned through the AT&T-DirecTV customer blog was that whether it is one second or one day after the bill is produced, the amount for the entire month was due for the next month (see policy statement below).  Since I didn’t receive the bill until 4 days after the anniversary day of the 21st there is no opportunity to cancel. The policy is unfair since there is no proration or period of opportunity to cancel when significant material changes represent a new contract.

I have documented all my calls and conversations with eight agents trying to resolve this. I have contacted DirecTV on 4/27 and was assured by Terrell the charge will be removed since service was cancelled.  Again on 5/30, after receiving a past-due notice, I was assured by Ruby the charge will be reversed. Both these different agents falsely indicated that the charge would be removed.  In both instances the charges were not removed. I am now receiving threats that the past due bill will be turned over to a collection agency or that national credit bureaus will be contacted.

This appears to violate the North Carolina Right to Cancel laws. This AT&T-DirecTV policy should be challenged and the company forced to compensate or refund all customers caught in this unfair billing practice trap. These are unethical and predatory billing practices and should be investigated by the DOJ  and/or additional regulatory agencies.

Statement of Policy:

Please read this if you receive DIRECTV and/or AT&T Fixed Wireless service(s). We want to remind you that you’re billed in advance for recurring service(s) and/or programming charges and applicable fees based on the terms of your current service agreement(s) with us. Starting January 14, 2019, subject to applicable laws, we’re updating your agreement(s) to include your recurring service(s)/programming charges and fees won’t be prorated if you cancel the above service(s) on any day other than the last day of your billing cycle. Your service(s) will continue until the end of your billing cycle but you won’t get a refund (prorated credits) for any remaining days left in your billing cycle. For products not listed above, refer to their terms of service for more information.

Questions about this change? Go to att.com/ProrationPolicy for more information and to see the revised section of your service agreement(s).

AT&T - DirecTV

Dallas, TX 75202

[Edited to comply with Guidelines]