Direct TV Tried to Screw Me

Direct TV tried to screw me – but I caught them.

Tragic Flaw of Character

Guess it’s my fault. You see, I’m honest and expect honesty in return. That’s my Shakespearean Tragic Flaw of Character – or at least one of them.

I switched from Comcast to Direct TV back in 2013. At that time, I agreed to their two-year promo of $99 per month for two years – then bumping up to $129. Over-priced, but agreeable.

To avoid aggravation and wasting time, I used auto-pay.

Tacit Permission

Yes, I got an email from Direct TV every month reminding me my bill was ready for review – and due soon. But it’s set up on auto-pay. So rather than wasting my time reading those emails, I ignored them.

Big mistake.

For some reason, I looked at my bill today for the first time ever. But it wasn’t $129 – it was $182.28. Pardon my French but – what the fuck?

Ah, there it is – $44.99 for NFL Sunday Ticket. More French – what the fuck?

I never actively ordered NFL Ticket. In fact, you couldn’t pay me to watch that crap – or any other pre-game or post-game shows. Chuckle-fests. Buncha has-been amusing themselves with inside jokes while they bore the living shit out of me.

But as I would soon learn, Direct TV includes tacit permissions in some emails. If you don’t read your emails – like me – and you don’t actively refuse an offer you didn’t request, Direct TV will sign you up. In my case, Direct TV signed me up for six payments of $44.99 for NFL Sunday Ticket.

Negotiations

So I call Direct TV to rectify the situation. Just two demands:

Cancel NFL Sunday Ticket.
Refund the $44.99 you stole from me last month.

Shoulda taken a minute or two and a couple clicks of a keyboard. Instead, spent more than an hour on the phone. Fortunately, while on-hold, I was laying on a massage table in the middle of my living room having knots worked out of my aching body by my K-9 Jackie Geez. So the time flew by.

Can’t?

Kept hearing “can’ts.” Kept being passed along from one agent to another because I refused to accept “can’t” for an answer.

Between you and me, I’m a can-do guy. Almost anything can be done. So I refuse to accept “can’t” for an answer.

Rose By Any Other Name

While Direct TV “can’t” refund moneys already paid. They “can” discount future payments. In my case, Direct TV is discounting my bill by $50. But not for one month – for next 12 months. That works out to a total discount of $600. For Christ sake, I only wanted $44.99 refunded.

Donald Trump was right last night about our businesses being hamstrung by absurd regulations.

14 Days Later

October 11 – Just got this month’s bill. Instead of $182.28, I’m paying $33.90. Pays to raise hell.

But think about this. Trump screams about the government not knowing how to do business – and he’s dead on. Direct TV could’ve given me a refund of $49 to satisfy. But their hands were tied by company policy of no refunds. In this one bill, I’m getting back more than the stinking $49. Plus they’re going to be discounting my bill for the next 11 months.

If you owned Direct TV, is that the way you’d want your business run?

Doubt it.

Vote for Trump. Make America great again.

In addition to being the official Eagles Outsider for BlameMyFather.com – Barry Bowe is also the author of: