Making Me Responsible for Another's Bill!!

I have a second-hand DirectTV TiVo. I arranged install, which DirectTV was willing to do at no cost. I informed them upfront that I had obtained this equipment from someone else who had had service with them. They did not ask me any information about said equipment, nor did they advice that should there be a balance owing, they might not allow ordering a card for it.

When we tried to get it to work, the company said that the previous owner of the equipment had an open balance for service and that it could not activate the equipment until that balance was satisfied. The company confirmed that the amount due was not on the equipment, as the company forces you to buy it upfront, but on one or two months of service the previous owner failed to pay. And that the only other way I could have DVR service was if I purchased another DVR from the company. I don't like their DVRs, which is why I obtained the TiVo second hand and I alredy own one, so I don't feel I should have to buy another piece of equipment.

I can't locate the owner. I did send them an email to which they responded that they had gone on the DirectTV website and it showed no balance owing.

I don't know who to believe, but either way, it's not my problem. I don't feel DirectTV has a right to hold my personal property hostage to someone else's debt, nor can they use me to do their collections, nor can they force me to purchase a piece of equipment I don't want to have in the first place.

This is clearly an unfair business practice. I have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and with the Better Business Bureau (both listed below), with whom I was not surprised to discover you have an "F" rating, which means they strongly question the company�s reliability for reasons such as that you have failed to respond to complaints, your advertising is grossly misleading, you are not in compliance with the law�s licensing or registration requirements, your complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company�s industry is known for its fraudulent business practices.