# BBB Warns Satellite TV Customers



## Phil T (Mar 25, 2002)

From today's Denver Post

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_16047574


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Kind of old news and DirecTV doesn't work with the BBB. 

The complaint really revolves arounf early termination fees which is a common source of complaint in many industries (i.e. cell phone).

I guess it could be solved by making ETF's illegal, but watch what that does to pricing. As long as Americans continue to expect something for nothing it's going to be a problem.

Read before you sign. DirecTV and Dish should be required to post ETF's in 14pt fonts.


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## Stewart Vernon (Jan 7, 2005)

Yeah... termination fees bite... but people love their free equipment on sign-up. When people pay up front the true cost for install + equipment, there aren't termination fees.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

"the consumer protection agency". Wrong. The BBB, despite its purposefully confusing name is neither an "agency" nor a "bureau" of any government, nor a law firm, nor ANYTHING with any authority over anything. It is a business itself which profits from selling its "seal of approval". It has an opinion. Shockingly one about two businesses that do not pay for its approval.

"These businesses are too big to function, and they don't care about customer service," Andrews said. Well that settles it. Some guy in Colorado does not like DISH. Lets shut it down. Exactly what are his complaints? What was done to him that is so different from the other 30M satisfied DBS customers? Could it be as simple as "I signed a contract to get free equipment, and no longer wish to live up to its terms." Exactly how "big" are thing supposed to be, Mr. Andrews. And where did you get your MBA?

"one of more than 50,000 ... a staggering number even for companies with more than 30 million satellite-TV subscribers" This wannabe Geraldo seems pretty easy to "stagger". If we assume that every complaint was legit (and BBB simply records "complaints", you could call and say your toaster was really a secret Air Force spy system and GE would get a minus one) and that every complaint was original (and BBB in fact accepts complaints from the same person over and over) that is a complaint rate of far less than 1/5th of 1%.

Poor reporting. From a newspaper that owns TV stations. A clear conflict of interest.


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## James Long (Apr 17, 2003)

"El Segundo, Calif.-based Direc-TV received 39,000 complaints and Dish received 13,000, which covered problems with service, billing, cancellation fees and other issues."

Over three years.

More people left DirecTV and DISH every three days in the 2nd quarter than complained to the BBB in the past three years. While both companies politely commented in the story the complaints are really not that bad considering the number of people voting with their wallets to change/drop providers.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

I loved the comment from the person that apparently complained to DirecTV about all the reruns, and wants the Government to get involved.


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