# Directv harasses customers



## kojak32 (Jan 1, 2009)

I would like to take a moment to let you know about my recent and ongoing experience with DirecTV. First I will admit that this began because my wife overlooked paying the DirecTV bill this month on time. This is the first and only time this has ever happened and must have been an oversight due to the holidays. So my wife received a phone call from DirecTV, it was a recording for her to call them back. She did so and this was on Monday of this week. She found out that the bill was passed due and she made arrangements to have the bill paid by the following Monday. The representative seemed to be helpful and understanding and said they would take the number out of the system for future calls. Thus begins the harassment by DirecTV. Another call comes in later that day, and again she tells the rep that an arrangement was made... this rep tells her there are no notes on the account and that she needs to pay the bill, or make another arrangement. After speaking to this rep they tell her they will accept the arrangement to pay the bill on Monday and have noted the account and the calls will stop. Skip to the next morning and another call, that afternoon another call, that evening another call. You get the idea. I asked to speak with supervisor repeatedly and they were never available and or refused to allow me to speak to the supervisor. I spoke to customer service and was hung up on more than once first by a rep and then by a supervisor. I never became Irate or raised my voice but they still chose to hang up on me. I finally called the presidential line which I would be more than willing to give out the phone number here for anyone else that has issues and needs them to be resolved. The reps in this department were extremely helpful and understanding. They also are aware that the company they use for calling on passed due accounts is BREAKING THE LAW! The first rep I spoke with on this line assured me that the calls will stop and she would take care of it herself. While she was help full in other areas such as re-aging the account so it is no longer passed due the calls still continue to come in multiple times per day, so I called the presidential line again and spoke with another rep her name is ANN. She too said this is not what they are supposed to do and since I had called regular customer service on the other line and had a supervisor on the phone she wanted them to tell her which company was being used for these calls... the supervisor was very rude even knowing I was speaking with the complaint department on the other line.. he told me that if I don't pay my bills I will keep being harassed until the bill is paid. Well not only is that against the law but it is also very rude and now it has become the principal of the thing. If DirecTV can't hold up their end of the contract nether can I. The rep in the presidential department said she would call the company and the calls will stop. Well the calls have not stopped and they have increased, yesterday we received 6 phone calls from them and the account is not even passed due anymore. My next call will be to the attorney generals office and my attorney and I am seriously considering suing DirecTV for harassment. I have never been met with such poor customer service in my life and it is increasingly becoming the way this company has decided to conduct business. There seems to be no accountability anymore, reps say what ever they want on the phones because they do not fear losing there jobs or being reprimanded. So listed are the names and operator numbers of some of the people I have spoken with. [Mod Edit: redacted names of individuals] This message will be sent to DirecTV and posted on a number of other websites including you tube. I will also send this to the Attorney Generals office. Sorry for the long rant.


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

Good luck.

Even though DirecTV is harrassing you, you still need to pay your bill.

However, I think you are right to understand the law and formally complain to both DirecTV and your state's attorney general. DirecTV's philosophy toward customer relations seems to be "laws be damned, the customer is always wrong."


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## dave29 (Feb 18, 2007)

ok....................


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## colebert (Aug 20, 2007)

I've read threads like these before. Usually someone posts the VP of customer relation's email address (ellen fillipiak?) and things get fixed.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

They never broke the law. The law (specifically the Fair Debt Collection Act) was followed to the letter in the interactions you've described:



> *How may a debt collector contact you?*
> 
> A collector may contact you in person, by mail, telephone, telegram, or fax. However, a debt collector may not contact you at inconvenient times or places, such as before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m., unless you agree. A debt collector also may not contact you at work if the collector knows that your employer disapproves of such contacts.
> 
> ...


Sorry you fell behind on your bills but they're just trying to get their money. Sure, they did it in a rude and inefficient manner, but they never broke the law.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

colebert said:


> I've read threads like these before. Usually someone posts the VP of customer relation's email address (ellen fillipiak?) and things get fixed.


He already contact them apparently and the situation is resolved.


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## kojak32 (Jan 1, 2009)

Excuse me tcusta00 but they did break the law. I happen to work in the collections industry for mortgage's and I can tell you that the law is clear that a company may not continue to call a person more than three times per day, and once contact (meaning the person speaks with the company and makes an arrangement to pay the bill on a certain date, they can't continue to call until the payment arrangement has been broken) please do your research better before you make comments about something you clearly don't understand. Also I did not fall behind on my bills, as I stated before it was an oversight on my part, and I take full responsibility for that. But once I have made it clear to the company how this matter will be resolved they can't continue to call me. Even the presidential department agreed that they should not still be calling me. 

Thank you.


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## thomas_d92 (Nov 29, 2004)

Your wife should have paid the bill with a credit card when they called the first time and you would not have had all the extra calls.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

Goodness. 

If this is the worst thing that happens in your life today, you are doing pretty well.

Suck it up and move on.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

kojak32 said:


> Excuse me tcusta00 but they did break the law. I happen to work in the collections industry for mortgage's and I can tell you that the law is clear that a company may not continue to call a person more than three times per day, and once contact (meaning the person speaks with the company and makes an arrangement to pay the bill on a certain date, they can't continue to call until the payment arrangement has been broken) please do your research better before you make comments about something you clearly don't understand. Also I did not fall behind on my bills, as I stated before it was an oversight on my part, and I take full responsibility for that. But once I have made it clear to the company how this matter will be resolved they can't continue to call me. Even the presidential department agreed that they should not still be calling me.
> 
> Thank you.


I'm sorry we disagree. I understand you're irritated by this, but it would probably be better for you if you let this sleeping dog lie. They made a mistake but proving that they broke the law (which I posted above) by suing them will be an exercise in futility I think. A better idea may be to file a complaint using the link on the FTC site.

I'm not trying to insinuate anything insulting by suggesting you fell behind on your bills. Sorry.


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## MIAMI1683 (Jul 11, 2007)

tcusta00 said:


> I'm sorry we disagree. I understand you're irritated by this, but it would probably be better for you if you let this sleeping dog lie. They made a mistake but proving that they broke the law (which I posted above) by suing them will be an exercise in futility I think. A better idea may be to file a complaint using the link on the FTC site.
> 
> I'm not trying to insinuate anything insulting by suggesting you fell behind on your bills. Sorry.


 I agree a little that no lawsuit is necessary. I also agree they shouldn't keep calling him. I also believe once contact has been made they can't call again untill the arrangement date has been missed (I could be wrong). Now having said that Dirctv called me a couple of monthe back because I had an $800 bill. Asked if it was correct and when I said no. They researched and fixed their error! They NEVER called me back. I just got an email that said "sorry". No one should be harrassed at home or at work.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

kojak32 said:


> Excuse me tcusta00 but they did break the law.


Not to prolong this...but...you both may be right...as there are federal and state collection laws....so depending on the state of residency, the practices and accepted activities may vary.

In any case, the situation is simple. The bill was passed due, a collection call was made, and apparently a follow-up call (un-warranted) was also made.

The OP made a simple mistake to forget to send the payment, and this should all resolve itself. Pretty much case closed.


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## tcusta00 (Dec 31, 2007)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> The OP made a simple mistake to forget to send the payment, and this should all resolve itself. Pretty much case closed.


Yessir, case was indeed closed before the thread was started. The OP wanted to let off a little steam at DirecTVs mistake, which is fine, but to threaten a lawsuit over what is seemingly a computer error is a little over-the-top. He made a mistake in forgetting to pay. They made a mistake as well. He escalated it, got it resolved, and now it's done.


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## gquiring (Jan 8, 2006)

Why more folks just don't have their bill paid automatically to a credit card or checking account is just archaic. I make two manual payments a year now, both are to Uncle Sam around tax season. Everything else is on auto pilot. It's so easy and you avoid any late fees or hassles like this one.


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## JLucPicard (Apr 27, 2004)

gquiring said:


> Why more folks just don't have their bill paid automatically to a credit card or checking account is just archaic. I make two manual payments a year now, both are to Uncle Sam around tax season. Everything else is on auto pilot. It's so easy and you avoid any late fees or hassles like this one.


And it also becomes so much more hassle than it's worth when they make a billing error (see MIAMI1683's post) and your credit card - or worse, your bank account - takes an $800 (or some other large amount) erroneous hit! In a case like that, an auto payment against the checking account can cause SCORES of problems, not just with DirecTV, but anyone else who happens to try to cash your check, or has their 'auto-payment' declined because there are now no funds to draw on. And some people may not have a large credit line credit card, or not enough room on it to take a large hit that should never have been charged in the first place.

I haven't experienced this because I do not allow 'automatic' access to my accounts. All due repsect, I'll take the archaic any time over turning control of my money over to a faceless, computerized process that will only cause ME problems when they screw up!


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## JLucPicard (Apr 27, 2004)

To the OP,

I hope you have gotten this situation rectified in a manner you favor.

Two things I got from reading your post. After the intial payment arrangement was made, why keep taking those phone calls? Just ignore them, make the payment when you arranged to and that's it. Yes, getting the calls is a bit aggravating - especially when there were arrangements made to take care of it, but continuing to answer the calls and engage the collectors is just not the further aggravation I would want to subject myself to.

Secondly, paragraphs are your friend! 

Most of all, Happy New Year, and welcome to DBSTalk! :welcome_s


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## jerryg25 (Dec 26, 2008)

I wonder how D does their billing. Recently i had a problem that showed up when i went on line to pay my bill which is usually 101 dollars and it showed 73 dollars due and a credit of 28. I was surprised to see the credit and figured they had made an earlier mistake or some kind of promotion. I paid on line like normal and recieved my mail bill and it showed 101 due. Confusioned, I was wondering which was right. Well a couple of weeks later i found out when my service was turned off. I went on line and it showed my normal 101 due plus 28 dollars overdue from the last bill. Well if their computers generate the bills why the difference? I paid the full amount on line and my service was restored in 10 minutes of posting. I started to call D to compain but figured i might as well bang my head into a brick wall. I believe that they have a problem with their billing at times and auto pay may not be all its cracked up to be. Computers make mistakes because they are controlled by data input from people. I will always pay my normal monthly billing no matter what the online price says i owe.


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## gfrang (Aug 30, 2007)

I really wouldn't make a big deal about this it could backfire on you.I now autopay most of the utilities except the gas that i pay what i can each month, i know what i can get away whit them.If you do what you say, you will only succeed in getting yourself upset.


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## hornetsfan30m (Jun 26, 2006)

kojak32 said:


> I would like to take a moment to let you know about my recent and ongoing experience with DirecTV. First I will admit that this began because my wife overlooked paying the DirecTV bill this month on time. This is the first and only time this has ever happened and must have been an oversight due to the holidays. So my wife received a phone call from DirecTV, it was a recording for her to call them back. She did so and this was on Monday of this week. She found out that the bill was passed due and she made arrangements to have the bill paid by the following Monday. The representative seemed to be helpful and understanding and said they would take the number out of the system for future calls. Thus begins the harassment by DirecTV. Another call comes in later that day, and again she tells the rep that an arrangement was made... this rep tells her there are no notes on the account and that she needs to pay the bill, or make another arrangement. After speaking to this rep they tell her they will accept the arrangement to pay the bill on Monday and have noted the account and the calls will stop. Skip to the next morning and another call, that afternoon another call, that evening another call. You get the idea. I asked to speak with supervisor repeatedly and they were never available and or refused to allow me to speak to the supervisor. I spoke to customer service and was hung up on more than once first by a rep and then by a supervisor. I never became Irate or raised my voice but they still chose to hang up on me. I finally called the presidential line which I would be more than willing to give out the phone number here for anyone else that has issues and needs them to be resolved. The reps in this department were extremely helpful and understanding. They also are aware that the company they use for calling on passed due accounts is BREAKING THE LAW! The first rep I spoke with on this line assured me that the calls will stop and she would take care of it herself. While she was help full in other areas such as re-aging the account so it is no longer passed due the calls still continue to come in multiple times per day, so I called the presidential line again and spoke with another rep her name is ANN. She too said this is not what they are supposed to do and since I had called regular customer service on the other line and had a supervisor on the phone she wanted them to tell her which company was being used for these calls... the supervisor was very rude even knowing I was speaking with the complaint department on the other line.. he told me that if I don't pay my bills I will keep being harassed until the bill is paid. Well not only is that against the law but it is also very rude and now it has become the principal of the thing. If DirecTV can't hold up their end of the contract nether can I. The rep in the presidential department said she would call the company and the calls will stop. Well the calls have not stopped and they have increased, yesterday we received 6 phone calls from them and the account is not even passed due anymore. My next call will be to the attorney generals office and my attorney and I am seriously considering suing DirecTV for harassment. I have never been met with such poor customer service in my life and it is increasingly becoming the way this company has decided to conduct business. There seems to be no accountability anymore, reps say what ever they want on the phones because they do not fear losing there jobs or being reprimanded. So listed are the names and operator numbers of some of the people I have spoken with. [Mod Edit: redacted names of individuals] This message will be sent to DirecTV and posted on a number of other websites including you tube. I will also send this to the Attorney Generals office. Sorry for the long rant.


D has up to 3 Times a day to call about a verdue bills. you cant take D to court over this it is a law


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

That might be the longest paragraph I've ever seen.


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## Gonesouth (Dec 26, 2007)

Wow, talk about throwing stones in glass houses. The family made a mistake and took care of it. D* made the mistake by continuing to call. I would have just hung up after the caller introduced themselves as the bill collector after you made arangements to pay.

Have a Great New Year!:bang


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## BKC (Dec 12, 2007)

spartanstew said:


> That might be the longest paragraph I've ever seen.


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## djwww98 (Jan 12, 2006)

That's an unacceptable way to do business. Even the most responible among us could miss a payment, not because we don't have the money... it just slips through the cracks, illness, traveling, whatever. Month after month, year after year, make that payment on time and one time it's late and you get treated like a deadbeat parent who won't make child support. Ridiculous. After the due date a phone call should be made, by the company, not a collection agency. Add on a late charge for their trouble, no problem. If no payments are made after the second billing cycle, that's when collections should enter the game, not before. If that happened to me, I would have wrote a letter to the President of the company, explaining what happened, and instructing him to cancel my service. That kind of escalation based on nothing more than a single late payment is totally unwarranted.


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## wingrider01 (Sep 9, 2005)

gfrang said:


> I really wouldn't make a big deal about this it could backfire on you.I now autopay most of the utilities except the gas that i pay what i can each month, i know what i can get away whit them.If you do what you say, you will only succeed in getting yourself upset.


Never used and never will use any form of autopay - if the bill is higher then you budgeted for, this will autopay also. safer to use online billpaying from your bank, go in and bay the bills thenre after your recieve tghe statement, that way you know what is coming out


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## gquiring (Jan 8, 2006)

wingrider01 said:


> Never used and never will use any form of autopay - if the bill is higher then you budgeted for, this will autopay also. safer to use online billpaying from your bank, go in and bay the bills thenre after your recieve tghe statement, that way you know what is coming out


For the folks that don't use autopay you must not have tried it. You have ample time to stop a payment if something is wrong. You get your statement or email well in advance of them charging your CC or checking account. I have been paying my bills for many years like this and never had an issue.


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## dodge boy (Mar 31, 2006)

I keep getting collections calls for my ex-wife, divoriced 7 years. I have even changed my number. I always call back and tell them this is not her number. I even told them that if the calls persist they (the collectors) will be working for me. I want to find my ex-wife, I will sue her to force her to change her lastname + damages for the herassment she causes me.....


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## gfrang (Aug 30, 2007)

wingrider01 said:


> Never used and never will use any form of autopay - if the bill is higher then you budgeted for, this will autopay also. safer to use online billpaying from your bank, go in and bay the bills thenre after your recieve tghe statement, that way you know what is coming out


What ever works for you is fine autopay writing checks, paying cash,bottom line is you got to pay your bills.I slip up or get in in a bind now and then but i cant blame no one but myself if it triggers collection calls, just deal whit it and go on. The OP is writing every one on the internet.


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## cmtar (Nov 16, 2005)

maybe its just me but I find it hard to believe that called that many times in that little amount of time.


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## Dolly (Jan 30, 2007)

cmtar said:


> maybe its just me but I find it hard to believe that called that many times in that little amount of time.


Yes I agree about that. And I wonder if there isn't something more about this story that we haven't heard
about :scratch: And may be I was having trouble following the posts, but at least at one point it sounded like the situation was solved before the thread was even posted


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## mx6bfast (Nov 8, 2006)

Dolly said:


> Yes I agree about that. And I wonder if there isn't something more about this story that we haven't heard
> about :scratch: And may be I was having trouble following the posts, but at least at one point it sounded like the situation was solved before the thread was even posted


There might be more, but I can believe the amount that the collection agency called, because it happened to me. We set one of our payments up on automatic debit when we changed banks. We were out for a weekend and came home and had numerous calls from the same number, which didn't match the number on the answering machine. When they called back and I was home I answered. I took care of it the first call, but still got one more later that evening. I told the 2nd person I have taken care of it already, and she said, oh yeah it says that right here. :nono2: When I followed up it turns out the person who entered my account number transposed 2 numbers. Luckily I was able to get the late fees credited to the next payment. 


colebert said:


> I've read threads like these before. Usually someone posts the VP of customer relation's email address (ellen fillipiak?) and things get fixed.


I would contact her and let her know of your troubles. You tried to take care of it on your own and that didn't work. It was bad CS on D*'s side.


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## TigersFanJJ (Feb 17, 2006)

djwww98 said:


> That's an unacceptable way to do business. Even the most responible among us could miss a payment, not because we don't have the money... it just slips through the cracks, illness, traveling, whatever. Month after month, year after year, make that payment on time and one time it's late and you get treated like a deadbeat parent who won't make child support. Ridiculous. After the due date a phone call should be made, by the company, not a collection agency. Add on a late charge for their trouble, no problem. If no payments are made after the second billing cycle, that's when collections should enter the game, not before. If that happened to me, I would have wrote a letter to the President of the company, explaining what happened, and instructing him to cancel my service. That kind of escalation based on nothing more than a single late payment is totally unwarranted.


This reminds me of something that happened to me a few years ago. I thought my wife had paid the insurance bill and she though I paid it, so it didn't get paid. We never receiver anything from the company we were using (major company, not a fly by night insurer) until the cancellation letter arrived telling us that we no longer had any home/auto insurance.

I went to the local office and admitted our mistake and was told the only way to fix it would be to pay the full amount of the policy instead of the month to month that we had been paying. No problem, we had a little extra in the bank at the time, so I went ahead and paid it. About three weeks later, we had the check returned to us by the main company with a letter along the lines of "due to your past payment history with us, we can no longer provide your coverage."

I couldn't believe how after 8+ years on paying on time (and never even had a single claim), they not only dropped me for one late payment, but did so without giving me so much as a warning call or letter. Not only that but it seemed they went out of the way to act as though I was a piece of s**t of a human being. It's been a few years now but I still can't figure out why anyone would turn down full payment in advance for anything they are trying to sell.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

Sounds like they sent your account to collections...

Just tell them to send you written letter stating that you own money. Then they have to do that... and in some states can't call you again till they do that...

As someone else stated, different states, different laws.. number of times per day, I think that would depend on state.

You should see what happened when my great uncle passed away. They closed his credit card accounts and they immediately sent it to collections and started calling my 87 year old 3/4 blind great aunt... It wasn't even past due. and they didn't say they where collections calling. they make themselves sound like the credit card company. We finally figured out what was going on, and then we got them to stop calling, cause she was going to pay the bill when it actually showed up, which it hadn't yet...

I'd never give ANY company access to my checking account. However, I set up as many as I can to be automatically charged to my amex... they are great. Because if anything is wrong on a bill, you haven't paid them yet, and amex will not charge you for it with one simple phone call till its all resolved... And it also means your never going to be late on a credit card payment...


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

dodge boy said:


> I keep getting collections calls for my ex-wife, divoriced 7 years. I have even changed my number. I always call back and tell them this is not her number. I even told them that if the calls persist they (the collectors) will be working for me. I want to find my ex-wife, I will sue her to force her to change her lastname + damages for the herassment she causes me.....


I suggest the next time they call, that you tell them they must send you the necessary documentation of why you are being called, and how you can get taken off their list to call, and prove that there is reason to call you, and if its not some truly legit reason, you will take them to court for harassment.


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## wingrider01 (Sep 9, 2005)

gquiring said:


> For the folks that don't use autopay you must not have tried it. You have ample time to stop a payment if something is wrong. You get your statement or email well in advance of them charging your CC or checking account. I have been paying my bills for many years like this and never had an issue.


Glad it is working for you, me I want 100 percent control on when I pay it and the exact amount that comes out.


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## mystic7 (Dec 9, 2007)

Maybe if you paused occasionally between sentences you wouldn't have aggravated the CSR's to the point where they hung up on you


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

gquiring said:


> Why more folks just don't have their bill paid automatically to a credit card or checking account is just archaic. I make two manual payments a year now, both are to Uncle Sam around tax season. Everything else is on auto pilot. It's so easy and you avoid any late fees or hassles like this one.


We do most everything electronically and the only checks we usualy write are to places like hair an dnail care, cleaning service, or one time thing slike the christmas tree lot that does not take cards.

However, after reading all the horror stories about DirecTV just stopping the auto payment, not telling you and shutting off the account, or double dipping or just generally screwing up as reported above (and from what I have seen Dish is no better), I will never put DirecTV on autopilot. We use Checkfree for them and pay each month electronically, but we see the bill and we decide to send the payment in. Lots of other payments we do use auto pay though.


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## kojak32 (Jan 1, 2009)

I want to apologize for my long rant and the fact that I only used one paragraph, at the time I was angry and wanted to get this posted.

I have gone ahead and sent an email to the CEO and other top level executives of DirecTV and the issue has been resolved. I received a call today from the office of the president and she was very concerned about this experience. She advised that the calls should have stopped now; which they have as of yesterday.

I again have to agree that this was my error in that we did not pay the bill on time. However I have been a customer of DirecTV for over 10 years, and I have never been late on my bill before, as stated it was an oversight on my part. However they were making me feel that I was some kind of degenerate that never pays their bills on time. The representative from the president's office also agrees that I should not have been treated this way and they have records of every person that I spoke with and the names are being sent to the CEO and other executives.

I now feel that I am getting the service that any customer deserves, and hopefully this experience will help DirecTV's customer service to improve. Sometimes you just have to take your issues to the top to get them resolved. I think that all of us can agree, when we have an issue with a company we just want to be treated with respect, after all, if it was not for customers they would not be in business.
​


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## luckydob (Oct 2, 2006)

This would be no issue if you paid this bill on time...mistake or not, this WAS SELF INFLICTED. So an error on your side causes this and you are complaining? I don't get it...You don't have to answer the phone. Typical reaction in society today. Why me!?!?! I know I didn't pay my bill, but why do they have to call me to get the money they are owed. Oh no, they called 3 times so I think I'll try to get them back for just trying to get the money they are owed. Sad...really. With the way the economy is going, your previous 10 years do not mean anything now. GM paid their bills for more than 10 years to many different people/corporations. DirecTV does not know how your personal finances are going...this "missed" payment should raise flags more than anything since you have paid "on-time" for 10 years. It would signal that maybe you can't pay now...


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## Sirshagg (Dec 30, 2006)

luckydob said:


> This would be no issue if you paid this bill on time...mistake or not, this WAS SELF INFLICTED. So an error on your side causes this and you are complaining? I don't get it...You don't have to answer the phone. Typical reaction in society today. Why me!?!?! I know I didn't pay my bill, but why do they have to call me to get the money they are owed. Oh no, they called 3 times so I think I'll try to get them back for just trying to get the money they are owed. Sad...really. With the way the economy is going, your previous 10 years do not mean anything now. GM paid their bills for more than 10 years to many different people/corporations. DirecTV does not know how your personal finances are going...this "missed" payment should raise flags more than anything since you have paid "on-time" for 10 years. It would signal that maybe you can't pay now...


:icon_lame
Nobody needs to be harassed like this, especially after the payment arrangements have been made and not missed.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

This thread would appear to have run its course....not sure what anyone might be able to add that hasn't already been said.....


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## luckydob (Oct 2, 2006)

Sirshagg said:


> :icon_lame
> Nobody needs to be harassed like this, especially after the payment arrangements have been made and not missed.


so...the op can make a mistake, but DirecTV cannot if you can even call it a mistake?!?! Why the double standard? Talk about LAME. 3 phone calls...I'm calling my attorney general. Get over yourselves already. IT'S JUST 3 PHONE CALLS to collect on something that was owed. Did we forget how the entire process started?!?!


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

luckydob said:


> so...the op can make a mistake, but DirecTV cannot if you can even call it a mistake?!?! Why the double standard? Talk about LAME.


The whole point here is that the calls continued even after he made arrangements to pay the bill... and after he was assured the calls would stop. Why do you think that is okay? Would it be okay for them continue after he paid the bill??


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## luckydob (Oct 2, 2006)

AirRocker said:


> The whole point here is that the calls continued even after he made arrangements to pay the bill... and after he was assured the calls would stop. Why do you think that is okay? Would it be okay for them continue after he paid the bill??


If it was the same day or 24/48 hours later it wouldn't be that big of a hassle. As much as people would like to believe that things are instantaneous and all changes can be made that way, it's just not realistic. Also, if this was outsourced to a collection group/agency then if they call DirecTV and make arrangements then DirecTV has to alert the collection team that is handling it. AGAIN, this does take some time, but in bizarro land where you apparently live things just happen with a snap of your fingers. It was just 3 calls...me, me, me...whaaaaa. Pay your bill on time and you have NO problem.

Just look at the caller ID and DON'T answer the phone. If they leave a message..delete it. SIMPLE...or you could, I don't know, pay your bill on time. Either way you have solutions to everything that ills you here. Contacting the Attorney General for 3 calls is a waste of time and a little over the top, don't you think?


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## Greg Alsobrook (Apr 2, 2007)

You've said "3 calls" about 5 times. Apparently, you need to go back and read the OP.

I agree not answering the phone is one solution, but you shouldn't have to do that. Pretty much everyone on this forum has probably missed paying a bill on time for one reason or another. Mistakes happen. I personally have missed a DirecTV payment due to a CC issue and I wasn't thrilled about the 10 calls I received either. If they're _that_ worried about it, they should just cut the service off immediately IMO. But I agree that it's not worth contacting the attorney general over it.


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## luckydob (Oct 2, 2006)

AirRocker said:


> You've said "3 calls" about 5 times. Apparently, you need to go back and read the OP.
> 
> I agree not answering the phone is one solution, but you shouldn't have to do that. Pretty much everyone on this forum has probably missed paying a bill on time for one reason or another. Mistakes happen. I personally have missed a DirecTV payment due to a CC issue and I wasn't thrilled about the 10 calls I received. If they're _that_ worried about it, they should just cut the service off immediately IMO.


10 calls, 5 calls, 3 calls....pay the bill and you get zero calls.

Everyone has an excuse...and it's never their fault. It's always D*'s fault. Here D* did nothing wrong, and I rarely side with D*, but c'mon, pay the bill on time. How late does the bill have to be before they farm it out to collection agency? 10 years of "not forgetting" and all of a sudden you do forget? Fishy...there are always 2 sides to each story.


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## Sirshagg (Dec 30, 2006)

luckydob said:


> 10 calls, 5 calls, 3 calls....pay the bill and you get zero calls.
> 
> Everyone has an excuse...and it's never their fault. It's always D*'s fault. Here D* did nothing wrong, and I rarely side with D*, but c'mon, pay the bill on time. How late does the bill have to be before they farm it out to collection agency? 10 years of "not forgetting" and all of a sudden you do forget? Fishy...there are always 2 sides to each story.


Hopefully you never fall of that extremly high horse.


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

luckydob said:


> Here D* did nothing wrong,


Sure they did. They made harrassing collections calls in violation of the law.


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## luckydob (Oct 2, 2006)

not a high horse...but I live in a world where things are not perfect. If something like this happens I realize that something may have gone wrong. It's not the end of the world to get 6 phone calls due to something where I initiated the problem. At the end of the day it's 6 calls you can ignore and will soon know that will go away. Remember that they scheduled the payment to post a few days after they called in. Possibly leaving this debt open on the collection side. So, go ahead and throw stones at my high horse...let me know how your glass house holds up. I live in reality...life is not fair, deal with it and move on....or, you know, call the attorney general and complain that your glass house is not rock proof.


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## luckydob (Oct 2, 2006)

Upstream said:


> Sure they did. They made harrassing collections calls in violation of the law.


DirecTV did or a collection agency? Also, please show me the law broken...with the proof.


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## BKC (Dec 12, 2007)

luckydob said:


> This would be no issue if you paid this bill on time...mistake or not, this WAS SELF INFLICTED. So an error on your side causes this and you are complaining? I don't get it...You don't have to answer the phone. Typical reaction in society today. Why me!?!?! I know I didn't pay my bill, but why do they have to call me to get the money they are owed. Oh no, they called 3 times so I think I'll try to get them back for just trying to get the money they are owed. Sad...really. With the way the economy is going, your previous 10 years do not mean anything now. GM paid their bills for more than 10 years to many different people/corporations. DirecTV does not know how your personal finances are going...this "missed" payment should raise flags more than anything since you have paid "on-time" for 10 years. It would signal that maybe you can't pay now...


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## luckydob (Oct 2, 2006)




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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

OK.....perhaps its time to call Nancy Grace on the case....:lol:


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## msmith (Apr 23, 2002)

luckydob said:


> 10 calls, 5 calls, 3 calls....pay the bill and you get zero calls.
> 
> Everyone has an excuse...and it's never their fault. It's always D*'s fault. Here D* did nothing wrong, and I rarely side with D*, but c'mon, pay the bill on time. How late does the bill have to be before they farm it out to collection agency? 10 years of "not forgetting" and all of a sudden you do forget? Fishy...there are always 2 sides to each story.


You have an awful lot of anger toward the OP. Did he steal your lunch money or something?


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## SPACEMAKER (Dec 11, 2007)

A person has to be fairly delinquent for the phone calls to start. Also, many times the calls are pre-programmed the previous day. The calls would have automatlcally stopped at 9pm that night.

But as already pointed out, pay your bills on time and no calls are made. It may have been an "oversight" but delinquent is delinquent regardless of the spin you want to put on it. And no one is so busy during the holidays that they have no time to pay a bill.


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## mx6bfast (Nov 8, 2006)

SPACEMAKER said:


> And no one is so busy during the holidays that they have no time to pay a bill.


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## Reggie3 (Feb 20, 2006)

kojak32 said:


> I want to apologize for my long rant and the fact that I only used one paragraph, at the time I was angry and wanted to get this posted.
> 
> I have gone ahead and sent an email to the CEO and other top level executives of DirecTV and the issue has been resolved. I received a call today from the office of the president and she was very concerned about this experience. She advised that the calls should have stopped now; which they have as of yesterday.
> 
> ...


Interesting to note that you never posted here before. I've been in the same boat as you - missed a payment to D* and got a call. I just put the bill on my credit card and the situation was settled.

You story makes one suspect that there is more to the story than posted (Oh wait this is the internet and everything is as posted)

And one more note - with caller ID - no reason to pick up the phone if you see D* is calling.


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## Cpt Guavaberry (Oct 16, 2007)

What's the Presidential line?


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## Ashtonian (Jan 31, 2007)

kojak32 said:


> I would like to take a moment to let you know about my recent and ongoing experience with DirecTV. First I will admit that this began because my wife overlooked paying the DirecTV bill this month on time. This is the first and only time this has ever happened and must have been an oversight due to the holidays. So my wife received a phone call from DirecTV, it was a recording for her to call them back. She did so and this was on Monday of this week. She found out that the bill was passed due and she made arrangements to have the bill paid by the following Monday. The representative seemed to be helpful and understanding and said they would take the number out of the system for future calls. Thus begins the harassment by DirecTV. Another call comes in later that day, and again she tells the rep that an arrangement was made... this rep tells her there are no notes on the account and that she needs to pay the bill, or make another arrangement. After speaking to this rep they tell her they will accept the arrangement to pay the bill on Monday and have noted the account and the calls will stop. Skip to the next morning and another call, that afternoon another call, that evening another call. You get the idea. I asked to speak with supervisor repeatedly and they were never available and or refused to allow me to speak to the supervisor. I spoke to customer service and was hung up on more than once first by a rep and then by a supervisor. I never became Irate or raised my voice but they still chose to hang up on me. I finally called the presidential line which I would be more than willing to give out the phone number here for anyone else that has issues and needs them to be resolved. The reps in this department were extremely helpful and understanding. They also are aware that the company they use for calling on passed due accounts is BREAKING THE LAW! The first rep I spoke with on this line assured me that the calls will stop and she would take care of it herself. While she was help full in other areas such as re-aging the account so it is no longer passed due the calls still continue to come in multiple times per day, so I called the presidential line again and spoke with another rep her name is ANN. She too said this is not what they are supposed to do and since I had called regular customer service on the other line and had a supervisor on the phone she wanted them to tell her which company was being used for these calls... the supervisor was very rude even knowing I was speaking with the complaint department on the other line.. he told me that if I don't pay my bills I will keep being harassed until the bill is paid. Well not only is that against the law but it is also very rude and now it has become the principal of the thing. If DirecTV can't hold up their end of the contract nether can I. The rep in the presidential department said she would call the company and the calls will stop. Well the calls have not stopped and they have increased, yesterday we received 6 phone calls from them and the account is not even passed due anymore. My next call will be to the attorney generals office and my attorney and I am seriously considering suing DirecTV for harassment. I have never been met with such poor customer service in my life and it is increasingly becoming the way this company has decided to conduct business. There seems to be no accountability anymore, reps say what ever they want on the phones because they do not fear losing there jobs or being reprimanded. So listed are the names and operator numbers of some of the people I have spoken with. [Mod Edit: redacted names of individuals] This message will be sent to DirecTV and posted on a number of other websites including you tube. I will also send this to the Attorney Generals office. Sorry for the long rant.


What you describe is a gross violation of the Consumer Credit Act.
I have been trained in collections, and you could retire on the settlement a proper attorney could obtain for you. The proper course of action is to sue in Federal Court.


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## PicaKing (Oct 8, 2006)

Ashtonian said:


> What you describe is a gross violation of the Consumer Credit Act.
> I have been trained in collections, and you could retire on the settlement a proper attorney could obtain for you. The proper course of action is to sue in Federal Court.


This makes sense--they guy gets a few annoying phone calls, and he should profit enough from that to "retire" on the money from a lawsuit. How ridiculous. We should close all the law schools and let the flock of attorneys thin out already.


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

PicaKing said:


> This makes sense--they guy gets a few annoying phone calls, and he should profit enough from that to "retire" on the money from a lawsuit. How ridiculous. We should close all the law schools and let the flock of attorneys thin out already.


I think he was being sarcastic.

In reality, the penalty against DirecTV is in the range of $1000 max. But the reason to complain about this is to (a) get DirecTV to fix their collections practices, and (b) to create a record of the problem, if DirecTV does not fix their practices and does the same think to other customers.


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## falken (Jun 14, 2007)

gquiring said:


> For the folks that don't use autopay you must not have tried it. You have ample time to stop a payment if something is wrong. You get your statement or email well in advance of them charging your CC or checking account. I have been paying my bills for many years like this and never had an issue.


You must have a different autopay with directv than I do. They bill the amount due the date they cut the bill and the bill always shows $0 due. When I get the email from directv that my bill is ready they have already charged my card.


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## turey22 (Jul 30, 2007)

falken said:


> You must have a different autopay with directv than I do. They bill the amount due the date they cut the bill and the bill always shows $0 due. When I get the email from directv that my bill is ready they have already charged my card.


With debit cards the amount due is taking 15 days after the bill comes out but you still get a bill showing zero balance. but with cc you get it taken the same day the bill comes out...i dont know what the other guy is talking about.


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## bigsatch (Jan 3, 2009)

Just my opinion but I think every male should be responible for paying their OWN or the household bills. Then you know if they are payed or not. I personally go into my bank every 2 weeks,then go home and pay my bills by check. I can see exactly what is going on. I may be archaic or just don't trust anyone with my money especially women! 
My freind directed me to this site for quality info.,which I receive. However most of the threads on here are a waste of time to read. People are constantly complaining about something. They're not getting all their national HD channels like Lifetime--do you really need Lifetime in HD? Not paying their bill and complain about harrassment. The best one was the guy who has 3 big screen tvs 8 receivers and the premiere package for 6 years and then complaining fiercely with fireballs about a $5.99 DVR fee, are you kidding me? 
Please go back to constructive threads not b***** sessions save that for your wives!


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## PicaKing (Oct 8, 2006)

bigsatch said:


> Just my opinion but I think every male should be responible for paying their OWN or the household bills. Then you know if they are payed or not. I personally go into my bank every 2 weeks,then go home and pay my bills by check. I can see exactly what is going on. I may be archaic or just don't trust anyone with my money especially women!
> My freind directed me to this site for quality info.,which I receive. However most of the threads on here are a waste of time to read. People are constantly complaining about something. They're not getting all their national HD channels like Lifetime--do you really need Lifetime in HD? Not paying their bill and complain about harrassment. The best one was the guy who has 3 big screen tvs 8 receivers and the premiere package for 6 years and then complaining fiercely with fireballs about a $5.99 DVR fee, are you kidding me?
> Please go back to constructive threads not b***** sessions save that for your wives!


You left out "keep them barefoot and pregnant"


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## MrKlaatu (Mar 8, 2007)

kojak32 said:


> So my wife received a phone call from DirecTV, it was a recording for her to call them back. She did so and this was on Monday of this week. She found out that the bill was passed due and she made arrangements to have the bill paid by the following Monday.


This is why they kept calling. You didn't pay your overdue bill when they called the first time. Why another week to pay? Why not immediately? This makes me doubt that your wife "forgot" to pay. The fact that she refused to pay on the spot when they called the first time, I'm sure, made her promise to pay sound like the same BS they always hear. Arrangements to pay in a week? What's that?

Pay your bill, so D* doesn't have to spend money to get you to do so and end up raising my rates.


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## Tom Robertson (Nov 15, 2005)

bigsatch said:


> Just my opinion but I think every male should be responible for paying their OWN or the household bills. Then you know if they are payed or not. I personally go into my bank every 2 weeks,then go home and pay my bills by check. I can see exactly what is going on. I may be archaic or just don't trust anyone with my money especially women!
> My freind directed me to this site for quality info.,which I receive. However most of the threads on here are a waste of time to read. People are constantly complaining about something. They're not getting all their national HD channels like Lifetime--do you really need Lifetime in HD? Not paying their bill and complain about harrassment. The best one was the guy who has 3 big screen tvs 8 receivers and the premiere package for 6 years and then complaining fiercely with fireballs about a $5.99 DVR fee, are you kidding me?
> Please go back to constructive threads not b***** sessions save that for your wives!


Hmm... Welcome to the forums? :welcome_s

One thing that us responsible people do is expect our vendors treat us responsibly as well. A premier member for 6 years (I'm up to 4 years on premier myself, total of 10 years as a customer), should be grandfathered for DVR service and expect that status--since it is DIRECTV's policy. Unfortunately, accidents do happen and normally are easily corrected.

As for your sexist and misogynist comments... well I'll leave it as I disagree.

Peace,
Tom


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## turey22 (Jul 30, 2007)

bigsatch said:


> Just my opinion but I think every male should be responible for paying their OWN or the household bills. Then you know if they are payed or not. I personally go into my bank every 2 weeks,then go home and pay my bills by check. I can see exactly what is going on. I may be archaic or just don't trust anyone with my money especially women!
> My freind directed me to this site for quality info.,which I receive. However most of the threads on here are a waste of time to read. People are constantly complaining about something. They're not getting all their national HD channels like Lifetime--do you really need Lifetime in HD? Not paying their bill and complain about harrassment. The best one was the guy who has 3 big screen tvs 8 receivers and the premiere package for 6 years and then complaining fiercely with fireballs about a $5.99 DVR fee, are you kidding me?
> Please go back to constructive threads not b***** sessions save that for your wives!


OKAY...this guy is a little mad at women. But i do agree that a lot of people on forums, not just this one, nag about dumb things. But i will nag like the premier guy when they give me somehting for free and then take it away. Big, you would probably do that too man if that happened to you.

Well, anyways i will leave big over here with his ideas and i will also have to disagree with the comments you made about the loves of my life...women!!!


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## Cpt Guavaberry (Oct 16, 2007)

HEY!!! What's the Presidential line?


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## Ytsejamer1 (May 15, 2008)

I've received some automated calls when they failed to process my debit card properly. I called and they took care of it, but they charged me $5 to do so even though their site wouldn't accept me trying to update the card info (nothing had changed anyways) AND they were the ones that told ME to call them.

I called back after I noticed that they charged me $5 and they indicated they'd remove the charge. I log in the next week, lo and behold, they didn't. I didn't have time to spend 20 minutes on the phone for the $5...but that's probably what they plan on...

I love DTV's television services, but their Customer Support is awful... They never answer email requests for help, they don't honor their promises when you sign up (long story), and obviously don't do what they say they're going to when you call them.


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## Game Fan (Sep 8, 2007)

These types of threads always make interesting reading. Sometimes we don't know when to just shut up.


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## mx6bfast (Nov 8, 2006)

Ytsejamer1 said:


> I've received some automated calls when they failed to process my debit card properly. I called and they took care of it, but they charged me $5 to do so even though their site wouldn't accept me trying to update the card info (nothing had changed anyways) AND they were the ones that told ME to call them.
> 
> I called back after I noticed that they charged me $5 and they indicated they'd remove the charge. I log in the next week, lo and behold, they didn't. I didn't have time to spend 20 minutes on the phone for the $5...but that's probably what they plan on...
> 
> I love DTV's television services, but their Customer Support is awful... They never answer email requests for help, they don't honor their promises when you sign up (long story), and obviously don't do what they say they're going to when you call them.


Email them


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## Packersrule (Sep 10, 2007)

I would drop DirecTV if they treated me that way. I understand why he is so upset. I have never given a company a second chance that is why I am with DirecTV. 

I have been mostly happy with DirecTV but they need to a better system in place. It's getting old beomg told something from one agent and then some thing else by other. I am sure it's hard on the reps and the customer. It can be fixed with a better information system. 

I have called back and they have fixed the problem and everyone is always nice.


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## vbedford (Jul 25, 2008)

Jeez they are pretty ruff


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## scott72 (Feb 17, 2008)

luckydob said:


> This would be no issue if you paid this bill on time...mistake or not, this WAS SELF INFLICTED. So an error on your side causes this and you are complaining? I don't get it...You don't have to answer the phone. Typical reaction in society today. Why me!?!?! I know I didn't pay my bill, but why do they have to call me to get the money they are owed. Oh no, they called 3 times so I think I'll try to get them back for just trying to get the money they are owed. Sad...really. With the way the economy is going, your previous 10 years do not mean anything now. GM paid their bills for more than 10 years to many different people/corporations. DirecTV does not know how your personal finances are going...this "missed" payment should raise flags more than anything since you have paid "on-time" for 10 years. It would signal that maybe you can't pay now...


Give it a rest Mr. Perfect.  He admitted his mistake numerous times so give the guy a break or move on.


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## scott72 (Feb 17, 2008)

luckydob said:


> If it was the same day or 24/48 hours later it wouldn't be that big of a hassle. As much as people would like to believe that things are instantaneous and all changes can be made that way, it's just not realistic. Also, if this was outsourced to a collection group/agency then if they call DirecTV and make arrangements then DirecTV has to alert the collection team that is handling it. AGAIN, this does take some time, but in bizarro land where you apparently live things just happen with a snap of your fingers. It was just 3 calls...me, me, me...whaaaaa. Pay your bill on time and you have NO problem.
> 
> Just look at the caller ID and DON'T answer the phone. If they leave a message..delete it. SIMPLE...or you could, I don't know, pay your bill on time. Either way you have solutions to everything that ills you here. Contacting the Attorney General for 3 calls is a waste of time and a little over the top, don't you think?


Do you work for a collections agency? You sure act like someone that does. What a ****.


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## 996911 (Aug 24, 2006)

MrKlaatu said:


> This is why they kept calling. You didn't pay your overdue bill when they called the first time. Why another week to pay? Why not immediately? This makes me doubt that your wife "forgot" to pay. The fact that she refused to pay on the spot when they called the first time, I'm sure, made her promise to pay sound like the same BS they always hear. Arrangements to pay in a week? What's that?
> 
> Pay your bill, so D* doesn't have to spend money to get you to do so and end up raising my rates.


+1

If she paid by CC for the first call, then the calls would have been done. Why another week is right? "It's in the mail"??? As many others have stated....THERE IS WAY MORE TO THIS THAN THE OP STATED.

I'm curious....since the OP said he is in the mortgage collections (IIRC) I wonder what that series of calls would be like for a missed payment?


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

I think the mission of some is now accomplished. The OP made the mistake of posting a problem here and got chased right off the site. I'm sure others who have thought of posting here are also taking note of the warm greeting they will receive.


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## SPACEMAKER (Dec 11, 2007)

Ken S said:


> I think the mission of some is now accomplished. The OP made the mistake of posting a problem here and got chased right off the site. I'm sure others who have thought of posting here are also taking note of the warm greeting they will receive.


Good riddance. Less threads from delinquent customers threatening to sue D* for trying to collect on a delinquent account is fine by me.


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## 996911 (Aug 24, 2006)

Ken S said:


> I think the mission of some is now accomplished. The OP made the mistake of posting a problem here and got chased right off the site. I'm sure others who have thought of posting here are also taking note of the warm greeting they will receive.


You think that some of the posters intentionally want people to be afraid to join DBSTALK? I think that's a stretch.

If anything, some people have made it very clear that coming here with your first post to scream from the roof tops is not proper protocol as a way to introduce yourself to the community.


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## paulman182 (Aug 4, 2006)

SPACEMAKER said:


> Good riddance. Less threads from delinquent customers threatening to sue D* for trying to collect on a delinquent account is fine by me.


How many have you seen?


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## Upstream (Jul 4, 2006)

996911 said:


> You think that some of the posters intentionally want people to be afraid to join DBSTALK?


I think there are certainly some posters who intentionally want people to be afraid to criticize DirecTV on this site. Certainly there are a lot of posters who defend DirecTV who don't shout down criticism. But there are a handful of posters who are fairly consistent in shouting down and ridiculing anyone who posts something negative about DirecTV.


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## Piratefan98 (Mar 11, 2008)

paulman182 said:


> How many have you seen?


I'm sure it's hundreds and hundreds daily .... clogging up the boards. 

Jeff


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## Piratefan98 (Mar 11, 2008)

Upstream said:


> But there are a handful of posters who are fairly consistent in shouting down and ridiculing anyone who posts something negative about DirecTV.


+1

Jeff


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## gregjones (Sep 20, 2007)

I think it is a little less hostile. As the OP stated, he was upset when he posted the message. I think this is the biggest issue with complaints. People often post or talk to DirecTV while they are extremely upset. This tends to be very ineffective.

Generally, an account comes out of collections when a payment posts. We do not have specific dates on the post, so we don't know how many business days are involved (because this was over the holiday season). I don't want anyone run away from the site from complaining. Most here don't.

I also hate that the collections company was so aggressive. Did the OP check to see if the payment was reflected online? A more effective way to go about this might be to have paid with a credit card so that the payment would be processed immediately with a confirmation number. Choosing to pay by check is fine but it keeps the money out of DirecTV's hands longer and will lead to a longer time to post the payment. They did take a promise to pay, but especially over the holidays, the check will take a while to get there.

I think many of us are frustrated that the OP was more interested in consulting his attorney than paying DirecTV. He wanted a lot of understanding from DirecTV but expected to return nothing of the kind.


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## gregjones (Sep 20, 2007)

This particular poster said repeatedly that he didn't raise his voice to people on the phone, which is great. But many of the complaint posts start off with "I yelled at them, even though I shouldn't have."

People screw up. Companies screw up. It happens. We do have a lot of people post complaints starting with their screwup (which should be forgiven) and ending in the threat of a lawsuit. This behavior is wrong if it happens to DirecTV, Dish, Comcast or any other company.


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## Cpt Guavaberry (Oct 16, 2007)

:nono2::nono2::nono2::nono2::nono2::nono2::nono2:


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