DirecTv Customer Service

[Midwesthonky]

Does anyone else hate dealing with DirecTV's customer service? I just wanted to check their pricing and see if they could quote me a price that included all the taxes and fees so I don't expect one price and end up with something $20 higher. Time Warner Cable can and did do that with no sales pressure at all.

When I called DirecTV, all the guy on the phone did was pressure sales after pressure sales job. Non stop. I had the info I wanted from Time Warner Cable in less than 5 minutes. DirecTV I had to go through over 10 minutes of high-pressure sales and still couldn't get the answer I wanted.

Technically, I think DirecTv has the better picture quality compared to Time Warner Cable. But I absolutely hate DirecTv's customer service. It's enough to keep me away from them again.

Anyone else hate DirecTv's customer service?

 

[highfigh]

Does anyone else hate dealing with DirecTV's customer service? I just wanted to check their pricing and see if they could quote me a price that included all the taxes and fees so I don't expect one price and end up with something $20 higher. Time Warner Cable can and did do that with no sales pressure at all.

When I called DirecTV, all the guy on the phone did was pressure sales after pressure sales job. Non stop. I had the info I wanted from Time Warner Cable in less than 5 minutes. DirecTV I had to go through over 10 minutes of high-pressure sales and still couldn't get the answer I wanted.

Technically, I think DirecTv has the better picture quality compared to Time Warner Cable. But I absolutely hate DirecTv's customer service. It's enough to keep me away from them again.

Anyone else hate DirecTv's customer service?

I like their CS, but I also don't usually talk to the regular CS people for very long, If someone tries to pressure you, ask for someone else. Don't get mad, just stay calm and if they don't want to be nice, ask for their name, then ask to speak with a supervisor.

DirecTV has a package now for $39.95, with HD upgrade, DVR upgrade, free shipping/install, about 200 channels and free pay channels for either 3 or 6 months. I just did the dance with them because my plan was running $103/mo without any pay channels, minus the discounts I had previously negotiated. If you're already a customer and you want better service/pricing, ask for Customer Retention.

I think Time Warner's video quality sucks. I called them and they didn't want to do much for someone who was considering returning, so I called DirecTV immediately after and got a better rate than I had before. The best part is that I don't have to schedule an appointment for sometime between 8AM and 4PM and I don't have to deal with someone who thinks blowing holes through the walls into the room from outside is "custom".

 

[jeffsg4mac]

I dropped them a while back. They illegally took money out of my account without my authorization and would not put it back. Their customer service said I had to file a complaint with the bank which I did. It took 30 days and the bank said they took it without authorization and put it all back, however during the entire ordeal I was without the money. I hate them and will never do business with them again. I still think I probably have some sort of lawsuit against them. I would like to talk it over with a good lawyer.

 

[Warpdrv]

I dropped them a while back. They illegally took money out of my account without my authorization and would not put it back. Their customer service said I had to file a complaint with the bank which I did. It took 30 days and the bank said they took it without authorization and put it all back, however during the entire ordeal I was without the money. I hate them and will never do business with them again. I still think I probably have some sort of lawsuit against them. I would like to talk it over with a good lawyer.

I would never allow a company access to my bank account...
I pay all my bills, which I have to innitiate, if I'm late on paying the bill then I will have to pay the late fees, but online bill pay has gotten pretty dar good these days and if the bill doesn't show up at my bank, the bank will tell me "hey - such and such's bill hasn't showed up, which is why I haven't gone paperless, the bill in teh mail reminds me as well...

I would never do business with Direct TV - they are crooks and played the same game as the RIAA accusing people and friends of mine of stealing their signal with no proof. Blanket Lawsuits.... Nasty stuff...

 

[BMXTRIX]

I'm not a huge fan of DirecTV. It seems like it leaves the customer out on their own to deal with all the issues which come up. Unlike cable companies, if you have an equipment issue, you aren't dealing with the area cable company, you are dealing with whoever the local DirecTV guy happens to be... maybe. Maybe you are waiting a week for something to ship to your home, but the game is on tomorrow.

I had very good service with Cox Cable, after they finally got us hooked up. I still switched to FIOS when it became available, and it's worked about the same as Cox cable has.

No issues with either of them, and I like that there are local Verizon Fios locations as well as local Cox Cable locations. Any issues, I drop the box off and get a new one. A serious cable issue, and I can deal with their actual tech instead of some unknown company.

 

[TLS Guy]

I have to say that I have had very bad experiences with Direct TV until my last encounter. I have had very poor techs who were highly underpaid individual contractors who could not afford decent test gear and tools.

Just over a month ago, one of my DVR's lost satellite signal.

Customer service were polite and did not treat me like an idiot, which was the previous response. They arranged a service call for next day. I did not get phoned by another bunch of clowns from the SW to set up the service call.

The tech arrived virtually to the minute.

I was surprised to find he was largely sensible and had very good high end equipment.

At first he wanted to swap the DVR. I politely explained that decision lacked logic.

So we went about trouble shooting in an orderly manor.

There was no signal on one of the lines to the DVR.

So we went to the grounding block and found water and corrosion in one of the block connectors. The cable was short circuit. Ice from the winter had cause a split in the cable's jacket and allowed in water.

It was a bitterly cold day, with a wind just above freezing with the odd bit of sleet and snow.

The tech went on the roof and to speed things up because of the cold, I changed out the grounding block.

The old block was rock bottom quality. The new one oozed quality. I put on new ends as the new connectors were better with a much better booting system to keep out water. All threads were beautifully machined and I only had to turn less than a whole turn with the wrench.

The block was also a cunning curved design, that allowed for much greater throw of the wrench.

The tech told my that Direct TV now employ the techs, and they provide extensive training and provide all tools and test gear. He morale was good unlike previous techs.

I don't know if I had an influence on this, but I wrote a letter to the CEO after previous problems. Much to my surprise he phoned me. As usual with CEOs he was totally ignorant of the technical aspects of his business.

I explained in a long conversation, that he would not make money this way. He would go broke on service calls. I explained the importance of not buying cheap parts and gave my usual lecture about junk. I also said they should have there own well equipped, trianed and supplied techs.

He seemed grateful for the conversation and it seemed all this information was new to him.

So I don't know if I had a hand in this, but I just could not believe the change in direction.

 

[highfigh]

I have to say that I have had very bad experiences with Direct TV until my last encounter. I have had very poor techs who were highly underpaid individual contractors who could not afford decent test gear and tools.

Just over a month ago, one of my DVR's lost satellite signal.

Customer service were polite and did not treat me like an idiot, which was the previous response. They arranged a service call for next day. I did not get phoned by another bunch of clowns from the SW to set up the service call.

The tech arrived virtually to the minute.

I was surprised to find he was largely sensible and had very good high end equipment.

At first he wanted to swap the DVR. I politely explained that decision lacked logic.

So we went about trouble shooting in an orderly manor.

There was no signal on one of the lines to the DVR.

So we went to the grounding block and found water and corrosion in one of the block connectors. The cable was short circuit. Ice from the winter had cause a split in the cable's jacket and allowed in water.

It was a bitterly cold day, with a wind just above freezing with the odd bit of sleet and snow.

The tech went on the roof and to speed things up because of the cold, I changed out the grounding block.

The old block was rock bottom quality. The new one oozed quality. I put on new ends as the new connectors were better with a much better booting system to keep out water. All threads were beautifully machined and I only had to turn less than a whole turn with the wrench.

The block was also a cunning curved design, that allowed for much greater throw of the wrench.

The tech told my that Direct TV now employ the techs, and they provide extensive training and provide all tools and test gear. He morale was good unlike previous techs.

I don't know if I had an influence on this, but I wrote a letter to the CEO after previous problems. Much to my surprise he phoned me. As usual with CEOs he was totally ignorant of the technical aspects of his business.

I explained in a long conversation, that he would not make money this way. He would go broke on service calls. I explained the importance of not buying cheap parts and gave my usual lecture about junk. I also said they should have there own well equipped, trianed and supplied techs.

He seemed grateful for the conversation and it seemed all this information was new to him.

So I don't know if I had a hand in this, but I just could not believe the change in direction.

Techs are very hit-or-miss, but they use a wide range of contractors. The problem is that they don't pay enough to get the job done well. $50 PER JOB is about it, unless they can prove that it's a lot more difficult. When mine was installed, it was late on a hot, humid Friday afternoon and they sent a trainee, who apparently had no training before that day. I was the one who drilled the hole to get the cables into the basement, sealed it, ran them up to the second floor and secured them because I had plans and didn't want it to take all day. The trainee told me that I should apply at DirecTV and I told him they'd never pay what I normally charge.

It worked but the main feeds weren't grounded until after I called and explained that the way they installed the system was a NEC violation.

If you have issues in the future, ask for Tier 2 tech support- they're a lot better.

 

[TLS Guy]

Techs are very hit-or-miss, but they use a wide range of contractors. The problem is that they don't pay enough to get the job done well. $50 PER JOB is about it, unless they can prove that it's a lot more difficult. When mine was installed, it was late on a hot, humid Friday afternoon and they sent a trainee, who apparently had no training before that day. I was the one who drilled the hole to get the cables into the basement, sealed it, ran them up to the second floor and secured them because I had plans and didn't want it to take all day. The trainee told me that I should apply at DirecTV and I told him they'd never pay what I normally charge.

It worked but the main feeds weren't grounded until after I called and explained that the way they installed the system was a NEC violation.

If you have issues in the future, ask for Tier 2 tech support- they're a lot better.

According to the last tech that came to my place he said Direct TV have recently switched away from using contractors, and now all techs are employees of Direct TV.

I think that is correct, as previously after I got done with Direct TV customer service, I got called by another outfit to set up the service call. This time it was all done in one call and very efficiently. I was really surprised.

I did give this tech a mini quiz and he had hear of, and was knowledgeable about ground loops and grounding in general. No other techs and that has been quite a few, had heard of a ground loop. They also had no idea about correct grounding procedures.

 

[Midwesthonky]

...The tech told my that Direct TV now employ the techs, and they provide extensive training and provide all tools and test gear. He morale was good unlike previous techs.

I don't know if I had an influence on this, but I wrote a letter to the CEO after previous problems. Much to my surprise he phoned me. As usual with CEOs he was totally ignorant of the technical aspects of his business.

I explained in a long conversation, that he would not make money this way. He would go broke on service calls. I explained the importance of not buying cheap parts and gave my usual lecture about junk. I also said they should have there own well equipped, trianed and supplied techs.

He seemed grateful for the conversation and it seemed all this information was new to him.

So I don't know if I had a hand in this, but I just could not believe the change in direction.

Makes me wonder if I should write a letter to the CEO. I dumped DirecTV two years ago after their set box failed. The new ones didn't have an off-air tuner and antenna connection. After spending two hours and going through three phone people, I finally thought I had a solution. NEw box arrives! Yeah! Only, the people on the phone support were wrong and they gave me bad info. I was mad. I finally went through two more people before I finally gave up and told the guy to cancel my DirecTv service. I knew more about their gear than everyone I talked too.

I know they don't pay phone support people well and they only have a set script to work with, but still, geez. Same with the contractors they used. But I dunno. Everyone wants a 2-year commitment and I struggle with doing that because I don't know where I will be next year let alone for two years. I have an older HDTV that does not have an off-air digital tuner. So I rely on service provider for the signal. I am pretty much out of connections in back for all of the various gear so another box just for off-air signals really isn't an option.

Call me old-fashioned, but we get tornadoes up in Wisconsin. Not like in Kansas or Oklahoma, but when there is severe weather, we like to know what is going on. Satellite goes out in severe weather. Hence I like the off-air signal. When the weather goes bad, I don't lose the cable signal as long as I have power. Trade offs I know.

I guess it may be an excuse to upgrade to a new tv and go with Directv, but my old one still works really well and it's paid for.

 

[darien87]

I have DirecTV because my in my town DirecTV and Dish Network are pretty much your only options. We have Charter Cable but they suck.

I went with them for the NFL Ticket to watch my Chargers but now that football season is over I went down to the lowest package and with Whole Home DVR and HD programming I'm still paying $85 a month!!!!

I called them a couple of months ago trying to see if I could get a cheaper package but apparently when I signed up I agreed to a 2-year contract. I don't think that was ever mentioned to me. So now I'm thinking of switching to Dish Network and just paying whatever the damn cancellation fee is.

 

[darien87]

If you're already a customer and you want better service/pricing, ask for Customer Retention.

On the phone with them right now.

 

[trnqk7]

On the phone with them right now.

Well, any luck? Our discounts with them are about to run out as well, lol.

 

[jinjuku]

LOL. I dumped any pay for TV service. Customer service is great with OTA

I currently only have Netflix for $8.99. Never had to call them either.

 

[markw]

We're giving that thought as well.

LOL. I dumped any pay for TV service. Customer service is great with OTA

I currently only have Netflix for $8.99. Never had to call them either.

My question to Comcast will be, since we have that "Three for" bundle, exactly how much will they jack up the other two services.

But, then again, even though it's competitive with Verizon price-wise, we're not exactly thrilled with their phone service.

All we really, really need them for is Internet but FIOS is now here...

We do like some of the "digital" channels like FX, Travel, Food, etc, etc. ...not to mention True Blood, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones and the soon coming to Starz, the new Torchwood.

 

[darien87]

Well, any luck? Our discounts with them are about to run out as well, lol.

I ended up going down to their select package which is $45 a month instead of the $60 I was getting. $15 a month savings isn't too bad.

 

[Midwesthonky]

Everyone seems to be wanting you to lock into a multi-year package. I think they do that for account purposes because they can book the whole revenue stream. I'm not an accountant. But as a customer, it sucks medium-sized mammal appendage. But then your discounts run out and you don't remember until that first bill afterwards shows up. Then you are all pissed off an take your business elsewhere. Is it really worth all the hassle? Do they really get more revenue that way? Or am I stuck switching between cable and satellite every two years?

I'll figure something out. I tried throwing the nuclear option at my wife.

Nuclear: new plasma TV, move current projection TV to basement, get satellite since new TV's have built in digital tuner for off-air. She didn't go for it. I thought it sounded very practical.

 

[jinjuku]

Think about this:

With $45 I can purchase roughly 10-12 DVD's at my local used CD/DVD shop... EVERY month.

 

[highfigh]

I ended up going down to their select package which is $45 a month instead of the $60 I was getting. $15 a month savings isn't too bad.

I tried that package for about 4 days and saw that I couldn't watch a Brewers game or the Golf Channel. I called Time Warner to see what they had (nothing good) and then DirecTV. While I was on the phone with CR, I told her that I was on their website, looking at the program packages. They have one (I mentioned it before) for $39.95 and I asked if she could set me up with that- it's only for new customers, but she said she could knock off more money and give me the same programming. Keep working them over- they don't like losing customers. My rationale was that it's not a matter of them giving me more channels at the old rate, it just didn't fit my budget and it's just TV- it's not something I absolutely need.

I could have had FSN for watching the Brewers and the Golf Channel if I had switched to the basic Time Warner package but IMO, their video quality isn't even close to DirecTV.

 

[darien87]

I tried that package for about 4 days and saw that I couldn't watch a Brewers game or the Golf Channel. I called Time Warner to see what they had (nothing good) and then DirecTV. While I was on the phone with CR, I told her that I was on their website, looking at the program packages. They have one (I mentioned it before) for $39.95 and I asked if she could set me up with that- it's only for new customers, but she said she could knock off more money and give me the same programming. Keep working them over- they don't like losing customers. My rationale was that it's not a matter of them giving me more channels at the old rate, it just didn't fit my budget and it's just TV- it's not something I absolutely need.

So they got us switched over to the new package last night and I don't like it. It's missing quite a few channels that we watch, (Travel Channel, Spike, Cooking Channel). So I'm going to call them and see what they will do for me.

 

[darien87]

Keep working them over- they don't like losing customers.

SWEET! I just got them to switch me back to the choice package for $43.99 for a year and they gave me a $150 credit!! Of course I'll have to remember to call them back after a year to re-do my deal, but who knows, next year I might be making more money and not care so much about my DirecTV bill.

Thanks for the head's up.