I had been a DirectTV customer for more then five years. Bill always paid on time and ahead of schedule. I decided to change companies (Northland) after the first of the year 2018 when I was notified by DirectTV of the price increases they would be imposing.
I called on Friday, January 5, 2018 and cancelled finally closing it out on February 23, 2019. Below is what transpired.
I was told to take the equipment to the nearest UPS stop and ship the equipment back. Because I was with in a ten mile radius they would take care of it, packaging and labels, as I asked specifically about this.
I took the equipment (one receiver, two remotes and power supply) to the pick and pack on Monday 1/8/18, located on Hwy 49 here in Oakhurst. They informed me that they do not do the UPS, even though it shows it on google.
I came home and called DirectTV the same day and was told they were going to send me what I needed to return the equipment and I should have it in a few days. I should receive a confirmation via e-mail with a tracking number.
I waited for a few days and no boxes or labels came, so I went on line to check and the confirmation number and tracking number were invalid. So I called DirectTV again and gave them the story again. Again I was told we will resend and you will receive a confirmation via e-mail. Again I waited a few days and no boxes or labels were delivered. I went on line and tried to track, but again the numbers were invalid. So this time I joined the FedEx website thinking maybe I needed to be a member in order to get information. They had no information on me or my account.
I went on line looking for and address or some one to contact via e-mail and found an ATT website, public forum, so thinking this would get me some one hire up to talk to, I wrote my story so far. I got a response telling me it was a public forum and one would respond from the company.
I called DirectTV again, and this time was told, they do not send boxes out any more. I need to go online and set up an appointment with USPS. They will come and get the equipment and send it back. I asked again about the packaging and a receipt. I was told they would take care of the packaging and I would need to be home when the pick up was made in order to get a receipt. I got a confirmation for the pick up from the USPS department and on there is stated that the pick up needed to be packaged and properly labeled before pick up. When I went into the website to cancel the pick up, it had already been cancelled.
Mean time, I received two letters from DirectTV stating that if the equipment was not received with in a certain amount of time, I would be charged for the equipment (they owed me $162.92). I got a response from the forum giving me instructions on returning the equipment, but it had to have a table, if I tried to ship with out the proper documentation, I would be responsible and charged. My friend had to go to the post office to pick up a package, which happened to be a Direct TV box, empty, for her to return something she did not have. (remember now, they don’t send out boxes any more).
I called DirectTV again and asked to talk to a supervisor. I was told I had to talk to him, the person on the phone first as he had to tried and resolve the issue first. After about 20 minutes on the phone, he finally said he could not help me. I asked when my refund had been issued. He said it showed it had been issued. I asked for a date, he said he did not have a date, but it would take 7 to 8 weeks to get. He asked if he could do anything else, I said yes I want to talk to a supervisor. He then turned me over to a woman who was not a supervisor, but she said the refund check had been issued. I asked for the date and she said she had just done it and it would take two to three weeks to get. I asked what am I to do with the equipment and she said don’/t worry about it, we don’t need it. I said I would hang onto it just in case they tried to come after me for it. Okay!
The next day I got a delivery from FedEx and it was a label from DirectTV to return the equipment. I put the equipment in the mail two days later. I tried to ship it registers, so they would have to sign for it, but was told I could not because it is prepaid, but the receipt would be good enough to track the shipment if needed.
I then received a letter from DirectTV telling me that I did not need to return the equipment. I could recycle it.
I waited for four weeks to get the refund and it did not come, so I called DirectTV to find out where it was. The young guy out of Jamaica was very helpful. Said my refund check was issued on 2/13/18. (I spoke to the young lady on 2/1/18) . He gave me a tracking number for the refund and said it would take six to eight weeks to get because of my location.
I got the refund on 2/23/18.
The refund comes in the form of a master card debit, but has restrictions on how it can be used. I cannot get cash for it or deposit into my bank account.
Northland was a good move, as I had problem with the connection and they called me to come and address the problem. Very prompt and curious and respectful. Glad I made the switch. I appreciate your time, and I think others need to know what is going on with these bigger companies, as I found in researching on the forum, a lot of people who were trying to return the equipment were not getting what they needed and then were being charged for it.
I had a similar experience with DishTV when I returned the equipment, they tried to charge me, even though I provided proof that I sent it and they signed for it.
Sincerely,
Dawn Bitterman
