# DirecTV's customer service sucks when trying to set up new service when in a divorce



## PennHORN (Sep 13, 2007)

My wife is divorcing me. I moved out of the house. She still has DirecTV service with all of the same equipment remaining there. I move into an apartment and currently have cable. I would like DirecTV service at my new place.

Like almost everything, the account for the house was in my name. Common sense would say that DirecTV should switch the account holder's name from mine to my soon to be ex since nothing is changing. That's not the DirecTV way. The DirecTV way is to hassle and inconvenience their customers because of their byzantine systems and policies.

They want to set me up with Mover's Connection and move **** out from the house which NONE of us want to do and then have my wife get service in her name. That would mean sending receivers back and getting the same damn ones back. What inefficiency and stupidity! The customer service reps suck but it is the brainiac in charge of operations that needs to be shot.

Additionally, I have been a customer since 2007. I had HR20-700 and had OTA enabled with a big old-school TV attena. I had the home wired with network cable and was a beta tester of Whole Home DVR and had it activated through my home network. The LNB in the Slimline goes bad and the idiots replace the HR20s with the junk HR21 so she loses OTA and Whole Home DVR capability. Not my deal since I don't live there but that is dumb that a tech comes and you lose functionality.

If it wasn't for the Sunday Ticket and the fact that Comcast's DVR is a steaming pile of **** in Houston, I would told these idiots to bug off. I basically am a cord cutter with my 6TB NAS and Boxee Box.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

PennHORN said:


> That would mean sending receivers back and getting the same damn ones back.


No it wouldn't.

You would move. They would come install the dish and do the install at your new place with your CURRENT receivers.

What your wife wants to do would be up to her (new install or go with cable).

Those receivers are in your name and your responsibility. I would have yanked them out anyway.

I'm sorry your frustrated, but it seems logical to me.


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## SPACEMAKER (Dec 11, 2007)

Maybe an email to Ellen Filipiak (sp?) is in order on this. I don't have her email handy but perhaps someone can post it.


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## MarkG21 (Jan 4, 2010)

You keep your receivers with the movers connection.


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## wahooq (Oct 19, 2011)

Why would he call Ellen...this isn't an issue that they can resolve. He can take the equipment with him if he leaves it at his ex's home then it will still be in his name, she needs to open her own account.


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## maartena (Nov 1, 2010)

Obviously, in a divorce, ONE of you will end up with a new service, and ONE of you will keep DirecTV.

DirecTV, like any company, doesn't really care about your personal life. I can tell you HORROR stories about AT&T and having to change a name on a account when my father in-law passed away. 

Since anyone can claim anything, you'll have to do it the proper way. Since the account is in your name, your wife has nothing to say about it. You pack up the receivers, move them to your appartment yourself, and the Movers Connection from DirecTV will send a installer out to put up a new dish, and connect all the receivers.

What your wife does for service at your old place, is up to her.

You can also transfer the existing account TO your wife, or you can cancel everything alltogether and both of you will get new service. She will get it in her name, and get new customer specials as she never was a customer, and you will get it in your name with new customer specials as your name is not connected to the new address. This way you will have to send back the old receivers, and you'll get new equipment in return.

If there still is a ETF in place due to a contract, moving the service or transferring it into her name is probably the way to go.

Whoever gets to watch their DVR'd content first, (or at all), well, THAT is your problem to figure out, you can't divorce the content to a new DVR.


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## myselfalso (Jan 26, 2006)

PennHORN said:


> They want to set me up with Mover's Connection and move **** out from the house which NONE of us want to do and then have my wife get service in her name. That would mean sending receivers back and getting the same damn ones back. What inefficiency and stupidity! The customer service reps suck but it is the brainiac in charge of operations that needs to be shot.


The Mover's Connection would be the correct thing to do since you, as the owner of the account, moved. You keep your receivers, so I'm not sure why you think you'd be sending them back. Also, I don't think anyone needs to be shot. I think that's going far beyond necessity.


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## Billzebub (Jan 2, 2007)

My daughter was divorced a little over a year ago. She kept the house. The Directv service was in her husband's name. Directv changed the account into her name without a problem.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

PennHORN said:


> My wife is divorcing me. I moved out of the house. She still has DirecTV service with all of the same equipment remaining there. I move into an apartment and currently have cable. I would like DirecTV service at my new place.
> 
> Like almost everything, the account for the house was in my name. Common sense would say that DirecTV should switch the account holder's name from mine to my soon to be ex since nothing is changing. That's not the DirecTV way. The DirecTV way is to hassle and inconvenience their customers because of their byzantine systems and policies.
> 
> ...


Your opening sentence says it all. Your wife is divorcing you. After she and her lawyer are through DirecTV's "byzantine systems and policies" will be the least of your problems. Why should you care what she wants. The account is in your name. Do what others have suggested and take advantage of the Mover's Connection and it's benefits.


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## n3vino (Oct 2, 2011)

MysteryMan said:


> Your opening sentence says it all. Your wife is divorcing you. After she and her lawyer are through DirecTV's "byzantine systems and policies" will be the least of your problems. Why should you care what she wants. The account is in your name. Do what others have suggested and take advantage of the Mover's Connection and it's benefits.


If he leaves the equipment and the account in his name, he will be responsible for payment and the equipment. If she doesn't pay or return the receivers, he will be up the creek in charges from D*. He's already out of the house. He can cancel D*, but good luck trying to get the equipment out. He needs to run that by his lawyer.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

n3vino said:


> If he leaves the equipment and the account in his name, he will be responsible for payment and the equipment. If she doesn't pay or return the receivers, he will be up the creek in charges from D*. He's already out of the house. He can cancel D*, but good luck trying to get the equipment out. He needs to run that by his lawyer.


True. But he has a legal right to retrieve his personal property and property that's in his name. If necessary the police can be contacted by he or his soon to be ex to monitor his actions while doing so. He also has the option of suspending his DirecTV account until the divorce is finalized. And yes, he needs a good lawyer.


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## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

Billzebub said:


> My daughter was divorced a little over a year ago. She kept the house. The Directv service was in her husband's name. Directv changed the account into her name without a problem.


Eventually this will be caught and she will be locked out of the account completely. She's better off being proactive about it than having to deal with a situation that won't be enjoyable.



MysteryMan said:


> True. But he has a legal right to retrieve his personal property and property that's in his name. If necessary the police can be contacted by he or his soon to be ex to monitor his actions while doing so. He also has the option of suspending his DirecTV account until the divorce is finalized. And yes, he needs a good lawyer.


+1 the same thing can happen in the case of smoeone passing away and but the account holder is not a spouse. Technically they cannot remove anything from the home until probate determines that the equipment is not part of the estate if there are legal disputes going on.


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## maartena (Nov 1, 2010)

Billzebub said:


> My daughter was divorced a little over a year ago. She kept the house. The Directv service was in her husband's name. Directv changed the account into her name without a problem.





Shades228 said:


> Eventually this will be caught and she will be locked out of the account completely. She's better off being proactive about it than having to deal with a situation that won't be enjoyable.


Am I missing something here? It would appear that the daughter in this case was pro-active about it and Directv change the account into her name without a problem. If DirecTV approved the name change, why would she be locked out of the account at some point?


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## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

maartena said:


> Am I missing something here? It would appear that the daughter in this case was pro-active about it and Directv change the account into her name without a problem. If DirecTV approved the name change, why would she be locked out of the account at some point?


DIRECTV didn't someone did something that shouldn't have been done. So that means if someone identifies the mistake and corrects it she wouldn't have access as they are no longer married. So to avoid any issues I stated what should be done so there's not an issue. I'm also not implying that she did anything wrong as there's no reason for her to know that it shouldn't have been done and that she could have problems in the future.


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## Billzebub (Jan 2, 2007)

Shades228 said:


> Eventually this will be caught and she will be locked out of the account completely. She's better off being proactive about it than having to deal with a situation that won't be enjoyable.


Except they called DIRECTV, the account was put in her name and they have even been out and installed whole home since it was switched to her name.


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## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

Billzebub said:


> Except they called DIRECTV, the account was put in her name and they have even been out and installed whole home since it was switched to her name.


Believe me or don't I'm just giving you what could happen if it gets caught.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

Shades228 said:


> Believe me or don't I'm just giving you what could happen if it gets caught.


You'd hope D* wouldn't be stupid enough to anger a customer by freezing her account through absolutely no fault of her own, but then again, this is the same company that is willing to anger high end customers by refusing to activate multiple HR34s, even if the unit was bought from one of D*'s distributors with no notice about the absurd policy, leaving those customers with an essentially worthless piece of equipment.


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## Billzebub (Jan 2, 2007)

Shades228 said:


> DIRECTV didn't someone did something that shouldn't have been done. So that means if someone identifies the mistake and corrects it she wouldn't have access as they are no longer married. So to avoid any issues I stated what should be done so there's not an issue. I'm also not implying that she did anything wrong as there's no reason for her to know that it shouldn't have been done and that she could have problems in the future.


What do you mean "DIRECTV didn't"? She called and explained the situation and they changed it.

If you are implying that a CSR did something they should not have and my daughter will somehow be held responsible then maybe it's time I joined those that are always screaming about a lawsuit. Her sister really is a Harvard Law grad.


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## wahooq (Oct 19, 2011)

Billzebub said:


> What do you mean "DIRECTV didn't"? She called and explained the situation and they changed it.
> 
> If you are implying that a CSR did something they should not have and my daughter will somehow be held responsible then maybe it's time I joined those that are always screaming about a lawsuit. Her sister really is a Harvard Law grad.


Shades is correct...there is no way to "change the name on an account" legally....without opening an account in ones own name. Eventually the exhusband will want DTV service...call in ..be told there is a hold on his account and it will be found out that the account is actually in his name....see it every day


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## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

raott said:


> You'd hope D* wouldn't be stupid enough to anger a customer by freezing her account through absolutely no fault of her own, but then again, this is the same company that is willing to anger high end customers by refusing to activate multiple HR34s, even if the unit was bought from one of D*'s distributors with no notice about the absurd policy, leaving those customers with an essentially worthless piece of equipment.


The distributors have known since day 1 that only one is allowed per account and that they are required to have that information on their website or informed in the ordering process. If a person was sold something under false pretense or without disclosure then they have the ability to seek recourse with the distributor they purchased it from.



Billzebub said:


> What do you mean "DIRECTV didn't"? She called and explained the situation and they changed it.
> 
> If you are implying that a CSR did something they should not have and my daughter will somehow be held responsible then maybe it's time I joined those that are always screaming about a lawsuit. Her sister really is a Harvard Law grad.


I'm saying that DIRECTV did not approve this but someone did something that shouldn't have been done. So when detected it should be corrected. Because your daughter is not married to the real account holder anymore she's not authorized to be on the account and therefor will no longer be able to do anything with it.

I'm happy for her sister but it's not really relevant to this situation is it. Your daughter would just be told to sign up for her own account and that would be that. You could easily tell her yourself to avoid all of this as well and then there isn't any issues.


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## n3vino (Oct 2, 2011)

Billzebub said:


> Except they called DIRECTV, the account was put in her name and they have even been out and installed whole home since it was switched to her name.


You said they called. Sounds like he canceled the service, and then she provided her own credit card, and opened an account in her name? Is that what happened?


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

Shades228 said:


> The distributors have known since day 1 that only one is allowed per account and that they are required to have that information on their website or informed in the ordering process. If a person was sold something under false pretense or without disclosure then they have the ability to seek recourse with the distributor they purchased it from.


The distributors aren't getting $100 plus dollars a month in cash flow from the customer for the next 24 months, D* is.

So what you are saying is, that despite it being no fault of the customer, it makes good business sense to tell the customer, sorry we won't activate the $300 plus DVR, which is now no more useful than a boat anchor, go deal with the distributor? Makes alot of sense.

If I was a shareholder, I would hope D*'s leadership would have more business acumen than that. I would also hope they would instill enough training in front line CSRs or, at a bare minimum, their supervisors, to have common sense and activate a receiver or not freeze the divorced woman's account, so that they can keep that cash coming rather than angering the customer.


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## Billzebub (Jan 2, 2007)

n3vino said:


> You said they called. Sounds like he canceled the service, and then she provided her own credit card, and opened an account in her name? Is that what happened?


I'm not sure, but if you go to her account online and review the bills teh last year's bills are in her name and the bills prior to that are in his name and she kept the same equipment, except for the H25 she just had installe din my granddaughter's room.

Maybe she should be entitled to a new customer offer instead.


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## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

Billzebub said:


> I'm not sure, but if you go to her account online and review the bills teh last year's bills are in her name and the bills prior to that are in his name and she kept the same equipment, except for the H25 she just had installe din my granddaughter's room.
> 
> *Maybe she should be entitled to a new customer offer instead.*


They're divorced so she would be and it would be the correct way to have it done.


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## Billzebub (Jan 2, 2007)

Shades228 said:


> They're divorced so she would be and it would be the correct way to have it done.


I wasn't being flipiant. She's out of the country right now, but when she gets back we'll make some calls.


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## Shades228 (Mar 18, 2008)

Billzebub said:


> I wasn't being flipiant. She's out of the country right now, but when she gets back we'll make some calls.


Either was I, I was just highlighting the part I was responding to so there wasn't any confusion. If it seemed that way it wasn't intended.


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## bobcamp1 (Nov 8, 2007)

PennHORN said:


> My wife is divorcing me. I moved out of the house. She still has DirecTV service with all of the same equipment remaining there. I move into an apartment and currently have cable. I would like DirecTV service at my new place.
> 
> Like almost everything, the account for the house was in my name. Common sense would say that DirecTV should switch the account holder's name from mine to my soon to be ex since nothing is changing. That's not the DirecTV way. The DirecTV way is to hassle and inconvenience their customers because of their byzantine systems and policies.
> 
> ...


Texas is a community property state. Did you get D* before the marriage? If so, it's your service and your leased equipment so get those DVRs, dish, and other boxes out of there ASAP. It doesn't matter what you WANT to do, it's just part of divorce.

If you got D* AFTER the marriage, then the service is both of yours no matter whose name is on the account. If the judge awarded the service to her (either by ruling or by you and your ex agreeing), D* is legally required to change the name on the account to her name (I'm not talking D* "legal", that is just corporate policy. I'm talking actual state law). Then she'd be the old customer and you'd be the new customer.

If the judge awarded service to YOU, get those receivers and dish out of there ASAP.

Your daughter, though, is not entitled to the service (unless maybe your ex has died).


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## Mervis (May 15, 2012)

I'm in the opposite postion of OP.

My bit......I mean woman, left 3 years ago :lol:. I set up D account in her name at this address in 2001. Had D in my name at previous house but wanted new equipment so it made sense at the time to change and be a new sub.

I have done all the dealings with D for the whole time. I don't think she has ever spoken with them. I just say I'm her husband. My name is the username for the online account. 

Dilema: I keep getting offers in the mail in my name at this address, which has never happened before, with all the offers (NFL, money off etc.) and I can't resist the shiney things. So I want to cancel the old and get the new. Thought I read on here at one point that they may not allow. 

What does anybody think about this? 

Thanks.


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## n3vino (Oct 2, 2011)

bobcamp1 said:


> Texas is a community property state. Did you get D* before the marriage? If so, it's your service and your leased equipment so get those DVRs, dish, and other boxes out of there ASAP. It doesn't matter what you WANT to do, it's just part of divorce.
> 
> If you got D* AFTER the marriage, then the service is both of yours no matter whose name is on the account. If the judge awarded the service to her (either by ruling or by you and your ex agreeing), D* is legally required to change the name on the account to her name (I'm not talking D* "legal", that is just corporate policy. I'm talking actual state law). Then she'd be the old customer and you'd be the new customer.


 I'm no lawyer, but based on experience, the only way that D* is legally required to change the name of the account, is with a court order, which I doubt the judge will do. The only thing worth a flip on a Texas divorce decree is child support and possesions. Every thing else, such as who will pay what debts, is a contract between the spouses, approved by the judge, and if one defaults, they have the option of being sued in civil court. If the decree states that the equipment is his, and she won't give it up voluntarily, the OP can go with law enforcement to take out whatever has been awarded to him.

In Texas, wage garnishment is not allowed other than for child support. Since D* is not part of the action, they will go after the person or credit card, who's name is on the account, for non payment and equipment. Most likely, it will go on both's credit report. Collection agencies, however, will call whoever they can get on the phone and make all kinds of threats, including legal action, and become a pain in the butt to that person until the account is paid. They won't care who pays it.

So the only recourse D* has, as per what I've read on these forums, is to deny the address, as well as the account holder, service until they get their money and/or equipment.

Again, I'm not a lawyer. The OP needs to see a lawyer. In Texas, property is divided equally, but lawyers will do everything to get the most for their client and stick it to the other person.


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## Old_School (Nov 29, 2011)

This is all interesting to me....


When my wife and i where separated and where starting the divorce process i called D and explained everything (the account is in her name) and ask them with her not living there how could i get D in my name?

I was told by 3 CSR's that the ONLY way to have service here in my name was to have HER call and cancel the D service and then I would have to call and sign up as a new customer. 

Then, i have seen several times where the name was just changed.... i guess its a matter of what CSR you get?

BTW, we ended up working everything out and cancelling the divorce so i never had to worrie about it..


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## n3vino (Oct 2, 2011)

Old_School said:


> This is all interesting to me....
> 
> When my wife and i where separated and where starting the divorce process i called D and explained everything (the account is in her name) and ask them with her not living there how could i get D in my name?
> 
> ...


 HOw would just changing the name work? What about the credit card on file? If the name is changed and the new name has to provide a credit card, isn't that the same as canceling and getting new service except without all the discounts? On the other hand, if the name is changed and the same credit card is kept on file, isn't that defeating the purpose? Or will they accept the new name without a credit card? I wonder what would happen if they were still under contract.


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## Old_School (Nov 29, 2011)

n3vino said:


> HOw would just changing the name work? What about the credit card on file? If the name is changed and the new name has to provide a credit card, isn't that the same as canceling and getting new service except without all the discounts? On the other hand, if the name is changed and the same credit card is kept on file, isn't that defeating the purpose? Or will they accept the new name without a credit card? I wonder what would happen if they were still under contract.


Honestly not sure how that would work.... we have NEVER used a CC with D... we signed up at a local place and we send our bill snail mail with a money order every month... :eek2:


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Billzebub said:


> What do you mean "DIRECTV didn't"? She called and explained the situation and they changed it.
> 
> If you are implying that a CSR did something they should not have and my daughter will somehow be held responsible then maybe it's time I joined those that are always screaming about a lawsuit. Her sister really is a Harvard Law grad.


I have to wonder if they didn't just add her as a person who is authorized to make changes to the account, maybe?


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