Good plans and TV reception. Worse customer service ever.

The service "DirecTV Stream" (bring your own device) has no contract or fees. The service "DirecTV Via Internet" does have fees and a contract. You subscribed to the wrong service. The Gemini device is not available via DirecTV Stream

Your post is interesting.  Directv website shows 2 plans, either streaming or satelite dish.  We have a streaming service through Frontier internet service.  We use Roku remotes on 3 tv sets and they work fine.  We have Gemini device on 1 tv set- it works, but no better than Roku remotes and is more expensive.  Do you have a website which compares Directv stream vs Directv Via Intenet?  Thanks.

DirecTV Stream is a service like FUBU, Hulu TV,  or YouTube TV. DirecTV Via Internet is a offering for DirecTV Satellite for those you do not want a dish. DirecTV and DirecTV Stream are 2 different subscription services offered by the company DirecTV. 

You can review the offering of DirecTV Stream here

Yes having those 3 services can cause confusion with the similar naming.

DirecTV: Service by satellite.

DIRECTV STREAM: Streaming-only, similar to other streaming services (Hulu, YouTube TV, etc.)

DirecTV via Internet: Streaming-only, but is is setup very similar to the satellite service. So fees and required DirecTV equipment (Gemini) are the same concept for the billing model.

When the box is deactivate (including if entire account is canceled), the Non-Return Fee (NRF) normally charges to the account if not logged in within 21 days. You cannot offer to pay something that hasn't charged yet, as that is how the system is built.

You say you were expecting to pay the NRF after the 2 years. Did you send the box back without canceling it first? That would be half the problem (since the account wouldn't be expecting a return and final billing wouldn't be ready). If over the phone cannot resolve the return being accounted for, I would open a BBB complaint. This gets forwarded to corporate. Make sure to have your UPS receipt showing they took possession of that exact equipment.

As a note, there is not a 2 year rental on the Gemini. If you got the service where you could purchase one, the cost may be spread out over the 24 months (instead of all at the start). But the contractual service, you have your receiver services that pay for as long as you have the service regardless if you are still under contract or not.

If by chatline you meant the text chat on their website, then I do caution on that. They are supplementary to regular support, and I have seen to many instances of questionable (or outright wrong) info provided by that method. And no transcripts get saved to the account. So I prefer calling in, but if ever you use chat (with any company), make sure to choose the option to save your own transcript.

Juniper- your post is very concise and informative.

We have Directv Stream with roku units on 2 TV sets and 2 optional gemini air units.  We called initially and they stated the gemini air units can be installed to an old TV which only has cable connections, not USB or HDMI.  It couldn't be connected, so we sent it back and it was lost.  There is no written log of the call, which is why I always prefer chatlines.  My philosophy with any company- if it's not in writing it didn't happen.

My last question: what if the remote was lost or stolen in a break-in.  Would I be required to pay monthly charges on the Gemini remote until the 2 year Directv contract is completed (BTW- we like the TV service itself and we wouldn't cancel early even without penalties).  Seems very unfair but we will live with it until we can go elsewhere after the 2 years is up.

It's not alot of money in the monthly charges of the Gemini unit but I prefer to deal with people or companies that I can trust. 

The fee for remote replacement is a one-time charge only. Thank you for your insights @Juniper. Denjylene, DIRECTV Community Specialist

Thank you Denjylene.  So the question is: if the Gemini Air unit is stolen, what would happen?  The answer is: pay monthly charges until the 2 year Directv contract expires/cancelled and then get charged for non-return fee of $120.  It seems more than fair, to pay the non-return free now and not pay monthly charges for an unit that was lost.  I was hoping to stay with Directv for many years, as we are pleased with the service.  I will not stay with companies that don't care about their customers and even their chatlines on their official websites are unreliable (see above statement from Juniper).  That is confirmation for my first comments: worse customer service ever!

I understand. We can file a claim on the lost device. We'll send you a DM now. Denjylene, DIRECTV Community Specialist

If stolen from the home such as a break-in, then that is through your home insurance or such. That is not DirecTV's responsibility.

If lost in transit, that is brought to the attention of DirecTV and UPS. The BBB route is last resort if contacting those two through normal support cannot resolve.

Calling support the system logs that the account was accessed, and at bare minimum captures a key word (something like billing, cancellation, etc.) from the voice system. So there is an auto record you called and in general about what topic. This has helped other customers where the agent didn't save the notes (forgot or next call came through that kicked them over to the new account). With chat on the website, that was confirmed a while back that no transcript is saved to the account (so no notes). Unsure if it has an autolog like when you call. But chat isn't full support, only a supplementary team. So for those reasons I prefer to call but I understand wanting a written record of your own.

In my experience DirecTV is not the worst customer support, but I did perceive it took quite a hit after AT&T took over and tried to merge everything. Now that DirecTV (and their other TV services) are spun back into their own entity with the new co-owner, I hope it will gradually improve over time back to the quality they were known for.

Directv Help- still waiting for your DM.  (Edited per Community Guidelines)

We already sent you a DM. Direct Message (DM) icon (text/speech bubble) is located in the upper right between the notification icon (bell) and "directv.com" and you must be logged into your account to have access to it. Denjylene, DIRECTV Community Specialist

@wander1704 

If the DM icon hasn't shown up, try clearing cache/cookies and then closing all browser windows and tabs and log back in.

It will show at the top (from right to left) your profile picture/icon, Notifications (bell icon), Direct Messages/DMs (speech bubble/text box), and then the link to the DirecTV website.

The Gemini Air device was apparently found and charges for this device was removed from our account.  I have been enjoying the plan and service that Directv provides.  We plan to be happy customers for a long time!

Great to know, @wander1704. We're glad you love using DIRECTV. 💙 Denjylene, DIRECTV Community Specialist

Glad to hear. Tracking down the equipment should not have been that much of a hassle.