DirecTV Stream & LG TVs

Curious if anyone is in the same, or similar situation to mine?  I'm an AT&T TV customer, who, as a result of the AT&T / DirecTV  acquisition, was converted into a DirecTV Stream customer.  I have 2 TVs, both of which are LG, and was advised that because I have LG TVs, I can't download the DirecTV app to watch TV.  But, I was advised that it's not an issue, because I can watch TV, same as before, using the AT&T TV boxes.  All would be good.

However, all was everything but good.  Indeed, my experience since being switched to DirecTV Stream can best be described as incessant, and incredibly annoying / frustrating buffering.  On BOTH tvs. 

It happens when I first select a channel, while I'm watching a show (typically happens several times while watching a show), and when I fast-forward or rewind.  This is true for both live TV and DVRed programs. I get the infamous and much-dreaded message that the "video is loading" and thanking me for my patience. The buffering can take approximately one minute to resolve, but on many occasions, a second message pops up advising things like there was a temporary issue playing the content, so I should please give it a moment and try again; or that it was taking to long and I should retry. 

I held off calling AT&T and DirecTV as I was certain that it would involve multiple calls, lots of bad advice, and no one being able to resolve the issue.  After approximately 8 or 9 months of this, I finally gave in.  This past Wednesday, I made my first call.  And, as suspected, engaged in calls over the course of the next 3 days, amounting to a good 5-6 hours of my time.  They thought the issue could be my internet speed.  Which everyone immediately dismissed as impossible, not because they actually checked it, but because they saw that I had Internet 1000, so, it "must not be the issue." One DirecTV tech told me to press the red button on The Device.  When I finally confirmed that The Device was the AT&T TV box, I pressed it, advised that nothing happened, and the tech essentially said, "well, the only thing I am reading is to tell you to press the red button; I can't help you any more."  Nice.  On Thursday, Day 2 of my calls, a technician decided that the issue was that I had defective devices, so they would send me new ones.  A few hours later, I received an email advising that they replaced my devices, I hadn't yet returned the defective devices, so they had charged $129.90 against my account.  I was incredulous (a nice way of saying my brain exploded with the thought Are you fn kidding me???)  Can yo say deceptive and unfair business practices?  I called the number in the email, was on hold for 45 minutes, and when someone picked up, they told me I had called the wrong department.  More (Edited per community guidelines)!!! 

Day 3, Friday, and more calls.  On my first call, I spoke to a very sweet lady from Loyalty.  She asked me to check the speed with my SmartHome app, and while the speeds seemed ok, she wanted to connect me with a Tier 2 Tech to confirm and schedule appointment at my apartment.  In addition, she also wanted to connect me with DirecTV Stream Loyalty, so they could also help.  The Tier 2 AT&T Tech was not available, so she gave him my number and asked him to call me when he could.  She then connected me with DirecTV Streaming Loyalty, and they determined that the best solution would be to use the DirecTV Stream app.  They stayed with me on the phone while I started the process to find the app.  Which didn't exist / wasn't available for me to download.  And then I remembered: the DirecTV Stream app was not available for LG TVs. The tech said "well, not to worry, because the replacement boxes are on the way, and once you swap those for the defective devices, you'll be fine."  He also told me he can't help me with the $129.90 charge...he said he couldn't see that any such charge was levied against me.  I pressed on that, insisting that someone, somewhere, has to have a record of it.  He then said, "oh wait, let me check this other system that I have access to....yep, there it is...ok; I just removed it / cancelled it."  Sigh.  While we were on the phone, the Tier 2 AT&T Tech called, but I missed the call.  I called back AT&T, asked for a Tier 2 Tech.  I'm reasonably certain the tech I was connected to was not Tier 2.  He decided that for the TV near the modem, I should use a cable to connect the modem to the AT&T TV box, and for the other TV, I needed to switch frequencies - - from the speedier 5 mhz to the 2.4 mhz.  Neither change worked, and switching to the 2.4 mhz frequency actually made things worse.  

Is there anyone else out there with the combo of DirecTV Stream + LG TV?  If so, is / was buffering part of your daily TV-watching experience?  And how did you deal?  I'm trying to decide if I should find another "cable" provider (the only other option in my building is Spectrum), cut the cord and go with something like YouTube TV, or something else?  And any suggestions on where to post a complaint to DirecTV Stream?  I pay almost $200 / month for a Premium Package, and my experience has been anything but premium.  And, in case you haven't figured out from this post, I am beyond irate. 

Thanks in advance for all who chime in.  I'd love to learn if anyone else is in my boat (or close thereto) and, if so, how y'all are dealt with / are dealing with it.