Contributor
DirecTV Fee Threat
Has anybody have similar issues?
Somewhere in the first half of 2016, I advised DirecTV to terminate the service on one of my receivers since I had not used it in a year and did not plan to purchase a TV set for that receiver anytime soon. I followed their protocol and returned the receiver on 07/07/16.
It is almost 3 years since and at least once every year when I review my financial performance for the past year I have had to call DirecTV to reverse the charges for said receiver!
This year on 02/01/2019, I called again and was told that the receiver line was never disconnected up until that day! Now that DirecTV's error is finally corrected I am being threated with a non-return fee for the receiver that I had previously almost 3 years ago!
DIRECTV, IF YOUR ARE READING THIS:
I reiterate that I returned Receiver model C41-500 on July 07, 2016! Ever since, I have routinely called at least once a year to reverse the fees for the additional TV that I was being charged monthly for almost 3 years! Only during my latest call on 02/01/2019 was I told that the receiver line was NEVER discounted previously. Therefore, I don’t owe you DIRECTV any receivers!!!
Juniper
ACE - Expert
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20.5K Messages
5 years ago
If charges for the TV ($7 currently) were still showing, that was proof the box was not deactivated. If issue was supposedly corrected, I would have reviewed the following bills to be sure. What I am puzzled by is that was during the old process where they sent you a return kit, which they cannot do while the box was still active. Did you use the box that DirecTV sent you (by FedEx) and used USPS (the Postal Service, not UPS) to send it back or did you use a different method?
Minor clarification, the C41 is a Mini Genie Client, not a receiver. No tuner of its own so is a Client of your Genie receiver.
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PJ-Direct
Contributor
5 years ago
Yes we did all that we were instructed to do. And once I received our June '16 and July '16 bills for with the $7 charge were still not removed I called again. In the meantime we returned the DirecTV return kit on 07/07/16 with the C-41 genie, cables and remote in the packaging that was sent to us by DirecTV. Luckily my wife had the presence of mind to take photos. See attached.
I want to email DirecTV my displeasure for record purposes but their apparent contact seems limited to phonecalls and chat. Do you know of an email address? It's obvious that the telephone is not the best way to do business with DirecTV!
Thank you.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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20.5K Messages
5 years ago
Very nice photo records. Including showing the return label that was behind the original shipping label (some people don't realize that when they got their return kit).
As long as you sent it back by United States Postal Service (USPS / Post Office) and not United Parcel Service (UPS), then a couple of things. Check with the post office to make sure it was delivered, and not lost in transit. I would also call DirecTV 1-800-531-5000, when you get the voice system say "cancel" (routes you directly to their retention/loyalty department that is usually more experienced agents), and request with the agent to speak with a supervisor because of an ongoing issue that too many agents could not resolve. Like most companies expect the agent to offer help first, as they don't want agents avoiding their job, but up to you if you want to give them the chance or declined and still get a supervisor.
They will need to check the day the return order was created as that should have been automatic by the system only with the deactivation of the box. So they need to see if perhaps some agent managed to create a return kit manually, which with no deactivation of equipment on that day would be an obvious error, or if after the return kit was created that the Client was reactivated (which may not of closed the return kit if too far along in processing). That is the only way I could fathom that the additional TV/Client fee continued for what was not supposed to be active any more.
If on the other hand the box was dropped off with UPS, that chances of resolving this situation drop. In that event you would have to contact UPS to see if they might have a box sitting in a corner somewhere as it is undeliverable being that they are not the shipper. If in this case box is found by UPS, just like if family member sent to drop off box but forgot (someone else in the forum awhile back had this exact issue as their son forgot), then this becomes easier. AT&T changed the return process for DirecTV about a year ago. Now you take the box (with access card if full receiver, unlike Client which has no access card of its own) to a participating UPS store and they scan in the box itself to show they have possession of it. No more waiting on return kit to package everything up yourself and shipper takes more responsibility.
With return kit, but the monthly fee for the TV never credited for box being disconnected, most likely means a manual return kit was created which was not the correct process. But I would still contact DirecTV and speak with a loyalty specialist or their supervisor to confirm to get this straightened out. As long as they can confirm return of a box that didn't deactivate (or reactivated accidently), then it should be straight forward to credit the time it should have been off the account.
Wish I were an employee, not a customer, as I would love to dig into the system records to correct situations like this.
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