Randy Weber

DirecTV = Terrible Customer Service

DirecTV has an exclusive on NFL Sunday Ticket in the US. They use this very effectively to grab subscribers from cable and to lock them in for 2 years. I’m one such person.

NFL Sunday Ticket is great, when it works. It’s expensive, but it’s the only way I can watch Cowboys games in San Francisco, plus I love the Red Zone channel. Today I missed both because of an incorrect satellite configuration (a configuration that was done by DirecTV).

I called DirecTV to resolve the issue and request a pro-rated refund for the week since I didn’t get to see what I wanted to see. They wouldn’t issue a refund. The person on the phone was nice and seemed to understand, but said she couldn’t do anything. It’s great to be a monopoly.

It’s clear that DirecTV has adopted the mindset that customers will do anything to keep getting NFL Sunday Ticket and that they’re locked in to the service, so why bother doing anything to keep them happy. They’re probably right, but this is exactly why monopolies and exclusives are bad for customers. Another great example is AT&T and the iPhone.

When I asked about my contract and service level, I learned I have 11 months left. I found out I could downgrade and save $33/mth (of course, I’d lose some channels). When I offered them the choice of issuing me a refund for 1  week of service for NFL Sunday Ticket vs me downgrading by $33/mth going forward, they still wouldn’t issue the refund. I immediately downgraded my service. They just lost $33/mth * the 11 remaining months on my contract or $363 in revenue to save issuing a one-time refund that couldn’t have been more than $15-$20. Plus they’re going to lose me as a subscriber at the end of that 11 month period, so they’re going to be losing even more future revenue and a little piece of all important market share. Unbelievable!