AT&T DirecTv CONSUMER BEWARE Nationwide

BUYER/CUSTOMER BEWARE OF DIRECTV/AT&T!

DIRECTV ISSUE:

I just got off the phone with AT&T customer service for over an hour for the second time.  First time was with AT&T about DirecTv and this time was about AT&T cell phone plans.  The first issue went like this:  I spent over an hour on the phone with DirecTv/AT&T about the offers they ‘said’ when I signed up for service with them.  The original sales person (I called DirecTv) told me that he could get me a $100 prepaid Visa card offer and that I could still get the $200 prepaid Visa offer that I was given in the mail.  Fast forward to the other day they ‘said’ they only had records of the $100 prepaid Visa offer.  I really did not care or think that they would give me both promotions but certainly at least the highest of the two.  After much discussion and threats to cancel my service, they finally agreed to give me a $100 bill credit along with the $100 prepaid Visa.  Moral of the story – document for yourself who and when you spoke with at DirecTv/AT&T and also make sure to tell them to document all offers in their system so that they are accessible to anyone who see your file at DirecTv/AT&T.  Even then I know it is not fool proof as I was very clear when I placed my order that I had a 4K tv and needed the equipment to watch the 4K programming (i.e. HR54 and Genie Mini) but when the tech cam to install the service, he showed up only with the HR54.  To the techs credit though he did promise that he would come back the same day with the Genie Mini if he finished up with all the other jobs and he did just that.  I had all the correct equipment up and running to watch the Olympics in glorious 4K that same day, but that is thanks mostly to the tech and not DirecTv/AT&T who were planning on scheduling me a week later to complete the installation.  It has been awhile since I have had DirecTv (pre AT&T buyout) but impressions so far are not so favorable so far as to their documenting practices now.  Well, at least I’m price locked for two years (cell service with AT&T as well) and hopefully things improve by the end of that term.  Otherwise it might be back to Comcast/Xfinity.

AT&T ISSUE

This was my second of two phone call lasting in excess of an hour with AT&T cell phone customer service.  I signed up for DirecTv/AT&T cell phone service back on August 1^st.  I took advantage of their promotion for buy-one get-one free for an iPhone 6S.  So I received two phones and was told about the 30 months next contract on the one phone, so paying it off in installments for that amount of months but never was it mentioned that the free phone would also be on installments for 30 months!  I called AT&T again when I received my phones because they were both invoiced at the full purchase price.  AT&T never told me at that point that I would be paying that other phone (the supposively free phone) in 30 month installments with no means of paying the phone off early.  I called them yesterday and was told that I had to pay for the first 3 months of installments on the phone but would be reimbursed following that.  I assumed that at that point that phone would be free and we would be able to sell it as that was our stated plan from the beginning.  Now today’s conversation with AT&T lasted over an hour when they finally stated the terms of the buy-one get-one free promotion.  So bottom line is that you pay the phone off in monthly installments, the first three months you are not automatically reimbursed, but following that you are reimbursed for those first three months and each subsequent month until it is paid off at the end of 30 months.  You cannot pay it off early and get reimbursed as they say that would break the contract and that AT&T would not have to reimburse you.  I do not a problem with the policy or contract, but would have chosen differently if they would have presented it up front the way it was.  Take away – be very careful about what you are getting into with AT&T and ask lots of questions until you are blue in the face as they do not readily provide information it seems and you must squeeze it out of them.