How Have Directv Uniforms For Free?

A Question About DirecTV Service?

• This all started several months ago when DirecTV called my grandparents saying that they needed to upgrade their old channel package, because theirs was no longer available and they risked their service being canceled because of it. They have had this same exact package since 1997 when they first got DirecTV. They have never missed a payment on a bill, canceled, or suspended their DirecTV service since then and they still have the same package today. My grandmother called and asked them about it a couple weeks later, but the customer service representative she talked to had no idea what she was talking about, and said not to worry about it. The very next day a DirecTV van came to their house, but none of the employees had any idea about why they were there. My grandmother explained it to them. One of the employees told my grandfather to buy an 8" x 8" board and cement it into the ground behind the house a few feet away from their old satellite dish. He bought the board and did so. A few days later they returned, but the new employee said the Slimline dish they were going to install needed to be mounted on a metal pole instead of the board. He also said it would be condemned if they ever performed an inspection. They installed the satellite dish on the board anyways and upgraded their old satellite receiver box with an HD box. They do not pay for HD service now nor have they ever and said so to the employee. They have a 20 year old television set that cannot show anything in HD. He said the HD box would pick up SD channels as well and that it would only get HD channels if they called them back out again to activate the HD software in the box. That was the last time they ever showed up. Now my grandparents cannot view any channels that are in HD, even with the formatting and resolutions changed to SD settings. They are paying to watch channels like the Discovery Channel (278) and the Hallmark Channel (312), which are included in their package, but the channels show up as black screens and say that they haven't been payed for. This only happens with HD channels, but SD channels show up fine. My grandmother called them back, but they said that the person whose name on the bill (my grandfather's) is the only person who can ask for a changed or upgraded service, even though SHE was the one who originally called them. I personally called them later, but they said the same thing. They also said that they couldn't change the box back unless it had been broken and was not functioning properly. They were going to cancel service entirely and switch to Dish Network, but the lease my grandmother signed for the equipment stated that if they do not stay with DirecTV for at least two years they would be charged a $480 fine for each the box and the satellite dish. We called them again and asked how we could get SD service with the box. The employee stated that we needed to buy another old television and order another separate DirecTV service with a second dish, box, and bill in my grandmother's name. What I'm asking is does anyone know of a way for them to get Standard Definition service back? Or is there any way for them to "get around the lease" and not have to pay a huge fine for canceling DirecTV service? They are on a very limited budget and live so far away from the city that cable TV isn't an option. They still have their old receiver box and satellite dish, both of which they own. When the new Slimline satellite was installed the employee installing it cut the cable to the old satellite so it couldn't be reconnected.

• Answer:

  I just left Direct TV and have gotten in a worse situation with Dish TV. If I were you, I would sit down with the grandparents and call Direct TV and speak to a Supervisor in Customer Service. If you get no satisfaction there, tell them that you are going to consult with an attorney, call your local TV station that handles Consumer Complaints and you might even get some direction by contacting the FCC (Federal Communication Commission). Your situation is very complicated. I started out with a 10 year old TiVo and minimal Direct TV package. The only reason I left was to get the Dish TV offer for HD for Life. In any of my dealings with Direct TV, no one ever mentioned anything such an upgrade or needing to change from an outdated package. It really does sound suspicious. In my opinion, both are slick operators. Once your name is on the contract, I don't see any way out of it...unless you pay the outrageous fee to be released. I really do hope that you are more successful than I have been. The important thing to remember is do not allow the company to make you give up. In the long run, you may just win out.