New Member
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4 Messages
Holy Mother of God
I know this is an old complaint, but by virtue of it being old you'd think they'd try to fix it.
Before NHL Center Ice started, contacted chat to try and stop it. Long story short, despite promises, no luck. They billed me anyway.
Called. Really dreaded it because of the lack of USA help, which is why I tried chat. Long story short, not remedied.
Called again. Rep in again some far off land promised it would be fixed. Of course it wasn't. Instead, a day later I got an email reminder to pay it.
Called again today. Phone tree wouldn't put me through until I paid the past due. That wasn't happening. Googled it, saw that if you slam "0" a few dozen times you get someone. That worked. Asked for a supervisor. Far off land rep tried to stall me, I insisted on waiting. Finally got a supervisor I could NOT understand very well so I had her repeat everything. This frustrated her. Think about MY frustration. There was only one record of me contacting them. Despite that, got supervisor to admit problem wasn't fixed. She tried to say I was still on the hook for the late fee. When I asked for HER supervisor, she agreed to erase all past due money that I never owed in the first place. She gave me her first name but refused her last name. I said you have MY last name, but got her ID number instead. All this for a whopping $29.58 in fees I don't owe. She refused my request for a confirmation email, despite me reminding her they didn't hesitate to email me when they thought I was late.
So we'll see how it goes. I know they'll never fix it, but their business model of outsourcing the call center is irretrievably broken. It results in no accountability. I told the supervisor to take the frustration she felt towards me and channel it to the people I know she can see who didn't do their jobs. Had they corrected my issue, we never would have spoken.
She said something unintelligible and we hung up.
Accepted Solution
Juniper
ACE - Expert
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22.9K Messages
2 years ago
This is common for call centers. First name and ID for their privacy and protection. Unfortunately there are those out there who would be so upset at a company, or so infatuated or such with an individual agent, they would use that knowledge to harass them or worse.
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CobbTotem3
New Member
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215 Messages
2 years ago
Call the main number say billing then loyalty department. Explain to loyalty agent your issue. You should always call after the Season ends and tell them to shut ff auto renew and check before the Season starts the auto renew is off. Get a reference number, name of the person you spoke with and have you account.
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DK58
New Member
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4 Messages
2 years ago
I wasn't given the option of saying "billing". The automated voice kept repeating that my account was past due and I needed to pay it before I could go any further. Finally the repeated "0" worked.
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CobbTotem3
New Member
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215 Messages
2 years ago
@DK58 1-800-288-2020 say billing then loyalty. I have had Sunday Ticket auto renew after I shut it off after the Season. I only knew because I called in 6 weeks before the Season started and Sunday Ticket was set to auto renew so I had them turn it off again.
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DK58
New Member
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4 Messages
2 years ago
Juniper
ACE - Expert
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16.9K Messages
2 hours ago
This is common for call centers. First name and ID for their privacy and protection. Unfortunately there are those out there who would be so upset at a company, or so infatuated or such with an individual agent, they would use that knowledge to harass them or worse.
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This type of rote response is more condescending than anything else. I know your function here is to say something in defense of Direct, but it's insulting. I realize companies do this, but you must know saying "everybody does it" doesn't make it right.. Forty years ago when I worked in a business that had a call center, workers were assigned fictitious names to give to customers. That way, the customer was usually appeased and also had the name of someone to reference when the inevitable call had to be made to say the problem wasn't fixed. When a customer hears "we don't do that" the negativity of hearing the word "don't" just adds to the negative perception. Moreover, we all know the rep is 5,000 away. It's ironic and also insulting again to have a company that knows all about me and cold calls constantly to ask me to add services and sends me emails to tell me I'm late with a bill I don't owe would think I'm hopping on a plane to harass the rep.
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21K Messages
2 years ago
So what is the difference first name and ID number or a fictitious name?
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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22.9K Messages
2 years ago
@DK58
Was nether a rote or condescending. Gave factual reason why call centers for most companies don't provide anything more personal than that.
Wrong. I participate in discussion and provide guidance where I can. I am not in the forum to provide defense for DirecTV. I simply addressed one of your issues, that I have seen others on occassion make the same complaint (and not just about DirecTV). I decide to give some new perspective and not simply repeat other guidance you have been given.
You are going overboard taking things as insults when someone just tells you the facts
That business I feel went too far. I understand when someone has to difficult a name, they may provide a simpler (sometimes referred to as "Americanized") version of it to make it easier to communicate with the customer. But to be purely fictitious crosses the line for me. That feels more like give someone a fake name because their true name would insult the "true blooded American" being from another country, color of skin, or a woman ("gasp" to the weak of heart who cannot contend with they are not the center of the universe).
It is right for an agent to provide first name and their employee ID number. That way you have official identification that is honest without putting the agent at risk.
That applies to human nature. People don't like the word "no" or any form of it. Jobs I have had tend to stress say and focus on what you can do. Don't say "no" even if that is the factual answer. Thankfully I don't work in an environment where I have to sugar coat or coddle people.
Depends as not all are outsourced. There are still call centers in country. I could get one hundreds of miles away or within 50. All agents can tell me is what State they are in at the most. Though with the recent spin-off with the new co-owner I wonder if they will change that.
Again you are taking something personal that is not. This is their policy for ALL customers, not just you. They are not singling you out and neither is any other company. It is the few out there that have acted so badly that they have this in place for everyone. You may not commit such an act, but there are those out there who have performed such atrocities.
If your account is past due, the system automatically sends those emails. That is how billing systems are setup. They are not personally typing up an email everytime a person is behind on a bill. Not a small individually owned business where they type up everything themselves. And even then, the computer age helps automate the mundane work.
As for cold calls, historically that is outbound 3rd party sales, not a DirecTV employed agent. I really wish they didn't use them. I will contact DirecTV anytime I want to make a change or add something. So I just opt out of outbound promotions.
As a side note, copy/pasting forum badges means nothing to this discussion. I don't participate because of the badges. Normally I forget they are there because I don't care about them. This is the day and age when people need constant achievements to feel better about themselves like other forms of media and video games. So the forum was built with that mechanic because it is expected in today's world.
In any case, explaining why rules are they way there are and sharing those facts is neither condecending nor an insult to you. They have their polices on dealing with all customers, not just you personally.
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DK58
New Member
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4 Messages
2 years ago
Their insistence
"Juniper"-
You might as well stop responding. Your word salad gibberish does nothing but make customers angrier. You're here to defend Direct. DO NOT LIE and say otherwise. In all of the garbage you've spewed my way, of course NONE of it addressed the actual problem I had- that Direct was unable to address the fact they charged me for something I did not subscribe to and then went on to put me in late status, despite multiple attempts on my part to address it. Their insistence on outsourcing customer service only serves to compound the incompetency. That they use bots or whatever you are to address it only makes it worse.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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22.9K Messages
2 years ago
@DK58
I am not here to defend DirecTV. That is not a lie as you insinuate. I get you're upset, but no need to take it out on me because you don't like what I say. I have posted at times against DirecTV/AT&T in the forum.
I will respond in any discussion I feel like. If you find what I say gibberish, then I suggest taking the blinders off and seeing the world for what it is. Facts and honest obversations have been presented. You can leave your false accusations or assumptions at the door.
Yes like others I do wish they would reduce their outsourcing. Unfortunately short staffing since the pandemic has been a big factor. People are not running out the door to apply for call center work where they have to deal with people who are in a bad mood, don't listen, and demand what they want regardless of the rules. And they are viewed as a petris dish since they are not set for social distancing but quite the opposite. I've known people who have worked call centers and did not have much good to say about the working environment.
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