Refund on extra charges

So why did it take a year to notice this?  DTV assumes that the billing is correct if they are not notified of a billing error within 3 months and will not credit back more then that. 

DirecTV has a 60 day billing dispute policy. Though often they count the current service month, so up to 90 days in practice. They need to be notified in a reasonable time. For those that don't read the bill and notice that late doesn't work in their favor.

Now if you had initially disputed in proper time, then request a supervisor when you next call. If that doesn't work, or you had already done that, a BBB/FCC complaint would be the next step.

I know it was crazy of me not to notice before now. Guess I always looked at balance. It's ok. I definitely learned from my mistake. Just out of $168. Life goes on

If you start a service, or make changes (such as adding/removing TVs on the service, or swapping out boxes), I would suggest reading the next bill or 2 in detail. That way you can check on any proration from the change and verify the full regular bill going forward.

Being aware of the balance each month is still a good practice. Too many people use autopay as an excuse why it is not their fault they didn't notice a change in what they were paying for months or years on end. So you are still ahead of the curve there compared to many others.

I shake my head at those that don't notice they pay for the NFL Sunday Ticket for at least 3 years in a row as the bill jumps up for 6 months during those installments, which showcases how irresponsible some people can be with their finances. If they even just looked at the balance, like you have been doing, they would have caught it in time to make changes to their account. So though this mistake was a little costly, you saved yourself from much worse. Just a little extra caution going forward and you shall do fine.