Breaking up with DirecTV can be hard if service is bundled
Q. Recently, we received an offer from Verizon: Three services - phone, cable TV, and high-speed Internet - bundled together in one package. So we agreed to switch from Comcast. Verizon was quick to switch the phone over, and later the same day, DirecTV installed a dish on our roof. But no Internet service. After several days without any Internet service, I told Verizon to cancel everything - that we'd go back to Comcast.
DirecTV asked that we return their equipment. Later, they said that there would be a $460 disconnect fee. DirecTV claims that the problem created by Verizon has nothing to do with them, even though Verizon handles the billing. How is it that they're partners, yet not partners when a cancellation surfaces?
Richard Standring
Pembroke
A. DirecTV, unlike cable and phone companies, assesses early cancellation charges. It has been a longstanding issue with consumers who said they were stunned by the charges. It complicates matters when a third-party partner is in the mix.
DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer said if the telephone company can't provide the bundle they've promised, DirecTV can waive the agreement that includes the disconnect fee.
But, he added, "If the customer simply didn't want to wait for the telephone company and the DirecTV service was activated, the contract remains in force."
That puts the ball back in the hands of Verizon since it is on them to determine if they failed to provide what was offered. Normally, it would be prudent in these situations to involve third parties (the state Office of Consumer Affairs and the Better Business Bureau) once you feel you are at an impasse.
But try to exhaust all options with the company you're dealing before escalating the dispute since that can bring a quicker resolution.
After sending this letter, you connected with a "customer advocate" from Verizon and by pleading your case, you won a reprieve.
This is not always the case. You're lucky. But, once again, persistence paid off and you're not $460 in the hole.
UPDATE: In a recent column, General Motors Corp. left unanswered what would happen to incentives earned on their credit cards toward buying a new car. GM has since informed cardholders that their earnings will not be lost, and the program will continue.
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