12/31/2009 9:16 AM (PST)

Diane, Your situation is not unusual. You should file a complaint with the BBB. The company no doubt will invoke some fine print that you missed about the termination fee and their lack of responsibility to inform you of the impending termination date, as well as the authority they feel they have for debiting your account. Cancel the debit card and in the future never give anybody, not even your mother, the ability to deduct payments for "future services" from your bank account. Use a credit card for these, if you must. Unfortunately, you may now be dealing the collections side of the DirecTV house, and this won’t be a fun gauntlet to be in. Make sure now you get yourself on the optout lists with the credit bureaus, because your debt will probably land in the hands of a junk debt buyer some day. Read through these information reports to learn more: Credit Repair: http://www.la.bbb.org/GIReport.aspx?DocumentID=79 What You Should Know About Your Credit Report: http://www.la.bbb.org/GIReport.aspx?DocumentID=165 Good luck.

12/31/2009 9:47 AM (PST)

Thank you so much for the information.

1/1/2010 3:27 PM (PST)

Diane you are not alone. There are a couple of web sites the Rip Off Report and Squeaky Wheel .Com that have many people in your situation are having a problem with Direct TV Inc about the "agreement date". I have contacted the BBB with my problem and hopefully it can be solved. Good luck to all of us.

2/14/2010 6:49 AM (PST)

The first red flag should have been the cash. No subcontractor of directv is approved to collect money even a check or cc. the charges for any service call installation or movers is done at the time you call. Only local retailers will do that and only ones who hire employees not subcontractors. Next time you get dish or direc call a local co. that has a store front all the promotions are the same as the 1-800 number or box store. That installer should have had you sign a contract. When you moved resources were used eg: labor cable new dish they are not going to do all that without money or contract. There is NO charge for dishmovers if you sign a new contract. You got ripped by the installer not necessarily directv.

2/16/2010 11:00 AM (PST)

I cannot stand DirecTv. We had their service for about 8 years and recently cancelled because our satellite would lose signals everytime we'd watch TV or it would freeze. After a year of putting up with this (in SC where the weather isn't too bad) we got sick of it and went to Charter cable. We called and canceled our services with DirecTV. All of the sudden, they were able to offer us a lower monthly payment, ability to get a new box with recording capabilities, etc. Things we were told before would cost us appx. $400 to upgrade. They wouldn't even send someone out to the house to check the satellite dish's position, etc. Despite the new outlook from DirecTv on what they could offer us we declined. We are SOOOO happy we did. Not only are their customer service reps. complete morons, idiots, and jerks, but they NEVER fix the problem. I was balancing my bank account online today. Unbeknownst to me, there was a DirecTv charge for appx. $94.00 on my statement. I immediately (from work and without my account infomration) called DirecTv. I got a (probably 20-something) man who had an attitude problem from the time he answered the phone to offer me his non-help. He was completely sarcastic and rude and really kind of pissed me off. I explained that we mailed a check for our last bill a day or two earlier, that I noted a charge on my account, and that I would like for him to tell me what the charge was "for" because it had, in fact, been unauthorized. He told me to call the bank. I politely explained that the bank could not tell me what the basis of the charge was, and that if I called the bank it would be to dispute the charge. I explained I was at work and didn't have my account information. He said, "So...how exactly do you expect me to help you?". I explained that he needed to use his little keyboard and type my name into his database. He did. Of course, then, the asshole tells me, "There is no record of that in our system. Are you sure that's your name?" Um, no, dumb ass. I have no idea what my name is or what the name on the bill is.... He then said he couldn't help me and hung up the phone. After googling information, I found this: (it is not told and is in VERY FINE PRINT in the agreement we signed. I would suggest ANYONE who has used DirecTv and has canceled, cancel any card that they have/had access to. Who knows (from what I have read in the online complaints) what they will charge next!!! It is in their fine print, though wrong as it is. We nearly overdrafted because of them!!!

Payment Upon Cancellation. You acknowledge that you have provided your credit or debit card account information to us. You understand that you will incur fees and charges as a result of your receipt and use of Service and/or Receiving Equipment, and may incur early cancellation fees and/or equipment non-return fees (as specified in any lease, programming or other service commitment agreement you entered into in connection with obtaini