Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Problems with DirecTV Billing Department

I went in to an AT&T store to inquire about getting internet service.  I presently had cell phone service with multiple lines with AT&T.  The representative (Danyel) quoted me a price of $72/month for internet and DirecTV television services.  I was presently a Dish customer for 7 years paying only $68/month.  Unfortunately, Dish did not offer internet in my area.

Danyel scrolled on her tablet that was never in front of me until the box where I  signed was visible.  She quoted only $72/month and never broke down the detailed pricing for the 2 services.  She offered the 3 movie channels for 3 months and the NFL ticket for free plus $10 off the bill for life for combined billing, and $100 card for each new service. 

I paid the $19.99 plus tax for the installation commitment for DirecTV.  My credit card was swiped and I signed a blank box again.  The installation was scheduled for January 23rd.  The installer showed up to do the internet and TV.  He (Larry) was confused as he thought I got Uverse.  We called customer service while sitting at my kitched table  to clarify that I had ordered DirecTV.  At that time the customer service told him what my service would cost which was $100+ . 

I told him that I was offered both services for $72/month.  I told him if the pricing could not be resolved then I did not want the service and the headaches I would have down the road regarding billing problems.  I also had not cancelled the Dish Network.  It was resolved at my kitchen table and the 11-hour installation began.  It was a nightmare.

One week after I had the service I received a bill which stated the incorrect prices for the 2 services plus $99 installation of the internet which was never discussed.  My first call to Customer Service resulted in crediting the $99.  2 days later I received another bill that was higher than the first bill.  I began calling Customer Service to resolve the issue with no luck as there were no packages that equaled $72.  I was told to go back to the store. 

I went back to the AT&T store to get help.  The representative I signed up with stated that she had quoted me $72 and said she would fix it.  I was told that it had to be resolved with Customer Service. 

I was told whe would get back with me after contacting Customer Service on my behalf on a less hectic day.  Danyel gave me her personal cell number if I needed anything.  I never received a call back so I left a message.  After not hearing from her for a couple of days, I returned to the store and spoke to another representative who told me when the day was that Danyel was scheduled to work. 

I stopped in a third time to see her.  The manager came out and spoke to her and they went into another room that was accessed by a combination lock without me.  Upon their return to the showroom, I was again told I would be called.  No call was received so I returned to the store on the day my bill was due and was told that they had gone higher up the chain than ever and that my issue was resolved.  I paid $160.88 at the store's kiosk with Danyel.  I thought all was well.

My next bill arrived and again it was incorrect.  I called Customer Service and spoke to someone who again said that I had to go to the store.  When I arrived this time, Danyel was surprised to learn that my bill was incorrect.  However, she had been told that she was no longer allowed to talk to me anymore by her manager.

I have never heard of such a thing.  I had spoken to Mike Alexander in Louisiana prior in the day and was speaking with Kelly when I arrived.  I started talking to Danyel to tell her my bill was still incorrect.  She was pulling up my account on the tablet while I was speaking to Kelly in Customer Service.  I was telling my story again and asked Danyel if she could speak to the representative. 

Danyel told me that she was no longer allowed to talk to anyone about my account.  Her manager then walked up when she saw me and took Danyel to the side to speak with her.  Danyel was cold to me when she returned.  In the meantime 2 other representatives started conversation right next to us, so I left the store and went outside to my car where I cold hear.  Kelly said that she would put in an escalation for my case and it would be resolved when I got a call back in a couple of days.   

I received the escalation call from a woman that I could not understand on Saturday night at around 7:00 p.m..  She knew nothing about my case.  My understanding was that she was in combined billing.  Many of the previous representatives  could not see the Internet, DirecTV, and cell phones at the same time so I always got transferred to a new department to start the story over. 

Please feel free to look at my cell phone bills (317-250-8787) to see how many times I have called Customer Service since and including January 23rd.  I eventually got to Ivan who was very rude and told me the billing issue was my fault for signing up.  I have maintained my cool at all times when entering the store and with the representatives over the phone as I am a professional.  My experience with DirecTV/AT&T has been horrible. 

I feel that the $72/month should be honored as Danyel is an agent of AT&T selling the service.  If you are going to record calls for quality purposes, you should record the sales people.  Danyel has never denied quoting me that price but I believe that she is in trouble with her managers.  I was told I could no longer be helped from the store that I purchased the services.  I have never heard of such a thing. 

I would like my bill to be corrected.  If not, I would like to discontinue my DirecTV service as I was misquoted with regard to the price.  I only switched from the Dish as the price for the two services was quite reasonable.  I would not have cancelled the Dish to pay more for DirecTV.  I have had to call back to get the $10 discount on the combined billing; I have had to request the $100 card for the Internet promotion.

I have had to ask about the installation fee that was charged in error; Ivan told me that I was six days over on the free movie channels so I was going to be billed for that as well (3 months from January 23rd is April 23rd and Kelly told me that I could call on April 23rd to cancel and not be billed); and my bill pricing is still incorrect. 

I heard multiple times that the Uverse billing people cannot access the DirecTV billing.  I have heard that the representatives have not been trained since the merger.  I truly have never felt as belittled as a customer as I have during this experience.   I would be grateful to speak with someone.