Misrepresentation and false information with pricing and billing

On Monday, August 12th we called Directv and spoke with a representative in the Loyalty Department about our agreement running out on August 24th (we have been with Directv for 18 years). After discussions regarding our agreement the agent adjusted our bill, gave us multiple discounts for being a loyal customer. During the discussion the agent sent us an email notification clarifying the bill to pay due August 22nd. The total due by August 22nd was now $64.58, changed from $96.47 (see attached screenshot below). This email also had a link to click leading to the AT&T site which further explained the adjusted bill to pay and showed the same total of $64.58. The link further showed our price per month for the next 12 months which was minus the NFL ticket price, but included $12,25 off the NFL ticket for 6 months. The agent provided us an order number and informed us that all we would need to do was simply call Directv after August 24th, speak to the loyalty department, reference the order number and the new monthly bill would be, $74.58 + $48.99 = $123.57 for 6 months then be $74.58 for the last 6 months. Prior to calling on August 12th and receiving the new price of our August bill at $64.58, I had already scheduled the bill to auto pay by August 22nd for $96.47 (the original total). I figured, as had happened in the past, they would simply credit us the ($31.89) difference on the next bill.

Come August 29th we received our Directv bill for September, due September 22nd. We were shocked by a few things. 1st, the bill was $274.37. Upon looking at the statement online AT&T not only didn't show the a credit for $31.89 applied to the September bill, it claimed the previous balance was never paid (my bank statement said otherwise). 2nd, none of what we were informed or received were implimented for the August bill regardless of the call, email or link they provided us showing what was agreed upon. *The bill, minus the auto payment we made, was $177.90.

We didn't think much of it and figured once we spoke to the loyalty department and referenced the order number, all would be rectified, adjusted and would be fine. On Wednesday, September 4th we checked our acct balance with Directv before calling. The amount due for September 22nd was adjusted to $177.90 (the payment on August 22nd was applied). We called Directv and spoke to the Loyalty Department as instructed by the agent on August 12th. Upon giving the agent the order number and some explaining as well as referenced the email and link we received on August 12th with the price for August and the 12 month price that would follow, the very nice agent said she needed to speak with her manager and placed us on hold. She kept returning and apologizing for the length of waiting for an answer from her manager. 15 minutes later she informed us the manager was not only refusing to apply that order number, but we were also told the agent we spoke to on August 12th made a mistake and the price and email was wrong. The manager was not only refusing to stand by the order number price they were not applying any credit of $31.89 to the current September bill due on the 22nd. We were stunned. We had an official document/email sent from AT&T with a link and they were refusing to stand by their own information and the agreement there of for not only August, but the next 12 months.

After being shocked about the manager's answer the agent tried to knock our bill down again. She did everything she could. At one time the computer would tell her we could receive the very discount that we were promised on August 12th. Then she said, now it's not showing as available. The new revised bill due is much higher than agreed to on August 12th for the next 12 months. The discounts are much less. The credit we overpaid they apparently are keeping. On top of all this, when clicking the link to the original agreement email from August 12th, the page it lands on is now adjusted to show the current agreement ($35 more than agreed to on the 12th and that's not including the NFL ticket cost).

Is this how AT&T has chosen to operate since taking over Directv? We as loyal customers of 18 years have been swindled and feel slighted. False information given. False representation. To be a customer for this long and continue to see new customers receive super cheap deals while they charge loyal longstanding customers the full deal only giving crumbs for discounts for loyalty. What's equally puzzling is for a couple months our local CBS station (channel 3) and their sister station (channel 49), which we pay for on Directv, were off the air while in a contract dispute with Directv and the local Fox station (channel 55) that we continue to pay for is still off the air due to contract issues with Directv. Yet we were/are still being charged for these local channels when not receiving them and still not receiving one of them. Directv/AT&T still keeps that money regardless of not providing their services we pay for. Not even a credit given.

We have heard of many folks who Directv raised prices on, broke agreements with or failed to give discounts to. These customers wind up purposely canceling services knowing in a couple days they'll receive a call from a Directv representative asking them to re-sign and offering them an extremely cheaper price similar of what's offered to new customers, in order to get them back. We have refrained from doing so as we wished to avoid that type of tactic. However with this recent smoke and mirrors show, we are looking elsewhere for satellite/digital programming providers. With the deal we thought we were getting, were promised and received an official email verifying that deal, we were considering switching our cellular provider from Verizon to AT&T. But considering all of what just transpired including the misrepresentation, false advertising and the non-credit given for overpaying our last bill, it's apparent AT&T/Directv management are not customer oriented at all.

18 years of loyalty gets not only far less of a discount than a new customer, but also gets you ripped off and taken advantage of (false information, false emails, failure to credit on an overpay, failure to credit for missing channels paid for over several months. I can only imagine what others have experienced. Should we not receive a call or contact from AT&T reinstating the original deal we were given on August 12th for August and the following 12 months as well as receive our $30+ credit for over paying August, we will be sure to not only leave this report on every scam reporting and complaint site we will be dropping their services by the end of this month. This is absolutely ridiculous and bad business practices all around. I feel sympathy for AT&T's agents who work these deals out and provide customer service only to be pointed to and blamed by their own non-customer oriented management. This is what 18 years of loyalty gets a customer. Money taken, false information and false documents.