DirecTV: Consumers Angry About Cancellation Fees

April 21, 2008, 07:00:00AM. By Heidi Turner

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Seattle, WA: Cell phone customers are not the only ones complaining that they are being charged too much for cancellation fees: customers of DirecTV are also upset that they are being unfairly charged for terminating their service. Much like the cell phone companies, DirecTV is apparently using changes to customer contracts as a reason to extend those contracts, often without customer knowledge or authorization. Now, some customers are investigating a lawsuit against DirecTV, alleging they were improperly charged cancellation fees.

Consumers have written in to various websites with their complaints about DirecTV's cancellation policy and their customer service. Some customers write that they have been DirecTV customers for over four years and were still charged a $287 cancellation fee when they terminated their service. Many complain that they were never informed about the cancellation fee when they entered into their contract with DirecTV and certainly never expected to be charged a termination fee after four or more years with the company.

Furthermore, they complain that they have not received the services they subscribed to and have had repeated problems with the DirecTV's reception. Some say that they have had technicians at their residence numerous times to fix problems with their DirecTV equipment.

According to Consumerist.com people who ordered a new DirecTV box were automatically enrolled in a new one year service plan, even if they were not aware of the enrollment and did not approve it. This has even happened to consumers who have been DirecTV customers for over five years.

One consumer says he never even had DirecTV delivered to his residence—he canceled service immediately after ordering it when the estimated delivery date jumped from between one and two days to between four and six days. Despite canceling the order immediately, DirecTV allegedly tried to charge the man $400 for terminating the service.

Of course, DirecTV is not the first company to use changes to service contracts as a reason to extend the length of the customer's contract. Cell phone companies used to do so as well, and now face multiple lawsuits alleging that customer contracts were extended without customer authorization. Although DirecTV does not yet face the mountain of lawsuits that cell phone companies face, it is likely that lawsuits will be filed in the near future.

This is because customers are now investigating possible lawsuits against the company, alleging that its early termination fees are unfair. They further allege that their contracts were improperly extended without their knowledge and that they were charged early termination fees even when they paid full price for their DirecTV equipment.

If you feel you have been unfairly charged a cancellation fee by DirecTV, contact a lawyer who can determine your eligibility to join a lawsuit against the company.

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