Unacceptable Customer Support

[IslandBillsFan]

I'm gonna vent a little here.  What is a customer supposed to do with large companies that have horrible customer support?  I know there have been other threads that touched on this but couldn't find a dedicated one.  

 

My case in point today is: ATT/DIRECTV.  First let it be known that they can't merge my ATT cell account with my DirectTv account for some reason so I have two separate bills.  Thats a different issue than today.

 

For the last two months I haven't been able to pay my directv bill online.  My only options are to call the robosystem and pay or enroll in autopay (which I think is there goal.)  I do not want to have to call every month or do autopay.  I know they want customers to use autopay so when they inevitably charge me more I may miss it.  To resolve the issue of not being able to pay online, first I try the chat feature.  This is only online certain hours a day.  After using it, they said I would need to call in.  I call the automatic system but I can't get a person because every time I say the word "bill" it takes me to the pay your bill prompts.  

 

So this is a little frustrating.  What is crazy to me though is there is they have no email address.  You can not email them no matter what.  It will always point you back to their forums, chat feature, or to call.  How can I even express how crummy there system is?

 

I guess my only real options here are to flame away on them on social media or cancel my service.  The problem is if a customer wants to cancel their service and then switches from ATT to another large corporation they have the same crappy automatic services.  

 

As modern day consumers shouldn't there be some sort of rights?  Thoughts?

 

Feel free to share your crappy customer service issues.

 

 

[Cripple Creek]

Don't say "bill" say "representative" or hit "0." You might get to a breathing human that way.

[Foxx]

you do have rights. it's called canceling.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Along those lines, why do so many online web presences have a ‘Contact Us’ page, then never do get around to answering your concerns or questions?

[BillnutinHouston]

When I saw this thread my immediate thought was DirecTV.  They are the worst ever since AT&T acquired them.  I even had an employee, a tech at my house, say the same before I even mentioned it.

[Foxx]

seriously though, auto bill pay is the way most companies operate today, that is just the way of things. for me and speaking strictly from my perspective, i love the auto pay option. i don't have to sit down, write a check, put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and either take it to the post office or put it in the mailbox. nor do i have to log into the companies website every single month, for each and every service i utilize, and manually pay. god forbid if i don't have the site automatically retain the card and/or my personal information.

 

 as a result, somewhere along the way i have found it useful to log into my banking institutions website once a month to view any and all charges. this has served a two fold purpose. i am now better informed about the status of my account and all charges to it and it just saves so much time, it's not funny.

 

 

Edited December 14, 2019 by Foxx

[Keukasmallies]

35 minutes ago, IslandBillsFan said:

I'm gonna vent a little here.  What is a customer supposed to do with large companies that have horrible customer support?  I know there have been other threads that touched on this but couldn't find a dedicated one.  

 

My case in point today is: ATT/DIRECTV.  First let it be known that they can't merge my ATT cell account with my DirectTv account for some reason so I have two separate bills.  Thats a different issue than today.

 

For the last two months I haven't been able to pay my directv bill online.  My only options are to call the robosystem and pay or enroll in autopay (which I think is there goal.)  I do not want to have to call every month or do autopay.  I know they want customers to use autopay so when they inevitably charge me more I may miss it.  To resolve the issue of not being able to pay online, first I try the chat feature.  This is only online certain hours a day.  After using it, they said I would need to call in.  I call the automatic system but I can't get a person because every time I say the word "bill" it takes me to the pay your bill prompts.  

 

So this is a little frustrating.  What is crazy to me though is there is they have no email address.  You can not email them no matter what.  It will always point you back to their forums, chat feature, or to call.  How can I even express how crummy there system is?

 

I guess my only real options here are to flame away on them on social media or cancel my service.  The problem is if a customer wants to cancel their service and then switches from ATT to another large corporation they have the same crappy automatic services.  

 

As modern day consumers shouldn't there be some sort of rights?  Thoughts?

 

Feel free to share your crappy customer service issues.

 

 

 

I guess the nasty (but very effective at times) way to respond is to adopt the currently popular tactic of flaming them on social media.  Just think:  A pissing contest with a communications giant, and you're almost anonymous!

 

I feel your pain in that I have an AT&T cell phone account that is quite reasonable at $30/mo. plus fees and taxes.  However, Spectrum offers the very same plan for $14/mo., all in, no additional fees, taxes, etc.  So, I suffering the "Tarzan dilemma":  Do I let go of the AT&T vine and grab the Spectrum vine, or not?  I have two complete accounts with spectrum at present - cable tv, Internet, telephone times two; but I don't trust the longevity nor the coverage map of their $14. plan.  As you mentioned above, leave one major corporation's shenanigans for another's?  The unpleasant or despicable corporations [read "bastards"] gotcha coming and going.

 

 

24 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Along those lines, why do so many online web presences have a ‘Contact Us’ page, then never do get around to answering your concerns or questions?

 

What's even more unnerving is when you pour out your ire in the text of the complaint, hit Submit and nothing happens!!

Edited December 14, 2019 by Keukasmallies

[Patrick Duffy]

47 minutes ago, IslandBillsFan said:

I'm gonna vent a little here.  What is a customer supposed to do with large companies that have horrible customer support?  I know there have been other threads that touched on this but couldn't find a dedicated one.  

 

My case in point today is: ATT/DIRECTV.  First let it be known that they can't merge my ATT cell account with my DirectTv account for some reason so I have two separate bills.  Thats a different issue than today.

 

For the last two months I haven't been able to pay my directv bill online.  My only options are to call the robosystem and pay or enroll in autopay (which I think is there goal.)  I do not want to have to call every month or do autopay.  I know they want customers to use autopay so when they inevitably charge me more I may miss it.  To resolve the issue of not being able to pay online, first I try the chat feature.  This is only online certain hours a day.  After using it, they said I would need to call in.  I call the automatic system but I can't get a person because every time I say the word "bill" it takes me to the pay your bill prompts.  

 

So this is a little frustrating.  What is crazy to me though is there is they have no email address.  You can not email them no matter what.  It will always point you back to their forums, chat feature, or to call.  How can I even express how crummy there system is?

 

I guess my only real options here are to flame away on them on social media or cancel my service.  The problem is if a customer wants to cancel their service and then switches from ATT to another large corporation they have the same crappy automatic services.  

 

As modern day consumers shouldn't there be some sort of rights?  Thoughts?

 

Feel free to share your crappy customer service issues.

 

 

Don't say bill, say "agent". Everytime the robo system tells you something or ask you something no matter what it is, you just continue to say "agent" and it will "should" get you an actual person to talk to.

[BringBackFergy]

I hate the term “unacceptable”. It’s obviously acceptable at this point until you tell them you’re done. 
 

(but I sympathize with your plight)

[RaoulDuke79]

5 hours ago, Cripple Creek said:

Don't say "bill" say "representative" or hit "0." You might get to a breathing human that way.

This is a correct.  My method is always choose the upgrade option (they seem to fast track you to a real person, go figure). Then I take them by surprise and let loose.

[row_33]

4 hours ago, Foxx said:

you do have rights. it's called canceling.

even when you cancel you have to recancel  at least three times as they continue to bill 

[Marv's Neighbor]

Try pressing 2 for Spanish.

[Mike in Horseheads]

5 hours ago, Foxx said:

seriously though, auto bill pay is the way most companies operate today, that is just the way of things. for me and speaking strictly from my perspective, i love the auto pay option. i don't have to sit down, write a check, put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and either take it to the post office or put it in the mailbox. nor do i have to log into the companies website every single month, for each and every service i utilize, and manually pay. god forbid if i don't have the site automatically retain the card and/or my personal information.

 

 as a result, somewhere along the way i have found it useful to log into my banking institutions website once a month to view any and all charges. this has served a two fold purpose. i am now better informed about the status of my account and all charges to it and it just saves so much time, it's not funny.

 

 

I hate auto pay  don't mail in a check.  Use my credit unions bill pay, go in there slap a amount and date I want it paid and done. As for OP frustrations. 100% agree. DTV went from best customer service to worst when ATT reared its ugly head

[WhoTom]

My son took a job at an AT&T call center in the summer of 2018. DirecTV customers were complaining about their rates being raised without their prior knowledge, and his job was to explain to them that the company did, indeed, tell them in advance about the rate hike. Turns out, it was in the super-fine print that nobody reads on their monthly bill.

 

He quit after six weeks because he empathized with the customers and didn't want to work for an a-hole company.

 

 

[boater]

I'm so old, I can remember when DirecTV had superior customer service. It was the 90's.

[Augie]

The ONLY thing they make easy is if you want to sign up for more services so they get more of your money. They are exceptional in that regard, I found. Anything else? You’re screwed!

[T&C]

3 hours ago, row_33 said:

even when you cancel you have to recancel  at least three times as they continue to bill 

It took me a half an hour to cancel ON THE PHONE with a live person a couple of years ago... had been with them for 17 years and without a contract the last 8 or so. They still occasionally call but I just tell them to have a great day and hang up.

 

Sling blue for $28 a month has more than we ever had with DTV... I mean Way more... and if you want to add/subtract  packages its usually only 5/10 bucks extra. None of those hokey shopping channels, etc. either.

 

During football season I do have to add Sling orange though as somehow ESPN is the only way to watch MNF... so it goes up to $41 or so for a third of the year. I couldn't care less but she likes to watch the games on the tv.

 

If anyone keeps directv just for the Sunday Ticket I would say to you do a little looking around because I haven't paid for a game in  probably 10 years. Just watched the Sabres lose in OT for free.

[Augie]

20 minutes ago, T&C said:

It took me a half an hour to cancel ON THE PHONE with a live person a couple of years ago... had been with them for 17 years and without a contract the last 8 or so. They still occasionally call but I just tell them to have a great day and hang up.

 

Sling blue for $28 a month has more than we ever had with DTV... I mean Way more... and if you want to add/subtract  packages its usually only 5/10 bucks extra. None of those hokey shopping channels, etc. either.

 

During football season I do have to add Sling orange though as somehow ESPN is the only way to watch MNF... so it goes up to $41 or so for a third of the year. I couldn't care less but she likes to watch the games on the tv.

 

If anyone keeps directv just for the Sunday Ticket I would say to you do a little looking around because I haven't paid for a game in  probably 10 years. Just watched the Sabres lose in OT for free.

 

My wife just complained that our ATT/DTV bill is north of $400/month. I’d like to cancel the phone, but that’s only about $20. I like a bit of redundancy, but not the price it comes with. 

[Your Brown Eye]

I was the dumbass who paid $1500 for an extended 4 year car warranty 2 years ago. Low and behold last week, I needed to use the warranty and the dealership I took my car too, called and told me the warranty company has no record of my car so they're are not going to cover it and I had to pay nearly $400 out of my pocket because I needed my car that evening for work (it was at the dealership at 8am). It turns out it was a clerical input error on the part of the warranty company, and it got fixed about 10 minutes after I threatened to get a lawyer and sue (it would have been a landslide in my favor because I had all the legitimate documents and receipts of the purchase of the warranty). Now, they are giving me troubles because I fixed the car before the warranty issue was worked out, and I told them countless times I needed my car to go to work, so they are looking for any excuse not to pay it.

 

The customer support I received was terrible, they basically accused me of trying to cheat the system and calling me a liar, then when it got fixed, there was not a single apology given out.

[ALF]

Always get a extended warranty from where you buy your car.