Direct TV - cancelled account - account sent to collections without being billed or chance to pay off account first

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on December 24, 2002:

From:

RE: Direct TV - cancelled account - account sent to collections without being billed or chance to pay off account first

December 24, 2002 Direct TV Attn: Roxanne Austin P.O. Box 92600

Los Angeles, CA 90009

Dear Ms. Austin: Greetings! As a manager I would want to know anytime that any of my colleagues or employees deliver bad customer service. I have been a customer of Direct TV since March of this year when I lived in Oklahoma City; due to unforeseen circumstances I had to break my 1-year commitment with your company. At this time is when the problems began with your unfair collection processes. Before canceling Direct TV I called and asked how much the cancellation fee would be when I broke my contract. Several times I was told that the cancellation fee would be billed to me and an amount could not be given until the account was actually closed.

I closed the account effective the last day of October, and received and invoice for $152.01, which I did not pay until I received a second invoice for the same amount to make sure that there would be no other charges. I chose to pay this amount on the 29th of November after I had called customer service three times to make sure this was my last invoice. When I called on the 29th for the third time I was told that the $152.01 was the last invoice and included cancellation fees for both my DSL and Cable, at this point I paid the bill on-line. On Sunday December 22, 2002 I received a call from CDE, a collection agency for your company. To my surprise I had no idea my account had gone to collections, and I informed the agent that I needed to call Direct TV to find out why my account had been sent to collections. I asked CDE how much the amount was and I was told it was for $50, an amount that was new to my ears.

When I called Direct TV customer service no one could explain where the $50 was coming from or why it was sent to a collection agency since I had not been billed for it. I asked for a supervisor three different times, and three different times I was sent back to another customer services representative, it was not until I spoke with Miranda that she was able to send me to her supervisor.

I spoke with Laura (supervisor) and she informed me that the invoice for the $50 had been billed to my account on December 2, 2002 and since the account had been closed for more than 45-days that the amount automatically goes to an outside collection agency. Needless to say, I was flabbergasted to see that Direct TV didn’t bill me for this and yet they referred my account to a collection agency. I really don’t see how legal this is! Needless to say, I reluctantly paid my $50 over the phone although I have never seen a bill and my account has shown a $0 balance since I paid the $152.01 back in November. I have already filed a complaint with the BBB, as I do not believe these are fair collection practices, being that I have been a collection manager in the past. Furthermore, I have sent a copy of this letter to complaints.com so that they may post this on their website, which is filled of complaint about Direct TV. And I am also contemplating in hiring legal counsel as I feel that this is not a fair business practice. I am honestly shock at the lack of empathy and empowerment that your customer service department has, and I am also in shocked that Direct TV sent my account to collections without billing me or giving me a chance to pay for it. I will make sure that this experience is shared across all the call centers I represent which entail about 9,000 employees. Although I don’t think this letter will reach as it is going to a PO Box, which is very impersonal, I do hope you re-visit your business practices. Sincerely, William Rom

Comment On This

File a complaint with your Attorney General and sue them in Small Claims court for the $50 plus the illegal termination fee the charged you. Forget the BBB, Direct TV already has an F rating with them. BTW the law firm Sprenger in Chicago and DC has a class action pending with them also. What they are doing IS illegal to you and countless others. Good Luck!